《The Lord Is Too Overbearing》
Chapter ?1 Three Stacks Of Purple Hyacinths
[Obelisk of Bael]
In the middle of a dimly lit spacious room with apparent grandeur, a man, whose long brown hair was billowing graciously, stood like the lone survivor of a war.
Countless of corpses of his in enemies¡ªMonsters that endangered humans; the terror of mankind¡ªlittered the ground around him.
His stature remained unperturbed; instead of taking pride in finally clearing thest Obelisk alone, he had a puzzled expression on his face. His sharp brows furrowed gently, and he bit his lower lip delicately.
"This is not right. Thest word of the Obelisk Master, the Seven Princes'' arrival, bothered me."
Obelisk Master, a term that was used to call the holder of authority in an Obelisk. An Obelisk Master was the leader of all the horde of Monsters produced by the Obelisk. To sessfully clear an Obelisk, one had to y the Obelisk Master.
In hisst breath, the Obelisk of Bael''s Master, Goliath, had spewed some threads of cryptical words to his yer, Basil Pacifer.
"Ku-ku-ku.. you may think you have won..." He talked unintelligibly afterwards, and thest intelligible thing he said was, "Just wait! When the Seven Princes arrived, only despair shall await you!"
This, of course, took Basil''s attention. His cautious nature naturally made him consider those words as a fact, not just some baseless threats.
However, he still couldn''t think of anything that had something to do with the Seven Princes. While pondering about this, questions he had never thought about naturally popped up.
What is the true identity of Obelisk? Who created it? What is the purpose of its creation?
With those thoughts filling his mind, puzzlement naturally flooded his mind.
"Huuh ... can''t help it." He sighed. "No matter how I think about it, nothinges out."
He looked around the room, before his gazended on a ck, gigantic door in front of him.
"Alright, let''s explore the secret chamber first. Now that the Obelisk Master has died, I can consider myself lucky. I don''t have to search the secret chamber anymore. It''s right in front me!"
Though he had said it brightly, there was no happiness could be seen on his face. As always, he was stoic and cautious.
Tap. Tap. Tap.
His steps were gracious and quiet. Though he was walking, in the perspective of normal people, it looked like he was gliding through the floor.
It wasn''t Art by any chance, it was just how he walked normally, which clearly showed how amazing of a Mage he was.
The highest level of Magic mastery, the Ninth Circle, was the level Basil was currently in. History had only recorded 4 people who managed to break that boundary, and attained a level above the Ninth Circle. However, it was believed to be merely a myth.
Nothing was clear about the history of humanity from 2000 years ago. That time was even called Age of Chaos due to how chaotic the situation had been.
Age of Chaos was started by the mysterious emergence of Obelisks¡ªthe beginning of an age that was true to its name.
At that time, Monsters poured out ceaselessly from the Obelisk for the first time, and Obelisk Masters hadn''t yet cooped inside their habitat; they could still freely roam the outside world.
Many people had been ughtered¡ªhumanity faced their first crisis which was worse than natural disasters¡ªand the poption had quickly dropped to 40% of the original poption.
This however, in turn, stopped human from having a war against each other. They decided to unite themselves under one banner, that is, Humanity.
Although powerless, they had kept struggling with everything they had. s, the previously 40% mark, had still dropped to 35%, and kept dropping until it hit the 20% mark.
In the time of absolute despair however, atst, humanity found their hope; Four Heroes had miraculously appeared, and helped humanity to fight the Monsters. They were the very first humans who managed to grasp the concept of Magic.
Standing at the very front of the battlefield, they had in millions of Monsters and tens of Obelisk Masters alike. Inspired by the four heroes, the people who had had lost their will to fight eagerly requested to be taught Magic from them.
Only then, humanity learned the existence of Magic Circle. Located on their heart, Magic Circle was the only way human had to utilize Mana effectively.
With the help of Magic and the Four Heroes, it had taken 40 years for humanity to win the war. Thousands of Ninth Circle Mages were born along the way, yet none of them had been close enough to match the might of the Four Heroes.
Right after humanity had achieved their victory however, the Four Heroes were gone mysteriously.
With their sudden disappearance, people had assumed they had attained a level that was simply too much for the world to bear, therefore they had to leave the world to keep its bnce.
Although it was yet another myth, many people believed it. Unfortunately back then, people had only thought of survival, so there was not a single documented information could be found about it.
"Such a long history of Magic, but rather than improving, the quality keeps degrading from time to time. It is already to the point where stagnancy is something to joy about; improvement is considered a miracle," mumbled Basil.
Exactly as what Basil had said, rather than increasing, the number of Ninth Circle Mage was decreasing. Even currently, there was only one Ninth Circle mage, which was no other than himself; the other existing Mages were stuck as an Eighth Circle Mage.
Because of that reason, he was hailed as humanity''s hope. Of course, whenever he heard it, he would snort and say, "I am neither your hope nor your saviour. Help yourself, don''t bother someone else."
Upon arriving in front of the gigantic ck door, Basil quickly made his existence known.
Knock. Knock. Knock.
After knocking on the door, Basil waited for a few seconds before pushing the door open.
"Three knocks and three seconds rule. If there is still no response, you are free to barge in," he uttered righteously.
Of course, it was only applicable for someone like him. If just anyone had done it, they would have their head rolling on the floor even faster than they could blink.
Creak.
A loud sound that was produced by the shing of the door''s lower part against the floor resounded in the room that was far bigger than the one had belonged to the Obelisk Master.
Whoosh.
In a closed space naturally, there will be no wind blow can be felt, therefore it was not wind, but an aura of oppression that was enough to make any Eighth Circle Mage and below wet their pants.
Basil became more alert, and straightened his posture even more. He exhaled softly, before muttering, "Here we go again."
Quickly observing his surrounding, he made his first step inside the secret chamber. There were no lightings inside, but it posed no problem to him; he could even fight with his eyes closed.
Upon stepping his feet inside the chamber, he could see two notable things inside: an altar that was as big as a house, and a tablet that was disyed inside a Magic Barrier on the altar.
Although nothing shiny could be seen from the tablet, in Basil''s eyes, it was blinding.
"Well, isn''t it a jackpot?"
He had finally arrived in front of the tablet. Although it was inside a magic barrier, the barrier didn''t obstruct his vision in the slightest. Therefore, Basil could easily see the content of tablet.
As he expected¡ª
"What kind of person has this chicken scratch like handwriting?"
¡ªhe couldn''t understand a single thing written on the tablet.
He sighed, and decided to stop trying toprehend it; he could still do something about the Tablet. Basil extended his hand, then gathered his mana on the tip of his index finger, as an amethyst like aura was quickly exuded from it afterwards.
Soon enough, an oppressive aura that was iparable to the aura the secret chamber was exuding surrounded his body.
"[Heaven Piercer]!" Basil muttered softly.
Such a domineering name!
It wasn''t that his naming sense was bad; it was what his Art actually did. Once he used it, he had the capability to pierce the heavens! At least, that is how it looked. Basil was aware he couldn''t pierce the heavens ... yet.
Boom!
Crack!
The Magic Barrier that was protecting the tablet slowly broke under the crazy power of Basil''s Art.
When it waspletely broken, a stone tablet with the size of a book was revealed to the world. Looking at it with a normal person''s eyes, it was just an ordinary stone table, however in Basil''s eyes, it was shining even brighter than before.
He felt impatience¡ªa feeling he had not had for a long time already. However, this time ...
''I am attracted to it. I have a gut feeling if I were to hold on any longer, I would lose it!''
Then, incautiously, Basil touched the tablet. It was shining even brighter, to the point where Basil was forced to close his reinforced eyes.
Not stopping there, as he had a direct contact with it, he felt as if an extremely powerful wave crashed onto him.
However not long after, the crushing power he was feeling abruptly disappeared like a lie, and by the time he opened his eyes, the stone tablet, along with its blinding light were gone too.
"Eh?"
Undoubtedly, his current facial expression was the mostical one he had ever made.
Chapter 2 Three Stacks Of Purple Hyacinths (2)
Quickly recovering from his state, Basil retracted his extended hand. Sighing softly to himself, he straightened his posture and put his hand on his chest.
Badump. Badump. Badump.
Though he looked calm in the surface, he was nervous. He had thought he had identally triggered something that wasn''t supposed to be triggered.
In Obelisk, it wasn''t umon to find traps that could endanger one''s life, after all.
While spreading his Mana Sense to ensure that he didn''t trigger any trap, he gazed at the opened door that was twice as big as an average human size in front of him; it was exuding an ethereal bluish light.
His already calmed heart started to elerate once again. It wasn''t because the fact that the door hadn''t been there before, but his Mana Sense couldn''t even reach the inside of the room.
It had been a long time since his Mana Sense didn''t work well.
Basil quickly channeled his mana to the Spatial Bracelet on his wrist. With a sh of light, a blue ymore with an intricate pattern on its hilt appeared in his right hand.
Woong.
He swung the ymore once; followed by that, the air was split apart.
Boom!
The sound produced by the ruptured air reverberated through the whole room.
Basil had made a decision: since his Mana Sense couldn''t prate the room, might as well just charge through it. Reckless? Not for him; his eyes, and instinct that had been honed by years of battles could easily help him in his endeavor.
Preparing himself once again, Basil darted to the room swiftly.
Whoosh!
An even greater pressure greeted Basil upon entering the room. Contrary to its beautiful appearance, the bluish light was burning his skin. If not for the Defense Art he had, his skin would have been charred upon his entrance.
The room wasn''t spacious; it was narrow tapering, and extremely long. He could see a shining blue orb in the end of the room, and he deduced the light came from it.
Basil immediately stopped his step and put on a stance. Years of battles had made his instinct so sharp that he knew if he were to advance, only doom awaited him.
p! p!
Basil''s heart skipped a beat.
Upon hearing the sound, time seemed to move slowly; he could hear his slowly beating heart loudly. With his extreme control over his Mana, he meticulously executed his Step Art: [Blink] to back away.
When he stopped moving, he could finally see the one who had pped their hands earlier.
It was an androgynous man with long, ck hair; a perfect face proportion; sharp nose; and a pale skin that was bereft of any blemish. He was currently looking at Basil with a yful smile that would put any woman instantly head over heels with him.
In Basil''s perspective however, he saw a monster whose power was so enormous, it was unfathomable. It was so vast that it seemed limitless.
This fact naturally made his already elerated heart elerated even more to the point where he even wondered how could a human heart beat so fast.
Of course, he knew it was only the illusion his body made. In truth, it wasn''t his heart that was elerating, but the Magic Circles on his heart that were trembling.
Basil exhaled to calm his beating heart down, then asked the smiling man calmly. "Huuh... who are you?"
"Who am I? Hmm... I don''t know myself either," the smiling man answered Basil yfully. "I am called by many names; I don''t care about my name. Why don''t you name me instead?" He twirled his silky long hair, and winked.
If not for the attire and his build, anyone would think the man was a woman.
"I don''t like ying games. Just tell me if you don''t want to tell me," Basil responded with an unamused voice.
The smiling man lost his smile, then pouted his lips. "Awwhh... What''s wrong with human nowadays? You are boring," he said sulkily. "Hey, aren''t you supposed to be attracted to me?"
At the ridiculous question, Basil''s face was unchanging. "I love myself first, and womene third. Also for reminders, the second isn''t men," he replied with same unamused voice.
The pouting man''s face contorted briefly, before he assumed a thinking posture. "You are not a woman?" The man asked cluelessly.
This time, Basil''s face contorted. Just as the man, it had happened very briefly. While pointing his ymore to the man, he snorted and said, "Enough with the pointless talk. Just tell me who you are!"
"But.. you are too pretty to be a man ..." muttered the man. Naturally, Basil had heard it. However, he wasn''t a talkative person in the very first ce. Therefore, he just ignored it.
The man put a disappointed face as if Basil''s choice to stay silent was regrettable. Basil, of course, felt that his choice had been right.
"Hmm... I have told you already, I have many names. Therefore, you can call me whatever you like," said the man with a smile.
As soon as the man stopped talking, Basil replied, "Then, I''ll call you Donkey."
"Kuhuk!" The man was baffled at Basil''s naming sense. "I''m Gorgophone! Nice to meet you!" The man that was revealed to be Gorgophone quickly eximed.
As he felt he had been wronged, he eyed Basil sharply. "That was so low of you."
Pointing his ymore at Gorgophone, Basil responded, "Know the man who kill you; I am Basil!"
Gorgophone merely raised one of his eyebrows, and smiled. "No need to be cautious, Basil. As long as you stay put, I''ll leave you alone. Also, nice to meet you!" Despite Basil''s rather aggressive tone, Gorgophone remained civil.
Of course, that was only on the surface. In reality, the room was currently with the overwhelming pressure caused by their Mana sh. Even the ground under Basil''s feet had long been crushed.
Mana that was normally couldn''t be seen by normal eyes could now be seen clearly. One with the color of amethyst, and the other with the color of obsidian.
Basil still looked calm, but his heart tightened upon this disy. If he were to release this kind of pressure outside, he would have undoubtedly uprooted trees, and made a crater big enough for a smallke.
However inside this room, he had only managed to make a heel deep crater. It wasn''t that his mana was suppressed, but the material of the floor was extraordinary.
However, this wasn''t the fact that tightened his heart. It was the pressure exuded by Gorgophone.
Gorgophone didn''t make any crater on the floor below him, but he could still confront Basil''s Mana pressure. That showed just how superior his control over his mana was.
Of course, it didn''t be the reason to shy Basil away. "I''ll take your head. It was nice to know you, Gorgophone." With that said, he threw himself to Gorgophone.
"Hahaha! Come, Basil Pacifer!"
Not even a second had passed after Gorgophone had opened his mouth, Basil appeared in front of him. Ignoring the fact Gorgophone knew his full name, he swung his ymore.
nk!
ymore met great sword. Gorgophone had taken his great sword so fast, not even Basil could see when he had taken it out.
A spark of fire was produced by the sh of the two metals; two different Mana were shing in the air, visible through the naked eye.
nk! nk!
One swing, two swing, four swings, and hundreds of swings were exchanged in a span of three seconds.
[Blink]
As the brisk yet ferocious sh had ended, Basil distanced himself from Gorgophone with his Movement Art.
He immediately assumed the stance he himself had developed, then held his ymore sideways. The blue ymore shone, then glowing, strange symbols appeared on the surface of the de.
"Hmmm... So, it''s the Sword of Zepar, Vagus." Gorgophone hummed to himself. Quirking his eyebrow, he said, "No wonder you have an amazing appearance."
Vagus, also known as the Sword of Zepar, was a powerful weapon that boosted its holder in physical ability and Mana reserve. However, Vagus also had another more well known name.
The Charm of Lust.
As its name implied, anyone who wielded it would have an attractiveness that attracted both genders. In an extreme case, it could even drive someone insane.
Through the perspective of a Seventh Circle Mage and above, the wielder of Vagus would look absolutely attractive, and that was all; none of them would get crazy because of it.
Of course depending on the gender and willpower, the effect would be different on each person.
Basil, who was already attractive before, became even more attractive after he hadid his hands on Vagus. This, of course, was merely some of the perks of Vagus.
As for the real power of Vagus ...
"Even though that was the reason many people have tried toy their hands on it, for me, that function is simply useless," Basil said with a smirk.
He was speaking the truth; he had never put much thought in appearance ... Well, not that much.
"Oh, may you tell me what you use it for?" Gorgophone asked curiously.
Instead of replying, Basil rose Vagus up to his head, then the light that Vagus was exuding was evenly distributed to his whole body.
"This is! ... [Synchronization]?!" Gorgophone was bewildered.
The highest level of Weapon mastery: [Synchronization], the special trait of Basil. Just as its name implied, [Synchronization] allowed the user to be one with the weapon they wielded.
Upon activation, one could physically use the ability of the weapon, and uncovered its hidden abilities. It was this special trait of his that had made Basil grow unstoppably.
Even if his mastery over his Arts had reached bottleneck, [Synchronization] showed a limitless potential; he could never stop growing with it.
With [Synchronization], he could split mountain with a swing of his sword. Coupled with the equally remarkable hidden abilities of Vagus, he could clear many Obelisks by himself.
Basil smiled softly. "Let''s begin the real game, shall we?"
He shot forward, and once again ymore met great sword. This time however, instead of a spark, explosion urred.
Chapter 3 Three Stacks Of Purple Hyacinths (End)
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
Mighty explosions constantly rang throughout the room. No one would even believe it was produced from a sh between two swords.
Basil and Gorgophone had long since exited the narrow room they had been in. They were currently fighting inside the secret chamber, the one that had previously belonged to Goliath.
Each time they stepped their foot on the ground, a crater was formed; each time they parried each other''s swing, a trench decorated the ground.
The damage their fight caused was so heavy, even some parts of the extremely sturdy floor had turned to dust. This happened even though none of them used their Arts yet.
A mighty show of brute force!
"Amazing! To think a human can reach this degree of mastery ... You''re something else, Basil," praised Gorgophone. He had said nothing wrong; respect should be given to where it''s due.
Different from Spell, Art was a method of Mana maniption that enabled one to do something unimaginable: producing lightning from one''s finger, controlling the weather, and any other heaven defying things.
Having arge amount of mana meant nothing without the utilization of Art. It was as if having hands and stone, but without the knowledge of how to throw it.
Therefore, the monstrous power Basil had disyed even without the utilization of Art was praiseworthy.
"Not only your mana capacity increased, but your control over it has also improved ... I don''t think that''s normal," Grogophone said offhandedly.
"Normal and abnormal; it''s just a matter of perspective. People have their own standard," was Basil''s response.
Gorgophone sighed, and readied his great sword once again. "Since you''re very adamant about it, let''s do it. I have figured it out anyway," said Gorgophone ambiguously.
Gone were his yful smile, andx posture. A serious expression that he never showed was stered on his face.
Basil''s heart tightened upon the scene. Since he had activated [Synchronization], he could somehow gauge the extent of Gorgophone''s power. Vast was an understatement; it was simply monstrous!
Gorgophone was no longer exuding his Mana¡ªto be exact, Basil couldn''t feel his mana anymore.
There were two possible exnations for this phenomenon. First, Gorgophone''s Mana was well hidden. Second, his mana was so monstrous, Basil''s sense had simply mistaken it as Natural Mana. Sadly, this phenomenon was caused by thetter.
Still, Basil remained unfazed. Faced with an event that may cause his doom, he felt neither fear nor nervousness; he felt excitement!
Who was Basil? Thest Ninth Circle Mage alive? No!
He was the man who had been struck down many times, yet always gone back up again; he was a man, before a mage. He had dignity to maintain.
A man shall never bow to anyone!
[Art of Vagus: Haywire]
Dashing toward Gorgophone, heactivated the hidden ability of Vagus.
nk!
The great sword was struck down, leaving Gorgophone''s upper body exposed. Seeing the opening, Basil quickly swung Vagus upward. However, Gorgophone could dodge it by bending his body to the point where it almost touched the ground.
Gorgophone, who saw that Basil''s lower body was exposed, quickly swung his great sword upward. Unfortunately for him, Basil had disappeared even before he managed to.
[Blink]
Of course, Basil had already expected that.
Gorgophone''s face became even more stoic than before. Although it wasn''t apparent, he was flustered at the change uring to his body.
"To think a mere Grand Duke could have this fearsome weapon..." He muttered to himself.
nk!
Basil didn''t give Gorgophone the time to muse, as Vagus had nearly cut Gorgophone''s head in two. Vagus shone briefly once, then Gorgophone''s stance faltered.
Taking the opportunity, Basil swiftly swung his ymore to Gorgophone''s right foot ... At least, that was how it seemed.
Spurt!
Blood was gushing out of the wound Basil had inflicted on Gorgophone''s chest. Bewildered, Gorgophone couldn''t even think properly to parry Basil''s attack.
One swing, his cheek was grazed. Two swings, his forearm bled. Four swings, his left thigh was cut deeply; his thighbone was visible. Eight swings, his palm was cut open, and Vagus was held firmly.
Looking at Basil in confusion, he asked, "You... What is that? sh my foot, my chest bleeds. sh my head, my thigh bleeds. Hypnosis? I doubt it will be that." He questioned and answered his own question.
"Tell me!" He shouted impatiently.
Basil merely smirked. "Why should I tell you?"
Pouring his mana into Vagus, he swung it upward while concurrently utilizing [Blink] to distance himself. In result, the hand that was firmly holding Vagus lost four of its fingers.
Gorgophone remained unperturbed as he merely looked at his hand in disinterest, as if losing a finger wasn''t a big deal.
He had the right to do so; just a second after the cut fingers had touched the ground, new fingers grew. The wounds on his body were healing rapidly, and even his tattered clothes were repaired.
Basil quirked an eyebrow. "You have an amazing healing factor." He was impressed, and slightly dumbfounded at the same time.
His Art didn''t only stop at merely empowering his attack, but it also allowed him to leave his Mana in the injuries he had managed to inflict. The Mana he had left would then destroy the cells or, at the very least, stop the regeneration entirely.
It didn''t work on Gorgophone, and he had the right to be dumbfounded.
"Humph! A simple trick couldn''t deceive me." Gorgophone snorted coldly. "It''s time for you to get down from your saddle, human!"
Without waiting for Basil''s response, he charged at him.
nk!
A firm attack!
Unlike before, Gorgophone''s step didn''t falter, and his swing was powerful. Basil furrowed his eyebrows upon receiving the attack; he was slightly taken aback.
"Surprised? I have already grasped your trick." Gorgophone smirked. "You disrupted my mana flow, and messed with my motor sense! It is an ultimate weapon against human ... However, I am not a human!"
nk!
A powerful swing was sent toward Basil, and he was thrown across the room.
Boom!
The ground exploded as he was forced to channel his Mana into his feet to nt his feet on the ground, so his body could stop moving.
A thick dust produced by the crushed floor quickly enveloped him, and despite so, he could see his front clearly.
Drip. Drip.
He had been hit; his abdomen was cut opened. Just like his [Art of Vagus: Haywire], Gorgophone had used the same trick tond a hit on him.
"Hahaha... Surprised?" Gorgophone asked yfully. "Information is the most dangerous weapon, don''t you think? That''s why people desperately sought for information." He smirked.
"In my case, I can get informations from the Mana people are exuding. You might not know it, but once Mana enters your body, it bes one with you: it bes a part of you."
The dust cleared up, and Basil could be seen having his glowing right hand on top of his wound.
"Once it bes a part of you, a part of you will also be a part of it. That means, everytime you are exuding mana from your body, you are exposing yourself slowly."
Basil''s heart tightened, and his face stiffened; his puzzlement was solved, leaving behind an understanding.
"Yes, that''s how I know your full name¡ªI can see your information from your mana, Basil! That''s also how I can figure out your so-called Art!" Gorgophone eximed enthusiastically.
Shaking his head regrettably, he said, "An amazing Art indeed, but that''s how far it can go."
Basil stopped channeling his Mana to his right hand, and it immediately stopped glowing; he had given up trying to heal it.
Although the destructive Mana injected in his wound wasn''t destroying his cells, it hadpletely stopped his regeneration.
"That''s not even the best part yet! I can see your past¡ªyour whole life! And ... I can even do this," Gorgophone grinned.
[Transfiguration]!
In the next moment, Gorgophone''s appearance started changing.
[Transfiguration]; A high leveled Art that was yearned by many Alchemists. If [Transformation] was merely a way to deceive the eyes, [Transfiguration] was the real deal. One could really turn into the thing one saw with it.
Gorgophone''s long, ck hair was reced with long, silky, purple hair. His androgynous face turned more feminine: sharp, red eyes; beautiful, pointy nose; and small, luscious lips adorned his face.
His body also changed to that of a perfect figure for a woman. Dressed like a man, the tight fit entuated the feminine figure even more.
Gorgophone had turned himself into woman. And not just any woman; it was someone Basil knew.
"What are you doing?" A cold voice came out of Basil''s mouth naturally. He was angered so badly, a feeling of coldness washed over him.
"Hmm... you''ve already forgotten about me, it seems. I''m hurt, Sil," replied the woman.
"You are not her. Stop tainting her image by impersonating her!" It was an exmation, but it was heard as if a reassurance to himself.
Basil couldn''t help it; the aura, the voice, the demeanor, and the way her mana flowed really resembled the person he knew.
His mind couldn''t help but recall a memory of the past.
...
"I heard you managed to clear the 29th Obelisk. Congrattions! Since you''re hurt, I brought you some flower to look at."
"What is this flower?"
"It''s called Hyacinth."
"Is it naturally purple? What about the other colors?"
"Yes, it''s naturally purple. There are also the other colors, but I love purple!"
A young man with a smiling face, and a bright expression was talking with a purple-haired woman. They didn''t put any thought to their surrounding, as if the world solely belonged to them.
The young man was talking excitedly about his endeavor, and the woman listened to it while smiling softly. As he remembered something, the young man stopped talking.
"What does the flower symbolize?"
Smiling softly, she said, "It symbolizes..."
The scene suddenly changed even before the woman managed to finish her sentence.
It was a battlefield that was littered with corpses of Monster and human alike. ck smoke rose through the air ceaselessly; fire was raging madly, burning many of the corpses.
In the middle of the chaotic scene, a young man was kneeling with a purple-haired woman in his embrace.
"...regrets. I have many regrets," she saidboriously. "Live your life to the fullest. Make your decision carefully¡ªdon''t have any regrets!"
Her hand that was cupping the young man''s cheek fell down limply, and the light in her eyes were gone as the young man cried sorrowfully.
...
The recollection ended, and Basil was back to the present. Standing silently with Vagus in his hands, he looked at the person approaching him iprehensibly.
When the purple haired woman had already arrived in front of him, she presented him three stacks of Purple Hyacinths.
Chapter 4 Flowerbed
The purple-haired woman stared at Basil silently. Basil merely quirked an eyebrow at her, and took two steps back; the purple-haired woman smiled softly at that.
"As far as I''m concerned, there are many other variation of Hyacinths. Why do you have to associate me with Purple Hyacinth?" She asked with the same small smile.
Basil shut his lips tightly; his heart was in turmoil. He knew that the woman in front of him had long gone. He had witnessed her death with his eyes; he had even personally buried her body.
''But, why? Why my brain refuses to believe it, and my heart is screaming it is her!?''
Years of hardships and battles should have been naturally enough to make one immune to inner turmoil.
However, at that moment, all of Basil''s mental fortitude was at its lowest point. It wasn''t because he had purposefully lowered it, but due to Gorgophone''s mysterious Art.
"Why are you hesitating? Can''t you even distinguish your Master?"
Another silence greeted her, but she didn''t mind. She merely gazed at Basil''s eyes silently, and kept smiling softly; the silence felt like an eternity.
When the silence was getting unbearable, Basil finally opened his mouth.
"Someone once said, ''Put me on the highest ce of your heart. Let not one rece me, for I am the rightful owner of that ce!'' A very strange thing to say indeed. However, she had said something true."
"Oh, my. That was such a long time ago. I''m surprised you still remember it." The purple-haired woman slightly widened her eyes in surprise.
"I mean it for you to quit yapping," Basil said coldly. "The woman I know is dead. Even if someone alike dered that she was the woman I knew, who had returned from death, I would swing my de toward her without any remorse."
A cold response!
Such conviction was unusual; even if everyone could say it, no one could say it with such a sure tone.
"Fu-fu-fu. To be able to say that ... You have really grown, it seems." The purple-haired woman smiled. "However, I am not returning from death; I am the same person you know, and I believe you know it too."
She spread her hands. "I am the very woman you have killed, whose heart is currently beating in your chest!"
"..."
Silence greeted her after her exmation. This time however, the silence was different. If previously the silence was just that, silence, currently, the room was overwhelmed with the cold killing intent Basil''s body was exuding.
No longer the furrowed brows, and no longer the unfocused eyes; his expression was as t as the surface of a deep ocean. In his eyes, a cold and unfathomable rage could be seen. The atmosphere became tense in a matter of second.
"What? Cat got your tongue?" The purple-haired woman taunted. Basil pointed Vagus at her. "Shut your mouth, harlot!" Cold and detached; it was bereft of warmth, andpassion.
Unfortunately for the purple-haired woman, that was the only warning she got before Basil suddenly appeared before her eyes.
sh!
Fortunately for her, she managed to dodge in the critical moment. However, the Purple Hyacinths in her hand were cut as the result.
A close call!
Quickly extending her hand, a great sword appeared out of nowhere.
nk!
The ground beneath her cratered as she blocked Basil''s attack. She couldn''t detect any Mana from the attack she had just received. Needles to say, she was shocked; it was a pure physical attack!
"Impossible! What is this power!?" She shouted while swinging her great sword at Basil. For the first time in their battle, one of them lost their cool.
Basil hadn''t just been merely standing stupidly, and stayed silent for the whole time. He had been trying his best to solve the puzzle called Gorgophone''s trickery in his head for thest few minutes.
Mana: an energy that was produced by the nature that could be used to strengthen oneself. Gorgophone had the ability to check out someone from Mana.
As he had said, once one absorbed Mana, it became a part of oneself and vice versa. That means, emanating one''s mana was the same as exposing oneself.
Then, how to not exposed oneself? Not using mana was the answer. However, could someone fight an abomination like Gorgophone without using Mana? Normally, no.
However, who was Basil? He was a man who had cleared many Obelisks alone, which normally took two squads of fifteen Fifth Circle Mages to even clear a Middle Rank Obelisk; he had cleared many High-Rank Obelisks by himself.
That was a feat that defiedmon sense. Even amongst the Elven race that was known for their mastery over magic, no one could achieve the same feat. Basil was that abnormal.
Once again, it was all possible because his special trait, [Synchronization]. Once he had synchronized himself with Vagus, his physical strength and Mana capacity grew to an unimaginable level.
However, what made [Synchronization] different with the other Power-up Arts was the fact that even without utilizing Mana, the increased strength remained.
Morever ...
"You! Aren''t you a Mage!?"
Contrary to people''s believe, Basil wasn''t just a Battle Mage; he had never been one. Basil was an anomaly for both Mage and Knight; he learned Magic, and the way of Knight at the same time.
That wasn''t normally possible because of the different Principle of the two. Not only that, it was also taxing to train in both Principles. Nheless, Basil was different; he still did it.
That was the reason why the purple-haired woman¡ªGorgophone was flustered. It turned out, [Synchronization] wasn''t a mastery solely born from Mana Art. It was a mastery that was also born from Aura Technique that belonged to Knight.
"How is it possible to mix the two Principles!?"
Mage could naturally use [Synchronization] by Carving the necessary Rune on their weapon. However, to even be able to use the Rune, one had to reach a certain level in weapon mastery.
As for Knight, to be able to use [Synchronization] they had to slowly nurture their weapon with their Aura. Sadly, the method of nurturing one''s weapon with Aura was unknown to the public. Even if it was known, the process would take a long time.
Basil had stumbled upon this mysterious mastery one day. He, who was a naturally curious individual, had conducted a result, before finally achieving "enlightenment." This way, he had been introduced to [Synchronization].
Gorgophone was bewildered. In his life, he had never encountered someone who could use [Synchronization]. Not even a genius Mage could figure out the correct Rune to Carve on the weapon.
Encountering someone who could use [Synchronization] without Mana meant natural talent; to even master it without someone''s teaching implied how much effort was put into it.
Even without mastering that, to be able to master both Principles was simply astounding.
nk! nk! nk!
Even fiercer than before, Vagus'' trajectory was unpredictable. Every swing seemed to cut the reality. Gorgophone, who was counting on his Mana Comprehension, was cornered; he couldn''t read anything from Basil.
He was in a pinch. Before, he could predict Basil''s attack by reading his Mana; now that Basil no longer used Mana, he couldn''t even read Basil''s movement. The only saving grace was his monstrous amount Mana.
"Why don''t you drop your ''mask?'' It is no use if you can''t even peek about her from my Mana," stated Basil calmly while swinging Vagus.
"Hmph! Don''t get cocky, human!" As if obeying Basil''s word, the appearance of the beautiful woman instantly returned to that of Gorgophone.
Basil smirked, and activated one of his Movement Techniques.
[p]!
He disappeared and reappeared consecutively, inflicting many wounds on Gorgophone in the process. Everytime he disappeared, he left a sound of a p before reappearing at Gorgophone''s blindspots.
Gorgophone was irked at Basil''s attack; he impatiently mmed the tip of his great sword to the ground.
Bang!
His Mana peaked, and the surrounding immediately air trembled; even the space was distorted.
Basil, who saw the scene, immediately took a distance while preparing his strongest Defense Technique.
"[Great Annihtion]!" Gorgophone loudly shouted. His body swelled, his eyes turned white, and his skin turned red; a crazy amount of Mana was emanated from his body.
Contrary to the shouting Gorgophone, Basil softly uttered his Defense Technique.
[Aegeas]!
Golden veins appeared on his whole body, before a spinning amethyst orb encapsted his body. As Gorgophone''s Art took effect, the surrounding¡ªthe world lost its color.
At that moment, his eyes could only perceive one color from the world: white.
BOOM!
The explosion was only heard for the first second; right after that, not even a sound could be heard. The explosion was so mighty, it created a vacuum in the air. Nothing could be heard or seen for fifteen seconds.
When the light began to subside, an open world decorated with ruin wasid bare for the eyes to see; Basil could see the blue sky, and therge crater on the ground that was littered with the trunks of the uprooted trees.
The power behind Gorgophone''s Art had been so great, it had destroyed the Obelisk, and took both of them out to the outside world.
It didn''t stop there, the air that had previously been pushed away due to the explosion returned to fill up the vacuum space, creating an unhealthy noise that was too much for the eardrums to bear.
BOOM!
The explosion could even be heard by an entire continent.
At a nce, one could see there were only two spots that were free from destruction. First, the spot where the ck haired man was standing. Second, the spot where the brown haired man was hunching his back.
As easy as spotting a white thread on top of a ck paper, one could see who was in a better shape¡ªwho was unaffected.
Chapter 5 Flowerbed (End)
Pitter-patter. Pitter-patter.
Gorgophone walked toward Basil; his gait was nonchnt, and carefree. Traces of wound, and tatters on his clothes were gone as if the previous disy was a lie.
On the other side, contrary to him, Basil was already bare chested, and Blood was flowing from his mouth¡ªhe was full of injuries. Vagus was the only thing supporting his body from falling.
Raising his head, Basil red at Gorgophone with heated eyes.
"Now, now. Don''t look at me like that. Everyone has their own secret, right?" Gorgophone winked at him.
"You can... forcefully make me... use my Mana. No, you..."
Cough!
A mouthful of Blood was sttered to the ground. His innards were twisted, and heavily injured to the point even some of them were unrecognizable.
If it wasn''t for his crazy vitality that he had gotten from his Body Forging mastery, he would have already died by now.
One might question the function of the Defensive Art Basil had used previously, and why it didn''t work. To understand it, [Aegeas] was formed from sevenyers of spinning orbsbined with a top tier Body Reinforcement.
Unfortunately, the sevenyers of [Aegeas] Basil had utilized earlier had been broken in the first nine seconds. He had to endure thest six second with his own Reinforced body.
Withboured breath, Basil shouted, "You ... You took away my Mana!"
A chuckle was the response Basil got. Soon enough, it turned into a full-blownughter. "Hahaha! Do you think I have drained your Mana off?" Gorgophone turned into the purple-haired woman once again, and shook his head faintly. "No, that wasn''t the case, Sil."
Basil''s re turned even more heated than before.
"My, my. Look at those eyes. Aren''t they beautiful?" The purple-haired woman teased. She extended her hand, and caressed Basil''s cheek. "You can''t say that I took away your Mana. You willfully gave it to me."
Basil wanted to p that hand away, but he couldn''t do it. Simply supporting himself was abor itself; he could only re at her with more heated eyes than before.
"Fufufu. That''s what I''m talking about, Sil. You gave in to your anger." The purple-haired woman smiled.
Basil kept his silence in deep contemtion. Soon, realization dawned upon him.
The weird sensation he had felt when he had first seen her, and the rage that had grown the more he had suppressed it; it had been all due to Gorgophone''s Art.
Although he still couldn''t fully figure out what it was, it was already enough¡ªknowing the abnormality he had undergone hade from Gorgophone''s Art had been enough.
"Yes, you don''t have to understand my power¡ªit''s useless. What you should concern is your fate." The purple-haired woman smiled mischievously.
Putting her pointer finger below his chin, she tilted his head upward. "What will happen to you from now on, Sil? Are you going to live or are you going to pay your sin?" A smile full of mirth adorned her beautiful face.
Basil''s face contorted; a look of disgust was evident on his face.
"What''s with the face, Sil? That''s not how you behave in front of your Master, right?"
Bang!
The purple-haired woman kicked Basil out of a sudden, throwing Basil away. Luckily, although he was in a weakened state, he had remained vignt. Therefore, he managed to block the kick with Vagus in thest second.
Of course, the kick he had received had been also only a half-hearted kick. If the purple-haired woman¡ªGorgophone¡ªhad really meant to kick him, he wouldn''t be able to block it.
Despite being able to block it, Basil couldn''t control hisnding. He ended upnding on his back while firmly grasping Vagus in his right hand, and clutched his left hand tightly.
Swish!
The purple-haired woman reappeared right beside him. She kneeled, and took his body in her embrace.
"Fufufu... Doesn''t it bring back memories, Sil?" A beautifulughter that was full of mirth rang out from her. "It was a chaotic situation too back then. But now, our role is reversed." She smiled beautifully.
Of course no matter how she looked, Basil really wanted to punch her face. His face was full of disgust, and a boiling rage was evident in his eyes.
He knew he couldn''t give in to his rage, but given the mental burden he got from bearing the pain, and the influence of Gorgophone''s strange power, he couldn''t help it.
A smile that wasn''t quite a smile was deeply etched on her face. "Oh, my. Look at how you are! You''re trying forcefully calm yourself, and failed miserably at that!" She teased like a mother teasing her baby.
Basil got even more irked; his face turned uglier in each second. When it seemed that he was about to really blow ...
"Huuh..." He merely sighed, and closed his eyes.
The purple-haired woman quickly lost her smile, and her face contorted. But in the next second, she regained her smile; it was amazing she could make so many expressions in a short time.
"Fufufu... no need to act tough, Sil. I know you are in pain."
No longer full in rage, his wounds slowly healed themselves. Now, he could talk normally, albeit painfully. "Even an idiot can figure that out. Why do you have to be proud with yourself?" He smirked.
The purple-haired woman stayed silent for a while, before responding, "I see... As amazing as always, huh?" Bereft of smile, she stared at him silently.
Gorgophone, in the form of the purple-haired woman, seemed to try his best to evoke an emotion out of Basil. He was greatly confused, and astounded at the same time.
''Just what kind of a man are you, Basil Pacifer? This is unfair! Just what kind of a mother gave birth to this cheat-like existence?!'' He was whining inside; Gorgophone couldn''t help it.
Even in disheveled state, Basil still looked cool; only one word could describe his entire demeanor: overbearing! What worsen it was the skills he had to back it up; Grogophone was envious of it.
Suddenly, Basil opened his mouth.
"Hey ... Do you remember when we were in Parteron? There was a beautiful garden full of Apple Blossoms there."
"..."
Gorgophone kept his silence at the particr memory he didn''t manage to dig out from Basil''s Mana.
"It was a sunny day. The sky was bright, and the air was good. As we couldn''t help it, weid down our body below the tree. I asked you one question back then. Do you still remember what the question was?"
"..."
Another silence greeted Basil. Gorgophone didn''t interrupt him even once; he attributed to Basil''s way to cope with his closing death. People would reminisce about their past once they were about to die, Basil was having his moment.
"I asked you how did you want your life end. You answered that you wanted a beautiful death, such as sacrificing yourself to someone you dear. But in the next second, you said that dying in the middle of a flowerbed was even better."
Basil chuckled, then opened his eyes; they were dimming as if a jewel about to lost its luster. Raising his clutched left hand, he pointed it to the sky.
"You asked me back the same question, since you were annoyed because I kept my silence. I, of course, didn''t mean to ignore you. I just needed some time to think."
Then, he directed his gaze toward Gorgophone¡ªthe purple-haired woman "''I don''t need a particr ce to die, or a particr way to die,'' was my answer to you."
Basil''s slowly dimming eyes gained their light once again. His left fist glowed, and he brightly eximed, "After all, I don''t have any intention to die."
Swish!
With a sh of light, Basil was gone. Gorgophone,who was in the form of the purple-haired woman, was left gaping in disbelief.
"Insolence!"
With his original appearance returned, he cursed out loud. He had been tricked by a human that was thousands of years younger than him; he couldn''t help it!
"Huuh... Isn''t he amazing?"
Instead of getting angry, he acted calm instead. While gazing to his front, he shook his head in amusement. There, he saw a white haired man with a strange patterned mask on his face.
The man''s right hand was extended with Basil in his clutch. Basil was held by his hair, but not a trace of shock could be seen on his face; only a defeated look, and a disappointment on himself.
"Quite an amazing human isn''t he?" Said Gorgophone to the masked man. The masked man merely stayed silent.
In the middle of the one-sided interaction, five other people showed themselves. Each of them had an otherworldly charm; even the one resembling a Beast was more attractive than a normal human. They were looking at Gorgophone with a disapproving look.
One of them, the one with the devilish charm, and the most attractive of them said, "Your ridiculous joke has almost resulting in your prey''s escape. This is why I always say you have spent your time with human too much."
When the others were about to give their opinion too, the masked man spoke, "Make sure to finish your game next time."
A calm voice was resounded from him. His tone was neutral; it was neither cold nor warm. Despite so, none of the six people felt annoyed at being interrupted; even the yful Gorgophone merely nodded his head respectfully.
"So, what are you waiting for?" The masked man shook Basil''s body.
A quiet groan came out from Basil''s mouth, as he could only let his already ruined body get shaken like a rag. The amazing thing however, Vagus was still tightly clutched in his right hand.
Whoosh!
Apanied by the wind blow, blood spurted out of Basil''s chest; Gorgophone''s hand had pierced through his chest. A mouthful of blood was spilled to the ground. Despite how horrible his state was, Vagus was still clutched in his hand.
Tenacious! A fitting word to describe him indeed.
Basil raised Vagus and lightly hit Gorgophone''s head.
Bonk!
Gorgophone could see it clearly, but he had let Basil do that as a form of respect; letting a dying warrior to have hisst struggle was the least thing Gorgophone could do.
"You have my respect, Basil." He smiled. "The very least I can do is to honor you by letting you know my real name ... My real name is Sat¡ª"
"Just die!" Basil shouted.
Right after that, Vagus that was on Gorgophone''s head glowed brightly.
''How dare he looking down on me, Basil Pacifer!'' A smirk naturally formed on his face.
The masked man, who was merely observing everything up until then, shouted out of a sudden, "Kill him! He got the Fragment with him! Destroy his soul!" There was urgency in his tone.
He, with the other five, instantly reappeared beside Basil; for some reason, Gorgophone couldn''t budge a single centimeter.
The man with the devilish charm swung his spear toward Basil while shouting his Art.
"[Soul Clipper]!"
The de of his spear shed Basil''s back, and an amethyst, thick gas like substance immediately flowed out of Basil''s body. It was a sign of his soul being wounded.
Soul attack!
Just as its name implied, [Soul Clipper] was an attack to clip one''s soul. Under normal circumstances, one would definitely die and lose their chance of reincarnation upon receiving it
However, for some reason, he couldn''t clip Basil''s soul perfectly. Althoughhough he managed to injure Basil''s soul, that was it.
"Impossible!"
"Hurry! We don''t have much time!" The masked man shouted to the dumbfounded people.
Even while reminding them, his hand moved toward Basil. A unique shaped, red sword with half of an arm length was in his hand, ready to sh at Basil.
nk!
The air exploded and a trench appeared in the ground. Despite so, he couldn''t prate the translucent barrier that was mysteriously formed around Basil.
Just as soon as he swung his sword for the next attack, Basil''sst attempt finally took effect. Basil, who was the cause of it, smiled victoriously.
Boom!
An explosion that was bigger than Gorgophone''s [Great Annihtion] ured. Once again, the world was dyed in white. This time, the sound was heard only in the first half second.
In hisst moment, Basil had exploded all the power inside of Vagus. His thought was practical: "If I am going to die, I will die with my enemies!"
His life ended overbearingly; a befitting end for an overbearing person.
''So, I have finally reached the end ... Is this how death feels?"
His body was destroyed in a millisecond, yet for him time flowed very slowly. Upon facing death, he didn''t fuss much about it. For him, death was strangelyforting. It was as if ...
''... A flowerbed. It feels like lying down on a flowerbed.''
After a long time, he could rest in peace.
Chapter 6 Guide To Omniscience
Whoosh!
A strong yet warm wind caressed Basil''s face. It''s gentleness reminded him of someone''s warmth. A smell of spring assaulted his nose, bringing him a sense of nostalgia.
Rustle!
Sounds of rustling grass filled surrounding, painting a clear picture of wind swaying grasses and flowers in his mind. He knew where he was, even without opening his eyes.
"Flowerbed, huh?"
He knew he had died¡ªhe was sure he had died. This ce could either be afterlife or just him reminiscing of old memory. Or worse, it could be an Bewitchment that was casted by the seven people who had forced him to kill himself.
However, he was pretty sure thetter wasn''t the case, because ...
"Sil.. are you sleeping?"
He could hear a very familiar voiceing from his side; he knew who this voice belonged to. Despite having heard the exact same voice which had stimted his disgust a few moments prior, he didn''t feel any repulsion from the voice he had just heard.
"I''m just enjoying the scenery. Why don''t you lie down too?"
A calm answer; he didn''t even open his eyes. The words were casually spoken, yet he knew he had uttered those words before.
''So, I''m just reminiscing a memory then.''
A soft smile adorned his undoubtedly attractive face. However inwardly, he felt bitter with the situation.
''Just how? Is this what happens after you die? Or maybe, this is hell? Is this how the so-called God punishes me? If so, this Lord is disappointed. It doesn''t even give me any form suffering!''
Overbearing!
Just as usual, Basil acted like Basil.
He was about to continue on his soliloquy about how meek the "punishment" he got, when suddenly¡ª
Poke!
"You are thinking about something unnecessary, aren''t you?"
¡ªa finger poked his cheek.
It belonged to a beautiful purple-haired woman whom Basil knew very well; the purple-haired woman squinted her eyes at Basil to get an answer out of him.
"No. You aren''t even a Mentalist. How can you read my mind?"
"I know you well¡ªI can see it from your face."
Just like that, a very familiar conversation flowed. However, Basil gently frowned his face, as if finding the situation unsatisfactory.
The reason?
''Ridiculous! What can she tell from my perfectly controlled facial expression? ... Oh, right. It should be the plot. It''s just a memory.''
Nodding his head inwardly, he epted the bewildering event that was currently unfolding.
''Then, at this point, she will be...''
Just as he was about to recall what would happen next. The purple-haired woman lied on her side, facing his direction.
"What were you thinking about, Sil?"
Whoosh!
The strong yet warm wind once again swept over them. This time, the rustle wasn''t only heard from the surrounding, but also from the above; it was highly likely a tree.
Then, as if proving his thought was correct, something fell on his face.
"Ah, look! The Apple Blossom fell on your face! Fufufu..."
A melodiousugh resounded from her. It was augh that he had missed and yearned for long. Unconsciously, he bit his lower lip.
Just as the purple-haired woman was about to remove the Apple Blossom from his face, he lied on his side, and faced his body toward her.
Gently opening his eyes, myriads of emotions swirled in his eyes when they were fully opened. His gaze was so intense, the purple-haired woman was momentarily taken aback.
"What¡ªWhat happened? Did I somehow disturb you?"
A genuine concern could be felt from her tone; unfortunately, she took it as something else.
Basil wasn''t bothered; it had also happened in the past. Though, at that time what he had thought had been different than what he was thinking currently.
Deciding to get off of the "script" for a bit, he said softly, "I was thinking about you."
"O-Oh... I see." The purple-haired woman was flustered.
Seeing that brought a gentle smile to his face. Although she regained herposure in the next moment, it was enough for him. It wasn''t amon urrence to see her like that.
Overwhelmed with emotion, he didn''t even register the fact that she had reacted differently from his memory. He asked instead, "How are you these days?"
"I ... am fine. Why do you ask?"
"Just wanted to make sure."
Basil just stared at the purple-haired woman silently; a gentle smile was forever etched on his face. If anyone were to see the current him, they would be bbergasted. Basil had never made that face in front of anyone.
In turn, the purple-haired woman was curiously staring at him. Basil was normally a very attentive man. However, at this moment he chose to ignore everything, and enjoy the moment.
He didn''t even register her curious stare, and how different things had happened from the past. He didn''t care. He had died; it was all over¡ªor so he had thought.
After who knows how long had passed, he sighed forlornly. "Huuh... Sorry about that." Lying on his back, he gazed at the sky.
The purple-haired woman, likewise, followed him, and quickly covered the distance between them. "Fufufu.. it''s okay since it was me. But, I believe another women would take that gaze differently."
Her sight wasn''t on the sky; it was fully on Basil. She could see it from the side: the forlornness his face was showing. It was gently enveloped by the sunshine, giving him an otherworldly look.
The flowers surrounding them¡ªcountless of Purple Hyacinths gently swayed in the wind; it was a flowerbed, the ce where theyid their body upon.
A strangebination of Apple Blossom and Hyacinth was made. It was only possible because the world wasn''t bound by any reality.
"I think... it''s not that bad dying on a flowerbed." A gentle voice full of defeat unconsciously escaped Basil''s mouth.
"Do you think it''s the end?"
"I do. Once you''re dead, it''s the end for you. I don''t think you can do anything after death," He answered offhandedly.
This conversation didn''t happen in the past; in the past, he had asked how she would like to die. It was different now, but unfortunately he didn''t register the fact yet.
"Then, let me ask you. Do YOU think it''s the end?"
The purple-haired woman was no longer lying on his side. She was already on top of him, looking at his eyes deeply. A strange feeling filled his chest: a sense of incongruence quickly overwhelmed him.
His forlorn look was instantly wiped off his face; a serious look took over his face. The mncholic gaze was gone; a calctive, and cautious re took its ce.
"Is this afterlife? Where am I? Heaven?"
At Basil''s question, the purple-haired woman blinked her eyes, and stared at Basil disbelievingly. She moved her body away from him, then sat beside him¡ªstill facing his direction.
"I can''t believe you have so much confidence in yourself going to Heaven." A helpless smile adorned her face as she shook her head. "As for your question, no, it isn''t Heaven."
"Then, it must be somewhere else." He nodded his head.
A genuine curiosity took over her as she looked at him with a wondering look. "Why don''t you think it''s Hell?" Basil snorted lightly. "Hmph! Someone like you shouldn''t be found in hell. God''s standard must be wed if someone like you go to hell."
Admirable certainty! His confidence in her was truly incredible. He was by no means unreasonable, but for some things he was unreasonably stubborn.
Seemingly understanding his meaning, the purple-haired woman shook her head with a helpless smile. "I thank you for your confidence in me, but I am not who you think I am."
"Hm. I know that already."
Instant eptance!
The purple-haired woman was dumbfounded. For someone who had acted reasonably, he was pretty unreasonable.
Just then, he had looked at her as if he was looking at his long lost lover. But now, he was looking at her as if someone treating his elder.
"I guess you have already figured out who I am?" She asked unsurely.
"No, I don''t know who you are."
"Then, how do you know I am not someone you know?"
Basil pointed his eyes. "The gaze."
"Hm?" The purple-haired woman looked at him curiously.
Basil didn''t exin himself immediately. Instead, he raised his body, and sat himself straight. Staring at her straight in the eyes, he said, "That gaze doesn''t belong to someone who has merely lived for thirty years¡ªthat gaze doesn''t belong to human."
A bitter smile was immediately etched on his face. "I knew it by the time you looked at me like that. I can see the vastness, and immeasurable depth inside. Believe me when ites to people, I can measure how shallow they are; you are by no means shallow."
"I see."
The purple-haired woman nodded her head lightly. Looking at him silently for a moment, she then opened her mouth; her time to exin things hade.
"This ce called Dreand. It''s an independent domain that isn''t bound by thew of the world¡ªthe realm between life and death. Normally, you can''t enter this ce freely; you have to fulfill a certain condition to be able to enter it. Such as¡ª"
"External interference."
She didn''t have to finish her words, since Basil hadpleted them for her. Once again, she was made speechless.
"Yes ... That''s right. However, if your soul is too strong, you can forcefully make your way inside; a strong soul can maintain its conscience even after death. That is how one could end up in Dreand."
"Does that mean I belong to the former category?"
"Yes and no ..." She shook her head. "Your soul is strong enough to enter Dreand."
"What happens to people who enter Dreand?"
"They are reincarnated."
At the answer, a sigh of disappointment escaped Basil''s mouth. The purple-haired woman, who saw that, twitched her lips.
"Reincarnation is not a bad thing. You can choose what you want to be reincarnated to."
"Doesn''t sound appealing to me," he said in distaste. "Rather than reincarnating, better spending my life in eternal rest. It''s wiser than repeating the things I have done."
The purple-haired woman waved her hand mildly. "Don''t worry about that. You won''t remember a thing about yourst life."
"That''s exactly my concern: doing something you have done while not knowing it."
"You aren''t repeating the same thing, though. Your life will be different; you will be met with people you haven''t met."
Basil shook his head as if the purple-haired woman didn''t get what he meant. Sighing lightly, he exined his view on the matter.
"Supposed that I died, and then reincarnated. I do live once again, but haven''t I lived the same life before? The oue might be different, but I will still do the same thing again¡ªliving."
Turning his neutral gaze to the purple-haired woman, he said, "Correct me if I''m wrong."
The purple-haired woman kept her silence. Contrary to what he had expected, she had a faint smile on her face.
"Look around you!" She gestured at the flowers surrounding them. She put her hand on her chest, then said, "Look at me! What do you see?"
A simple question, yet Basil''s answer didn''te immediately. He knew the answer, yet he was reluctant to say it.
He moved his gaze at his surrounding. Purple Hyacinths covered most of the ground; behind him was an Apple Blossom tree.
The fallen flowers decorated the ground, giving a sense of incongruence yet harmonious sight to behold. Lastly, his gaze fell on the purple-haired woman.
Deeply looking at her in the eyes, he emotionally muttered, "Regrets."
A short answer. Just a word, but it conveyed his feelings well. He had felt myriads of emotions when he had seen her, but the strongest feeling he had gotten had been regret; it was something he couldn''t admit easily.
He had no face to face her¡ªhe was ashamed. He had promised her one thing: to live without regrets. How funny fate works, she became the very reason of his regret.
"Hm. I can see that." The purple haired woman nodded her head, then smiled at him. "Don''t you think you want to undo your regret?"
"No, I don''t."
"What are you¡ª"
She was bewildered by Basil''s blunt answer, but he wasn''t done yet.
"I don''t want to undo it; it is just an act to repeat the inevitable. I want to erase it!"
The more he spoke, the more passionate he became. He was quickly overtaken by emotion; his heated gaze was directed at her. Both sides became silent, until the purple-haired woman finally opened her mouth.
"What is the offer?"
Unfortunately, she didn''t manage to say anything just yet: she was beaten once again by him.
She was dumbfounded; she was annoyed, and pissed. He had ruined the mood she had painstakingly built!
Although she felt that way, she was professional enough to not show it on her face. Sighing lightly, she motioned her hand. "Huuh... Come!"
Luckily this time, Basil was obedient enough to follow her instruction. Wordlessly approaching her, he stood in front of her, and stared right into her eyes. It was quite aical sight, since it looked like a staredown.
It couldn''t be helped, she was merely as tall as his chest after all. Annoyed once again, she just extended her hand and touched his forehead ... Or that what she meant to do.
Basil had purposefully leaned his head backward, making it hard for her to reach his forehead due to their height difference.
"You! Give me your forehead!" An embarrassed voice came out of her.
He smirked, then lowered his head. Finally, he could feel the hand touching his forehead. He could feel it clearly.
''Ah, it is different. It''s not her,'' he mused in his mind.
A sigh of disappointment unconsciously leaked out of him. As if reading his thought, the purple-haired woman snorted.
"Hmph! Enjoy your trip!"
That was thest thing he heard, before a blinding light encapsted him. Once again, he felt weightlessness.
Chapter 7 Guide To Omniscience (End)
Warm; that was how it felt. Basil couldn''t say anything to describe the feeling other than warm. It felt like sunbathing on an early summer day.
The weightlessness never bothered him since the beginning. Of course, it was weird to feel weightless, but at least he didn''t feel like he was spinning like an idiot dog chasing its tail.
If he would like to be corny, it felt like he was in his mother''s embrace. He quickly snorted at that thought. He had never received a mother''s love; he didn''t even know his mother other than her name.
Nevertheless, he was really close to close his eyes¡ªnot that his eyes were opened; he couldn''t see anything! It was a strange urrence for him.
Previously, his mind was in a state of disarray due to his death, so he didn''t quite pay any attention to his surrounding. Now that he did, he was slightly bewildered.
It felt like a lucid dream where you could do anything, but couldn''t do anything at the same time. He was aware of his surrounding, even without opening his eyes¡ªhe didn''t even know how to open his eyes. It was very confusing, but he chose to merely ride the flow.
After an indeterminate amount of time, he felt his body slowly regained its weight.
Lo and behold, it was because there was a pulling force on his body that was increasingly getting stronger by the second. Which means, he was getting closer to the gravity source; in other words, he was falling.
''The development is great. Did I just make a deal with an omnipotent being to be turned to paste?''
He had an inkling already: the very being he had met earlier was an omnipotent being. After all, who could just show up after he died, and offer him something cliche like fixing his regrets?
Judging by the line said by the omnipotent being, it was likely that he would be sent to the past; it was easy to deduce it, especially for someone like him.
He was different than those people who were slow on the uptake. Just like that, he momentarily forgot his body was getting pulled stronger than before.
By the time he realized it. The sense of foreboding he felt was so thick, he couldn''t even think of a solution.
''Am I going to die for the second time? However, I strangely feel ecstatic.''
He wasn''t a talkative person at the very first ce. Given his stoic and rather cold demeanor, no one would dare to casually start a conversation with him. Therefore, he often had his moment of weirdness in his head.
''Whatever ...'' He shrugged astrally. ''This Lord will take what this predicament has to offer.''
Even at times like this, he didn''t forget to act like himself. Just when he embraced himself for impact ...
Plink!
He felt like he fell like a drop of water.
''Hm?''
As expected of Basil, his reaction was pretty dull: he merely quirked his eyebrow. Normally, people would be flustered when things didn''t go as they had expected, even if it was for the better.
However, Basil was different. He wasn''t someone who thought the world is revolving around him; he knew to not expect everything would go as he wished. Therefore, he could remain unsurprised until the end.
Shrugging lightly once again, he rxed his body. He was lying on somethingfortable enough. If he were to guess, it would be a bed.
''Hm? A bed? I can feel my body!'' Realisation dawned upon him.
Without wasting anymore time, he opened his eyes. An unfamiliar ceiling greeted him¡ªto be precise, it was a ceiling he had long forgotten. A sense of nostalgic washed over him, though it went faster than it came.
This ceiling reminded him of his struggle back at those painful days. Yes, it wasn''t only bitter, but also painful.He righted sat himself up on the bed, then looked around.
The room was in: a fourth of it was upied by a rack filled with books; there was a fairly big desk with books on top of it in front of his bed; and on his side, there was a rather luxurious medium sized closet.
He got off the bed and immediately noticed his extremely feeble, and untrained body. Clicking his tongue in dissatisfaction, he went to look at the mirror attached to one of the doors of the closet.
When he saw his look in the mirror, an exmation came out of his mouth, "Who is this sissy? ... Well, it''s me. But, where has my manly appearance gone to?!"
He was close to losing himself. He was looking at his younger self; He looked like a girl in his youth. It was one of the reasons he had always been bullied back on those days.
At theter days, he had trained so hard just for the sake of getting a manly appearance. He did turn manlier, but he was still pretty. However at that time, no one dare enough to say it on his face.
"Huuh..." A sigh escaped. "Judging by my appearance, bone density, and the amount of Mana orck thereof, I am currently 16. So, it means I have returned to 40 years ago."
Just using his experience, he could know precisely the time he had been sent back. He didn''t feel proud about it; it was only natural for him. Half a century was a lot of time to learn many things.
"Hmmm... My body feels sore." He groaned lightly.
As he was sure there must be something wrong with his body, he immediately checked on his body. Lifting his tunic shirt, he could see a battered white skin.
Despite so, he wasn''t flustered; he merely inspected it. He had already had it in hisst life.
"It isn''t that long since I got these injuries. Judging by the color, and the muscle state, it is likely from two hours ago. They did quite a number on this body." He was referring to his bully.
He wore his shirt back and was about to tend his injury, when a bell followed by a mechanical asexual voice rang in his head.
[Ding!]
[Guide to Omniscience has sessfully merged with The Chosen One!]
[Analyzing The Chosen One''s mental capability...]
[Analyzation Complete!]
[Result: The Chosen One is retarded]
[Initiating Brain Configuration!]
He couldn''t quite follow the strange event happening to him. However, he could get the most crucial part of it¡ª
''I, this Lord, am a retard? Insolent!''
¡ªor not.
Just as he was about to look for the source of the voice, an excruciating pain assaulted his head; his sight quickly went blurry. Fortunately, he knew better than anyone what to do in this kind of situation.
''I need to head to the bed!''
Yes, a bed was necessary for this. Just imagine what could go wrong when you let your body carelessly fall to the ground. Concussion would definitely happen!
By the time he reached his bed, Basil had already lost his consciousness.
Plop!
His body fell to the bed face first. Just like that, he remained unmoving. After who knows how long had passed, his hands suddenly pushed his body upward.
He stood quietly in front of his bed for awhile, beforementing, "I feel light-headed; I can think faster. I can speed up my thoughts to let me see things slowly."
He murmured quietly while observing his surrounding. Right now, he looked like someone admiring something he had never encountered before.
"I hadn''t learned Magic at this point. Obviously, I don''t have any Mana inside my body. So, this is all thanks to my improved brain," he mused. "Compared to this, saying that I was retarded didn''t feel so wrong ... Of course, it''s still wrong."
He remained adamant upon his mental capability.
"Then, what is that Guide to Omniscience?" He wondered.
He was about to form several theories in his mind about it, when the same mechanical voice rang in his head.
[Answering The Chosen One''s ignorance...]
[Guide to Omniscience, as its name implies, is a guide that provides every knowledge to The Chosen One until he/she reaches the state of Omniscience.]
[The knowledge would not be given unconditionally, for The Chosen One has to fulfill a certain condition to be provided with the knowledge.]
''Hm? Condition? What is the condition?'' He asked mentally.
[Congrattions for clearing one of your ignorance!]
[Just as the word goes, "Dare he not to ask, may he remain astray!" You have to ask to be given the answer.]
''So from this, I can deduce that I don''t have to say it with my mouth for my question to be answered.'' He nodded his head. ''Then, who gave me the Guide?''
[The Chosen One has not yet given the authority to know.]
''Huh? So I''m not worthy enough? Then, what does The Chosen One mean?''
[As its name implies, The Chosen One is someone who is bestowed with Guide to Omniscience.]
[The Chosen One has two options regarding the Guide to Omniscience. First, The Chosen One can attain Omniscience with the Guide. Second, The Chosen One can choose to reject the Guide. However, thetter is highly unrmended.]
''Hmm... Is the Guide sentient?''
[The Guide is not sentient. The Guide was created with a veryplicated program which prioritizes helping The Chosen One.]
[Although the Guide isn''t sentient, by the time the Guide is merged with The Chosen One, the Guide will be simr to a symbiote, in which The Chosen One needs the symbiote.]
''Hmph! Look at this arrogant thing. You need me to exist, don''t you?''
[No, the Guide doesn''t need The Chosen One fo exist. The Guide could just return to where it belongs, if The Chosen One chose to reject it.]
''...'' Basil opted to stay silent.
He wasn''t speechless though; it wasn''t in his character to be flustered by something inanimate.
[The Guide is not inanimate. The Guide was made with a profound concept where the boundary between inanimate objects and living things is blurred ...]
It had much to say, but he chose to ignore it. He was pondering to himself. He was recalling the deal he had made with the omnipotent being¡ªhe TRIED to recall the deal he had made with the omnipotent being.
After a few intake of breathter, he concluded he hadn''t been told the deal. Thest thing he heard was, "Enjoy your trip!" How did he suppose to formte something out of that?
He thought that being sent to the past was the deal he had made. Upon the sudden appearance of the Guide however, he deduced that it was the real deal. Therefore, he wouldn''t reject it.
There were so many things he hadn''t discovered about the Guide, and he nned to uncover it one by one.
''Though, I know many things already. What does it have to offer?''
[Contrary to The Chosen One''s belief, his knowledge is merely a grain of sand in one of the thousands of the beaches in the entire universe. Compared to the knowledge contained in the Guide to Omniscience, The Chosen One is no better than a retard.]
''My, my, look at this arrogant thing. Was that the reason you called me a retard before?''
[No, it wasn''t. The reason why Brain Configuration was initiated was due to the damage to the Host''s soul which caused a mental handicap.]
[Another reason was to provide a suitable vessel¡ªThe Chosen One''s brain¡ªfor epting the knowledge that will be embedded in The Chosen One''s brain in the future.]
''So, the knowledge would be embedded in my brain directly. Then, would I instantly learn the full knowledge provided by the Guide?''
[Yes, and no. The knowledge will be instantly learned by the Host, however not the full knowledge is given. To have the full knowledge, The Chosen One must ask the suitable question.]
''Okay, I got it already.'' Basil nodded his head.
His decision was reaffirmed once again. He, Basil Pacifer, would announce his presence to the world once again.
"This time, I, Basil Pacifer, will make the world bend to my will!"
Just as usual, he remained himself¡ªoverbearing.
Chapter 8 People Got Slipped By Pebbles
Basil was sitting in lotus position on his bed. His palms were facing the sky, and his chest was heaving up and down. After tending to his injuries, he immediately practiced his old Body Forging Technique.
Body Forging was a technique to strengthen one''s body that was practiced by Knight. It was also the foundation of Aura. To be able to use Aura one had to form a Core inside one''s body.
Later, when the Core was formed, nurturing it was the next step to advance in power. To form a Core one had to gather the energy called Qi from the air in one''s sr plexus.
The gathered energy would condense and formed a Core inside one''s body. The Core would then started to passively forge the body, and in turn strengthened it. Of course, to be able to do this, a certain technique was required.
Basil''s Body Forging Technique was called [Gentle Waves Crushing Boulder]. A very fishy name indeed. However, it was the very technique that brought him on top of the food chain. Although, it would be slow in the beginning, in thetter days, the power it gave was superb.
It was all thanks to himself. Obviously, just by the name one could judge that the creator was delusional. How long do you think it will take for wave to crush a boulder? Tens of years! Just how could one patiently wait for that long just to attain power? It would be better to be farmer instead.
Therefore, when the creator realized this fact, he gave it up, leaving it iplete. Basil was intrigued when he had first seen it. He had been determined toplete the technique, and modified it to suit himself.
[Gentle Waves Crushing Boulder] used a slow approach on Core nurturing. Though very slow, the foundation was rock solid. The solid foundation wouldter be beneficial when one attained Aura. Those with solid foundation would attain an extraordinary Aura in thetter days.
It was also for this reason Basil decided toy his hand on the technique. Of course, in the end, Basil managed to find a way to increase the speed of technique.
"Huuh..." A white smoke was exhaled from his mouth. Opening his eyes, he muttered, "Gentle Waves might crush a boulder someday, however using those Waves to create Water Jet to crush the boulder was what bright people do."
And that was how he solved the slow speed of the technique. Of course, he didn''t just achieve it without any drawbacks. He had to endure the extreme pain it brought due to the extremely condensed Qi assaulting his Core. It wasn''t unbearable though, he was already familiar with pain.
"Hmm... As expected, I can''t form a Core in one day."
Basil sighed in disappointment. If someone were to hear what he said, they would throw up a mouthful of blood! In his past life, he managed to form a Core in 3 months. That was an unprecedented event. A genius at that time had only managed to form a Core after 2 years of intense training.
Of course, at that time no one paid him any attention. He was already twenty years old at that time, so it had been considered normal. Though, his silence regarding his achievement had also yed a big role.
Because of that,bined with his experience, he was sure he could form a Core in a day. However, it seemed he miscalcted it. He, at least needed a week to form a Core without external aid.
,m "It can''t be helped. I have to make my own Catalyst, then."
Catalyst. It was a pill created bybining some magical herbs. Its function was of course, to aid someone in core nurturing. It elerated the Qi absorption rate and also improved one''s control over the Qi in an extended period.
The better the Catalyst, the longer the time, and the better control it gave over one''s Qi. With Catalyst, even the lowest quality, Basil could form his Core in 3 days. He was confident about it. But...
"How to make a Catalyst?"
He had learnt many things, yet he had never learnt how to make Catalyst. It was Alchemist''s job after all. In the past, he had only had to gather the materials, and told the alchemist to do his job.
Naturally he didn''t know anything about it. He could just buy it at the Alchemy Store, however he knew that he wasn''t given the allowance to buy such luxury. So, it left him to make it by himself.
Just as he was about to hypothesize the method to make Catalyst, a familiar sound rang in his head.
[Ding!]
[Congrattions! The Low ss Guide function is activated! Basic knowledge will be essible to the Host!]
[Answering The Host''s ignorance...]
[Catalyst is made by concocting several magical herbs with precise proportion in a pot or vial.]
''That''s it! The Guide!''
He momentarily forgot his Guide due to his habit. He was an independent man. He had never asked people to help as long as it wasn''t inevitable. Survive, improve, overwhelm! That was how he had lived in the past. And in this life, he didn''t n to change it.
The only one he could believe was himself. He abhorred depending on someone else. Therefore, he momentarily forgot the existence of the Guide. He simply wasn''t used to it. When he got a problem, he solved it by himself.
However, this time he would utilize the Guide as much as he could. It was his anyway. So, it wasn''t counted as depending on someone else, since he was depending on himself.
''Hm. As expected of I, Basil Pacifer.''
He wasn''t a narcissist, he just had an abundant confidence on his self.
"Guide, tell me how to make the best Catalyst with easily obtained ingredients!"
[Crystal Clear is the best Catalyst that is made with easily obtained ingredients. To concoct Crystal Clear the Host Will need 2 stacks of Blue Petalled Chamomile, 3 liters of Clear Water, 20 grams grained ck Sandalwood...]
Just like that, every knowledge he needed to concoct the Catalyst was engraved on his mind. It felt like he was remembering something he had long forgotten.
There were total eight of ingredients that he needed. Among them, only Clear Water was a little bit hard to obtain. Clear Water referred to water that had absorbed Mana from the surrounding environment.
For Mage and Knight it wasn''t hard to get such water since they literally bathed themselves with it. However, it wasn''t the case for ordinary people. Those who didn''t practice Magic or Body Forging would get a close to miracle effect from consuming Clear Water. Therefore, it was also called Holy Water by some of the people.
It was also due to this reason, to ordinary people, Clear Water was sold with a quite high price. With the amount of allowance he was given, he could at most afford a liter of it. However, it wasn''t enough to make the Catalyst.
Luckily, he wasn''t helpless. He knew where the source of Clear Water around his area was located at. However, it was in a dangerous ce. There was a high chance that he would meet magical beast if he went there.
But, it didn''t matter. Life is a choice. However, Basil didn''t take the choice presented to him by the world. He made his own. Therefore, he would take the risk of being killed by magical beast for the better result.
"Of course, it isn''t that those mindless beasts could touch me. As long as I don''t encounter a dragon, I will be fine."
He was confident in his self. It wasn''t just empty words though. He had years of experience dealing with magical beasts and worse things than them. If an experienced someone like him was to be killed by a mere magical beast, snow would fall in hell!
"With the help of Crystal Clear, I could form a Core in a day. Unfortunately, the process of making it would take at least a day or two. Furthermore, I have some idea to test on the form. So, it might take longer."
He might learn something that he didn''t know from someone, however he would always make anything he learned his. The form of Crystal Clear wasn''t his, since it was created by whoever knows who. Therefore, after he learned it, he would make it his by modifying some parts to suit his preference. He called it, Improvise.
It was his habit to make something better in his own way. Just like what he did to [Gentle Waves Crushing Boulder] he nned to perform the same thing with Crystal Clear.
Originally, Crystal Clear had a function of easing one''s mind and body. In turn, it would lower the resistance one''s body gave to Qi that was treated as a foreign substance. Therefore, it would increase the speed of Core Formation.
However, it wasn''t without any drawbacks. Due to the lowered resistance, one would have a hard time to control the sudden influx of Qi inside one''s body. Because of this, in turn of the fast speed of the Core Formation, the foundation would be sloppy.
It wasn''t actually a problem to Basil since he had an extreme control of Mana already. However, if he could somehow solve the drawbacks, he would get an even firmer foundation for his Core with an even faster speed.
Furthermore, the form would finally be his! That was the sole reason.
"Hm. Now that all settled, I will make a preparation to gather the necessary ingredients. I will gather all of them in a day."
He shook his head. It was unfortunate that he currently could only train as a Knight. He was a talented individual as a Knight, yet he wasn''t born to be Mage.
Then, how could he be a ninth-circled Mage in hisst life?
It was due to an unwanted event. He didn''t train as a Mage until histe twenties. He had always been an aplished Knight before then. It was also because of this, that an enigma called Basil, who trained in both ways was born.
Basil shook his head once again, he didn''t want to remember much his past mistakes. He was living his past turned present currently. It was a waste of time to wallow in regret.
Suddenly an idea formed in his head. He wanted to try something to clear up his thoughts.
"Guide, what is the best Body Forging Technique other than [Gentle Waves Crushing Boulder] that is suitable for me?"
Yes, he was confident in his own modified technique. However, at that moment, a very shocking thing happened.
[Body Forging Technique: Star Withering is the most suited with the Host. Body Forging Technique: Gentle Waves Crushing Boulder is a defective technique that brings harm in turn of a little stronger power. Unlike Gentle Waves Crushing Boulder, Star Withering had faster rate of Core Nurturing along with a solid with foundation...]
A very detailed exnation of the advantage of practicing [Star Withering] and the negative effects of practicing [Gentle Waves Crushing Boulder] was engraved in his mind. He was left dumbfounded in the end.
At that moment, he had finally realized he, Basil Pacifer, had been practicing incorrectly in hisst life. It was something so basic and trivial that it was funny and maddening at the same time.
Truly, one could never get slipped by a boulder.
Chapter 9 The Host And The Guide
Silence fell upon the room. The mood was solemn. It felt like like it could stretch for eternity. Basil was staring nkly in front of him. He had long been recovered from his dumbfounded state.
Currently, he was organizing the knowledge that he had just got. To say it was eye-opening wascking. It was mind broadening!
"I see... All of those pain I have endured for years were all unnecessary pain."
He sighed forlornly. It was really unfortunate for him. If only he had learned the right way, he would have been way stronger in his past life. Furthermore, the reason he managed to survive all those pain was due to his already abnormal vitality.
He had thought that it had been the result of his Body Forging Technique. It turned out it had not been the case. All of those pain he had endured were all in vain ¡ª
"If you are depressed, you are living in the past. If you are anxious, you are living in the future. If you are at peace, you are living in the present. Now, I am living in the present. I have to be at peace. Moreover, every cloud has a silver lining. Thanks to the pain I had endured, I am resilient to pain."
¡ª or not.
Every good has their uses. He had always had an eye for something seemingly useless. In the end, he always proved everyone was wrong. What you see is not always the truth. He had always had this in mind.
Basil was a reasonably optimistic person. Backed with his confidence in his self and his resilience, he could perform many close to miraculous things.
Sigh.
"Huuh... Can''t be helped. It''s back to square one then. I am going to learn the basics again. Guide, what is Body Forging Technique."
Basil wasn''t arrogant. He did stick to his idealism, however he had never said his wrongs were right. Once he made a mistake, he admitted it and fixed it. He wasn''t shy to admit his mistake. Therefore, he had never stopped growing.
[Body Forging Technique, as its name implies, is a technique to temper one''s body to breach the boundary of human''s limits. Body Forging Technique is a method to process natural Mana into one''s energy called Qi. Once one utilized Body Forging Technique, the Mana outside would be absorbed to one''s body, resulting in the strengthening of the body...]
Questions and answers went back and forth. Turned out, Qi and Mana was the same thing. Knight and Mage both used the same energy, yet they utilized it differently. Mage controlled Mana directly from the nature with the help of Mana Circle. Meanwhile, Knight absorbed the Mana inside their body and utilized it with their body.
It was also the reason why one had to have a natural talent in sensing and controlling Mana. Without talent, one could never be able to bend the natural Mana ording to one''s will.
In Basil''s case, he had a defective heart. Meaning, he was born with a normal person''s heart without any potential of practicing Magic. Therefore, he couldn''t practice Magic yet.
He wasn''t discouraged though. Although it was amon belief that Mage was naturally stronger than Knight. With his newly gained knowledge, he could make the strongest Mage bow down to him.
Overbearing! No, it was confidence!
"Guide, what is Core?"
He had to ask about it. From the knowledge that had been engraved into his mind previously, there was no mention of Core Formation. Therefore, he was curious why it wasn''t mentioned.
[Core is a vessel to contain Mana inside one''s body. Core is located at sr plexus, and is very prone to physical attack in its infancy. Therefore, there is a need to Infuse a newborn with Mana to help protect its Core after birth. This process is called Baptism...]
Another unexpected answer came out. He didn''t expect that he had been entirely mistaken for his whole entire life.
''I might have been wrong in the past. But, isn''t this just too much!?''
He cursed inwardly. It was a normal reaction though. Just imagine yourself in his position. You had believed something for a long time, only to discover that you had been misled for all of those years.
Core was naturally formed inside one''s body. A newborn had already had a Core inside its body. Although it was very weak, it grew stronger the older the body got.
To conclude it all, Core Formation was something that someone whose Core was destroyed did to be able to use Aura. To say it simply, it was only for a cripple.
"Huuh... So, I have to check my Core now? I hope it is still intact."
A sigh came out. He had an anticipation for the result. He was very sure he wasn''t baptized. So, the possibility of his Core had been already destroyed through his childhood was high.
"Let''s get done with it. Either it was destroyed or not didn''t matter. I can still be powerful either way."
He quickly took a lotus position. He breathed in and out. Channeling his meager Qi throughout his body, he quickly delved into his sr plexus deeper.
As expected of Basil, it took only three breaths for him to find it. His Core was found just like that. Actually, it was only right for someone like him. He had years of experience and the talent to do so. Luckily, he had his Core remained intact.
Immediately, he utilized the newly acquired Body Forging Technique, [Star Withering]. By ordance to the technique, he absorbed the Mana imbued with star energy into his body.
Just like a switch, his senses were instantly flipped on. The previously ethereal film like Core, was instantly lit. Now, it looked like a ck crystal orb, signifying the first stage of Core Nurturing.
Boom!
A new sense of power like never before filled his body. It was different with hisst life. This time, he didn''t feel any difort for utilizing the Qi. It was as if the Qi had truly belonged to him, both figuratively and literally.
The Qi quickly filled his body. The absorption rate was as fast as when he used a low tier Catalyst.
Mana was absorbed constantly, and his Core converted it to Qi. Although the conversion rate wasn''t as fast, he could fill that part with his experience of dealing with Core.
He felt refreshed. The injuries he got from the beating were gone. Unblemished skin could once again be seen underneath his shirt. His usually paleplexion, turned brighter. Right then, he was the very definition of a pretty boy.
"Huuh..." He exhaled a thin ck smoke from his mouth. It was Impurities! The expulsion of impurities in this early stage was a proof of how godly the technique was. "It would be better if I could start carving circle on my heart." He sighed in disappointment.
It can''t be helped. Although now he had figured out that someone''s talent in Magic was measured by their natural Core, his natural Core was the lowest tier. Those "Children of Heavens" were born with at least ate stage Red Core or early stage Yellow Core. It was also the reason why those prodigies could use magic, although sloppily, even before Circle Carving.
However, not only his natural Core was low tiered, but also his heart wasn''t suitable for Circle Carving. He had tried many times in the past, his heart rejected the act of Carving. No matter how hard he tried, the circle he had carved was erased the moment he activated it.
"Can''t be helped. I can''t learn Magic, right?"
A helpless sigh came out unintentionally. However, at that moment ¡ª
[The Host can learn Magic]
¡ª an even shocking thing happened.
"..."
He calmed down his self. Although the Guide was very knowledgeable, there was no guarantee that it couldn''t make any mistake.
[The Guide was created by a very profound being. Therefore, only the truth is contained within the Guide. There is no possibility that...]
He merely ignored the implicit protest of the Guide. Who was he to joke? The Guide was insentient, right?
[...]
The Guide remained silent and it was somehow fishy. However, he decided to ignore it. The Guide had imed that it wasn''t sentient anyway.
[The Guide is an existence that transcended a boundary between inanimate and...]
He glossed it all over again. It was useless to recall the same useless knowledge.
"Now, that I think about it. It seems more fishy now. I didn''t ask any question, why did it provide me answer?"
[...]
Silence ensued. It was just a soliloquy, yet he managed to silence the Guide. No more useless exnation was spouted out of the Guide.
He squinted his eyes, while looking at the ceiling. As if it didn''t want to be discovered, the Guide stayed silent. The silence seemed to stretch for eternity. However, at that moment ¡ª
"Hmph! A mere object dared to defy its master. Ridiculous!"
¡ª a cold snort was heard.
Overbearing!
Who was Basil? He was a man of his idealism. He had never bent to someone''s will. No one had any right to dictate him. Therefore, when a mere anonymous existence in his head dared to defy him, he found it funny.
Wasn''t he afraid of something happening to him? No, he wasn''t! As long as its within his body, it belonged to him. And everything belonged to him, was under his control. Was it empty words? No, it wasn''t. Basil wasn''t someone who spoke dirt.
"How can I learn Magic?"
[The Host can learn Magic with Mana Heart.]
"What is Mana Heart?"
[Mana Heart, as its name implies, is an organ to utilize Mana. The stronger the Mana Heart, the better the control over Mana, and the more the amount of Mana can be utilized.]
It wasn''t a foreign term for him. Mana Heart was something he had heard. He knew already, that anyone who possessed Mana Heart could utilize Mana. However...
"Mana Heart is something owned by Elven race and Dragon race. How could I get one?"
He shook his head in disappointment. Those born with Mana Heart weren''t human at all. Although there was a case of someone who obtained Dragon Heart, it wasn''t just anyone who obtained it.
All of them were eighth-circled or above. Even though some of them obtained it when they were a seventh-circled Mage, they only imnted it when they were already eighth-circled.
It was because the abundant amount of Mana contained in the Dragon Heart. Naturally Dragon Heart attracted Mana. If one wasn''t careful, one could have the body explode.
As for the Elven Heart, no one crazy enough to take their heart. Once one took an Elven Heart without the consent of the previous owner, they would receive the wrath of the earth. It was better to avoid it at all cost.
He shook his head at those thoughts. It was better to focus on his Body Forging rather than waiting for the chance of getting Mana Heart. Even if he was given a Mana Heart right then, he couldn''t use it anyway. He would explode after all.
Just as he was about to chastise the Guide for its useless knowledge ¡ª
[The Host can cultivate his own Mana Heart.]
¡ª he was dumbfounded once again.
Chapter 10 The Host And The Guide (2)
Basil quickly recovered from his dumbfounded state. He rposed himself and asked the Guide once again.
"Guide, how do I cultivate Mana Heart?"
[Mana Heart could be cultivated by constantly nurturing one''s heart with Mana. An exposure to Mana can cause mutation to one''s heart. However, a certain technique is required to cultivate Mana Heart. Merely exposing one''s heart to Mana can cause an unwanted mutation where one''s life is in the line. By the time the Mana Heart is created, one would be called Awakened...]
A surge of information regarding Mana Heart was engraved into his mind. His eyes were opened once again. He had thought that Mana Heart wasn''t something belonged to human race. He was proven wrong yet again.
Mana Heart was an organ to utilize Mana. With Mana Heart, one could perform Magic way better than those without it. The amount of Mana could be utilized by Mana Heart was simply mind-blowing. It was the greatest help a Mage could get.
It didn''t mean anyone who got Mana Heart could be proficient with Magic though. The effectivity of Mana utilization and proficiency relied in one''s ability.
However, simply by having Mana Heart, one''s talent would beparable to the prodigies who were born with natural Red Core.
"Guide, what''s the most suitable Cultivation Technique for me?"
There was a reason on why he asked the most suitable technique instead of the best technique. Even though he got the best technique, it wouldn''t matter to him if it wasn''tpatible with him.
[Due to the Host''s high pain tolerance, Cultivation Technique: Heart Clenching is the most suitable for the Host. As its name suggested, Heart Clenching is a technique that relies heavily upon one''s tenacity. Whenever the technique is practiced, the heart will be cleansed by Mana. The process is very painful, giving the Host a feeling of his heart being clenched...]
The knowledge regarding [Heart Clenching] was quickly engraved into his mind. It was as if the Guide was ensuring him that it was indeed the most suitable technique for him. He had thought that he would finally be free from pain. It seemed he was wrong.
However, he wasn''t disappointed. No pain no gain. In hisst life, he had endured unnecessary pain. However, in this life he had to endure the necessary pain to obtain a better result. Finally, he would gain something from his pain, other than pain tolerance.
Now that he thought about it, the Guide''s suggestion was a little fishy. Although he would be given an amazing power in turn for the pain he had to endure, wasn''t there a less painful way that produced the same result?
As he was about to ponder it even more, there was someone knocking against his door.
Knock. Knock. Knock.
"Who is it?"
A cold voice came out of him. This was the normal Basil when he wasn''t doing soliloquy. The person behind the door seemed taken aback as they took their time to answer. It was understandable. In his younger days, though he wasn''t the most sociable guy, he had never treated anyone coldly.
"It''s me, Young Master... Am I disturbing you?"
A soft and warm voice was heard from beyond the door. With a rather raspy voice and the alto tone, it could be deduced it belonged to an elderly woman.
A surge of nostalgia and warmth filled his chest. Beyond this door was his sole emotional support through his hard times in this ce. She was the first person who put her belief in him. In this ce, she was the only person who trusted him, and the only person he could trust.
"I''m sorry, Irene. You maye in."
Contrary to his cold voice earlier, this time his voice was soft. A hint of warmth could be felt from his voice. His piercing eyes softened a little bit, however it didn''t change his stoic look much.
"Pardon me for the intrusion."
An elderlydy with an average height and straight posture came inside with a smile. She had many wrinkles on her face, however it could be seen that she had been a beauty in her youth. Her white hair was styled in braided bun, giving her the vibe of a strict and wise olddy.
"What do you need of me, Irene?"
"The dinner is ready, Young Master. You are invited to join the dinner by the lord."
"I wonder what is the asion of tonight''s dinner."
Normally, he had his dinner separately from the rest of his so-called family. Due to hisck of talent in Magic, he was ostracized by his own family. It had already been two years since he joined the academy, however he hadn''t carved his Circle yet.
Therefore, whenever someone like him was invited to a dinner, it was either to let the other family members ridiculing him or to let him know of his talented sister''s achievement. It was their way to tell him to know his ce.
"It is the Young Mistress'' eptance to the Magic Academy."
"I see. I will be there in ten minutes."
He merely nodded his head. Although in the past he had always been fuming inside, he wasn''t so right then. How old was he? He had spent half a century in hisst life! Fuming just because of a brat''s achievement was unsightly of him.
Moreover, he had already experienced the feeling to be on top. Therefore, envying someone''s momentary glory was something he would never do.
Irene was a little bbergasted with Basil''s response. Normally, he would clench his fist and epted the invitation with gritted teeth. Then, she wouldfort him so he could calm his self.
However, right then, it was as if she was facing someone of her age. The way he spoke, the way he behaved, they exuded wisdom. Even his gaze, it was so deep that it wasn''t suited with his pretty face.
"I will notify the lord then. Young Master... Are you...?"
"Thank you for your concern, Irene. I am fine."
A very calm response. He had a rather high tone for male. So whenever he spoke, he sounded meek. It was also one of the reasons he was being bullied other than hisck of talent in Magic.
However, right then, hisposed and soft voice was heard as if a melody. It was pleasant to the ear and sounded stern at the same time. Of course, it was due to his way of speaking from the past.
In hister days, he had a baritone voice. It had been due to his developed hormones upon reaching maturity. However, he hadn''t had his moment yet currently. So, his intended voice was heard as if a slightly manly woman''s voice.
"How about your body, Young Master?"
She knew that he was bullied without even being told. She knew that he had been beaten this noon, even without him telling her. She was worried about him. However ¡ª
"I am fine, Irene. They couldn''t even scratch me. You don''t have to be concerned."
¡ª he wasn''t Basil she knew anymore.
To say that she was stunned would be an understatement. She was shocked through her core ¡ª no pun intended. Basil was indeed stubborn and tenacious. However, he had never stood up for himself.
''He looked... Overbearing! And it suits him!''
Already, she was rooting for him. Her eyes lit up, and a smile quickly adorned her face.
"Understood. Then, I will excuse myself."
"Hm."
Just like that, she exited the room. However, Basil felt strange. It had been a long time since he had received that gaze. For almost his entire life, the gaze he received was full of condemnation, envy, greed, or... fear.
He could confidently say he didn''t receive any admiration in hisst life, aside from that person. Therefore, having it right now, he felt strange. Fortunately, he was Basil. Just as it came it was gone instantly.
Who was he to be trifled with? He was Basil! Greatness filled his way, receiving admiration was normal.
Already, a smirk adorned his face.
***
[Cobham Manor]
I, Shirley Cobham, am someone loved by the heavens. I was born with a natural talent to utilize Mana. I have been able to use Mana since I was twelve. Although it is very sloppy due to the absence of Magic Circle, I am already ahead of my peers.
Today is the day I am epted at the best Magic Academy in Woster Region. Although my so-called brother was also epted to the same academy, our status is clearly different. He was epted to the academy through his intelligence, while I was epted to the academy through my talent.
Everybody knows that intelligence and vast knowledge about Magic is useless as long as one can''t utilize Mana. However, that person is really stubborn. He doesn''t really know how to quit. It is understandable though. Someone delusional will feel it is hard to ept reality.
Where am I again? Right, today is my eptance day. So, tonight we will have a celebration! At tonight''s dinner, I will show him who is the best between us.
...
I am currently sitting on the chair, waiting for the dinner table to be filled. Countless of delicacies filled the table, however it is not my focus. I am waiting for that person. I can''t wait to rub it in his face. His expression whenever I speak about my greatness is amusing.
Father and Mother havee, as a good daughter, I have to show them my love. I quickly hug them, and they hug me back. I can see it in their eyes. Their abundant pride towards me.
I can''t fail them. Therefore, I have to be the best!
The table is finally set. My parents have settled down in their respective seat. The maids are standing behind us, already finishing their duty. None of us starts eating as we chat with each other. The topic is, of course...
"Huhu. I wonder what his reaction will be when he found out that his sister will finally be his ssmate."
"He must be fuming as usual, Husband. This time, I am sure he will just give up and stoping to the academy."
My parents talk among themselves. I merely respond when they ask me. I don''t want to talk much. My parents have already known my achievement. I only need to let that person know.
"Tch. What took him so long? Is he cooping himself up in his room to find a way to improve his talent?"
A ridiculingugh resounded from my father. My mother also followed suit with a softugh. I am about tough too, if not for ¡ª
"I am sorry for theteness. I need to make my preparation first."
¡ª someone we waited hase.
All of us are jolted in our seat upon hearing his voice. All of us are shocked, no one noticed his appearance before he spoke. When we look at him properly, we can immediately tell something is off.
He is different than usual, and that is visible to the eyes. Even his way of dressing is different. Right now, he is radiating confidence and regality.
His manner and speech are different. When we heard his reasoning, we nodded our head unconsciously. It wasn''t because we epted his reason. It felt like we had the obligation to do so.
His voice is pleasant to the ear, yet I can''t help but feel chill. He has a faint smile on his face, however it seems cold. Even his eyes seem to pierce our souls. As if on cue, we gulped altogether.
"Kuhum... Why don''t you take a seat?"
As if to clear the uneasiness he was feeling, father coughed once and urged Basil to sit. He merely nods his head and takes a seat. He is seated in the opposite side of me, so I am face to face with him.
At that moment, he opens his mouth and ¡ª
"Congrattions, for your eptance in the academy, Shirley."
¡ª I am flustered like never before.
Chapter 11 The Host And The Guide (3)
***
The sole daughter of Cobham family, Shirley was flustered. It didn''t take a genius to notice it. Anyone could see her repeatedly opening and closing mouth without any words came out.
Basil who got nothing in response merely had a faint smile and sat uprightly in his seat. Shirley, who noticed her actionte, quickly regained herposure and chose to remain silent. Even the Viscount and the Viscountess didn''t know how to react too.
Irene, who was watching it, had been flustered at first. However as soon as she saw the reaction of the three people, she smiled proudly at Basil.
An ufortable silence fell upon the dining room. The luxurious table, and the spacious room, made the silence felt even out of ce.
"Kuhum. Why don''t we start our dinner first...?"
''Then we can talk about Shirley''s achievement,'' was left unsaid. It was because Basil, without regards to any of them, graciously filled his te. It was normal for nobles to know table manner.
However, his movement was on another levelpared to anyone. He wasn''t slow and fairly quick in his move. However, rather than showing rush, he radiated elegance instead. It was eye-catching enough for the others to admire.
Basil was naturally thinking of it as nothing. Food isn''t meant to only fill one''s stomach. One needs to enjoy it too. That was his thoughts regarding the act of eating. However, in the past, he couldn''t stay idle. Therefore, he trained himself to enjoy his food without wasting his time.
Thus, Basil''s art of eating was born. Quick but elegant. Although it wasn''t as quick as in the past, he could improve the speed slowly. He hadn''t trained himself yet, therefore he couldn''t make his taste buds process all of those taste in the shortest amount of time yet.
"As everyone has already heard, Shirley is epted to Woster Magic Academy. It is an academy that is run by the Kingdom''s Mage and undoubtedly the best academy in Woster Region. Congrattions, my daughter! I, along with your Mother, am very proud of you."
? "Congrattions, my daughter!"
"Thank you, Father, Mother."
A conversation that happened only amongst them ensued. Apple doesn''t fall far from its tree. It was a childish disy of favoritism and bragging, to the point that Basil didn''t even pay any attention to it.
He had thought that it had been because of his ipetence that they had behaved like that too in the past. However, he had been wrong. The reason was moreplex than it seemed.
There was a reason why despite being a Cobham, he used Pacifer as hisst name. It was his biological mother''s family name. He was adopted. Yet, even in the past he had only managed to figure out his mother''s name. He didn''t know who was his father.
He could understand the cold treatment of the Cobham. However, he didn''t understand why would they keep him. If he was a mere bother, it would be better to send him to the orphanage. However, they didn''t. Therefore, he couldn''t figure out what happened behind his adoption.
In this life though, he was determined to unveil it all. In hisst life, he couldn''t find his mother''s family due to its untimely demise. Although, histeness in knowing his mother also yed a big role.
''If she had remained silent until the end, I would have never known my mother.''
It was also thanks to ''her'' that he got to know his mother''s name. It was also one of thest things she said before her untimely death.
Quickly getting rid of that thought, Basil clicked his tongue. He was living in the present, yet his mind was always in the past. Luckily, no one noticed his current behaviour. No one paid attention to him. All of them were busy talking among themselves.
Basil put his fork and knife down. They shed against his te, producing sound that flustered the three people. They quickly looked at him as if demanding exnation.
Basil looked at them calmly and said, "I want to take a leave from the academy for at least a week." Surprise was evident on their face. However, before his so-called father could speak, he continued, "I also want to have a trip on my own. I ask of you for your permission." He stared the Viscount straightly.
To say the Viscount was bewildered would be an understatement. He was extremely bewildered!
''This brat! Just what happened to him?!''
The question wasn''t uttered. He couldn''t. The piercing gaze he received from Basil made him shut his mouth unconsciously.
He gulped. Basil didn''t exude any Mana or whatsoever. However, he felt pressured. How could he not? Basil had stared down the strongest Obelisk Master in his past life. No, scratch that! He had even stared down a suspicious omnipotent being!
He blinked at that thought. Somehow, he felt a prick behind his head. It was strange. However, he didn''t show it on his face.
"Okay..." was the best answer the Viscount could make. He added, "However, you wouldn''t be given any-"
"Thank you."
He wasn''t given the chance toplete his sentence. Basil instantly nodded his head and stood from his seat.
"Wh-where are you going?"
The Viscount asked in surprise. Basil had only finished half of his food after all. He was never the type to waste food. However, at this moment, he had already lost his appetite.
''There is no bad food, only badpanion.''
He wasn''t that hungry anyway. Practicing [Star Withering] energized him that he didn''t need to eat much.
"I am leaving right now."
"R-right now?"
"Hm."
This turn, it wasn''t the Viscount who asked him. It was Shirley, his so-called sister. He merely gave a short nod and prepared to leave.
"W-wait! Can you even travel at night?" Shirley asked him. Aplicated look was on her face. At this, he merely nced at her without turning his back and answered, "Although I don''t have much money, it''s enough to afford me a carriage, youngdy."
She shut her mouth instantly. Basil didn''t even check her reaction, he merely walked away and went to his room.
With aplicated look still adorned her face, she forced herself to sit down and bit her lower lip.
''Darn! I haven''t bragged even yet!''
Turned out, Basil''s decision to leave early was correct.
"Kuhum. Let him be. He will know how hard it is to travel by himself, especially at night. He will be back by tomorrow and never leave by himself ever again." The father said it with conviction. In return, the mother asked, "Will he be okay?"
It was curiosity. She didn''t worry about him. She was merely curious.
"Hm. He will be okay. With that head of his, he knows how to save himself."
Basil''s intelligence was well known amongst the people who knew him. That was also the reason why despite hisck of progress in magic, he was never kicked out of the academy.
Although his so-called family didn''t like him much, they couldn''t deny his intelligence. That was why they never did something too excessive, despite giving him a hard time. They feared his intelligence. Who knew what could he do with that intelligence of his?
Of course, it was merely their thought. Basil didn''t have the time to plot against them. He nned to leave the house and searched for his real family soon. Therefore, he was on his quest to increase his power.
...
Outside of the mansion, two people stood. One of them was an elderly woman in chief-maid suit, and the other one was a young man with a ck cloak. They were none other than Irene and Basil.
"Will you really be fine to travel by yourself, Young Master?"
Worry was evident in her voice. She wasn''t his mother, however she gave him the warmth of mother. His eyes softened as he answered her.
"I will be fine, Irene. You can put your trust in me."
''Don''t worry,'' was left unsaid. They didn''t need it. Irene naturally understood his meaning. She could see it in his eyes. His Young Master was full of confidence! Therefore, she could trust him.
"Then, I will be going."
"Take care, Young Master."
Basil merely nodded his head and turned his back. He put on his hood and gradually disappeared from Irene''s vision. It was already dark, so his ck cloak made it seem like the night engulfed him.
Irene merely stood there unmoving for a quite some time. She sighed and then got back inside the Mansion.
Basil was watching this from a ce where he couldn''t be noticed. With his experience, it was easy to hide his presence from anyone without an extremely keen sense.
He was doing this in case his so-called father put someone on his tail. Although he couldn''t sense any of them, it doesn''t hurt to be cautious. He got out of his hide and walked toward apletely different direction.
Although he said he could afford a carriage, he didn''t want to do it. He wanted to train the feeble body of his. So, he decided to travel by foot. His destination was Vyres Forest. It was the very forest where he could gather the herbs required to make Catalyst.
Although he didn''t need to form his Core, he still needed Catalyst. It could aid him in gathering Mana faster. This Mana would be used to cultivate his Mana Heart.
For one to be awakened, normally one needed a year of intense cultivation with a good technique. However, with [Heart Clenching], he could shorten the time. Of course, he had to endure the pain caused by it.
Therefore, he was determined to be awakened in a week. It was extremely hard, however it wasn''t impossible. The process would be painful for sure, however he wasn''t fazed. He was familiar with pain already.
''Guide, what is the criteria of good ck Sandalwood?''
[The higher the quality of the ck Sandalwood, the less fragrance it exudes. The high quality ck Sandalwood had its barkpletely iste its fragrance from the outside. It is an instinctive defensive mechanism to prevent unwanted assault of from Beasts...]
While running his way to the Vyres Forest, he was constantly asking the Guide regarding the ingredients he needed. Naturally, he wanted the best quality of them. Good ingredients produce good product.
No one would think that his mind was spinning at miles an hour. He looked calm and focused on his way on the surface. However, he was constantly engraving new knowledge into his mind everytime.
He didn''t utter his question loudly because of the inefficiency. He could say it in his mind, why would he bother to say it out loud? Moreover, what would people think if somehow they heard him speaking to himself?
He wasn''t so lonely to the point of speaking with oneself. He didn''t think soliloquy was counted as speaking to oneself. Because, whenever he did that, he was pondering something worth to ponder.
Just like that, his journey to power on his first day of returning to the past, now present, started.
Chapter 12 The Host And The Guide (4)
It had been two days since the night Basil left. He had never stopped in his way aside from resting and eating. He didn''t sightseeing and only focused on his destination while training his stamina.
Whenever he was tired he would push his body to move until his feet gave up. Right after, he would channel the Qi from his Core to his feet, so he could run again. Only when the Qi from his Core was exhausted did he rest himself.
It wasn''t possible normally, since reinforcing one''s body with Qi or Mana was burdening the body. Therefore, whenever one was exhausted, the [Reinforcement] would have to be stopped to prevent damage to the body.
However, it wasn''t the case with Basil. It was all thanks to his abnormal vitality and [Star Withering]. Although he was constantly tearing his muscles and reinforcing those already torn muscles, the recovery rate was superb.
He ran with a constant speed for 4 hours straight, however he only needed an hour to recover. When the fatigue became unbearable, he would take a sleep for a few hours. In a day, he merely slept for 4 hours. The rest were used to practice [Star Withering] or eating. Most of the time were spent running.
It was for this reason that he could arrive at his destination in merely two days on foot. Previously, he had also stopped to buy some necessary equipment to roam around the forest. In other words, surviving tools.
He was no pushover. Forcing his way into Vyres Forest barehanded was the same as suicide. He was full of confidence, yet he wasn''t arrogant. For the current him, he would die if he encountered a beast at Saberwolf caliber.
Those two fangs of theirs could tear him apart! However, he didn''t have any intention to be ripped apart by them. He would avoid them at all cost. If somehow he coincidentally encountered them, he would ...
"Run. No need to risk my life just to confront those beasts. They aren''t worth my time."
Surely, he would do that. He was confident in his self, however that confidence had always been backed by his skills. Currently, he didn''t posses enough power to confront a magical beast of that caliber.
Running away is also part of strategy. Whenever there was no chance for him to win, he would retreat. There was no dying proudly in his dictionary. Why would he be proud for his death? Only psychopaths did that!
Today''s loss is tomorrow''s dyed victory. That was how he viewed victory and losses. Therefore, he had never hesitated to run away. As long as he could keep his life, he could take his enemies after he had improved himself.
Of course, whenever he nned to run away, he would do it in style. Just like what he did when he fought with Gorgophone. He knew by the time Gorgophone had used [Great Annihtion], he wasn''t his opponent.
Therefore, he prepared his retreat carefully. If not for the existence of the other six people, he would have been able to escape with the help of his [Teleportation Talisman].
"Huuh... Let''s take a rest for a while."
He sighed and put down his small backpack filled with food supply. He also carefully tossed the pouch filled with the necessary tools to make Catalyst and the surviving tools. The well crafted machete that he had bought on his way wastched onto his back together with its leather sheathe.
"Though Magic Sword would be preferable, I don''t have the money to buy that."
He was never given much money by his so-called parents due to hisck of talent. A young noble like him was usually given a rather big sum of money to spend. However, most of it was spent on magic rted things.
With his inability to use Magic, he wasn''t given the luxury to do so. The money he was given was only enough to buy clothes worth for nobles and nothing else. Despite the mental torture given by his so-called family, he had never been abused physically by them, at least not directly. He knew that the bully was the work of his family.
He shook his head to clear his thoughts. It didn''t matter anymore. Right now, he had to focus on increasing his power.
He sat in lotus position and quickly practiced [Star Withering]. He started to absorb the Star Energy from the surrounding Mana. This was the reason he didn''t need a Catalyst to nurture his Core. The Star Energy in the air was simply abundant.
There were countless stars in the sky, and the world was basked in their glory constantly. For days and nights, the surrounding Mana slowly absorbed the energy, resulting in the born of a new kind of Mana.
However, not everyone could sense Star Energy in Mana. Even if somehow they could sense it, no one knew how to process it. In result, the amount of the unused Star Energy was abundant. Therefore, [Star Withering] was a straight cheat to gain power.
He could feel his Core being cleansed by the Qi produced from [Star Withering]. Thin ck smoke was exhaled from his mouth. The ck Core turned brighter the more he practiced [Star Withering]. Of course, his body was also constantly strengthened in the process.
Due to the abundance of Star Energy, he didn''t need to worry of the slow speed Body Forging. Ifpared to those prodigies, he was forging his body two times faster.
After an hour had passed, he finally stopped forging his body.
"Alright, let''s gather the ingredients first."
He quickly picked his backpack and tied the pouch on his waist. He moved his feet toward the direction where the first ingredient he needed was located.
"Let''s find the Blue Petalled Chamomile first. It is said that the more fragrant it is, the higher the quality, and also the more poisonous. Luckily, the Guide provides the method to remove its poison."
He was still adamant on gathering the best ingredients. He found the Blue Petalled Chamomile after thirty minutes of running. It was located on the edge of a cliff.
Vyres Forest was known for its many unexplored parts. People were afraid to explore it due to the rumors of a strong magical beast was staying in this ce. Although it wasn''t proven to be true yet, many mages also avoided this Forest.
"There are too many precious magical herbs inside Vyres, that the Kingdom''s Alchemist Association, Philosopher, monopolizes it all."
Basil, unlike everyone, knew the truth behind the rumors. It wasn''t that mages were also afraid of this ce. It was because not many of them nuts enough to barge in to the ce dered as the Philosopher''s area of investigation.
Basil wasn''t nuts though. He didn''t care of what those people from Philosopher said. They hadn''t made it official after all, they had no right to be angry if someone entered the forest. Even if they made it official, he wouldn''t care either. There was no way they could inspect the entirety of the vast Vyres.
Alchemist were mostly Fifth-Circled mages. Therefore, they had no way to use use a wide scale scan on the vast forest. They could ask Rune Master to help them, however they had a widely known rivalry among them.
"Hmm... All of them are fragrant enough to be called high quality. However, the highest quality will have the most petals."
Basil was already hanging on the cliff. He wanted to have a thorough inspection on the Blue Petalled Chamomile, so he had to tie himself with a rope. He could have a hold on the cliff by thrusting himself to the structure of the cliff, however his Qi wasn''t limitless yet. He wouldn''t be able to take his time if he did that.
"Alright. This should be fine."
He quickly took the chosen Chamomile and put them in his pouch. He quickly climbed back up and nned to find the other ingredients. However, when he looked up, he stopped climbing.
Fussh!
A wind that came out of a beast''s nose crashed on his face. His eyes stared directly at the beast''s eyes. It was a Saberwolf. It looked like a normal wolf, however its body was three times bigger. Two extremely long and thick canines protruded out of its mouth.
The beast stared at the man, and the man stared back. As if on cue, the man and the beast retreated at the same time. The man climbed down the cliff with his rope, the beast retracted its extended head.
"Hmm.. this is highly intriguing. Not even half a day passed, yet I have encountered a beast. A Saberwolf no less. Coincidence is scary indeed," muttered Basil lowly.
He was assured that it wasn''t because of his miscalction. Saberwolf stayed in a cave and there was no cave in the surrounding. Although he knew many things regarding magical beasts, he couldn''t predict a beast''s whim. Therefore, meeting a Saberwolf here was coincidence.
"Luckily I have my things with me. Although, it was unfortunate to leave the rope, I can''t help it. I could just retrieve itter."
He wasn''t stingy. Although it was cheap, he needed it at least until before he awakened his Mana Heart. The worth of something isn''t determined by its price, but its necessity. The rope was close to a treasure to him currently.
He sighed and sneakily untied his body from the rope. He had to be careful so that he wouldn''t be attacked by the Saberwolf. Although its head couldn''t reach him, it could use magic. It could swing its paw at him and wind des would cut his body!
He had his left hand holding on the rope tightly. His right hand was touching the edge of the cliff and slowly embedded themselves in. It was all thanks to [Reinforcement]. His hand was strong enough to pierce the cliff structure.
He was slowly closing his body to the edge of the cliff and his left hand let go of the rope too. He was supported by only his right hand. Abruptly, he stabbed his left hand to the cliff structure and propelled himself upward.
Boom!
The parts where his hands previously embedded in were destroyed. The Saberwolf that was watching him curiously, now had its gaze on the sky. He was looking at the airborne Basil.
Surprise was evident on its face. Basilnded on his head and intentionally used it as a propeller to move forward. The Saberwolf was holding on quite fairly, however it was pissed for sure.
Basil didn''t even turn his eyes on the growling beast. He was utilizing his Qi to the best he could, so he could get as far away from it as possible.
The Saberwolf was taken aback, it couldn''t imagine that the fragile human it found could run that fast. Quickly, he chased the human while growling. It didn''t want to howl. If it did, his prey would be taken by its siblings.
It was ostracized in the pack due to its smaller size, and this time it would prove itself by hunting its prey. Its steps became more vigorous as it slowly closing on the distance between itself and its prey.
And so, both of the ostracized were running and chasing.
Chapter 13 The Host And The Guide (End)
The cat and mouse game continued on for the whole day; the Saberwolf seemed to have and unlimited stamina as it was still vigorously chasing Basil. It was natural however, since its physical ability was iparably higher than normal human.
Even though Basil had practiced [Star Withering] for three days, the umtion time of practicing the technique wasn''t more than 18 hours. No matter how godly the technique was and how vigorous he had trained, a short time of practice wouldn''t produce a significant result.
However, despite being able to run away from the Saberwolf for many times, he didn''t do it. The Saberwolf was proven to be useful for his stamina training!
What could speed up one''s progress aside from talent? Urgency! The more dangerous the situation he was in, the faster his improvement.
Whenever he was tired, he would find a gap and hid himself to recover. Right after that, he would ''identally'' reveal himself to the Saberwolf. Just like that, along with gathering 4 out of the 8 required ingredients to create Crystal Clear, he was improving each time.
"Huuh..." A hazy ck smoke was expelled from Basil''s mouth.
It was already night, however the Saberwolf didn''t show any sign of stopping chasing him. Currently, he was resting his body on a branch of a big and tall ck tree, which was none other than ck Sandalwood.
"So, I coincidentally found this high quality ck Sandalwood while ''running away'' from the Saberwolf. It hides my smell from it, and it was funnily all thanks to it ... It isn''t so bad meeting it at the cliff."
Remembering the rope he had left at the cliff made him sigh. He shook his head and took out his ration box out of his backpack. All of the food contained inside the box maintained its condition. He had no worry of rotten fruits or cold food.
It was thanks to the ration box that had a [Stagnancy] Rune carved on it. With that, anything inside would maintain its condition indefinitely, as long as the Rune wasn''t destroyed.
Normally, anyone capable of using Mana would use a storage space to keep their stuff whenever they were traveling. While Mages use their Spatial Bracelet, Knights would use their Spatial Ring.
The only differenceid on the process of the making. Mages could make their Spatial Bracelet by carving an [Alternative] Rune on a Magic Steel, meanwhile Knights could make their Spatial Ring with a special ore along with a special forging technique.
Unfortunately, Basil wasn''t given this luxury because of a simple reason: he couldn''t use Magic. Of course, it would change in this week.
,m A strange feeling filled his chest¡ªa feeling that he hadn''t felt for quite a long time. An eagerness to get stronger faster than anyone. A smile full of nostalgia adorned his face, but unfortunately, from the other''s perspective, it was no different from a chilling smile.
"Ah.. it''s the feeling of... being weak. I am baffled that I even miss this feeling."
Being on the top for too long would slowly make you lose your motivation. It had been also the case for Basil; back then, he had gradually lost his urge to get stronger.
Although his power had always improved, he didn''t do it to get stronger. It was only for the sole purpose of seeing where his limit was. Unfortunately, he couldn''t find that either due to his untimely death.
He wasn''t old however; he had stopped aging since histe twenties. Therefore, his appearance remained young and that also meant he wasn''t old.
He did die untimely!
"Hmph! Why would I care about my age?"
Closing his eyes, Basil leaned his body on the trunk of the tree. He then quickly drifted off to sleep.
...
Basil didn''t sleep for long¡ªat most, it was 4 hours. A Knight naturally had a higher physical abilitypared to normal person. Heightened sense, inhumane stamina, crazy strength¡ªall of them were the traits of Knight.
Obviously, Basil had nowhere enough power to be called insanely strong. However, he would surely achieve it soon.
The sky was still dark as it was 3 in the morning. He stood uprightly on the branch and cut some of the small branches with his machete.
Of course, dealing with magical nt wasn''t easy. He had to utilize his Qi meticulously to be able to cut the branches.
sh! sh! sh!
Three consecutive sh filled with power was executed wlessly. Due to [Reinforcement], the ordinary yet well crafted machete glinted briefly and managed to cut it.
Basil didn''t stay idle though. He quickly collected the branch he had cut, before they fell to the ground.
He then bundled them up and carried them on his back. Reaching out to his pouch, he quickly took out a tube like steel with a scoop like end.
It was a Sap Extractor that was used to extract the sap out of a tree. Naturally, Basil needed this to extract the sap of the ck Sandalwood tree.
He had been befuddled at first. The sap of ck Sandalwood was known to have a paralyzing effect when it entered human''s system, after all.
However, heter found out from the knowledge the Guide had engraved on his mind that with the right dose, it could rx one''s body and lessen the fatigue.
Stab!
The Sap Extractor was quickly stabbed into the trunk. There was no need to wait for long since there was a special rune created by the Alchemist Association, Philosopher, engraved on it.
When it was done, all of the extracted sap, which was roughly 500 milliliters was put in a vial. Although he didn''t need it that much in the original form, he needed it for the sake of his research.
He was determined to make the form his!
Quickly jumping down the tree, he reinforced his hand and used it to slow down his falling speed. The tree was 30 meters tall; for the current him, jumping down from that height would result in bone fracture.
He didn''t want that!
This time he didn''t want to wake up the Saberwolf, thest ingredient he was about to find, aside from Clear Water, was located in a rather bothersome ce ... A Saberwolf''s cave.
There was a special grass that could only grow in that ce. Saberwolf always dug a hole before defecating. This grass grew on top of the soil that contained the feces of the Saberwolf, and was called Adrenaline Grass.
As its name suggested, it gave the same effect as a stimnt. It stimted the nerves on the body, which in turn heightened the sense of the consumer. Naturally, it was all possible if processed correctly.
With aplicated face, Basil moved his feet toward the closest cave of a Saberwolf pack. He wasn''t worried about the Saberwolf though¡ª
''Does this mean I, Basil Pacifer, will indirectly eat a magical beast''s feces!?''
¡ªhe was thinking about an entirely different case.
While thinking of that important matter on the way, with his top speed, he reached the cave within 20 minutes. With a leisure step, he casually entered the cave.
Since the start of his run, his step never produced any sound. He didn''t bother to hide his smell, because Saberwolf''s sense of smell was lowered when they were sleeping.
Furthermore, he could iste his smell with his thin Qi barrier. Although it wasn''t perfect, for the currently sleeping Saberwolves, a faint smell was the same as non-existent to them.
He quickly packed all the Adrenaline Grass he could find in the cave in his pouch. When he was done, e turned his body towards the entrance of the cave¡ª
Grrr!
¡ªand found an old acquaintance.
The man stood silently, and the beast growled motionlessly.
Basil frowned his face. He couldn''t believe that the Saberwolf he had toyed with would find him here.
He silently looked at his surrounding¡ªat the sleeping Saberwolves. ''If it somehow woke its pack up right now, I would be in a pinch.'' He was thinking at miles an hour.
However, in the end, ''Whatever, it''s not that I can''t escape. I will be hurt, but I won''t die,'' he shrugged his shoulders.
Quickly unsheathing his machete, he swung it once and gestured the Saberwolf toe.
It was baffled for sure. It was in on its face. It even stopped growling briefly. However, in the next moment, it gestured its head outside as if telling Basil to go out of the cave.
''Hm?''
He was puzzled, however he shrugged his shoulder and went outside. Uponing out of the cave, the Saberwolf was already waiting there while growling at him.
It was pissed for not being able to catch him for an entire day, and this time it was determined to finish its game. Sadly however¡ª
''Hmph! Do you think I''ll fight if I have a choice not to? Who do you think I am? If I killed you here, your pack would be hot on my tails.''
¡ªhe met Basil.
Basil quickly disappeared from the Saberwolf''s view, leaving it dumbfounded. Its face turned incredulous in the next moment, as it thought, ''Isn''t he a shameless human!?''
...
After six hours of running without a rest, Basil finally reached the inner part of Vyres. It was the ce he had chosen to concoct Crystal Clear, and also the ce where thest ingredient he needed was located.
There was a beautiful waterfall in front of him, and a small natural pond below it. The view was breathtaking enough for one to gasp in awe, but Basil''s intention was on the water of the pond that was no other than Clear Water.
Quickly taking out a small jug from his pouch, he put it below the waterfall. In the next moment, Clear Water was ceaselessly entering the jug. It might be small, but it had [Alternative] Rune on it. Therefore, it could contain more than ten liters of Clear Water.
Compared to Spatial Bracelet or Spatial Ring, the jug was dirt cheap; it didn''t have [Stagnancy] Rune carved on it to preserve anything inside. Water wouldn''t rot anyway. Furthermore for some reason, storing liquid didn''t need that much requirements, so it was easy to make a Spatial Jug.
Although essible to ordinary people, Spatial Jug was still considered a luxury. Most of the users were merchants selling liquor.
Right after filling the whole jug, Basil quickly stored it and undressed himself¡ªa faint trace of muscles was already visible on his body. His previously thin build had buffed a little bit.
Graciously, he dipped his body inside the Clear Water pond, then quickly practiced [Star Withering] while his body was in the Clear Water.
Due to the abundance of Star Energy in the water, his Body Forging speed was heightened. The impurity of his Core was quickly expelled out of his Core in each of his breath.
Before he knew it, his ck Core turned brighter. Then, it turned white before being reced with a dark red colored Core. Just like that, he advanced to the Red Core stage. Now, he could finally be able to call himself a beginner Knight.
There was no longer hazy ck smoke being expelled out of his mouth; it was no different than the usual breath. Basil opened his eyes and looked at the peak of the waterfall. There,id the secret of the Clear Water pond.
"My trip will be over soon. It is quite in without that Saberwolf ... However, I am not alone, am I?"
He was actually referring to the Guide, but at that moment¡ª
[Answering the Host''s ignorance...]
[The Host is not alone. There is a foreign entity resides in the Host''s Mindscape.]
¡ªan outrageous truth was unveiled.
Chapter 14 A Great Practitioner Knows What To Ignore
To have something reside in one''s body without knowing it, made one''s heart turn cold. Even more so for people like Basil. He had been a great Mage in hisst life. He knew his body well, and nothing should go unnoticed in his body.
However, at this very moment, he was befuddled. Just how could something, an entity no less, reside in his body? Contrary to anyone''s expectation, he was calm. His body was his, and anything his was under his control.
"What do you mean by ''entity''?"
[A part of soul that doesn''t belong to the Host is residing inside the Host''s mindscape. Due to its conscious state, it''s categorized as an entity.]
"Is it dangerous for me?"
[No. The entity has no capabilities to harm the Host. It is due to its connection with the Host. If the Host was harmed, it would be harmed too.]
"I see. How do I ess my mindscape?"
[The Host can ess his mindscape by centering his Qi in the Core and sending it to the brain evenly. The Host must be calm, and once the Host felt a pull, he shouldn''t fight it. It is the mark of the Mind Gate opening.]
Quickly putting his knowledge in practice, in a matter of second, he could feel the pull. It felt like the first time he went back in time. However, this time the pull was upward. He didn''t resist it, and went with the flow.
Soon enough he could feel his body passing through a gate. He didn''t see it, he just felt it. It was a weird experience, however he wasn''t surprised. He had dealt with weirder things for the most of his life.
Suddenly, he could feel his previously ethereal body. Right when he opened his eyes...
Whoosh!
A strong wind assaulted his face. He was standing on a field. The scenery in front of him was breathtaking. Flowerbed met his eyes wherever he looked. The field was so vast that it seemed endless. In the middle of it was a sophisticated wooden house, beside an Apple Blossom tree.
The scenery was familiar. However, in addition to the wooden house, the flowers were also different. Although, both of them were purple, this flower called Petunia.
The wind was still blowing on his face. The grass along with the flower were swaying gently. Some of the Apple Blossom also fell on the ground. There, he could see someone stood beside the tree.
Long silky azure hair swaying gently by the wind. Her skin was white as snow. Her figure could make any woman shed tears of blood, while man would die of blood loss. Toplement it all, was her unnaturally beautiful face.
Her clear blue eyes stared directly at Basil''s. Whenever she blinked her long eyshes would be seen fluttering breathtakingly.
However!
"So, you are the one who has invaded my personal space?"
She met Basil. He had seen many beauties in his life, however he had never drooled over them. His reaction would at most an appreciative nod and nothing else. Don''t get him wrong. He didn''t swing that way, he had slept with many of those beauties he met!
He had a normal urge to do the activity. However, he didn''t pursue it that much. He was seeing it from the perspective of benefits. Aside from relieving his biological urge what would he get?
Even if he didn''t do it, he could forcefully put down his raging hormone. Anyone with control over their body would be able to at least do that.
"I am sorry if I somehow offended you for being here. However, I can exin of the reason why I am being here. Firstly, allow me to introduce myself, I am-"
"You are the one whom I met in Dreand."
Her mouth was left opened. Basil had no reason to be polite here. Who was he to joke? He had stared down a suspicious omnipotent being at Dreand, and this entity was nowhere near omnipotent.
"Yes... We have met in Dreand previously."
After who knows how long, she finally closed her mouth and once again opened it to respond Basil. She shook her head helplessly at Basil''s attitude.
"Tell me what happened back then in Dreand."
He was really puzzled. Although, he knew that the one he met in Dreand wasn''t someone he knew, and instead the one in front of him. She was differentpared to herself back then. The presence he felt from her was less profound.
The woman stayed silent. She didn''t casually open her mouth. Luckily, Basil had themon courtesy to patiently wait.
"I was possessed by a great being at that time. Therefore, only a part of me could be felt at that time."
"I see..."
His guess was spot on. Now, it was only to find the identity of this ''great being''.
"Then, who is the great being?"
"I am sorry, but I can not tell you yet."
The woman shook her head regretfully. She looked at Basil as if she was afraid of his reaction. However ¡ª
"Hm. As I expected, I can not know it yet."
¡ª her worry was unfounded.
He was taking it calmly. No, honestly it looked nonchnt. What could he do? Even the Guide that was created by the ''great being'' told him so. It meant that the ''great being'' didn''t want him to find out yet.
"Then, why did you take ''her'' appearance back then in Dreand?"
"I didn''t. It was you who pictured me that way. Anything happens in Dreand is ording to the mind of anyone who enters it."
Another nod was all she got. For some reason, she was annoyed. She wanted him to be curious of her identity. However, he didn''t! Right after knowing that he couldn''t get the identity of the ''great being'', the look of curiosity was instantly gone. She was pissed!
"Kuhum..." She cleared her throat to gain his attention. Then, she looked at him and said, "I haven''t introduced myself yet due to the interruption. I am..." She purposefully dragged it on to sparkle Basil''s curiosity. However she got none. With a dejected face, she said, "Vagus."
However she wasn''t the only one who said it. Basil, at the same, also said that. To say that she was surprised was an understatement. She was shocked through her soul ¡ª no pun intended.
"H-how?"
"I have spent ten years wielding you. Although, you feel somehow different, you are the Vagus I know."
Yes, he had been thinking. It wasn''t that he paid no attention to her. He was merely thinking. Coincidentally, he found it out at the same time Vagus said her name.
"Ah..."
A defeated look was in on her face. It was heart bleeding to see such a beautiful woman with that face. However, Basil didn''t feel guilty.
"Let me ask you. How can you end up in here?"
Upon sensing a hint of curiosity in Basil''s tone, her look finally turned bright.
"You really want to know?"
With an excited look she asked Basil. The pure tion she got from getting a curiosity out of him was enough to make anyone smile. However ¡ª
"Well, it is fine if you don''t want to tell."
¡ª he shrugged his shoulder.
"W-wait! I will tell you! I will tell you, so do not leave yet!"
She desperately called out to him. Her current expression was so heart wrenching that it could make a tough man cry. However, Basil found itical.
''She acted gracious and all previously, and now she acted like a child yearning attention?''
Luckily, he had enough courtesy to not show it on his face. Vagus, who noticed her actionte, finally rposed herself and cleared her throat.
"Kuhum. I am sorry for my action earlier." Her behavior returned to being gracious once again.
She looked at Basil and said seriously, "A great magic sword can gain consciousness through a special technique. The conscience of the sword is called Sword Soul. You have learned [Synchronization] for a long time that you can even maintain it in your dying state. However, due to that..."
"You died together with me."
"Yes, you are right. And due to that very reason, I was also sent to the past along with you."
Everything was finally cleared. This time, Basil actually felt a little guilty ¡ª
"I see. You can stay here as I deem you harmless to myself. Then.. goodbye."
¡ª or not.
Vagus felt like crying. No, she was actually crying! How could she not? She was given the cold shoulder! He could have at least apologized or asked her how she felt. However, he didn''t!
It had been a long time since shest spoken with someone. She wanted to speak with him badly. Unfortunately, thetter didn''t feel like to.
"W-wait! Don''t leave yet! Let me at leastmunicate with you even without youing here."
"Okay. How can I do it?"
"Let''s renew our bond!"
She felt ecstatic!
Basil nodded his head and closed his distance to her. Upon reaching her, he finally noticed how tall she was. He was 178 centimeters tall, however there was no much height difference between them.
He stared at her silently and slit his hand with a knife he had hidden in his clothes. Vagus looked at him hesitantly, and couldn''t help but ask.
"What are you doing?"
"Drink it!"
"That is not how you renew our bond. Currently, I am merely a soul without vessel. There is another way to renew it-"
She couldn''t finish her words. Because, at that time, something soft touched her small beautiful lips. She was kissed by Basil! Without any warning no less!
When Basil stopped the kiss, he could see her staring nkly at him. Then, after some time, as if finally aware of his stare, she was blushing madly. She couldn''t even look at him!
"I can feel my bound with you. I can consider it a sess then."
"You can just touch me though..."
It was said shyly with a small voice. Basil acted as if he didn''t hear it. He wasn''t embarrassed of his action earlier. He, Basil Pacifer, a forever young ''experienced'' adult was embarrassed with something like that? Snow would fall in Hell!
"Then, I will be going."
"Ah, okay."
Vagus looked like a lovestruck maiden seeing off her lover. It was a scene that was so sweet it could make one die of diabetes. Sadly, it wasn''t the case with Basil. He remained stoic until the end.
He quickly got out of the mindscape, and opened his eyes. The waterfall greeted his vision, and the sshing sound brought his mind back. He looked at his body and noticed that he got more muscr than before.
His skin was brighter than ever making it look way more like a woman''s skin. He looked at his reflection on the water, and sighed dejectedly. He was attractive for sure, however his face was too feminine.
He dried himself and quickly got dressed. His hair was moist because the water wasn''t dried yet. Hebed it back with his fingers, raising his manliness a notch. At least, he looked like a tomboyish woman.
He clicked his tongue at that thought. He found it unpleasant. He sighed and quickly packed his things. He was preparing to reach the crest. There,id the secret of the source of this Clear Water.
Just when he was about to start climbing the waterfall, he heard a familiar voice.
"Hello. Now, I finally can speak to you."
It was Vagus, speaking with an ted voice. Her voice was exclusive to Basil, meaning no one other than him could hear her. However, Basil didn''t respond her. He had no thought of responding.
Because, a great practitioner knows what to ignore.
Chapter 15 When The Flower Blooms, It Will Never Wilt
To reach the crest of the waterfall, Basil naturally needed to climb it. Surely, he didn''t really climb it. There were many stepping stones up to the crest. Although the distance between each of them were quite far, it wasn''t a problem for the current him.
After advancing to the early stage of Red Core, his strength along with his stamina had risen significantly. Although in the early stage Mage was superior to Knight, the gap would be closed when Knight advanced their Core. The power it brought after a single advancement was simply mind-blowing.
Therefore, despite being the least popr out of the two, Mage had never underestimated Knight. Unfortunately, in the current period, the strongest Knight fell below the strongest Mage. It all happened because of bottleneck.
They didn''t know how to break through the bottleneck. Rather than their improvement being stagnant, it was that they could no longer advance. Luckily, many of them managed to reach that bottleneck.
Therefore, even though the strongest of the Knight fell below that of the strongest Mage, with their number, they could overwhelm even the strongest Mage. Just like that, the rivalry between the two continued on.
Upon reaching the crest, Basil took a deep breath. The air was full of Mana, even by breathing in, he felt his body was cleansed. When he released the breath, instead of an exhale, it sounded like a sigh. It was because...
"You! What kind of a man are you!? Why.. why are you ignoring me?!"
Vagus kept pestering him all the way up. He didn''t respond it not because he needed to concentrate on his way to the crest. It was because he found it useless. He would dly respond her if the conversation was about something beneficial.
However!
¡ª Where are you going right now?
¡ª What is there at the crest?
¡ª What is your favorite food?
¡ª What do you think of my beauty?
¡ª Hey! Answer me! Why are you ignoring me?!
¡ª Hu-hu-hu... You are so cruel!
It had never been something beneficial. It was nothing more than a child tantrum to Basil. Therefore he kept ignoring her. However, ignoring someone''s voice that was directly transmitted to your head was a lot harder than it seemed. Thus, Basil had no choice but to respond.
"What is it?"
"Uhu-hu-hu.. eh?" As if a lie, her teary voice disappeared in a blink. With an ted voice, she spoke, "Y-Yes! I was asking you what were you going to do. Although I reside in your mindscape, I don''t know what are you thinking..." She kept chattering like a chatterbox. Basil, naturally, ignored most of them.
"...you know what I mean? Since we will be together for the rest our life,munication is an important thing, so-"
"Huuh... I get it. I am going to make a Catalyst." A sigh escaped unconsciously. If it was the feeling of having a child, he wouldn''t want one.
"Oh! I see! So, what are you doing here?"
Instead of answering, Basil looked ahead. There, he could see a big weird shaped stone with a half of it submerged in the water. At a casual nce, there was nothing special about that stone. However, he knew more than anyone, what secret it was hiding.
"There was the source."
It was cryptic, however Vagus knew what he meant. Filled with anticipation, she stayed quiet and observed the scenery through his eyes.
Basil quickly dashed toward the stone. His footstep was steady. None of his feet stepped on a stone. He was stepping on the water! It was the basic Movement Technique he had personally created, [Feather Step].
While dashing his way toward the stone, he unsheathed his machete and channelled his Qi into it. The machete shone in blue light, and destructive aura could be felt.
p [Lesser Technique: Mountain Cleaver]!
He lightly muttered his technique''s name. The technique belonged to Knight. Surely, he had modified it, so it was different than what Knight used. Originally, this technique was usable to those in Yellow Core or above. Therefore, he needed to downgrade it, before using it. Thus, the Lesser Technique was born.
He swung down his machete. The strike was powerful enough that the impact split the water below apart. However...
nk!
The stone managed to stop it. The vibration was transmitted to his body. His ear was ringing, and his hands trembled ever so slightly. He didn''t manage to cut the stone. Only a vertical scratch could be seen on it.
"Huuh.. as expected. I can''t do much with an ordinary weapon."
A sigh escaped from his mouth. However, he didn''t feel discouraged. He was determined to split the stone, no matter how many swings it took. He was about to ready his machete once again when Vagus spoke.
"Why don''t you use me?"
It was a question that could cause misinterpretation. It seemed that she was also aware of it, since she stayed silent and crouching in his mindscape as if ashamed of her word.
"W-wait I didn''t mean it that way!"
Basil quirked an eyebrow, and asked, "What did you mean that way?"
"Th-that is..." She turned even more embarrassed. However, Basil didn''t seem to notice it, as he said, "How would I be able to use you? Right now you are no more than a Sword Soul." Luckily, Basil didn''t get the wrong idea.
Upon hearing it, Vagus sighed in relief.
"Huuh.. what I mean is, you can pour my soul into the machete. Although it won''t be able to hold me long, it is enough for you, isn''t it?"
It was true, he didn''t need much time to split the stone given the right weapon. However...
"Is that even possible? What would happen if somehow the machete broke before I managed to retrieve you?"
"Don''t worry, our soul is bound already. If the machete broke, I would naturally return to your mindscape."
He wasn''t particrly worried about Vagus or whatsoever. She could disappear whenever she like, however she could only do it after he paid his debt to her. Basil was a man of dignity. He would return the grace someone had bestowed upon him.
Nodding his head. He quickly opened the Mind Gate. Vagus in turn left his mindscape through the Mind Gate and entered the machete. The machete instantly quivered as if it was about to fall apart. Basil, in the other hand, felt like a part of him was missing. It was unpleasant to say the least.
"Don''t worry, I am here."
As if a motherforting her child, Vagus spoke to Basil. Instantly, the unpleasant feeling he felt was soothed. A chill ran down his spine. He was extremely bewildered. Just how did it happen? He couldn''t figure it out. However, he chose to ignore it for now.
Quickly channeling his Qi into the machete, he could feel the same feeling of wielding Vagus in the past. It wasforting. Positioning his body in a stance, he executed the same technique as before.
[Lesser Technique: Mountain Cleaver]!
A destructive aura far more powerful than before could be felt from the machete. If the water was split previously, right then all of the water left the stream. There was only him and the stone.
Clink!
When he swung down his machete, the stone gave little to no resistance. It instantly passed through it. The stone was perfectly cut in two, along with the destruction of the machete. The two parts of the stone fell on the side and finally revealed the thing it had hidden.
"Solomon''s Mana Amulet."
He muttered the name of the thing quietly.
Who was Solomon? Solomon was the genius Mage whose prowess was the closest with the Four Heroes back then at the Age of Chaos. He was the only person who went missing together with the Four Heroes.
Luckily, before he disappeared, he left many of his legacies behind. His legacies were sought by many. Even amongst his legacy''s hunter, there were a lot of other races. That was how awesome Solomon was.
Mana Amulet was one of Solomon''s lower ss legacies. It had a function of gathering Mana naturally. Inside the gem of the amulet was aplicated Mana gathering rune that was personally carved by him.
The carving technique and the rune form had remained unknown even until Basil''s untimely death. That was the proof of howcking the current Magepared to the Mage of the Age of Chaos.
The amulet ability was simply awesome. Even though it had been there since 2000 years ago, it was simply unthinkable that a mere lower ss artifact could be the source of Clear Water.
"Ah..."
Vagus who was already back inside Basil''s mindscape, sighed in amazement. She knew of the amulet. She could feel the trace of profoundness from the amulet.
"Do you know it?"
"Yes. Although I haven''t gained my conscience back at the Age of Chaos, I had heard it from Zepar when I have been awakened. He talked many things about Solomon."
"He talked to a sword?"
"No, why would he talk to a sword?"
"???"
"???"
An awkward silence befell upon them. Surely, the only one who felt awkward was Vagus. Basil was simply amused by her words. As if to clear the awkwardness, she coughed once.
"Kuhum. Back then, he didn''t know that I had been awakened. Due to his arrogance, he had never done more than swinging me pointlessly."
Basil didn''t really need that information, however he nodded at her in appreciation. He quickly took hold of the amulet and wore it on his neck. He could instantly felt the Mana in his surrounding, gathered around him.
Although it wasn''tparable to when he was practicing [Star Withering], it was only the passive ability of this amulet. Currently, he couldn''t use any Mana. All of the Mana he had absorbed to his body had already been processed by his Core. Therefore, it was no longer natural Mana since it had been molded to suit his body.
It was the reason why the processed Mana called Qi. Once the Mana was converted into Qi, it wouldn''t be able to be used as magic fuel. Therefore, to use the active ability of Mana Amulet, he needed to awaken his heart.
Luckily, he could do another thing with the amulet. It was binding it to himself. He took out a small knife he had hidden in his clothes and used [Reinforcement] on it. It was necessary, a normal knife could no longer hurt him.
That was the difference between Knight and Mage. Body Forging literally forged one''s body. Therefore, even without [Reinforcement] one''s body was inhumanly strong and durable.
Basil quickly pricked his finger and dropped the blood on top of the gem of the amulet. The red gem shone briefly, revealing the rune it had hidden. Basil didn''t bother to inspect the rune. It was too small andplicated. When he felt a bond was formed, the gem stopped shining.
"Alright, now it is time to make the Catalyst."
Basil moved his body out of the stream. Strangely, his clothes remained dry. It was thanks to his Qi Barrier covering his body. It was no longer sloppy like the time at the Saberwolf cave. However, it wasn''t perfect yet. There were many he could improve.
By the time he reached the ground, he sat himself down. He was feeling extremely tired. He had just advanced to the early stage of Red Core, there was no way he could remain alright after using [Mountain Cleaver] in addition to controlling Vagus'' soul.
Therefore, he inspected his surrounding before deciding to have a shut eye. However, he couldn''t rest that easily. He couldn''t guarantee that no beast would walk on him on a whim. As he was about to stand up ¡ª
"Don''t worry. I will guard you while you sleep."
¡ª a reassuring voice was heard.
Once again, he felt a chill ran down his spine. For some reason, he feltforted. That was admittedly the weirdest thing he had ever experienced sinceing back in time. However, he soon ignored it and shut his eyes. He quickly drifted off to sleep.
Chapter 16 When The Flower Blooms, It Will Never Wilt (2)
It didn''t take long for Basil to sleep. He was already recovered an hourter. In the first ce, he felt tired due to Qi exhaustion. Therefore, when his Qi was back at full capacity, the fatigue also naturally disappeared.
However, the quick rate of recovery was also thanks to Mana Amulet. It gathered the surrounding Mana around him, and thanks to that his body could absorb Star Energy from the gathered Mana. Coupled with [Star Withering], the recovery rate was naturally brought to a whole new level.
Basil climbed down the crest to reach the Clear Water pond once again. He was going to concoct the Catalyst there. It was secluded enough for him to not receive any disturbance. The scenery was also peaceful. It was necessary to keep his mind clear.
By the time he reached the ground, he readily set all of the ingredients and the necessary tools to make Crystal Clear. He took a stack of Adrenaline Grass and ground it to mush. By the time he finished that, he mixed it with clear water and put it in a vial.
The vial was put on a holder, while the burner was put underneath. With his superb Qi maniption, he produced a fire on his finger. The fire quickly lit the burner and the vial above was quickly heated.
He adjusted the heat carefully ording to the knowledge he had gotten by the Guide. It was all done to extract the essence of the Adrenaline Grass. And thus, the concocting progress continued on.
While doing all this, he split a part of his mind to ask the Guide.
''Guide, what is a Sword Soul?''
[Answering the Host''s ignorance...]
[Sword Soul, as its name implies, is a manifestation of a sword conscience. For a sword to gain a conscience and awakened its soul, one needed to spend a lot of time wielding the sword. By constantly injecting Mana or pouring one''s consciousness into the sword will elerate the awakening of the Sword Soul.]
''Does that mean Sword Soul is also a part of the wielder''s soul?''
[Yes. However, the Sword Soul and the wielder was no longer the same entity. They only have the same body.]
''Is Vagus a part Zepar''s soul?''
[...]
''Right.. stupid question.''
He knew it already, however he wanted to make sure. He had never hesitated to ask something he wasn''t sure about. There was no need for him to feel embarrassed.
The next question was naturally how to utilize (read: exploit) a Sword Soul the best. Vagus who was in his mindscape suddenly felt a sense of foreboding. She had the urge to talk as to lessen this feeling.
"Anyway, what Catalyst are you going to make, Darling?"
"..."
"Darling..?"
Her puzzled look was genuine. She didn''t seem understand what was wrong. In the other hand, Basil had a quiteical look on his face.
''What is she bbering about?''
Luckily, he was already experienced to this kind of treatment from a woman. He had no reason to be flustered. Just treat them as nothing, and the other side would tire on herself. He was sure of it.
"I am going to make Crystal Clear."
"Oh! Crystal Clear!"
"Yes. Do you know it?"
"No. What is Crystal Clear?"
"..."
He had promised to not have any regrets in this second chance of life. However, it seemed he had a regret already.
...
It took him 4 days with minimal time to sleep and rest to finally seed in concocting the Catalyst. If he had followed the knowledge he had got and not experimenting by himself, he would have already finished it days ago.
However, he was determined to make the form his! And finally, today he had made the necessary batch to aid himself in awakening his Mana Heart.
"Huuh... I finally made it."
"Congrattions! Your days of effort has finally paid off!"
A small smile unconsciously graced his face. This was the feeling he missed. The feeling of aplishing something. Only now that he realized, every trivial thing he had experienced in the past was worth remembering.
"Darling, you smile like an old man."
He lost his smile instantly. His face turned neutral, and in the next moment, he sighed lightly. Vagus, to say the least, was a chatterbox. She had so many to talk about, that one could wonder how she got the topic.
¡ª Hey, Darling.. if there is a watermelon, how can there not be a firemelon?
¡ª People add ice to their water, however isn''t ice a solid water? Does that mean they add water to their water?
¡ª If we put ourselves in the water while raining, does it count as bathing or enjoying the rain?
She even asked something that Basil had never thought, due to how stupid it was. However, what was shocking was the fact that he had actually pondered some of them. He was surprised, and that was for sure for his stupidity.
There was also a time where he tuned her out by forcefully closed his connection to her. It was so peaceful externally, however he felt a sense of foreboding inside. By the time he reopened their connection...
¡ª Uhu-hu-hu! I hate you! Why are you so cruel!?
A heart clenching cry was heard from her. He didn''t know what she looked like inside, however he instinctively pictured her crying tears of blood. Rather than a peaceful of mind, he got more headache. Since then, he decided to never tune her out.
"Vagus..."
"Yes, Darling?"
"I have told you not to... Huuh.. whatever."
"Hm?"
"I am going to awaken my Mana Heart. Will you kindly guard me while I do that?"
It was basically a request to stay shut. He just worded it out kindly. Vagus wasn''t surprised hearing he was about awaken his Mana Heart. She had already epted anything about him. Going back in time was already strange enough. What else could faze her?
"Of course, as a wife, I will dutifully guard you."
He wanted to retort, however he didn''t want to hear her headache inducing reasoning. Therefore, he just epted it. He took a deep breath and gulped three Crystal Clear. The effect was immediate as he could already feel the Mana rushed into his body.
Quickly, he channeled all the Mana in ordance to [Heart Clenching]. All of the Mana was circting in his body. It passed through his vein, cleansing it in the process. For an unknown amount of time, Mana ceaselessly circting in his body.
The efficiency of the newly improved Crystal Clear was mind boggling. Not only could he awaken his Mana Heart, but also practice [Star Withering] in the process. While his vein was being strengthened and widened, his bone was refined by the Qi he had.
Impurities were expelled from his body. ck viscous substance was seeping out of his pores. Not enough with the nauseating stench, the substance was also sticky. It stubbornly sticked onto his skin.
However, Basil wasn''t bothered. The process wasn''t done yet. He hadn''t awakened his Mana Heart yet. The three Catalysts he had popped earlier had lost their effect. Reaching out to his side, he quickly took another three Catalysts.
Gulp.
The Catalyst immediately took effect, however it wasn''t as efficient as before. His body naturally had adapted to the Catalyst. However, it didn''t matter to him. He didn''t n to consume the same Catalyst over and over for the rest of his life.
He quickly channeled the Mana circting in his body toward his heart. He utilized it in ordance to [Heart Clenching]. Immediately, a startling pain assaulted him. It seemed the technique quite unbefitting of the name.
The sensation he got wasn''t heart clenching. It was heart twisting! He clenched his jaw tightly as he literally felt his heart twisting unstoppably. He had a strong mind not to cry in pain, however his body wasn''t the case. He could feel the pain, and it was amplified by his currently active nerves.
However, he knew it was necessary. He intended to purify his body along with awakening his Mana Heart. He endured all the pain with clenched jaw. His face didn''t contort even a little bit. Aside from his clenched jaw, no one could know he was in pain.
When the Catalyst lost its effect, he popped a new one. Never once he stopped in his awakening process. The Impuritiesing out of his pores already drenched his clothes. It was mixed with his sweat, giving a pungent smell.
However, he couldn''t smell it. His attention was solely focused on his awakening. Just like that, three days passed.
Boom!
Powerful aura swept the surrounding. The aura was originated from Basil. The air exploded due to the sudden influx of Mana out of his body. Atst, he managed to awaken his heart.
Cough!
He quickly threw up a mouthful of ck liquid out of his mouth. It was the Impurities from his heart. He felt light, and underneath the Impurities covering his face, could be seen a healthy skin tone.
His heart that was normal previously had now turned crystal like. It kept its shape, however it was no longer a normal heart made out of flesh. It looked like a heart shaped crystal. And strangely enough it was beating like a normal heart.
First Stage of Mana Heart Cultivation: Crimson Heart. In this stage, he could gather Mana as much as a Third-Circled Mage. However, it didn''t mean he would be able to control it as good as them. Therefore, he needed to carve his circle before being able to use it effectively.
Vitality filled his body. Not only had his heart awakened, but his bone had also been refined. He could feel the density of his bone changed. His body turned muscr, however it wasn''t ripped. His body was buff healthily. Noticeable but not too big.
He sighed. Right then, he could smell the pungent smell his body was having. He quickly stood up and undressed himself. However, at that moment ¡ª
"Kyaa! Pervert!"
¡ª a girly shout was heard.
Basil quirked an eyebrow. He had forgotten the fact that Vagus could share her vision through him. He shrugged nonchntly and proceeded to close the connection between them. However ¡ª
"You don''t have to cut me off!"
¡ª a strong rejection was heard from Vagus.
Basil was puzzled. Her sometimes indecisive attitude quite irritated him. However, he had never took his annoyance seriously. She behaved like a child. There was no point in fussing over the strange behavior of a child. In short, he didn''t feel the need to treat her seriously.
While dipping his body into the water, he scrubbed all the Impurities sticking on his skin. His Impurities covered skin was slowly revealed. A bright and smooth skin that could make women sigh in jealousy could be seen. His skin was no more as white as a snow, however it was still whiter than most women''s.
"Uwah.. uwah.. uwahh! He-he-he!"
A creepyughter rang in his head. He felt a chill ran down his spine, however he ignored it. He was already used to the spine chilling feeling. He shook his head while closing his eyes.
"Huh? Hey! I can''t see anything!"
"..."
"..."
Vagus shut her mouth. She was covering her nose along with her mouth. Blood was dripping from her nose. She stood silently on the porch of the wooden house inside his mindscape. Her face was crimson red. She seemed aware of what she just said.
Basil shook his head helplessly. It couldn''t be helped. What was Vagus? She was called Sword of Lust due to her association with Zepar. There was nothing strange if she behaved this way.
''Too bad, too bad. Her beauty is wasted due to her rotten personality.''
Basil sighed and smiled faintly.
"Aren''t you the pervert one!?"
Then, he eximed indignantly.
Chapter 17 When The Flower Blooms, It Will Never Wilt (End)
In the inner part of a dangerous forest called Vyres, located a beautiful pond that was filled with water that was so clear. It was no other than Clear Water ¡ª no pun intended. On the edge of it, stood a young man. His posture was straight and imposing.
His brown hair was swept back, leaving a few strands remained unswept. With a height of 183 centimeters and fit body, he looked so manly. However, that was only before one looked at his face.
With his above average bright skin tone, his sharp jaw, coupled with a trace of baby fat, he looked like a manly woman. He was attractive for sure, however he couldn''t help but shook his head bitterly.
This young man was none other than Basil. He had finished his bath and changed into a fitting ck pants, white cotton shirt, and a dark blue battle robe¡ªhis academy attire.
There was an [Adjustment] rune carved on them, therefore he didn''t have to worry if he suddenly hit a growth spurt. Thanks to the Rune, the uniform adjusted itself without the help of a tailor.
Why would he wear his academy uniform? Because, it was a well known fact that academy uniform was made with the most durable fabric, on top of having a safety Rune carved on it; it looked good, and durable.
To simplify the reason, it was the best clothes he could get at the moment.
Quickly packing his things, he took onest nce at the pond. Due to the source of Mana no longer there, the Mana concentration started to diminish. Although, it wouldn''t just disappear, it wouldn''t take long for the Clear Water to be a normal water.
It was unfortunate, however Basil didn''t have any regrets in the slightest. People can''t lose something they don''t have after all. Even though it might help someone in the future, that someone didn''t have it yet. Therefore, even if Basil took all the Clear Water for himself, he didn''t take someone''s belonging.
Badump. Badump. Badump.
He could hear his heartbeat. However, his heart was no longer the same. Each time it beat, it pumped blood filled with Mana. He felt invigorated just by it. The feeling was amazing. He had felt this feeling in his past life, however the heart didn''t belong to him.
He shook his head. A past is a past. There was no point in mourning over the past. He had returned back in time. All the things had happened, hadn''t happened yet. He returned back in time because of this, to undo his regrets.
"Huuh... Let''s move."
"You finally epted that your appearance is alright?"
The mood that had just brightened, turned gloomy once again. Although Vagus was already more than a thousand year old, she didn''t have the quality of someone her age. She was so clueless, and sometimes it seemed insensible, just like then.
"What do you know about looks?"
"Eh? Even if I didn''t know much, I could tell that you are handsome."
"Tch."
Although she was startled at first by his cold response, her answer was full of confidence. Basil could only click his tongue in defeat.
''No one could understand this Lord''s heart. Let alone this useless, perverted Sword Soul.''
Due to her reason of existence, he had never treated her as a person. He had always treated her as a highly sophisticated weapon¡ªno more than weapon. However, the more he spent his time with her, the more he knew he couldn''t do so anymore.
''Is there even a record of how annoying a weapon could be?''
She was just too sophisticated to be treated as a weapon. Therefore, he started to ept that Vagus was another living being inside his body.
For some reason, Vagus felt more invigorated than before. Whenever she felt this way, she always¡ª
"Darling! Do you think if there is an earthquake, there is also a moonquake?"
¡ªbecame a chatterbox.
Basil gulped a Crystal Clear. It was no longer effective on him, however he needed it to ease his mind. He would be annoyed for the entire way for sure.
***
It has been ten days since my stupid brother went for his trip. He said it would at least take a week, but it is already more than a week. Is he alright out there? Father says it is fine whenever I ask him about it, but will that be for now?
His confidence in my brother is so high, that it irks me a little bit. However, I don''t have to feel jealous. I am way better than him, that is for sure. Both Father and Mother have admitted it. A smile creeps up on my face unconsciously.
Looking back at those two weeks I have passed, I finally understand why I look for him. It was simply boring without him. I can''t flex! I have wanted to show him how great I am on my first day at academy, but he wasn''t there.
Before going to academy, I thought I was too amazing that no one would be able to stand on the same ground with me. But, upon entering it, I realized that there are many people like me.
My view has been broaden once again. It is good to have friends that you can talk to in your league. Even though it was only the first day, the hierarchy was quickly established. I, of course, am one of the three pirs in my ss.
The rivalry is intense, but the reward can''t be more satisfying. The feeling of trumping over those guys are simply amazing. Of course, if I am not careful I can fall so hard. But, I am confident in myself!
...
"Good Morning!"
"Good Morning."
"Good Morning, Miss Cobham."
"Good Morning, Mr. Escher."
Greetings went back and forth between me and my fellow ssmates. It was just a usual greeting, untill this person butt in. He is Daniel Escher, son of Viscount Justin Escher, my rival.
If I lead thedies, this person leads the boys. He is polite, but I can tell he regards anyone inferior to him. It is unpleasant whenever he looks at me like that. Fortunately, I can keep up with him. Therefore, our standing remains the same.
"It is only in the morning and you are already quarreling with each other. What a perfect couple you made."
Suddenly, a familiar voice interrupted us. It belongs to someone I know and quite close with.
"Isn''t it Miss Chilston? Good Morning."
"I have a name, Daniel. Anyway, good morning, Shirley."
"Good Morning, Julia."
Julia Chilston, one of the three pirs who doesn''t care about establishing the hierarchy. She mostly cares about herself. She has never paid any attention to the surrounding rivalry.
It is the reason why, despite her talent, not many people follow her around like a chicken. I have asked her why she didn''t care about it, and she justughed at me before brushing me off. Some people are just hard to understand.
Julia quickly takes her seat and tunes everyone out. Daniel and I look at each other before we, too, take a seat.
"Hmph!"
"Hmph!"
''As arrogant as usual ... Just wait, I will triumph over you one day!''
The clock hits eight and a half, signaling the start of the ss. The bell rang twice, and a man came in. He wears a long white robe, with Grimoire in his hand. He is tall but not overly, and he has a prideful aura. Even his gait is filled with confidence.
This is Mr. Chester Cowdray. The genius from Cowdray House, who has brought his family to Viscounthood. His fame is well known even in the capital city, Randalvine. This is our Magic teacher, the young genius Spellcaster Chester Cowdray.
"Good Morning, Everyone!"
"Good Morning!"
"A fine response in this fine morning."
His voice is just like his expression, full of confidence. He looks prideful, however he has never looked down on anyone. Therefore, many are enthusiastic to be taught by him.
"Alright, we have been learning those theories for the past two weeks. It is now the time to put those knowledge in practice! No one likes to learn theories all day, right?"
"Yes!!!"
The ss instantly erupted in joy. We have been taught three spells by Mr. Cowdray for the past two weeks. These spells are the ones we need to learn until we finish our first year. I didn''t understand it at first why we learn so few, but when I tried it, I instantly know the reason.
Performing magic is not as easy as it seems. There are many factors need to be considered to cast a spell. A different punctuation in spell can result differently. And that will be Mr. Cowdray''s job to guide us.
"Well then, let us..."
Mr. Cowdray is interrupted by the opening door. Naturally, all of us put our eyes on the now opened door. Mr. Cowdray may be benevolent enough not to look down on someone, however it will be different in lecture. He won''t give any mercy to anyone who interrupts his lecture.
"Now, let''s see who is the idiot that interrupted Mr. Cowdray," I mutter under my breath.
My eyes are glued onto the doorway. And not long after, someone enters the ssroom. Judging from his posture, it is a male. He is towering over all the males in our ss, and is easily as tall as Mr. Cowdray. His build isparable to those Knight Disciples.
All eyes are on him. Everyone are curious to the identity of this mysterious man. We can''t help it, he wears a ck robe with a hood to cover his head. The robe seems to be made with a special material, as itpletely hides his presence. He is there, but not there at the same time.
I am extremely puzzled. I throw my head at Mr. Cowdray''s direction to see what his reaction. I am surprised as there are also two other people throwing their heads at Mr. Cowdray. But, the surprise I get when I look at Mr. Cowdray is iparable to the previous surprise.
His face haspletely stiffened. Wariness is in on his face. He holds his Grimoire tightly as if ready to cast a spell in any moment. But, at that moment ¡ª
"No need to be wary of me, Mr. Cowdray. I mean no harm."
¡ª a soft voice full of dignity is reverberated through the ss.
Everyone hears it and can''t help but gulp. I am the same too. The tone of the voice can be interpreted to be many things. Confidence, arrogance, disdain, and many else. But, to simplify the matter, it is imposing. No, it is overbearing.
My heart races strangely. I don''t know why, but I somehow get the feeling that I know the person under the robe.
He raises his hand to his hood, and then pulls it off. He has brown hair that is swept back, leaving a few strands covering the middle of his forehead. The hairstyle is wild, however it really suits him. When everyone looks at his face, every girls without exception sigh in amazement.
His face is prettier than most girls in our ss, and more handsome than any men in our academy. My heart beats strangely when I look at him, and I believe the others too. But, I feel conflicted inside.
"Good Morning, I am Basil."
The flower has finally bloomed, and I have the feeling it will never wilt.
Chapter 18 The Nail Which Sticks Out, Will Be Hammered Down
***
Basil looked in front of him. A bunch of kids were looking at him in puzzlement, while some in bafflement. None of them were wary of him. All of them wore a look of curiosity, infatuation, or jealousy.
''Naive.''
Only one person who kept his vignce, that was Chester Cowdray. He had been Basil''s teacher since the beginning of his academy year. He knew Basil well. It could be said that he was the only one who regarded Basil highly.
Both of them were highly intelligent people, they were attracted to each other, not in the wrong way. Basil was Chester''s favorite student, therefore upon seeing him, he was extremely befuddled.
''He looked like Basil, however he is not the Basil I know.''
He could tell at one nce that something was amiss with Basil. It wasn''t about his height or appearance, but his aura. He usually put a poker face to hide his insecurity. Although he had never given up, his aura was depressive.
However, at this moment, Basil was the embodiment of confidence. He was radiating might, that a teenager at his age shouldn''t have. The way Basil looked at him in the eyes, made his heart beat faster, not in the wrong way. He felt like he was stared by a legend.
At this thought, he tightened his guard.
''Is he...?''
"I am not possessed," said Basil with a faint smile
Basil answered his thought even before he finished it. He gulped wordlessly.
This student of mine, isn''t he fearsome?
He scrutinized Basil from top to bottom. It was at that moment that Basil released the Mana his heart contained that he had hidden.
"Ah..."
A gasp of admiration unconsciously escaped from his mouth. He felt proud and awe at the same time. He felt proud that his student had finally realized his dream, and he felt awe by the sheer amount of Mana Basil exuded.
''It isparable to the peak stage of a Second-Circled Mage can control. Meanings, none of the students could beat him in terms of Mana Capacity.''
It was all thanks to Mana Heart. Although it might seem amazing that the Mana he could contain wasparable to the peak stage of Second-Circled Mage could control, it was nothing amazing.
The Mana Heart was still in its infancy, therefore it still couldn''t contain much Mana. Normally, someone with Mana Heart had at least three times of the Mana Capacity a normal person had.
However, his Mana Heart was different. It wasn''t as great as Dragon Heart right off the bat, he needed to cultivate it gradually. When it reached the highest stage of cultivation, even Dragon Heart would be nothing in front of it.
"Wee back, Basil. It has been days since your absence."
"The wind is strong, however I wanted to sway along."
"Ah! The bark is strong, and sway you did."
"Hm."
A poetic yet cryptical words were thrown out of their mouths back and forth. No one understood what they were saying.
Basil had loved literature ever since he hadid his eyes upon it. Coincidentally, Chester was the same. Therefore, these two made a perfect duo of literature enthusiast.
They used sophisticated words and connotations, that not many people used. However, the exact conversation went like this.
¡ª I got a few difficulties in my way, however I wanted to challenge myself.
¡ª You managed to do that, and came back stronger.
¡ª I very much enjoy it.
¡ª That is one of an experience!
They shared nothing important, however they liked to speak with their ownnguage. It was to prove their existence, and to show the difference between them and the others.
The whole ss looked at them in awe. They didn''t understand the content. However, listening to their exchange felt awesome. It felt like they were watching two Spellcasters reciting a chant!
Surely, not all of them thought of it this way. There were also some people who had different thoughts.
''Oh, my God! Is that the rumoured Forever First Year? He is so handsome!''
''Kyaa! I don''t mind to take him as my husband. He is too handsome to be left alone!''
''Hmph! Showing off something we don''t understand. What''s the point?''
''Oh, no. What should I do, I didn''t know that my brother Basil is this handsome.''
''Darn! I need to control myself. I am a straight young man! How could a man be so attractive?''
"!!!"
Basil became alert suddenly. Although he didn''t show it on his face, his eyes rapidly scanned the room. He was assaulted with a sense of foreboding just then.
His eyes particrlynded on a lean and quite attractive male student. When he made eye contact with the student, the student dodged his gaze while blushing.
Basil''s heart sank. It wasn''t his first time getting this reaction. However, it didn''t mean he could get used to it. This was the reason why he wanted a manly appearance. His face was too attractive that it attracted both genders!
Hemented faintly, "Ah.. what should I do? I live in times where my life is in due."
Chester quickly nodded his head and answered, "Fear not, you have to live the times, and life you keep."
Basil looked at Chester silently. It seemed he misunderstood what Basil had said. However, he didn''t n to rebuke it. He merely nodded and took off his robe. It was Robe of Infiltration. A robe exclusive only to the second year.
Although he had never managed to advance to the second year, he received it from Chester as a token of his hard work. When he finally took off the robe, everyone gasped in surprise.
His neck was wrapped by two little furry hands, and a cute dog face with two little fangs protruding out of his mouth could be seen.
"Saberwolf?"
"Yes."
"You made a contract with it?"
"No, I bound him with myself."
"You.. tamed him?"
Basil nodded faintly and it left Chester dumbfounded. Saberwolf was a second ss magical beast. A First-Circled Mage shouldn''t normally be able to kill it, let alone tame it.
However, an academy student, even before carving his Circle no less, managed to tame it. It was simply unprecedented.
It was thanks to Basil''s skills, however Chester didn''t know it, and Basil had no n to exin it to him. No one had the right to know everything what he could do.
The Saberwolf dropped down to the floor and sat in front of Basil. He looked so obedient and cute. However, none of the people knew the history between these two.
It was the same Saberwolf who chased Basil for an entire day in Vyres. He had encountered it once again on his way back. The Saberwolf chased him once again, however Basil didn''t have any intention to y with it anymore.
Therefore, he trampled upon it. Just when Basil was about to pierce its heart, barehanded no less, it pledged its loyalty to him. Basil had only two criteria for apanion. They were smart and obedient. The Saberwolf got these two quality, and thus he bound it to him.
It was a special technique that was only known by Beast Tamer, one of the branches of Knight. The bound had been quickly established, and the Saberwolf was reborn anew. He was named Deacon.
Deacon looked at the people in front of him and then looked up at his master expectantly. It was a cute gesture, however the meaning wasn''t so.
¡ª Should I massacre them?
Basil looked at him silently and shook his head in the next moment.
Not yet.
Deacon nodded and remained silent as he sat on the floor. Chester who was looking at the brief exchange, felt a chill on his spine. It was instinctual, he had no exnation for it.
"Kuhum.. due to the interruption, I almost forgot that we are supposed to practice Magic today."
"Ah.. that''s right."
As if on cue, the ssroom became rowdy once again. They had been finally awakened from their half dazed state.
"Basil, you are going to join us?"
"Sure."
"Alright, everyone. Let''s move to the field!"
While stealing nces at Basil, the whole ss went to the field with Chester in the lead. Well, almost everyone. There was someone who remained in the ssroom.
"I-it has been a long time."
Shirley confronted Basil before he exited the ssroom. Basil was puzzled, while Deacon''s eyes glinted in an iprehensible way.
''Darn! Why did I stutter?!''
She had nned to say it with dignity, however she couldn''t do it in the end. She was nervous for some reason.
"It has been a long time, Shirley."
She could only nod dumbly. She was ted that Basil responded her. Basil didn''t pay her anymore attention, as he quickly exited the ssroom.
She was quickly awaken from her trance and chased Basil''s back. Without her realizing it, she was already walking side by side with him. She was strangely happy today.
Basil too felt a quite good mood today, at least before it was ruined by someone.
"Psst. Darling, I think she had a thing for you."
Basil merely shook his head, and shouted indignantly in his head, "Stop corrupting me!" Who was he to joke? He, Basil Pacifer, wasn''t a lolicon!
...
Everyone had finally arrived at the field. Although it was called a field, it looked like a stadium. There were seats for people to watch. The field was also called with another name, Battle Ground. Thus, the seats for people to watch.
Everyone was standing in line, however Basil wasn''t a part of the line. Although he had already introduced his name in front of these kids, it had been just to announce his presence.
Therefore, he had no thoughts of mixing himself with them. Fortunately, Chester didn''t seem to mind it. He was exining the procedures to cast the three spells which these kids would learn for the whole year.
Basil didn''t pay any attention to it. Why would he? He had even mastered a Magic Art that no one had learned. Listening to an exnation of an imperfect technique was no more than wasting time to him.
"Alright, Daniel! You will be the lucky number one."
"Very well."
Confidence was radiating out of Daniel. He extended his hand and chanted, "[Zil edenz adz utracht, Gale]!"
A swirl of wind was shot out of his palm. The wind was shot to the front and swirled horizontally, it wasn''t very big however it was already an impressive size.
Daniel cut the flow of Mana and the wind quickly subsided. He looked at his ssmates and was satisfied seeing the majority of them gaping in awe. When he looked at Basil, he was instantly irked.
Basil had no reaction or whatsoever. No, it even looked condescending.
"Hmm... It was fairly good for the first time. However! [Gale] should emerge vertically not horizontally!"
"Oh!"
Everyone except Basil nodded in understanding on Chester''sment. Even Daniel nodded his head and epted his mistake. When he noticed Basil''sck of response, he got and idea.
"Mr. Cowdray, as the oldest out of us, shouldn''t Mr. Cobham show us his skills too?"
He had expected an awkward expression from Chester and denial from Basil, however he got the response he hadn''t expected.
"Of course, he will do that. Basil, will you be so kind to show your ssmates?"
"I will not mind. However, I am going to take my advancement test too."
Silence. No one dared to utter any words. Everyone was aware of Basil''s identity. He was an untalented student with a high intelligence. His knowledge in magic theory was so advanced it wasparable to the academy''s teachers. Sadly, he couldn''t use magic. Therefore he remained in the first year.
This time he was saying he would take his advancement test, which was none other than Magic Casting. Did it mean he had finally able to use magic?
Everyone looked at him and Chester expectantly. Only Daniel whose look remained the same. He was ridiculing Basil inwardly.
At that moment, Chester opened his mouth.
"Of course. If you ace the test, you will be a second year student immediately."
Thus, the test begun.
Chapter 19 The Nail Which Sticks Out, Will Be Hammered Down (2)
Everyone was looking at Basil expectantly, even Chester was no exception. He had epted the fact that Basil had finally bloomed, however he couldn''t fathom how good he would perform. Undoubtedly, he had a high expectation in Basil.
Receiving the gazes of the kids, Basil stepped forward graciously. His footstep was smooth, however it wasn''t slow. None of the students paid attention to how he walked, however Chester who observed him, was amazed.
Upon arriving beside Chester, he put his hands before his chest and sped them together. He looked like praying. He just stood still and closed his eyes. The other students looked at him curiously, while Daniel had a condescending look evident on his face.
Chester who was observing him calmly had a look of surprise on his face. The Mana concentration around Basil was increasing in every second.
''This kid, is he probably..?''
Just before he finished his thought, Basil once again answered him.
Boom!
An explosion of Mana happened. Everyone was hit by the wind the explosion had caused. It didn''t take a keen sense to understand that the Mana Basil had exuded was abnormal.
When the wind died down, everyone gasped in surprise and awe.
"Ah.. that.. that is.."
"What? Really..? In the middle of a test?"
"That is Magic Circle! He is officially a Mage in training!"
Magic Circle was floating above his head. The pattern was intricate and unique. The content of the Circle couldn''t be understood, however it gave a strange aura of profoundness. Of course, the reason of all this was a special method Basil used to carve his Magic Circle.
"It is a Grand Circle..."
Chester muttered in awe. While Carving Circle, ording to the method and one''s talent, the result would be different. There were three quality of Circle. They were Minor Circle, Major Circle, and Grand Circle.
Grand Circle was known to be the highest quality Circle one could make. It was formed by sevenyers of Inner Circle that was stacked on top of each other congruently. It was a legendary Circle that only genius could have.
Chester was awed and dumbfounded. He had expected highly of Basil. However, it was too much. Chester himself had only three of Major Circle, and he was already regarded as a genius from Woster. His heart beat faster, Basil would undoubtedly be greater than him.
It wasn''t wrong, however he had mistaken one fact. It wasn''t a Grand Circle, it was in fact, an Ultimate Circle. A quality that was iparable to a Grand Circle. It was formed by nineyers of Inner Circle in the same manner like Grand Circle.
He had found it out from the knowledge the Guide had provided him. Grand Circle was in fact, a failed Ultimate Circle. He had had Grand Circles in his past life, and he thought it was the best a Mage could get.
However, when he got the knowledge of Circle Carving by the Guide, he felt like an idiot. At that point, he had finally agreed to the Guide that he had been a retard. The knowledge he had umted in the past had always been useless in front of the knowledge the Guide had provided.
Basil finally opened his eyes. Deacon had long been on the ground watching him from afar. He extended his hand forward, and the Mana he exuded was retracted back to himself. Everyone''s eyes were glued onto him, no one wanted to miss his every moves.
Daniel''s face had already stiffened, while Shirley''s heart was in turmoil. She was full of expectation, pride, and also insecurity.
Unaware of the reaction of the people around him, Basil muttered softly, "[Gale]!"
Three whirlwinds emerged out of nowhere and quickly spinning around him like a barrier. Everyone without exception gasped in surprise and awe.
"Ah! This is.."
"Amazing! He did it in one try."
"Look at the size. It looks like a real gale."
Compared to his performance, Daniel''s earlier performance was no more than a joke. However, what was amazing wasn''t the size of the [Gale] or how many he could make it.
"It is.. chantless. He didn''t chant any spell!"
As a Spellcaster, Chester took pride in his chanting ability. He could manipte the chant to produce results he desired, however to produce the same result as Basil without chanting was close to a dream. Basil was undoubtedly a genius.
"A genius that is only born once in a thousand years."
Basil didn''t pay any attention to the reactions of the people. He wasn''t satisfied with his performance.
''Although it is impressive for a First-Circled Mage, with the quality of my Circle, I could do more than this.''
He wasn''t used to it yet. After all, he had only established his Circle a few moments ago. It was natural. However, Basil was different. He had been the most skilled Mage in hisst life for years, he had many skills in his repertoire.
With that kind of background, he was struggling in utilizing his Circle? It wasughable! Therefore, he would train himself intensively after the academy ended.
Snap!
He snapped his finger and the whirlwinds surrounding him instantly dispersed themselves. The crowd was once again in awe at this disy, however he didn''t n to stop here.
Snap!
[ze]!
He snapped his finger once again and muttered the name of the Spell softly. He was quickly surrounded by a raging me. The me made a circle with him in the center as if to protect him. However, it would flicker here and there signifying it would attack anyone who came close.
Everyone gulped in awe, and Chester was dumbfounded yet again.
''Not one, but two? Just what is he made of!? Flesh. I know, stupid question.''
He was so dumbfounded that he couldn''t think of a reason on how Basil did it. He had even chosen a short way, and that was to conclude that Basil wasn''t human. However, he knew it was improbable, since Basil had been human since born.
Shirley who watched this disy couldn''t utter a single word. Her eyes were glued onto him. She didn''t think of jealousy anymore, she couldn''t think so. Basil was already out of her league and she had epted that.
However, her still innocent heart had another problem. She didn''t know what she was feeling currently. Whenever she looked at Basil, she felt strange.
Daniel was gaping. He couldn''t form any expression to describe the event. It was simply unimaginable that he had been silenced like never been before.
The center of everyone attention, Basil, remained focused on his performance. He was cringing on his skills.
''Sloppy. It''s too sloppy! To think that I, Basil Pacifer, performed this sloppily. Outrageous!''
He was disappointed in his self. It was unsatisfactory ording to his standard. Surely, if anyone heard what he thought, they would undoubtedly throw up a mouthful of blood.
Deciding to do better than the previous performances, Basil sped his hands in front of his chest.
p!
The sound reverberated through the air, and everyone''s focus was heightened to a new whole level. They didn''t want to miss what Basil was about to do!
[Fire Storm]
A name of a spell was uttered. It wasn''t the third spell that he had to perform. It was the highest spell a First-Circled Mage could perform.
The me that was surrounding him, quickly erupted to the sky and made a swirl. This was the result when [Gale] was mixed with [ze]. It created a storm of fire!
The firestorm was raging with him in the eye of the storm. Everyone could feel the heat and the strong gale, however Basil remained unharmed inside. Everyone could faintly see his shadow in the eye of the storm, and he looked like a fire incarnation.
They gulped in awe and fear. Each of them had already forgotten that Basil had been an untalented student for the whole two years. Currently, he wasbeled as Fire Lord in their head. He looked overbearing!
In the midst of all this, Chester had a neutral look. He was calm, however it wasn''t because he was unimpressed. He was already numb to it.
''Huh! Genius? Monster.. he is a monster.''
He shook his head and smiled weakly. He decided to just ept it and stoppedparing Basil to those prodigies.
Finally, after some moment, the firestorm dispersed, revealing Basil who was looking at them calmly. He was evaluating his own performance.
''I need more training.''
Of course, it was only his thought. The other didn''t think so as they started to p their hands. Even Chester was swiped in the flow.
"Splendid!"
He even eximed rather loudly for others to hear. No oneined, because they had epted what was in front of them. There were envy at first, however as the time past it turned into admiration.
One can never envy someone that is unreachable.
They had epted the fact Basil wasn''t someone in their leagues. It was less bitter to get defeated by someone they could never defeat. Surely, there were many people who thought this as a motivation to get better. They were even thinking to surpass him someday.
Let the dreamer gets awaken someday.
Basil gazed at his surrounding calmly and patted Deacon who was already in his hand since who knows when.
"Can I have my advancement to the second year now?"
Chester who was pping absentmindedly was awoken by his voice. He stopped pping, and the others followed suit. They were looking at Chester''s response attentively.
"Second year?"
Gasp!
Instead of an answer, he gave Basil a question. The crowd gasped in surprise as they felt something was wrong.
"No, no, no. You can not advance to the second year."
"Ah..!"
Everyone was astonished by his response. Basil had performed greatly, it was illogical to keep him as a first year.
Daniel''s grin couldn''t be more stretched. He had been extremely crushed when he had seen Basil''s performance. However, at this moment, he couldn''t be any happier.
"Serves you right! Do you think showing off will make you advance to the next year?"
He muttered with a condescending smile. If anyone were to see his face, they would think he had lost his mind. He was in a state of euphoria that he wanted to cheer loudly. However, at that moment ¡ª
"You will not advance to the second year. You will directly advance to the third year!"
¡ª his face contortedically.
However, contrary to his reaction, the others were celebrating it.
"Congrattions! You are now our senior!"
"Uwaa! I hope you would still socialize with us."
"Congrattions, Senior!"
In the midst of all this, Basil kept a stoic face. It wasn''t enough of an achievement to him. He was merely catching up to his peers after all. He might have advanced his ss, however he would only meet his ssmates from two years ago.
"Thank you."
Basil merely nodded his head and sat himself on the seat of spectators. He would be waiting for the ss to finish so he could have Chester get a letter of rmendation for him.
The other students were still looking at him, however Chester quickly organized them and resumed the practice.
In his seat, Basil observed Chester. He was assaulted by a sense of nostalgia. Chester Cowdray, a genius Spellcaster who had been assassinated after he published an unknown thesis about Magic Theory in his past life.
The content of the thesis had remained unknown even until Basil''s death. It was said it had something to do with the origin of human Magic. However, no one could know the truth as the person who wrote it had already died at that time.
This time, he would make sure Chester kept his life, and he would find out the content of Chester''s thesis. Finishing his thoughts, Basil closed his eyes and cultivated both his Mana Heart and Core.
Chapter 20 The Nail Which Sticks Out, Will Be Hammered Down (3)
The Magic practice continued. Aside from Daniel, there were two other people who performed quite well. They were none other than Shirley and Julia. However, their performance couldn''t make the others impressed.
After witnessing such disy from Basil, they had been numbed with an ordinary disy. Surely, they didn''t mean topare themselves with Basil. Unbeknownst to him, Basil had already be a role model of his ssmates.
They didn''t understand how could he do Magic. They also didn''t understand how he managed to achieve such result. They didn''t care about it. What they had in mind was how amazing Basil had performed.
Basil was unaware of the people''s thoughts. He was concentrating on his Body Forging and Cultivation. After some time passed, Chester''s ss had finally ended. He told all of the students to go back to the ssroom, while he turned to approach Basil.
When he looked at Basil, he was hesitant to notify Basil of his presence. Fortunately, his worry didn''tst long. Basil quickly opened his eyes, and gazed at him calmly.
"You have dipped yourself into the pond, and now you are wet."
"I may have wet myself, however I got to eat."
Both of them smiled faintly. They had once again spoken in their ownnguage. It might sound iprehensible, however the intended meaning was simple.
¡ª You have worked hard, you must be tired.
¡ª I may be tired, however I am satisfied with the result.
It was a trivial conversation, no more than pleasantries. However, the two of them managed to bring it to another level.
After some another exchange of poetic words, Chester returned to speak normally, "I will make a rmendation letter for you, and I will give it to the headmaster. You might be testedter, however you do not have to worry."
He patted Basil''s shoulder as if to assure him. Basil merely smiled in return and nodded his head faintly. Due to their equal height, it looked like an exchange between friends.
Chester quickly led Basil to his office to get his rmendation letter. Deacon was on Basil''s shoulder while observing the surrounding attentively. He was carving every scenery that he had seen for the first time into his mind.
The action of his looked cute in another people''s eyes. However, the meaning of his action wasn''t like that.
I need to check the people I need to eliminate for Master!
Like master likepanion, both of the people had the same mindset to remove all the pest that could potentially bother them in the future. Basil didn''t need a powerfulpanion, he needed an intelligentpanion like him, unlike a certain something.
"You are thinking something rude, Darling?"
Basil had obviously heard it, however he wisely ignored it. It was better ying dumb when dealing with dumb people.
"Hm?"
Chester was puzzled when he looked at Basil and Deacon. The two of them acted as if they were entering their enemy''s camp. They looked leisure, however they remained guarded. Even Basil didn''t produce any sound when he walked, as if sneaking.
''Just what happened in these two weeks?''
Chester shook his head bitterly. There was no point in contemting something he would never get the answer.
After some time, they had finally arrived at his office. The office was humble, but big enough for three people to stay. The wooden door looked ordinary in appearance. It was a normal office no matter how many times one looked at it. However, that wasn''t the case.
"[Niez kye]!"
Chester muttered a spell and the door lighted up for a second before opening on itself. He had put a sealing Magic on his office door just to prevent someone from casually entering his office.
Using such magic on a door was considered too extravagant, however that was just how he was. Careful to no end.
Quickly entering the office, he gestured Basil to take a seat. He didn''t bother to close the door as the door would close on itself. He took a teapot made of jade and ground some tea to powder. Then, he poured the tea powder into the the teapot and added water into it.
The teapot shone for a brief moment before steam pouring out of it. The previously ordinary water had be a tea. The process didn''t take long.
"It has always fascinated me whenever I looked at this. To think those people from Thinker could invent this.. they really think things well, don''t they?"
The teapot was a Magic Tool. Magic tool was was born because of a new faction called Inventor. These peoplebined the principal of Rune Mastery and Alchemy to invent something. However, due to the rivalry of both sides, these people were hated by each of them. They were looked down, andbeled as lunatics.
To ensure their lives, the Inventor made their own association and thus, Thinker was was born. They didn''t have many members at first. However, the more the time passed, the more people with an open minded mindset, who wasn''t bound with principals joined them.
They ignored the rule of each principals and thought of a way how tobine them to invent something beneficial for everyone. Thus came the name, Thinker.
Sip.
Basil enjoyed the tea that Chester had provided. It was good as Chester knew how to make tea. Tea was a part of his life as a literature enthusiast. Basil had been too at some point in his past life.
However, his struggle to preserve his life anding out on top had taken most of his time. He still loved literature, however he didn''t have the time to continue his hobby due to the hurdles he had to face.
Basil was once again reminiscing about his past. A nostalgic look was on his face, and the mood was solemn. He smiled bitterly at the thought of him finally enjoying himself in his second life.
Unaware of Basil''s thoughts, Chester kept scribbling on his paper. His handwriting was neat and organized, befitting of someone like him. It took a cup of tea to finish, when Chester had finally finished his rmendation letter.
"Alright. Let''s go to the headmaster''s office!"
He was enthusiastic. He couldn''t wait to meet Basil in the third year ss. He was waiting for the surprised expressions of Basil''s ssmates.
"Understood."
Basil quickly got up and followed him. With Deacon on his shoulder, he walked side by side with Chester. After some exchange of words, they had finally arrived at the headmaster''s office.
Knock. Knock. Knock.
"Come in."
A heavy voice of a man was heard behind the door. When the door opened, the owner of the voice was revealed. An old man with white hair and scrawny figure was sitting behind the headmaster''s desk. This old man was none other than Spellcaster ke, the headmaster of Stardust Academy, the best Magic Academy in Woster Region.
Spellcaster ke wasn''t a noble, however his stance was equivalent to an Earl. He was a proud Sixth-Circled Mage. His prowess was well-known, and everyone respected him.
"Good Morning, Professor ke."
"Good Morning, Mr. Chester."
They greeted themselves in ordance to their position in the academy, not as their standing as a Mage.
"What is the purpose of your visit, Mr. Chester?"
"Ah, about that..."
Chester quickly looked at Basil and gestured him forward. Basil followed his gesture wordlessly and came forward. Without waiting ke to open his mouth, Basil quickly showed him his Magic Circle.
"Ah! A Grand Circle."
ke was astonished. He had never thought of encountering someone like Basil in Woster Region. It wasn''t his first time seeing a Grand Circle, he had seen it on his time in Capital City, Randalvine. He even had one himself.
However, to think that he would see someone with Grand Circle in a small ce like Woster Region, it was simply unexpected.
"Is he going to apply for a schrship? Don''t worry, I will give him the full schrship!"
"No, no. It wasn''t the case, Sir."
"No? Who is this student by the way. It seems to be my first time seeing him."
"That is..."
Upon hearing ke''s response, Chester''s face turned awkward. He knew that Basil had undergone an unimaginable change. However, he didn''t think there would be many people who didn''t recognize Basil.
"Sir, this is Basil. And he is asking for ss advancement."
"Oh! He is Basil. Wait.. he is... Basil?"
ke was so astonished that he couldn''t say any word. He couldn''t help it. Who was Basil? He was the infamous Forever First Year who managed to remain in the academy just because of his intelligence.
It was amon knowledge that he couldn''t use Magic. He didn''t have any talent on Magic. However, that Basil had managed to carve his Circle, a Grand Circle no less? His mind simply couldn''t take it.
"I.. I see... Kuhum. Sorry for my earlier disy."
ke quickly recovered from his half dazed state and gestured both of them to sit. Basil retracted his Circle and followed Chester to sit.
ke looked at Basil attentively and noted all of his changes. He didn''t ask what happened to Basil. It was amon courtesy to not ask a Mage their secret. Doing so was the same as disrespecting the Mage theirself.
"Is that Saberwolf?"
"Yes, he is."
ke noticed Deaconte and couldn''t help but ask. Basil merely nodded his head and didn''t bother to exin further.
"How much he could grow in size?"
"I do not know yet."
,m "How can you? Haven''t you tried to use your Mana on him?"
Basil didn''t answer and merely looked at ke as if he were dumb. ke was startled by his gaze and couldn''t help but scratch his head.
"I think you have misunderstood something, Sir. He is not a contracted beast. This is not his real appearance."
"Did you bind him to yourself?"
"Yes."
He was astonished once again. Not only did Basil have a vast knowledge in Magic principal, but he also seemed to have a vast knowledge in Knight principal. ke gulped unconsciously.
"What is his original size?"
''It couldn''t be more than as big as a dog, right?'' was left unsaid. Basil didn''t answer his question and merely looked at Deacon. Seemingly understanding his gesture, Deacon jumped to the floor and growled.
Grrr!
His body that was as small as a puppy was getting bigger in each second. His face that was so cute with the two small fangs turned fierce. His fangs elongated and thickened. Not long after, a healthy Saberwolf that was as big as a man was revealed.
Snort!
Deacon looked down on ke smugly. He was satisfied with ke''s reaction when looking at him. Unfortunately, ke was gaping at Basil not at him.
Just what is this kid made of?
He had tamed a teen Saberwolf by himself for real! It was so amazing that it was unprecedented. He knew that to tame a beast, one needed to do it by himself. Therefore, he was sure that Basil wasn''t helped by anybody.
"Huuh..."
Heughed in disbelief. His academy had received a monster this time. It could be considered a fortune and misfortune, depending on how he looked at it. He knew Basil had mastered many knowledge regarding Magic, coupled with his ability to use magic, ke didn''t know what his academy had to offer to Basil.
However! He wouldn''t just give up. He would do everything he could to make Basil stay. He couldn''t just let this chance to slip!
"A year! At least stay here for another year! I will give you all the support for your Magic progress. You don''t need to attend the ss, however you have to participate in the regional Magic Battle. How about it!?"
He said it more fiery than he had intended. He was determined to have Basil in his academy. It was a chance to elevate his already prestigious academy''s prestige. Therefore, he had no shame to act that way.
Basil stayed silent and didn''t respond for a quite some time.
"Sir, I am merely asking for ss advancement. I will naturally stay in your academy for the time being."
After who knows how long, Basil finally responded to his fiery offer. As if struck by lightning, ke was finally pulled out of his fiery state. He quickly calmed down, and sighed.
"Huuh... Permission granted! However, the earlier offer remains the same. How about it?"
ke extended his hand forward. He tried his best to act calm, however his twitching mouth wasted all of his effort.
Basil who looked at the offered hand shrugged his shoulder inwardly and took it in his hand.
"Of course, Sir."
''I will exploit you to the best I can,'' was left unsaid. Thus, the deal between two men with each different thoughts on their mind was settled.
Chapter 21 The Nail Which Sticks Out, Will Be Hammered Down (4)
The deal was quickly established, and starting from the next day, Basil would be officially a third year student at Stardust Academy. He hadn''t expected that he would get an unexpected boon from the headmaster.
Surely, Basil was someone who had never looked a gift horse in the mouth. Therefore, he would take the offer dly. He knew his own value and thus he had never refused being regarded highly by someone.
If you don''t regard yourself highly, who would?
His thought wasn''t wrong in the slightest. It could be even considered modest. Grand Circle wasn''t meant for everyone. Even in the capital, only few selected people could have it. Therefore, if he wanted to, he could apply himself to the top tier academy in Crownveil Dukedom.
That was the reason why ke was willing to give his utmost support to Basil just so he could stay in his academy. Simply by having a student with Grand Circle could skyrocket the academy''s reputation!
It was a win-win situation for both of them. Basil naturally wouldn''t spend most of his time in the academy, it was counterproductive. He would train by himself and reaping the benefits of having a future knowledge. He knew many ces where hidden treasures located at!
"I will be looking forward to your support."
"I will be looking forward to your endeavor!"
Both of them smiled in different meanings. Chester who was observing from the side, felt out of ce. He held his rmendation letter close to his chest.
''Did I write it in vain?''
He smiled weakly. He had poured his heart into the letter. He used his best flowery words in it. Sadly, in the end it wasn''t needed. He would like to weep silently, however he was a strong young man. He could hold his tear!
? "Ah, have you written the rmendation letter... Mr. Chester?"
ke asked Chester suddenly. In response to this, Chester merely smiled brightly and presented him the rmendation letter. ke was confused by Chester''s reaction.
''Why is he so ted? The letter is just for the sake of formality.''
''I didn''t write it in vain!''
Quickly taking the rmendation letter, ke put it in his drawer without even opening it. Chester didn''t care about it. He believed that ke would read the letter someday.
"Alright, we will excuse ourselves. Basil has just returned from his trip and directly headed here. He must be tired. Right?"
"Hm."
"Ah, of course. You may leave. Have a good rest! Tomorrow will be your debut in the third year."
Basil merely nodded his head faintly. He didn''t pay any attention to the pleasantries. He was looking at Deacon who was still in his real form. Deacon looked back at him and tilted his head in puzzlement.
''I have to nurture this guy, so he could help me more in the future.''
Basil was thinking about his journey in Vyres with Deacon. Aside from being a ride, Deacon couldn''t do much. He could only face First ss beast and low tier Second ss beast, he could be considered weak amongst the Saberwolf.
Luckily, he had his intelligence to cover his weakness. However, it wasn''t enough for Basil. Aside from carving his Magic Circle in his way back home, what took him so long to get out of Vyres were the magical beasts that obstructed him.
Some of them were even Third ss Magical Beasts and above. Although Basil knew how to get away from them, it had been quite a close call.
While thinking about this, Basil exited the office together with Chester. Deacon had already reverted back to his small form and sat himself on Basil''s shoulder.
"Congrattions on being the third year!"
"I do not feel myself to celebrate."
"Indeed. Though it should have belonged to you in the first ce, you should enjoy every little achievements you make."
"What is the point of cherishing a grain, when you have a sack of it?"
"Had the grain not exist, you would not get any sack of it."
They stopped their walk and looked at each other''s eyes. They understood each others and nodded in appreciation. Faint smiles adorned their face unconsciously.
¡ª You can not getcent of what you have achieved. However, you should never belittle the small achievements.
Those were the words Chester had said to Basil. Basil epted it, not because he was enlightened. It was because he appreciated Chester for caring. Advancing in ss was really nothing to him. If he were to cheer because that kind of achievement, wouldn''t that be awkward? He had achieved far greater things in hisst life!
"Then, I will excuse myself here."
"Ah, right. Have a good rest! See you in another chance, Basil!"
"See you in another chance, Mr. Chester."
Chester instinctively said ''another chance'', not ''tomorrow''. He had a feeling that he wouldn''t meet Basil tomorrow. Luckily, or rather unluckily, his guess was spot on. Basil didn''te to the academy the next day.
...
The news of Basil''s ss advancement had already been broadcasted to the whole academy. Everyone was in uproar. That Basil had already bloomed after all. It was simply mind-blowing!
Furthermore, the details of his performance quickly became a hot talk among the students. The people who watched his performance on that fateful day recited the event as detailed as they could.
"He could control fire as if his own arms!"
"It is said that the [Gale] he made was simr to a natural storm!"
"What? He used [ze]? Pfft! That was [Hellfire], I told you!"
No one knew who started it, however the story became exaggerated in each day. Therefore, people became tired to hear it as the boundary between the truth and rumours bing vague. At this point, the only one who could prove the rumour was only Basil himself.
Sadly, he didn''t show himself even after a week. Rumours said that he was admitted to a better academy, however the headmaster himself denied this rumour, saying he was still a student of Stardust Academy.
The unexpected reaction from the headmaster created more rumours around him. The headmaster''s response signified that he really valued Basil. Thus, people concluded the rumour wasn''t entirely false. Therefore, they became more eager to meet Basil in person.
"Do you really not know his whereabouts, Shirley?"
"Yes, I do not know my brother''s whereabouts. He just left in the next morning of that day without saying a word to us."
"Oh..."
Their disappointment was sincere. They really wanted to know where was Basil. Shirley, who was revealed to be his sister, became the source of information of his whereabouts. She was overwhelmed by their questions.
Already, she wasn''t regarded as one of the three pirs in her ss anymore, but as Basil''s sister. She was saddened and happy at the same time. She was saddened by the fact she was no more recognized for her brilliance, however she felt strangely happy that Basil was her brother.
She couldn''t still understand it. All of those bragging she did and the arrogance she showed to Basil was her way to attract his attention. She admired her brother, however due to her parents'' influence, she treated Basil wrongly.
Apple doesn''t fall far from its tree. However, it is only so because it falls without interference. Shirley was different with her parents. However, she was torn between her nature and her parents'' influence. Therefore, he needed someone who could untie the knot in her heart, she was also waiting for Basil.
...
[Cobham Household]
In the dining room, three people were eating silently. The mood was solemn as no one spoke to each other. The maids also seemed to understand it as they didn''t make any sound. Their face wore a solemn expression too.
Only one of them made a bright expression. That was none other than the chief-maid, Irene. She was so happy of her Young Master''s sess. Years of struggle had finally paid off. In just a day, her Young Master managed to ruin the mood of his parents!
She couldn''t be any happier.
''Serves you, huh? Now, the family head will have his position threatened. He must be anxious, right now.''
It was clear that Irene knew something that Basil didn''t know. However, what it was, no one could guess.
"Did Basil attend the academy today?"
"No, Father. Brother did not attend the academy."
"I see."
Viscount Nichs Cobham, the so-called father of Basil, nodded his head grimly. Irene''s guess was spot on. He was anxious inside.
''Wasn''t he supposed to be a cripple? At this point, my position as the Cobham patriarch may be endangered.''
He exactly thought of the same thing as Irene''s guess. It was iprehensible. How could Basil, his supposed to be son, endangered his position as the Cobham patriarch? No one could understand his thoughts yet, however it would be unveiled soon.
"What about the investigation, Husband?"
"It is still ongoing. They couldn''t find his trace. That head of his is really troublesome at times like this."
He had hired people from an information guild to investigate the whereabouts of Basil. He needed them to find Basil so he could congratte him. If he treated Basil the same as before, he could lose his position as the family head!
A pathetic mentality. Bully the weak, and fear the strong. Such mentality was perfect for someone as petty as him.
Fortunately or unfortunately, Basil wasn''t interested in his position. He had never been a Cobham. He was a proud Pacifer! However, none of the people know it. Basil still didn''t put Pacifer as hisst name. None of them had noticed it, however Basil didn''t put anyst name when he introduced himself at the academy.
"Husband, I will be having a gathering with my friends tonight. Therefore, I wille homete. Will you mind if I go?"
"No. You may go."
"Thank you."
Nichs merely smiled weakly. He couldn''t care less of his wife''s gathering. His mind was on the more important problem. Sadly, he should''ve been more privy with his wife''s gathering, for he woulde to regret it someday.
"You are having a gathering more oftentely, Mother."
"Yes. It is necessary to expand our family''s business. Therefore, I need to participate in every gathering so I could build more rtionship with the otherdies."
"I see."
Shirley merely nodded her head. She didn''t know why, however she couldn''t believe her mother fullytely. Coupled with how tense the house''s atmosphere for the entire week, she was stressed out of her mind.
"I am full already. I will go to my room first."
"Are you okay, Honey?"
"Yes, Father. I am just tired."
"Very well, you may have a good rest."
"Should I apany you tonight, Dear?"
"No, it is fine, Mother."
They were no more than pleasantries. She knew it. The concern was sincere, however none of them really thought of helping her. Their mind was on an entirely different thing that night. Shirley couldn''t know it, therefore she was stressed.
She wanted to have a good sleep tonight, however she didn''t go to her room. She unconsciously moved her feet to someone''s room. The room was neat and simple. The only decoration could be found was a rack full of books.
"Ah..."
It was none other than Basil''s room. She sat herself on his bed and brushed her hand on the bed. The bed wasfy, however it was still iparable to hers. She had never been into his room, so she hadn''t known what it looked like.
However, upon seeing the inside of his room, she could see the contrast between his and hers. His room was unbefitting of a Viscount''s son. His room was more modest than a merchant''s room. Considering how well-off her family was, this was simply mistreatment.
"Uhu... Is this the reason why he always ignores me?"
She put her hand on her chest, while tears fell of her eyes unconsciously. She felt bad for him. How could she know? She was no more than a child who was still inexperienced. She had thought that everything she had done had been right.
When the truth was presented in front of her eyes, she could only weep in regret and fell asleep. The window was opened and it blew her face slowly. She squirmed in the bed because of the cold.
Luckily, she didn''t have to feel the cold for long, as someone put a nket on top of her. She stopped squirming, and only faint sobbing sound could be heard out of her.
"What has happened in a week I have gone?"
A soft voice was reverberated through the room. There was a hint of puzzlement in his voice. The owner of the voice was none other than Basil.
Chapter 22 The Nail Which Sticks Out, Will Be Hammered Down (End)
One week ago.
Basil had just left the academy. He was currently going to an alchemy store to sell the downgraded version of Crystal Clear. He had made them separately to earn money.
The effect of Crystal Clear was superb, it was far superior than most of Mid-Grade Catalysts. If he were to sell it with the original potential, the world''s conception would be turned upside down. He didn''t want to attract that much attention yet.
Although it was downgraded, the quality was still the best among Low-Grade Catalyst. Therefore, he would reap much money by only selling it. However, Crystal Clear would be the beginning. He would sell many things to the Alchemist Association.
It was also the reason why he didn''t want to hide his identity. What would people think if he were to be rich over night without knowing what he did? It would attract unwanted problems.
He could also choose to live modestly. However, why would he earn money if he didn''t use it? Thus, he was extremely puzzled with people who intentionally hid their identity for the sake of ''secrecy''. People bound to figure it out someday. Better to not hide something as trivial as one''s identity.
If you afraid to get hunted, be the predator! That was how he had lived his life. He had figured out modesty attracted more unwanted problems from his past life.
"Hello, Sir. What can I help you for today''s visit?"
He had arrived at the most trustworthy alchemy store in Woster Region. This alchemy store belonged to the Alchemist Association, Philosopher. Upon entering it, he was quickly greeted by an attractive female assistant with revealing clothes.
"I want to sell a Catalyst."
"Oh! Please wait here for a moment, sir. I will call the chief first."
Basil merely nodded his head in response. He didn''t bother to talk much. The female assistant kept sending him seductive gazes since the beginning he had entered the store.
He didn''t mind it, however he knew that it was a technique developed by Philosopher to make their costumers buy their products more than necessary.
Of course, it wasn''t entirely wrong. However, the reason why the female assistant sent seductive gazes was due to his undeniable attractiveness. He was aware of his attractiveness, however he was in a state of denial currently.
Not long after, a man in histe twenties showed himself. He was the store owner of the Woster Region Philosopher Alchemy Store''s Chief. He approached Basil and greeted him in a polite manner.
"Good Day, Sir. I heard you wanted to sell a Catalyst?"
"Yes. I will sell them at 10 gold for each batch."
"Excuse me? May I know the grade of the Catalyst."
"It is a Low-Grade Catalyst."
"May I know how many are they in each batch?"
"15 pills in each batch."
"How many batches do you have?"
"There are ten of them."
The chief made a pondering look. He was extremely surprised when he saw that the seller he met was a young man. However, he strangely couldn''t belittle him when he saw how Basil carried himself.
Although 10 gold was an abnormal price for a batch of Low-Grade Catalyst, he couldn''t just dismiss it. His businessman sense was tingling. He wanted to see the product first.
"May I have a look at the product first?"
"Of course."
Basil took out a pill of Crystal Clear and gave it to the chief. He professionally took it in his hand and scratched its surface. He then mixed it with an unknown liquid and just observed the powder dissolving itself in the liquid.
"This is..."
He was taken aback. He had nned to break down the ingredients that made the pill, however he couldn''t do so. Basil had put an unknown ingredient to counter the effect of the solution he had poured.
He looked at Basil and sighed in relief. His guess wasn''t wrong. The seller in front of him was the real deal. Only someone good at Alchemy could do the thing Basil had done.
He quickly gulped the remaining Crystal Clear that had its part scratched. Once it entered his mouth, it quickly melt down upon making a contact with his tongue. In the next moment, he felt his mind clearer and his ability to gather Mana improved!
He looked at Basil with his eyes wide opened.
"Th-this is... Is this really a Low-Grade Catalyst?" He stuttered in amazement. However, Basil had no change in his face. He merely uttered one word, "Deal?" And the answer was immediate, "Deal!"
That Day, Crystal Clear Alpha was officially sold in the market. Thus, Basil came out of the store with a hundred gold coins in his pouch. He quickly took a turn to a herb store to buy another ingredients.
''Guide, what is the best potion to increase one''s Beast Companion''s potential?''
[Answering the Host''s ignorance...]
[The best potion to increase one''s Beast Companion''s potential is Growth Potion: Hormones Rush. The only way magical beasts could develop themselves is through their natural hormonal growth. By simply having a boost in their hormones...]
The knowledge about the potion he needed to increase the potential of Deacon, who was hiding in his Infiltration Robe''s hood, was quickly engraved into his mind. By the time he managed to gather all of the ingredients, the sky was already dark.
He arrived at Cobham''s Manor right after the family had their dinner. No one paid any attention to his absence except of one person, Shirley. She was the only one who knew when Basil came home, along with Irene.
Aside from Shirley and Irene who stayed updated about her Young Master''s endeavor, no one knew of his ss advancement. It was only in the morning, by the time he had gone once again to concoct the potion for Deacon, did they know of his ss advancement.
...
Then.
After an arduous week experiment, Basil had finallye back home. However, what he found on his bed was none other than his adoptive sister. He didn''t know what happened, however he had the mind not to wake her up.
He might be blunt, however he wasn''t rude. No need to act unfavorably toward a child who didn''t know what she had been doing.
Basil had been a brat, he had been in her position once. To see the world covered in ink and bleach, was one of the phase he had been through. He had hated her through his core back then, in his younger days.
However, he was colored surprised when she had been the one who introduced him to Knight Principal, thus leading him to prominence. He had thought that she had been an arrogant brat, who regarded everyone lowly.
He couldn''t see that it had been his supposed to be parents'' influence that made her that way. It was when she had been matured that she had changed herself. Sadly, Basil didn''t treat her kindly due to his years of grudge.
Fortunately or unfortunately, she kept being stubborn on mending their broken rtionship. That was untill a particr incident happened.
"Poor girl didn''t know what fate had awaited her."
Basil caressed Shirley''s blond silky hair as if she were a child. He couldn''t help it. He was already an ''experienced'' man. Young girls like her was no more than a daughter if he had had one.
Just when he was about to retract his hand, Shirley grasped his hand tightly. He wasn''t surprised, he had foreseen it. He was Basil after all!
Faintly sighing to himself, he sat down on the side of the bed and leaned himself to the bed''s headrest. Their position was so close that Shirley could hug his thighs, and she did just that! His grasped hand was long forgotten.
Shaking his head, Basil wanted to close his eyes too. He was tired from the three weeks of consecutive journey. Even Deacon who was a magical beast had long gone fallen asleep on the ground, let alone him, a mere human.
He was about to close his eyes, when someone interrupted it.
"I told you she has a thing for you! Tch.. what happens to girls these days? Doesn''t she know that you are already belonged to someone?!"
"Vagus..."
An exhale filled with barely concealed bitterness came out of his mouth. Vagus was unaware of it, as she kept chattering. Basil couldn''t take it any longer, even his strengthened mind already had enough of her.
"Vagus, my love..."
"Hm! Y-Yes! What is it, Darling?"
He didn''t have a choice. This was the only way to shut her up. He could already imagine her heart shaped eyes in his mind. He sighed once again.
"Will you apany me in my sleep? I am tired."
"Of course, Darling. I would love to."
"Thank you."
He was sincerely thanking her. He could finally have a peace of mind. At times like this, Vagus'' presence was weirdlyforting. He didn''t try to think of it anymore, he had always got a chill whenever he tried to pry on it.
Quickly enough, Basil fell asleep while his body passively absorbing Mana and producing Qi.
...
Morning came and Shirley had the best sleep in her life the night before. She was strangelyforted by something. For example, the warm bolster that she was hugging currently.
''Bolster...?''
It was at this moment that she realized Basil didn''t have any bolsters. He used only pillows!
She opened her eyes nervously, and she was met with someone''s sleeping face. Her heart skipped a beat. It was someone who became her reason of crying in the night before. Unknowingly, tears came out of her eyes.
She wanted to apologise immediately. She had been contemting all of her actions in the past week. The result she got was enough to wake her from her mistake. Although she had never insulted him, her action was no different than an insult.
She hugged his thigh tightly. It was quiteical, considering she really treated it as a bolster. She was looking intensely at him.
Basil had been awaken before her, however he had intentionally Forged his body on the bed. He didn''t want to train his techniques where many people could see. Although it was his ce to stay, he didn''t really belong to here.
Being the target of Shirley''s intense gaze, he finally opened his eyes and turned his head toward her. She was bawling her eyes out. Disheveled hair, red eyes, and equally disheveled clothes toplement it. From another perspective, it could cause a misunderstanding.
Shirley was about to say something, however he quickly silenced her by putting his pointer finger on her mouth. He knew what was about toe out of her mouth.
''Screw this cliche situation! This Lord doesn''t want to be treated as a lolicon! At least, make it to 16 first, youngdy!''
His conscience didn''t let him to be hugged rather intimately by a 14 year old girl. She had to be at least 2 years older to do that!
He was realistic. He had adjusted to his youthful body. Therefore, he didn''t mind to take a liking on someone at least the same age as him. Although it was admittedly hard for the current him, it was mainly because his focus on his self-development.
"Ah... I..."
Shirley kept opening and closing her mouth. She couldn''t utter any words. Seeing Basil''s gesture, she understood that he had somehow forgiven her. Her eyes became hotter than before.
She was extremely moved by his benevolence. She hugged his thigh even tighter and vowed to be a better person in the future. At that moment, she felt a hand on her head. Her sobbing instantly stopped. She enjoyed the feeling of her head being patted.
Basil didn''t do that to calm her. He wanted to tell her to get away from him. He wanted to shower himself!
"Let''s get out of bed and ready ourselves to academy."
"You are...ing?"
"Of course."
Shirley nodded her head and got out of the bed. Basil followed suit as he stood beside her. Shirley looked up at him, and only then she noticed howcking her heightpared to him. She barely reached his chest! She stood there silently without moving.
Without any regards to her thoughts, Basil exited his room with Deacon in tow. They were going to clean themselves.
Click.
The door had just been closed when Basil met someone unexpected.
"Basil, we need to talk."
There, stood Catherine Cobham, the housewife of Cobham family. She had an iprehensible glint in her eyes.
Basil merely looked at her eyes and said casually, "Keep me out of your game, Catherine." Then, he proceeded to walk away.
Silence!
Catherine was shocked through her core! She didn''t think that Basil would respond her impudently.
"Y-you, how can you treat your mother like that?!"
Basil stopped in his track and nced at her from the corner of his eyes.
"Mother, huh?"
A cold snort unintentionally came out of him. Catherine shut her mouth instinctively. She was neither a Knight nor a Mage, therefore a pressure emitted from one of the two was enough to shut her for eternity.
"Just keep me out of your ''business''. You will naturally keep your secret as long as you don''t involve me."
Her face turned pale. His words were reverberated through her mind. Secret? What secret? It was only known to the two of them currently. She quickly shut her mouth and didn''t prob him any further. She stood there silently with anxiousness filled her heart.
Click.
The door opened and someone came out. It was Shirley.
"Mother? What are you doing here in front of brother''s room?"
Catherine was startled, however she quickly regained herposure. Her fear stricken expression was nowhere to be found. She quickly asked Shirley back casually.
"What are you doing in his room?"
"Eh.. that is... I.. I fell asleep in his roomst night."
She stuttered in embarrassment. By the end of her words, she ran away from Catherine as she couldn''t bear the embarrassment anymore. Catherine who saw this merely shook her head in amusement.
"Naive."
She muttered nostalgically.
...
Four people were having a breakfast in the dining room. The mood was unusually tense that only the chief-maid dared to remain in the dining room.
"Congrattions for your ss advancement... Basil."
Nichs Cobham opened his mouth carefully. He had been observing Basil''s mood since earlier. What he got was pure bafflement. The kid was soposed that it looked like he was seeing his elder!
Gulp.
He became nervous all of a sudden. He was afraid that Basil would have a grudge against him. He was a Mage too, however he was merely an ordinary Third-Circled Mage.
Compared to Basil who, ording to the rumour, had a clearly higher potential than him, he was bound to be a cannon fodder in front Basil. Basil surpassing him was inevitable fate.
"Hm."
Basil didn''t care less of his congrattory. He merely nodded his head faintly and kept eating graciously.
"Thanks for the meal."
He quickly finished his food and stood up from his seat. In response, Shirley also ate in haste.
"W-wait! Let''s go together!"
"Sure."
Luckily, Basil had the mind to wait for her in front of the doorway to the dining room. She quickly finished her food and also stood up from her seat.
"Let''s go!" She eximed enthusiastically.
Basil merely nodded his head and took the lead. When he passed the doorway, Deacon quickly climbed on to his shoulder and sat there cutely.
Click.
The door closed. There were only two people in the dining room. Even Irene had also left to who knows where.
"Huuh... I see. It seems I have no choice."
Nichs sighed heavily. His gaze was strongly nted on the door where Basil had left. His gaze was so heated it could burn the door.
"Husband..?"
"Ah, Catherine..."
"What happened?"
"It is nothing, Honey. It is nothing."
He quickly regained hisposure. He was fine externally, however he was burning inside.
''The nail which sticks out, will be hammered down. You have a chance toy low, however you have chosen to stand. What about to happen from now on is solely your fault, Basil!''
His eyes shone coldly at that thought. Then, as if knowing his thoughts, Basil smirked on his way to the academy.
''Come, and let me show you how a nail splits a hammer!''
Chapter 23 Epilogue: Unlike A Stone Which Remains Still, I Fight The Current
In an unknown ce, located a grandiose room filled with debauchery. The room was dimly lit. Men and women, regardless of any shame were lying naked while having their body glued to each other.
Moans of ecstasy from the people was like a music filling the room. In the front most ce, a devilishly attractive man with red hair and equally red clothing sat himself on a throne.
Countless of beautiful women surrounded him. However, he paid them no mind. He was focusing on a beautiful azure sword with unique carvings on its de that he was currently holding.
"Something is wrong with Vagus. It feels like something has disappeared from it. It is the same, however it is not at the same time."
The man muttered under his breath. Surprisingly, the identity of this sword was none other than Vagus that Basil had wielded in his past life.
"Interesting. Only now that I can pour my consciousness into Vagus. Nothing changed, however it feels different. This is highly intriguing."
"Lord Duke Zepar, why don''t you forget that sword and y with us?"
One of the women who was surrounding whispered in the man''s ear seductively. The man, who was revealed to be Zepar, smiled in a twisted manner and looked at the woman slyly.
He put Vagus on the ground and gazed at the surrounding women. He took the waist of one of the women and dered in a husky voice.
"Lay down, and I will leave you barren!"
"Ah!"
The surrounding women quickly having an intoxicated expression as they undressed themselves one by one. Zepar only looked at the scene in satisfaction.
''An unexpected thing might ur in nearby future, however I can not forget my nature. Lust is the purest form of love. Let this agent of Lust, Zepar, spreads his love to the world!''
Thus, the people in the room turned even rowdier. The debauchery continued untill all of them except Zepar died from pleasure.
...
In his way to the academy together with Shirley, he was talking with Vagus in his head.
''Now that you are with me, what will happen to the other you?''
''Hmm... I think there is no other Vagus aside from me currently. By going to the past, we have created a paradox of our own existence. So, I believe the other Vagus has vanished from this world upon our return.''
''I see.''
Basil nodded his head in eptance and slight surprise. He didn''t know that Vagus could be that smart.
''Darling... You know that I heard that.''
''Hm. I didn''t mean to hide it anyway.''
''Cruel! Even if I don''t look like it, I have existed for more than a thousand years. It is an enough time to learn many things! Although I had never conversed with Zepar, I have heard many things from him. Also-''
''Besides, you are my soulmate. I don''t want to hide anything from you.''
''...''
Critical hit!
The chatterbox called Vagus had been silenced by the sweet words of Basil! He had spent three weeks with Vagus. Surely, he had already grasped the way to handle her!
He didn''t lie to her though. They were indeed soulmate. They were two different souls sharing the same body. Therefore, a friendship between two souls could be called soulmate. Basil had never lied to his allies. He just twisted the truth!
Cough.
He cleared his throat as a gesture to clear his mind. Somehow, he had the conscience to feel ufortable at his earlier thought.
Unknowingly, Shirley and him had arrived at the academy. The walk had been silent, however Shirley had enjoyed it. She had always got to everywhere by carriage. It was her first time going somewhere on foot. Therefore, she was ecstatic.
"We have arrived... Will youter.. uh.. go back together with me?" Shirley asked Basil in nervousness. Basil''s response was instantaneous, "I will not go back home early..." Already, her face crumpled in disappointment.
"However, I could apany you back home."
"Thank you!"
She cheered brightly and lunged herself at him. She hugged him briefly and quickly ran away to her ssroom.
Basil looked at her and shook his head briefly. He muttered under his breath, "Spare the rod and spoil the child. In this world, being sheltered is one of the biggest mistakes parents can make to their child."
She was too innocent. Her sheltered upbringing filled her thoughts with naivety. Innocence had be her demise in the past. Basil had almost ended the same way too. However, he had been saved by someone.
He looked at the sky longingly. ''What is she doing right now? Probably being a Discipline Committee member at Randalvine Magic Institute,'' thought Basil.
He wanted to meet her, to prove that this wasn''t a dream. However, he wasn''t strong enough. He wanted to meet her differently from the past. This time, he didn''t want to lean on her. He would be the one who was leaned on.
His eyes glinted in determination. When he thought about that particr incident, his heart boiled in rage.
''Disgusting bastards!''
Innocence leads to demise. He had managed to avoid demise due to someone''s sacrifice. However, the scar those bastards had left on him¡ªtheir betrayal was forever etched in his mind.
This time, it would be him who turned their lives upside down! The light in his eyes sank down coldly.
...
The third year''s ssroom was in uproar. There was a rumour that the person they had been waiting for a week, Basil, wasing to the academy. Most of them were curious to the thete bloomer.
They had been his ssmates two years ago. He had always beaten them in theory, however he had always failed in practice. Therefore, they wanted to see his skills in Magic, now that he was able to use it.
Only three people remained calm about this matter. Just like Shirley''s and any other sses, this ss also had their own pirs. These three people were the top three students in their ss and possibly for the entire third years.
"That Basil is finally able to use Magic? So, what? A pebble can never be a jewelry even if you polished it."
"I am a little bit curious at how far the rumour is true though. I want to test him myself."
"I guess all of us have the same mind?"
"Hahaha!"
Three people that had just shared their thoughtsughed altogether. Theirugh was loud as they didn''t pay any mind to their surrounding. The ssroom went quiet as they watched the peopleughing.
The pirs'' reputation was well known to the ss. They may act modest, however they had always looked down on anyone. And not only that, they also treated people like ves!
No one dared to protest. One of them was the son of an Earl. To further the problem, he was the son of none other than Earl Ansley Woster, the very owner of Woster County.
Although this son of his was considered a failure in his family, blood has always been thicker than water. No one mad enough to treat him carelessly.
Harold Woster looked at his surrounding and nodded his head in satisfaction by the reaction. He was the minority of people who could exert power with hisst name only. Everyone treated him carefully, and no one would act casually in front of him.
p!
"Alright, everyone! Time to start our lesson!"
"Tch."
Harold clicked his tongue in dissatisfaction. He hated Chester who had interrupted him from having his moment. There were only two people could treat him casually in this academy, and they were Chester Cowdray, and the headmaster, Spellcaster ke.
To be an Earl and above, one had to be at least a Mage or a Knight who had raised quite a merit. His father, Earl Ansley Woster was a renowned Fifth-Circled Mage. He was a powerful individual.
However, he couldn''t treat someone like ke or Chester who were geniuses carelessly. If a fight broke out, Earl Woster would be naturally in by either both of them. Titles and money had no actual worth in this world.
Power has the right to decide it all.
A cruel world to live in, however it was for this reason humanity managed to preserve.
"Today, we are having a guidance on how to utilize your Magic Circle better. You have carved your circle and used spells with itst year. However! All you have done was no more than cutting a meat with sword. Inefficient!"
Chester was about to have another word in his lecture when the door to the ss was opened. His eyebrows twitched, and the students became nervous.
''Who is the ignorant person that interrupted my lecture?''
He was about to use his forbidden Spell called Preaching on the person, however when he looked at the person, his face erupted in glee.
"I hope I am not interrupting you in the wrong time."
An equally pretty and handsome young man walked in. His steps were leisure, however looked gracious. He was none other than Basil. He had never walked casually since he had learned Movement Technique. He had been training it everyday!
Therefore, his steps were always gracious. Sadly, he couldn''t train his Step Art because it involved Mana. Only techniques from Knight Principal could be trained without the use of Mana rted energy.
"You are not interrupting any important thing. It has been some time, Basil."
Gasp!
The students were surprised not only because of Basil''s appearance, but also Chester''s denial. It was unprecedented! They felt excited for no reason.
"What took you so long?"
"I had a conversation with the headmaster earlier."
"Ohh..."
The students gasped in amazement. At this point, they started to believe that the rumours were all true. They really wanted to see the might of the newly risen ''Fire Lord''.
"Alright, you may take a seat. Although I don''t know how much, I believe my lecture will help you someway."
"Understood."
Basil nodded faintly and turned his head at the students. In the crowd, he could see three heated gazes nted solely on him. He raised one of his eyebrows, and smirked rather condescendingly.
''Let''s weed out the pest as soon as possible.''
He thought coldly, then took a seat in the back. And just as he had predicted, the three people met him at the end of the ss.
"Let us test ourselves, shall we?"
...
Shirley was running on her feet. She had heard that apparently, her brother, Basil would be having a duel against the three pirs of his ss. Her steps were naturally leading her to the Battle Ground.
Upon reaching there, she was met with the sight of Basil standing calmly, facing one of the three pirs in the middle of the Battle Ground. His opponent was Andrew Nate, the son of Baron Nate who was Earl Woster''s subordinate.
There were many other people watching as the spectator''s seat was crowded. Eventually, teachers were also taking an interest in this duel. There were also a few fourth year students watching.
With referee separating them, and medical team in the background, Basil and his opponent stood still. The referee was none other than Chester. He looked at the two of them and said, "Are you ready?"
"I am born ready."
"Hm."
Contrary to Andrew''s response, Basil merely nodded his head nonchntly. It was as if gesturing Chester to make it quick. Looking at this, Chester wasn''t mad. He smiled expectantly instead.
"Then... You may begin."
Shirley was looking at this from the foremost seat. She couldn''t miss it! She saw Basil''s opponent distanced himself from him and chanted a Spell. Basil didn''t do anything as he merely stood there.
"Why is he just standing there?"
"Is he too afraid that he forgot to move?"
"Well.. rumour is rumour after all."
All the people around her clicked their tongues in dissatisfaction. Only the people who had watched his performance on that fateful day remained silent. And, their expectation wasn''t in vain.
"[Zil edenz adz utracht, Gale]!"
A perfectly executed [Gale] was sent toward Basil. Andrew didn''t be one of the pir for naught. He had the skill to back his title!
Whoosh!
''Got you!''
He saw Basil was engulfed by the [Gale] he had shot toward him, he was sure of his victory. The crowd also thought of the same too as they signed in disappointment. However, at that moment ¡ª
"You couldn''t even aim properly, how could you even call yourself a Mage?"
¡ª Basil''s voice reverberated through the Battle Ground.
"What the..."
"...Hell?"
The crowd was stunned. Basil who had been engulfed by [Gale], reappeared behind Andrew who had casted it.
Andrew felt a chill ran down his spine, he didn''t see thating. He had been sure his victory was certain. However, faced with the cold reality, his mind froze in bewilderment.
Bang!
"Ugghh..."
"Andrew!"
Basil merely hit the back of Andrew''s head with the back of his hand, and he was instantly thrown into the ground and lost his consciousness.
Basil also trained himself in Knight Principal. How could an ordinary Mage''s body faced his abnormal strength?
"You...! Let''s have a duel too!"
"Sure."
The one who had shouted earlier, another one of the three pirs challenged Basil. He was none other than Alex Howard, son of Baron Howard, another one of Earl Woster''s subordinate.
Contrary to his fiery challenge, Basil responded him nonchntly. Chester who saw this, merely waved his hand and medical team brought Andrew''s unconscious body away.
"Are you ready?"
"Of course!"
Alex responded Chester heatedly. However, at that moment, Basil opened his mouth.
"Hold on a second."
"Huh! Are you afraid now that you know you are going to lose?"
Basil shook his head at Alex''s taunt. He was looking at a kid being kids. He merely ignored him and looked at Chester.
"It is too bothersome to face them one by one. Let us have multiple duel."
"Ha! No need to act cool. You are bound to lose-"
Alex couldn''t continue his words as he was interrupted by Chester.
"Alright. Let''s do this that way. Harold!"
"Tch."
Harold clicked his tongue but obeyed it anyway. He quickly went to the middle of the Battle Ground, and got face to face with Basil.
"Let us make it quick."
He smiled condescendingly. He had no shame on teaming up with Alex to beat Basil. He didn''t request it after all. Basil merely looked at him and smirked in faint ridicule.
"As you say."
Snap!
That was the sound of Harold''s nearly non-existent patience breaking. He sighed heavily and looked at Basil coldly. The Battle quickly began.
Both Alex and Harold distanced themselves and chanted each of their Spell.
"[Gale]!"
"[ze]!"
The two spells quicklybined themselves and produce a storm of fire. Although it wasn''t reallyparable to the one Basil had made, it was impressive enough for the spectators to sigh in awe.
The storm of fire quickly engulfed Basil. The crowd watched in anticipation, they were expecting the same thing like earlier would happen. Harold also thought about the same thing as he had also turned his back.
Unfortunately, at that moment ¡ª
Bang!
"Hm!"
¡ª Basil passed through the storm of fire and struck Alex squarely in the chest.
Crack!
The sound was clearly heard through the whole Battle Ground. Alex who was thrown away by the impact was bounced to the ground while leaving a trail of blood. Blood was pouring incessantly out of his mouth.
Everyone gasped in fright, however no one stopped them. In battles between Mage, having an injury or getting killed was the norm. One wouldn''t be a Mage if one was afraid of getting injured.
Harold quickly became alert, he instinctively put his hand on his pendant that had been enchanted with a protective Spell. Using a Magic Talisman in a duel was forbidden, however he didn''t care. He was scared by Basil''s earlier disy.
"Harold, stop right away!"
Chester''s voice was ignored. Harold had already injected his Mana to the pendant.
Boom!
A beam with dangerous aura went toward Basil rapidly. Everyone was already panicking, however Basil himself was calm as always. He even snorted in disdain.
"You dare to use a defective product from the Rune Master Association on me, This Lord?"
He pointed his pointer finger and pulled up all of his Mana. Then, he muttered "[Lesser Art: Heaven Piercer]!"
Light quickly gathered in the tip of his pointer finger. The light instantly shot through the beam that was heading his way and pierced it cleanly. The beam was dispersed in the next moment.
When everyone saw this scene happened, the only thing they registered was Basil pointing his finger toward Harold and then the beam had mysteriously disappeared. Not even Chester could find out what had happened. He just stood there dumbly.
"Life is give and take. You have attempted to take my life; naturally, I have to pay you back."
Basil instantly disappeared from their view. Although Basil had used up the Mana his heart contained, he hadn''t used his Qi yet. Therefore, he could still use his Movement Technique, [Feather Step] to appear in front of Harold.
Bang!
Basil circle kicked him and his body was naturally thrown away. Basil didn''t stop there, he reappeared next to Harold''s body and kicked him once again in the guts.
No one could utter any single words. The words stuck in their mouth, they couldn''t stop Basil. The development was too quick! Luckily, there was one person who could still think clearly. That was Chester.
Quickly using his Step Art, he reappeared beside Basil. He told Basil calmly, "Stop, Basil. The duel is your win." Basil merely looked at him in the eyes and stomped at Harold''s skull.
"Gah!"
Then, Basil responded him calmly, "In a battle between Mage, death ismon. Even more, if one of the party has been eagerly trying to take the other party''s life."
Bam!
Harold''s head was further embedded into the ground. The crater it brought wasn''t caused by his head, but because Basil forcefully exploded his Qi under his foot.
"And, I am just naturally returning the favor."
He moved his foot off the bloody mess called Harold and gazed at the crowd calmly.
"Anyone wants to try their luck?"
Overbearing!
He had implicitly dering war to the whole students, however none of them charged at him recklessly. Their mind still couldn''t process what had just happened. At this moment, they realized that unlike the other three, Basil didn''t show his Circle yet.
Gulp!
Everyone had the same thought in their mind.
Monster!
That day, they didn''t see the disy of ''Fire Lord'', but the power disy of ''Blood Tyrant'' instead.
Basil who was looking at the crowd calmly, thought in his mind, ''The stone in the river stands strongly and takes whatever the stream has to offer. However, unlike a stone which remains still, I fight the current.''
Thus, his life that was full of obstacles was started.
Chapter 24 Ordeals
[Stardust Academy]
In the principal office, there were seven people sitting and one person standing, while observing a young man who was seated in front of them. The position of the people made it looked like a court, where the young man would be judged.
These people were the Teacher Council members and the Headmaster of Stardust Academy, along with Chester. The young man in front of them was naturally Basil.
"Student Basil Cobham, upon the action you have done, what is your plea?"
"I have none."
"Huuh..."
The head of the Teacher Council sighed at his response. After his duel with Harold and hisckeys, Basil was quickly summoned by the Teacher Council to take a responsibility of his action.
The headmaster remained silent, however some of the teachers couldn''t stay still. He had injured the son of an Earl, and that was Earl Woster''s no less! They had to take care of this matter lest an unwanted problem might ur.
"Listen, Brat. I know that you just wanted to showcase your power, and that wasn''t wrong. However, you injured the son of the Earl where his County is your living ce! Do you know what problem might ur in the future?"
"So? Are you telling me to apologise even though I am faultless?"
"That is for the best."
"Hmph!"
An amused snort came out of him unconsciously. The disdain it contained was barely hidden.
"Third-Circle, Fourth-Circle, Third-Circle, Fifth-Circle, Fourth-Circle, and Fifth-Circle."
He pointed his finger impudently at the six people from Teacher Council. He correctly called their Circle stage.
"The strongest of you can not even defeat Earl Woster in a fight, but Earl Woster could never defeat Mr. Chester, who is in a lower stagepared to the strongest of you. If you are a coward, do not think of the others the same."
They were stunned to silence. They looked at him in disbelief. No one had expected him to act that impudent.
"Insolent brat!"
"Aren''t you taught to respect your elder!?"
"Hmph!"
Basil snorted coldly once again. The six people were boiling in rage. His words had hit home after all.
"Respect is not given, it is earned. I give respect to where it''s due, and I don''t see you are worthy enough to earn my respect."
"Y-you!"
Disbelief filled the expressions of the six people. They hadn''t thought Basil would dare to counter their arguments. Furthermore, his voice that was full of conviction made it hard to retort. They were frustrated!
Who were they joking? Basil? They picked up the wrong opponent! He had never lost an argument before. He was always so blunt that many people would think he wasn''t afraid of the consequences.
"Kuhum. I think it is better to end it here."
"I am thinking of the same thing too."
ke and Chester who were watching the scene with amusement finally opened their mouth. Chester was touched with Basil''s confidence in him. While he had no intention on remaining silent, he had been waiting for the right time to interject.
Given the chance, he would naturally use this chance as best as he can.
"It seems that many of my fellow teachers forgot that I, as the referee, had the responsibility to stop the duel when it was getting out of hands. It is not Basil''s fault that he ''identally'' hurt his opponent. After all..."
Chester looked at them sharply, and said cheerfully, "He was about to be killed! At that situation, self defense ismon sense. You don''t have to worry for his sake my fellow teachers. I, Chester Cowdray, will take the full responsibility of his action!"
"Lunatic!"
"I, ke, too will take this matter into my hands. Therefore, you shall not be worried."
"Wh-what?"
The six people were dumbfounded. Every single things that had happened since the start, had not been in their expectations!
Just who is this kid!?
They couldn''t help but cursing inwardly. Each of them looked at each other and nodded reluctantly. They had no choice. Although they didn''t want to admit it, they were indeed inferior to Chester.
The strongest of them only had 3 Major Circles in the Fifth-Circled stage. Chester, on the other hand, had 4 Major Circles in the Fourth-Circled stage. Furthermore, Chester was an outstanding Spellcaster. None of them knew what kind of cards he had hidden in his Grimoire.
"We understand. If the Headmaster says he will take this matter into his hand, we will have no more to say. Then, we will excuse ourselves."
They didn''t even nce at Basil. They were afraid they would say something that would ruin their already hurt dignity. Basil sat calmly while looking at Chester and ke.
"Who are you speaking to, Basil?"
Chester asked suddenly. Basil merely smiled faintly. He was a little bit impressed. Not even ke realized it yet, however Chester had realized it already.
"I ammunicating with Deacon."
"Your Beast Companion?"
"Hm."
Chester had known who was Deacon, however ke hadn''t known. Therefore, he asked in surprise. His surprise wasn''t in the name of Deacon though. He was surprised that Basil could already use [Link]!
"When did you learn it?"
"I have gone for a week. I was not fooling around."
"Oh..."
ke was impressed once again. Basil''s learning progress was simply monstrous! He had been there when the duel ured. He had seen how fearsome Basil''s prowess was. He had been cheering ceaselessly in his mind for being able to coerce Basil to stay.
However, at this point, he wanted to thank the god who he had never believed for the grace called Basil that had been bestowed upon his academy.
"Listen, Son. I don''t care how much you spend your time outside. You just have to keep growing. I want you to showcase your prowess in the Regional Magic Battle, therefore don''t worry about others. I will give you my full support!"
ke grasped Basil''s shoulder, and eximed enthusiastically. It was baffling to see someone at his age having those fiery eyes.
Basil merely smiled. ke wasn''t a bad person. He treasured people with talent and equally good attitude. It had been for this reason that in the past, he had sacrificed himself for his academy''s student so that student could run away from danger.
¡ª The future is on the youth. We, elders, are no more than a withering wave that is waiting to be pushed away by the wave behind! To keep the world prosper, keep the youths alive!
Hisst words had been remembered by many people. It was like a light shone upon them in that era full of tragedies. The current time might be peaceful. However, it wouldn''t be long until history repeated itself.
The Second Age of Chaos would begin in no time. Basil was preparing himself for that. He smiled iprehensibly while saying his farewell to ke and Chester. His mind wasn''t on the Second Age of Chaos, but The Seven Princes.
''Guide, what is The Seven Princes?''
[Ding!]
[This knowledge is currently forbidden for the Host. The Host needs to reach a certain level in power, while unlocking the next function of the Guide.]
The word ''forbidden'' made him gulped unknowingly. He had been an outstanding Ninth-Circled Battle Mage in his past life. He had fought Gorgophone, that he suspected to be one of The Seven Princes, with his all. However, he had failed.
He had thought that he had managed to deal quite a blow on him. However, upon going back in time, and receiving many knowledge from the Guide, he had finally realized something.
To manipte Mana on a whim, one had to be a dragon or a spirit that was blessed by the nature. Even then, they needed incantation to do it. Therefore, dragon had their own world defyingnguage. Spirits didn''t need that as the world had given them a privilege to ess Mana.
However, here goes the cold water. Gorgophone didn''t use any incantation to manipte Mana ording to his will. Although a chantless Spell was normal, it was only so if one had Magic Circle. He could tell Gorgophone had none.
Being able to use Magic without Magic Circle was outstanding yetmon. However, to manipte Mana without that was unprecedented. Basil''s expression turned grim.
What is Gorgophone and the other Seven Princes?
What is he, Basil, who is able to do the same feat as Gorgophone?
For the first time in his life, Basil had finally realized he had been blindfolded for his entire past life. His thoughts calmed down coldly.
Let the time uncover it all.
...
"Will you really be okay?"
"Yes."
"Are you sure?"
"I am sure."
"He is THAT Earl Woster''s son, you know?"
Basil was on his way apanying Shirley back home. She was asking him of the results of his summon anxiously. She was normally a confident girl and always weed challenges. However, unlike Basil, she knew when to bow down.
Therefore, when she saw Basil turned Harold into a pulp, she was concerned of the oue of the duel.
Basil who saw this smirked faintly, and ruffled her head. He didn''t need a brat''s concern, however he appreciated the feeling.
"Just concentrate on your progress. You have to be a half decades older to worry about me."
"Pfft.. what is that? You sound like you mean it."
"..."
Basil merely shook his head faintly, and looked ahead. His mouth felt bitter. He had just said the truth after all. He wasn''t old, mind you! He was EXPERIENCED!
With that conviction in mind, she apanied Shirley until they arrived at Cobham Manor.
"Uh.. see you at dinner? You are going home, right?"
Shirley looked at Basil nervously. She was unconsciously pulling on his sleeve. In response to this, Basil merely smiled yfully.
"Who knows? I might be home, I might be not."
"Oh.. I see..."
Shirley nodded her head weakly. Disappointment was barely hidden from her tone. She wanted to spend more time with Basil, now that they had started their rtionship anew. Also, she felt something pleasant whenever she was with him. Thus, the disappointment.
At that moment, she felt a warm hand on her head. She looked up and saw the faintly smiling Basil.
"Just focus on your progress. We will find a time to hangout."
"Hm..."
Shirley merely nodded in a daze. Her heart beat strangely, and her body felt weird. She didn''t even know that she was blushing.
,m Basil only looked at her briefly and turned his back on her before quickly disappearing to who knows where. He wanted to get out of there quickly. He knew it. A girl in her puberty phase is dangerous!
''I am too ''experienced'' for this crap!''
Unaware of Basil''s thought, Shirley calmed herself down and got inside the house. She was quickly greeted by the maids inside. She paid them no mind, as she sped herself to someone''s room.
"Brother said to concentrate on my progress. The best way to quicken one''s progress is to obtain knowledge. In this house, where is the ce with the most knowledge? It is no other than Brother''s room that is filled with books! He asked me to wait for him in his room! My, my, how can''t he be honest to himself?"
She giggled to herself upon her muttering. Fortunately or unfortunately, Basil''s thought regarding a girl in her puberty was right. That day, he had just received another headache inducing ordeal.
Sadly, he didn''t know it, yet.
Chapter 25 Ordeals (2)
Basil wasn''t merely running away to a random ce. He was heading somewhere. The ce he was heading was none other than Philosopher Alchemy Store.
He had used up all the hundred gold he had obtained that day on his journey. Therefore, he was nning on replenishing his money.
He was running swiftly, jumping from roof to roof. He didn''t bother to take the normal way. He was no more a normal person¡ªnot in the wrong way.
After some roof jumpingster, he finally reached his destination, but it wasn''t the alchemy store; it was a secluded ce near the slum area of Woster Region. He then gazed in front of him calmly while tapping his foot rhythmically.
"[Fire Bullet]!"
He muttered lowly, while facing his hand behind. Bullets like fire were quickly shot out of his hand, and the target was the direction behind him. The fire bullets spread themselves then hit the walls, leaving a scorch on them.
[Fire Bullet] was the spell that Basil had been supposed to perform on his ss advancement test. However, he didn''t do it, because [Fire Bullet] posed no challenge to him.
Surely, he wasn''t merely ying with Magic just then.
"That was a good reflex. As expected of Umbra Guild."
nk!
Spark!
Two des were shing instantly. Sparks came out of the sh, showing how much power the attack had.
Basil looked at his assant silently. The assant was wearing a ck robe with a hood thatpletely hid his presence. The power behind the attack wasn''t too strong, however the speed was nothing to scoff at.
Surely, that was just Basil''s objective opinion in his current level. He looked at the assant and said calmly, "Not bad for a low-ss assassin. Sadly, people like you are disposable..." He shook his head and continued, "What a shame."
The assant kicked forward and Basil naturally dodged it. Because of that, the assant managed to create a distance between them.
"How did you know of our guild?"
The assant was guarded. He looked at Basil cautiously. He couldn''t afford to lower his guard for even a second. His trained instinct as an assassin was screaming at him. The young man in front of him was dangerous!
He gulped unconsciously when Basil looked at him square in the eyes. Basil put his finger on his mouth in a shushing manner and said, "Mage should never tell his secret."
!!!
nk! nk! nk!
Cold sweat was pouring down on his forehead ceaselessly. In the blink of an eye, Basil disappeared and reappeared in front of him. He was almost caught off guard as the first attack managed to graze his cheek.
Basil merely observed the assant calmly. Middle Stage Orange Core. That was the stage of his assant artificial Core. Basil was still in the Middle Stage Red Core, there was a realm of difference between their power.
However, Basil wasn''t using the defective technique his assant used. Furthermore, Basil nurtured his natural Core, unlike his assant. Therefore, he had no problem to fight against his assant.
Bang!
The assant managed tond a kick on Basil. Of course, the only reason he managed to do that was because Basil decided to fend it, not to dodge it.
The assant took a distance from Basil and observed him in extreme cautiousness. He couldn''t match Basil''s power, luckily he was slightly faster than Basil. Therefore he could stand toe to toe with Basil.
He was assaulted with nervousness which he hadn''t felt for a long time.
''Darn! For all of times, why it has to be now that I picked a wrong mission!?''
He was silently cursing while tightening his grip on his daggers. Basil didn''t pay any attention to him as he was looking at his short sword which had its edge chipped. He shook his head bitterly.
''38 gold for this low quality weapon? Rip off!''
It wasn''t that the short sword was defective. It was his assant''s daggers that were amazing. He naturally knew it, however he felt the need to curse the one who sold the short sword.
He looked at the daggers in his assant''s hands intently yet sneakily.
''I need to get those daggers in my hands.''
As if understanding his gaze, his assant tightened his grip on the de even tighter. At this point, he might have bled his palms from grasping them too tightly.
Boom!
!!!
The assant became alert instantly. It was because he saw the Magic Circle that was floating behind Basil''s head. He didn''t give a crap to any Mage rted matters, however he could understand that the Circle wasn''t normal.
It caused the air to explode after all!
Swish!
He ran away without thinking. The mission was aplete failure. His mission was only supposed to be tailing behind Basil''s back and no more than that.
He wasn''t very good at fighting. He had been counting on his agility and his ability to stay hidden for all these years.
He ran to the best he can. It was the fastest speed he could muster with his meager Body Forging level. However...
Bang!
"Gah!"
He finally let out a sound for the first time. Basil managed to catch up to him, and gave him his greetings by kicking him in the back. The assant was thrown away and sent rolling on the ground due to his running speed.
His mouth was bleeding due to the fall, however his experiences weren''t for naught. He quickly stopped his rolling, and righted himself. The robe was dirty due to the fall, however the hood remained on his head, hiding his face.
"You give me no choice. I will kill you here!"
"Sure."
Basil merely gestured his assant toe. He didn''t underestimate his assant though. He knew the moment he utilized his Circle, his assant stood no chance. It was the advantage of training in both principals.
Although he could win even if he fought his assant with his Knight Techniques only, he wouldn''te out of it unscathed. Given the way to win the fight unscathed, he would obviously choose thetter.
There was no need to test his skill on an assassin whose death didn''t even impact anyone.
The assant dashed toward Basil while channeling every Qi he had to the daggers. The daggers shone in orange light and they were quickly shed at Basil. Every sh was powerful and swift. It was iparable to their first sh.
However, Basil was still calm. He parried all of the attacks meticulously while searching for any gaps in the attack. When he saw one¡ª
[Gale]!
¡ªhe uttered a single spell.
Small whirlwind was shot out of his left hand''s pointer finger. It was a showcase of extreme control over one''s spell. This was what happened if Basil utilized his Circle fully. He could manipte a Spell on a whim!
The assant was too busy attacking him to pay any attention, and that became his demise.
"Huhp!"
His side was struck by the small whirlwind, and he felt like his soul was thrown out of his body. His rib was broken, while he was thrown like a rag to the side.
"Gah!"
He was rolling like a wheel on the ground, however this time, he couldn''t stop himself¡ªhis body felt powerless. By the time his body stopped rolling, he was coughing blood out of his mouth.
He couldn''t even lift his hands, they were broken in the middle of his roll on the ground. The hood was finally off his head, revealing an ordinary face of someone in histe twenties.
No one could imagine that someone like him was an assassin. His face was too ordinary that it looked like the kind guy from next door. Who would expect such a person was an assassin?
Basil walked toward his assant and crouched beside him. He looked squarely at his assant''s eyes, and said calmly, "Nichs?"
The assant widened his eyes. Although he didn''t open his mouth, his reaction was enough for Basil.
Seeing the understanding on Basil''s look, the assantughed soundlessly. His face was full of defeat.
"What is your name?"
"..."
The assant was taken aback by Basil''s sudden question. He stayed silent for a while, before shaking his head and said faintly, "I don''t have a name."
Basil looked at him calmly and said, "If you were to have a name, what would you want it be?" The assant stayed silent for a while before answering, "Ja-Jaden..." He chose that name, because he loved jade.
Basil nodded his head and said, "Good choice." Then, he swung the dagger that was previously wielded by his assant, Jaden, at his neck. "Here lies Jaden, a human. May you rest in peace."
The head was separated from the body. Fresh blood was gushing out of the ce where the head previously belonged to. Jaden''s face was still in a longing expression. He was simply happy that someone had cared to ask for his name.
His eyes slowly losing their light, however his mouth was curled upward a little. He died while smiling faintly.
Basil looked at the face of the one he had beheaded calmly. He might have spent a quite peaceful life in the three weeks after his return. However, he had never forgot the cold reality of the world he was living in.
People died due to their ambition, while the other people died due to someone''s ambition. The scene in front of him was the reality.
Be ignorant, and you will do what people want. Be aware, and you will be aimed by everyone.
Basil had never liked to be ignorant, therefore he had been faced with many ordeals in his past life. And, he was sure it wouldn''t be any different in this life.
"So, you have chosen death, Nichs?"
In this second chance, he would go against the world fiercer than he had ever been.
...
ra, the female assistant of Philosopher Alchemy Store''s Chief in Woster Region was bored out of her mind. She had seen a couple of male customers for the entire week, however none had managed to catch her eyes.
Some of them were pleasant to the eyes, however no one had beenparable to the equally pretty and handsome young man she had met a week ago. She wanted to meet him again badly. Sadly, he didn''te to the store anymore.
Clink.
The bell rang, signifying the entrance of a customer. She sighed lightly and proceeded to put on her professional look.
"Good day, esteemed Customer! What can I help you for..."
She couldn''t finish her words. She was gazing at the customer in a daze.
"Ah.. ah... You..."
She was muttering unintelligibly. She wanted to say a word, however she couldn''t form it easily. It was because the customer in front of her was none other than Basil whom she wanted to meet so bad.
"I want to sell some Catalysts."
Just like his first day ofing here, he said his words calmly. He didn''t give a crap to the woman acting cute in front of him.
''Do you think I, Basil Pacifer, will fall for your trick? Dream on!''
He remained unaware of the situation. Luckily, ra was professional enough to regain herposure. She cleared her throat once and bowed politely.
"Please wait for a moment. I will call the Chief first."
"Hm."
ra was assaulted with a sense of deja vu. The situation was simr to that fateful day where she met her fated person¡ªBasil.
She once again gazed at him furtively. This time, it was Basil who felt a sense of deja vu.
''This woman.. how tenacious! She keeps sending me seductive gaze just like the first day!''
And thus, he received another ordeal that he had unintentionally made.
Chapter 26 Ordeals (End)
"Hm! It is a pleasure to have a business with you! I hope our cooperation would be longsting."
The Chief of Philosopher Alchemy Store in Woster Region, Hanz,ughed cheerfully while shaking Basil''s hand. He couldn''t help it, he was ecstatic!
He had sold ten batch of Crystal Clear Alpha merely in two days. The demand of Crystal Clear Alpha was that high! Even some of the Mages had made a reservation in advance.
He could see it, the bright future! Crystal Clear Alpha would be the Kingdom''s renowned Catalyst. And he, as the first person who sold it, would be sought by many.
Of course, he had to treat Basil with extreme care, so he didn''t sell his product to another store. Thus, the magnanimity.
Basil merely nodded his head and pouched his 500 gold coins. It was an enormous amount of money that a son of a Viscount wouldn''t easily get. However, it was no more than a pocket money to him.
Why would he think so? Because, he knew the location of some dragonirs. Just like everyone had already known, dragonir was filled with all kinds of treasures. He would naturally take it all for himself.
However, that was still in a distant future. If he were to go with his current power, he would be turned into a skeleton with just a breath of a dragon.
Basil exited the store after saying his farewell to Hanz and ra. They had introduced themselves earlier, since they didn''t have the chance to know each others thest time. Both of Hanz and ra were ecstatic for each different reasons.
They were seeing Basil off as if he were their family. When they couldn''t see his back anymore, they muttered at the same time, "I can''t wait to see you again." Surely, both had a different meaning too.
...
Basil was training himself together with Deacon in the nearest Forest within Woster Region. Deacon had already been there when he had arrived, because he had told Deacon to be there by the time he had been summoned by the Teacher Council.
They were training their [Link] which was a technique tomunicate with one''s Beast Companion. Unlike Summoner who had to make a contract with their Summoned Beast, Tamer had to earn the trust of the beast to establish a bond.
The process was more arduous than summoning, however the bond that was established was solid. There had never been an ident where a Beast Companion betrayed its Master, unlike Contracted Beast that could forcefully break the contract and kill its Master.
''Charge!''
With a simple order in his mind, Basil instructed Deacon to charge ahead. The target was a sufficiently big tree. Deacon followed his will and swung his paw to the tree. [Wind des] were produced by the swing, almost bisecting the tree.
Deacon jumped up to the tree and used it as a lever to backflip in the air. Behind him, Basil was ready with Jaden''s Daggers. He channeled his Qi inside the daggers, and they quickly shone red.
Utilizing his Mana, he used his Art Step [Slip] to dash toward the tree. He moved so fast that it looked like he just slipped behind the tree. The light produced by his daggers made a trail in the air.
sh!
He reappeared behind the tree. Then, the tree that was half cut, was bisected horizontally. The tree slowly fell to the ground, while Basil calmly observing it. He shook his head and sighed.
"The transition is not good enough. Need to work on that."
He muttered softly while looking at Deacon. As if understanding him, Deacon had a determined look on his face. Thus, they continued to work on their teamwork until dusk came.
Basil stored his daggers in his Spatial Bracelet he had bought a week ago. The money he had got a week ago had been spent to buy the Spatial Bracelet, ingredients to make Hormonal Rush, and the ''defective'' short sword.
Any Magic rted things were that expensive. It was easy to get rich by simply being a Mage or a Knight. This was also the reason why many people tried to be one. They could change their fate in one night, if they turned out to be talented in Magic.
Nobles were mostly those kind of people. Mage who pursued knowledge, advancement, and true power, never thought wealth and titles were important. It was the reason why there were some people who became a Traveling Mage.
Some of these Traveling Mage became famous for their capability, and some of them became a mystery. However, what certain was the fact that Traveling Mage was by no means average. Each of them were outstanding in their own right.
While riding Deacon, Basil was replenishing the Qi he had spent in the training. Due to the help of Mana Amulet, the recovery rate was awesome. His Mana Heart was also ceaselessly absorbing the surrounding Mana, however he wasn''t cultivating it.
He needed to stay still to cultivate his Mana Heart. [Heart Clenching] was painful to practice. With great paines a great result. That was how [Heart Clenching] worked. Therefore, he needed to stay still, lest something unwanted might ur.
Luckily, [Star Withering] wasn''t anything like that. He could practice it everytime. Even if he didn''t practice it actively, his body kept being forged passively. Although it was amazing, the amount of Qi he needed to advance was simply abnormal.
It was twice than he needed back then in his past life. However, he was guaranteed of being free from bottleneck. Thus, the plus and minus was bnced.
Basil looked in front of him and quirked one of his eyebrows. Standing in front of the manor was a couple of maids, Irene, and Shirley. All of them were tense.
Basil was a little bit puzzled. He didn''t know why they were so tense. He was pretty sure it wasn''t because Deacon who was in his normal appearance.
"Wee back, Young Master."
All of the maids, along with Irene bow their heads and greeted him by the time he got down from Deacon. When the maids saw Deacon who stood behind Basil while keeping his original size, their faces went rigid.
None of them had treated Basil like how they should have treat a proper Viscount''s son. It wasn''t because they had any grudge against him or something. They were merely following the order of their Master. It was do or die.
They weren''t dare enough to defy the Master''s order as what Irene had been doing for all of the time. Therefore, when they heard Basil''s blooming ability in Magic, they were afraid to lose their lives. Lives of ordinary people are nothing in front of a Mage.
Although there was aw created to protect them, as long as it wasn''t a massacre, no one would punish a Mage for killing their servant. Furthermore, they were sure that the Master wouldn''t defend them even if what they did was his order.
Luckily, their worry was unfounded as Basil ignored thempletely.
"What are you doing outside here?"
Basil merely nodded at Irene to reply her greetings and asked her. Irene was unusually tense at that moment. He couldn''t help but wonder.
"That is..."
"Brother."
Suddenly, Shirley who was standing beside Irene pulled on his sleeve. She had a distressed expression on her face, and was close to tears.
"Father is.. He is... You..."
She couldn''t form a sentence properly, she was afraid she couldn''t hold the lump in her mouth and burst in tears. Basil patted her head and looked at Irene. A knowing smile adorned his face.
Irene who saw that smile, felt her eyes getting hotter and bowed her head deeply. Basil let his hand off Shirley''s head and got inside the house with Deacon in his original appearance. Depending on the person, it could be considered as a deration of war.
Irene, Shirley, and the other maids followed him silently. None of them told him to where he should go, however Basil seemed to know where he should head himself¡ªdining room.
There, sat two people. Each of them had an unreadable expression on their face, and a strange glint in their eyes. When he arrived they instantly looked at him, expecting him to greet them. However, he merely smiled condescendingly.
Their face contorted for a second before returning back to the unreadable expression.
"Take a seat, Basil. You too, Shirley, my dear."
Nichs spoke softly. He had never spoken that way toward Basil before, however Basil had no reaction to it. He merely sat himself on the chair with Deacon standing behind him observing the room like a bodyguard.
"I know you treasure your pet, however let us have a dinner among ourselves tonight."
Nichs said while gesturing at Deacon.
"Pet?" Basil was unamused as he chuckled humorlessly. "He can take everyone''s head and leave only two of us alive right now. Pet shall not be dangerous."
Nichs frowned at his not so subtle threat. He didn''t care about the maids, he was unamused by the fact that his daughter and wife were included.
"Even more a reason to keep him away from this dinner."
"If you do not want me to have a dinner with you, you can just say it like a man."
"What did you...?!"
Nichs was close to lose himself. He was trying his best to be civil, however Basil kept getting on his nerves.
"Huuh..." He calmed himself down and spoke once again, "Fine. Let us just have a dinner."
Basil didn''t pay him any attention as he was already moving foods into his te. He was calm as usual. Only the people around were tense, especially Shirley. She kept looking at him and Nichs alternatingly.
"I have heard of your endeavor from the academy. I am amazed by it."
Nichs spoke once again after they started the dinner.
? "However, your showcase of power was done wrongly. You have injured someone you should not touch."
"Earl Woster has been a great support of our family''s business. Because of him, our business could expand to many other ces. Although it was in a duel, by injuring his son, you have created an awkward situation for us."
Thest one was Catherine. Although she said it calmly, there was a hint of glee in her tone. Basil looked at her in amusement. In response, she merely hid her smile behind her hand.
''You should have epted my offer this morning.''
She wasughing in her mind. Her eyes glinted while she was looking at Basil daringly. However ¡ª
"Business, huh?"
¡ª she instantly went rigid with just one word from him.
She didn''t casually open her mouth. Nichs who saw this took it as something else.
"It seems that a little growth in power gets to your head. How dare you to disrespect your mother?!"
He scolded Basil harshly. He had poured out his pent up emotion into that sentence earlier.
"So, what is the purpose of tonight''s dinner?"
"I have decided to have you live independently as a punishment. This is ourst dinner together."
nk!
Shirley let go of her spoon. It fell on top of her te and created a noise. Irene who had been rigid since earlier, felt her feet turned jelly. She had known that the Master was up to something however she didn''t expect this to happen.
To let Basil live in Independence was the same as banishing him. She couldn''t say anything. She loved Basil, however she couldn''t defend him right then. Even if she was a Chief-maid, she was no more than a servant.
In front of all these, Basil merely took a sip from his ss, and stood up graciously.
"Myst dinner with you? Splendid! Let us end it here."
He didn''t finish his food, nor he did he finish his drink; he didn''t want to. Giving these disgusting people to have ast dinner with him, Basil Pacifer? They weren''t worthy!
''Nichs, Catherine, this Lord hopes you will get used to the life in Hell.''
That day, the Cobham family had just released a lion from its cage. They thought that they had given Basil a great ordeal. However, the truth was they had just led themselves to their own demise.
Chapter 27 Fortescher County
Everyone was stunned into silence. All of them were baffled of Basil''s quick decision. He didn''t even defend himself, nor did he show any indignation about it; he merely epted it.
Nichs was petty, however he wasn''t stupid enough to ignore such quick a response from Basil. While he was thinking of what was Basil scheming, Irene and Shirley were worried that Basil had just made a haste decision out of his indignation.
"Very well. I will give you the money enough to afford an inn."
Atst, Nichs broke the silence. Basil didn''t even give him a nce as he moved away from the dinner table. He was going to pack his things up.
"I do not need any money from you. I have been doing fine without your support for all of these years."
"This brat...!"
After a quick jab at Nichs, Basil, with Deacon in tow, left the dining room. Nichs was fuming. His face was red, however he tried his best to calm himself down.
''It is not good to lose control here. Shirley''s expression is not good either.''
He frowned when he looked at Shirley. She had been acting strange since he had announced he would punish Basil for his action in the afternoon¡ªshe was agitated.
Not long after, she stood abruptly from her seat, surprising her parents. Then, she ran away from the dining room and went to chase Basil.
"I will take care of Young Mistress."
Irene bowed her head and said in a shaky voice. Both Nichs and Catherine were baffled.
What the heck just happened?
It could be seen on their faces. They could understand Irene. However, they didn''t get it with Shirley. To think Shirley would take an interest in Basil, it even surpassed their wildest imagination.
Sadly, they were parents who barely knew their own daughter. Therefore, they just ate silently while the maids were observing them awkwardly.
Nichs'' mind had already spinning at miles an hour. He had nned to provide Basil the ce to stay so he could nt some supervision on Basil.
However, now that Basil had refused his money, he didn''t have any reason to force him to stay in his chosen ce. He knew if he did that, Basil would figure out that something was wrong. He didn''t want to just get rid of Basil, he wanted to y it beautifully.
He merely gritted his teeth, then in the next moment his Spatial Bracelet shed for a second. Quickly, a Crystal Orb appeared in his hand. It was no other than a Communication Orb. He quickly channeled his Mana inside it.
The orb shone for a brief second before he saw a blurry image reflected inside it. Without minding the rather suspicious disy of the other party, he quickly opened his mouth.
"Tail behind him."
A cold instruction came out of his mouth. He didn''t even hide it from Catherine, since he was sure Catherine wouldn''t know the meaning.
Unfortunately, Catherine, too, was having an iprehensible glint in her eyes.
If only he knew.
....
"Young Master... I am sorry, I couldn''t stop the Lord."
Irene bowed deeply to Basil who was sorting his thing in his room. Deacon was back into his small form and sat calmly on the bed. Basil merely stopped his moving hands for a moment before resuming what he was doing.
"I have gained my freedom today. Why do you have to be sorry?"
He asked her calmly with a small smile hanging on his face. Irene raised her head and felt her eyes getting hotter by the second.
She knew it. Her Young Master truly felt free. She could only imagine how hard it must have been all this time for her Young Master to endure. She wanted to be happy for his sake too.
However, she couldn''t just let him go. She had a feeling that if she were to let him go, she wouldn''t be able to see him anymore. It was instinctual, however if Basil heard it, he couldn''t refute that either. He really had no n to return here.
"Brother, I... I am sorry. It must have been because of me..."
This time, it was Shirley''s turn. She was already tearing up. She kept swiping the tears in her eyes but to no avail. Everytime she looked at Basil who was packing, her eyes quickly got wet once again.
Storing away his packed things, which weren''t much, to his Spatial Bracelet, he looked calmly at the bawling duo. His heart felt warmth. Their feelings over him were sincere; there was no deception in their expression.
"Birds throw their child from the tree to teach them how to fly. I am not a bird, therefore this is no act of throwing. I am but a caged lion. Today, being freed from my cage, I am ready to explore the world and grow my wings. Is that a bad thing?"
Silence greeted him for a while. Irene and Shirley were looking intensely at him. He received their gaze calmly. Then finally, the silence was broken.
"Lion do not have wings..." Shirley muttered softly. Basil calmly replied, "They do. They even have an eagle beak." Shirley looked at him nkly, and said in a t tone, "That is a Griffin, Brother."
In a nonchnt manner, Basil said, "They are all the same anyway. No one can refute that Griffin is a lion."
The reaction was instantaneous. Both Irene and Shirley were twitching their mouths. Shirley was about to tell him the fundamental differences between lion and Griffin, when she felt a hand on her head.
She lost the urge to say anything as she merely enjoyed the warmth the hand conveyed.
"Worrying over me is not something you can ever do. There is a gap of over half a century between us. You will always be a half century younger than me."
He said the truth without people knowing that as a truth. Shirley merely closed her eyes as tears streamed down her face. Irene who was looking at the scene felt an indescribable feeling in her heart.
''Poor siblings. Their rtionship was ruined by their parents. Just when they had mended the broken rtionship, their parents once again try to ruin it.''
She was feeling warm and sad at the same time. There was also slight resentment toward Nichs¡ªit was indescribable¡ªso in the end, she merely sighed.
Quickly, they were already outside seeing Basil off. Irene was assaulted by a sense of deja vu. She had seen the scene before. The scene where Basil was wearing a ck clothing with Infiltration Robe toplement them.
The night was dark, and even if he was still in front of them, it felt like he had been entirely engulfed by the darkness. It felt like yesterday that her Young Master got on his trip. Now, she was seeing him leaving the house for possibly an eternity.
Her eyes felt hot. She knew finally what a mother felt when she sent her son to a battlefield or Obelisk Subjugation. Although, she believed her Young Master wouldn''t lose his life, the probability of him noting back was high.
Suddenly, she felt someone hugged her body warmly. It was a sturdy body that a normal Mage would never have in their life. She hugged the body of Basil tightly as if afraid to let go.
"I pray for your well being. May my blessings always apany you."
She let go of him and kissed his forehead. He knew what she was about to do in prior, therefore he had lowered his head in advance.
Shirley who had seen it for the first time was taken aback. A noble and their servant weren''t supposed to be that close. However, when she thought of how they had treated Basil over the years, she lowered her head in shame.
She had been loved for her entire life. However, how about Basil? He got none. A child would naturally seek attention and love, she knew it, as she had been so.
She felt a lump in her throat. She thought she could finally clear her guilt, however she couldn''t now that she had finally realized the depth of the matter.
"Concentrate on your improvement. A child has no obligation to think ofplicated matters."
She felt a hand patting her head gently. She looked up at Basil with teary eyes and nodded in determination. Normally, she would refute by saying she wasn''t a child. However, only for that day, she didn''t want to refute it.
Her determined face was as cute as it wasical. Basil had a small yet pleasant smile adorning his face. To say he didn''t regret ignoring all her attempts to mend their broken rtionship in the past was an utter lie.
He regretted it. However, he had no more of that regret. Things were getting better between them. Almost too good if he had to say. Naturally, he couldn''t treat her as someone with an equal standing.
In front of his eyes, young girls like her were no more than a daughter if he had had one. He shook his head at that thought and let his hand off her head.
"Take care of her for me, Irene."
"I will, Young Master."
He didn''t say a farewell directly, however they knew of his meaning. When he turned around and putting his hood on, together with Deacon hiding in his hood, the night quickly engulfed them. They lost his sight and presence instantly.
However, none of them moved. They were still looking at the direction Basil had just disappeared as if hoping he would return. They put their hands on their chest. They knew instinctively that they wouldn''t meet him in a quite some time.
Their guess was proven to be true.
...
Basil was moving in his top speed. He hadn''t been really eating at the dinner, he had been replenishing his energy for this moment. Surely, he had already known this thing would happen.
"I feel six presence, two of them are quite skilled."
He muttered under his breath while running. The six people could follow him with no problem so far. However, he was merely running without any Movement Technique or Step Art.
He scanned his surrounding quickly. There were many trees, as he had intentionally chosen the Forest route so he could weed out pest like them.
"It would be a tough fight. However, what makes human scary is not their power. It is their ability to think."
He propelled himself toward a tree and used the bark to climb on top. Two of the people quickly followed him so they didn''t lose his track. Basil was naturally aware of them. He had intentionally lured them.
Quickly jumping from tree to tree like a Ninja, he chose the hardest route to maneuver. The two people showed some signs of being overwhelmed, and it was enough for him.
He turned his body abruptly at the time the two people least expected, and propelled himself toward them. The two people were extremely bewildered as they were focusing on their tree jumping.
Quickly using their experience to bebat ready at any situation, they took each of their weapon. One of them was using a needle like dagger, while the other was using a well crafted short sword.
Basil took on the dagger wielder first. He knew what that dagger could do. It could inject a poison that was troublesome to neutralize. Although he could still defeat them while poisoned, he would be caught by the other four by then.
nk!
The sh quickly started. All of them had used their Qi to their weapon right off the bat. Every one of them was determined to finish their targets.
Swish!
Basil dodged an attack from the other assassin. All of it happened in a moment while they were still in the air. They quickly searched a stepping ground while they distanced themselves. However, when they stepped on a branch ¡ª
Crack!
"!!!"
¡ªthey instantly fell of the tree.
Basil wasn''t the culprit, he had the small and ck Deacon to do that. The power of his wind de in his small form wasn''t enough to cut a bark, however it was more than enough to cut a mere branch.
Basil quickly took this chance and charged at the two people.
[Drill]!
He muttered a name of an Art. It was an Art that was usable for Battle Mage at any stage. By engulfing one''s body in [Gale] the body would spin like a drill. Basil used this Art to attack the assassin.
They went rigid. To dodge the attack while mid-air was close to a dream. Therefore, they used all of their Qi to reinforce their body. Their muscles tightened to the point of breaking.
However¡ª
Swish!
¡ªBasil merely passed by them while spinning himself like a tornado.
They couldn''t understand the situation. It was absurd! One moment he spun like a drill, and one moment he spun like a tornado. How was that even possible!
However, they couldn''t think any more than that. Their head reached the ground even before their bodies. Blood was gushing out from the ce where the head had belonged to.
Basil didn''t even nce at the dead bodies for a second. He went South, then quickly utilized [Slip] and [Feather Step]. His Ultimate Circle was now visible to the eyes. He was traveling in his top speed while utilizing his Qi and Mana.
The destination was Fortescher County.
Chapter 28 Fortescher County (End)
Basil kept running in his top speed. Due to the inability to hide his presence while utilizing his Circle, he traveled with an insane speed along with choosing a difficult route.
He had traveled to many ces in his past life, naturally he knew many routes to Fortescher County like the back of his hand. He knew the terrain well, and even the ces people hadn''t found out yet.
Therefore, being chased by people who could take his life, he naturally had many ways to remove them. There is strength in number, however there is no guarantee number means unity. Therefore, whenever he was ganged up, Basil would take care of his enemies separately.
Basil stopped running as he had used up all of his Mana and Qi. He needed to rest himself and recuperate. Recovering his exhausted Mana and Qi was easy, however it wasn''t the case with relieving the strain on his body.
He sat himself down near a boulder. He had fully hidden his presence from the assassins, and also chose a spot that couldn''t be seen easily. It was easy to hide from them.
The reason why he didn''t just hide himself and wait untill the assassins gone was because he wanted to obtain something in Fortescher County. If he were to be idle, he would lose the item to another person.
He didn''t want that! Therefore, he chose to remove them one by one. Basil quickly practiced [Star Withering] and [Heart Clenching] at the same time. Practicing them at the same time was hard, however it was easy for people who were used to multitask like him.
Grit!
Basil clenched his jaw tightly. [Heart Clenching] was starting to take an effect. The pain it brought was less than the first time, however it still hurt. Aided by his abnormal vitality and Mana Heart, after some time, his body along with the Qi and Mana was replenished quickly.
Mana Amulet was proven to be very useful. Basil didn''t have to bother himself gathering the Mana surrounding him, it had already done that for him.
Normally, a Mana Heart was cultivated with raw Mana from the nature. However, Basil chose to cultivate his with Mana that was imbued with Star Energy. The result was superb.
Thirty minutes was all he needed to recuperate. His body, Qi and Mana had fully recovered. Utilizing his Circle and pulling up his Qi, he once again announced his presence to the assassins.
...
The remaining four people were alert. They had split themselves when they had felt that the presence''s direction became vague. None of them had expected that the vague presence would be felt clearly once again.
Cold sweat ran down their face. The presence didn''t reappear. They still could feel the vague presence. The presence became two.
Gulp.
They had been tricked. Naturally, the vague presence was Deacon who was running separately from him. Deacon was a magical beast, surely he could run faster than mere low-ss assassin.
Basil had rubbed some of his Mana signature around Deacon. Of course, it was all just a figurative speech. It meant, Basil merely enveloped him with the Mana from his heart.
Mana couldn''t disperse immediately, it took time for it to disperse. Just like Gorgophone said, once you used Mana you would leave a part of you into it. Therefore, the assassins had mistakened Deacon as his vague presence.
Who was he to joke? Vague presence? Ridiculous! He could make himself as if never existed to them. Having a vague presence to one''s enemy showed one''sck of skills. Basil had none! He didn''tck the skill, hecked the power.
Two out of the tree assassin quickly moved their way to the strongest presence could be felt. On the other side, the other assassin duo also moved toward the strongest presence.
Little did they know, the earlier vague presence followed behind their backs. However, none of them felt concerned.
It is a decoy anyway.
All of them were sure about that. However, Man is no stranger to mistake. Which means, they make mistake often.
Swish!
Squelch!
Two things happened in the blink of an eye. The first thing was an extremely fast something tearing the wind, the second was a dagger stabbing one of the two assassins.
!!!
The remaining one was startled and stopped running. He looked at his surrounding, which was very idiotic for him to do. He heard a faint rustle, and he quickly turned his head facing that direction.
However, what he met was a squirrel. He spread his awareness. He was on high alert. He approached his fellow assassin''s body and looked at the dagger. His heart instantly went cold. It was the Umbra Guild special dagger, given to only assassins.
Is there a betrayer?!
His mind was in a disarray. Fear and rage was mixed into one. At that moment, another faint rustle was heard. He quickly turned his head toward the direction once more, however he saw nothing.
Suddenly, a powerful hand wrapped around his mouth. His neck was left opened, prone to attacks. The assant did just that, as they slit his throat in a swift manner.
Slit!
Burst!
Blood was bursting out of his slit throat. It was hurt, however he couldn''t scream. He was chocking on his own blood, however he couldn''t spit it out out. His lungs were filled with blood, however he couldn''t cough it out.
He had slit many people''s throats before, however he didn''t know that it was this hurtful. He was no stranger to pain, however facing death was his first andst.
The face hidden under the hood was filled with pure horror. Blood flowed out of his nose, running down the hand of his assant. The assant paid it no mind as they twisted his head, separating it from the bodypletely.
The blood sshed onto the assant''s face. As if on cue, the moonlight shone down on his face. It revealed the identity of the assant. An equally handsome and pretty young man, with a cold face and equally cold eyes.
He shook the blood in his hand and wiped his blood tainted cheek.
"Nasty."
He muttered in annoyance. The identity of the young man was none other than Basil. Turned out, he was the vague presence. It meant the other presence being Deacon.
How could his presence became vague? The answer was simple, it was because he didn''t hide it since the beginning. His control over his power was so amazing that idiots couldn''t know he wasn''t hiding!
How did his presence in Deacon became stronger? Simple! Deacon had just used his Mana that had been tainted with Basil''s for the first time. He couldn''t control his as good as Basil. Thus, the presence became stronger.
As a clean freak, Basil couldn''t stand being dirty for too long. Therefore, he conjured a water with his Mana and cleaned himself first, before heading to the other assassin duo.
...
By the time they arrived, the assassin duo were perplexed. All they could see was a Saberwolf sleeping in front of a tree.
What the heck just happened?
Bewilderment was in on their face. How could they not? They had chased the presence in vain! Amongst the six, they were the strongest. They hadn''t expected to be tricked this badly.
However! They had experience, they couldn''t just lower their guard. They searched for their surrounding, looking for trap. They found none. They headed toward a different direction to search more thoroughly.
No matter how good a squirrel can jump, it will someday fall. No matter how good a assassin at killing people, they will someday be killed.
nk!
One of the two assassins met Basil in his way to look for trap. He didn''t expect that he would meet the one he was chasing there. He was taken aback by the precise and abrupt attack as it managed to injure his arm.
sh! sh! sh!
Their weapons danced beautifully. One was shining in red, the other was shining in bright orange. The assassin was frustrated, he couldn''tnd a proper hit on Basil. They were in a stalemate.
Basil calmly observed his fight, and shook his head inwardly. His skills didn''t get rusty, he merelycked the power. To fight a Peak Stage Orange Core in a stalemate was already amazing for the current him.
However, he wasn''t merely a Knight. He was also a Mage.
[Gale]!
He muttered a Spell and a whirlwind quickly surrounded him and the assassin.
"Aura?!"
The assassin was bewildered at Basil''s showcase of power. He didn''t quite know whether Basil was a Knight or Mage. By judging his fighting style however, he had been sure Basil was a Knight. Sadly, he had been wrong.
Basil didn''t clear up the misunderstanding. He merely reinforced his body while using the Gale he had produced to his utmost advantage. Domain was owned by a Sixth-Circled Mage and above. However, he currently looked like he had one.
nk!
sh!
Swish!
Ssh!
The assassin was quickly overwhelmed. Basil who was aided by the Gale looked like a ghost to him. The movement was so fast and sharp. He couldn''t even dodge as he was injured constantly by Basil. Already, his blood smeared the ground.
Bang!
Cough!
He coughed a mouthful of blood when Basil kicked his chest. The fight took longer than he had thought, so Basil was irked. Then, the assassin fell down, he didn''t think much of it as he merely wrapped his foot with Gale and stomped down on the chest.
Ssh!
The ground was colored in red. The chest that had been stomped on was caved downward. Some red mush was spread on the ground, painting it gruesomely. Basil didn''t care about that.
He had no remorse for killing someone who wanted to kill him. It was all fair. They died doing their job, he killed them saving his life. He gave them no honor to be remembered either, he could feel the death aura surrounding them.
Unlike Jaden, they had killed many people. Therefore, he didn''t give them an honor to be remembered. They didn''t worth it.
Kicking the ground, he quickly moved toward the direction of the other assassin. Once he arrived there, Deacon was already fighting the assassin. He held up his ground quite well, however Basil could see many scars littered his body.
Deacon was ecstatic though. He was sure the past him wouldn''t be able to hold on for long against the man in front of him. However, when he chose to follow his Master, his fate changed. The potion his Master gave was superb. He had already be stronger.
Fall back.
An instruction was heard in his head. Quickly following his Master''s will, he retreated himself. The man in front of him naturally charged at him, however ¡ª
nk!
sh!
Ssh!
¡ª his Master was already there.
He looked smugly at the man he had just fought. In a brief exchange, his Master managed to injure the man he had a hard time fighting with.
Behold, the power of my Master!
He was ecstatic to see what the man fighting against his Master would end like. Naturally, his Master didn''t disappoint him.
[Drill]!
,m An Art was applied to the daggers Basil were wielding. The wind around it spun like a drill with a sharp point. He charged at his opponent again. Everytime his opponent took on his attack, the dagger would would be twisted to the wrong way, making it hard to control.
This was his variation in using [Drill]. It wasn''t limited to the body only. He could apply it to anywhere he wanted. However, to do that, a fine control over one''s Mana was needed. Therefore, not many people could do it.
Basil who had the capability and experience to do it was an exception amongst exceptions.
When the fight gets too hard, people tend to surrender. The assassin did just that. Basil didn''t use any fancy Spell or anything to defeat him. Only a simple art and skill.
Boom!
Basil''s dagger pierced the assassin''s chest. However, due to [Drill], it didn''t end as merely being pierced. The chest waspletely blown away, leaving a hole enough for a person''s head to fit in.
Cough!
The assassin knew he couldn''t win since the beginning. Therefore, he didn''t reinforce his body or use his Qi before Basil pierced his neck. He didn''t want a painful death.
If I were going to die, better to make it quick.
A very simple thought, and his wish was granted. He only felt a pain at the beginning, before it was all blown away together with his chest. He felt his chest cleared, both figuratively and literally.
Thud!
The body of the assassin fell to the ground lifelessly. Basil merely nced at it for a brief moment before shamelessly stowing away the assassin''s weapon to his Spatial Bracelet, just like what he had done to the other assassin.
He had no choice! He had no eptable weapon. He would naturally break many weapons if he were to fight with his life on the line in the future.
"No need to justify your reason, Darling. The loser''s things, belonged to the victor."
"Hm."
Basil merely nodded his head sagely at Vagus'' words. For once, he agreed with Vagus. He quickly looked back and was met with Deacon''s eager face. He exhaled lightly and jumped on top of Deacon. He was going to resume his disturbed journey.
Just like that while recovering themselves on the way, five days passed, and finally they arrived at Fortescher County.
Chapter 29 Waking Up Late Lets Chicken Peck Your Fortune
Fortescher County was located in the territory of another Duke, different from where Woster County located. Woster County was reigned under Duke Crownveil, while Fortescher County was reigned under Duke Carlenze.
Both Dukes had a great rtionship, however policy was policy. There was a need to put a border between the two Dukedom. Therefore, as the outer part of Crownveil Dukedom, Fortescher County was given the honor to supervise the border territory.
It was for this reason, there was always a full check before entering Fortescher County. Although the inspection of Fortescher guard toward people from Crownveil Dukedom was ratherx, it wasn''t to the point of letting anyone in.
Basil got down from Deacon a few hundred meters away from the gate. Deacon quickly transformed into his small form and hopped on Basil''s shoulder. He wasn''t wearing his Academy Uniform anymore.
He had bought a couple of high quality clothes on the way to Fortescher County. They were consisted of white cotton shirt, ck suit vest, white knee length coat, and white pants toplement them.
All of the clothes he bought were of high quality and durable. They didn''t restrict his movements too, therefore they were also suited forbat.
With Deacon on his shoulder, Basil skipped toward the gate that was already full of people lining. He naturally didn''t join the line as he dashed toward another gate that was closed. At least, that was how it seemed.
"The line is over there, sir."
By the time he arrived in front of the gate, the guards stopped him and told him in a polite manner. Their courtesy wasn''t only due to Basil''s little disy of skill, but also due to his attire. They couldn''t mess with anyone who dressed that way.
Luckily, they made the correct decision. Without any words, Basil took out an insignia from his Spatial Bracelet. The insignia had three pair of white wings positioned like triangle, the background was blue. It was no other than Cobham Family''s insignia.
"Basil Cobham."
There was a distaste evident in his tone when he said that. He couldn''t help it, before he amassed quite a power, his standing as a Pacifer was no more than amoner.
The guards were startled when they saw the insignia, they knew every nobles from Crownveil Dukedom. There was a year of training to remember all of them. Therefore, when they heard Basil''s tone, they misunderstood it.
"I am sorry, Sir! Pardon me from my rudeness." He said in the most polite tone, while bowing his head deeply. Basil lightly frowned and waved his hand. "I just had a bad day. You did nothing wrong," replied him calmly.
"Thank you for your benevolence."
The guard bowed once again. He was a captain guard, however he had bowed to a son of a noble twice that day. For people like him, who knew no way to develop themselves, money and titles were everything.
Therefore, when Basil took out a pouch filled with 20 gold coins and gave it to him ¡ª
"I did note here, and no one knows of my whereabouts."
"Yes, Sir! Leave it to me!"
¡ª he didn''t hesitate to take it.
He had done this quite a lot. There were many children from noble families traveled without notifying their parents. Their purpose was no other than letting lose, and having fun. It was an unsaid fact that many noble men impregnatedmoners here and there.
"Have a good time, Sir."
Naturally, the guard thought Basil as the same. It was instinctual. Basil had the stature, and the appearance that even attracted men. He considered Basil as a yer.
Basil didn''t even nce at the guard, he merely passed the opened gate. He was disgusted by people like that. Pride is something one has to know when to show, and when to throw. However, honor must be kept until the end.
By the time Basil entered the gate, he instantly attracted many people''s eyes. There were some who stopped, and there were also people who kept bumping to another people.
They were distracted by two facts. First, his attire was that of a noble. Noble didn''t casually travel on foot. They usually used a luxurious carriage to travel.
Second, his appearance. An equally handsome and pretty face. He attracted both genders! Themoner girls were already in a daze looking at him, while the men were having aplicated expression on their faces.
Paying them no attention, Basil strolled around the street. He was currently in Raneil Barony, which was located on the outer part of Fortescher County.
Although each rank of Noble had their own territory, they purposefully grouped themselves together. A Baron followed a Viscount, a Viscount followed an Earl, an Earl followed a Marquess, and so on. It was done to ensure their safety.
Every Mage or Knight who became a noble was guaranteed to have their growth stopped. They simply became too busy organizing their territory. It was a different story if they had good subordinates though.
However, they wouldn''t be willing letting a mere subordinate reigning over their territory, that they had painstakingly earned. By allying themselves, they didn''t have to be afraid of being attacked by unwanted parties.
It was for this reason that each territory of a noble had the same general policy as that of a higher rank noble''s.
Basil stopped in front of a well built inn. By seeing the amount of customers, and the less rowdy atmosphere, one could deduce the inn was new or not very popr with the people.
Basil purposefully chose this inn over a luxurious inn because of a memory he had in this inn in the past.
Jingle!
When he entered the inn, the doorbell chimed pleasantly. The chime was extremely familiar to him as it brought a sense of nostalgia. He looked at the counter, and he could see a fit middle-aged man looking at him quietly.
The man had a fairplexion, however he seemed to like staring at the void¡ªhis gaze was empty.
Basil merely smiled bitterly. ''So, it has already happened.''
He approached the man and tapped on the counter rhythmically twice. The man gave no immediate reaction as his mind was still to be somewhere else. However, in the next moment, his eyes widened in surprise.
He looked at Basil with an iprehensible glint in his eyes. "How did you know that rhythm?!" He asked while unconsciously taking Basil''s hand in his hands.
Basil didn''t give any reaction or whatsoever. He merely smiled faintly. He knew the man in front of him, therefore he let the man touch his hand like that. If he were to be anyone else, his head would have been rolling on the ground.
"A good gentleman taught me that someday."
"You.. you have.."
The man unconsciously held Basil''s hand close and brought it to his face. He was already tearing up silently. Basil was not a very emotional person normally. However, he showed a sign of being an emotional being currently.
He rubbed the man''s back softly tofort him. He looked at the man with a forlorn gaze. The man was Danzel, the owner of Familia Inn. This man had helped Basil so much in his past life.
They had been a close friend. Basil had even personally led his funeral in the past. He had known many things about this man, and this man had also heard many of his ramblings as an inexperienced young man in the past.
Compared to the time he had met him in the past, the man was so different. He had been so amicable and bright when he had met him. However, it wasn''t so right then. The man was so fragile.
"You have met myte son. You have met myte son..."
He kept muttering forlornly. One could feel the sorrow, happiness, and pride in his tone. His son, James had gone to an expedition a month ago. Sadly, in the way, they were ambushed by a horde of monsters.
James saved some of hisrade''s lives by sacrificing himself. Hisrades managed to survive, and they were very grateful to him. However, what kind of parents would be happy of weing their son''s lifeless body home?
Danzel was proud of his son, however he was extremely sad his son was not alive anymore. Therades his son had saved didn''t even visit him except for once. Meeting Basil who seemed to know James¡ªhe was simply happy.
...
Basil and Danzel were having a tea in the guest room silently. Danzel kept looking at Basil with a dazed look and sometimes bafflement. He felt extremely familiar with the boy!
Click.
Danzel put down his tea cup, and said carefully, "I am sorry with my disy earlier." He bowed and observed Basil carefully, "I hope I didn''t offend you with my earlier behaviour." Only then did he notice Basil''s noble like attire.
Basil also put down his tea and smiled faintly. "I have heard that Familia Inn had a very amicable owner. However, I can only see blues in hisplexion right now."
Danzel smiled weakly. "What kind of parents would feel happy of their children''s untimely death?" He looked at Basil carefully as if to ask for permission to continue.
Basil nodded his head and took off his coat. With an amicable smile, he said, "Let''s have a chat, Sir Danzel. I am Basil. Pleased to meet you."
"Just call me Danzel, please!"
"Very well. Treat me just the same as you treat the other people too, please!"
Danzel feltfortable and ufortable at the same time. It was a very conflicting feeling indeed. How could he not? He had never met such a benevolent noble before. All of them behaved like an arse.
However, Basil was different. He didn''t even say hisst name to unt his title as a noble. He didn''t need that, the way he carried himself was enough for one to deduce that.
Therefore, being called with such respective tone from him, made Danzel felt ufortable. However, the extremely familiar vibe Basil gave Danzel extremely baffled him.
"Kuhum... May I know whether you know my son?"
"I have met James, however I didn''t know him much."
Basil lied about two things. First, he had never met James. Second, he knew many things about James from Danzel''s story in the past.
"May I know your rtionship with him?"
"We were no more than a stranger who met each other by a coincidence. We journeyed together for a few weeks and naturally spoke a lot of things."
"I see... What do you think of my son?"
At this, Basil calmly answered while smiling softly, "He has a great father. Naturally, he was just as great as his father."
"Thank you..."
Danzel bowed his head and tearing up once again. He got the answer he wanted. His son had been a great man! When he calmed down, Danzel once again opened his mouth.
"Was my son the one who rmended this inn to you?"
"Yes, he was."
"That brat had exaggerated many things about my inn that some people were left disappointed."
"I don''t think so. Your inn is just as great as what he said."
Danzel smiled at the warmth he could feel from Basil. It wasn''t an act. Basil was sincere in his praise.
"You see, my son had been a very yful boy since he was a little kid. Whenever he came home, he had always tapped the door with that rhythm. He had kept doing that when I built my own inn by tapping the counter."
He stopped and took a deep breath. He looked at Basil with a smile and said, "That''s why, when I saw you did that, you reminded me of him very much."
"I am sorry if I somehow offended you." Basil bowed his head, however Danzel frantically shook his hands. "No, no, no. You didn''t offend me for a little bit. Please, raise your head!"
Basil raised his head, and looked at Danzel calmly. "It was just... It feels like I am weing him home." A forlorn smile adorned Danzel''s face.
Basil raised his lips upwards faintly, and said warmly, "I am home, Pops."
"Wee back, Son." Danzel, who was still absentminded, replied him reflexively.
Chapter 30 Waking Up Late Lets Chicken Peck Your Fortune (2)
Danzel opened his eyes wide. He felt extremely familiar with Basil''s tone that he replied him unconsciously. It felt like he had done that many times already. It just felt right.
"James was a good friend of mine. Naturally, his father is also my father. I am sorry if I have somehow crossed the line."
Basil bowed his head apologetically. He really meant it. He had buried Danzel''s body in the past. He had missed the moment they had spentughing together. It just came out unintentionally.
He was aware that he couldn''t act that close to the newly met Danzel. However, Danzel was a bit different.
"No, it''s alright. I was just surprised. I kinda like that.. since it feels extremely familiar."
"Ah, I have heard James called you that way too. Is that the reason?"
"...I guess."
Danzel couldn''t answer it easily. It was true that James had also called him that way. However, Basil had a unique feeling on him that was extremely familiar to him.
He threw the thought at the back of his head. Then, he looked at Basil as if realizing something. "Oh my! How could I forget to take you to your room?!" He bowed briefly, then continued, "Follow me, you must be tired!"
Basil merely nodded his head with a small smile. He draped his coat over his shoulders, and followed Danzel''s lead silently. Deacon was walking beside him.
"I''ve been curious since I saw him. Is he your pet?"
"He is my Beast Companion."
"Oh! I''ve heard about that from James. He had wanted one too."
James had been a Knight. He wasn''t an outstanding Knight, however he had the dedication to be one. They talked about trivial things until they reached the room Basil would stay.
The room wasn''t rented to costumers. It was bigger than the other rooms, and the inside was cozy. It gave off a homey feeling. It was also the same room Basil had stayed in the past.
"It is the best room my inn has. It belonged to James''... I hope you don''t mind?"
"Of course, I do not mind! I can not thank you enough for treating with the utmost courtesy, Mr. Danzel."
Basil bowed his head, however Danzel frowned a little than waved his hand. "Eyy.. what''s with that politeness? You''re my son too, aren''t you?" Danzel felt weird once again. He felt like he had said that too before!
"Of course. Even if you''re my pops, I need to be polite too," responded Basil with a smile. Again, Danzel waved his hand, "Just don''t be overly so."
None of them realized it, however both of them smiled like they had found a long lost family. Ever since he had gone back in time, this was the first time Basil met someone close to him.
He was close with Chester, however they weren''t as close as he and Danzel were. It was simply iparable. It was for this reason that Basil got swept in emotion, and forgot this was no longer his past life.
"It''s already time for dinner, so if you don''t mind, please join me downstairs. I won''t charge any money to you," said Danzel with a wink.
"I will. Don''t worry."
"Alright, I''ll be waiting!"
Basil smiled softly, and then sighed. He had been emotionally inept for years. Living alone for more than two decades without anyone to care would naturally make one so.
He didn''t anticipate he would get swept in emotion. His heart had been empty and cold for long. Once it received warmth, it yearned for more. At least, things turned out well. It would be awkward if Danzel felt creeped out.
He settled his luggage, which wasn''t much, into the room, and changed into a more casual clothes. He wore the same pants, however for the top he wore tight fitting blue tee and ck jacket.
Casual as it seemed, they were pretty expensive. Durable clothes with Runes carved on them were expensive. Nobody could dispute how good clothes could save their lives. Surely, if one was going on a battle, having a good armour would be advised.
When Basil got out of the room, he also found some people getting out of the room. Some of them were young man or middle-aged man, while most of them were young women.
Familia Inn was known to be a quiet and the most peaceful inn in the entire Raneil Barony. It was also for this reason that women felt safer staying in here.
Most of them were a constant customer here. Therefore, when they saw someone got out from the usually empty room, all eyes were on the person. When they looked at the person''s appearance, they were instantly stunned.
Basil didn''t bat an eysh at the looks he received. He had had enough of it already that it started to irk him. He merely moved his feet toward the direction where Danzel would be waiting, the dining room.
He was getting all the look from the people who stayed at the inn along the way, however he remained nonchnt. When he finally arrived at the dining room, he heard sounds of tes being organized.
He entered the dining room while purposefully tapping his foot on the floor to announce his arrival.
"Oh! You havee! I thought it would take you a little longer. I''m surprised you managed to find the way to the dining room."
"I hope Ie at the right time."
"Yes, you do! Take a seat first. It''ll take sometime for my daughter to finish cooking."
Basil took a seat silently. He looked at the half organized table absentmindedly.
Daughter? What daughter? I thought he had only a son?
He was perplexed. Everything had been going exactly like he had remembered. No changed facts, nothing he didn''t know had happened happened yet. However, hearing Danzel had a daughter was a first.
He didn''t know it!
''Guide, can changing the past make something didn''t exist exist?''
[Answering the Host''s ignorance...]
[Rewriting the past has been often associated with going back in time. By going back in time, one would bring the same existence into the time that has been passed by oneself.]
[This would lead to a paradox of one''s existence where the future one had originated from no longer has one''s existence. The disappearance of oneself by going back in time may or may not cause the erasure of both existence ¡ª the past and the future.]
[The often happens case is where one going in back time, in a different timeline, and ends up in a different world too. This would prevent the erasure of both existence, however what one does would not affect the future of the timeline where one is originated from.]
To conclude the long exnation, Basil might have traveled back in time, but he went to a different timeline where everything was different from what he knew.
However, that conclusion was false as everything so far was the same as he knew. One different thing couldn''t be associated with different timeline. Then, was there a mishap when he went back in time?
''Fufufu... You are not going back in time, Silly. You rewind the time!''
Vagus'' words felt a like thunder striking his head. He didn''t think of that possibility. It all finally made sense. Vagus'' existence within him, his previous younger self''s soul.
The time was rewind, however he and Vagus kept their soul''s state! It meant one thing, Danzel hadn''t told him in the past about his daughter!
Splendid!
All the thinking had been done in a mere second. With his already intelligent mind and coupled with his reconstructed brain, he could process an information a lot faster than a genius.
Basil nodded his head in satisfaction. So much thinking and contemtion needed to solve one thing that he could solve by just asking. That was Basil. He would never ask, as long as he could solve it by himself.
However, when he couldn''t, he would naturally ask. "You have a daughter?" Danzel looked surprised at first, then answered, "I do have a daughter. I guess James didn''t tell you?" Basil shook his head negatively, "No, he didn''t."
"Hahaha! I guess he had kept his promise to not speak his sister to others."
"Why though?"
"He liked to exaggerate things after all."
The answer came from another person. The voice belonged to a woman, and Basil naturally concluded it belonged to Danzel''s daughter.
Basil threw his head toward the direction where the voice came from, and was met with a girl that was around his age. She had shoulder length brown hair, bright skin tone, and a well developed figure.
She wore a simple dress, however it didn''t lower her beauty in the least. She put the food on the table and finally looked properly at Basil. Her breath got hitched instantly.
"I can see why James chose not to. I would do the same too, if I have a beautiful sister like her."
He meant it as having a biological sister. He had Shirley, however she wasn''t blood rted.
"Oh, thank you..."
Danzel''s daughter wentpletely red. She was a young maiden! She was already on the age of wanting to have a romance with the opposite gender. It was normal.
"Has the food ready yet?"
"Oh.. uh.. no. Not yet.. there are some still left in the kitchen."
"I''ll be helping then."
"Ah, no, no! Please, you''re the guest here. I can''t let you do that!"
Basil looked at her calmly and said, "Then, consider me as a family. Family should help each other, no?"
Without waiting for her reply, Basil went into the kitchen. He liked her already. He liked a well mannered child. Don''t get him wrong, he was helping her not only because he liked her, but also he had done the same thing in the past.
He was so into his nostalgia that he had forgot to introduce himself and asked her name. Danzel''s daughter merely looked at Basil''s back in a daze.
"Kuhum..." She was startled by her father. When she looked at him, he said, "Aren''t you going to help him?" Her face reddened as she nodded quickly.
Danzelughed soundlessly. It was his first seeing his daughter behaved like that. He shook his head helplessly and observed the lovestruck maiden from behind.
"He has be too familiar to me that I forgot he is the most good looking young man I had ever met."
...
The table was quickly organized and the three of them were ready to eat. Danzel and his daughter spared a moment to pray before eating their food, and Basil waited silently for them.
"Now that I remember, I haven''t introduced myself. Hello, I am Basil. Pleased to meet you."
Basil opened his mouth when the dinner started.
"Ah.. hello. Pleased to meet you too! I am rissa!"
She said it louder than she had intended. She looked at Basil''s expression to see how his reaction. Luckily, he remained silent. When she thought he wasn''t about to answer, he finally opened his mouth.
"That''s a very beautiful name."
"Oh, thank you!"
rissa became a bit too enthusiastic that night. How could she not? She met a very handsome young man of her age, and he even treated her kindly. She knew that he was different than the other men she had encountered before.
The idle chat continued while they were eating their dinner. Danzel was sending an amused nce at rissa in almost every words she said. She was talking about her job as a baker, and many things rted about herself to Basil.
Basil took all of them sincerely, and alsomented here and there like a brother responding her enthusiastic sister. It truly looked like a family dinner.
Danzel was looking at this and teared up silently. The mood had been gloomy for the past month. However, with just Basil''s visit everything seemed back to normal.
Surely, it didn''t mean he could forget about his son. His heart still ache whenever he thought about him. However, right then he could say he no more felt gloomy. He looked at Basil gratefully.
Basil naturally noticed it as he nodded his head faintly. A pleasant smile adorned his face the entire time. He was d he could cheer up Danzel. However, his mind was spinning at miles per hour.
rissa. In the past, he had heard that name from Danzel. No, he had met her in person. However, at that time, she had been already six feet under the ground.
Danzel had never told him who she was. All he had said was, "Thisdy here is the victim of my naivety." Before breaking down in tears.
Basil''s eyes shone coldly for a very brief moment that no one noticed it. He could feel it already. It wouldn''t be long until he cut another people''s head.
Chapter 31 Waking Up Late Lets Chicken Peck Your Fortune (3)
The dinner continued without anyone knowing what Basil was thinking. All of his thoughts remained in his head. Not even his facial expression revealed a little bit of hint that he was thinking deeply.
''How did you know that I rewind the time?''
''To be precise, you didn''t rewind the time, something inside you did. Naturally, I know when the mysterious being you met in Dreand possessed my soul.''
''I see.''
Basil couldn''t just ept it. He had to be sure that it wasn''t just Vagus'' idle assumption. She wasn''t very bright in that aspect.
''Huh! Why am I feeling irritated?''
''Ignore it, my Love. It is nothing more than your imagination.''
''Fufu.. if you say so.''
Easy!
The food was good. Basil didn''t expect a baker would cook such a delicious food. Naturally, he was always honest in his praise.
"You are a great cook. They are very delicious."
"D-d-do you think so?"
"Yes, I am always honest in my opinion."
"Thank you..."
Her voice was so small that one might wonder what she just said. However, Basil wasn''t a normal person. He could hear her perfectly. Danzel was too as he merely shook his head in amusement.
"Youngsters..."
The current mood was the best he had ever had in the whole month. He was happy that the warmth his family had lost, had somehow restored a little bit.
The dinner finished in the time that felt so quick. They usually ate to fill their stomach and went to help the cafeteria cook serving the food to the lodgers. However, this time, they really enjoyed themselves.
"Thanks for the food," said the three of them in unison.
Basil stood from his seat and was about to pick up the tes on the table, however he was stopped by rissa.
"No, no, no. Let me do it! It has always been my job. You can rest assured."
Basil smiled faintly and said, "I have told you to treat me as a family, not as a guess."
rissa was about to retort when Danzel chimed in, "Why don''t you let me do the dishes? You can get to know each other." He smiled slyly at rissa and winked at Basil.
''Tch! This old man. Hey! Can''t you see that he is taken!?''
''No, he can''t. He can''t even see you,'' remained in Basil''s thought. He was intelligent enought to avoid another headache inducing trouble.
"Alright. You can tell us if somehow you changed your mind."
"Don''t underestimate me. This old man here is strong enough to do the dishes alone."
"Hm. At least you are aware you are old."
"This brat!"
They looked at each other''s eyes, before bursting in a small chuckle. rissa who was looking at the two of them was surprised, before following suit. She unconsciously teared up at seeing her fatherughing. It had been a long time since she saw him like that.
It had been also a long time since Basil could chuckle. A very long time. If anyone from Woster Region saw him right then, they wouldn''t believe what were they seeing.
Basil hadn''t looked humane since he went back in time. His facial expressions gave nothing on what he was thinking. He was soposed that he looked like a doll.
He couldn''t help it. No matter how much he had epted the fact that he had returned to the past, there was still a sense of incongruence in his mind.
He was living in the time he had passed. He knew what would happen. He already knew the people he hadn''t even met. Therefore, no matter how great he was, adjusting himself to the time where everyone didn''t know him yet wasn''t easy.
Luckily, he could still find sce in Danzel. When he met Danzel, even if Danzel was younger, he could feel the same feeling Danzel gave in the past. When he talked to Danzel, he also felt the same warmth he had got from Danzel in the past.
It felt like he was finally home.
...
Basil was sitting on the rooftop of Familia Inn while gazing at the stars. Ever since he practiced [Star Withering] he started to like stargazing even more. He felt invigorated whenever he saw the stars.
"Do you love stars so much?"
"Hm. I found that recently, I like stargazing."
"Did you not like it before?"
"It was not as much."
"I see..."
Surely, he wasn''t alone. He was together with rissa. She wasn''t a stuttering mess anymore as she hadposed herself apparently. However, she couldn''t get rid off that easily, as she still stuttered from time to time.
"C-can you tell me about stars?"
Just like then.
Basil looked at her and smiled faintly, making her already beating heart beat faster. He returned his gaze at the sky and said, "Sure. I hope you will not be bored out of your mind." He patted the floor beside him and said, "Here..."
"Oh.. okay..."
rissa could only respond in a daze, and sat beside Basil. She moved a little bit closer than she should be, however Basil wasn''t bothered.
He pointed his finger at the sky, at motioned at twelve twinkling stars as if drawing a pattern. "That is Aquarius, the Water-Bearer. He was the most beautiful boy in Ancient Greece that gods love him," said Basil like a father telling a story to his child.
"Just like you then?"
"Do you think I am beautiful?"
"Yeah.. you do.. sorry, if I somehow offended you."
"It is okay."
Kids tend to not know what they said.
With that conviction in mind, Basil resumed his story. He threw the fact that rissa was someone of his age at the back of his mind.
"Although Aquarius was the most beautiful, his beauty brought him a not so pleasant fate instead."
"What is that?"
Basil smiled sagely and motioned his finger at ten twinkling stars and drew a pattern. "His beauty attracted Zeus. It made Zeus couldn''t help himself to kidnap Aquarius with the help of Aqu, The Thunderbolt Eagle."
"Who is Zeus?"
"Zeus is the leader of the Olympian Gods of Ancient Greece."
"It wasn''t as bad...? I mean, he was kidnapped by a god."
At this, Basil shook his head and continued, "Zeus kidnapped him and made him his personal servant. His job was to bear the jug that contains the elixir gods drink. At night, he had to serve Zeus in another aspect..."
Basil''s face darkened, and rissa followed suit. She was a meremoner. She couldn''t afford to pay for school. She could read, however she didn''t learn anything about history or literature. How could she know the story would turn out to be that bad!?
Basil could somehow rte to this boy named Aquarius. When he first read the story about myth and gods from The Age of Chaos, he held an instantaneous contempt toward most of all the Olympian Gods.
However, who he hated the most was Zeus. If he were to meet him, he would sure make Zeus regret ever kidnapping Aquarius. He had been traumatized by the story that he had ever dreamt the same thing happened to him.
"Huuh... Let us move on to the next star?"
"Ah, yes... It will be better!"
rissa naturally agreed. As long as she could make him forget herments on the previous story, she was fine. No, she was eager!
Basil kept telling about many constetions he knew to rissa. His storytelling about them was so good that rissa felt like it was a bedtime story. She had always had it in her childhood, however she didn''t know that she missed it.
Unknowingly, she fell asleep on his shoulder. Basil stopped his storytelling and held her head with his left hand tenderly. In response, she snuggled even further.
"Did you enjoy the story too?"
"...I do. How do you know I am here?"
"A Mage never tells his secret."
"Haha. I don''t know that I have stumbled upon a capable Mage."
Danzel shook his head and chuckled before showing himself. He moved beside Basil and sat on his left.
"Thank you for visiting us, really."
"We are family."
"Yeah... At least, I can still keep the meaning of this inn."
"..."
Basil stayed silent, however it wasn''t an awkward silent. They merely enjoyed the sky and the atmosphere. Both of them feltfortable. It was like they were having the moment they hadn''t had for centuries.
Not long after, Danzel stood up and carried rissa in his hands. She was sleeping soundlessly, that she looked like a baby in his hands.
Danzel looked at Basil silently for a moment before saying, "Wee home, Son."
He didn''t wait for response as he turned his back toward the doorway leading to downstairs. When he opened the door, he finally heard a reply.
"I am home, Pops." Both of Basil and Danzel merely smirked.
Click.
The door closed and the silence returned. Basil looked at the sky then closed his eyes.
"It is a good night to train."
Naturally, he would never forget his training!
...
Morning came, and rissa opened her eyes. Her mind had been burdened by the thought of her Dad for the past month that she couldn''t enjoy her sleep. However,st night she had the best sleep of her life!
Then, she tried to recall the memory fromst night. She was sitting side by side with Basil while listening him telling a story about constetions. Then, she...
"..."
What had she done?! She had no recollection of what had happened right after. Her mind became nk. There were so many what ifs in her mind currently.
"I.. I need to ask him. But.. it will be embarrassing!"
She was already blushing madly while thinking about something that might have happened but didn''t happen.
"I know! I will ask Dad about it... No!"
Then, she returned back to square one. It seemed she was adamant on thinking that what she was thinking had actually happened.
It was just a misunderstanding, however how could she know?
She got out of her room and headed to the bathroom to clean herself. She needed to cool her head too. She was thinking about the dirtiest thing that she hadn''t thought she could think of currently.
It was early morning. Since she was heading to the private bathroom and not many people had awaken yet, it was very quiet.
Unfortunately, it wasn''t as quiet as she thought. There was a sounding from the bathroom. She was so into her mind that she couldn''t hear it.
Click.
She opened the door, and noticed the interior was foggy. She was surprised since she didn''t expect her father would prepare the warm water already. She smiled at that, and her mind calmed down her bit.
Then, she waved her hand to clear the fog and properly looked in front of her. Her hand stopped, her body stopped, her heat stopped, and her mind shut down.
In front of her, stood someone with a firm muscle and a beautifully sculpted body. He had a bright skin that was whiter than most of women''s skin. His face was also equally pretty and handsome. In short, he was Basil.
Basil didn''t show any reaction to it, as he merely swiped his hair back and pull out a handkerchief from his Spatial Bracelet. He gave it to the statue named rissa, and put it on her hands.
"You seem you need it."
There was a pool of blood on the floor below her already. That was the best he could do. Asking her what happened would only worsen the situation. Acting ignorant in times like this was the best choice.
Click.
The door opened, and then closed as Basil exited the bathroom.
Thud!
rissa lost her consciousness for a good one minute before resuming her activity. She believed it was all a dream.
Chapter 32 Waking Up Late Lets Chicken Peck Your Fortune (End)
Basil, together with the father and daughter duo were having a breakfast. The table was silent, unlike the dinner on the night before.
However, it wasn''t tense nor awkward. No, it was awkward for rissa at least. Danzel looked at the two youngsters eating and quirked an eyebrow.
"Couple quarrel?"
"No!"
The answer was instantaneous. Basil merely ate his breakfast silently. Unlikest night, he was eating quickly but graciously. He could feel all the taste clearer with his stimted taste buds. It was awesome!
"Woah, woah.. chill out, Girl. I''m just joking."
"I-I-I am c-c-chill!"
"Hehh..."
Danzel looked at her in a deadpanned manner. Seemingly aware of his gaze, she sat back and hunched her back in the seat while holding her head as if to hide herself from the embarrassment.
Basil wiped his mouth as he had finished his breakfast. "This morning, she walked in to the bathroom while I was still using it." Basil dropped the bomb as if it was nothing. "I think she was too tired from her work."
He was itching since then to resolve the misunderstanding.
"Th-that is..."
While rissa was trying her best to give an excuse, Danzel was gaping silently.
''My daughter... So Bold!''
Basil couldn''t know that apparently misunderstanding tendency ran in their blood. Basil looked at the two of them neutrally and opened his mouth.
"I am going to leave for a few days."
"..."
The people became silent. All of them looked at Basil with aplicated gaze.
"Do you.. have an important matter to attend?"
"Yes, I do."
"Oh..."
Both Danzel and rissa sighed disappointment. It might seem weird, however they couldn''t help it. They feltfortable whenever they were around him. Therefore, they were pretty reluctant to part with him.
"Will you.. will you return?"
"I will."
"Will you?!"
"I will."
The first one was Danzel, while the second one was rissa. Both of them cleared their throats at the same time when Basil answered them calmly.
"I see... If I may know.. where are you going?"
"Lone Peak."
"What!?"
The two people shouted in unison. They couldn''t believe it. How could they believe it? It was a dangerous ce, a young man like Basil shouldn''t visit alone. Furthermore, they lost James at that ce!
"Do not worry about me. I know what I am doing. Besides.. I have my Companion with me."
Basil received all of the gaze calmly while patting Deacon on his head. Basil was simply ted. Deacon had finished the task he had assigned to him splendidly.
"Even so.. it is very dangerous! Even a group of people have perished there. How could you and your only Companion..."
Danzel shut his mouth. He realized that the word he was about to said was rude. Knight and Mage alike had their own pride. To point out their weakness tantly was the same as an insult.
However, Basil wasn''t offended in the slightest. He understood Danzel''s worry and merely smiled.
"I will be fine. Trust me!"
Hisst word nailed it. Nothing could be said anymore. Danzel was opening and closing his mouth constantly, however nothing came out. He merely sat down on his seat, and drank so much of water.
He had lost the appetite to finish his breakfast. He looked at Basil and determined himself to properly send Basil off. He couldn''t do it to James, he didn''t want to experience the same sorrow twice.
"Of all ces... Just why it has to be that ursed ce?"
Danzelmented quietly. He looked at Basil that was patting Deacon calmly on his seat. A bitter smile adorned his face.
''It seems Youngsters nowadays like to challenge the danger.''
He sighed and asked, "When are you leaving?"
"As soon as you finished your breakfast."
"..."
That quick?!
That thought remained in his head. He shook his head as if to clear his anxiousness and stood from his seat. rissa who had remained silent since earlier, also followed suit.
"Let us see you off, then. We are full already. The breakfast is considered finished."
"Hm."
Basil also followed suit and exited the dining room with rissa and Danzel in tow. Quickly enough, they arrived at the front of the inn.
"You don''t bring any stuff with you?"
"I have them in my Spatial Bracelet already. Only some of the stuff I don''t really need on this trip that I leave behind."
"I can assume you wouldn''t leave anything behind?"
"You can."
Danzel merely nodded wordlessly. He felt conflicted. It had only been roughly a day since he met Basil, however the attachment he felt toward Basil was baffling. Fortunately, he was quick to adjust as he had already epted it.
He nced at his daughter, rissa. She had been silent like a mute since then. He could somehow understand what she was feeling. She had just lost her brother at the same ce her first crush was going to go. How could she not be worried?
"Umm... Are you strong enough to beat myte brother..?"
Basil looked at her calmly and patted her head tenderly. "I can beat him many times¡ªmore than you could think of."
"Hm."
rissa merely nodded dumbly. She was simply overwhelmed by the warm hand on top of her head. At times like this, a head pat was the most lethal weapon Basil had.
Basil gave ast nod as a farewell and disappeared from their view, together with Deacon on his shoulder. The destination was Lone Peak.
They stood quietly watching his back for a while, before returning into the inn to resume their activities
...
Lone Peak was located in a nameless region. The amount of danger in this region was so troublesome that no one willing to take it as their territory. Naturally, it was all caused by the monsters that Obelisks spat from time to time.
Lone Peak was the peak of a mountain called Lone Mountain. The mountain was located on a very awkward ce, where there was no other mountain aside from it, hence came the name.
The reason why the peak was more famous than the mountain itself was due to the rumour saying there was a dragonir located there. People wereing there to hunt the treasure.
Surely, no one had evere back alive. Those who did, merely recounted the life-threatening events they had experienced. Despite so, people were still eager to try.
The rumour saying there was a treasure at Lone Peak wasn''t wrong. However, there was no dragonir up there. Basil knew what was residing in the peak.
"The snake is found thanks to you, Buddy."
Deacon merely shed his fangs proudly in response. He was too intelligent that he defied his fate as a Saberwolf to bark.
Basil merely gave deacon one task. That was to find a trace of an abnormal snake. He aplished it splendidly! It took Deacon roughly twelve hours to find it. The trace was leading to this ce. Therefore, he was going this way.
"The Eight-Headed Snake from the East, Yamata no Orochi. The snake will be hard to kill, however the reward is worth it. The Emperor Sword, Kusanagi."
Basil couldn''t find a good weapon. He had never bought a weapon in his past life. Every weapon he had had been either forged by Dwarves or what he got from his ''visits'' to Obelisks. He didn''t like to use human made weapon.
To be honest, human sucked at making weapon! None of them knew what was a great ingredient, and how to process it. There were tons of historical proof implying how sucked human made weapon was.
Caliburn, forged by the greatest Battle Mage, Merlin, had been broken after a brief sh with the Phantoms. Luckily, the Lady of The Lake was a good character among Druids that she provided him Excalibur to win the war against the Phantoms.
Sadly, the weapon was lost because of a traitor amongst human, who was apparently the half sister of Arthur, Morgan Le Fay.
"It is also a proof of how weak Arthur was without his weapon. I can''t understand why many Knights admire him."
Basil muttered quietly. Every Mages in the Kingdom would aim to be like Merlin who was the greatest after Solomon, while the Knights would aim to be like Arthur. It was only for the reason Arthur managed to stand toe to toe with any great Mages at that time.
Basil couldn''t understand it, why would they idolize a sore loser who was glorified because of his weapon? Weapon is a tool. What makes one powerful, is one''s ability, not the tool one use. Unfortunately, no one shared the same thought as him.
Just like that the trip continued. Basil would rest, practice [Heart Clenching] and [Star Withering], eat, exhaust himself, and repeat. He was pushing himself to the limit constantly.
He had beente in his past life, he didn''t want to bete for the second time in this life. This time he would surpass everyone faster than in the past.
After three days of traveling in full speed, he finally arrived at the foot of Lone Mountain. The mountain was as awkward as what people said. How could one expect a single mountain on an empty in?
He got down from Deacon and looked at his surrounding. It was filled with idiots who wanted to try their luck.
The wind blew at him and made his coat billowing in the air. He was wearing his white attire that was quite durable to endure the hardships he was about to face. All eyes had been on him since he was riding on top of Deacon toe here.
All of the people gathered were Knights. Mage was a logical people, no, most of them were cowards. Once they heard about a slight danger, they would never risk doing things. Therefore, only Knights had the guts to challenge Lone Peak.
"Hey, there... We are looking for a person to join our party. Will you join us?"
Out of nowhere, a quite suave man approached Basil and called out to him. The man had a quite pricey armour adorned his body, showing how much money he had and how skilled he was.
However!
"I think you have found the wrong person."
"Pardon...?"
The man was dumbfounded. How could he not? He was a proud Early Stage Yellow Core Knight! He had even unlocked his Aura. However, this mysterious pretty young man in front of him just refused him!? Unbelievable!
"I think you misunderstood something. We won''t take anything belongs to you for ourselves..." He stopped as Basil raised his hand.
"Listen, being an Early Stage Yellow Core at your age is impressive. However, you are not in the position of regarding yourself invincible."
"Th-that is not my intention!"
"Then, why do you think I need your help?"
Basil cocked an eyebrow at the man. The man was speechless and got silently enraged by his attitude. The man wanted to refute, however he couldn''t do so. There were many people looking at him already. He couldn''t risk embarrassing himself in front of his party.
"Huuh..." In the end, he merely sighed and said quietly, "This is what we always do whenever we climb to Lone Peak. No one can survive alone. I hope you don''t regret your decision."
The man tried to answer it as warm as he could, however what came out was a cold voice. Basil shrugged his shoulder inwardly and asked, "What is your name?" The man stopped and gave him a sidelong nce, then answered, "Jester."
Basil quirked his eyebrow in amusement. Fate is a strange thing indeed. The man in front of him, Jester, had been the one who had wielded Kusanagi in his past life, before being in by Muj¨ Bushi from the East. Muj¨ Bushi would then be thest wielder of Kusanagi.
Kusanagi was undoubtedly a great weapon. Unfortunately, in the past, it had been misused that the originally Emperor Sword had been called the The Condemned Sword by the people.
Many people had died due to the careless swing of Kusanagi in his past life. This time, he wouldn''t let it happen.
To be honest, he just wanted to have it for himself. He couldn''t afford nor think of a good weapon for himself currently. Rather than giving Kusanagi to the idiot called Jester, it was better to take it for himself.
Therefore, he had been in a hurry. If he had been slightlyte, Kusanagi might have been taken.
Waking upte lets chicken peck your fortune. To be fortunate, one has to be awake faster than anyone!
Chapter 33 Kusanagi No Tsurugi
Basil merely nced at the retreating back of Jester. He was shaking his head inwardly.
''Fake.''
He despised fake people like Jester. Jester was using that amicable facade to hide his hideous real self. Therefore, he cared so much about his image. However, at the crucial time, people like him would often show their true self.
There was nothing more disgusting than people like them. Basil shook his head to clear the useless thoughts. He tapped his feet twice on the ground, and chair like structure emerged from the ground.
Earth Maniption!
Although the structure wasn''t detailed enough, anyone could see that it was a chair. Basil calmly sat himself on the earthen chair, while Deaconid his body beside the chair.
Basil crossed his feet and pulled out a b of Magical Ram meat before giving it to Deacon. Everyone who was looking at this scene had only one thought.
Overbearing!
Basil had juste and almost caused a fight. He won the argument, and dered he had no need of other people''s help implicitly. Then, he acted like he was in his own house, chilling while everyone was a nervous wreck. No words more suitable to describe him aside from overbearing.
The person who became the center of attention, Basil, wasn''t aware of what the people was thinking. He merely ate his steak calmly in his seat with his eyes closed. He was pondering over the route he should taken upon climbing the mountain.
He had visited Lone Mountain in his past life, however it had been only twice. Since it had also been a very long time ago, his memory about the route was a little bit blurry.
Right after finishing his steak, he stood up from his earthen chair while cleaning the grease on his fingers using water he had conjured. He tapped his foot once again and the earthen chair returned to the ground.
Deacon had also finished his meal as he also got on his feet. Basil mounted him and they took off to the mountain by themselves. They didn''t look back, they didn''t ask anyone to follow them.
Just like how they came, they went by themselves. Jester, who was looking at that, clicked his tongue in dissatisfaction.
"Arrogant prick. He doesn''t even know what is ahead."
"Well.. at least, he has the confidence."
"That''s just in stupidity."
Jester shook his head, acting as if he was pitying Basil. In truth, he couldn''t be more ted at the fact that Basil was going to meet his doom very soon.
''Let''s see who has thestugh.''
...
Up to this point, Kusanagi had only been wielded by two people. The first one was the original owner of Kusanagi, the God of Sea, Susanoo from the East, and a legendary figure from the East, Yamato Takeru.
Although the might of Kusanagi was well-known, the wielder of Kusanagi rarely used it. At most, it had been only a few times. At least, that was the case for Takeru. Basil could never tell how many times Susanoo had used Kusanagi.
Higher beings like Gods weren''t properly exined even up till now. There were churches that devoted themselves to the Gods, however none of them worshipped the Gods who were described in the historical records.
It was believed human and gods had ever coexisted at some point, however it could be refuted easily as people had suffered from The Age of Chaos. Even the current Gods those churches worshipped made the existence of Gods even more confusing.
To show that they were really worshipping Gods, they could perform miracle. They put offerings on the altar, then power surged within them. They could also heal people suffering from illness and injuries alike.
However, in the end, it was nothing more than Magic. Healing Magic was a mystery among Mages. They couldn''te up with the way to replicate [Recovery], the healing Magic developed by Priests.
However! That was only because they were too stupid to notice that almost every Knights could heal themselves with just the Qi they had. Basil didn''t mean to look down on religious people, however he thought that anything rted to Gods were full of bullcrap.
They could learn Magic! Why would they pray for miracle to be bestowed upon them? It was ridiculous!
"Stop here, Buddy."
Deacon stopped at Basil''s instruction. They had ventured for a quite some time. Although Basil had chosen the safest route he knew, the higher he climbed, the heavier the pressure he got.
He got down from Deacon and motioned him to shrink himself. Right after shrinking, Deacon jumped on Basil''s shoulder and sat there quietly.
"Huuh..." Basil ended up taking a deep breath and released it slowly. "Let''s go. We will hunt every Beast we could find in this mountain," muttered Basil under his breath.
He naturally had no intention to face Yamata no Orochi head on. It would be suicide! Yamata no Orochi was said to have been killed by Susanoo. However, it was nothing more than a rumour. It wasn''t dead yet!
Susanoo merely cut four of its heads and four of its tails. By the time he had found Kusanagi in the fourth tail of Yamata no Orochi, he just left the big snake and took Kusanagi with him. It sessfully escaped, and biding its time to retrieve Kusanagi back.
It managed to do that in the end! Yamato Takeru died in the war, leaving his wife that was entrusted of the sword alone, thus making her a tender prey for it.
Yamata no Orochi was by no means weak. If he had to rate it, it would be as strong as an Eighth-Circled Mage. The reason he could charge into its living ce was because he knew it had been injured heavily.
Rustle! Rustle! Rustle!
Basil heard a sound when he was running through the mountain. He looked at his back and found out there were a couple of Long-Legged Lemurs chasing his back. They looked really hideous with those long feet of them.
His Spatial Bracelet shed, Jaden Daggers were quickly settled on his hands. He turned his back, and charged suddenly at those hideous lemurs.
sh! sh! sh!
Everytime he swung his daggers, trails of red light could be seen clearly in the air. Along with that, the death cries of the lemurs were also heard.
He had tried to kill them as quiet as he could, however those things couldn''t keep their mouths shut, even in the moment of their deaths.
He ran with his fastest speed, leaving the ce where the ughter had ensued. He could sense the hundreds of lemurs moving toward him.
Long-Legged Lemur was weak individually. However, together they were strong. Their amount was simply mind-boggling! If one fought a pack of them, one would think they were endless.
Surely, Basil didn''t shy away from this. He had been aiming for this since the start. That was the reason why he released a scent that attracted the lemurs to the air. He would ughter them as many as he could to confuse the big snake''s sense of smell.
Yamata no Orochi had a great nose. It was relying on its nose since its eyesight wasn''t that good. Therefore, to take Kusanagi from it, he had to ruin its sense of smell. He would do it by overflowing the air with the scent of Long-Legged Lemur''s blood.
Whenever he was ganged up, Basil had always separated his enemies first before ughtering them one by one. He was doing the same thing toward the lemurs chasing him.
Stab!
Screech!
sh!
Everytime his daggers moved, more than two lemurs would be killed. However, their bellow before dying attracted another lemurs more than necessary. Basil kept running here and there while killing them ceaselessly.
The Long-Legged Lemurs became even more invigorated to chase his smell. He was covered by a thick scent of their brethren after all. It was all intentional. Basil did it for a reason.
His white clothes weren''t even dirty, however the scent of blood was all over him as he purposefully entrapped the scent around him. The unique thing about the scent of Long-Legged Lemur''s blood was, it could repel any other Beasts from chasing him.
The other Beasts seemed aware they couldn''t meddle into any Long-Legged Lemur''s matters. Therefore, they chose to distance themselves whenever they smelled the scent of Long-Legged Lemur''s blood.
Basil was using this advantage to the utmost. He ran here and there, inching closer to his destination while killing the lemurs chasing him together with Deacon.
That night, Lone Mountain was filled with the cries of the Long-Legged Lemurs.
...
"Darn! Is Lone Mountain usually this creepy?!"
A young man wearing a thick nket looked at his surrounding questioningly. He had been hearing a not so pleasant sounds to hear from his surrounding. As he was cold, he inched himself closer to the campfire to warmth himself.
"Well, I don''t know about that. Thest time I was here, it was daylight. I didn''t even venture deep enough."
"Huuh.. seriously, dude? Why would we even do this?"
"To get money?"
"Crap! Can you feel it? The air turned colder!"
The surrounding six people became ufortable as they also hugged their body upon feeling the sudden coldness.
Howl!
!!!
They took out their weapons upon hearing the howl just now. They tensed instantly. The howl wasn''t normal, as it was filled with killing intent. They could feel the impending doom that was about to befall upon them.
Gulp.
They gulped while looking at the direction where the howl had resounded.
"What are you doing?"
"!!!"
They jumped to their feet upon hearing the voice behind them. They were about to attack the source of the voice, before realizing it belonged to their friend.
"For Arthur''s sake, Albert! Can you notify us before you greet us?!"
"How could I notify you before greeting you? My greeting is how I notify you."
The man named Albert looked at his friend weirdly. He had just been gone for ten minutes and his friends had already became a scaredy cat. He was alreadyughing inwardly.
"Shame on you, Carl. You are a Knight, but you act like a kid."
"Huh! You would be the same if you had heard what we had heard! Isn''t that right?"
Carl was asking for confirmation from the people around him. Luckily, all of them nodded in unison. Albert merely nced at them and noticed one of them had even wrapped themselvespletely from head to toe in fear.
"Okay, okay.. rx. I am just joking."
"What were you doing anyway?"
"I was-"
"We were doing things that normal adults do."
Instead of Albert, there was someone else answered Carl''s question. The woman waster revealed when she appeared beside Albert. She was quite well endowed, and a perfect definition of a seducer.
Carl was gaping silently as he looked at the woman. She was none other than one of their party members, Albert''s girlfriend.
"You.. you..."
"Chill out, dude. You could have fun with your girlfriendter once we got down from this mountain."
Albert waved his hand as if finding his reaction funny. He didn''t think that the act of satisfying his biological need was something to be envied.
"You are... Ca..."
"Yes, I am. What the heck, Carl?"
The woman, Ca looked strangely at Carl. She was about to chide him for being annoying when Carl opened his mouth again.
"Then..." He gulped nervously, and said, "Who is the person wrapping their body from head to toe in nket...?" Cold sweat poured down on his forehead. His back had been already drenched since long ago.
"Albert...?"
Ca looked to her side, at Albert, and only met his fear stricken face. His mouth was gaping while his hands were trembling ceaselessly. Ca instantly became nervous as she very slowly turned her head over.
"What the hell is that..?!"
She couldn''t move her body and her head. She was frozen like a statue. She could only see the abomination in front of her in fear.
Long feet and equally long hands. It had a scrawny body and a hunched back. Its head was a little bigger than an adult''s head, and it had only a wide mouth showing countless of sharp teeth.
Doppelganger. A Magical Beast that could impersonate into someone it had seen. It only appeared at night, as it was nocturnal. Once someone unfamiliar with Doppelganger encountered it, the probability of survival was zero.
Then, as if finally getting their attention, the Doppelganger moved its hands. The silence ended, and the night filled with bloodcurdling screams.
Chapter 34 Kusanagi No Tsurugi (2)
"Aaaahhh!!!"
"Kyaaaa!"
"Arrrgh!"
"Get away! Get away from me!"
"Nooo! No! Noooo!"
Screams filled with agony and terror rang throughout Lone Mountain. There were three groups of people climbing up the mountain, and now only two remained.
All of them could hear the screams of the people from the other group. However, their facial expressions remained the same. They didn''t feel pity. They only became more cautious to their surrounding.
It had been always the same, the ignorant would die first. Lone Mountain in daylight was different in night time. Simply having an experience of climbing it in daylight wouldn''t help you to survive there at night.
Basil was naturally the same. He felt no sympathy over the death of those people. And, that would be also the case for the people who were going to be killed from now on.
,m Life is a choice. If one is presented with a choice, one has to weigh the risk and the benefits first. Once decided, there will be no turning back. Meeting one''s demise after the decision one made is something one should never regret.
If they die, they die by their own choice. I have my own choice. To not help them is my choice.
Cold, however that what made Basil was Basil. He had been trampled countless of times in his past life. He didn''t weep, he didn''t despair. He had chosen to keep his head high and trample those people back.
You are born weak, and that is your fate. However, dying of weakness is your fault.
Tired of getting stomped down? Fight! Tired of being weak? Get stronger! Life is fickle, there is nothing absolute in life. Don''t ever wait for sympathy. If life gave you no way, pave your own!
Once you failed even after trying to the best of you can, you will realize the things you have achieved, that the previous you could never achieve. Surely, it won''t be the reason to stop growing.
With these thoughts in his mind all the time, Basil whipped himself harder than anyone could ever whip themselves.
Basil looked down to his feet. There was something squirming under his feet. It was no other than Doppelganger. Earlier, it had stupidly impersonated him right in front of his face. Without no hesitation, he had cut it off to pieces.
Doppelganger moved individually. However, that didn''t mean they did it because they were strong. They did it because they were so stupid that they couldn''t know they were impersonating another Doppelganger in [Impersonation].
Contrary to people''s belief, Doppelganger''s strongest ability wasn''t [Impersonation], but [Stare of Death]. The stare these guys gave people, could paralyze anyone unfamiliar with it. Thus, many fell victim to these guys.
Luckily, anyone with strong mind like Basil wouldn''t be affected by it. Therefore, Doppelganger could be considered as harmless to him.
"We have to climb a tall tree. We will never get any rest down here."
Basil motioned Deacon who was in his true appearance to shrink himself back. Deacon did exactly as what he was told and hopped on Basil''s shoulder. They sped up and ventured the mountain to look for a tall tree to rest.
The surrounding was dark, however it didn''t slow Basil down even in the slightest. He could see the surrounding as clear as day. After some encounters with Doppelganger on the way, Basil finally found the tree he had been looking for.
Without wasting any time, he jumped as high as he could to reach a branch and used it as a lever to go upward. Just like that, he arrived at the highest part of the tree.
As he looked at his surrounding, he could see all of the trees that covered the mountain. The sky was so clear and it was filled with countless of stars. With his newly found enthusiasm at stargazing, he didn''t even realize he was in a trance.
His look was that of someone who admires something beautiful, and in turn gains something through theirprehension.
And so, the night passed without Basil even realizing he had advanced to the Peak Stage Red Core.
...
"Young Mistress, it is morning already. It is time for you to wake up."
"Ugghhh..."
A groaning sound was all the speaker, Irene, got in response. As usual she was standing in front of the previously Basil''s room, that currently belonged to Shirley, to wake her up.
Shirley said she wanted to be always together with Basil, even though he had left the house. And, this was her way of doing that.
"Five more.. minutes. I will definitely wake up in five minutes."
"Young Mistress, you have said the exact same thing for the past ten minutes."
"... Is that so?"
"Yes, Young Mistress."
"Then.. give me another five minutes."
"I am entering the room, Young Mistress."
Without waiting for Shirley''s response, Irene barged into the room. It was rude for a servant to enter the room of their Master''s daughter, however it wouldn''t be the case as long as they had announced to do so in advance.
Upon entering the room, Irene was met with the scene of Shirley snuggling in Basil''s pillow. Her face was buried deeply inside the pillow that Irene wondered how could she breathe.
"Huuh..."
Irene looked around the room and sighed bitterly. Books and notes were everywhere. They were all Basil''s collection that he had given to Shirley on the day he left the house. Shirley had been working hard on herself since that day.
She hadn''t met Basil at the academy, and it was her way to cope with his absence, by doing his advice to her. Irene looked at Shirley sadly. Every children deserve a parent, however not every parents deserve a child.
The house had be more tense after Basil left the house. Her father was busy with the thoughts of Basil''s unknown whereabouts, while her mother was busy doing who knows what.
They had cruelly separated the siblings apart, and they couldn''t even take the responsibility to at least care for their daughter.
"Come on, Young Mistress. You are about to bete."
"Ugghh... Why is Brother''s pillow sofortable?"
"You can not use that as an excuse for oversleeping, Young Mistress."
"Can I bring it to academy?"
"..."
"Kuhum. I was just joking."
Irene merely looked at her sternly and told her the bath was ready. At times like this, she needed to be stern. Both of them missed Basil and were equally worried about him. However, they still had to move forward.
...
Shirley had finished preparing herself and was ready to eat her breakfast. As usual, the dining room was tense. It might not seem so from the outside, however Shirley could feel it. The atmosphere was different than it had been in the past.
"Good morning, my Daughter. I hope you had a good sleepst night."
"Good morning, Father. Yes, I had a good sleep."
"Good morning, Shirley. You look more beautiful each day."
"Thank you, Mother."
Smile was stered on everyone''s face, however none of them had the warmth she used to get. Likewise, Shirley wore a fabricated smile too. She was feeling bitter in her heart.
''Since when is my family full of lies? Or, was there never be honesty in the beginning?''
Her fabricated smile almost faltered at that thought. She quickly threw her gaze to the food, and quickly spooned it to her mouth.
"It is as good as usual, Irene."
"Thank you for the praise, Young Mistress. But, how did you know it was mine?"
"I have tasted many of the maids'' cooking. Naturally, I remember all of the taste. It is easy to recognize your cooking."
"I am happy that Young Mistress could remember this humble maid''s cooking."
"A good thing should be remembered, no?"
Conversation went back and forth between Shirley and Irene. Nichs looked at this exchange and frowned. Ever since he banished Basil from home, his daughter had been unnaturally closer with Basil''s formerly favorite maid.
He didn''t like it. He didn''t like anything associated with Basil. He was frustrated by that brat! He had sent six Assassins and none came back! He had paid hundreds of gold to get the job done.
Imagine his surprise, when the assassins he had hired had been announced killed by Basil. He had been stunned and his worry deepened. He knew Basil was a tough nut to crack, however he had never thought Basil was a dangerous individual.
He had hired some higher pay assassins too to immediately finish Basil, however they couldn''t find his trace. Basil just disappeared into thin air.
Therefore, he became paranoidtely. What if Basil kills him one night? What if Basil was lurking around him, waiting for the opportunity to kill him? With these thoughts, he hated Basil and anything rted to him even more.
"Honey, did you meet your Brother yesterday?"
The conversation between Shirley and Irene stopped. That was also the case for Catherine, as her moving spoon stagnated instantly.
Shirley was tired of this question. She merely leered at Nichs and answered, "I think you should know it better than me, Father." Her answer came out colder than what she had intended.
"Oh.. I was just asking."
Nichs was naturally taken aback. However, he smiled in the next moment, taking her annoyance for something else. He thought Shirley was also annoyed at Basil.
The breakfast continued without anyone realizing Catherine was looking at Shirley strangely. She had a bad premonition whenever she looked at Shirleytely.
''My daughter, will you stand on your mother''s way, or will you not? I hope you don''t make the wrong decision.''
Her thought was kept to herself. She would never show her thoughts to anyone. She knew, once it happened, it would be her end.
...
Shirley walked through the academy corridor along with Julia Chilston, her ssmate. She had never thought she would ever get along well with Julia, however upon her mind broadening experience, she could understand Julia better.
"I guess you are still not aware of his whereabouts?"
"Yes."
"Wow. Your brother is really something. Not even the agent I have hired could find him."
"You also look for him?"
"Well..."
Julia''s expression turned awkward at Shirley''s incredulous face. She coughed once before saying, "Kuhum. I am just curious. And... I think I have a crush on him?"
"..."
Shirley''s already incredulous look became even more incredulous. She looked at Julia in disbelief. That Julia, who only cared about her Magic progress had a crush on Basil, her brother?
It was conflicting! She didn''t know how to react.
"I guess... I will tell him about that when I meet him...?"
"No, you don''t have to. I am not sure of myself either. And, why did you sound hesitant?"
"I didn''t!"
"You did!"
"No, I didn''t!"
"Yes, you did!"
"Kuhum."
Their banter was put to an end by someone''s cough. They turned their back, fully intending to scold whoever it was, before meeting an unamused face of Chester.
"It is already 8:25 in the morning, youngdies. I hope you will be already in your ssroom before I arrived."
"Yes!"
They answered him loud and clear in unison. They ran to the best they could, making their robe fluttered in the air. Chester looked at them and shook his head in amusement.
"My, my. You are not even here, but you already paint yourself in everyone''s mind. Where are you and what are you doing right now, Basil?"
He looked at the sky longingly as if he could find Basil there. He shook his head to clear his mind, before moving his feet to the ss.
...
Basil was contemting the event that had happened the night before. Surely, he didn''t stay idle. He was running while cutting many Long-Legged Lemur''s heads here and there.
Deacon was also helping him to lessen his task. Together, they were a perfect killing machine.
Basil checked his core and noticed it was a perfect Peak Stage Red Core. He was baffled not because of the quick advancement, but the state he had been in, in the night before.
He had acquired the knowledge about [Star Withering] from the Guide, however he couldn''t find anything about it from the knowledge he got.
Suddenly, he was reminded of the words from the Guide.
¡ªCongrattions! The Low ss Guide function is activated! Basic knowledges will be essible to the Host!
''That''s it!''
The Guide only provided basic knowledge in its current stage. He needed to find a way to improve the Guide so he could ess the more advanced knowledge.
''Guide! How do I advance to the next level of your function?''
[Ding!]
[The Host has to find that on his own!]
Boom!
Basil identally kicked a Long-Legged Lemur too hard.
Chapter 35 Kusanagi No Tsurugi (3)
Basil kept his head cool. He understood that there was no point in arguing with the Guide. A sentient being and an insentient being would never understand each other.
Basil felt a prick at the back of his head, however he couldn''t care less. There were tons of hideous lemurs chasing over his butt!
He could hide from them just like thest night, however he didn''t do that. He needed more of these lemurs to kill. The scent wasn''t strong enough. He couldn''t fool Yamata no Orochi with it.
sh!
Stab!
Swish!
Basil used every skills he had in his repertoire to take the lives of every lemurs he encountered. The shrill bellow of the lemurs became even louder. If anyone were to be in his position, they would piss themselves to death.
However!
Basil was different! He didn''t feel intimidated with the killing intent sent by those lemurs at him. He took it as a challenge, and he loved challenge.
He led all the lemurs ¡ª while constantly killing them on the way ¡ª to the ce he had chosen beforehand. This ce had the thickest scent of Long-Legged Lemur''s blood.
The lemurs became even more enraged upon seeing their brethren''s mutted bodies on the ground. They charged at Basil even more frivolously than before.
Suddenly, Basil stopped in his way and turned his back. He held his short sword horizontally in front of his chest and muttered a word.
[Synchronization]
A part of Vagus''soul was quickly poured into the short sword. It trembled ceaselessly and glowed in an azure light. Basil merely made one motion with his hand, and that was swiping it forward.
There was only a little distance between him and the foremost lemur. However, at that moment, time seemed to stop before all of the lemurs chasing him were swept by a powerful wind.
Boom!
His short sword exploded, the Qi he had in his body was spent in one go. However, the result didn''t disappoint him. All of the chasing lemurs were mutted unrecognizably.
"Good job, Darling!"
"Thank you. If not for you, I wouldn''t be able to do it."
"Fu-fu-fu. Helping her husband is the wife''s job after all."
''Thank you for not being annoying while I am fighting.''
Surely, Basil was thanking Vagus in another thing. He knew Vagus would be useful in battle. However, he couldn''t be sure Vagus wouldn''t interrupt him in battle. Luckily, his worry was unfounded. Vagus wasn''t stupid enough to interrupt his battle.
"Huuh... Is it about to begin?"
Basil looked at his surrounding. There were three pathways connecting to the ce he was currently standing. All of those pathways had the same simrity. They had Long-Legged Lemur''s blood smeared on the ground.
Basil also looked down on the ground he was currently standing. On the ground was carved a circr pattern with many unknown yet profound symbols. The blood colored the pattern red, giving a terrifying look to it.
It was a Magic Circle. No one had ever thought to carve a Magic Circle outside their heart, because they believed it would bear no result. However, Basil was different. He hadn''t been called the best Mage for naught.
He had the drive that every Mage had. He tried carving a Magic Circle on the ground once, and the result was splendid.
He was going to use his knowledge to lure Yamata no Orochi out. He hadn''t been running aimlessly for all this time. He had been leading those lemurs so he could gather their blood in this ce.
It was all for the sake of fueling the Magic Circle he had made. A normal animal''s blood wouldn''t be able to do a thing, however it was different with a Magical Beast.
No matter how weak a Magical Beast was, it was still a Magical Beast. Mana ran through their blood. Therefore, he could use that to fuel the Magic Circle into activation.
Basil sped his hands together and muttered an incantation.
[Elbor¨ªtja a vil¨¢got a s?t¨¦ts¨¦g!]
Engulf the world in darkness!
[Bloody Mist]!
The Magic Circle below his feet shone in crimson light. The light was as dark as blood, and the aura it exuded couldn''t even be more terrifying. The aura gave any of the observer chill and sense of terror.
In the middle of this, Basil was calmly spreading his hands and injected all of the Mana he had into the Magic Circle.
The spilt blood started to rise from the ground into the air. It was amassed above Basil''s head, making a floating dense ball of blood. It kept getting bigger and bigger before it finally stopped as Basil had exhausted his Mana.
The Magic Circle shone even brighter than before. Basil was quickly engulfed by the light, and the mass of blood floating above his head boiled before exploding in the whole direction.
Whoosh!
It didn''t cause any air explosion. The only thing one could hear was a bone chilling hiss like sound. The previously boiling mass of blood was turned to gas like substance. It was then swept by the wind, covering the whole ce in crimson mist.
The surrounding air turned even colder. The sense of dread was so thick it could bring anyone to their knees quivering. However, that wasn''t the worst part. The thick stench of blood was strongly permeated through the air.
Basil was already close with the peak. With help of the wind, the red mist was brought to the peak, slowly but surely. Of course, the area below him would be swept by the red mist too.
Basil looked at his surrounding and sat himself on the ground. He had been running and killing ceaselessly since he could see the sunrise. He had exhausted his stamina, his Qi, and his Mana. He needed to recuperate.
Besides, he had to be careful of the sleeping tigers who had been awakened by his crazy stunt. Uncaring toward the people he might have harmed, Basil closed his eyes in meditation.
...
Jester and his party had an unexpected encounter with the other remaining party. They had had a rough night facing a bunch of Doppelgangers. They were exhausted, both mentally and physically.
However, their will remained strong. Although they had lost three of theirrades, they wouldn''t back down. Doing so would only make theirrades'' deaths in vain. At least, that was what everybody thought.
''Idiots. You all will be the perfect fodder for these weird-arse Beasts.''
Jester was nning on using them to distract the Beasts, so he could get whatever treasure was waiting ahead of him.
"It''s fortunate that wee across the same path. Last night was really hard for us."
"It was the same for us too."
The leaders of each parties looked at each other''s eyes and smiled rather iprehensibly. Their eyes glinted in a weird manner as if signifying they were thinking of the same thing.
"I am Jester. Let''s work together from now on!"
"I am An. Pleased to work together with you."
As both of the leaders had introduced themselves to each other, the party members also followed suit. They seemed relieved that they could work together, thus increasing their chance of survival.
The atmosphere were rather warm as they really tried to get closer to each other. They had experienced a traumatizing event. It was normal for them to look for a little bit of emotional support in the form of camaraderie.
"Alright! We can''t stay idle. Let''s..."
Jester couldn''t help but stop his sentence. He smelled a very unpleasant stench from his surrounding. The stench was getting stronger each time, and he couldn''t help but feel the dread it brought.
He looked at the direction where the stench came from, and the other did too.
Gulp.
"What the..."
"...hell..."
p "...is that?"
Everyone could finally see the thick crimson smoke that originated from the mountain''s higher ce. It started to close on them as they couldn''t see anything aside from crimson smoke in front of them.
"Ugghh..."
"Ueeek..."
"Kuhuk..."
"Ahh..."
Sounds of groaning could be heard from the parties. Jester and An were also close to puke on the spot, however they managed to hold themselves back. They looked back at their pukingrades and yelled.
"Get yourself together! We have to get away from it!"
They ran toward their party members and started to pick up the weakest one''s among them. There was no hesitation in their face, however ¡ª
''Darn! I don''t know what that red smoke is, but I can''t just drop my mask here!''
¡ª both of them were cursing inwardly.
It turned out people like Jester weren''t that hard to be found.
The other party members finally got themselves together, and ran to the best they could. All of them were panicking and nothing in their minds except from running. They were extremely afraid of the crimson smoke.
[Bloody Mist] was generally used by Dark Mage. It was considered as a ck Magic due to the terror it brought. The effect of [Bloody Mist] wasn''t merely covering arge space with a thick fog of blood, it also amplified the terror one was feeling.
Once you were caught up in the middle of it, dying out of fear was the norm. There was only one way to ovee it, and that was to not fear it. Once you had even a tiny bit of fear, you wouldn''t get away from it.
The fear and terror you felt would be amplified, until you finally died of lunacy.
"What the heck is that thing?! I can feel the thick killing intent from it!"
"I don''t know! It''s freaking terrorizing!"
At this moment there were only two people who could somehow think clearly. They were none other than Jester and An. Both of them still had a little bit courage to look back, even though they regretted it in the next moment.
They were simply terrified of the smoke!
They were really conflicted. Should they run? After going this far? They had sacrificed their time, resources, and ''friends'' to get this far. They were rather reluctant to pull back. They cursed loudly in their hearts.
''Screw it! I''ll return here next time.''
With that conviction in mind they cleared their minds with nothing aside from running. Time passed as if in the blink of an eye.
"Hey... I think.. we could... Stop running."
Jester stopped running and put down the person he had carried all the way. He was gasping everytime he spoke to An. He looked back at the crimson smoke that was no longer chasing them, then at his party members.
Their faces were all pale. Cold sweat pouring down their heads. They were all gasping for breath, however they had a relieved expression on their faces.
We made it! The smoke is no longer chasing us!
Theyughed humorlessly. They had never thought a prepared expedition would still end up this way. It seemed they had underestimated Lone Mountain too much. No, they had overestimated themselves!
"Huuh... We will wait here for a bit. Once the smoke disappeared we will-"
"Go back? Are you crazy?"
"Are you just going to retreat like that? What about our friends who had sacrificed themselves?"
"Screw all that! They would also do the same if I was the one who had died instead!"
"You are not talking right, Bradley."
"Yeah, I know. Because, currently I can''t think of anyone aside from myself!"
The area became silent. No one refuted what he said. Even the other members who had remained silent, nodded their heads in agreement.
None of them could think of any other person aside from themselves. If they were to continue forward, an unexpected chaos might ur. They couldn''t believe others and not even theirself at this point. Retreating was the best option.
"...I understand."
Finally, Jester sighed and agreed to Bradley''s proposal. However, inside, he was burning with rage. He wanted to strangle Bradley to death badly.
"Alright, let''s rest before-"
Screech!
An couldn''t finish his words as he was suddenly interrupted by a loud shrill from the direction where the smoke stagnated. All of them froze in fright. They were extremely familiar with the shrill voice.
It belonged to the Long-Legged Lemur whose sounds they heard since they entered the mountain. All of them turned their head toward the smoke direction.
"Ahh...
"Ahh... Why...?"
"Why we have to pass through this...?"
All of them moaned in despair. In front of them weren''t only Long-Legged Lemur, but also the other Beasts they couldn''t even know their names. There was a horde of them, running toward their way.
They looked back to search for their each party leaders, however both of them were gone. They were left behind.
Chapter 36 Kusanagi No Tsurugi (End)
The people looked at the horde of Magical Beasts in despair. At this time when they needed their leaders, they were left behind instead. None of them were surprised though. They thought it was merely right as they had said the same thing earlier.
"Those pricks! Where is the camaraderie they talked about earlier?!"
However, they still couldn''t ept it. They wished to be helped and rescued in this situation.
"In the end... Aren''t you afraid too, just like us?"
Tears spilled down Bradley''s eyes. He had known Jester the longest among the surviving party members. He couldn''t quite believe his judgement had been wrong. Heughed humorlessly.
"Huuh..." He sighed and looked at the approaching horde. "Move your butts, I will bait these guys to chase for me instead," said Bradley without turning his back.
"Bradley! You.. you can''t possibly..."
"W-why don''t we think of another... way?"
"Are you.. going to die... in vain?"
The remaining party members who were previously led by Jester tried to protest Bradley. However, they were secretly ted at his decision to sacrifice himself. They were conflicted, therefore they were crying.
"Curse you all. I freaking hate you! Screw off!"
At the end of his sentence, his voice quivered. Without waiting for their response, he took a leap forward, facing the horde of the Magical Beasts.
"Bradley, you will not die in vain."
They clenched their hands tightly, and turned their backs. The party An had led was merely standing there dumbly. They didn''t know what to do anymore. As they met the eyes of Bradley''s party members, only then they were pulled out of their daze.
Bradley''s party members didn''t bat an eysh at them, they merely took off and ran as fast as they could. Finally, the remaining people also followed suit. Bradley who sensed the disappearance of hisrades, smirked proudly.
"Now, you are finally honest with yourself."
With his twin axes in hands, he channeled all the Qi he had to them. The axes glowed in bright orange light as they were swung at the Beastsing his way.
sh!
Ssh!
Each sh sshed blood. He didn''t stop his charge toward them. He only needed to kill as many to distract them even for a moment. He kept breaking through the horde. Luckily, the horde was split because of that.
Stab!
"Ugh!"
A Razorde Lizard stabbed his side and it left him bleeding. Wounds were littered around his body, however he didn''t stop moving forward. He charged through the horde like scissors cutting paper.
Although he said he would hold the horde back, he actually wanted to live. His will to remain alive was strong to the point he forgot the fear and pain his body had endured. A crazy thought filled his mind.
''They are running from the mist. Maybe, it can be my way to live!''
With that conviction in mind, he charged forward. His Qi was quickly depleting. He didn''t pour thest bit of his Qi to his attacks anymore. He was focusing on running. If there was an attack, he would just parry it.
After what felt like eternity, he finally arrived before the red mist ¡ª the safe zone. His mind was still in a disarray. He didn''t even think twice to step his foot inside the mist.
Whoosh!
The mist parted as his body crashed onto it. Bradley merely used his instinct to move forward. He couldn''t think of anything else. He wanted to live!
Looking back at his action, he was lucky he could break through the horde. If the horde was filled with Third ss Magical Beasts and above, he would be dead. There were still some Third sses mixed in, however they weren''t many.
He stopped his feet when he finally retained his sanity. He wasn''t mad about the thoughts of surviving anymore. He was gasping for breath. He took a deep breath and immediately threw up on the spot.
"Ueeek... Kuhuk! What the..? The air tastes horrible!"
He quickly closed his mouth and nose while trying his best to calm his raging stomach. Just by breathing the air was nauseating, coupled with his exhaustion he was close to lose his consciousness.
His eyes teared up due to the sudden expulsion of his stomach liquid. He looked at his surrounding, and only then he noticed what he had done. He had survived, however he had run into the lion''s den.
Gulp.
He forcefully gulped the vomit he was about to let out. As his rity returned little by little, his fear also grew time by time. He started to quiver. Every parts of his body was shaking out of exhaustion and fear.
At that moment, he heard a sound.
Rustle.
!!!
Without thinking much, he swung his axes with as much strength he could gather.
nk!
Crack!
Boom!
Two things happened. First, his axes were fended off and got destroyed in return. Second, he was kicked right in the stomach, throwing him backward.
"Kuhuk! Who... Who are you!"
That was definitely human, he could understand it. There was no way Magical Beast could have that kind of foot.
"There are still some survivors it seems."
"Grrr..."
Two sounds were heard. The first one belonged to the voice of a young man. The second one belonged to a Magical Beast. Bradley tried his beast to stand, but he only ended up sitting. It was the best his tattered body could do.
"You.. you are...!"
Imagine his shock when he looked at the face of the person who had kicked him. He knew the young man in front of him. He had left quite an impression on his mind. There was no way he could be wrong, even the Companion was the same.
The young man was no other than Basil with Deacon beside him. He had just recovered and was looking for the big snake at the peak. He was colored surprise when he found nothing at the peak. He had expected to have a great battle at the peak, however he didn''t even meet it!
He was slightly irritated. He couldn''t even use Deacon''s superb smelling ability in the situation he had personally created. Therefore, he was climbing down the mountain. There was a possibility that Yamata no Orochi had run away.
He merely nced at Bradley and walked pass through him.
"W-what?"
Bradley was gaping. He couldn''t believe that Basil merely nced at him and ignored himpletely. As a fellow human, wouldn''t it be right of helping each other?!
"The only one who could help yourself is none other than yourself."
Bradley couldn''t even retort. Basil beat him to it. He sighed in defeat and justid down. He had thrown all of his desire to live. He was no more than a deadman.
"To think I would end at this kind of ce... Pathetic."
"Then live!"
Basil said it softly, however it was echoed through the air. Bradley could hear it clearly. The powerful voice was forever etched in is mind. He justid there motionlessly until he couldn''t hear Basil''s footstep anymore.
As if on cue, the wind blew the crimson mist away. The surrounding was slowly but surely could be seen. He could finally see the scene in front of his eyes clearer. The sky now colored in blue once again.
He looked to his left and right and could see the grasses and trees alike. Finally, he forced his body to sit and looked at the scene in front of his eyes.
"..."
He was so stunned that he turned into a mute at that very moment.
"...Monster. He is a freaking monster!"
The ground in front of him was littered with countless of Magical Beasts'' corpse. Some were mutted and some were burned. The crimson mist was gone, bringing the nature''s color back. However, the ground remained painted in red.
...
Gasp.
"Darn! Just what the hell was that thing?!!"
Gasp.
"Do you think.. I would know?"
The irresponsible party leaders were having their rest after the marathon called running away from their duty. They were breathing heavily to the point of their face bing blue. They looked at the surrounding and finally noticed how quiet it was.
"Hey... Isn''t it too quiet for you?"
"Hm? Now that you talk about it..."
None of them spoke about the shameless thing they had done. They thought it was only right for them to do that.
"Considering how rowdy up there, there was no way it should be this quiet?"
"Have you passed this way when you were climbing up?"
Jester shook his head negatively. Both of them merely ran away without thinking. No one knew where they had ended up.
Rustle.
!!!
Boom!
Jester and An quickly activated their aura and threw their attacks at the source of the sound. They didn''t want to risk anything, therefore they attacked thoughtlessly.
"What was that?!"
"I have no freaking idea!"
They looked at the ce where the sound had originated from attentively. When the dust of the ground finally cleared up, they sighed in relief. It was only a dead body of a slightly big rabbit with a horn on its head, a Unihorn Rabbit.
"Huuh... To think that I was frightened by it."
"It can''t be helped, we are exhausted."
An nodded his head at Jester''s response. It was true, they were so exhausted that they couldn''t think calmly. They were extremely paranoid currently. They took a seat to recuperate and took out each of their food from their Spatial Ring.
"Now that I think about it. Tha Basil kid, didn''t he wear a Spatial Bracelet?"
"Basil? That boy you had an argument with?"
"Hm."
"Does that mean he is a Mage?"
"That''s what bothered me. He has a Beast Companion."
"Hmm... Are you sure he wears a Spatial Bracelet?"
"He took out his food from it. I saw it shed briefly."
"He is a rare case then."
Jester shook his head to clear his thoughts about Basil. It was just a fleeting thought, however he was curious of his fate.
"No matter what, I''m sure he must be dead at this point."
"..."
"An?"
Jester looked weirdly at An. He was staring forward without blinking. His body froze as if he had seen an abomination far worse than he had seen in his life. Jester became tense, he was about to turn his head when he heard An''s voice.
"We are sitting on a mound of dirt right?"
"Yes..."
"Then... Does dirt normally have eyes?"
Very slowly, Jester turned his head toward the direction An was looking. He was met with a pair of yellow slitted eyes. There was a horizontal cut on them signifying the inability to see.
Hiss!
However, they still couldn''t move. It was the biggest snake they had seen in their lives. However, the reality was even crueller. There wasn''t only one head, but eight of them. The heads rose through the sky and peered at them.
Their hands twitched. Qi was cycled inside their body. Aura was built and ready to burst at any moment. Their weapon shone in yellow light. Each of them were ready to send out their attack.
However!
The Eight-Headed Snake was faster.
Swish!
A gentle sound of a wind passing through was heard. Both An and Jester felt light-headed instantly. In the next moment they started to lose their vision. Right after that, they felt they had lost their control over their heads.
Their heads tilted and their vision turned upside down. They felt their heads touched the ground and what they saw was thest thing they would ever see. It was no other than their headless body.
Hiss.
The one who had attacked An and Jester hissed in response. It dropped down its previously lifted tail. The end of it resembled a sword about 102 cm long. Its form resembled a cmus leaf. The middle of it was 22 cm wide, and the appearance resembled a fish spine.
It was no other than Kusanagi no Tsurugi that was attached on the tail belonged to the fourth-head of Yamata no Orochi.
Chapter 37 Bloodbath
Gasp.
"Don''t.. slow down your... speed!"
"Hm!"
Five people were running with all they had as if there was no tomorrow. Their clothes were tattered and smeared with blood. Their expression weren''t good either as exhaustion was evident on their face.
These people were the formerly An and Jester party members. They had never stopped running since they left Bradley behind. Surely, it didn''t mean they didn''t meet any obstacles in the way.
They had met some Third ss Magical Beasts on their way and they had no choice but to fight them. The first two encounter were manageable as they still have some energy to spare. However, it wasn''t the case with the fight onward.
They had to lose two of theirrades in the hands of the rabid Magical Beasts. Whatever happened to the Beasts, they were pretty sure it was caused by the red mist they had run away from.
"Just why.. why it has to be like this?!"
They were close to losing their mind. Running away to the point they couldn''t take a break. Their already exhausted body and mind were close to breaking down. Even the thought of dying together became an option to them.
Slip!
"Kyaa!"
"Oh, crap! Sylvia, you okay?"
"Ugh.. I think I broke my ankle!"
"Crap, crap, crap!"
Someone from the former An party members unluckily tripped themselves and had her ankle broken. She was sure she didn''t stumble upon anything. She felt like someone had purposefully tripped her.
Surely, she wouldn''t dare say it aloud. All of them were in a state of paranoia currently. If she were to say it aloud, they would be more panic. However, she couldn''t hold back the stressful tears toe out.
"Hu-hu-hu... It hurts."
"Calm down! You are a Knight. It will recover fairly quickly. So..."
Sylvia''s friend looked down at her ankle''s state and couldn''t utter any single words. Her ankle didn''t merely break. It was bent in an awkward way.
Although the recovery rate of a Knight was superb, it would take a week without the help of a healer for her ankle to recover.
Shiing.
He unsheathed his sword and held it in front of Sylvia''s neck. All of the people froze, even Sylvia was dumbfounded.
"What are you doing?!"
One of the formerly Jester party members shouted at him in the next moment. Even if Sylvia wasn''t his party member, he couldn''t help but ask for her friend''s sanity.
"It has to be done, Samuel! Look at her foot! Do you think she could run with that foot?"
"What are you...?"
Samuel couldn''t properly respond. The condition of Sylvia''s foot wasn''t as good as he had thought. At this point, someone would need to carry her if they wanted to keep moving. However, no one had enough energy to spare for carrying her.
"Sylvia..."
Samuel looked at herplicatedly. He didn''t know what to do. Sylvia was already crying in despair. She was weeping silently while her entire body was trembling. Samuel felt pity on her. However¡ª
"We need to do it quickly! You know that it is impossible for a Knight to break their ankle because of tripping!"
¡ª he was aware of the absurdity of the situation.
Something was on them. He knew it.
"Tch! Curse this crap!"
Atst, Samuel turned his back while cursing loudly. Sylvia''s friend took that as a cue to do his job.
"Sylvia, I''m sorry. I will make it quick. You won''t suffer."
"Please... Let me live, Erik."
Erik looked at the despairing look of Sylvia. His heart clenched tightly. Although he had said his words full of conviction, his heart was bleeding inside. He gritted his teeth and spoke to her as steady as he could.
"If I am to leave you here, you will end up as a fodder. I can''t let you suffer any longer."
"Huk.. hu-hu-hu..."
Only silent cry was heard out of her. Erik was close to tears, however he bit his lip to hold himself back. He had to make it quick, he was feeling ufortable the more he spent his time staying idle.
"I am sorry..."
He raised his sword as it shone in bright orange light. With an exhale, he swung down his sword in full force.
Boom!
!!!
However, the one who met their demise wasn''t Sylvia. It was no other than Erik. He was thrown to the side by something no one could see. His head was destroyed, while the brain was sttered on the ground.
Sylvia opened her tightly shut eyes and raised her head. She had heard a boom, however she didn''t know what happened. When she finally could see what was in front of her, she was struck by an intense fear.
In front of her was a root like weird creature standing while looking at her. The weird creature had a humanoid form, however it was entirely made of roots. Its hand was extended to the side with one of its fingers was elongated like a skewer.
In the end of it was, of course, the lifeless body of Erik.
Gulp.
"R-run...!"
Samuel didn''t mean to scream. He was simply too terrified to think straight. He didn''t realize he was screaming until the others heeded hismand. Unfortunately, his screams attracted the attention of the Beast.
It turned its head to them and stabbed its hands into the ground. Its made of wood hands seemed to grow inside the soil as the ground was visibly rumbling as if something roaming inside it.
None of the remaining three people thought of looking back, they merely ran with their meager remaining energy.
"Darn! This crap has no end!"
Samuel cursed loudly. Even though he was out of breath, he had still enough reserve to spout some profanities out of his mouth.
Rumble!
Suddenly, the ground below him was shaking. Not long after, a moving root came out of the ground. It was swiping its surrounding madly.
"Ah! I''ve had enough of this bullcrap!"
Samuel was fed up with dodging the wildly whipping root. He decided to turn his back and fought it. His axe shone in orange light as he swung it with thest bit of Qi he had in his body.
Swish!
Wind blew due to the force the axe carried. Samuel was big in stature, therefore his normal strength without utilizing Qi was already impressive. When he added Qi into his attacks, the power he wielded wouldn''t be something to scoff at.
"Suck that, bastard!"
Samuel cackled madly at seeing the cut roots. The other two people running with him was also relieved at that. They had gotten whipped for a couple of times that they were sure they had a few bones broken.
Sadly, their relief didn''tst long. It was because they forgot one thing. That was the Beast itself.
Stab!
Squelch!
"Kuhuk!"
Ssh!
Samuel''s blood smeared the ground. The Beast didn''t merely stab him. It was also twisting its root like hand inside his body. Samuel could do nothing as his innards were destroyed helplessly.
However! He couldn''t die just like that. He raised his axe, fully intending to cut the head of the Beast. Sadly, it was slightly faster than him. A root came out of the ground and pierced his head cleanly.
Thud!
The axe dropped to the ground along with hisst breath. The remaining two people were frightened. They were too frightened that their feet turned to jelly. The beast in front of them was undoubtedly an Upper Rank Third ss Beast. They were hopeless against it.
"Ah.. ah.. Mom, I''m sorry I couldn''t-"
Pierce!
The speaker''s life ended even before he finished his words. His head was pierced in the middle. He was thrown away in the next moment as the Beast moved to hispanion.
"No... No! Please, no! Kyaa! Help me!!!"
Thest of the formerly Jester party member wet herself. Her feet didn''t move ording to her will, however she still wanted to live. Therefore she tried to crawl away from it. It was her desperate attempt to save herself.
"What.. what is this...?"
Sylvia was looking at the scene with an empty eyes. She couldn''t believe what was happening in front her eyes. This wasn''t the journey she had imagined. She just wanted to earn money and lived freely. She didn''t want this terror filled journey!
"Hehe.. hehe.. so I am gonna die here? Perfect!"
She muttered emptily. She looked at the other survivor that was about to be killed. The Beast closed on her steadily. Sylvia could hear her fear stricken scream, however she couldn''t do anything. She merely cried helplessly.
"If there is any God. I beg you to save our lives."
She sped her hands and did the thing she had never done, praying. She prayed to any omnipotent beings out there to help her. Sadly, even the God seemed to abandon her.
Rustle.
"Ah..."
Another simr Beast came out of nowhere and moved in front of her. She was gaping her mouth. She started to regret ever praying to God. She asked for salvation, yet the God gave her damnation instead.
She really wanted to give whoever that God was a middle finger. The beast appeared before her. It was already raising its root like hand. She looked at that emptily, but her dder was honest. It turned loose as she wet herself unconsciously.
Swish!
The beast swung its hand. Sylvia closed her eyes helplessly. She was ready to lose her life. However ¡ª
sh!
Boom!
¡ª the attack she had waited didn''te.
She felt extremely familiar with this scenario. She opened her eyes to look at what happened. She became mute by the time she saw what was in front of her. What she saw was a sturdy back of a man thatforted her.
She couldn''t think of anything in her mind. She didn''t know who the man was. At this point, what she thought was the fairy tales her orphanage''s Matron had told her about. It was simr to the fated encounter of the heroine and her hero.
She expected the man in front of her to turn his head and smiled reassuringly to her. Imagine her surprise when the man did just like that! Not only that, her heart also skipped a beat when she saw his unnaturally handsome face!
She became even more expectant than before. However ¡ª
"Wetting yourself in the middle of battle is very udylike, you know?"
¡ª she met Basil!
Her heart shattered upon Basil''s honestment. She felt like crying. Actually, she was crying! She didn''t know why, but it seemed right to cry.
''Tch. What a crybaby.''
Basil clicked his tongue inwardly. Regardless of gender, Mage and Knight alike were treated the same by him. He didn''t like a cowardly person, especially when they were Mage or Knight.
Pat.
"Crying won''t solve your issue."
"..."
Sylvia looked at Basil who was patting her head dumbly. She couldn''t understand a thing had happened since the beginning. This man had first hurt her heart, then he wasforting her?! Did he think she was a joke? Audacious!
''But, it feelsforting.''
She closed her eyes unconsciously. Basil looked at her neutrally. This girl had the most varied facial expressions out of the people he had ever met in his second chance.
''A child.''
He shook his head bitterly. Just at a nce he could tell how old she was. He knew that Sylvia was no more than 18, and his guess was spot on. He took his hand off he head, and in turned she looked at him begrudgingly.
Her face was screaming, "Why do you take your hand away?!" However, Basil didn''t even bat an eysh. He merely swung his dagger behind his back.
Boom!
"I still have to finish these Stranglers."
He replied her calmly as he turned his back on her. She nodded slowly in realization. Basil took off and the wind he produced from his dash blew on her face. Along with it, came Deacon beside her, bringing someone with him.
The person was none other than thest of the formerly Jester party member. Sylvia looked at her and couldn''t help butment.
"Chloe, you are alive...?"
"It seemed so..?"
Deacon held Chloe in a rather awkward position. He was unwilling to carry this woman who had urinated herself on his back! Therefore, he carried her by biting on her shirt. Due to that her sufficiently well-endowed figure was entuated even more.
Boom!
At that moment, Sylvia and Chloe heard an explosion from the direction where Basil was fighting the Stranglers. When they turned their heads at the direction, what they saw was forever etched into their minds.
A storm of fire engulfed the half mutated Stranglers. Coming out of it unscathed was Basil with his slowly disintegrating sword. All of them gulped unconsciously. Only then did they realize he was someone they had met before.
All of them had the same thought.
Overbearing!
Chapter 38 Bloodbath (2)
There were only three people remained alive in Lone Mountain. Two of them were female, and thest one was a male. The area was swept in silence as the three of them were having a staring contest.
One of the female had a blond hair, well-endowed figure, and a mature attractiveness. She was Chloe who was sitting on the ground while dumbly staring at the young man in front of her.
The other female had a long ck wavy hair, lean body, small face, and wasn''t as endowed as Chloe. She was Sylvia who sat beside Chloe while looking intently at the young man in front of her.
The young man they were looking at was, of course, Basil. He looked at them calmly as if he didn''t take their gaze into ount.
"Are.. are you-"
"Don''t make a sudden move."
Sylvia was interrupted by the time she was about to finish her words. She heeded his advice as she carefully looked at him. Finally, she noticed that Basil had never looked at them since the beginning.
Basil was looking at something behind them. Sylvia became tense instantly. She was fearing another terror would happen. Chloe, who saw her bing tense, also couldn''t help herself following suit.
Basil made a hand motion toward Deacon, and he responded quickly. Quickly swiping the twodies on the ground, Deacon took a leap forward as fast as he could. Basil leapt back while muttering a name of a spell.
[Firestorm]!
Gale and fire mixed into one, creating a firestorm on its wake. Basil shot the the firestorm directly at the Beasts that had been waiting to struck them. They were no other than another Stranglers.
Strangler was a unique Magical Beast as it was a transition between nts and animals. Its outer appearance resembled a nt, however its system worked just like an animal.
Stranglers were naturally a peaceful Magical Beast, however it was the case if one had never cut down a tree in their entire life. To say it simply, it was close to impossible. The worst part was they became rabid after one killed their species.
Once you killed a Strangler, its scent would stick on your for an entire week. Therefore, as long as you were in the vicinity of Strangler''s habitat, you would never get a peaceful life.
Basil had killed a total of four Stranglers on his way chasing Yamata no Orochi. He was also running away from them. Currently, fighting four of them was a stretch at his meager Body Forging stage.
Although he had an abnormal amount of Mana, he hadn''t carved the necessary Magic Circle to control them. Therefore, whenever he used Mana, there were many of them got wasted.
Basil was different and he was aware of it. Ever since he returned to the past, he was already a different person. He didn''t carve Magic Circle to utilize Magic. He carved them to help him utilizing Magic better and easier.
It was the sole function of Ultimate Circle. It was created for people who had already innate talent to utilize Magic, people who were blessed by the nature. At this point, Basil could conclude that Magic didn''t belong to human.
There were still many things he was confused about, however he couldn''t figure it out as the Guide restricted the knowledge.
Boom!
As he had expected, the Stranglers he had burned in the firestorm before, managed to survive the fire. They were burning for sure, however they could still chase his butt.
Basil didn''t n to fight them, he merely dodged here and there. Utilizing [Feather Step] to the best he could, he quickly caught up to Deacon. Using [Slip] for once, he reappeared in front of Deacon.
Starting from then on, he was the one taking the lead. Deacon skilfully followed him and didn''t fall behind. They did many twist and turns that made thedies on Deacon''s body held tightly onto their mount.
Basil was forcing himself to keep his current pace. He had been fighting many Beasts before meeting Sylvia and Chloe. Not only that, he had also been running since hours. Naturally, his body was already screaming at him.
The Qi he had spent was recovering, however the tissue and muscles he had broken didn''t. Therefore, his speed faltered a little. It was very painful, however his face remained stoic. He had felt worse pain than that.
Looking ahead of him, he could finally see a clearing. Not away from it was an empty cave. He unhesitatingly led Deacon there. Upon arriving there, he exhaled heavily.
He had devised the best route while running. Luckily, his newly improved brain helped him a lot in thinking faster without using Mana. Thanks to that, he could spare his concentration to another thing.
Thud!
"Ouch!"
"Ah! My butt hurts!"
Sylvia and Chloe groaned as Deacon unceremoniously dropped them to the ground. Sylvia was sent rolling, while Chloe fell on her butt. They looked at Deacon begrudgingly as they rubbed the part where it hurt.
Deacon merely snorted and threw his gaze at Basil. He whimpered with the most pitiable expression he could make. Gesturing his head at his body, he looked at Basil with a forlorn gaze.
"Uh.. why do I feel insulted?"
"I want to cry."
The first was Chloe, and thest one was the weeping Sylvia. She didn''t feel scared anymore, however she had the urge to cry. Basil merely shook his head in amusement and conjured a water out of thin air.
Ssh!
The water spilled on Deacon''s body. He took all of the water happily as he shook his body to get it properly washed. After the improvised bath was done, he shrunk himself and got to his Chibi Form.
"Oh...!"
"What?! He''s so cutel"
Snort!
Deacon looked at the women in contempt. One minute they resented him, one minute they praised him. What a fickle thing!
He was unaware that it made him looked more adorable. Basil looked at them alternatingly, and shrugged inwardly.
"Do you need it too?"
"..."
"..."
Silence descended upon the cave. Basil looked at them stoically as he offered them doing the same as what he had done with Deacon. The twodies kept their mouths shut as their cheeks visibly reddened.
''Tu, tu, tu. Darling, you are sometimes very insensitive to women.''
''Did I say something wrong?''
''No, you didn''t. However! You could have worded it better.''
''Should I flirt with them?''
''Actually, you did the right thing! Hm! As expected of my Darling!''
Basil didn''t blink at Vagus'' indecisiveness. He didn''t want to argue with her over a trivial matter. He was a realistic person. He had always taken the reality no matter how bitter it was. Therefore, he knew nothing called holding back.
"Uhh.. that is..."
Sylvia muttered awkwardly after some time had passed. She didn''t want to admit it, but she was feeling ufortable down there. Honestly, she didn''t know how many times she had wet herself. Her dder had be loose after all of the ordeals.
Chloe looked at the muttering Sylvia expectantly. She was very embarrassed of her behavior as a twenty year old adult woman. She didn''t know how many times she had wet herself!
In the end, they fell silent once again as they merely looked at each other''s eyes.
Tap. Tap. Tap.
They were bewildered when they heard Basil''s footstep. When he arrived in front of them, they tried to scurry away. They were afraid that he would somehow noticed something unpleasant from them.
Thud!
However, their worry was unfounded. Basil merely put two rather high quality nkets on the ground.
"You could use these nkets to cover yourselfter."
His face was as stoic as ever, however they could somehow feel his exhaustion. He was worn down, however he did a great job to cover it. They were reminded at the things he had done for them, and instantly felt bad.
"Please, I would like to clean myself."
"Me too."
They gulped their pride as a woman and decided to speak honestly. Basil merely nodded with his lip faintly moving upward. They didn''t know whether it was a yful smile or a sincere smile, whichever it was, he looked stunning.
Basil took out two Spatial Jugs and he filled them with the conjured water to the brim. When they were finally full, he gave it to the waitingdies. They received the jugs shyly with their facespletely red.
"T-thank you..."
"Y-yeah, t-thank you."
Basil didn''t give any particr reaction as he merely approached Sylvia closer. Sylvia''s heart skipped a beat. She couldn''t wrap her head around the fact that Basil wasing her way. She was simply bewildered and full of expectation!
Basil looked at Sylvia weirdly and merely took her broken ankle. He inspected the severity of the injury and hummed quietly to himself. He grabbed her mangled ankle and pulled it hard!
Rattle!
"Kyaa! It hurts!"
People had two option when they suddenly felt hurt. First, throwing their body backward. Second, throwing body forward. As for Sylvia, she chose thetter.
She hugged Basil tightly as she couldn''t bear the pain her ankle felt. Tears were streaming down her face. Luckily, Basil reciprocated her hug as he stroked her head gently.
Surely, everytime he did that, he was sending a bit of Mana Wave to calm her mind. It worked as Sylvia had visibly stopped shaking.
Chloe looked at the two unamused. She felt like a third wheeler. The audacity of the two people made her feel like strangling them to death.
''Huh, look at them! They are already flirting with each other. While I''m here nheless!''
Surely, it was just her thought. Basil didn''t think anything about it. He merely resumed Sylvia''s treatment. After lining up all of the broken bones, he tied her feet with a cloth and a stick to keep it remained straight.
"Here, take this."
He gave her a pill of Crystal Clear Alpha. Basil couldn''t heal someone in his current progress. He didn''t have the necessary control over his Mana to do that. Therefore, he gave her a Catalyst so her body could heal faster by using her Qi.
Basil turned to look at Chloe and he met her unamused eyes directly. He quirked an eyebrow and asked her calmly.
"Do you have any broken bones?"
"Hoh.. now you finally noticed me?"
"I will take that as a no."
"Wait! I do, I do!"
Basil nodded his head and moved his body to Chloe. She looked at him quietly before smirking to herself. She decided to tease him a little bit.
"By the way, my broken bones are-"
She was interrupted as Basil directly pulled up her cloth, leaving her upper body bare. Luckily, she wore a bra to cover her voluptuous mound.
"W-w-what are you doing, pervert?!!"
She was covering her chest while looking at Basil resentfully. She had intended to tease him, however she didn''t expect he would be that aggressive. Shemented on her fate quietly.
''Ah, why do I have to be born this attractive?''
Basil looked at her neutrally. His eyebrow twitched as he somehow could deduce what she was thinking. Ignoring Sylvia''s full of disbelief gasp, he moved his hand beside Chloe''s left breast.
"Hey! Where are you, ouch!"
"You have three broken ribs."
"Why do you, ouch! Don''t touch, ouch!"
She tried to chastise him, however he didn''t let her do it. Everytime she was about speak, he always pressed her ribs. In the end, she could only weep silently. Her look was that of a child that had their toys taken ¡ª full of resentment but quiteical.
After some pain filled exmation from her, he finally got her broken ribs covered. Chloe was sobbing while covering her eyes.
"I have been vited. You have to take a responsibility!"
''This harlot! What does she mean by being vited, huh?! She wanted to be vited that bad? Fine! Let this Miss do that!''
''Vagus... Children tend to not know what they are saying.''
''Hmm.. now that you mention it, she is indeed a child in my perspective.''
She somehow epted that logic as she stoppedmenting right after. Basil looked at the acting Chloe and shoved a pill of Crystal Clear Alpha into her mouth.
"Kuhuk! What are you doing, you rude man!"
"Sorry, my hand slipped."
"This man..."
Chloe was speechless, Basil had replied all her teasing with his own, while doing it stoically. He was nasty, however she kinda liked that. Without her intending it, her cheeks became red.
Basil didn''t pay any attention to her and merely returned to the ce he had been standing before. It was slightly away from them. He took a seat and leaned his body to the cave wall. He closed his eyes wordlessly.
Sylvia and Chloe looked at the sleeping Basil silently. Due to how well he was hiding his exhaustion, they forgot the hardships he had been through because of them. Many things they wanted to ask him, however they could wait.
Right then, they just wanted to enjoy the fact that they had managed to survive. Of course, they wanted to clean themselves too!
Chapter 39 Bloodbath (3)
While Basil was recuperating and took a quick shut-eye, Sylvia and Chloe were busy cleaning themselves. They had undressed themselves and were covered with nket all over their body.
As the water provided by Basil was sufficient enough to also clean their clothes, they did just that. They were hanging their wet clothes in the cave in hope to get them dry as soon as possible.
They could feel the body parts where they hurt were heating, and the pain lessened. They didn''t know what Basil had given them, however they could deduce it wasn''t cheap in the slightest.
Therefore, they looked at the sleeping Basil in nervousness and some expectation. They didn''t know who started it, however after some time passed, they leaned onto each other and fell asleep.
Basil opened his eyes by the time his energy and body had recovered. All of the broken tissue and muscles had been healed and got strengthened instead. He stood up and expelled the heat out of his body.
Psst!
Steam was let out of his body. He looked like someone who had just got out of a steam bath. It was the residue energy from self healing. When Qi was utilized to repair one''s body, there would always be some unused ones that would then be expelled.
It was no longer usable as it had been tainted by the impure energy that ran through one''s body. Qi could only remain pure if it stayed inside the Core. Once it was taken out of the Core, it was morphed to another form.
Basil took off his upper clothes and conjured water out of thin air to wash himself clean. He hadn''t cleaned himself for a quite some time, and he felt ufortable. He had always been a clean freak, and he wasn''t shy to admit it.
Unaware or not, while he was cleaning himself, the two previously sleepingdies were already awake and watching him in a daze. They ogled every part of his body attentively as if they didn''t want to miss any single details.
"Ahh..."
"Huhh..."
They sighed in admiration and slight disappointment. They wanted to see his front badly! It wasn''t their first time seeing a bare-chested man, however it was their first time seeing someone as attractive as him bare-chested. Surely, it hit different.
Basil turned his body and looked at them neutrally. They couldn''t even register him turning his body as they were too preupied by his bare chest.
''There are two Vagus out here.''
''What?! I am offended. How could youpare me to these kids?!''
Vagus replied him indignantly from his mindscape. However, he knew what she was really up to. Truly to his guess, Vagus was as always having her dose of nosebleed for the day.
It was only after he put his clothes on that the twodies registered the fact he was staring at them.
"Kuhum. I am charmed..."
"Hm..."
While Chloe openly admitted her feelings, Sylvia opted to admit it silently. Basil didn''t have any change of his facial expression as he asked them.
"How about your injury?"
"Ah.. I think... They have gotten better?"
"Hm. Same here. The lump on my ankle is almost gone too."
Basil nodded his head faintly and took out another two pills of Crystal Clear Alpha. He gave one to each of them. In turn, they received it reluctantly.
"Umm.. do we have to pay for it?"
As Sylvia couldn''t bear the anxiousness anymore, she asked Basil directly. Without changing his expression, Basil answered her.
"If you want to pay, I will ept it."
"Th-that is..."
The atmosphere turned awkward in an instant. Sylvia was conflicted between choosing to tear up or tough at his answer. In the end, she chose the former as her eyes quickly glistened. She didn''t know why, she started to think that crying was her new hobby.
"I.. I will pay it.. w-w-with m-my body..."
Chloe looked at Sylvia in pity. This girl had been abandoned by her friends, and then she was abandoned by god. Chloe had some money to spare, so she wasn''t concerned about paying Basil.
She looked at Basil with a hint of disgust. Although she looked like that, she was quite a respectable woman. She hated men who treated women as they pleased. She was about to open her mouth when Basil spoke.
"You have talent, therefore you could pay me by enrolling yourself to a Knight School."
"Eh?"
"Huh?"
Sylvia stopped her tears as she turned at Basil with a dumbfounded face. Chloe was also the same. She was about to be overwhelmed with her hate toward Basil, however she was proven to be wrong.
''He is quite... nice?"
"Will that be okay?"
"Hm. It is way better than using your body as a fodder to the Beasts."
"Th-that is..."
"You are not ready and you know it."
Sylvia kept silent. She couldn''t refute his words. She had only realized she wasn''t ready after facing this ordeal. She had thought that as long as one could use Qi, one could face anything.
It was the reason she became an Explorer. Explorer were people who were consisted of Mage and Knight alike who didn''t follow their respective principal. These people pursued freedom and leisure. Therefore, they opted to explore the world. Hence, the name.
She learned how to use Qi one day from a visiting Explorer to her orphanage. She hadn''t had any formal training on using Qi. The same case was also for Chloe as he had learned it from her uncle.
It was the difference between Mage and Knight. A Mage had to enroll to a formal education to be able to learn Magic. However, a Knight could learn how to use Qi by instinct. There was really no restriction in learning Knight Principal. Anyone could learn it, anywhere, and anytime.
"What would she get by enrolling herself to a Knight School?"
p "Many things. You could try it yourself."
"Hmm... I think I''ll give it a try too."
Basil nodded and sat on the ground. He took out a beef steak from his Magic Bracelet and ate it silently. When Sylvia and Chloe saw that, they were reminded about his disy before climbing Lone Mountain.
"Ah.. you are.. Basil?"
"You are the guy who had a feud with Jester?"
"Hm? Yes, I am Basil. And, a dead man couldn''t bear any grudge."
They widened their eyes by the time they heard his words. They gulped in the next moment. Considering his prowess, it was possible for him to kill Jester. They gulped and nodded their heads in eptance. Surely, they didn''t know the truth.
"We haven''t introduced ourselves yet, so.. I am Chloe"
"I am Sylvia."
"Basil."
"Umm.. if I may know, why did you save us?"
Basil looked at Sylvia who had asked him silently. He looked like he was pondering over something. He was a little bit puzzled with his action too. If it were in the past, he wouldn''t even blink his eyes at a mass murder in front of him.
However, ever since he was granted this second chance, he felt a littlepassion toward some people. It was the case when he had exterminated the remaining Beast horde for Bradley.
Maybe it was because he was considerably ''experienced''pared to them, or maybe not. He wasn''t sure about that, and he opted to throw it to the back of his mind for the time being.
After some times, he fiinally opened his mouth.
"It was a coincidence. I am no more than a passerby. You were just coincidentally on my way, so I had no choice but to carry you along."
"You could have just left us though."
"Would you want it?"
"Of course not."
Basil stared at Chloe and she stared right back at him. She was unfazed by his unamused gaze. She knew she was acting rather childishly, however she didn''t care. She hadn''t resolved her resentment toward him yet.
"You are hungry."
"..."
"..."
Basil didn''t bat an eysh at Chloe''s behavior as he merely presented Sylvia and her two tes of beef steak. The two took each te silently, and ate the steak in the next moment. At this point, Chloe was convinced that his word held some true.
"We will part our ways here."
"Hm..."
"I.. understand."
They looked at him and nodded their heads reluctantly. They weren''t too afraid of climbing down the mountain alone. They were somehow reluctant to not be in his presence. They wereforted whenever they were in his presence.
"Here is the route you can take to climb the mountain down."
"Oh, thank you."
"Thank you very much!"
It was a situation that was worth celebration for. However, they felt nothing to it. Chloe just epted the paper he gave them and pocketed it silently. The meal continued until Basil stood up. He had finished his meal.
The two looked at him silently and somewhat expectantly. He gazed at the duo silently before moving in front of them and patted their heads. They reminded him of Deacon when he was yearning for praise.
They didn''t feel weird by being patted by him, they wereforted instead. They felt warmth they had never gotten in their life. Both of them didn''t have any parents, so it made them think that what they felt right then was what those kids who had parents felt.
Basil took away his hands and turned his back on them. He waved his hand silently as a farewell and mounted Deacon silently. The duo gazed at his back silently. They kept watching his back until he disappearedpletely from their view.
"Whew..."
"Hmm..."
Both of them held the nket he had given to them tightly. They felt something that thet hadn''t felt for a long time. That was, the feeling of being a child once again.
...
Basil pondered of his earlier action. He was a little bit weirded out by his action. He didn''t know that someone like him could express that much care toward people.
"For decades this Lord has lived, however not a time this Lord met anyone with a clean heart. Maybe, this Lord has not opened his blindfold yet."
Human are fickle. They are a simple yetplicated living things. They love, they hate, they favor, and abhor each others. Anyone aligned with their views will get along well with them, while the opposite will be ostracized.
Most of them are selfish, while some are verypassionate. Some make mistakes, while some make justice. They are so varied that human can not be described into one word. Human are many things.
However, to Basil, they looked like a child, immature. He shook his head at that thought. He didn''t act like himself just then. He hadn''t had that thought for a very long time. He had stopped caring ever since he had be a Mage.
After giving Deacon an instruction to follow a certain scent, Basil closed his eyes to forge his body and cultivate. He had encountered many things that befuddled him for the past day, however he would solve themter one by one.
Right then, he was just concentrating on his practice. He cycled all the Qi inside his body to forge it, while Mana was constantly converted to Qi. Mana was ceaselessly absorbed by his heart and in turn purifying his heart.
His heart twisted whenever he was practicing [Heart Clenching], and he felt he would feel that for quite some time. After some time passed, finally Deacon reached the origin of the scent he was chasing.
He notified Basil through [Link] and Basil stopped practicing. He tensed his body as he was preparing himself for the hardest battle he was about to face since going back in time.
Roughly a hundred meters away from them, Basil could see a gigantic snake with eight heads and equally eight tails. On one of the tails attached a unique looking sword. Basil knew the sword name. It was no other than Kusanagi no Tsurugi.
The gigantic snake was, of course, Yamata no Orochi.
Chapter 40 Bloodbath (4)
Yamata no Orochi had been heavily wounded by Susanoo in their first fight. Not only had Susanoo taken away Kusanagi, but also the Core of Yamata no Orochi. It was the reason Basil dared to risk his life on fighting it.
Unlike any other low ss Beasts, higher ss Beasts wouldn''t die if their core was taken. Therefore, to kill a higher ss Beast one needed to do it meticulously. One miss would let the Beast one had defeated escape.
Basil guessed it might be the case with Susanoo. Even though people called him a God, he believed that Susanoo was no different than any other human. Therefore, he made a mistake. He must have thought Yamata no Orochi had been dead.
No one knew that Yamata no Orochi had had its Core plucked out, until Muj¨ Bushi sought it out and killed it with his own hands. Muj¨ Bushi was another idiot who had thought his subpar skills could bring him to face the entire world.
Fortunately, or rather unfortunately, he had been lucky. Encountering a Core-less Beast wouldn''t pose much threat to one''s life. The origin of power from a beast came from its Core. As long as the core was plucked out, its power would drop by two-thirds.
To say it simply, the Core-less Beast was an easy prey amongst the Fourth-Circle Mage and above. Then,e the question, would Basil be able to face Yamata no Orochi with his meager level? Yes, he could!
He didn''t have the power, however he had the experience. He couldn''t face Yamata no Orochi head on for sure, however he could use some tricks. He would be stretching himself to the point of breaking surely, but he wouldn''t break easily.
Clenching his hand tightly he got down from Deacon. He had been devising many ns on his head since then, and he was ready to put them into action. Thrill washed through him. He felt excited for no reason.
It had been such a long time since he had faced this kind of challenge. His heart beat excitedly. He knew it would be hard, however the situation wasn''t desperate.
"Huuh..." He sighed to calm down himself and looked at Deacon, "You are going to be the decoy, Buddy. Just jump onto each of their heads." At this, Deacon merely puffed his chest and nodded vigorously.
"Well... Let''s start."
Thus, the battle began.
...
[Familia Inn]
Familia Inn was rowdier than usual. It had been so since a week ago. The business was running good because of it. Surely, the sudden rise of poprity was caused by something.
"Hey.. have you seen the one in the rumour?"
"No, I haven''t. It''s just a rumour anyway. Why would you believe that?"
"There might be some truth in it. Who knows?"
Two young women were talking among themselves quietly while eating their dinner in the inn''s cafeteria.
"Pfftt.. if there was truth in rumours, the world would be bathed in golden rain."
"Ehh.. you know it is stupid to believe that."
The second woman looked absurdly at the snorting first woman. The rumour she was talking about wasn''t as extreme as the former had said. She felt like she was wronged.
"Eii.. chill, girl. I was just messing with you."
"I know. But, don''t you think it would be awesome if we can see the extremely handsome young man while we''re talking about him?"
"..."
"Jess?"
"Uhum.. I think you want to look at your back."
"What are you...?"
Jessie''s friend, Nathalie, followed her advice. And by the time she turned her head, she looked at the person in front of her in a daze. Standing in front of the doorway was a handsome man, while looking at the surrounding quietly.
Some people had already turned their heads at him. Since he fitted the rumour, everyone thought he was the rumoured person. By everyone, meant all thedies in the inn. The men couldn''t care less.
"Excuse, me.. can I know where is the owner?"
"I am here. May I know what is your business...?"
Danzel came out of the kitchen and responded the man''s question. He looked at him in silent contemtion. There was something familiar about the man in front of him.
"Do I know you?"
"Ah! Of course, you must have forgotten me. It has been such a long time."
The man smiled awkwardly as he bowed his head briefly. Then, he looked at Danzel squarely in his eyes and smiled amicably.
"I am Davine, Sir. James'' former party member."
Danzel just stood there quietly. His expression was unreadable. He had no particr reaction toward histe son''s former party member. After all, none of histe son''s friends had showed themselves after the funeral.
However, Danzel wasn''t such a petty person. He was a very understanding person. He knew Davine might have some things to settle. In the first ce, Davine had no obligation to pay him a visit anyway.
"Good. How many rooms do you need?"
"I need only one."
"Follow me then."
Davine just nodded his head while smiling pleasantly. While following behind Danzel''s back, he looked at his surrounding. It was filled with women. He was slightly curious to what caused this phenomenon to happen.
Still, he couldn''t hold his little prankster side. He waved his hand and winked at some of the people there. The crowd was in an uproar after his little stun. The women were busy fussing over him.
''Well, that''s easy.''
He shook his head as he faintly smirked. After a while, Danzel finally stopped himself in front of an empty room''s door. He turned his back and looked at Davine.
"Here is your room."
"Thank you."
Davine bowed deeply before looking to the side. When he saw a fairly big room that seemed empty, he couldn''t help but ask.
"Excuse me, is that room empty?"
"Yes, it is currently. But, it won''t be long until the owner of the room came back."
Danzel answered him with the most tender expression he could have seen from his face. Davine was slightly surprised as he unconsciously asked.
"Who is that room belonged to?"
"My son..." Davine widened his eyes at the unexpected answer. However, Danzel hadn''t finished his words yet. "My another son. He is out there, challenging the world," continued him.
Danzel regained hisposure back as he realized he was getting sidetracked. He looked at Davine and nodded his head lightly.
"Have a good night."
"Yes..."
He left just like that. Therefore, he couldn''t see Davine''s face darkened slightly. He looked at Danzel''s back with a weird glint in his eyes.
...
Boom!
Screech!
"Gah! This overgrown snake is troublesome!"
Basil had just destroyed another weapon he had collected in his way to Lone Mountain. He had been attacking Yamata no Orochi for a quite some time, however he couldn''tnd a proper hit on it.
Its regeneration is too superb!
He clicked his tongue slightly. He had been looking for an opportunity to take Kusanagi form the fourth tail, however it seemed to have learnt from its mistake. It guarded it heavily.
Also, ¡ª
Swish!
"Darn! That one almost took this Lord''s head."
¡ª the ability of Kusanagi was really troublesome.
The superior control over wind was the ability of Kusanagi. Everytime it was swung, wind would follow up. He had been swiped like a fallen leaf because of it.
He looked at one of the two dead bodies that belonged to an idiot who had managed to take Kusanagi back in his past life. He looked at the body in a silent contemtion.
''How did this idiot manage to take Kusanagi?''
He soon erased that thought cleanly from his mind, and took something out from his Spatial Bracelet. It was a ck marble. He threw it to the ground in the next moment, producing a ck smoke when it shattered.
It was a Smell Bomb he had bought before arriving here. The only way Yamata no Orochi could navigate itself was through smell. It couldn''t see its surrounding due to its injured eyes. Therefore, he would make it fully blind for a short time.
In truth, he had tried this a couple of times already. However, he still couldn''tnd a proper hit. If only he could fight it inside [Bloody Mist], he could have taken Kusanagi long time ago.
[Synchronization]!
His sword shone in a dark blue light as he swung it toward one of the necks.
sh!
Boom!
The air was split creating a loud boom that was reverberated through the area. The sword he had in his hand lost its light and disintegrated itself in the next moment. Now, he had only a pair of Jaden Daggers. All of his weapons were destroyed already.
He was reallycking a weapon that could bear Vagus'' soul inside. Everytime he used [Synchronization] every weapon he used couldn''t bear the pressure and got destroyed in the process.
"Huuh..." He sighed as he took out Jaden Daggers from his Spatial Bracelet. "Do I have to retreat this time?" He silently wondered to himself.
Everything so far had been smooth sailing. Therefore, he had thought this time would be the same too. He shook his head bitterly. It seemed his ambition sent him off the track a little bit.
"I, Basil Pacifer, never give up!"
He took a leap toward one of theing heads and attacked it. Everytime hended on the ground, Deacon was busy being a decoy. He couldn''t stay idle, lest he wanted to get Deacon killed.
While attacking Yamata no Orochi to the best he could in his current meager prowess, he was devising a n inside his head.
''Tsk! Just what could I possibly do to get Kusanagi?''
[Ding!]
[Advice function has been unlocked!]
[Covering the Host''s ipetence...]
Basil was so bewildered that he couldn''t see properly the attack of one of the tails. He had to block it with his daggers, which in turn threw him back to the ground.
Crack!
The ground made a crater as hended on the ground. He had used his Qi to reinforced his body, surely the ground wouldn''t be able to bear the impact his body caused.
Basil focused on his mind. He didn''t think about the function he had unlocked that he hadn''t known existed. He was paying close attention to the information embedded in his mind.
[Yamata no Orochi is already in its brink of death. Without Core, it can not maintain its system to work the same way forever. It ages, and it is close to its end. The Host could defeat it by killing it from the inside...]
Basil''s face lit up in silent glee. He had just gotten an interesting information and equally a brilliant method. He looked at the overgrown snake with a smirk.
''Retreat!''
He informed Deacon toe his way via [Link]. Deacon did just that as he sped from Yamata no Orochi''s head to the ground. By the time he arrived beside Basil, he was mounted by Basil and they quickly distanced themselves away.
After some distance was made, Basil patted Deacon on his head gently.
"We are going to spin, Buddy."
Deacon had a bad premonition, however he steeled himself in the next moment. He would follow wherever his master went.
''Envelope us.''
Deacon could control wind to a certain extent. However, it wasn''t perfect. Therefore, Basil had been teaching him the proper way to use Magic, along with training hisbat ability. Due to his intelligence, he was quite fast in learning them all.
Therefore, he could already envelope them with wind, which in turn lessened the wind resistance while they were moving.
They sped together like a Bullet toward Yamata no Orochi. Basil was busy trying to delve deeper into their [Link]. By the time they almost reached it, Basil finally opened his eyes.
[Synchronization]!
[Drill]!
A Technique and an Art was activated, creating a fearsomebination of Mage and Knight. Along with Deacon, Basil was enveloped with a drill like wind that shone in blue light due to Jaden Daggers in [Synchronization].
However, it didn''t end just like that.
[Slip]!
sh!
They reappeared instantly in front of Yamata no Orochi''s stomach. Then, like Basil had said, they spun their body along with the whirlwind enveloping them. Yamata no Orochi was too bewildered to to do anything as it could only stare at the scene dumbly.
Boom!
Shrrk!
A gruesome sound was reverberated through the entirety of the area as Basil and Deacon pierced Yamata no Orochi''s stomach. Although it had many heads, its stomach was still one.
Inside that stomach was the sole reason it could live without its Core. Its heart belonged there.
Screech!
It screamed painfully as Basil finally got inside its stomach. Luckily, it''s agony didn''tst long as Basil finally exploded all the energy he had contained withing Jaden Daggers.
Boom!
Basil pierced through the stomach and exited through its back. Its innards sttered on the ground, painting it gruesomely.
Crash!
Basil couldn''tnd on the ground properly as he had exhausted every kinds of energy inside his body. The same case also happened to Deacon as he justid on the ground in exhaustion. They had fought a long fight, and they were tired.
"I did it!"
Even with his exhaustion and bloody state, Basil had a triumphant smile on his face. As if he didn''t want to be left behind, Deacon also howled in triumph. Basil turned his head at the still standing overgrown snake and grinned a bit cheekily. He felt alive.
He looked at his hand and found a quite short sword that resembled a cmus leaf. The middle of it had an appearance like a fish spine. It was no other than Kusanagi.
His smile couldn''t get any bigger. He looked like a child who had gotten a new toy.
Thud!
Along with the fall of Yamata no Orochi, Basil closed his eyes as exhaustion finally took over him.
Chapter 41 Bloodbath (5)
[Familia Inn]
It had been a few days since Davine staying here. Danzel had thought he would only be spending a night here and then leave in the next morning. However, he was surprised when Davine had said he wanted to spend his holiday here.
rissa met Davine in the the next morning, however she hadn''t been very happy with his visit. She had been there at her brother''s funeral. She had seen how those friends of her brother''s left her father at the exact same day. She despised them.
Unlike her father who had somehow quickly gotten close with Davine, she had always kept her distance from him. She would only interact with him as much as it was necessary. She felt the need to do so. There was something off about him that made her uneasy.
The other people seemed to not notice it as Davine quickly became the favorite person of the inn. Maybe because his easygoing nature, he could get close to any people he met. But still, she didn''t like him.
He had been flirting with all the female lodgers here and there. Unexpectedly, or rather as expected they were thrilled about it. They all believed he was the one in the rumour that had been running around the inn.
Surely, they were wrong. Some people who had met Basil felt quite bbergasted at that, however they didn''t care really much. They stayed in the inn not because of the rumour, but thefort.
People like them were the only one who treated him the same as the other people. They could see there was nothing special about him. They had seen the one who was way better than him after all!
"Do you want the lettuce, rissa?"
"I''ll take it by myself."
"Do you want some salt to add more vor to your food?"
"I like it mild."
"Do you want to try the sauce I made? It''s good."
"..."
Currently, they were having dinner for the fifth time. rissa felt like strangling Davine to death. She was annoyed! He couldn''t seem to leave her alone. Maybe her disinterest toward him had wounded his pride, however she couldn''t care less.
There really was nothing special about him. He was good-looking, however still iparable to Basil. She didn''t know whether it was his nature or not, however him pestering her irritated her to no end.
"You should try to have a taste of Davine''s sauce, Dear. It is fairly good."
"''Fairly good'' isn''t enough for me, Father."
"rissa, that''s rude."
Danzel was quite taken aback by her response. His daughter had never been that snarky for as long as he remembered. She was always well-mannered and polite. Although she was bit blunt sometimes, she knew how to hold back.
"I''m sorry, Davine. Maybe, she just had a bad day."
"Hahaha! Don''t worry, Uncle! I''m not offended in the slightest."
Danzel looked at Davine with an apologetic face, however Davine just brushed it off. He didn''t give any particr reaction at rissa''s snarkyment. He merely smiled as usual like nothing happened.
rissa didn''t feel any guilt or whatsoever. Her behavior had showed clearly she didn''t want to associate herself with Davine. Unfortunately, thetter was so adamant that she couldn''t help but stating it in front of his face.
"Seriously, Dear... You should give it a try. Maybe as an experienced cook, you might be able to point out the mistakes he made?"
"That is... A good point! I have never thought about that!"
Davine looked at rissa with an expectant gaze. He had a smile that seemed quite off on his face. rissa felt a little bit uneasy at that, however she couldn''t make her father lose his face anymore than that.
Atst, she sighed and decided to give a taste.
"Huuh... Fine."
She spooned Davine''s sauce into her mouth and let it washed her ptes. She tasted it briefly, and could tell it was fairly good. Surely, it was fairly good for a beginner. She was about to make ament when she felt her vision darkened as she lost her consciousness.
Thud!
nk!
"rissa!"
The utensils on the table nking against each other as her head hit it squarely. Danzel was panicked as he quickly ran toward her side.
"Hey, baby! Baby, can you hear me? Oh, Dear! Davine, notify some doctor to..."
Danzel looked at Davine in silent disbelief. Davine was sitting there quietly while having a huge grin on his face.
"Ku-ku-ku. It took a longer time than I had thought. This bitch is really tough but to crack. Well, at least I got to ''taste'' some of the lodgers."
Danzel''s heart sank. He looked at Davine in utter bafflement. He couldn''t believe the kid he had gotten close with was that kind of person. He had misjudged his character. No, Davine''s mask was too perfect for him to notice it.
"Now, now.. don''t look at me like that, old man. I''m just here for taking back my things."
"What are you talking about?"
Danzel looked at Davine coldly. There was fire in his eyes as he was enraged at the audacity at the kid in front of him who dared to trick him.
"Woah, woah. Chill out, old man. I know what you''re nning, but it will never work. I have isted this cepletely. No help wille even if you run. That is, even if you can run in the first ce."
Davine ended his words with a cold smirk on his face. Danzel tightened his clenched fist. He wanted to punch Davine''s face badly.
"Now, let''s get to the point. She, your daughter, has a poison inside her body. I have the antidote with me, so you have to answer me honestly."
"You, bastard! Give me the antidote!"
"Calm down, you won''t get anything through shouting. Just answer my question calmly."
"... Fine. Let me hear that question."
Danzel answered Davine with a clenched teeth. His tone held his true feeling as rage was barely concealed from it.
"Where is the armour?"
"What armour?"
"The one James got from Excluso Expedition."
"I don''t know what you''re talking about."
"Tch!"
Davine clicked his tongue in annoyance. He looked at Danzel in silent contemtion. He thought the old man was ying hard to get. He sighed and stood from his seat. Then ¡ª
Bam!
¡ª he punched him right in the face.
Although he didn''t imbue his punch with his Qi, due to Body Forging his strength was abnormal.
"Ugh! You, bastard. Is this how you treat an elder?!"
"Hmph! I don''t give a crap about it. Talk to my foot!"
With a snort, Davine stomped Danzel''s face.
Crack!
The wall Danzel was leaning on cracked due to the force Davine applied to stomp his head.
"Kuugghh... You..! You!"
"Woah, you don''t even bleed. You are a very resilient old man it seems."
Davine was quite take aback by Danzel''s durability. He had punched and stomped him, however Danzel hadn''t even bled. There was only one exnation to it. Danzel was a Knight, however for some reason he couldn''t use his Qi.
"I''ve had my share of beating, this is nothing to me!"
Danzel tried to stand up as he grabbed on Davine''s foot. However, Davine looked at that in disinterest as he applied more force to his foot.
Bam!
"Gah!"
"Tch. Just answer me, where is the armour?!"
"I don''t know what you are talking about!"
"ying hard, huh? Fine by me."
Davine looked at Danzel in ridicule and faint anger. He removed his foot and decided to punch him with his fists instead.
Bam!
"Excluso Expedition should have been a turning point in my life."
Bam!
"But, your idiot son took it away from me!"
Bam!
"Effortlessly, he made the noble I was trying to impress fond of him."
Bam!
"I was searching for an opportunity to get a favor from him, yet your son took it away from me!"
Bam!
"But, hold on! It wasn''t only that. At the end of the expedition, due to his fondness, the noble gave your son a Green Rank Armour!"
Bam!
"I want that so badly, but he had never worn it once!"
Bam!
"It was only when we had Lone Peak Expedition did he wear the armour, I killed him for that and covered it as an ident."
Davine stopped his barrage of punches. He looked at Danzel''s bloody face and sighed lightly. He was too carried away with his emotion that he didn''t notice he was breathing heavily.
"You killed my son.. kuhuk! Only for an armour?!
Davine ignored the enraged Danzel and opened his mouth.
"Imagine my surprise when I discovered the armour he wore was only Orange Rank in quality."
Bam! Bam! Bam!
"That prick! Even after his death, he still gave me a hard time. Now, you say you don''t know anything about it? Like father like son, you all irate me to no end!"
Davine kicked Danzel''s stomach until he clutched his stomach in pain. The floor was smeared with his blood. His face turned unrecognizable as Davine had pounded him too heavily. He had even internal injuries as he spewed blood from time to time.
"Crap! Crap! Crap!"
Davine kicked his tongue and looked at the sleeping rissa. He had tricked Danzel to believe he had poisoned her, however it seemed his trick was useless. He had beaten Danzel, however he couldn''t get anything out of him.
He had even searched through the whole ce, and he couldn''t even find anything. He was frustrated!
Tap. Tap. Tap.
He turned his back as he heard footsteps behind. There was someoneing from the doorway. The person wore an entirely ck attire and gave off a mysterious feeling. At this, he merely smiled.
"Took you long enough toe."
Both sides merely smirked as they looked at each other.
...
"Hmm..."
Basil groaned as he opened his heavily closed eyes. It seemed a day had passed since the battle. It was close to noon when he opened his eyes. The sun was very bright as it directly shone on his face.
He quickly spread his meager Mana Sense to the surrounding to check for any danger. He found none. Deacon was lying on his side, sleeping peacefully. He could feel it through their [Link], Deacon was having his best sleep.
Truly, the best sleep was the sleep you had after tiring yourself out. He sat himself uprightly and looked at Kusanagi on his hand.
Rustle.
"Oh, you are awake?"
Suddenly, someone came out from behind the bush. He held a Unihorn Rabbit in his hand, while holding his sword on his shoulder. Basil looked at the man, and kept his mouth silent.
"But, really. You are crazy, Dude. You held that sword tightly even when you were unconscious!"
The man was easygoing and liked to smile very much. Anyone in his vicinity would smile because of his smile only. He was a fun person.
"Alright! Because you seem so hungry that you can''t even answer me, let me cook first! It won''t take long, believe me!"
Basil nodded his head faintly, and calmly observed the man. The man couldn''t do any cooking, and it could be seen easily. He was too clumsy. If not for the fact he was a Knight, the man could have burnt himself many times already!
"Kuhahaha! Look at that! I finally made one right cook! Look at that, Sis! Your Bro can do it!"
He was simply ted that he could make one cook right. Basil looked at that and smiled faintly. The man scratched his head awkwardly and presented Basil the food. While the man ate his portion vigorously, Basil didn''t touch his food in the slightest.
"Darn! It''s so good! Kuuhhh... Haven''t eaten for a long time."
Basil waited until the man finished his food. When the man finished his food, he looked at Basil awkwardly.
"Umm..you don''t like it?"
Basil shook his head faintly and looked at the man with a small smile.
"Jade of Soul Memoir," muttered Basil softly. The man turned rigid for a while, before rxing his body and smiled in defeat. "Huh.. I know you are awesome. But! Aren''t you too awesome?!"
His solemn expression was quickly reced by his yful face. He returned to his usual self very quickly.
"I won''t ask how you know, my time is limited. But.. I''ll leave my family to you. I might sound impudent, but.. I beg you to take care of my Sis and Pops."
The man bowed his head deeply with the most sincere feeling Basil had ever felt from someone. When the man raised his head, Basil extended his hand.
"We haven''t known each other yet. I''m Basil Pacifer."
"Aha! I knew you were a noble. And, I knew you knew me already! But, whatever..." The man shook his head and smiled widely. He opened his mouth and said brightly, "Nice to meet you Basil, I am James, your older Bro!"
Basil shook his hand with a grin. Both of them were grinning. They only let go of each other''s hands after some time had passed. James sighed and looked straightly at Basil''s eyes.
"I don''t know much about you, but I believe you are a good person. Please, take care of my family. Peace!"
James made a peace hand sign and grinned brightly at Basil. His body was turning translucent by the second. He kept that pose until his entire self turned invisible.
Jade of Soul Memoir. A High Grade Relic that could keep a part of the owner''s soul. When they died, their family could spend a little more time with them. It recorded the owner''s Mana, and made a temporary construct resembling the deceased owner.
Basil hadn''t expected James would have that kind of useless luxury on him. Still, he could appreciate its function now.
"Leave them to me, Bro."
Finally, Basil muttered his response tenderly.
Chapter 42 Bloodbath (6)
Basil sighed to himself and decided to stretch himself.
Crack. Crack. Crack.
His joints popped whenever he twisted his body. His body had recovered all of the injuries, however having his injuries healed didn''t mean his body returned to its previous state.
Tired muscles would remain tired even if it was healed. Therefore, there was a need to give them a rest after overworking them.
Basil looked at the sleeping Deacon in faint amusement. Deacon was sleeping while kicking his four feet upward as if he was running. Not only that, he also had his tongue out as if drooling over something.
Basil merely took two bs of Magical Ram meat out of his Magical Bracelet. He walked beside Deacon, and shoved one of them to Deacon''s mouth.
!!!
As if sun finally shines down upon an eternally dark world, Deacon turned livid. He quickly wolfed down the food he got both literally and figuratively. After finishing the first b, he looked at Basil with his shining bright eyes.
Basil sighed and tossed another one to his mouth. Right after that, Deacon still demanded more as he was still hungry. Basil had no choice but to empty the meat stock. He would definitely need to hunt some Magical Ramter.
Basil looked down at his bloodied state and scrunched up his nose. His tattered clothes had already fixed themselves ¡ª perks of expensive clothes ¡ª however the blood colored almost every parts of his clothes.
He conjured water and used them to clean his body and clothes alike. Although the water couldn''t be used to quench one''s thirst, it was useful for cleaning. Due to [Self-Cleaning] rune that was carved on top of them, the blood was quickly removed.
While waiting the cleaning to be done, his mind reyed the encounter he had with James, Danzel''s son. It had been his first time meeting James. Danzel didn''t have any memoirs about him, so in the past Basil couldn''t even know his face.
However, not only had he seen James'' face, he had also met him directly. Jade of Soul Memoir could choose its next wielder when it was activated, or the soul inside decided to get out.
Quickly putting his hand in his pocket, he could finally touch something. It was a finger sized jade. He instinctively knew it was Jade of Soul Memoir. Of all the times, he hadn''t expected James would show himself in front of him.
It would have been better if he had chosen to show himself in front of Danzel and rissa. However, he could somehow understand James''s reason to do that. He must be unwilling to reopen his family''s wound.
Therefore, he had been waiting for the right person to take care of his family toe, then showed himself. By the y of fate, that right person was Basil himself. However, James might not be the one who chose him, it might be the jade itself.
It puzzled him a little bit as Jade of Soul Memoir would choose the one it deemed as the one who needed it the most. Basil didn''t have any use for it. However, at that point, he suddenly had an idea.
''Actually, I can try that.''
He smirked rather unsettlingly before asking the Guide something which had bothered him.
''Guide, what is my body state?''
[Answering the Host''s ignorance...]
[The Host had no dislocated joints nor fractured bones. The condition of all muscles are good, and there is no poison could be found in his blood. The Host is as healthy as a newborn.]
''Newborn is weak, I am not,'' was kept in his mind. He knew it was useless to retort the Guide over that.
''What is my body measurement?''
[The Host is 183 cm tall, and weigh over 74.7 kg. His muscle mass takes 50% over the entire body mass, while his lean body mass takes over 78% over the entire body mass. The Host''s girth length is...]
"Kuhum!"
Basil coughed suddenly, scaring Deacon who was lying t on his belly. He looked at Basil in bewilderment. His expression cried for an exnation. However, Basil merely conjured a wind and blew it on his wet self. He ignored Deaconpletely!
It seemed being named as Guide to Omniscience wasn''t an exaggeration in the slightest. The Guide really knew many things. He didn''t realize it untill then, however he had never thought of understanding the Guide at all.
"Huuh..." He sighed and muttered, "It seems I need to learn many things." He looked ahead and muttered, "Guide, what is the fastest route to Raneil Barony?" His heart felt a little bit ufortable.
Luckily, the Guide didn''t disappoint him as he was provided what he wanted.
...
[Familia Inn]
Unlike its previous state, Familia Inn was silent as if it was filled with mute people. Every passersby even wondered how could a ce like that be that quiet. However, none of them knew it was the effect of Magic Barrier.
They couldn''t even know the terror happening inside.
"Ugh..."
A growing sound came out of rissa''s mouth. She had lost her consciousness while having a dinner and her memory was a bit fuzzy. She tried to move her hands however she couldn''t do that.
She frowned her forehead and opened her eyes slowly. By the time shepletely opened her eyes, her eyes widened even more. The scene in front of her gave her a tremendous terror.
Her father was in the ground lying in a pool of blood, while there was a man beside him talking about things she didn''t understand. She looked around her and could see some men in ck were viting some women.
All of the women''s eyes were empty. Tear stains were evident on their cheeks. Hear heart sank, her eyes shook. Some of them were her father''s inn regrs. She could feel the agony those women felt just by looking at their faces.
She looked down on her body and found she was tied in a chair. She couldn''t move anything aside from her head.
"Oh! You are finally awake."
Instantly, every men threw their heads at her. She felt her heart dropped to her stomach. The gaze she got made her want to vomit badly. She was tremendously disgusted by the gaze she received from the men.
Tap. Tap. Tap.
Finally, the speaker appeared in front of her. It was someone she knew and despised. After seeing his face she couldn''t help herself back.
Spit!
"I knew you were up to no good since you came!"
"Huuh... Like father like daughter. You are just the same."
Davine wiped his face off her spit calmly with his handkerchief. He looked at the enraged rissa and swung his hand lightly.
p!
"Kya!"
"Freaking bitch dares to p me? Unbelievable!"
Although he didn''t mean to hit that hardly, her cheek was already bleeding. rissa was a normal person, she didn''t train in any Principals. Therefore, his casual p was dangerous to her.
"You, bastard! Why did you do to my ¡ª kuhuk!"
Danzel was about to curse, however he couldn''t continue his words as the man beside him kicked his stomach.
"Tch! This freaking old man. He is quite a tough one, ain''t he?"
"He still keeps his mouth shut?"
"Well, as you can see."
Davine clicked his tongue in annoyance. He was frustrated badly. He had scourged through the whole inn and couldn''t find anything! He had even searched the room of Danzel''s so called another son. Yet, he found none!
His gazended upon a woman who was weeping silently while being vited by two men at a time. His eyes lit up while a creepy smile adorned his face.
"Hey! Give me that bitch."
"Huh? You can just join us."
"Quit yapping and just give me that bitch!"
"Alright! Jeez, chill a bit."
Davine take took the woman presented to him by her hair and dragged her in front of Danzel. The woman moaned in pain as she was dragged like a rag doll through the floor.
"Hey, look at her."
Clink!
Davine unsheathed his sword and put the de in front of the woman''s neck.
"Keep your mouth shut, and I''ll cut her neck."
"Bastard!"
"No! Anna!"
rissa who was watching the entire scene was as white as a paper. She knew the woman. It was one of their regr lodgers. She could only scream in terror in hope her cry would somehow stop him doing what she didn''t want him to do.
Anna, the woman in Davine''s mercy could only groaned in pain with tears streaming down her face. She was as desperate as she could be. She was powerless. She could do nothing.
"Now... Where. Is. The. Armour?!"
Davine emphasized each word while shouting at Danzel.
"I don''t know what the heck you are talking about?!"
"Well then, it''s your choice not mine."
Slit!
Ssh!
In one swift movement, Anna''s neck was cut cleanly. Blood spurted out of her neck and it sshed through the ground, painting it gruesomely.
"YOU BASTARD!!!!"
"NO! ANNA!!!!"
Both shouts from the two people was filled with sorrow and tremendous rage. Davine merely flicked his sword to clean the blood and tossed Anna''s head to the ground. Her tear stained face could be seen clearly by the father and daughter duo.
"Ahhhh! What do you exactly want?!!"
"The armour! I want the armour!!"
"I know nothing about that crap!"
Davine was enraged so badly he couldn''t help but kicked Anna''s lifeless body away. Some men standing by caught her body and slowly lowered their pants.
"Oi, oi, oi! I didn''t know you were sick bastards!"
"Ha-ha! When there is a hole, there is something to insert. Inanimate or not!"
"What the heck...?"
Davine was slightly speechless with the bunch he had carried here to ravage the ce. Actually, he didn''t do it to such length for a mere armour. The armor contained an information of a hidden treasure after all! However, he couldn''t say it out loud.
He looked at Danzel and rissa, both of them were looking at him with the most hatred he could''ve seen on people. He had only seen that expression on one person beside them.
''Blood is thicker than noodle, huh? Even their expression really looked alike.''
He smirked coldly as he was remembered with James''st moment. He made the same face as them.
"Alright, let''s repeat the previous process. But this time, it will be your daughter instead!"
"No, no... Anything but my daughter!"
Danzel tried to stand but Davine kicked him back to the ground. He was amazed at Danzel. Even in his bloodied state he could still force his body to move. All of that for the sake of his daughter.
"Bring me the bitch! We''ll enjoy her in front of her father!"
"Hahahaha! Count me in!"
"Me too!"
"Then, move your arse!"
All of them cackled madly with a lecherous grin on their faces. rissa squirmed in her bound state as if trying to run away from there. Her face was filled with terror while tears streaming down her face.
"No, no! Let me go! Kyaa!!"
"Let her go, Bastard! Don''t touch my daughter!"
The pure agony seeping in their tone would make anyone''s heart bleed. However, Davine had none of it. His lecherous grin was still stered on his face. He held rissa on her hands and faced her toward Danzel.
"Now... Enjoy the show!"
Rip!
"Kyaa!!!"
"FREAKING BASTARD!!! AHHH!!"
rissa''s clothes was ripped harshly by Davine. Her bare chest was left uncovered for the world to see. The surrounding men turned livid as they could finally see the beautiful white mounds. They cheered amongst themselves and couldn''t help to scurry over her.
"Woah, hold up, guys! It''s not the time yet!"
"Ohh..."
A couple of men who had lowered their pants moaned in disappointment. Danzel''s face couldn''t be any redder from rage. He was gritting his teeth heavily to the point where his jaw muscle was visible for all to see.
He didn''t care about the fact he was bathed in his own blood, he had only one thing in his mind. That was to kill Davine with the worst way he could think of.
"I WILL DEFINITELY MURDER YOU!!"
Whistle.
"That''s a strong word for an old man."
Davine muttered nonchntly as he moved his hand toward rissa''s thigh.
Rip!
He ripped apart her clothes that covered her lower part.
"Kyaa!!! Don''t look at me!"
"Oohh!!!"
"STOP IT!!!"
Danzel was losing himself. He was so distressed with his incapability to move. Her daughter was harassed in front of him, however he could onlyy motionlessly on the ground. There was nothing he could do aside from shouting.
"Ku-ku-ku! Now, let''s enjoy her!"
The men surrounding him quickly approached rissa like rabid dogs. Davine quickly lowered rissa on her knees and held her tightly in her ce. A man came up in front of her and lowered his pants.
She closed her eyes in desperation. She didn''t want to see what was about to happen. She cried sorrowfully. She didn''t know what happened toward her family. She couldn''t wrap her mind around it. At that moment, she really wished for someone to save her family.
"Uha-ha-ha! This would be awesome!"
The man grabbed her cheeks and forced her mouth to open. She didn''t let him easily do that as she strongly fought him.
"Tch! This bitch is quite a tough nut to crack, isn''t she? But, it doesn''t matter ¡ª kuhuk!"
Theughter and cheers from the surrounding men stopped. All of them looked at the man standing in front of rissa in bewilderment.
Badump. Badump. Badump.
They could see it literally. His still beating heart was held in the palm that pierced through his chest. They couldn''t even gulp, a heavy pressure that washed them with terror descended upon them.
Thud!
The hand that pierced the man''s chest was retracted, then his body fell. By the time the body touched the ground, they could finally see the one who did that.
He had brown hair, tall body, and firm muscles were visible to the eyes. With his equally pretty and handsome face, he could charm any women he met. However, at that moment, his image sent nothing but terror to them.
His eyes were as cold as the deepest abyss. His white attire waspletely bathed in blood. They instinctively knew, the blood had belonged to their killedrades.
rissa opened her eyes and gaped silently. She knew the one in front of her. It was none other than Basil. Her wish to be saved had been granted.
Chapter 43 Bloodbath (End)
Earlier that night.
Basil was rushing through his way. He had never stopped once ever since he entered the vicinity of Fortescher County. He felt uneasiness washed through his heart. The feeling was extremely familiar to him.
It was the feeling he had got when he had lost everything on ''that'' incident. His eyes glinted in a cold manner. He had never been worried about his safety. The foreboding feeling he got had always been from his worry of the people he cared.
Upon arriving before the gate, the guard didn''t even stop him as he could see Basil wasn''t in the mood to make a stop. Luckily, it was the same guard who had received him in the first day. Therefore, no unwantedmotion happened.
He sped through Raneil Barony until he could finally see Familia Inn. His heart turned cold upon seeing the Magic Barrier set upon it. It was in for his eyes to see.
Originally, Raneil Barony were popted by mostly Knights. Therefore, it wasn''t surprising for none of the passersby not to notice it. It was the work of a Mage after all.
Basil inspected the sloppy barrier in a second. As an experienced Mage, he could instantly see its loophole. He infused his finger with his Mana and and stabbed the barrier.
Woong!
The barrier parted ways and Basil passed through it. Right after he entered the barrier, it closed on its own. He purposefully didn''t destroy the barrier to not attract the attention of the people who set it.
Click.
Silently, he opened the door. He hid his presence very well that no one could notice his presence. He could already sense the people inside the inn. There were 28 people inside. 19 of which were Knight, 1 Mage, and 8 ordinary people.
He could sense there were around 9 people scourging upstairs, while the others were cooped up in the dining room. Unhesitatingly, he moved his feet upstairs.
Deacon was abnormally silent. He was looking at Basil silently. If it weren''t for their [Link], he would have definitely thought the current Basil wasn''t his master. His already cold Master was exuding a barely concealed killing intent. He was slightly scared.
Crack!
A man in ck punched the wall in frustration. He had been scourging the ce for a quite some time and he couldn''t even find what he was searching.
"Darn! Why are we searching through this ce again? We can''t find any crap!"
"Quit yapping and just do it. I know you''re just impatient to have your turn."
"That''s right! The bitches down there are quite a catch y''know?"
Basil listened to the conversation quietly. He didn''t give any particr reaction toward the conversation. He wasn''t burning with rage. He was extremely cold that it was even scarier.
He sneaked on them silently and unnoticeably. The two people were still conversing with each other, talking about the things they would do after getting their ''turn''.
Basil raised his hand and chopped the neck of one of the two people. The neck instantly broke killing the person in the process. However, Basil didn''t stop there. He unsheathed the sword of the one he had killed and swung it toward the neck of the other person.
Thud!
The neck was cleanly cut as the head fell helplessly to the ground. Two people had their life ended just like that. They hadn''t even registered what had happened. Basil didn''t even nce at the corpse. He merely kept walking to find the other people.
He didn''t bother to shell himself with Qi, therefore the sprayed blood painted his white attire red. He quickly found another person inside a locked room. He didn''t need to use brute force to open it. A spell was enough to do it.
[Niez kye]!
Click!
The door opened very silently. He entered the room and saw a naked man viting a crying woman. Her mouth was taped, therefore she couldn''t scream. However, he didn''t need to hear her scream to know her pain. It was in in her eyes.
The woman noticed him as she was looking at him in despair. Basil didn''t bat an eysh to that. He merely swung the sword in his hand once.
Thud!
The man ended the same. The woman widened her eyes in disbelief and terror. She was fearing for her life. Basil didn''t pay any attention to her expression, as he merely cut the rope that bound the woman and untaped her in the next moment.
The woman looked at that dumbly and tried to scurry away when he came closer. Basil didn''t have any other intention, he was merely being considerate to cover her with nket, therefore she didn''t have to cover herself with her hands.
He knew how it felt when you got your dignity stripped off of you. Therefore, he could at least show her some understanding. The woman was about to open her mouth, however he turned his back on her and exited the room.
He didn''t utter any single words. Just like that, 9 people died without registering what had just happened to them.
...
Back to the present.
Basil looked at the scene in front of him coldly. rissa was close to naked as the only part that was covered was only her private part. Her chest and any other parts were left for the world to see.
St!
He threw the heart of the person he had killed to the ground. He merely flicked the sword in his hand to remove the blood, however the people scurried away from him. Davine was also included as he left rissa alone.
Basil slowly walked toward rissa and stopped when he was finally in front of her. He kneeled and draped a nket he had taken out of his Spatial Bracelet over her body. rissa was silently crying as she hugged the nket tightly.
She was about to say something when Basil curled his mouth upward faintly and patted her head.
You have endured it well!
She could almost hear it from his expression alone. She nodded her head and wiped her tears. However, no matter how much she tried to stop it, her tears kept streaming down her face.
Basil''s face returned to its previous neutral state when he stood back up again and nced at Danzel. Danzel had a defeated smile on his face. He was relieved someone would help them out, however he was simply ashamed by his inability to save his family.
He didn''t question Basil''s ability to save them. He believed, no, he knew Basil would be able to save them.
"Wh-who are you?"
Davine tried to ask Basil as calm as possible, however his mouth trembled when he let out his first word. The look he got from Basil made his spine shiver. He had never seen someone so expressionless exuding that heavy killing intent.
Basil looked at his surrounding and noticed the men who were viting the women had already scurried away from the women. They were currently guarding themselves, while trying to encircle him.
He didn''t bat an eysh at them as he merely twirled the sword in his left hand and threw it to the front. The sword shed as the speed of the throw was enhanced by the wind he had conjured.
!!!
Pierce!
"Kuhuk!"
One of the men watching him was skewered while none of the people surrounding him could react properly. The skewered man could only writhe for a moment before losing his life. His pierced heart spectacrly stopped beating.
"C-crap! What are you doing? Attack him!"
"Ah, crap! He''s only one man! Why are you hesitating?!"
They shouted heatedly, however their action and their words were contradictory. It was only after one of them charged at Basil did they also follow suit.
Basil looked at the people calmly. He didn''t stay idle just then only to kill one person. He had spent that time to figure out the Mage and killed him. In fighting a group of people, letting a Mage alive was a mistake.
Therefore, he took care of the nuisance first. rissa was already on Danzel''s side, treating him to the best she could. When she saw Basil was about to be ganged upon, she was panicked.
However, Danzel had none of it. He was calm, too calm even. He merely gazed at Basil''s back and sighed in amazement. He could see it from Basil''s posture. He didn''t consider his enemies a threat.
Basil''s Spatial Bracelet shed before a sword appeared in his hand. The sword had a unique shape, however it gave a majestic feeling toward anyone who saw it. It was no other than Kusanagi.
Swish!
He swung it once. One swing was all he needed to butcher the charging men. Four people were bisected cleanly in a matter of second.
Whoosh!
Only the sound of a wind blow could be heard inside the room. The room was so silent that one might hear the sound of a pin drop. Everyone was bewildered and frightened through their core. No one had expected any of it to happen.
The might of Kusanagi was that great. Some men in front of him had already unlocked their Aura, however they still trembled in fear. Although Basil had an unexpected breakthrough, he had just reached Early Stage Orange Core.
It was normally impossible to fight an Aura user at his stage, however he was already abnormal without Kusanagi. Now that Kusanagi was in his hand, he was a nightmare for someone below Green Core stage.
It was the reason Basil didn''t use it right off the bat. If not careful, he could hurt someone he didn''t want to hurt. He didn''t have enough control over his power yet.
"What are you doing?! Go and take him on!"
"Well, why don''t you do it yourself?!"
They were hesitating already. There were six of them remaining, however the scene they had watched instilled terror into their mind. Davine was enraged seeing the bunch he had brought over. They were all useless!
"Fine! I''ll do it myself. Move away!"
The crowd parted their ways and let Davine move passed them. Although he was trembling, he was a proud Aura user. He wouldn''t get pushed back by the youth in front of him easily!
"I''ll ask you once again before you die. Who are you?!"
Basil didn''t say anything as he merely moved forward. Davine gritted his teeth and activated his aura. A hazy yellow light started to surround him until it turned into an armour. It was an Aura Ability called [Spiritual Armour].
It was a fairlymon ability as the principal behind it was the simplest among any other Aura Abilities. However, it couldn''t be scoffed at either. In normal situation, Basil would be helpless. However, with Kusanagi in his hand, the story was different.
nk!
It wasn''t the sound of two swords shing against each other. It was the sound of a sword destroying another sword. Surely, the one who had his sword destroyed was Davine.
Bewilderment was evident on his face. However, it didn''tst long as terror washed over him. He could see it clearly. Basil graciously waved his hand and the sword hit him.
Ssh!
Davine merely felt a prick before his abdomen was opened along with his shattering [Spiritual Armour]. He was thrown back by the impact of Basil''s attack and he could do nothing.
"Gah!"
Crack!
The wall his body was smashed onto almost copsed due to the impact of his body. He could only clutch his stomach in pain as he could feel his innards would pour out if he didn''t do so.
"Ce at him at once!"
The remaining people poured their attacks at Basil, however he remained calm as he swung Kusanagi gracefully.
sh!
Ssh!
Thud!
Each sh cut a limb of someone. Basil intentionally aimed at the ce where the vein located, therefore the amount of blood spurting out was incredible. He was bathed in their blood.
Luckily, or unluckily Knight had an abnormal vitality. Therefore, even without any limbs attached to their bodies, all of the people were still alive and writhing. They could clearly feel the agony their bodies endured.
"Ah! Ah! Ahhh!! Please, just kill me!"
"Ahhhh! It hurts!"
"Just kill me already! Ahhh!"
Screams filled with pain rang throughout the room. All of them had a fear stricken expression, while their faces were covered in tears and snot. Basil merely looked at them in contempt.
"Killing you is not my job."
Basil looked at the vited women and exuded his Mana.
"Karma will do it for you."
He picked up the weaponsying on the ground ¡ª with his still unstable Mana control ¡ª and presented the weapons to the five women.
Basil pointed at the writhing men on the ground and said toward the women, "Your problem." He pointed at the sword, "The solution." Then, he pointed at themselves, "Your choice."
He didn''t say anything else as he merely moved his feet toward Davine who was clutching his abdomen tightly. He grabbed Davine''s head and dragged him by his head toward the ce Danzel was treated by rissa.
Aside from the groaning of the assant-turned-victim, there was nothing could be heard. The hesitant women looked at Basil''s back, before steeling themselves.
They turned their eyes toward the men who had vited them. Their eyes were filled with hatred and burning rage. Without wasting anymore time, they picked the weapon.
That night, a literal bloodbath ensued.
Chapter 44 Home
Bam!
"Kuhuk! You.. Bastard!"
Basil who had dragged Davine by his hair threw him beside Danzel. He was helplessly thrown until his body mmed onto the wall. Danzel was slightly taken aback by it as he threw his head toward his side.
He had not been paying much attention due to the injuries he had suffered. Coupled with the blood lost, staying awake was a very much struggle for him. Therefore, knowing Basil hade to save them was already enough for him.
When he regained his focus back, he could finally notice his surrounding better. He could hear the sounds that reverberated through the whole room. A strong stench of blood could be smelled in the room.
He moved his gaze from Davine and looked in front of him. He could see from the corner of his eyes that rissa was on his side looking at nothing but the ground.
Then, he could finally see the limbless men who were helplessly butchered by the women they had vited. The floor was littered with corpses and painted with blood. It was gruesome enough for him to flinch.
He looked at the perpetrator, who was naturally Basil, and sighed lightly when he saw Basil met his eyes calmly. He shook his head. He didn''t care about the act of killing. It was the norm in the world they were living.
However, to make innocent women killed the men who had vited them ¡ª even though they were overwhelmed with rage ¡ª was quite baffling. Moreover, Basil didn''t push them nor encouraged them. He merely gave them a choice, and they chose to do it.
Any ordinary women would hesitate tomit murder, no matter they were in hate or not. However, the sheer conviction in Basil''s tone managed to convince them.
"Here."
"Thank you..."
Danzel took the pill Basil had offered and gulped it immediately. It quickly melted by the time it made a contact with his tongue. Soon enough, his body warmed and a very familiar feeling was coursing through his body.
He looked at Basil with widened eyes and muttered, "This is.. Catalyst?" He was astonished. It had been ages since he had taken Catalyst. He couldn''t afford it anymore as that much money could be used for another purpose.
Basil didn''t give much reaction as he merely nodded his head. He had just given Danzel the true Crystal Clear. Therefore, the effect was far better than the one he had sold to the Alchemy Store.
Basil looked at the fascinated Danzel stoically. However, in the inside he felt relieved he could make it back in time. Nobody could notice it, however he was worn down. He hadn''t gotten any rest for a day.
Although a Knight normally didn''t need that much sleep, it was only the case when they did nothing rigorous. Basil had been running and fighting through his way back. Without rest, the toll didn''t only affect his body, but also his mind.
Therefore, he opted to stay silent. He was afraid the more he spoke, the angrier he would be. His fight with Gorgophone had taught him a thing. Anger, no matter it was a burning one or a cold one, wasn''t good in the long run.
Basil was merciless, however he wasn''t normally cruel. He rarely made his enemies suffer for long. It was the reason he had always aimed at a clean shot. He didn''t want to make them suffer for more than necessary.
However, in case when anger overtook his mind. He would do something that no one could think of to his enemies. Although he was calm, his mind would be filled with many thoughts of how to inflict eternal suffering to his enemies.
He had almost given into his rage, by the time he had seen Davine harassing rissa. Funnily, it was also due to rissa that he managed to hold back his rage. He didn''t want to let her have a gruesome memory.
Although sheltering a child wasn''t a good thing to do, exposing them to madness was worse. He didn''t want to taint rissa''s mind with an unpleasant memory due to his momentary rage.
"rissa, can you clean Pops'' face?"
"Hm. I will do it."
Basil handed her a cloth and a Spatial Jug he had filled with conjured water. rissa took it and replied him silently. She wasn''t bothered at what Basil had done, she knew they deserved it. However, she still couldn''t wrap her mind around the things that had just happened.
Basil turned his gaze toward the naked women who were bathed in blood. They sat on the ground while looking at the bodies of the men whose life they had ended. Their eyes were hollow as if they had no idea what to do from then on.
He moved his feet toward them, conjured a big amount of water on the way, and dropped it on their head without warning.
"Kyaa!"
Three of them let out a suppressed scream, while the other two merely closed their eyes and enjoyed the cold water. They could feel their soul was cleaned along with their bodies. When the water stopped, their bodies were already cleaned from blood.
Basil took out five nkets and gave one to each of them. They took it and wrapped their bodies with it. They hugged it tightly while looking at Basil with grateful eyes. Their eyes glistened as tears slowly fell down their cheeks.
"Thank you."
One of the women thanked him in a hoarse voice and bowed her head. The others who saw this also followed suit as they bowed their heads too. Basil looked at them for a second before shing a bitter smile for a brief moment.
"Hm."
He didn''t respond more than that. He didn''t want to humble himself in front of them, for he knew he wasn''t that kind of person. They were just coincidentally in his way, and identally involved due to his interest.
Therefore, he responded them that way and turned his back on them. When he saw Davine who was clutching his abdomen to keep it shut, he felt the need to somehow make him suffer.
Bam!
"Gah!"
Basil''s footnded on Davine''s forehead, and his head was embedded to the wall. Basil looked at him in disinterest, and gazed at Danzel whose face had been cleansed of any bloodstains by rissa.
Crystal Clear had already done most of its works as Basil could only find some bumps and swelling on Danzel''s face. It was a fairly eptable condition.
"rissa, my daughter. Would you take thedies out with you?"
"Yes, I will, Father."
"Thank you."
rissa stood up and led the five women out of the room while trying her best not to look down on the ground. Luckily, the five women were understanding as they were the one who approached rissa, not the other way around.
Click.
The opened door was closed, signifying the exit of the six people. Danzel looked at Basil again and nodded his head. He knew Basil had something to say to him.
He had instantly understood it when he had seen Basil''s eyes previously. Therefore, he had told rissa and the others to get out of the room.
"What you are about to hear is the truth behind James'' death."
"... I know about that. This bastard killed him!"
Danzel smiled in defeat at first, before eximing spitefully at Davine who had his head embedded to the wall.
"Yes. However, you might not know his real motive to kill James."
"It''s for an armour... Right?"
Basil didn''t immediately answer him. He merely moved his hand at Davine''s neck and grabbed the pendant on his neck.
"This pendant is a Charmer''s Pendant. It is a Middle Grade Green Rank Relic. As its name suggested, it is used to charm people. Anyone who wears it will be able to convince the people they meet quite easily."
Danzel looked at Basil in puzzlement. His face was asking what was Basil talking about. However, in the next moment, realization dawned upon him.
"Ah, it''s for that reason that I... This bastard!"
He wanted to strangle Davine badly, however he held himself back. He was old enough to have a certain amount of control over his emotion. He couldn''t lose himself there. Therefore, he had to hold back.
"Then.. why was rissa not affected?"
"As long as one has a certain grudge or resentment towards the wearer, the pendant wouldn''t work. It is a Green Rank for a reason."
"I see... Then, what is his real motive?"
"Treasure."
At that moment, Danzel looked at Basil in another puzzlement. However, Davine had none of it as he groaned and mustered his power to speak.
"You... Bastard! You know about it!"
"What do you mean by that, Basil?"
Despite the noise that the struggling Davine made, nobody cared about him. Danzelpletely tuned him out.
"James wasn''t given an armour at the end of Excluso Expedition. He was given an inheritance. He was aware that revealing the thing he was given was dangerous. Therefore, he had covered it."
"I knew it! It is true! The map is in the armour!"
"Is it true?"
This time, Danzel actually considered Davine''s words held some true. Therefore, he was looking at Basil for confirmation. Basil merely shook his head faintly.
"No. There was no map on the armour. There wasn''t even an armour in the first ce."
Basil took out a finger sized red jade out of his pocket and showed it to Danzel.
"This is Jade of Soul Memoir. It contains the soul of the one who had given it to James. The soul inside it is the one who has the information."
"What.. do you.. mean?"
Davine was gaping his mouth as he tried to take his head out of the wall. He was struggling to do that. When Basil had cut his abdomen, his Core was shattered along with the opening of his abdomen.
Surely, one couldn''t destroy another''s Core that easily. A certain attack at the correct point was needed for that to happen. Naturally, for the experienced Basil, it was easy to do. Therefore, aside from his abnormal vitality, Davine had no more Qi in his body.
Knights who had their Core shattered were called Retired Knights. Davine had be one just because he messed with the wrong person.
"This Bastard still has the audacity to open his mouth?"
Danzel looked at Davine absurdly. His purposefully suppressed rage boiled once again as he heard Davine''s tone. Due to the effect of Crystal Clear, his body had somewhat recovered enough for him to stand.
He moved in front of Davine and clenched his fist tight. Then, he swung his fist as hard as he could to Davine''s head.
Bam! Bam! Bam!
Although the power of a Retired Knight was above normal people, they wouldn''t normally be able to harm a higher caliber Retired Knight. However, Danzel was currently in a Qi induced state. Therefore, his punch wasn''t something Davine could ignore.
"Ugh! Freaking old man! Stop! I said stop!"
Bam! Bam! Bam!
Danzel ignored his plea. He kept punching to his heart content. The more he saw Davine was suffering, the more rigorous his punch became. He was paying back the deed Davine had done to him.
"Huuh... That was refreshing."
After a quite some time, Danzel finally put an end to his barrage of punches. He looked at Basil with a small smile while wiping his bloodied fist with a cloth. Davine was helplessly leaning on the wall while blood was running down his head.
He couldn''t even squeal. The only indication he was still alive was his twitching feet and and fingers. His chest would also heave up and down, however it started to bing faint. The blood loss was simply unbearable for his body to bear.
However ¡ª
"I''ll leave the rest to you. I am too old for that crap."
¡ª it wasn''t enough to kill him.
Danzel knew of it, however he still couldn''t bring himself to do it. No matter how much rage he had toward Davine, he wasn''t the same young and hotheaded man anymore. Therefore, he left Davine to Basil.
Click.
Danzel finally exited the room, leaving Basil and the half alive Davine alone. Basil merely nced at him and pointed Kusanagi to Davine''s chest.
"There will be a need to hire a Cleaner after this."
"Ughh..."
Stab!
Kusanagi passed through Davine''s chest easily. However, the heart was still beating after being pierced. Basil sent his Qi to Kusanagi and used it to stimte Davine''s heart. Due to that, his heart beat faster, resulting in the return of his awareness.
Davine could feel the pain his body was enduring as he regained a part of his consciousness. It was unbearable to him. However, he couldn''t scream for it would worsen the pain. That was until ¡ª
"AAHHHH!!!"
Burst!
¡ª Basil exploded the Qi he had contained in Kusanagi.
The result was enough to give a nightmare to the Cleaners.
Chapter 45 Home (End)
Click.
Basil got out of the dining room and shut the door. He was perfectly drenched in blood from head to toe. His hair was matted with blood and it gave him a fearsome appearance. Currently, he looked like a Death God having done his job.
Familia Inn was as quiet as it had been before. None of the people outside knew amotion had just happened inside. Although the Magic Barrier outside had been deactivated since the Mage had been killed, the dining room was far inside the inn.
Therefore, there was still no one could notice themotion that was kept inside it. Basil walked his way to the cafeteria. Including Danzel and rissa, there were eight people there.
There weren''t that many people fell victim to the hideous crime Davine had done. There was only one death from the lodgers. However, Basil knew the scar it left would be eternally remembered by them.
It was also fortunate that the time the incident happened was the time with the least female lodgers staying in the inn. If it hadn''t been the case, there would have been many women fallen victim.
"That was quicker than I thought."
"No need to waste much time."
"Hm."
Now that the ordeal had passed, they were quite loss on what to do. rissa was using her social skills to console the vited women. All of them were trembling and crying. They were d they had managed to pass through it, however they were still terrified.
"Tch! Just for the sake of money, that Bastard... Poor girls."
Basil didn''t give any visible response to Danzel, he was merely observing the crying women one by one. All of them had visible red marks or minor swelling due to the vition they had received.
Basil was very familiar with this scene. Back then in the past, he had seen many female Knights and Mages alike were vited by the their enemies. Some of them were even the people he had known personally.
The oue of the experience was very diverse. Some of them became meek and scared to meet anyone, while the others were crazy about killing every living men. What was sure from the oue was they had never been the same person anymore.
The best thing Basil could do to somehow maintain their sanity was to let them kill their own demon. There wasn''t much thing he could do beside that.
"Let us sleep at another ce tonight. I will be hiring the Cleaners to deal with the inn."
Finally, Basil opened his mouth and said it to everyone there. Aside from Danzel and rissa, the other six women looked at him uncertainly.
"I will pay for your amodations until the inn is ready."
They became even more uncertain after hearing that from Basil. However, he didn''t care for that as he merely told rissa to pack their things.
rissa nodded her head and started to pack the stuffs she would bring. Without uttering any single words, Basil left the inn to hire some Cleaners.
Danzel looked at the ce Basil had just left and muttered bitterly, "Ay, he is a good man, but hecks the delicacy." He looked at the surroundingdies who were squirming on their ce and shrugged, "At least he is popr."
He moved his feet to pack his and rissa''s things, for he knew rissa was packing thesedies'' things first.
"Hm?"
At that moment, he was reminded of something. A cold sweat ran down his forehead.
"That son of mine.. he is still drenched in blood, isn''t he?"
He was worried about the reaction of the people who would see Basil.
...
Cleaners were a bunch of people who cleaned dirty ces. However, whenever a Mage or Knight alike talked about Cleaners, they always referred to one thing. It was no other than Corpse Remover.
Due to its fearsome name, the people who did this job called themselves Cleaners instead. It was a praiseworthy job actually, for they cleaned ces people wouldn''t normally clean.
A certain amount of courage was needed to clean a ce littered with corpses. Although the pay was high, the scene they would witness was often more gruesome than they had thought.
Jose had been a Cleaner for two years. He could be called a veteran considering there wasn''t that many people couldst that long. That night, due to the minimum workers they had, Jose had to be the receptionist.
He was so familiar with death that he wasn''t fazed with death anymore. Whenever there was someone dead, he would think about the way they died. Ghosts? He could sleep in the graveyard alone! Nothing could faze him.
However ¡ª
"Y-y-yes... S-s-sir... How.. may I.. help... You?"
¡ª he was scared to death currently.
He was familiar with death, however he wasn''t familiar with Death God himself! He was trembling to no end because of it.
"I want you to do a full clean on a ce called Familia Inn."
Luckily, the Death God, no, the person drenched in blood could speak normally. He sighed in relief and rposed himself.
"Huuh... By full clean, do you mean the body dissolution?"
"Hm. However, I want one of the bodies keep intact. It is the only body belonged to a woman."
"I understood. May I know how many bodies are there?"
"Twenty one."
"Huh..."
Jose sucked cold breath through his mouth. The number wasn''t that surprising, he had heard more than that. However, all of those cases belonged to mass murder or forbidden practice of ck Magic.
Looking at Basil once again, he was starting to worry about his own safety. He didn''t need to be told the one who did that. He knew, and he was absolutely sure, Basil did it by his own.
Gulp.
"It would be 19 gold, S-sir."
"Hm? There should be 21 bodies."
"Ahahaha... That is.. you are lucky to be our tenth costumer tonight, Sir! Therefore, we are giving you the privilege some people wouldn''t normally get."
"Is that so?"
"Yes!"
That was utter bullcrap!
Normally, it would take 1 gold for each of body dissolution, while the cleaning itself would take 3 to 5 gold.There had never been a reward for the tenth customer in their policy!
He just wanted to get the job done quickly and got out of Basil''s vicinity. Therefore, he didn''t care about some gold he was about to lose to cover for the expense.
Basil merely nodded his head and took out a pouch of coins. He put it on the the table and was about to look inside it when Jose took it upon his hands politely.
"..."
"Thank you for using our service, Sir. Our cleaner would have the ce cleaned tonight."
"Hm."
Basil was about to interject him, saying that the coins inside the pouch was merely 20 silver. However, considering that he had taken it, Basil opted to stay silent and received the fortune dly.
Chime!
"Huuh... I am finally save. Hm? Hmm? Hmmm???!!!"
Jose heaved a sigh of relief when Basil finally exited the building. Sadly, it didn''tst long, as soon as he opened the pouch Basil had presented him. Upon seeing the content, he really wanted to cry tears of blood!
...
The matters were quickly settled as Familia Inn was temporarily closed that night. The lodgers who returned back to the inn that night quickly understood the reason as they could see Cleaners upied the inn.
They didn''t want to know what had happened as they could see many bodies were stacked in front of the inn. Even while covered with cloth, they could somehow guess the gruesome state of the bodies.
While many people wondered how they couldn''t notice themotion that had happened inside Familia Inn, Danzel and the others quickly settled themselves in a rather luxurious inn that Basil had paid for them.
This time, not only the six women who felt uncertain, but also Danzel and rissa. They knew the cost would be enormous!
"Do you think it''s okay to do it at such length?"
Basil and the others had cleaned themselves and were currently eating in the cafeteria. Basil especially ordered the biggest table the inn had and invited all of them to eat. Danzel was worried about the money he would spend for this.
Basil didn''t give any immediate response as he merely ate his food with swiftness and finesse. He could have just eat together with Danzel and rissa, however it would be irresponsible to leave the women by themselves.
There was a need to make them see they weren''t alone, so they could somehow forget the bad things that had happened to them. It was one of the way to lessen the burden on their mind.
"I am rich."
"..."
That was enough to stop Danzel worrying about the cost. Due to how close they had be, Danzel seemed forgot that Basil was someone with a prestigious background. Surely, Danzel didn''t know it was the money he had earned himself.
Although Basil took a longer time than he had expected, he was rewarded with some unexpected findings. While searching the peak for Yamata no Orochi, he had found its cave and the content of the inside didn''t disappoint him.
There were quite some treasures there. He had found some weapons, jewels, gold, and some Spatial Rings. He had organized them into six different rings and stored them inside one ring that he currently wore.
He could sell some of the lower quality weaponster and made some jewelries out of the precious jewels to either sell them or give them to his sisters ¡ª Shirley and rissa ¡ª and Irene.
"Hmm..."
He hummed quietly as he was reminded of Shirley and Irene. It had been almost half a month since he hadst met them. He made sure he would pay them a visit after all of the matters here were settled.
"When a flower is tainted with dirt, a ssh of water is enough to return its beauty. However, in the very first ce, a flower has never lost its beauty even while tainted with dirt."
Basil had finished his food when he muttered those words. He wiped his mouth and gazed at the six women calmly. He had only a pair of eyes, however that light brown eyes of his seemed to stare at their eyes squarely.
The women stopped their wandering minds and paid their attention closely to Basil. His eyes alone was enough to captivate them, coupled with the tenderness from his tone, they couldn''t move their eyes away from them.
"You are beautiful."
Boom!
They felt like something exploded in their hearts. Their anxiousness, depression, and self-hate, all of them were gone instantly by the time they heard his words. He wasn''t lying and they could see it from his eyes.
Their hearts turned unburdened, and a foreign yet familiar feeling bloomed in their hearts. They couldn''t hold their tears back and muttered thank you under their breaths.
Danzel and rissa looked at the scene in silent admiration. Even rissa was brought to tears. Although she hadn''t been vited, she had been close to it. Therefore, Basil''s words had soothed her heart that was in turmoil.
The night passed with thedies sleeping peacefully without any over-thinking about their worth. They could finally ept themselves
...
Morning came, and as what Jose had said, the Cleaning was already done. Danzel, Basil, and rissa quickly reorganized the inn while the others returned to settle their room.
Although it was a stretch to have a cleaning for 19 gold ¡ª which was paid with 20 silver ¡ª the result was satisfactory. The building was cleaned to the point that no one would think such a horrible thing had happened the night before.
Actually, Jose had intended to do a half-hearted service due to the scam Basil had lured him into. However, by the time he had seen the state of the bodies, he had wisely stomped his urge and done it to the best he could.
Unaware of that, Basil appreciated the work ethics the Cleaners had.
"What is this?"
"A Unihorn Rabbit meat."
"Oh! I''ve heard that."
"Is that edible for ordinary people like us?"
Currently, Basil, Danzel, and rissa were having a breakfast that they had missed due to the reorganization of the inn. Basil took out a b of well roasted seasoned meat and presented it to them.
By the time they heard the name of the meat, Danzel quickly eximed in wonder while rissa worried she couldn''t eat it.
"It is alright. You may have a taste."
"Okay..."
While rissa ate it cautiously, Danzel sliced a big part of it and chewed it gleefully. Then, as if struck by lightning, they looked at Basil with widened eyes by the time they tasted the meat.
"This.. this is..."
"How...?"
The taste of the meat was very familiar to them. There was only one person they knew who had cooked this terribly yet somehow produced a fairly eptable food. It was none other than James.
Basil merely showed them the widest smile they had ever seen on his face and said two words.
"I''m home."
Your son, your brother is home.
It wasn''t uttered directly, however they could understand the meaning behind his words. That morning became the best breakfast they had as they were finally reunited with their family.
Chapter 46 An Egg Needs To Be Incubated To Hatch
Familia inn was temporarily closed due tost night''s tragedy. Although there wasn''t much damage caused to the inn, the visit of Cleaners was enough to push away any potential lodgers. Therefore, it was wiser to close it temporarily.
Surely, that didn''t mean Danzel chased away the lodgers who had stayed at the inn prior to the event. He still let them stay. Most of the lodgers who were absentst night decided to leave while the minority decided to stay.
p Surprisingly enough, the surviving victims ofst night''s tragedy decided to stay too. Although no one said anything about the detail of the tragedy, Danzel hadn''t thought thedies would stay in the ce where they got their bad memories.
It turned out, he was wrong. However, he could somehow guess their reason.
"You sure are busy, aren''t you?"
"No one can buy time. I have to use it wisely."
"Huuh..."
Danzel could only sigh in exasperation at Basil''s response. They had finished the breakfast and washed the dish not long ago. However, as soon as Danzel was about to suggest them to chill, Basil said he wanted to leave.
"Well... Basil says it himself. He is having a business. I think it won''t take too long."
"Who knows. His ''business''st time involved ofhaving a trip at a Nameless Region after all."
"That is.. aha-ha-ha..."
rissa looked at Basil awkwardly. She seemed to find it funny her father was so reluctant to let Basil go. However, she didn''t fully disagree with him as she found it rather hard to let Basil go too.
Basil merely curved his mouth faintly and replied, "I am just going to sell some of my unused weapons at the market. It won''t take long."
"Are you in need of money? If so, I can¡ª"
"No." Basil shook his head and continued, "I have too many of them that they became useless. It is better to change them for some gold instead."
"Oh..."
Danzel nodded dumbly. rissa pped her forehead while shaking her head helplessly. There were two things rissa could never forget from Basil''s wordsst night, and one of them was his im of being rich.
There was no way he needed money from her father! Her father was a generous man, however he had just being generous to someone who didn''t need it. Her father might be fine, however she got the second hand embarrassment!
"Don''t worry. I will return with some workers to renovate our home."
"Ay.. you don''t have to do that. There is no need to waste your money on that."
Danzel merely waved his hand with a smile. He was ted by two things. First, Basil''s initiative. Second, him calling the inn his home. He didn''t even register the fact that Basil wasn''t really his blood rted son.
"I am sure there will be many lodgers would stay at our inn in the future."
Basil leered at rissa who wore the Charmer''s Pendant around her neck. He had given it to her the night before as he deemed it necessary. Not only did it increase her attractiveness, it would also make her life easier for the future.
She could negotiate with people easily, she could convince people easily, she would be treated with courtesy by most of the people. As it was self-sustained, rissa didn''t need to use her Qi to activate it. Therefore, she could wear it anytime.
"Oh! I''ve seen it with my eyes. It really works! There were already some men gazing at her as if they were about to propose her right there right then."
"Father..."
Chill.
Danzel''s entire body shook by the time he looked at rissa''s chilling gaze. He had been just joking earlier, however his daughter seemed to not take it quite well. How could he understand her daughter''s heart?
Just what are you talking about? Don''t you see I have my eyes on someone already?!
Her eyes were intended to convey that. However, it was only the intention. What Danzel saw was an entirely differently matter. He was seeing an ice queen about to kill her offender when he looked at her eyes.
"Haha."
A low chuckle was heard. It was very faint, however they knew who it belonged to. They looked at Basil in a barely concealed shock. Basil had always been stoic ever since he first met them.
Although he would smile faintly, that was the best they could get out of him ¡ª even his biggest smile had been faint too!
However, that Basil had chuckled! They were shocked through their Core. The young man in front of them, who didn''t even blink while butchering tens of his enemies, just chuckled!
Gasp!
Basil had one of his eyebrows twitched due to the father and daughter duo. They seemed intentionally doing that as he could see the exaggerated expression in their faces.
Just like he had thought, in the next moment, they started tough. It was extremely surprising considering what they had just faced the night before. However, nothing family couldn''t do. Yes, family is the strongest.
Ever since he came here, he hadbelled himself as the family of Danzel. He had been very close with Danzel in his past life that he had been hit pretty hard when Danzel had died. For him, who had no family, Danzel had always been his family.
Even though it was all in the past, the fact wouldn''t change in this time. Luckily, they could became close just like any other family.
...
In a worn down building located in the middle of forest, two silhouettes were standing against each other. One of the silhouettes was of a fairly tall stature, standing around 181 cm. While the other was on the shorter side.
"Hmm.. you said you couldn''t track him?" One of the silhouettes, the taller one, spoke at the other lowly. The shorter one replied simply, "Yes." It made the the taller one hummed once again.
The taller silhouette raised his hand to his forehead and massaged it in frustration. As if he couldn''t bear it any longer, he pulled his hood down. A very familiar face was revealed, however the expression wasn''t good.
"I have paid you so much, but you still can''t bear any result?!! Are you messing with me?"
Boom!
Three Magic Circles floated behind the enraged man, parting the surrounding air due to the abrupt power explosion.
"We are very ashamed about it, however we have tried our best."
Facing the enraged man, the shorter one replied him calmly. He didn''t even blink his eyes that were partly visible under the hood. Looking at this, the man, who was revealed to be Nichs, became even more enraged.
"Hah! Look at this guy. A mere assassin dares to y with me, a noble?"
Nichs snorted coldly. He was beyond frustrated due to the ipetence of the assassins he had hired. He had hired them for more than a month, yet they couldn''t even track a single brat! How infuriating!
"We will make sure to track him this time... Sir..?"
The assassin still replied Nichs calmly. However, due to theck of Nichs'' reaction, he paused his words and observed Nichs warily.
"Don''t worry. I will hire another assassin."
Nichs stated coldly. His eyes shone briefly before he swung his hand forward and the ground below the assassin surged upward, creating spike on its wake.
!!!
Stab! Stab! Stab!
The assassin was skewered even before he could react. Even if he could''ve reacted, he would still die in the next attack. An Early Stage Yellow Core Knight could never stand a chance against a Third-Circle Mage with two Major Circles.
"Kuhuk!"
That was the best reaction the assassin could muster. Every parts of his body were pierced, leaving only his head intact. Even his windpipe was blocked by the spike piercing his throat. Not long after, he died just like that.
Nichs looked at the lowly assassin coldly. He was clenching his jaw in fury. He would like to do the job by himself, however he couldn''t do that. After knowing Basil had that Spellcaster ke''s backing, doing that was equal to suicide.
"Huuh... What a trouble."
Nichs turned his body away and returned to his manor in silent rage. On the way, he was trying his best to keep the fume of rage from getting out.
...
"Mmm..."
"Do you like that?"
"Yes.. mmm.. go ahead."
"As you please."
A man and woman was having their bodies glued onto each other. The man was currently on top of the woman trying his best to please the woman. Apparently, the man was quite skilled as the woman was having the best of her time.
"Mmm..."
"Ugh.. I''m close."
"It''s okay, I am too."
While moaning in pleasure, they made sure to check into each other''s expression. They were drenched in their sweat. They had been doing that for hours, however they were still overwhelmed with ecstasy.
Finally, the time that each of them had been waiting in each sessions came. They kissed each other passionately, leaving them breathless. The man gave a look at the woman for a while before slumping in the bed.
The man gazed at the woman beside him and muttered in each breath, "Huuh.. that was good. I wonder.. did you do it like that too with your husband, Catherine?"
Surprisingly, the woman was Catherine Cobham, the wife of Viscount Nichs Cobham. She looked at the handsome man beside her and replied him.
"We don''t do it that muchtely, but he has never been as good as you, Justin."
"Well, I''m d."
Gasp!
The man turned out to be Viscount Justin Escher, who was none other than the father of Shirley''s ssmate, Daniel Escher. If anyone were to see them together, everyone would surely gasp in disbelief.
After all, who could have guessed? Catherine looked so much like a caring woman for her family. No one would think she had the audacity to do that.
"So... Are you still hiring the assassin to look for your son?"
"Yes. I thought you knew it, since you are the one who pays them."
"Well.. I don''t really care about that, as the money I have spent is trivial."
"Show off..."
Both of them looked at each other''s eyes andughed like a loving couple. Their meeting could be said as a fated encounter. A man who had just lost his wife, and a woman who was unsatisfied with her husband.
It had been love at first sight. By the time they had seen each other''s eyes, they had just clicked. Thus, they decided to taste the forbidden fruit, which was having an affair. Sadly, it was only what Justin''s thought. The truth was far from that.
''Yes.. you just need to keep dancing in my palm. You get my body, and I get your everything.''
Justin was the product of one of Catherine''s ''business''. She had been looking for a suitable stepping stone for her, until she met Justin. Unsurprisingly, she could lure Justin into her trap.
A simple encounter and a short talk at one of the gatherings had been enough to make Justinpletely dance in her palm.
''I will do everything I can to achieve my goals.''
She was an ambitious woman. She would use every resources she had to achieve anything she wanted. Her main precious resource was her body. She was aware of her sex appeal. It wasn''t her first time doing it. She had done it countless of times.
Even Nichs was the product of her hardwork. She wouldn''t stop doing what she did, therefore there was a need to look for Basil who seemed to know her secret. She would never let anyone standing in her way. Not even her daughter, let alone her non-blood-rted son.
Her eyes glinted in a chilling manner for a brief second.
Chapter 47 An Egg Needs To Be Incubated To Hatch (2)
8 sets of armour, 12 bows, 17 swords, 28 pouch of gems, 321 arrows, and 20,000 gold coins. They were the boons Basil had gotten from Yamata no Orochi''sir. It was a huge amount of wealth in other''s perspective, however Basil was different.
"It can not even be counted as treasure. How disappointing." He muttered to himself while shaking his head faintly.
If anyone were to hear Basil, they would undoubtedly threw up a mouthful of blood. The sheer audacity he got for saying that was infuriating. Surely, Basil was just giving his honest opinion. For the ''experienced'' him, that sum of money was only enough to clean his ptes.
Furthermore, judging by how old Yamata no Orochi had been, that sum of wealth was really nothing. Even among the other Magical Beast, it could be considered broke. Basil could think of many other Beasts whichirs were filled with more treasure.
Basil wasn''t merely checking the treasure he had gotten, but also sorting the ones he would use by himself. Out of them, he took 1 set of armour, 3 bows, 5 swords, 11 pouch of gems, 31 arrows, and all of the gold coins.
Basil merely took the best out of the best. He couldn''t care less about the subpar quality things. Even so, those subpar quality things were actuality had enough value to make a Baron''s pocket dry.
"Hm... I will sell the weapons here."
After sorting the things he was about to sell, Basil finally arrived at the ce where he would sell his things. It was one of the Appraiser Association branches. Any things rted to Magic were sold and bought by this association.
Unlike the other professions, being an Appraiser meant being admitted into Appraiser Association. Therefore, no one could appraise without having the qualification to enter the association.
Basil entered the building and was quickly greeted by a voluptuousdy with a rather revealing clothes. She was rather dumbfounded when she looked at him, therefore she was out for a few moment.
"Oh my... Wee, Sir. What do you need of us for today?"
"I am going to sell some things."
"Very well, sir. Please, wait here for a moment while I call one of our best Appraisers."
Wink.
Basil looked at thedy''s gesture neutrally. He was hit with a sense of deja vu. He was extremely familiar with the scene earlier. He had experienced it before, back at Woster Region. Every business seemed to use the same technique to lure in costumers.
"Hmph! Lowly trick."
Basil snorted coldly. He was quite annoyed at facing the same tricks twice. It was innovative to be honest, however it got repetitive and annoying.
Basil got reminded of someone who did the same thing. Catherine was also doing her ''business'' using her sex appeal to the best she could. A very disgusting thing for a woman to do in his own opinion.
Life was harsh in the world they were living, however it didn''t be a reason to do that unsightly thing. There were many ways to improve one''s life. People like Catherine just wanted an easy life.
Tap. Tap. Tap.
Basil shook his head to clear the unnecessary thought and looked in front of him. The female clerk from earlier walked toward him along with a man in histe twenties. Judging by his attire and the monocle on his eye, he was the Appraiser.
"Good Day, Sir."
"Hm. Let us get to business immediately."
The young Appraiser was slightly taken aback. Judging by the attire, Basil was surely a noble. He knew Nobles liked pleasantries, therefore facing a direct one was quite a surprise to him.
"Very well. May I know the ¡ª okay."
The young Appraiser couldn''t finish his words as Basil had already done what he was about to ask. Not only that, but the amount of the things he was about to appraise was also surprising!
"There are 12 swords in total. Judging by the quality alone, the lowest price should be around 150 gold."
The young Appraiser skimmed through the swords Basil had taken out and muttered to himself. Then, he started to properly appraise the swords one by one. He appraised them very carefully while humming constantly to himself from time to time.
After some time, he finally finished the appraisal and looked at Basil.
"It seemed I made a mistake in saying the lowest price should be around 150 gold." He paused to look at Basil''s reaction. Seeing that he got none, he continued in a rather forceful joy, "Congrattions, Sir! The lowest price is 180 gold!"
Shocking customer was his hobby. He was sure this time he would get a reaction out of Basil, however his guess missed once again. Basil was as steady as a deep sea! He felt even more dispirited.
Basil quirked an eyebrow at the Appraiser and said, "I thought an Appraiser from the Association would be better than this." Basil picked a sword and pointed at it, "This is the lowest quality of the sword. Judging by the pattern''s intricacy alone, it should be at least 210 gold."
Boom!
The young Appraiser felt like he was struck by lightning. He was so shocked that his mind became nk momentarily.
Surprising a customer had been his hobby, however being shocked by a customer was unprecedented. Furthermore, the customer knew what he was doing!
"Uh.. um.. that is..."
Stop looking at me like that!
He wanted to convey that badly. Sadly, he couldn''t. Basil''s gaze on him was enough to oppress him wordless. He felt like experiencing his Guidance days back at the Association.
"Kuhum. That was my bad. I didn''t take the pattern into ount. I am sorry."
Lastly, he did the thing he was fairly good at when he had been a mere Learning Appraiser. That was, of course, apologizing and epting his mistake. Sadly, Basil wasn''t such a simple person.
"Is that so? Shouldn''t you inspect the density of the de and judged the durability? You should take that into consideration to determine the price."
"Ah, yes, yes. I have done it. It is in the Third Scale."
Aical thing happened where the Appraiser was getting appraisal tips from the owner of the appraised things. He bowed his head from time to time while Basil criticizing him for hiscking skills.
The female clerk looked at the scene from the side and couldn''t help the cold sweat pouring down her forehead. It was unprecedented. Furthermore, the price they offered started to get way more expensive than normal!
However, she didn''t intervene even once. She let it slide as Basil was quite an eye candy. Being attractive sure has its perks.
"So.. the total is 4,700 gold?" The young Appraiser looked at Basil carefully. Basil merely nodded lightly and waved his hand, "Let''s have another session." Then, 9 bows wereid in front of him.
The Appraiser had a look of a constipated person. He felt like crying badly. He knew what Basil was doing. Basil was already far from giving an honest appraisal. He was already exaggerating the quality of his goods!
However, he couldn''t say anything. Everything Basil said was irrefutably logical. Therefore, he could only gulp the lump in his throat and nodded his head while tearing.
...
"Thank you for having us as your business partner, Sir. I hope you will choose us in the future too."
The appraisal was done and Basil was about to exit the building. The young Appraiser couldn''t be seen anywhere, as he had quickly run away from Basil''s sight by the time the session was done.
It left only the female clerk to see Basil off. Actually, he didn''t need that. However, he respected the work ethic the clerk had. Therefore, he gave her a reward.
"You can take a vacation for a week."
He gave her a pouch of gold containing around 200 gold coins. The amount was outrageously too much enough for a mere clerk.
However, Basil didn''t think any of it. It was a small sum of money for him. He had pouched 7,100 gold anyway. 200 gold was really nothing.
However, the female clerk who got it was almost brought to tears when she looked the content inside. Her monthly pay was only 10 gold and it was already above the average wage. Therefore, receiving that sum of money was enough to move her heart.
''Not only good in appearance, but his heart is also as good.''
She looked at Basil with a deeply moved eyes. Her eyes glistened a little bit due to the tears of joy. Basil, who saw this, couldn''t help his hand from moving on its own.
Pat. Pat. Pat.
He was slightly taken aback by his doing, even more than the clerk herself. It seemed he was quite weak at receiving that gaze from ass.
As it would be awkward to pull his hand right away, he patted her for a bit more to make it look natural. Then, he pulled back his hand and nodded his head lightly.
He turned his back on her and walked away. The female clerk touched the part of her head where Basil had just patted and smiled rather weirdly. She looked at Basil''s back until he disappeared from her view.
She felt a weird but pleasant feeling bloomed in her heart.
"I will find you, even if you don''te here anymore."
Thus, without knowing this, Basil had just been rewarded with another ordeal due to his own action.
...
Basil''s journey continue for quite some time. He went to the armoury store, having a ''negotiation'' and left with 9,000 gold. It was quite fruitful as it took less time than what he had spent at Appraiser Association.
After the armoury store, he moved his feet toward a general store where he would sell the arrows he had. He didn''t bother to ''negotiate'' as there was nothing much he could exaggerate from the arrows. Thus, he left with 20 gold in his hand.
Right after that, he went to a jewelry store and sold some of the gems he had while fighting his way to not get scammed by the store. Unsurprisingly, he won with triumph. He left with 10,200 gold, a fairly huge amount of money.
For today''s little journey, he had gotten 26,120 gold. Anyone would drool at that amount as it was equivalent to most of how much the wealthier Baron had in their vault. Surely, Basil wasn''t impressed.
"Just what kind of a ''Legendary'' Magical Beast this broke?"
Basil shook his head faintly and continued his journey. He was going to hire some workers to renovate Familia Inn. He had always fulfilled his promise. By the time all the matters were settled it was already a few hours before night.
He went home while bringing seven workers with him who were ready to renovate the inn even while the others were sleeping. Obviously, Basil chose them due to their work ethics.
Work hard, and you will be rewarded.
Basil had been following that principal in his whole life. When he saw someone who really worked themselves, he really appreciated them. Therefore, without asking for the price, Basil had hired the seven workers.
"You really brought some workers home."
"I am quite hurt your confidence in me is so little."
"Nah. No normal person would expect someone to really renovate a building while saying it so casually."
Danzelid his eyes on Basil and shook his head rather helplessly. He had been blessed with two of the best sons in the world, however none of them followed the world''s norm. Still, he was very happy in his heart.
"Well, then.. follow me. I will guide the seven of you to each of your rooms."
"Eh.. ahh, that is unnecessary, Sir. We would just return to our housester."
"Hm? Didn''t you say you were going to work when the others were asleep?"
"Exactly, sir. We would return to our houses in the morning, have a quick sleep and go back here. Don''t worry, sir! We won''tte. Besides, we don''t have any money to afford staying at your inn."
The other workers nodded their heads in agreement at their representative. Danzel merely looked at them and shook his head faintly.
"What are you talking about? You are free to stay. Consider it our service for your willingness to renovate our inn."
"But, sir.. we are getting paid for that..."
"Nah, you are going to stay here. I can''t care less about money. My son is rich."
Danzel threw his gaze at Basil for confirmation. Surely, Basil would never disappoint him. Basil nodded his head and motioned the seven people to follow Danzel. They could only nod reluctantly and follow Danzel.
They were so moved that their eyes lit up in determination. They would renovate the inn to their best, so they could produce a masterpiece out of it.
And, they did it as exactly as they had resolved.
Chapter 48 An Egg Needs To Be Incubated To Hatch (3)
Ten people were standing outside the renovated, no, the reborn Familia Inn. While Basil was nodding his head in appreciation, Danzel and rissa were gaping at the building. It had been merely five days, yet the building had beenpletely renovated.
The two people gazed at the seven workers in amazement. They had managed to turn the previously two storey building to three story building. Not only that, the building was also exuding grandeur. Even the passersby were awed.
"Thank you for your hardwork."
"Haha! It''s the least we could do to repay your kindness."
The representative of the seven workers answered amiably. They had be a worker ever since they got their Core shattered. However, they had never been entrusted with a project as big as renovating a big building.
As they were quite new and not well-known, the amount of trust people gave them was small. They felt like being blessed by the heavens when Basil hade to them and asked them to renovate a building.
Imagine their surprise when after that they were treated with such sincere courtesy by Danzel and the others. They were so touched that they made a masterpiece out of their first big project.
"Even so, it''s awesome. To think that only five days were needed. It''s awesome."
"Ah, it is also thanks to Sir Basil for providing us the best materials. Therefore, the work was faster than what we had expected."
At this, Basil merely nodded in recognition. There was some truth in his word, however the seven workers worked really fast. As they were previously a Knight, their physical prowess was awesome.
"I am satisfied with your work. Expect more work from me."
"Thank you for the kind praise, Sir."
The representative of the seven workers epted the pay from Basil courteously. However, by the time the pouch wasid onto his hands, he was taken aback by the weight. He quickly peered inside the pouch, then his eyes widened in disbelief.
"Sir... I believe this amount is.."
"As you have said, I only provided you with the best materials, but not the best tools. You could use that to have the best tools."
"Sir...! Thank you!"
As their representative bowed his head, the other workers also followed suit. They didn''t need to know the content. They knew it must have been enormous. Even if they were paid less than it should be, they would still bow their heads in gratitude.
They had been treated with such courtesy, they didn''t mind to get their pay cut off. However, now that they got their pay more than usual, they were overwhelmed with emotion.
"Hm. You may leave. I am sure you are tired."
The seven workers bowed their head once again, before saying their goodbye and took their leave. They were skipping in their step when the representative told them how much their payment.
"How much do you pay them?"
"A minimum wage."
"How much?"
"210 for the seven of them."
"Silver?"
"Gold."
A pin drop silence ensued. Danzel and rissa looked at Basil neutrally. The amount of payment he had given to the workers was simply outrageous. The normal payment for a worker was usually around 200 silver.
It was pale inparison to what Basil had paid the seven workers. 100 silver was only equal to 1 gold. Therefore, it was normal to feel shocked. After all, it was equal to what a capable Knight could afford in two weeks.
"Is that how you unt your money to show that you are rich?"
"The rich sure have it different."
Twitch.
It was very faint, however the attentive father and daughter duo could notice it. They smiled in triumph, satisfied that they managed to get a reaction out of Basil. With a faint sigh, he shook his head and motioned them to get inside.
Although they had been inside the building even while it had been still in renovation, they couldn''t stop admiring the change of the inn. It became a luxurious inn by one renovation alone!
"Hmm..."
Danzel was pondering to himself. Now that the inn was renovated, it became even grandeur. He would have to really fill the inside with the suitable furnitures and other necessities like bed to amodate the lodgers.
In other words, he had to raise the lodging price. He had only charged the lodgers for 20 silver to stay at his inn for a day with three meals. He was afraid his former lodgers wouldn''t be able to afford his inn if he were to raise the price.
"Are you thinking about your costumers again?"
"Hm. I''m afraid we will lose most of our regrs."
"Jeez.. you are too soft, father."
"Well... Most of them are a hard-working woman, I don''t want to burden them."
rissa shook her head helplessly at her father. She nced at Basil to ask for help discreetly. Basil didn''t give any indication that he understood her meaning, however he soon opened his mouth.
"I believe you should not be worried about that. The price our inn charged has been lower than any other inns. Therefore, no one wouldin if you raise the price."
"Will they be able to afford that though?"
"You can make exceptions for some people."
"Aha! That is... Brilliant!"
Danzel was ted at Basil''s suggestion. rissa sighed in relief that her family''s business wouldn''t get bankrupt due to her father''s generosity. Basil merely gazed at that Danzel in nostalgia.
He had merely suggested the thing Danzel had done in his past life. Danzel had applied it on him and it had been a great help to him. Therefore, aside for easing the worry Danzel had, he wanted to give another struggling people a chance too.
"Kuhahaha! Now let''s buy the furnitures! I will decorate our inn handsomely."
Danzel left the inn to do what he said whileughing boisterously. rissa looked at him worriedly until his back disappeared from her view. She then nced at Basil and couldn''t help but asked.
"Will that be okay? Exception doesn''t refer only to his regrs, I believe. Father is so bad at organizing money that he often forgot he has spent all the money he has."
"I can see that."
Basil curved his mouth upward faintly and agreed with rissa. It had happened quite often too in the past. Therefore, Basil had often chastised him for his uselessly generous attitude.
"However, thou hath to worry not. For I hath plenty of money."
"Huuh..." rissa rolled her eyes while sighing helplessly. It seemed the men in her family had their own unique traits. "It fits you so much that I''m bewildered,"mented rissa while smiling faintly.
"Hm. People with greatness should act ordingly."
"Now, that is narcissistic. Even for you."
Basil and rissa had truly gotten closer for the past five days he had spent with her together. Therefore, rissa could somehow interact with Basil rather normally. It meant, she would sometimes dodge his gaze if it became unbearable.
I hath no choice, thy charm maketh me loseth my mind!
She actually cringed at that corny thought whenever it popped in her mind. Basil was still unaware of this. He was still attributing her reaction due to her awkwardness toward him.
The inn was still close, therefore they didn''t have much to do aside from reorganizing the reborn inn. The lodgers who had chosen to stay had some of them left, leaving only the six women, who were working outside at this time.
After the brief reorganization was done, rissa left to work at the bakery. Basil entered his renovated room to train. He needed to finish his Circle Carving. It was already half finished.
He was in the process of making another Ultimate Circle. He couldn''t let his progress as a Mage stagnated. He was improving fast as a Knight since he had experienced the state of Enlightenment.
He had dug all of the information he could get from the system and found a better way to practice [Star Withering]. As he had guessed, the information the Guide provided was really basic.
Therefore, in the Guide''s current stage, he needed to figure out the knowledge it gave by himself until he was qualified to upgrade the Guide''s stage. He didn''t necessarily need that, however he wanted to improve faster than his current pace.
Just like that, three weeks passed.
...
"Woah! It''s awesome. I can''t believe it was merely a normal inn a few weeks ago."
"Well, the affordable price makes it even awesome!"
"Indeed"
Two men entered Familia Inn and looked around in awe. The receiving room was decorated with luxurious furnitures. The sofas provided for the people to sit were so elegant that they were reluctant to sit on them.
"Excuse me, Sir. How may I help you?"
"That is ¡ª ah..."
The two men gaped in admiration by the time they saw the speaker. It was a beautiful woman with lean body and long auburn hair with a ck suit and long ck pants. She was one of the victims of that day''s tragedy, who had decided to work at Familia Inn.
"Uh.. a room for two, please."
"What ss do you prefer?"
"A regr, please."
"It will be 60 silver a night without meals, and 75 with meals for each room."
"We will take the meals too."
"Very well."
The two men handed their money in a daze. Then, they followed thedy silently from behind. They admired her posture as she was walking steadily like a soldier. Surely, it wasn''t only for that.
Woah, Look at those bumps! They look squishy!
They were observing another thing too. The woman seemed to notice their gazes as she stopped in her track, turned her back, and gazed at them coldly.
"We have every right to discipline any rude customers, just so you know."
The two men''s body shook. She had been as steady as a water surface before, however she had never showed that cold look. Therefore, they were scared. The reputation of Familia Inn''s ''discipline'' was quite well-known after all!
"Do we have a problem here, Jennifer?"
"Ah! That is..."
The woman who was called Jennifer turned her back at the very familiar voice and eximed timidly. The two men were taken aback by her reaction and couldn''t help the curiosity budding in theirselves.
They also turned to look at the owner of the voice. It was a tall young man with a muscr yet lean build. He had brown hair and a heavy presence around him. When they looked at his face, they couldn''t help but eximed.
"Ah..."
"That is... He is.. the Dragon Prince."
They knew the young man in front of them. His appearance could charm any women who saw it. He was the wet dreams of every women in Raneil Barony. However, his appearance didn''t mean he was weak.
He had ''disciplined'' many unsightly Knights with a wave of his hand. Thus, people came up with the name of Dragon Prince. He was as charming as a prince, yet as fierce as a dragon. In other words, he was Basil.
Jennifer rposed herself and coughed, "Kuhum. It was nothing, Sir. These men just acted rather unsightly earlier." She gestured at them, prompting Basil to really look at the two. "Is that so?" He muttered calmly.
The two men quivered in fear. Basil didn''t need to exude his pressure. His gaze alone was enough to suppress them!
"You should never hold back whenever you meet this kind of people next time. Those skills I train you are not just for show."
"I will remember it."
Basil nodded faintly and took his leave while giving a small wave to Jennifer. She looked at his back in a daze, before shaking her head to clear her head. She returned her cold gaze at the two men, making them flinch.
"As you have heard from our co-owner, the next time you do something unsightly will be the day where we stack your body behind our inn. Understood?"
Nod! Nod!
They were too afraid to interject that was exaggerated. They followed Jennifer to their room while vowing to never mess with anyone working at Familia Inn.
...
"Eii.. you are leaving already? It''s just barely a month!"
"I need to visit my academy so the headmaster wouldn''t be tearing his almost non-existent hair."
"Huuh.. right. Anyway, make sure to return. rissa will be very very sad if you don''t."
Pinch!
"Ouch! What was that for?"
"Anyway, take really good care of yourself. I know you don''t need to eat that often, but I have made you many delicacies. Therefore, you have to eat it for me, okay? Also..."
rissa listed the things Basil should do in his trip so he could take care of his body better. Basil who was merely going to return to Woster County listened to her attentively. He had to return her sincere care. He was a gentleman after all!
"Huuh.. just take care, okay?"
"Worry not, this I wilt be fine."
"I am sure you are."
Basil patted rissa''s head while smiling faintly but noticeably. Thetter smiled too while enjoying the sensation of being patted by her crush. Basil took his hand off her head and turned to Danzel.
"I am leaving."
"Take care."
Danzel merely nodded and hugged the taller Basil. Their height difference hadn''t been that much at the beginning, however Basil seemed to never stop growing everyday. He was already 3 cm taller than his previous height.
They let go of each other. Basil was about to leave when he heard a faint hum behind him. He turned his body and nced at rissa who was fiddling her finger.
"Hmm.. what about me?"
She asked timidly while blushing heavily. Danzel chuckled in amusement and Basil shook his head while smiling pleasantly. He proceeded to give her a warm hug, leaving her sighing infort.
He let go of her body after some time, then proceeded to move away His back quickly disappeared from their view. Already, they could feel something was missing. His presence affected them more than they thought.
Basil was unaware of this. He kept moving his feet forward. He was going to meet the new Companion of his. He was quite expectant about it.
Chapter 49 An Egg Needs To Be Incubated To Hatch (End)
A few weeks prior to Basil''s trip back to Woster County ¡ª roughly after his return from Lone Mountain ¡ª Deacon had told something to him. He had said he had been feeling something weird happened to his body.
Being an experienced man, Basil had instantly figured out what had happened to him. It was the process of Evolution. Finally, Hormonal Rush ¡ª the nurturing pill Basil had given Deacon ¡ª had taken effect.
The hard fight with Yamata no Orochi might have also yed a big role in pushing Deacon''s Evolution. Hormones might be able to push the growth of a Magical Beast forward, however external stimtion was also needed.
After facing a life and death situation, Deacon''s instinct to survive might have gotten activated, thus pushing his body forward to suit his harsh living condition. It would then lead to Evolution.
Basil had intentionally let Deacon go to somewhere private so he could evolve peacefully. Surely, he was evolving at the ce Basil had rmended. It was a forest on the outskirts of Fortescher County.
It contained some of the low-ss Magical Beast that would help his Evolution, and was rarely visited by human. Therefore, it was a fairly safe ce.
After some time passed, Basil finally arrived at the designated ce. He didn''t bother to enter the forest as he could feel Deacon was approaching his location fast. He smirked a little as he could feel Deacon''s speed was faster than before
He didn''t need to wait long for Deacon toe out of the forest. A regal looking 3 meters tall Saberwolf with shorter yet thicker and sharper fangs was revealed. It was none other than Deacon who had grown for two times as big.
He was very ted at seeing Basil as he was eager to show his might to his Master. When he arrived in front of his Master, he quickly lowered his head and let his Master petted him.
Good work.
It was conveyed clearly in his mind. Deacon was ecstatic. His master had never been a very emotional person. Getting a reaction out of him was so hard he wouldn''t be surprised if his Master could p a dragon''s butt casually.
However, that Master of his had praised him! He couldn''t even be any happier. Not even his newfound power could excite him anymore. Actually, it could still excite him. However it was still iparable to his Master''s praise!
"You have be a King Saberwolf. With this, you are officially a Middle Rank Third ss Magical Beast."
Basil brushed Deacon''s fur in faint pride. He felt like a parent who was seeing his child growing. Deacon had really turned bigger. Not even anyone in his former horde could match his size.
Unfortunately, ording to the standard of a King Saberwolf, he was still in the smaller size. However, it didn''t matter as Basil had no intention to let Deacon fight like a Beast. He would train him to fight with intelligence not instinct.
"It is time to go. We need to visit the academy."
Basil stopped brushing his fur and Deacon let Basil mounted him. He righted himself up, and his ecstatic face couldn''t be seen anywhere. Then, he galloped forward with regality. He looked mighty and fearsome.
Surely, it wasn''t the only thing he could show. Deacon''s speed was now enough to blow away a normal person just by passing by them. Thus, the trip continued.
***
I can feel it. Our family situation has changed. It is not like it used to be anymore. I wonder what happened. Father is busy with something I can''t figure, while mother is getting distanttely.
Just what happen? Is it because Brother? But, why? Are they afraid about Brother having a grudge against them? Ridiculous!
Brother doesn''t even care about them since the beginning. Why would he bother to hold a grudge against them?
Like usual, I am having my dose of pondering. Although I have distracted myself with study and Magic practice, the matter regarding my family can''t be overlooked easily. It is a really shocking experience for me.
Brother''s rise in power, my realization over my parents'' treatment over Brother, and the change of mood in the family start to take a toll on my mind. I really need to see Brother. He is the only one who can ease my mind at this point.
"Good Morning, Dear."
"Good Morning, my daughter."
A nod is the best I can give them. I don''t really feel like responding their pleasantries. I had thought I was really bless being born in a noble family. How naive that thought was. Only now that I realize how sucks being a noble.
My family has finally be a real noble family. Meaning, we are merely living in the same house without any bond or whatsoever.
"Any interesting things happened at academy yesterday, Honey?"
"..."
I know what is Father talking about. He must be curious about Brother''s whereabouts. Why would he care? He was the one who chased Brother away! It''s very unmanly of him.
Well, it seems Julia is rubbing off on me more than I think. It''s very easy to spew a snarkyment out of my mouthtely.
I shake my head and nce at Father. "If you think that the rumour about my friend, Daniel is about to get a new mother is interesting, then there is the only interesting thing I can think of." Woah, I didn''t know I could say that!
Father''s face briefly contorted, before returning back to his usual expression. He sighs and nods his head before saying, "I think there was nothing interesting happened. However, I am a bit curious about the thing you said earlier."
Hm? Father is usually not very privy about trivial things like that. What has happened to him? Well, I can''t care less. If he wants a story, I will tell him one.
"If you want to know, I will let you know. So,st day a friend of mine said she had spotted Viscount Escher walking together with a woman. The rumour goes on saying that woman could possibly be Daniel''s new mother."
"I believe she was just a prostitute."
"Eh.. we have talked about that too. But, my friend said they were too close. There is not a Noble would have such closeness with a prostitute."
"Hmm.. as far as I know Justin is¡ª"
nk!
"You two..."
Silence descends upon the room after Mother''s intervention. I was almost hyped up seeing that Father could somehow engage himself in the conversation. But, it was ruined by Mother!
I turn my head at Mother with slight disgruntlement. She looks at me back with the sternest expression I have ever seen on her face. I am slightly taken aback by that, but I receive that look unfazed.
"It is not good talking about a false rumour on someone. I didn''t know my daughter was such a person."
"Then, what kind of person am I pictured in your mind, Mother?"
Oops! Julia is really rubbing off on me! I didn''t mean to say that for real. Was that my frustration? Yes, it should be. The toll on my mental is starting to get unbearabletely.
"That.. that is..."
I know it''s not good. But, I got a satisfaction out Mother''s reaction. I didn''t know it was so good to see the one who made you taken aback got taken aback back. Wow, what a nice word y!
"Kuhum. I have always seen you as a respectable youngdy who will never dwell on rumours."
"I guess it is spot on? I didn''t dwell on that rumour too much, Mother. You are the one who seems to concern about it."
Mother''s eyes widened in disbelief. Of course, she will. Even I am taken aback by my words. I have tried my best to hold that words froming out, but I let it out nheless.
"Enough, the two of you."
Luckily, our war doesn''t have to proceed even more. Father quickly interrupts us as he can see the situation is starting to get out of hands. Mother is forced to close her mouth, but her eyes are still nted on me.
An indescribable feeling is conveyed through her eyes. It is something different from her that I have never seen before. We are bing distant each days, but now I can''t say that I know my mother
Mother can''t possibly...?
I shake my head to clear that thought. The more I think about it the worse my thought be. I''m scared my thought will someday proven to be true.
Quickly finishing my food, I hurry to the academy without even saying my farewell.
***
Nichs looked at his daughter''s disappearing back in silence. He shook his head bitterly right after that. He was aware of the distance growing between them. However, he could do nothing. He was busy with protecting his assets.
He looked at his wife and muttered, "You should not have done that. I have heard from Irene she has been concentrating herself in improving her Magic skills. She must be quite burdened."
"I merely did the thing a mother should do when her daughter speaks nonsense."
"I knew you meant that. However, you looked like you were ming her and defending Justin instead. Or maybe, the prostitute?"
Catherine''s hand twitched very faintly. She was boiling at the unintended jab sent at her. She forcefully calmed herself down to not create any suspicion from her husband.
"Huuh... I think it was my bad. I will spend some of my time with herter." She sighed and shook her head faintly. Nichs looked at that and couldn''t help but asked, "Don''t you have another gatherings tonight?"
At this, she nodded her head and said, "I do. However, I seem to get distant from hertely. Spending my time with my daughter is more precious than the gathering."
Moreover, her ''business'' was in danger. If she wasn''t careful, every dirt she had hidden would be uncovered for the world to see. She needed to be more discreet from now on.
Both of the two people gazed at each other''s eyes, faint smiles were stered on their faces. However, none of their eyes contained the feeling a smile should convey.
''No one can stand on my way."
At least, their thoughts were the same.
...
[Stardust Academy]
"You looked worn."
"Thank you for thepliment..?"
Shirley had already arrived at the academy and was slumping on her desk. Julia who was already there before her, looked at her and couldn''t help butmenting. Just like usual, they were bantering against each other.
"Woah.. If you were the previous Shirley, you wouldn''t be able to say that."
"How is the previous me anyway?"
"Well.. bratty, haughty, and stupid... I guess?"
"Yeah, can''t refute that."
"Wow. You are really worn."
Julia shook her head and patted Shirley''s head. She could see her friend had her mind burdened by something. However, she didn''t dare to ask. The news of Shirley''s brother who was chased away from his own house was already known after all.
Furthermore, his absence and unknown whereabouts sparked many rumours, and none of them was pleasant. Julia could somehow understand the agony Shirley suffered even without asking.
At least, her friend had finally opened her eyes to the world. She didn''t act bratty and high on her horse anymore. She didn''t care about having those ckeys'' anymore as she finally decided to live as her own individual, not as a noble.
While being dispirited all the time, Shirley could somehow pass the ss. Together with Julia, she went to the cafeteria to buy some food and eat itter on the Battle Arena. It was her favorite ce as it was quiet there.
"Can I have your time for a bit?"
"Hm?"
Julia and Shirley were surprised they were stopped by someone out of the blue. Shirley looked up and saw a confident face of a very familiar young man. He was fairly good looking, however that fact seemed to get on his head.
Shirley already had her face contorted. She could somehow guess what was about to happen. She sighed and decided to end it quickly.
"I am sorry. I am not interested in increasing my parents'' assets."
"What?!"
The young man was taken aback. He seemed to understand what she meant. He was none other than Harold Woster, the one Basil had beaten to a pulp. After knowing Basil had been banished out of his house, his grudge against him was slightly eased.
Imagine his surprise when he found out that Basil had a beautiful sister. Things couldn''t get any even better. He wanted to try his luck as he could see a chance on getting in her pants.
"I am sorry. But, I am sincerely asking you to give me a chance on having a rtionship with me."
"Woo..."
The surrounding crowd gasped in surprise at Harold''s rather sincere tone. Shirley frowned her forehead. Julia wasn''t any different as she seemed ready to swing her fist at any moment.
"Well, I am sorry. I know someone who is clearly better than you. So... I think you have no chance."
Gasp!
Shirley is so fierce!
While the crowd was gaping their mouth in awe at her bluntness. Julia was trying her best to hold herughter back. Especially, when she looked at Harold''sical reaction. She could proudly im her teaching on Shirley was sessful.
"What! Who is this person? I can''t recall any other person more amazing than me aside from my brothers."
"Well, to be honest, you are not awesome. Secondly, as far as I know, your brothers are considered average ording to the Capital''s standard."
"Woahh..."
The crowd was now openly admiring her. They had wanted to p that reality on Harold''s face since a long time ago, however they didn''t have the courage. Now that they had seen someone who dared to, they couldn''t help their awe.
"Audacious! How dare you, a mere glorified harlot looking down on my family!"
"Excuse me?!"
Instead of Shirley, Julia was the one who got angry. Harold''s word was harsh.
It was the reality of most of the noble women faced as they were married off to another noble family, whether they were willing or not. It was the sole purpose of their existence.
Harold couldn''t hold his rage back. Here he was lowering his head talking politely to a mere Viscount''s daughter, yet he was treated with audacity? He couldn''t ept it!
He raised his hand and was about to p Shirley when suddenly a heavy pressure descended upon the cafeteria.
Kneel!
Some of the people who couldn''t bear the pressure even kneeled themselves. They knew instinctively the pressure wasn''t aimed at them, however the aftereffect alone was enough to wash them with terror.
Harold, who was in the middle of it had his pupils constricted. He was assaulted with fear. He was already doing his best to not let his face touch the ground. He was sweating bullets while his body was trembling ceaselessly.
"It seems this ce has be rowdier in the time I have gone for a while, Mr. Chester."
"Well... At least, don''t pressure your friend too much."
"Hm? I am not pressuring them, Mr. Chester. They are justcking."
Chester looked at Basil and shook his head bitterly. Basil''s voice was echoed through the whole cafeteria, and everyone could hear him. Luckily, Basil heeded his advice to retract the pressure.
As if a lie, the heavy pressure disappeared into thin air. Aside from Harold, all of them could now breathe normally. However, no one dared to throw their heads at the perpetrator. They were extremely familiar with the voice of the person.
Julia and Shirley were gaping at the person who was approaching them. They knew who was the equally pretty and handsome young man. They didn''t even register the fact they weren''t affected by the pressure he had exuded.
Pat. Pat. Pat.
"You could have a fly enter your mouth, if you are gaping too much."
"..."
Still no response. Shirley was still looking at Basil in a daze. She was amazed at the fact how much her brother had grown over the two months he had been gone to who knows where. He became even more handsome than before!
"Brother!"
As if she was afraid he was a mere illusion, she hugged him tightly. Fortunately, Basil was a gentleman. He hugged her back and gave her the warmest hug she had ever gotten.
The crowd was amazed by two facts. First, their unnatural closeness that was already breaching the boundary of siblings. Second, the two majestic Magic Circles floating behind Basil.
Chester looked at Basil and shook his head again. He had coerced him to show his Magic Progress to no avail.
However, Basil had casually revealed his power when he had seen his sister had been about to be hit ¡ª which he was very sure wouldn''t have even happened.
An egg needs to be incubated to hatch. However, Basil didn''t merely incubate it, he was also magically training it even before it hatched. Chester was astounded by his inhumane growth.
Chapter 50 Tigers Dont Beget Dogs
Basil was frowning inwardly. He was observing the crowd surrounding him with his eyes. His mind was spinning at miles per hour. The scenery he saw reminded him of an event that had happened in his past life.
The crowd and the hero.
The hero has always been a person that stands out in a group. While they are moving forward, the crowd would cheer on them. The hero will then keep fighting due to the crowd''s cheer, believing their sacrifice is needed to repay the cheer.
They will feel satisfaction when their sacrifice aren''t in vain, for the crowd who cheer on them could be happy. When another ordeal is sent upon the crowd, the hero will once again reply to the shout of help from the crowd.
The same thing will repeat where the hero push theirself to the limit while the crowd can only cheer. However, when the hero fails, they will instantly be the abhorred. In the end, there is nothing in the world aside from interest.
The hero likes publicity, for they like being cheered on. In the other hand, the crowd is a selfish bunch of cowards who can do nothing but pushing other people to protect themselves.
Such a thing had happened almost all the time in his past life. Therefore, Basil abhorred the thought of bing a hero.
Hero is for hypocrites, and crowd is no more than a bunch of people who are full of themselves.
Basil shook his head faintly to clear the unnecessary thoughts. He had always been a thinker, therefore he always thought deeper than anyone. The severity of Shirley''s case that had happened just then wasn''t that bad.
In truth, Basil was reminded of the thing that had happened to Shirley in the past. She had been hailed as the most inspirational noblewoman. She had stood for many people, and many of them admired her.
However, when she had needed someone to stand for her, the people she had stood for, stood against her in return. A very disgusting thing that any human could do in a heartbeat.
Basil looked down at Shirley who had her head buried deeply in his chest. He brushed her hair gently at the delicate gesture of her. He would ensure the same thing wouldn''t happen to her in the future.
Letting go of her hug, Shirley gazed at Basil shyly. She had been so overwhelmed with emotion that she didn''t think much before hugging him. Luckily, Basil didn''t seem to mind as he had that faintly amused expression on his face.
"May I know the details of the thing I have seen about to happen?"
Basil didn''t even turn his back. He was still looking at Shirley while saying that. However, everyone could understand whom that question was intended to.
"Gugugu.."
The answer was merely a groan out of a gritted teeth. Harold was trying his best to hold his body from touching the ground. He was already on his four limbs since Basil pressured him with his power.
He was sweating bullets. Even the ground was wet with his sweat. In truth, he wasn''t even sure whether it was because his sweat or tears. He was bathed with terror that he had never experienced before.
Chester also approached Basil, however he didn''t stop him. Violence was forbidden outside the Battle Ground. However, pressuring someone with one''s Mana didn''t count as a violence. Therefore, he merely observed the two calmly.
"Retract... Your pressure... Please...!"
"Hmph!"
A soft yet cold snort came out of Basil as the reply of Harold''s rather sincere tone. Just like what he had said to Chester. He wasn''t actively pressuring Harold or the crowd. He merely leaked out a bit of his killing intent and none of them could handle that.
Who was he to joke? He was the man who had cleared seven Higher ss Obelisk alone! One could imagine how many monsters he had killed and how fearsome the Obelisk Masters he had in.
Not even anyone dare to attempt clearing thest 36 Obelisk yet. However, he had cleared them in the past. A mere brat in front of his killing intent? They would instantly think their nightmare was the sweetest dreams they had ever had.
Still, Basil retracted his killing intent lest he wanted to kill Harold. He was ''experienced'' enough to know how to hold back against a child.
"Hu-hah... Kuhuk-kuhuk!"
Harold was gasping for air. His appearance was so pathetic that it contrasted his previous confidence. He didn''t dare to raise his head. Basil had been his nightmare since ''that'' fight.
Today, Basil had officially be his heart demon instead.
"I heard from Mr. Chester you have been pushing yourselftely."
"Ah.. umm?"
Shirley could only respond dumbly at Basil''s question. She was still in a daze for her admiration on him. After all, he had made a bratty Earl''s son drenched in tears and snot! It was so cool!
Shirley finally rposed herself and cleared her throat. "Kuhum. Right... I have been working hard!" At the end of her word, she put her hand on her waist and raised her nose high.
The bratty Shirley is back!
Juliamented silently in her mind. She nced at Basil and couldn''t help but shaking her head helplessly. Shirley''s bratty side was provoked whenever Basil was in her vicinity it seemed.
She could understand her somehow. Anyone would understand her. Having such an eye candy of a brother, of course anyone would want to be spoiled!
"I would like to see how much you have grown."
"You can expect it!"
Basil patted her head while curving his mouth slightly upward. He turned his head at Chester and asked, "Would you mind if she joins us?" Chester replied in a heartbeat, "Of course not. Julia can join too." Basil nodded his head in agreement.
Basil moved his feet to the counter to order some food. He wanted to taste the cafeteria''s food which he had enjoyed in his past life. Chester also followed suit as he was quite famished himself. The crowd wisely parted to give them way.
Basil and Chester passed the crowd like scissors cutting paper. Chester looked at that with a bitter smile. He was a teacher not a thug! Why would the student gaze at him in doubt as if he was about to pull something bad on them.
Looking at Basil''s back in front of him, he could only silentlyment.
''My favorite student, you have sessfully made me a thug in a day!''
The food was quickly ordered and delivered to them by the nervous cook. The cook couldn''t help it, he was just a normal person after all! Although he hadn''t gotten swept by the pressure, he had felt the terror!
He was looking at Basil, the perpetrator, in nervousness. He feared for his life. Even though the headmaster had ensured his safety while working here, it was no secret Mage treated people like dirt.
Luckily, his worry was unfounded as Basil behaved rather normally for someone so fierce. While the cook sighed in relief, Chester sighed inment. He was sure the look he would get from the cook would never be the same like before.
While holding Shirley''s hand, Basil and the other people left the cafeteria. Their food was wisely stored inside their Spatial Bracelet. There was no need to hold their tray of food. That would be stupid as hell!
Harold looked at the disappearing back of Basil in resentment and fear. He was so humiliated he couldn''t handle it anymore. He absolutely needed to do something with Basil. Otherwise, he would never be able to move forward.
"What are you looking at?!!"
He shouted spitefully at the crowd looking at him. Like a scaredy cat, they scurried away from him and returned to their tables to resume their meals.
''Just wait. I will absolutely make you suffer!''
He was losing it, and he was aware of it. However, losers always hate winners.
His eyes glinted in a fierce light. He would do anything to vanquish his heart demon.
...
Unlike any other teachers who purposefully distanced themselves from their students for the sake of ''professionalism'', Chester didn''t mind such thing. He was always being the sociable and amiable teacher.
Therefore, he didn''t mind spending his lunch time in the Battle Ground along with Basil. They were talking with each other like a good friend. Julia and Shirley observed the two in amazement.
They are so awesome that I can''t even understand a thing they are talking about!
Both of them had the same thought. Again, Basil and Chester were talking in their ownnguage. Meaning, they were spewing poetic yet cryptic words from time to time. Shirley and Julia wisely kept themselves out of their talk.
Just like that, the lunch finished. To be exact, Shirley and Julia had finally finished their food. Basil and Chester had already finished their food way before them with an mysterious technique unknown to them.
"I can not wait to see how far you have grown in the time I have been away."
Basil looked at Shirley and smiled faintly. He had heard how much Shirley was working herself from Chester. Although he had told her to do that, he hadn''t expected her to really do it. Therefore, he felt slightly expectant toward her progress.
"Hm. Although I am not as good as you, it is eptable enough... I guess?"
Shirley answered in slight nervousness. She had bragged about her growth earlier, however when she was about to show it to Basil, she was afraid it wasn''t up to his expectation.
"Believe in yourself."
,m Basil advised her in a slightly ordering tone. Surely, from the people''s perspective it was an encouragement. Basil didn''t need to encourage her. He had merely stated a fact.
Encouragement isn''t needed to someone who doesn''t even believe themselves. When one believes in theirself, the motivation to sess will be their encouragement.
"I will try my best."
"Come on, you are the best! Go, Shirley! Go!"
Julia was cheering for her friend enthusiastically. However she felt it wasn''t enough. She smiled rather mischievously.
"Shirley, you can do it! Do your best and impress your crush!"
"Hiih! Hey! W-w-what are you talking about?!!"
"Ahahaha!"
Chester shook his head helplessly. These two inseparable students of his were surely unique. There were many times their stunts baffled the entire ss due to how absurd they were.
Shirley was a normal student, only if she was alone. When Julia was on her vicinity, normal would be out of her dictionary. But still, he was d. At least these two didn''t act like a typical child from a noble family.
"Huuh..." Shirley calmed her heartbeat down. Her face was burning. Luckily, Basil didn''t show any indication he was bothered by Julia''s word. "Let''s do it!" She muttered to herself.
She utilized her Mana with her meager control over it. She hadn''t carved any Magic Circle on her heart yet, she could only do that at the second year. Therefore, she was counting on her innate talent and her practice.
[Zil edenz adz utracht, Gale!]
Mana was umted in her hand. The wind swirled on her palm before it became bigger and moved to swirl on the ground.
Whoosh!
The dust in the ground was lifted to the air and swirled along the wind. Shirley kept her concentration on the gale to make it bigger. She gathered her spread hand and pushed them forward.
The gale that was swirling in its ce was pushed forward. It swirled fiercely while swiping anything on its way.
Basil looked at that and hummed quietly. It wasn''t overly impressive, however he couldn''t help but admire her talent. Her Natural Core must have been pretty good in quality considering how much she could familiarize herself with Mana.
Furthermore, she was utilizing Mana without the help of Magic Circle and a suitable technique. Producing such result was impressive ording to Stardust Academy''s standard.
"Hm. It is impressive. She is talented, but her dedication to move forward makes it even more impressive."
Chestermented on Shirley''s performance with a satisfied smile on his face. Unlike Basil who observed her calmly, Chester admired her openly.
p! p! p!
"Yes, you did it girl!"
"Huuh..."
Unlike the ecstatic Julia, Shirley merely heaved a sigh of relief. Luckily, her performance was up to her satisfactory. It could even be called as the best she had done so far.
She turned her head to Basil to observe his reaction, and she wasn''t disappointed. Basil nodded his head with a faint smile. With a toothy grin, she made a peace sign with her finger.
"What do you think? Is it good enough?"
"There is still room for improvement."
"We can assume that as fairly good, right?"
Julia turned her head at Basil to look for confirmation. At this point, she didn''t register the fact that Chester who was a teacher was also there. Chester didn''t mind that. He could see the gap between his ability and Basil''s ability.
Scratch that, he hadn''t even seen Basil utilized his Magic Circle yet! Even so, he could still see Basil''s abnormally impressive performance. Furthermore, Basil knew many things about magic.
Therefore, he didn''t mind Julia was asking Basil for confirmation. He wasn''t such a petty person if he were to act like that.
"Yes, it is fairly good."
"Way to go girl! Your crush is impressed!"
"S-s-s-shut up you dork!"
"Ahahaha!"
Basil looked at the two of them and curved his lips faintly. The two of them hadn''t been friend in the past. The rtionship between them had been merely a former ssmate and nothing more.
However, both of them had the same trait. They were a proud woman in their own right. The only difference was Julia lived longer.
"Thank you for being her friend."
"Eh? Um... You''re wee."
Julia who always acted nonchnt and blunt became a timid girl under Basil''s soul piercing gaze and soft voice. She fiddled with her finger and answered him shyly.
Shirley who was looking at Julia from afar was slightly bewildered. She wondered what happened to her friend to be such a timid girl. Upon looking at Basil''s interaction with Julia, realization dawned upon her.
''Right, she should have a crush on Brother.''
She shook her head bitterly. She cleared her mind and walked toward Basil''s way. She was about to approach Basil when a shocking thing happened.
Boom!
Shirley''s body froze and she could only stare in front of her dumbly.
Chapter 51 Tigers Dont Beget Dogs (End)
Boom!
A loud explosion rang out through the Battle Ground. It swept the air, and raised dirt upon its wake. Shirley was forced to step back due to the explosion. She looked in front of her in shock.
The ce where Basil and Julia were standing was engulfed in fire. Nothing could be seen aside from the massive fire swaying around as if dancing.
What happened??!!
She could only convey that with her face. Her mouth didn''t follow her brain''smand to open. Her mouth was getting dry. She was dreading the event that was happening.
''Is it an attack? But why? Where is the safety procedure?!''
She looked around frantically. She was trying to find Chester who shouldn''t be that far from Basil. She was desperately hoping everything was alright.
Luckily, she could quickly find Chester. Chester was already in the audience seat, calmly observing the event while standing. Shirley was bewildered at that. She was about to shout at him indignantly when another shocking thing happened.
Whoosh!
An air explosion urred. Shirley who was caught off guard got thrown away because of it. Fortunately, she managed to right herself while in the air, sessfully preventing her face from kissing the ground.
She gazed at her front and her breath hitched. Basil was standing in his ce gantly while embracing Julia with his left hand. He had a unique looking sword in his right hand extended horizontally.
She wanted to heave a sigh of relief at that. However, the event wasn''t done yet. At that moment, a boisterousughter rang out through the Battle Ground.
"Kuhahaha! It seems you are not exaggerating anything about this boy, Master ke. It is rathercking instead!"
Shirley threw her head at the source of the voice. It belonged to a middle-aged man with blue hair and an impressive beard. However, he wasn''t the one who took her attention. There was someone she was familiar with standing beside the man.
The young man who was standing beside the middle-aged man had a quite unsure expression on his face. However, when he met Shirley''s eyes, he smirked in ridicule. Shirley looked at him spitefully. He was no other than Harold.
Basil turned his head over the middle-aged man and eximed, "I believe [Fire Bath] should only be applicable to Fourth-Circle Mage and above." His tone was unwavering and calm.
"Ho-ho... You are quite knowledgeable too."
The middle-aged man merely caressed his beard and observed Basil calmly. He was slightly amazed by Basil. Not only had he managed to defend himself from the attack, but also dispersing it to nothing!
The middle-aged man looked to the side to observe ke and Chester who knew Basil quite well. He could see that they were also bewildered. However, they were trying their best to hide their surprise.
"Hmm... No wonder you were done badly."
"I personally believe he had been hiding his true ability, Father."
By the way Harold called the middle-aged man, it could be deduced the man was none other than the master of Woster County, Earl Ansley Woster. Ansley threw his head to the side an gazed at his son bitterly.
He didn''t know what he did wrong. He had raised his two other sons sessfully. He couldn''t wrap his mind around the fact that his third was a failure.
He was aware of Harold''s mischievousness. However, he couldn''t bring himself to punish his son. His son only misbehaved in front of the other people aside from his family.
He was a sweet child in his family. He admired his brothers and loved his dad. Contrary to the people''s belief, although Harold was considered a failure, nobody in his family abhorred him.
He could see histe wife in him. His other sons thought of the same too as they loved Harold as much as he did.
Therefore, even though he knew his son was on the wrong side. He would have to defend him.
"I have heard from Master ke that you are the ''monster'' of Stardust Academy. I am slightly curious to how much of a ''monster'' you are. Therefore, I am here to see for myself. Would you give me the chance to?"
An Earl asking a student sincerely to be granted audience for his skill. It was simply mind-boggling. Ansley had been invited to visit many Magic Academies from his County, however he paid them mostly no mind.
This time, he wasn''t invited. However, he had stille by sparing some of his time from his tight schedule. He was doing this solely for his son.
He looked at Basil squarely in the eyes. He was waiting for Basil''s answer. If the boy refused him, there was nothing he could do aside from giving a slightly ridiculous tax to the boy''s family.
"I am no more than just a lowly Second-Circle Mage. I will be honored to ''test'' my skill against a Fifth-Circle Mage. However, what do I get in return?"
"This bastard...!"
Contrary to the calm Ansley, Harold was fuming. Although he didn''t dare to say that out loud. His face conveyed it all. He threw his head to the side and looked at his father expectantly.
"Kuhahaha! I like a straightforward young man. If you managed to hold against me for five minutes, I would give you 5,000 gold. How about that?"
"Father! You can''t possibly..."
Harold couldn''t continue his words. Although his father loved him, he had his moments of being stern. With a look from him, it was enough to shut him up.
"5,000 gold? I can earn more than that if I join a tournament against my peers. Do you not think it is a little bit unfair?"
"..."
Ansley was taken aback. He looked at Basil who had an amused expression on his face. Basil didn''t look like he was ridiculing him. However, the jab was conveyed. Ansley had a contemting look before deciding what he would do.
"Alright. I will give you 10,000 gold if youst against me for 5 minutes, and another 5,000 gold if you can inflict any harm to me."
"To be able to inflict a wound to an Earl is such a rare and prestigious opportunity. I will dly take it. However, I also have a condition on my side."
Ansley quirked his eyebrow and quickly replied, "Speak." Basil had a faint smile on his face before saying, "I want you to get handicapped. To be specific, I want you to only use three of your Magic Circles."
Chester and ke looked at Basil incredulously. Even Ansley was rather dumbfounded by his decision. He was fully intending on handicapping himself in the fight with Basil, however he hadn''t expected Basil would be the one who decided the handicap.
''Well... He''s just being confident, but I feel insulted.''
Ansley had intended to only use two of his Magic Circles when fighting against Basil. It was normal to adjust the Magic Circle usage to your opponent, if the duel was between two different stage Mage.
However, it wasn''t a secret that handicap was nothing more than a formality. More often than not, handicap was useless. Although it was called handicap, the only limit applied on the handicapped was the Mana supply and nothing more.
Therefore, when Ansley heard Basil''s decision of his handicap, he felt insulted. More Mana meant more power.
"Basil, don''t forget that Earl Woster is a Fifth-Circle Mage. He has more experience than you. I believe Earl Woster wouldn''t mind if you retracted your previous words. Am I right?"
Chester looked at Ansley amiably. However, it was only in the outside. In the inside, he was washed with nervousness. He knew what Ansley''s visit today meant.
He had thought Basil would have an easy time since Ansley would eventually underestimate him. However, that favorite student of his just dug his own grave! As Basil''s beloved teacher, he had to close the hole before his student fell in.
"Of course. I am aware kids tend to say something they can''t take responsibility of."
Sigh.
It wasn''t a sigh of relief. It was a forlorn sigh. Chester knew what kind of person Basil was. He was prideful. He hated being looked down upon. Although Ansley said nothing wrong, calling Basil who was a teenager a kid was equivalent to looking down on him.
"Hath I dipped mine feet to a pond, I wilt not hath known a river. Gold is likely to be found in mud rather than the ground."
Sigh.
Another sigh came out of Chester. Although Basil''s words sounded like a beautifully created poem, he knew what Basil meant.
¡ªHardship is the only way to grow. Any hardship we endured will bare a great result in the future.
He got what Basil was trying to convey. However, it didn''t mean he could just ept it! Hardship and risking one''s life was a different matter after all.
"Let the kid do what he wants. Can''t you see his eyes? It belongs to a champion."
Chester chuckled humorlessly at ke''s word, "Sir, if he were to fail, not only would he get no gold, but also injuries." ke shook his head and muttered, "Just believe him."
Sir, I believe my student more than you have ever had!
Chester wanted to retort, however he chose to keep it to himself. He just gazed at Basil who was surrounded by Shirley and Julia silently
"Will you be ok?"
"Brother, you can just refuse it. I have money if you need some!"
Basil curled his mouth upward faintly. He was amused at the scene where everyone seemed to worry about him. He was an ''experienced'' man. He knew what he was doing. Therefore, receiving the worry from the people around him was quite amusing.
But still, he appreciated the feeling. It warmed his heart to a certain degree. Therefore, he needed to reward them.
Pat. Pat. Pat.
"Umm..."
"Ah..."
Basil wisely ignored the rather sensual sound came out of the two girls. He didn''t know since when did head pat became a reward for him. However, he knew that all of them liked his head pat.
"You are half a decade faster to worry about me."
"Ah.. Brother, you like you mean it."
"You talk like an old man.. umm..."
"..."
Basil''s mouth became a thin line.
I am EXPERIENCED, not OLD!
He wanted to retort, but he chose to keep it to himself. It was unneeded. Children tend to not know what are they talking about.
"Alright, shall we start?"
"Sure."
After shooing away Shirley and Julia, Ansley and Basil were facing their face against each other with a distance apart on the Battle Ground. Ansley was a Battle Mage, therefore he had a Magic Sword ready in his hand.
"You might want to change your sword, Earl Woster."
"Ho-ho! Don''t worry, this will do."
Basil didn''t try to persuade Ansley. His Spatial Bracelet shed and Kusanagi appeared in his hand. In his three days of journey back to Woster County, he had been practicing to control it better. However, none had been enough to pose him any threat.
Therefore, having Ansley as a guinea pig for his newfound power was really an opportunity to him.
"I will be the referee of this match. As stated in the rule, when I, the referee, judges the match is too much, I have every right to stop the match."
"I know that Master ke, you don''t need to remind me."
ke just nced at Ansley and nodded his head. Bringing his lifted hand downward, he said the sacred word, "Begin!"
ke made a distance from them. He retreated to the back, close to the audience seat. He watched the two unmoving people with a deep gaze.
"Ho-ho! You know, my sons are talented in their own way. That means, all of my sons are talented. Just like their father!"
Boom!
Narcissistic? Sure. However, no one could refute that. Ansley Woster was a talented Mage. At three fourth the age of ke, he had managed to reach the stage he was currently in.
Although currently he was below ke, it wouldn''t be long until he became ke''s equal. It could be seen by the heavy pressure he was emitting by only showing three of his Magic Circles.
The audience could feel it even though the pressure wasn''t aimed at them, therefore they became worried. However, Basil who was in the middle of it was unfazed. He merely released his own pressure to counter it back.
Boom!
Two Ultimate Circles floated behind Basil''s head. The pressure he emitted was no weaker than the pressure Ansley emitted. Ansley widened his eyes in surprise. He didn''t know Basil had a Grand Circle!
However, it didn''t matter. Even if Basil had Grand Circles. The gap between their level was big enough to make it useless.
Sadly, he was wrong.
"Kuhahaha! It seems we are quite simr after all. A tiger will eventually fight against a tiger!"
Whoosh!
nk!
They shed like a light and shed in the middle of the Battle Ground. The aftermath of the sh was enough to make the ground below them cratered and the air exploded.
Tremble.
Ansley was surprised yet again. His hand that was holding his sword trembled upon having a taste of Basil''s abnormal strength. Still, his experience let him not to show any of his surprise.
Stepping back once, with an elegant footstep the two of them exchanged blows. Fire would spark each time their sword shed.
nk! nk! nk!
"You really are talented," eximed Ansley in the middle of their fight. Basil didn''t show any reaction.
sh!
nk!
Another fast movement attack wasunched by the two people. All of them had their own intricate movement sets. While Ansley was using his trained footstep, Basil was training his Movement Technique.
Although Basil had the experience, his body wasn''t quite used to it. Therefore, he was training it in the middle of the fight.
nk!
Their sword shed against each other once again. This time, power exploded out of the two of them. The ground below them that was merely cratered made a dent as if someone purposefully digging it out.
"My, my. I wish my Harold is as talented as you. Sadly, he is not as great of a tiger like his father."
nk!
Boom!
Thest sh produced a result that no one other than Basil had expected. Ansley was thrown away backward. He was bewildered like he had never been before. He looked at the broken Magic Sword in his hand in disbelief, then at Basil.
"How...?" He muttered quietly. At this, Basil only opened his mouth and spoke softly but clearly, "Tigers don''t beget dogs. Your son is no tiger. Therefore, there is a need to get to realize what you really are."
Surely, the area that was previously loud due to the fight, instantly became silent.
Chapter 52 Eyes Are The Window Of The Soul
The silence was suffocating. While the audiences were nervous, the two people were looking at each other''s eyes silently. Basil was still calm and unfazed. In the other hand, Ansley was having an unreadable expression on his face.
Boom!
The pressure battle from the start resumed once again. However, unlike before, this time they were releasing their full might. Second-Circle versus Fifth-Circle. Even though Ansley was handicapped, in terms of pressure he should be superior than Basil.
However, reality often disappoints people. The pressure Basil emitted could stand to toe with his pressure. He could even feel he was getting slightly overwhelmed by it.
How could he not? Mana Pressure wasn''t determined on how much Mana one had. It was determined by one''s control over Mana, and how well one could condense it to pressure the opponent.
In terms of quality, Basil''s Magic Circles were superior. However, in quantity and maturity, his Magic Circles were clearly inferior. Fortunately, it wasn''t everything Basil had. He had his experience on how to control Mana better.
Although his control over it wasn''t as good as he had been in the past yet, the Mana Pressure he exuded was enough to stand against Ansley''s.
"Impressive... It seems I have underestimated you."
Ansley''s Spatial Bracelet shed and another Magic Sword appeared in his hand. The Magic Sword was thinner than before, however anyone could see it was another quality swordpared to the sword he had used earlier.
"Let us find out why I am a tiger, shall we?"
Ansley swung his sword horizontally once. The surrounding air was swept along with the swing of the sword. Basil still looked at that disy calmly. He wasn''t fazed in the slightest.
''Guide, who is my opponent?''
[Answering the Host''s ignorance...]
[The Host''s opponent is Ansley Woster, the master of Woster County, and a Fifth-Circle Battle Mage. His Magic Circleposed of five Major Circles. He is somewhat eptable at using sword. He is also...]
Information was constantly embedded into his brain. The process was so quick Ansley would never think Basil was digging his information in that short instant. Basil nodded his head as the surge of information finally stopped.
Everything was just as he knew. The only differenceid in the terms used and the standard the Guide provided. There were many different terms that the Guide often used. However it wasn''t that hard to figure out what the Guide meant.
The only troublesome thing regarding the Guide was the standard. With the high standard it used, Basil found it rather tricky to determine the real value of something as he didn''t know what the Guide used as aparison.
For an example was his personally modified Body Forging Technique, [Gentle Waves Crushing Boulder]. It was the technique that had brought him to prominence in the past, however it was rated as a defected technique.
Still, despite that, to say the Guide wasn''t helpful would be a lie.
nk! nk! nk!
With intricate movements, Ansley dashed toward Basil and used every sword technique he had sharpened in the battlefield. Their sword shed against each other, exploding the surround air in each sh.
Their swords shed. Every swing was a blur to the audience. The sound of steel shing against each other was strongly reverberated through the whole arena. Sparks of fire could be seen from time to time, showing how fierce the attack was.
However, none of them used their Spell or Art yet. As if on cue, Ansley and Basil took a step back and muttered their own Spell.
[Fire Bath]!
[Rolling Waves]!
Both of them were Battle Mages. They had trained themselves to shorten the incantation needed in a spell. Therefore, no one had to utter any incantation. Fire met against water. Ansley''s attack met against Basil''s attack!
Whoosh!
A strong hydro explosion was produced by the evaporating water. Two of the fighting people couldn''t bee seen by the audiences as the Battle Ground waspletely covered with the mist.
nk!
Boom!
Fortunately, it didn''t take long for the audience to be able to see the fighting people once again. As the two de shed against each other, a way fiercer sh ensued, producing an equally strong gust of wind.
The fighting people could be seen once again, as the area was finally cleared of the mist that had covered them just a while ago. Two of them were looking at each other''s eyes. One was bewildered and the other was as calm as ever.
"Who are you...?"
"Basil."
nk!
Stepping back, Ansley looked at Basil deeply. He was trying to gouge the real identity of Basil. He had known Basil had been a talentless genius who turned out to be ate bloomer.
However, no matter how explosive one''s growth, Basil''s was too illogical. That kind of speed could normally be found in the Capital City, Randalvine. He heaved a bitter sigh. In the end, he didn''t have any choice other than giving him a p on the wrist.
No matter how talented Basil was, as a father he couldn''t let the one who had hurt his son pass just like that. There was a need to warn Basil so he wouldn''t disturb his son''s mind in the future.
Ansley muttered an incantation under his breath. Mana surged inside his body. The three Magic Circles he used were utilized to their best. Then, he muttered a word that changed the surrounding instantly.
[Domain: Infernal Rage]!
Burn!
The ground was engulfed in fire. It cracked and melted stone could be seen from the gap. Earth surged upward creating a pir of burning stone. The surrounding air heated to the point of distorting.
The audiences could feel the hell like situation as they gasped in surprise and horror. Chester was frowning. Domain could only be achieved at the Fourth-Circle. He had one himself.
Therefore, he could tell, no matter how downgraded a Domain was, Domain was still a Domain. Once it was activated, there would be no Third-Circle Mage and under could stand against it.
He threw his head at ke, hoping ke would stop this nonsense. Unfortunately, he didn''t see what he had expected.
"Three minutes and a half has passed since the beginning of our fight. You hold your ground very well."
"Thank you for giving me the opportunity to see your Domain."
"Hoh.. you aren''t fazed, are you?"
"..."
"Fine. Let''s see how long you couldst. Surge!"
Roar!
A mighty roar that chilled the spine of everyone who heard it resounded through the Battle Arena. The roar invoked the surrounding fire to head toward Basil like tsunami.
"Brother!"
"Senior!"
"Master ke!"
Each of the audiences shouted their own worry to the person they intended. Whole Shirley and Julia expressed theirs by calling out Basil name outward, Chester shouted at ke to stop the match.
However, ke seemed to pull a deaf ears on Chester. He merely looked upward, observing the Barrier he had created earlier to not invoke any unwanted attention from other people. Then, he looked at Basil.
''A monster indeed.''
He sighed in amazement. Surely, he had grasped the situation earlier than any other people.
Basil looked at the surging wave of fireing at him in amusement. He was amused by the stupidity of the person called Ansley.
''Why would you imitate water using fire?''
He shrugged his shoulder inwardly and activated his Step Art.
[Slip]!
Much to Ansley''s bewilderment, Basil merely passed the wave like a slippery eel in one''s grasp. He just passed through it like nothing. He didn''t even have any scorch on his clothes.
That''s a high quality clothes for you!
Surely, Basil didn''t stop at that. He had been just swinging Kusanagi earlier. This time, he would properly use it as it should be.
[Killing Art: Wind de Incarnation]
Whoosh!
Fire surged upward along with the wind, surrounding Basil like a shell. His two Ultimate Circles shed in a bright light showing how much he used it. His Mana Heart beat faster, pumping Mana to his blood and circting it.
Basil''s brown eyes shone in a golden light for a brief moment. He moved his right foot to the front and leaned his body slightly. Kusanagi was held horizontally beside his waist. His left hand was on top of the middle of the de covering it with Mana.
Then ¡ª
Dash!
Whoosh!
¡ª he shed in front of Ansley.
!!!
nk!
"Kuuhh..."
Ansley was taken aback by the power behind Basil''s attack. His hand trembled ceaselessly because of that.
''Nonsense! How can he beat my [Reinforcement]? A mere Second-Circle can do that? Ridiculous!''
Unlike Knights, Battle Mage didn''t have a durable physic. Therefore they had to count on their [Reinforcement] to stand against their enemy. The absurd strength they showed with their body was all due to Mana.
It was the reason he was bewildered at Basil''s abnormal strength. A lower stage Battle Mage would never be able to beat the [Reinforcement] of a higher stage Mage. It was because the Mana used in the [Reinforcement] was different in quantity and quality.
However, Basil could stand against his. Unless he was a Knight, he wouldn''t be able to do it.
"You can''t be...?! How?"
He was confused. He looked at Basil asking for answer, however Basil had none of it. He merely smiled mysteriously and waved Kusanagi once to throw Ansley away.
Screech!
An unpleasant sound was heard to Ansley''s ears. If not for the instinct he had trained in the battlefield, he was sure he would be shredded to pieces.
"Expand!"
He gathered the fire within his domain and exploded it to the front to fend Basil''s attack.
Boom!
He could see it, the crazy amount of wind des surrounding him. He gulped unconsciously. It wasn''t that surprising of a thing to him. He had seen far worse than that. However, seeing it done by an academy student made his blood run cold.
''A monster indeed.''
As if proving Ansley''s thought right, Basil came out of the firestorm created by Ansley and swung Kusanagi to the best he could. Kusanagi shed briefly before a crazy amount of wind swept the surrounding fire in one motion.
Whoosh!
Ansley was forced to hold his ground as the wind could blow his body away. The audiences gaped their mouths opened as if the thing they saw was ridiculous. Fire surged upward to the sky before disappearing.
The ground that was previously cracked and covered in fire was slowly returning to its original state. In the process, they could feel the strong wind that forced them to hang on right on the fence of the audience seat.
"Ha-ah! What a talented student of mine!"
ke eximed in glee and slight disbelief. He knew the Domain was unstable due to theck of Mana supply, however it still couldn''t be a reason for Basil who had no Domain could defeat Ansley.
Basil didn''t mean to stop his attack. Just like Ansley, his Mana was already spent ¡ª meant wasted. Even though his control over Mana was superior to any other person, his control over his absurd amount of Mana wasn''t good enough yet.
Luckily, he still had his Qi.
[Feather Step]!
As light as a feather, he moved like a person that was carried by the wind.
[Slip]!
Coupled with his Step Art, he became a feeble and unpredictable bullet. The wind was parted due to Kusanagi passing through it, creating a wheezing sound that proving how fast he moved.
Ansley looked at the iing Basil with his Mana infused eyes. Even with that, Basil still looked so fast. He smiled bitterly and shook his head.
''I have no choice.''
Lifting his thin sword upward, he swung it down to meet Basil''s attack.
[Carnage]!
[Synchronization]!
Clink!
It was the only sound they could hear before a very loud explosion that destroyed most of the ground ensued.
Boom!
The earth was lifted upward. The ground dented and cobwebs like crater decorated the ground below them. The highest level of Sword Mastery Technique against a Personal Art from a Battle Mage. The result should be obvious.
However, it was only the case when Basil was on a higher stage than his current stage. Ansley could managed his ground well. Surely, it wasn''t without any price. He was forced to use his five Magic Circles.
Sigh.
"It is my lost."
Ansley retracted his sword and sheathed it before slinging it on his waist. He shook his head bitterly and extended his hand forward.
"It seems I am not a tiger, huh?"
He chuckled amiably while gazing at Basil. Thetter merely stored his sword inside his Spatial Bracelet and looked at Ansley right in the eyes.
"You are a tiger." Basil took the offered hand in his hand and shook it firmly. While still gazing at Ansley''s eyes, he continued, "However, I am a dragon." Ansley could onlyugh helplessly. He couldn''t refute that!
"I can see that you are a father before a Mage. However, you could never forget that you are a human before a father. Do what is right, not what you think is right."
People say eyes are the window to the soul. Ansley had thought it as a mere poetic yet impractical words. However, looking at Basil''s eyes, he could somehow understand the meaning then.
Chapter 53 Eyes Are The Window Of The Soul (2)
Basil let go of Ansley''s hand and turned his head toward ke to call the match end. Ansley was still looking at Basil as if he couldn''t tear his eyes away from him. He was contemting Basil''s words.
He got what Basil intended to say. However, to tantly spat it in front of his face was rather daring. Still, he liked daring men like Basil ¡ª not in the wrong way.
"The match is ended! Winner, Basil Cobham of Stardust Academy!"
Two of the dueller turned at ke in slight annoyance. In Basil''s case, he didn''t like thest name ke had attached behind his name.
As for Ansley, he was annoyed that ke glorified his Academy in every chance he could see. Still, none of them showed it on their face.
Chester, Shirley, and Julia moved their feet from the audience seat toward Basil. Unsurprisingly, Chester arrived first. He quickly eximed at Basil with bright voice.
"That was a good match! I didn''t mean to doubt you, but I thought you wouldn''t make it."
He bowed his head at Ansley as a gesture of respect, however a slight disgruntlement could be seen on his expression. He didn''t try to hide it, and Ansley was well aware of it.
Basil merely smiled faintly at Chester and nodded his head as a response.
"Brother! I''m d you are okay!"
"Senior, that was freaking awesome!"
Ansley nced at Julia in slight amusement. There was no noble woman who spewed that kind ofnguage freely as what she did. He leered at Chester, and thetter merely cleared his throat as if he had nothing to do with it.
By the time the girls arrived in front of Basil, two of them reflexively hugged him. Basil wasn''t bewildered nor surprised. He had seen it in advance. He was ''EXPERIENCED'' after all! Thus, he returned the hug.
Ansley nced at the three in amusement, again. He threw his head at Chester this time, and thetter wasn''t shy to admire the sky. The sky picked his interest as he could see birds up there, not fish.
''No wonder Harold is jealous. He had this "perfect" kid, no, young man as a rival after all.''
He shook his head bitterly and turned his body to face Harold that was sitting in the audience seat. He could see it from afar, Harold didn''t have a good expression on his face.
"Harold,e!"
Harold''s face contorted upon his father''s call. He forcefully calmed down his heart that was in turmoil, and walked toward his father. He looked at Basil, who was hugged by two beautiful girls, in resentment.
"Julia..."
"Yes?"
"Why are you hugging my brother?"
"The same reason as you?"
"..."
"..."
As if on cue, they released their hug and silently looked at each other''s eyes. Myriads of emotions that couldn''t be conveyed with words were exchanged in a short time. Basil looked at the two of them in mild amusement.
"Do you know my reason?" Finally, Shirley opened her mouth. Upon receiving the question, Julia calmly answered, "Why don''t you tell me?" Shirley and Julia had their wordlessmunication again.
Aside from Ansley who was watching his son approaching him, the other people looked at the two girls in anticipation. In the end, Shirley and Julia had a handshake while smiling amicably.
"Friends are always together in everything."
They said it in unison. The word described a beautiful camaraderie perfectly. However, the watchers could know the meaning behind it.
''Let''s keep it a secret and I''ll see it in the future.''
''There is no way I''ll spill a thing before you spill yours.''
The girls turned their head at the watching Chester and ke, then smiled sweetly. The two men wisely turned their heads at the sky, wondering why fish can''t fly.
The girls also turned their heads at Basil to see his reaction, however Basil wasn''t paying any attention to them.
''Trouble.''
Basil clicked his tongue inwardly at Harold''s expression. He knew that kind of expression. It belonged to pebbles like Harold who would one day make him slip. Although it wouldn''t be that hard to solve, it would definitely be annoying.
Harold had finally arrived and he was standing in front of Ansley with lowered head. Ansley looked at that and quirked an eyebrow.
"I believe you know what to do?"
"What is it, Father?"
"Harold..."
Harold lifted his head and was met with another ''look'' from Ansley. His heart tightened upon seeing that look. His father might love him, however when his father lose his crap, he would be six feet under the ground.
"Father.. but why? What did I do wrong?!"
"Harold!"
Harold kept his mouth shut. He was ashamed and enraged. Not only was thing didn''t get the way he had wanted, but also his father wasn''t on his side. He clenched his teeth and tightened his fist.
He looked at Basil heatedly. Due to their height difference, he was forced to look up slightly. Therefore, everyone could see his enraged expression.
"You... It is all because of you! Ahhh!"
Harold was no more than a spoiled child. His family loved him too much that he thought everything would go his way. When finally the time came it didn''t, he couldn''t wrap his mind around it.
He clenched his fist and dashed at Basil. He poured his every emotion and rage toward Basil in his fist and swung it as hard as he could at Basil.
Boom!
Sadly, he was the one who was thrown to the ground and lost conscience. Basil had squarely punched him in the sr plexus ''softly''. The only girls at the Battle Ground looked at the scene in bewilderment.
They observed each of the men''s face and got even bewildered that they were very nonchnt about that. Ansley turned his body at Basil and bowed his head lightly.
"I am sorry, I didn''t stop him."
"I was just defending myself. Punishing is your job."
"Hm."
Ansley nodded at Basil in agreement, and took out a pouch of gold. He held it in his hand, then presented it to Basil. However, Basil didn''t take it and kept him extending his hand.
"Well... It''s your prize. Not only did youst for 5 minutes against me, but also managed to make me break the rule that was made in my favor. Take it."
Basil gave Ansley the same look he had given to him at the end of the match. Unconsciously, Ansley was anticipating what Basil was about to say.
"Use your money to educate your son, not spoil him. He might keep his life today. However, there is no guarantee he would in the next asion. It is your choice to choose who will end your son''s life."
Boom!
The people had a dumbfounded face as if they had been struck by lightning right in the head! They looked at Basil dumbly after he uttered the audaciously harsh but true words.
Ansley''s mouth turned into a thin line. He had perfectly grasped what did Basil mean. However, he couldn''t still utter any word. Looking it from one side, his word was no more than a threat. However, from the other side, it was a warning.
Surely, both didn''t have that much difference. There is a warning in a threat, and there is a threat in a warning after all. Despite so, he appreciated what Basil had conveyed to him.
Your son wille at me once again, and it will be his end.
Basil didn''t mean to threaten his son. However, if his son bothered him once again, he would end his life then. No one could mess with dragon after all.
Atst, Ansley opened his mouth, "Don''t worry..." He looked at Basil and motioned at the pouch of gold in his hand, "Take this as the sign of me keeping my promise." Even so, Basil still didn''t take it.
"When the timees, will you not regret it?"
"I will steel my heart not to."
Ansley answered in conviction and determination. He would absolutely discipline his son right after this.
"Very well."
Basil reached the pouch and with a brief sh, the pouch was gone. It was perfectly stored in his Spatial Bracelet. Even in utilizing Spatial Bracelet, one needed a skill. Basil had that, and Ansley admired him.
"I will take my leave. I''m sorry I have interrupted your time with your girlfriends."
After shing a smirk, Ansley left the Battle Ground while carrying Harold on his shoulder. Shirley and Julia had their faces reddened and they were trying their best to cover their face with their hands.
"W-who is his girlfriend?," muttered Shirley under her breath in a mosquito voice. Julia also chimed in, "We are not his girlfriends... yet." Shirley turned her head at Julia at that instance. Julia was also the same as she met Shirley''s eyes bravely.
Both of them had anothermunication with their eyes with their red faces. The watching men merely observed them calmly. Two of the men, shared a forlorn sigh.
''Ah... Youth that I had missed.''
''Huuh... Youth that I had never gotten.''
Chester and ke said in their mind respectively. As if understanding they were in the same boat, they looked at each other in the eyes and did the same thing as Julia and Shirley. They weremunicating with their eyes.
''I don''t mean to be rude, but they are losing it, Darling.''
''I won''t refute that.''
Basil didn''t need tomunicate with his eyes to convey indescribable things. His soul could directlymunicate with Vagus literally. Luckily, the event didn''tst that long as they returned to their original state.
"Kuhum. Will you have some tea with me, Basil?"
"I have time."
"Very well. You can join us too if you want, Mr. Chester."
"I will not refuse then."
ke looked at the two girls apologetically as they couldn''t join them. Being the bright women they were, they epted that in a heartbeat.
"See youter, Brother."
"Don''t forget to meet us again, Senior!"
Basil patted their heads once before letting them go. His face was as stoic as ever, indicating nothing but calmness. He turned his head at ke and nodded his head as if he was ready.
"Haha! As I have expected, you have realized it."
keughed in slight amusement and admiration. He had thought his sneakiness would manage to fool Basil. It seemed he was wrong. His student was more awesome than he thought.
Raising his hand forward, Grimoire appeared after a sh of light and it opened itself. The page was quickly turned until it stopped at one point. Then, he muttered one word.
[Checkpoint]!
sh!
The three people were instantly gone, leaving the ruined Battle Ground empty.
...
[Checkpoint] was short range [Teleportation] within a limited space. ke had just teleported them to his office using it. Therefore, Basil was sitting in his office together with Chester beside him.
Basil looked at the familiar scene in front of him. He was washed with a sense of deja vu. ke was preparing a tea with a Magic Tool created by the Inventors from Thinker. Basil had experienced it before.
The only difference was, it had been Chester who had housed the tea party at that time. When the process was done, Basil and Chester graciously took the tea and sipped it.
"Hmm... As expected of Master ke. Your tea is as good as ever."
"Ahaha! d that you like it, Chester. How about you Basil?"
By the way Basil and Chester spoke, it was really a tea party. Which meant, the thing they were about to discuss wouldn''t be rted to the academy or any other official matters that required formality.
"I am sorry to say this, however the tea is not heated well. Therefore, the aroma that is supposed to be exuded by it can not be smelled very well."
"Hm... I am aware of it. You really do know many things."
ke looked at Basil brightly and smiled amicably. He wasn''t offended in the slightest by Basil''s word. He had asked Basil to utter his honest opinion after all. He shouldn''t be mad if the response hadn''t been to his expectation.
"Let us talk while having this tea. Chester and I are curious regarding some things. If you want to talk about it to us, we would be d. But if you don''t, we wouldn''t force you. May I?"
"You may, Sir."
Basil was still looking calm while sipping his tea. Chester admired his sometimes abnormally steady student at this situation. If it had been him, he would have been a nervous wrack.
"Do you train as a Knight too?"
Silence greeted them. They had anticipated it to happen. It was normal to hide a secret of that caliber. Not just anyone could train in both Principal after all. Unfortunately, their thought was wrong!
Basil shook his head faintly. He put his teacup down and said, "I thought you would realize it earlier. There was no way I could [Tame] a Beast without being a Knight, wasn''t it?"
"Ah..."
"...right."
They sighed in realization. Basil was just too open that they didn''t realize he hadn''t hidden a thing. They had thought he would do his best to hide his secret considering how careful he had been behaving.
Turned out, they were wrong. Basil had no intention to hide anything.
"Then... Why is the hurry? You have been improving way faster than I had thought. It is abnormally fast even. Ah, don''t worry though. I just don''t feel good as I have promised to support you, yet I have done nothing."
ke waited for Basil''s response. However, what he got would be forever etched in his mind. Chester''s face turned rigid. There was a sense of foreboding he could feel budding in his heart.
"Why is the hurry?" Basil looked at ke squarely in the eyes, and he could see something that he had never seen in a person. A look of profound mystery. Basil continued, "I can feel the time where the whole world standing against me is close."
Delusional? Yes, it seemed so. However, no one could refute Basil''s words when they saw his eyes. They conveyed something that a young man shouldn''t be able to convey.
I know and have seen many things.
Chapter 54 Eyes Are The Window Of The Soul (3)
The room was engulfed in silence. While while Chester and ke was still cooping up at the fact Basil had just said that, Basil merely sipped his tea calmly. He didn''t tell them anything, however he didn''t tell them lie either.
He knew he could trust them, however he didn''t want to involve anyone in his own problem. Nobody should know his own matters, as he would solve it by himself. Being helped is a good thing, but intervention will be unavoidable.
ck.
"Do you have anything to ask me, Sir?"
Basil asked the silent ke after he put down his empty cup down. ke could only open and close his mouth repeatedly without nothing came out.
"Uhm.. that is.. I... Do you want more?"
In the end, ke settled for a time out. He lifted the teapot and offered Basil to refill his cup. Basil nodded his head and epted it dly. He wasn''t in a hurry. He had time to have a tea with them.
"Where is your Companion?"
"He is at Vyres Forest."
"Why is he there?"
"He needs to get fresh food."
"Ohh..."
Chester was too stunned by Basil''s earlier answer that he had forgotten how to speak in their ownnguage. In result, the conversationsted only for a while. The silence was perceived once again.
Each of the two men were still trying to wrap their minds around the event. That conviction, tone, and deep look. They knew Basil wasn''t joking. Only one question remained unsolved in their minds.
Just what makes Basil has to stand against the world?
The two men threw their heads at Basil. They had a determined look on their face. They seemed to have decided something.
"Shall thou extend thy hand, mine wilt grasp it." Chester spoke first. "No one can touch you under my watch." Then, ke spoke right after Chester. The meaning of their words were the same.
I will back you up.
Basil smiled faintly at them, and that was the best he could do. He didn''t nod as a sign of eptance. He couldn''t ept their help nor would he ept their help. He didn''t want to stack another bodies in vain.
His matters were his matters. No one should be involved in his matters. Thest time he had let someone got involved in his matters, he had gotten a massive disappointment and a lifetime regret.
Although it didn''t mean he didn''t trust Chester and ke. He couldn''t be sure whether they could still say that when the time came for Basil to really face against the world.
He didn''t want to make them have a guilty conscience. Thus, it was better to keep them away from the beginning.
"Kuhum. Our point is, whenever you find yourself in a pinch, don''t hesitate to ask for help."
ke misunderstood Basil''ske of response was due to his confusion. Therefore, he felt the need to clear a few things up. Again, Basil smiled faintly. This time however, he nodded his head faintly.
"I actually need some help regarding something."
"Yes? Tell me, I''ll help you!"
ke was ecstatic that he could finally fulfil his promise to support Basil. Basil looked at that calmly and sipped his tea.
"I need a ce to stay."
"I see... Should I pay your father a visit privately to clear things up?"
"No, you don''t need to, Sir. The reason behind my banishment was moreplicated than that."
"Very well. I won''t ask you any further. If you want a ce to stay, I can offer you one of my mansions."
"How much does it cost, Sir?"
At Basil''s question, ke looked at him absurdly for a brief moment. He waved his hand and chuckled in the next moment.
"You don''t have to pay. There was a reason I called it an offer... Well, actually you still have to pay though. You can pay it by winning in the Regional Tournament!"
"Very well. I will take the offer."
"Ahaha! Nice to have a business with you."
Chester shook his head in amusement. Regional Tournament was a tournament held between Counties. There would be many Magic Academies representing each of the Counties participated in that.
The minimum requirement to participate in the tournament was being a Second-Circle Mage. However, to win it, one must be a Third-Circle Mage. ke wanted Basil to participate in that tournament.
Chester had first thought ke merely wanted to show off Basil to the world due to his Grand Circles. However, now he was sure Basil would be able to earn the three top spots. No, he was sure Basil would win.
"So, do you want another ss Advancement?"
"That will be better."
Thus, the matters between them settled just like that.
...
"Psst!"
"What?"
"Is it okay for me to follow too?"
"If you are unsure, why did you follow us?"
"Meh.. just asking."
Twitch.
Shirley''s eyebrow twitched at her friend''s response. They were whispering among themselves as they didn''t want to disturb Basil who was sleeping in the carriage.
Right after the tea party with Chester and ke finished, Basil had gone to meet Shirley who had been with Julia. He had wanted to bide them a goodbye, however they had insisted to follow him.
Currently, they were inside a luxurious carriage on their way to Basil''s mansion that was given to him by ke. Basil would have liked to go there on foot, however he wasn''t alone. He was with Shirley and Julia.
The distance was quite far, and he believed Shirley and Julia would get their soul floating above their head, if he had decided to go there on foot.
Thus, he had chosen the mostfortable carriage he could find at that moment.
"Psst!"
"What?!"
"Eii.. don''t mad, girl. Ie in peace."
"Julia.. do you know what is the most romantic death?"
"What?"
"Being hugged till death!"
"Kyaa! Let go of me, wilddy!"
Shirley was goofing around with Julia, like usual. She hugged her body to the best she could while burying her head in Julia''s chest. She might be full ofughter on the outside. However, in the inside she was crying.
''Why? Just why?! Why can''t I have Julia''s big mounds too?!''
Sob.
Julia looked down at the sobbing Shirley and couldn''t help but drop a sweat in helplessness. It seemed Shirley was still salty about herte of growth.
Pat. Pat. Pat.
"There, there. They will grow just as big. Don''t worry, puberty will hit you hard!"
"What are you saying you dork?!"
Shirley quickly shook her head right and left, making Julia''s bountiful chest swayed. Julia was helpless with that as she could only let Shirley yed with her chest. She sighed and looked in front of her. She instantly froze.
Basil had already opened his eyes and was watching the two of them calmly like a parent watching their children y. However, it was only for Basil''s perspective. In Julia''s perspective, it wasn''t the case.
She couldn''t help it. It was normal to think the other way. Basil was a young man, and he had seen them ''ying'' after all! Any men would have countlessly dirty thoughts about that. Luckily, it was Basil.
"I am d you can enjoy yourself, Shirley."
"Hiih?! B-B-Brother?"
Shirley was still unaware as she was still had her head buried in Julia''s chest deeply. Therefore, she was shocked through her core. She was a respectable woman. Now that her brother had seen her unsightly behavior, he wouldn''t treat her as such anymore!
"Thou hath to worry not. Thou art always a girl methinks."
"Don''t say that cruel word coolly!"
"Pfft!"
Julia couldn''t hold back herughter as she also thought of the same thing as Basil. Shirley might act like a growndy, however she was merely a girl inside. She was just a girl trying to act like a growndy.
Shirley was about to retort when the carriage suddenly stopped. Basil quirked an eyebrow as he was sure they hadn''t arrived yet.
"Sir, we have someone blocking our way."
"Is it a bandit?"
"Oh my.. bandits at this time of age?"
Although the girls were trying their best to look as calm as they could possibly, they were scared at the thought of meeting a bandit. They were sheltered enough to never face a bandit before. They threw their heads at the most dependable person in the carriage, Basil.
"Give me a second."
Without giving any exnation, Basil opened the carriage door and got out of it. Shirley and Julia were mortified and they couldn''t help but to look at Basil''s back from the carriage''s window.
"Ho-oh, it''s jackpot everyone! We got some girls!"
"Woo! We are blessed today. Hahaha!"
Bandits were never a normal people. All of them were Knights. Among the two Principals people practiced, Knight had the most varied ''upation''. They could be Bandit, Explorer, Assassin, and many others.
It was due to their considerably slower developmentpared to Mage. They couldn''t reach prominence alone. Therefore, they tend to group themselves, and things just happened.
"Oh my. Look at those disgusting looks those peasants sent!"
"Lowly creatures sending dirty looks at thisdy. Insolence!"
Although their Noble like attitude was toned down to a certain level, it didn''t change the fact the two of them were a noble. They still acted like how a noble should be sometimes.
"Let''s just get this straight, boy. Just give us everything you have. If you want to keep the girls too, I demand 400 gold for each of them."
The surrounding banditsughed as their leader''s ridiculous words. They looked at Basil with predator gaze, fully intending to intimidate him. Unfortunately, it was all useless on him.
"400 gold for each of them?"
"Yes. Just 400. It''s cheap right?"
"Do you think they worth that much?"
"Well, it''s up to you if you want to raise the price. Hahaha!"
The menughed once again along their leader. Basil shook his head faintly, and took Kusanagi out of his Spatial Bracelet. A heavy pressure that stopped anyughter descended upon the bandits.
"There is worth in someone, however you can never buy it."
The bandits trembled in fear. The words they heard from Basil seemed like a death sentence to them. They didn''t know when, but their backs were already drenched in sweat.
With trembling hands, they reached to their weapons. Their leader was about tomand them to charge forward when Basil swung Kusanagi in his hand.
Screech!
That was thest thing they heard before wind des butchered their bodies to pieces. Basil preferred to do things in peace. However, whenever he saw it wasn''t possible, he liked to turn his enemies to pieces.
Blood decorated the ground in a gruesome painting. Body parts littered the ground amplifying the terror it gave to people. There was no single survivor. All of the bandits were shredded gruesomely.
Basil didn''t feel pity or any of it toward them. They had killed, robbed, raped, and many other bad things bandits did. They had taken many people''s rights, therefore they had to be ready to get their rights taken.
Today, one of their rights, the right to live was taken by Basil. He didn''t give the bodies any second nce as he turned his body and got inside the carriage. No one spoke to him. Even the considerably experienced driver couldn''t utter any single words.
Basil could see the girls were shocked at what had just happened. They knew it was a normal thing. However, their innocent mind still couldn''t bear the act of killing yet. It could be seen inly on their paleplexion.
"Every human has rights on them. It is so vast that we could do almost anything. However, everything has a limit. Your rights limit is another people''s right. Once you breached their right, you have to be ready to get yours breached."
At this point, the two girls had their eyes set on Basil. He looked at them squarely in their eyes and said, "Killing your enemies after they tried to kill you is the act of earning your right to live back."
The two girls could only nod their heads dumbly at Basil''s deep gaze and tone that was full of conviction.
Chapter 55 Eyes Are The Window Of The Soul (4)
The trip continued silently, at least for Basil''s part. Shirley and Julia became a mute for a few moments before they regained their rowdiness once again. Basil didn''t interrupt them. He knew they were trying to distract their minds from the earlier event.
Everyone''s first time of watching the act of killing in front of them had never been pleasant. Even more so the first experience of killing someone. However, Basil couldn''t understand this.
He had been fine when he had first killed someone. He had found it reasonable as the thought of killing had been mutual. Therefore, he had nothing to regret or remorse. It had been just and right.
He was aware he might be different though. He often found himself having a different view with many people. Surely, it didn''t mean he was entirely different. There were still some people with the same thought as him.
Neigh!
The Hexapod Horses stopped in their track and the carriage also followed suit. "We have arrived, Sir," said the driver professionally to Basil.
Basil looked out the window of the carriage and could see a mansion that was half as big as Cobham Manor, which was a very big ce for someone to stay.
Click.
The driver opened the door of the carriage, and Basil got out of the carriage with Shirley and Julia in tow. The driver stood in the side and bowed politely.
"Kind Sir, do you find my service up to your satisfactory?" The driver asked Basil while still bowing his head. Basil answered him simply, "Yes, it is." The driver righted himself and smiled amiably, "Thank you, Sir."
He looked at Basil uncertainly as if he got something to ask but didn''t know how to ask. Basil looked at that and nodded his head lightly, "You may leave." The driver bowed once again before mounting the horses.
He left the ce along with the carriage.
"It''s big."
"Yes, it''s big. Are you going to live here alone, Brother?"
Basil looked at the two girls neutrally. For some reason he felt like not to answer them. However, he ignored it as it was too trivial to be concerned about.
"Depends on the asion."
He was referring to Danzel''s or rissa''s visit. He would surely bring them here to enjoy the air of another County. Surely, they would stay at his ce. It was the reason he had sought a ce to stay.
Unfortunately, the girls seemed to have a different thought. Their eyes glinted in a weird manner as they looked at Basil from the side. When Basil stepped forward, they followed suit. They finally entered the mansion.
...
Shirley and Julia were sitting on the sofa in the living room. Basil was busy being the clean freak he was, cleaning the mansion from the umted dust and any other thing that made it dirty.
The two girls could only look at him in amusement as he used Magic to clean the mansion. They had offered to help him, however they were rejected in a soft yet harsh manner.
In the end, they could only watch Basil while sitting on the sofa eating some snacks that Basil had Magically taken out of nowhere.
"Will your brother be ok? I mean, it''s a big ce."
"I think... He will. He has been a clean person since I know him."
"Girl, that word is very interesting considering you are siblings."
"Well..."
Shirley could only scratch her head nervously. She really didn''t know what to say. She had just gotten closer with Basil for the past month. If it had not been for that particr day, she doubted she would have gotten closer with him.
Julia observed her friend silently and opted to not pursue it any further. Her friend''s family was aplicated one it seemed.
While enjoying the snack, Julia set her eyes on Basil. He was swiping the surrounding with wind and pulled up any dust or dirt sticking on the ground and furnitures alike. He then led the dusty wind outside, leaving the surrounding clean.
Basil smiled in satisfaction and moved to another ce. Julia gaped her mouth open. She had never seen the stoic Basil gave that reaction to anyone. Seeing Basil gave that reaction out of a housework was baffling.
Basil had just finished his throughout cleaning and returned to the living room. When he arrived there he was greeted with the scene of Shirley lying t on her belly and Julia hanging on the sofa head rest like a rag.
Looking at the table, he could somehow find the reason. "You ran out of snacks? Why didn''t you tell me?" The two quickly righted themselves up and acted like the earlier disy had never happened.
Theirdylike manner returned as they stood pristinely like a respectabledy they were in front of Basil.
"You were so engrossed in your activity that we didn''t dare to disturb you, Brother."
"Furthermore, we weren''t really that hungry, Senior."
Just like best friends, they backed up each other very well. Both of them had a smile on their faces making the earlier disy was unthinkable to ady of their caliber. Surely, it should have been perfect if not for the blush ¡ª
Kuoong!
¡ª and their empty stomach.
Their already red faces turned into a volcano that was ready to explode. Basil didn''t give any particr reaction to that, he merely counted how much time had passed since they had arrived here. A second was all it took for Basil to figure it out.
"Alright, let us have a dinner. I will make us something quick to fill our empty stomaches."
The girls could only nod shyly. The earlier pristine disy of them was gone. They had returned to the normal version of them. Meaning, they behaved just like how a girl their age behaved.
Cut. Cut. Cut.
Shirley and Julia looked at Basil''s hand godly movement while cutting the ingredients. It was so fast that they worried he might have cut his finger at some point. Surely, their worry was unfounded. No ordinary de could hurt him.
Plop.
Dropping the ingredients to the pan one by one, Basil heated it with Magic. The amount of control he had over his Magic amazed the two girls ceaselessly. Furthermore, Basil had mastered so many Elemental Magic they wondered what was his Affinity.
"Is your Brother an Elementalist?"
"I don''t know. I have never asked."
Elementalist was a Mage that focused on using Elemental Magic. These people were blessed to have an affinity of all the Basic Elements, therefore enabling them to use the four Basic Elemental Magic ¡ª Fire, Water, Earth, and Wind.
"Let us help you, Brother."
"I will set the tes."
Seeing that Basil was about to finish his cook, they couldn''t bear to stay idle. Thus, they offered Basil a hand to prepare for the dinner. Luckily, Basil didn''t decline this time. The table was quickly organized thanks to their meticulous way of doing it.
Basil leered at them through the corner of his eyes and smirked faintly. Even though they were a daughter from a Noble family, they at least knew how to take care of some things by themselves.
"The table is done!"
"Now it''s time to eat!"
Maybe because they had just done a job their maids usually did for them by themselves, they felt enthusiastic to eat the dinner. Basil quickly brought the delicacies he had cooked for dinner and set it on the table.
Again, Shirley and Julia helped him. They quickly washed their hands and sat on their respective seats. A moment of silence to pray was the only thing they needed before wolfing down their food.
The girls were curious of the taste of Basil''s food. They had some expectations on it. When the soup they had spooned touched their ptes, they widened their eyes in disbelief.
Preposterous! This taste is forbidden!
It was so good that they momentarily forgot how to eat like ady. The dishes were easily the best dish they had ever eaten in their entire years of living. In Shirley''s opinion, not even Irene''s cooking couldpare to Basil''s.
Julia was having her time of bliss. She was so engrossed in her food that she didn''t know she was crying. She wouldn''t mind to get fat if she could get to eat food of this caliber!
Basil looked at the overreacting girls in faint amusement. He knew he cooked well, however it wasn''t his best yet. The ingredients he had used had been limited, therefore it wasn''t as good as he had intended.
It didn''t take long for the table to be empty. The girls had gulped down all of the food on the table clean. Funnily enough, they had the conscience to end it in adylike manner.
Wiping her mouth with a napkin, Julia eximed at Basil, "It is easily the best dish I have tasted so far. You are a great cook, senior!" Shirley didn''t forget to also throw her two cents in, "You can easily put any cook to shame, Brother!"
Basil also wiped his mouth and replied them calmly, "I am d that you liked it." This time he didn''t eat in haste. He ate very slowly while observing the two girls''ical way of eating.
"It is already 7 in the second half of the day. I believe your parents should be worried about you."
Julia and Shirley looked at each other. They didn''t care about the fact they hadn''t told their parents yet. They were slightly baffled Basil had just aimed the earlier words at Shirley too. After all, they should have the same parents, right?
Their puzzlement didn''tst long as they thought that matter was too trivial to think about. Taking out a rectangr wooden te with the size of half of a palm, they infused it with Mana and said something to it.
"Mother, I''m going to stay at Shirley''s ce tonight."
"Father, I''m going to stay at Brother''s ce tonight."
The wooden te bleeped once before returning to normal. The two girls looked at each other once again and shed a smile. Basil shook his head helplessly and just picked up the tes to wash them.
"Ah, let me help, Brother!"
"Let me help you too, Senior!"
The two friends looked at each other again. Using their eyes motion only, they exchanged thousands of words in a single second.
''Why don''t you back up this time?''
''No, why don''t you let me do it this time?''
In the end, Basil told them to do it together. The girls sighed in disappointment, but they still did it anyway. As they had told their parents they would stay over tonight through the Transmission Talisman, he had to prepare a room for them.
It didn''t take long for him as the manor had so many guest rooms. He organized them briefly, and settled to have Shirley and Julia sleep in a different room. One could know just what chaos they would cause if they were to sleep together.
Basil was wise enough to grasp all of their daily stunts in just a day.
...
"Uwah...! Taking a bath is so refreshing."
"I agree. Taking a bath is always my favorite."
Shirley and Julia were conversing with each other on their way to their bedroom. They had changed themselves to a nightdress right after bathing. They had expected Basil to sneak on them while they were bathing, however Basil didn''t do that much to their chagrin.
"Hmm... Where is your brother anyway?"
"I don''t know. Why don''t we seek him?"
"Nice idea."
They started to explore the mansion to look for Basil. They searched the kitchen, the living room, the Master bedroom, however they couldn''t find him. They were slightly baffled at how good Basil hid himself.
"Huuh.. I think he left to¡ª"
Psssh!
At that moment, they heard a sounding from the other side of the bathroom. Due to their curiosity, they quickly scurried over to see what happened. By the time they arrived there, all of them froze to a statue.
What they saw in front of their eyes would forever be etched into their minds. They saw a half naked extremely attractive young man with a muscr but lean body in front of them.
The young man''s skin was still moist due to the bath he had taken, and it raised his attractiveness even more. The girls were feeling weird as their breaths turned ragged and their faces turned red.
The young man was none other than Basil. He looked at the dreaming girls unamused. He felt like he had been vited by almost every girls he mettely. Luckily, he was experienced in facing this kind of asion.
"I will guide you to your rooms in case you are lost."
The girls nodded dumbly and followed Basil''s back in a daze. Basil led them to the rooms he had prepared for them calmly. He ignored the fact they were ogling his body with their eyes.
"Here''s your room."
Again, the girls nodded dumbly. Basil didn''t give any other response as he merely turned his back on them, entering the master bedroom, his room. He looked at the king-size bed in front of him and sighed softly.
"Your room is not here."
Basil turned his body and looked at the girls who had followed him. They nodded their heads dumbly once again. Shirley stepped her feet forward and said to basil, "It''s here. I will sleep with you."
Julia also nodded in the back shyly while having the conscience to blush. Basil looked at the girls and sighed in exasperation.
It''s going to be a long night.
Chapter 56 Eyes Are The Window Of The Soul (5)
"These girls are thirsty!"
"..."
"Didn''t you see their reaction before? That signified thirstiness!"
"..."
"Ckckck. So young yet so thirsty. What a perfect way to describe human."
"..."
"Why are you silent, Darling?"
''Because, I don''t want to join the stupidly stupid conversation,'' was left unsaid. He couldn''t risk it. Vagus was the same as Pandora Box. You will be so eager to open, yet when it opens, dooms await you.
Basil wanted to respond her, however he knew more than anyone not to. Vagus would never stop, and she would bother him in his sleep. She had once dragged him to his Mindscape, just because she couldn''t fell asleep.
However, souls don''t sleep!
If it were to be anyone, they would surely be ecstatic to apany a literal beautiful soul like Vagus. Yes, Basil admitted she was beautiful.
Unfortunately, he wasn''t just anyone. He didn''t care she was beautiful or not, he didn''t like being interrupted while doing his things.
"Do you think it has something to with your presence inside me?"
"Oohh.. inside you. That is a little..."
Basil could somehow imagine how she was currently. She would be holding her blood dripping nose whileughing weirdly. As if proving his thought right, he could herughter right after.
"Vagus..."
"Hm? Oh, yes! What is it, Darling?"
"Those two girls and any other women I have met so far. Is it because of you?"
"You mean, their infatuation and interest on you?"
"Hm."
"Well..." Vagus made a pondering hum while posing like a safe inside the Mindscape. She opened her mouth and said, "I think it has nothing to do with me, since I am not even materialized yet. And, I believe you should know better my specialty is not the Charm effect."
Basil nodded his head as her exnation made sense. Vagus'' amazing ability was the superb Mana Control it gave to the wielder and the intervention it could inflict to the enemies.
"So, me being overly sympathetic on almost every women I met has nothing to do with you?"
"No. Why would a wife want her husband getting lovey-dovey with another women?!"
As expected, Vagus answered him indignantly. Luckily, Basil knew what to do in this kind of situation. He merely praised her and showed her his ''love''. It prevented her barrage of deeply useless arguments.
"Receiving the ''gaze'' gets annoyingtely. Maybe... Mana Amulet has something to do with it?"
"No, Darling. You are just handsome. It is hard for women to hold themselves back when they see a handsome and amazing men. Men are the same, no?"
Her word was irrefutable. Basil was aware of his denial of his attractiveness. At least, he was still waiting for the hormone to kick in. He was still 16 and his attractive face dangerously attracted both side.
"If you are so concern about why the women are so attached to you, I can provide you an answer."
"Hoh? Tell me."
"You are there when they need someone by their side. Your sisters need brotherly love, and you give them that. Those two women you saved in Lone Mountain were too. They needed someone to save them and you did."
Basil''s lips turned into a thin line. Seeing it that way, it somehow made sense. He looked at Shirley in the bed with Julia and got reminded of rissa. A soft smile adorned his face unconsciously.
"You were not an emotionally outstanding person in the past as you were so dead inside. I mean, there were so many bad things had happened to you. Now that things are different, I think it affects you positively?"
"It makes sense... But, I think having lived for a quite some time is also one of the factors."
"Hm?"
Vagus was curious with what Basil meant. He didn''t bother to exin it to her as he was still looking at the two girls, specifically Shirley.
It was getting harder for him to think of her as a sister. Due to his ''experience'', he thought of her more as a daughter and treated her as such.
Surely, it didn''t mean he would refuse any rtionship with young women. Unfortunately, at this point he couldn''t think of anything aside from getting stronger. Having a rtionship would be a hindrance for the current him.
"You are thinking too hard, Darling. Just think of yourself as a naturally good person. You helped everybody, not just women. Remember that random man who was unfortunately caught in your ck Magic?"
Basil wanted to refute her by saying he didn''t do any ck Magic. However, he knew the definition of ck Magic was getting vague each day. Anything looked wicked would be considered ck Magic. Even he didn''t know the origin of ck Magic.
''Guide, what is ck Magic?''
[Ding!]
[Answering the Host''s ignorance...]
[ck Magic is a Magic practiced by Mages who are contracted with Demons. There is no concept of Circles in ck Magic as the practicer borrow the power of the demon they contracted.]
That was it. No other exnation was given to him. He didn''t need to be told his power wasn''t enough to know it yet. He was aware of the Dark Mage Conspiracy.
None of them possessed a power below the stage of Seventh-Circle. However, there was still something bothered him.
''What is a demon?''
[Demons are the residents of Hell. There are so many of them no one could know the difference between them and human. Demons like to corrupt people. Some Demons are also known by their hideous appearance and...]
As expected, the Guide gave him the exnation of what those people of the Church gave to people. He shook his head before a very shocking thing was revealed to him.
[...Demon reside in the Obelisk.]
"Darling?"
Basil was silent. He was so bewildered he didn''t even make any indication he was bewildered. Vagus was confused as Basil was pondering longer than he usually did. She could never know what he was thinking.
Demon is real? Really? What kind of a fantasy world is this?!
Sadly, that thought was so ironic that Basil regretted what he said. Basil calmed down his racing heart. Out of the things he had faced until now, there had been nothing could race his heart. However, this piece of information could.
He wasn''t thinking about those hideous creatures people called Monsters. He was thinking about Gorgophone.
¡ªNo one could know the difference between them and human.
That piece of information from the Guide made his blood run cold. If it was the case, there was a big possibility that Demon had been roaming around the world by now, pretending to be human just like Gorgophone.
Gulp.
The urgency to be stronger was amplified even more.
...
Shirley and Julia were losing their minds. Morning hade and they found themselves awake in Basil''s room. They were confused at first, before the memory ofst night was registered to their minds.
They were so ashamed of their actions. Fortunately, Basil was a respectable man. He didn''t do anything to them, which was weirdly frustrating to them. However, that wasn''t the point. Just what would Basil think about them from now on?!
They couldn''t help it. They were just so shocked with the earlier event that had happened on thest day. You couldn''t watch a massacre in just any day after all! They desperately neededfort, and Basil had been the perfect choice for them.
They feltfortable when they were around him. Now, they had ruined their rtionship with him. With this anxiety, they opened the door of the room and froze once again.
In front of their eyes, they could see the finest sculpture they had ever seen the God had made. It was moist with water, and the light reflected by the tiny droplets made it glistened pristinely.
Once again, they were met with the bare-chested body. They were mortified and ted at the same time. Like a child caught red-handed stealing candies, they raised their heads to meet Basil''s eyes.
"Good morning. I can see that you have a great sleepst night. Now, take a bath while I am preparing the breakfast. You do not want to gette to the academy, do you?"
Pat. Pat. Pat.
Not only that Basil said those kind words, he also patted their heads like a big brother. They could feel their heart and body alike warmed by that gesture. Instantly, they felt guilty for developing a dirty thought about him. However, that didn''t stop them from doing so.
Everything that is forbidden and morally wrong has always been something that excite people.
Surely, they knew how to tone the thought down. They were a respectabledy after all! With that, they took a bath and prepared themselves. They did their activities swiftly as they didn''t want to make Basil wait.
When they were ready, the breakfast was also ready. They ate the breakfast more graciously thanst night. They couldn''t rey the unsightly disy ofst night after all.
After the breakfast was finished, they exited the Manor and rode the same luxurious carriage they had ridden the day before. The trip to the academy was peaceful as they didn''t meet any random bandits on their way.
"Uwahh... The carriage wasfortable, but nothing can beat the outside air!"
Upon arriving at the academy, Julia stretched her hand and eximed after a deep exhale.
"I second that."
Shirley chimed in as she also did the same thing as Julia. When they looked at their surrounding, they could notice they were being the center of attention. Or to be precise, they were looking at someone behind them.
Surely, the one walking behind them was Basil. Basil''s poprity as the academy''s rising prodigy was well known throughout the academy. Everyone had been searching for his face at the student''s album just so they could somehow recognize him when they met him.
Although Basil had undergone some changes, anyone could still distinguish him even though they had only seen his old photo. Therefore, many people could recognize his face.
The curiosity and whispers were enhanced by the fact he had suppressed the son of Earl Woster and could get away with it. One could imagine just how would they react when they found out Basil had had a duel with Ansley Woster himself.
Basil was unbothered by the stares. He knew some of them were ogling him, however he didn''t pay them any mind. He would get tired if he bothered to pay them any mind.
Just like that, Basil and the two girls went on their separate ways. Basil went to ke''s office, and the girls went to their ss. Upon arriving at ke''s office, he was greeted warmly by ke.
He was then led to his new ss as he was already an official fourth year student after all.
,m "Ho-ho-ho! Fine morning, everyone!"
"Good morning, Headmaster ke."
The teacher who was in the ssroom greeted ke and the other students also followed suit. ke gave a light nod to the teacher and looked at the ss. Basil wasn''t with him as he was waiting outside the ssroom.
"Everyone, at this point you might have heard of the news about your new friend."
"Eh? New friend?"
"Who is it?"
"Is there even a notice before?"
"Is he possibly...?"
The students whispered among themselves. Some had suspicions, however none of them treated it seriously. They would be crazy if they did.
"Ho-ho! Such a rowdy bunch! Alright, without any further ado... Come in!"
The door opened and Basil came in. He walked graciously with a neutral face. He didn''t pay the gasping crowd any attention. He was busy converting every Mana his Heart absorbed into Qi.
He had been training hard since this morning. The shocking revealst night raised his eagerness to improve faster even more. He stopped his footsteps and stood beside ke. He looked at the students and some of them looked back at him with ridicule.
"As you may have already know, he is Basil. Two months ago he was busy training himself out there. Now, hees back better! Basil, greet your ssmate!"
ke looked at Basil expectantly. He hoped Basil was somehow enjoying it. Unfortunately, he found that Basil was as stoic as ever.
"Good Day."
Basil casually said that as a greeting. The whole ss was silent. They were too bewildered to reply.
ke looked at Basil and shook his head helplessly. What could he do? Basil did greet his ssmates. He sighed and was about to say something when Basil opened his mouth once again.
"Let us establish the hierarchy today. I challenge all of you to a Battle."
The whole ss couldn''t get any more silent. All eyes were on Basil. Most of them were bewildered at his words, while the others were enraged at his audacity. ke shook his head helplessly.
There will be a massacre today.
Chapter 57 Eyes Are The Window Of The Soul (6)
The whole ss was entirely silent However, the silence wasn''t perceived for long. Aughter rang out through the ssroom waking up the students from their daze.
"Hahaha! Look at this pup! Just because he can instill fear towards his peers, he thinks could do the same to us, upperssmen. Ridiculous!"
"Know your ce underssman!"
"A dog barking at a pack of tigers. Shameless!"
"This guy''s funny! I can''t wait to see his expression in despair."
Harsh criticisms and ridicules poured down on Basil from some of the students. There were four of them, and all of them were talented enough to treat him as such. Basil didn''t even blink at their harsh words.
"Empty drum produces a loud sound."
Surely, he didn''t mean to stay silent. He had his own way to counter them. Just like he had expected, they reacted violently.
"What did you say?!"
"We? Empty?! Hah!"
"You can''t even measure our depth. What do you know?!"
"Ahaha! At least we are drums, unlike you, a bottle!"
They seemed ready to w at each other''s throats. ke sighed in exasperation. He looked at the teacher in duty and shook his head in the next moment. The teacher didn''t even try to stop them.
Competitiveness was encouraged at Stardust Academy. Any dispute caused by that would be settled in the Battle Ground. However, when things were getting out of hands, teachers were needed to diffuse it.
However, this teacher didn''t seem trying to diffuse the situation. He was encouraging it instead. It was normal considering this teacher was one of the Teacher Council members Basil had bashed that time.
ke couldn''t scold him though. The scuffle hadn''t started yet. Therefore, he had nothing toin toward the teacher.
p!
The teacher pped his hands abruptly. The sound it produced rang throughout the ssroom as it was amplified by Magic. The rowdy bunch turned silent as their attention was focused on the teacher.
"Now, now. Rather than fighting in the ss, you should do it in the Battle Ground."
Basil quirked an eyebrow and leered at the teacher from the corner of his eyes, "I have told that to your students earlier. Just like you, they didn''t get that instantly."
"This brat! You... Huuh..."
The teacher was saved by his sigh. He was just about to explode like his students. Luckily, he managed to hold himself back. He had been humiliated by Basil with words only at that fateful day. He couldn''t repeat the same thing twice.
"Mr. Corvet, let us head to the Battle Ground. We decided to take the challenge of this insolent underssman."
One of the four aggressive people stepped forward and represented the other three. All of them had a cold glint in their eyes as they looked at Basil. The teacher nodded and threw his head at ke for confirmation. ke just nodded helplessly.
You will further dip yourself into the pit.
The teacher seemed to misunderstood the gaze ke gave him as he was still ecstatic for some reason. The foolish teacher thought everything would be going his way. Reality would tell him in the hard way.
...
A deja vu inducing scene could be seen in the Battle Ground. Every fourth years, regardless of their sses were in the audience seat. They were waiting for what about to happen.
News travel quicker than heroesing to the crime scene.
? All of them were expectant. They wanted to see a good fight between the rising prodigy and his whole ss. Although they didn''t expect that much for the former to win, they did expect a good fight.
"Only these many? What is wrong with you people?"
"Can''t help it. They tremble in the eyes of rumour. Shameful!"
The 4 pirs of the ss shook their heads in disappointment looking at their ssmates. Out of the 30 students, only 16 dared to take upon the challenge. Therefore, including the 4 pirs, there would be 20 people joining the Battle.
"Who would go first?"
"Let the weakest of us starts first."
Everyone''s eyes turned their heads to someone at the back. It was an average young man with an equally average build. His appearance screamed average. Being called the weakest, he wasn''t offended. He merely nodded his head and stepped forward.
The young man entered the Battle Ground. Basil was already standing in the middle of the Battle Ground while looking at the crowd calmly. When he noticed the young man, he frowned his forehead slightly.
"What is this? Only one person?"
The arena turned silent. Everyone wondered whether they had heard it wrong. Basil''s gaze was unwavering. He looked at the neen people waiting at the queue valiantly.
"Why are you behaving like an imbecile? I thought I had said I challenged you all. Why are youing one by one? Come, I will take you all on at once."
He was tired of this scene. He knew what the oue would be. Therefore, he would finish it with the least time possible. Attending the ss was no more than a formality to him. He could only grow himself outside the academy.
Therefore, he needed to show the academy he didn''t need their guidance. Although he could just act as he pleased because of ke''s permission, many would question ke''s favoritism toward him. He didn''t want that.
"Hah! Unbelievable! His arrogance is unbearable."
"I can''t stand this guy anymore. Let''s do as he says!"
"Let''s show him how one should take ount of his own words!"
"Let''s show him the despair!"
As expected the reaction the people gave Basil was violent. Everyone''s eyes shone in a fierce light upon his outrageous words. The people who had been somewhat scared to fight Basil one on one had now gained some courage.
The neen people moved inside the field with the four pirs in lead. The average student who had arrived first wisely retreated to the back, letting the four pirs to stand in the front.
"Huuh.. this kid. He''s the definition of what being young means!"
"Well... At least, we will have to see a good show?"
"And... How the heck did all of you know something was about to happen here?"
"News travels faster than heroes, Master ke."
ke shook his head at Chester who had magically appeared beside him. He was helpless with the chaos about to happen.
Not only the fourth years, but the whole academy was flooding the Battle Ground. ke couldn''t say a thing as the crowd was curious to see the unprecedented Battle Royal.
ke spread his hand and his Grimoire was let out for the world to see. A quick exposure of Mana Wave to the crowd was enough to make him became the center of attention.
ke paid them no mind. He chanted a spell from his Grimoire and raised his hand upward. The Grimoire shone before six Magic Circles that covered the entire field appeared on the ground where the twenty people and Basil were standing.
All of them were a Major Circle except for one. The first Magic Circle, the foundation of ke''s prowess, was a Grand Circle. Then, majestic spell could be heard by everyone''s ears.
[Irgalom a szeg¨¦ny l¨¦leknek!]
Mercy on the poor soul!
[Elimination Cage]!
The six Magic Circles on the ground shone briefly before expanding and reced with a like structure. The like structure became a barrier between the audience seat and the field.
"Duel between individuals are encouraged in my Academy. However, Battle Royal has never urred in my Academy before. Therefore, I am going to set the rule for this one."
With the help of Magic, ke were speaking to the whole crowd on the highest ce of the audience seat. All eyes and ears were on him. No one wanted to miss what he was about to say.
"The rule is simple. Each of you will be expelled from the field when the Spell I had casted upon this Battle Ground judges you can no longer continue the fight."
Gasp of admiration and understanding rang throughout the Battle Ground. However, ke wasn''t done yet.
"In the other words, you will only be expelled if you''re unconscious or critically injured that often leads to death. Therefore, I suggest you to back down if youck the courage to face that."
Silence. Silence greeted him. The previously rowdy and enthusiastic people became silent. They had thought the Spell ke had casted was meant as an extra protection for them. When it was revealed to not be the case, doubt was budding in their hearts.
"We take that condition. It''s one against many. The one who should be concerned is our challenger."
The representative of the four pirs once again spoke to represent the other three. As if showing their agreement toward him, the three people nodded their heads at his words.
The other people who heard it looked at each other before nodding their heads. They were determined to join the Battle. At least, almost everyone. One person, the average student, chose to back down on it.
"Hey, Brinley! What are you doing?!"
"Excluding myself from the Battle?"
"Yes, that''s what I am exactly asking about!"
"What do you mean?"
The friend of the average student, who was revealed to be Brinley, was about to shout at him when the representative of the four pirs stopped him.
"You¡ª!"
"Let him be."
"But!"
"Cowards will always be a coward."
Eventually, Brinley''s friend nodded his head in eptance. However, the look of disappointment and a hint of disdain couldn''t be hidden from his face. Brinley took it casually like a stride.
"Alright! I will be the referee of this Battle. However, may you know what about to happen from now on will not be my responsibility. Only the spell could save you."
"Understood!"
The neen people thought it was aimed at Basil. Therefore, they nodded enthusiastically while having a manic glint in their eyes. Basil looked at them in faint amusement and motioned at ke to start the Battle.
No one noticed this gesture as Basil did it very discreetly. ke nodded faintly and brought his hand upward. "Begin!" He brought it down and the waited word was said.
Everyone''s hearts were palpitating. All of their eyes were glued onto the Battle that was about to ensue. Shirley and Julia were also in the audience seat. They were sping their hands in front of their chest.
They didn''t worry about Basil. They were worried about the oue. They knew and were absolutely sure, the same tragedy would happen once again. The Blood Tyrant would descend upon the world once again.
"Formation!"
The representative of the four pirs shouted out of a sudden. No one knew the meaning of it aside from the other pirs. They moved ordingly and made a diamond shaped formation.
"Circles!"
Magic Circles appeared on the ground surrounding the four people. The frontmost person, the representative, had three Magic Circles, and the others only had two. However, all of them had one Major Circle as their Foundation Circle.
Basil was slightly impressed by them. It was rare to find such a talent in this small Woster County.
"Are you just here to watch?"
The representative of the pirs eximed at the other gaping students in ridicule. They were instantly awaken from their daze and prepared themselves. Magic Circles floated behind their backs.
All of them, without exception, had two Magic Circles behind them. It was the minimum requirement to advance to the fourth year.
Boom!
Suddenly, explosion rang throughout the field. Everyone was taken aback as they hadn''t noticed someone wouldunch an attack. They looked at the source of the explosion, and found there was a hole on the ground beside Basil.
Everyone instinctively knew it was an attack aimed at Basil, however they didn''t understand what really happened.
"Did he miss?"
"No.. no he didn''t miss..."
"That Basil guy pped the attack to the side."
It was enough to silence the entire crowd. Although most of them hadn''t paid any attention toward the happening, some of them had seen it. Therefore, exnation was quickly given.
They threw their heads back at Basil and wondered what he would do next. Basil shifted his body slightly ¡ª
Swish!
¡ª and disappeared from their view.
Everyone wondered where he disappeared to. However, they didn''t have to wait for long to know where he disappeared to.
Bam!
"Kuhuk!"
Someone was thrown away and quickly lost conscious before getting expelled from the field. The person who had been expelled was none other than Basil''s previous assant.
In the ce where previously belonged to him, stood another person with his hand half extended. It was none other than Basil.
"What the...?"
"Did you see that?!"
"What was it? [Teleport]?!"
"He moved so fast he became a blur..."
All eyes were on Basil. The people who had been absent on the day Basil destroyed Harold and hisckeys were baffled and awed by the disy. In the other hand however, the people who had watched him on that day were washed with a sense of deja vu.
"May the ughter begin."
Basil muttered under his breath and released his pressure.
Boom!
Two Ultimate Circles who no one had ever seen were revealed to the world to see. Along with it, a terror inducing pressure was let out. Basil''s eyes shone in a golden light for a very brief moment.
Gulp.
Everyone gulped when they received Basil''s iprehensible gaze. Everyone, without any exception, were assaulted with a bad premonition.
Chapter 58 Eyes Are The Window Of The (End)
A heavy pressure swiped the Battle Ground and everyone could feel it. The closest person to Basil had their knees buckled and were close to copse. They looked at Basil with trembling eyes and an expression filled with terror.
At that moment where everyone was silent, four people casted a Spell in unison.
"[Fire Storm]!"
Boom!
Fire materialized out of thin air followed by a strong wind that swept it. Fire and wind were mixed creating a storm out of fire for the world to see. The four people who had casted it sent it straight toward Basil.
"W-watch out!"
"Get out of the way!"
"Crap! Are they trying to kill us too?!"
People who were in the way made an emergency evasion as they could see their fate if they were to stay idle. The firestorm the four people produced was bigger than Basil had shown in front of Chester and his ss. Therefore, many people were horrified.
However, Basil was unfazed as expected. He merely nced at the firestorm and the casters disinterestedly. Taking out Kusanagi from his Spatial Bracelet, he swung it at the firestorm.
Swish!
The wind Kusanagi produced tore through the firestorm, dispersing it entirely. The only indication that showed there had been a firestorm earlier was the scorched ground.
Everyone was bewildered. They were already bewildered enough to see the big firestorm that was produced by four academy students.
Imagine their shock when that firestorm was dispersed by one student with a casual swing of his sword. They couldn''t take it easily.
"[Fire Bullet]!"
Still, the four people knew how to do a battle.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
Countless of fire bullets with an abnormal size were shot at Basil. Basil could evade that graciously, however the bullets seemed to follow his movement. Basil had a faint smirk on his face.
''They are not empty talk.''
He was slightly impressed at the four students. Not only they helped each other to amplify their Spell''s power, but they also had a decent control over their Mana. Furthermore, their coordination was impressive, even though they were still in their academy years.
Still, it was the best they could do.
Screech!
Basil infused Kusanagi with Mana and wind des quickly surrounded him. An ufortable sound that pierced the ear was produced. Everyone had an uneasy feeling and it was also the same for the four pir.
"Don''t just freeze like a statue! Move!"
"O-oh.. yes!"
The other students that had been staring at the unfolding events dumbly started to move. Each of them chanted their Spells one by one.
"[Water Jet]!"
"[Fire Bullet]!"
"[methrower]!"
"[Water Whip]!"
All kinds of attack poured down on Basil. However, due to the opposing element, most of them neutralized each other. The only result it bore was the lost of vision on Basil who was covered with a dense vapor of water.
"Idiots! Don''t you know how to do it in turn?!"
One of the four pirs exploded. He was close to get out of the formation and strangled everyone to death. The other students looked at him in fear as he had the stature of someone to be feared. He was big and intimidating.
"Calhoun! Calm yourself down! You are disrupting the formation."
"Tch! I get it, Elton."
Calhoun calmed himself down at the call of his group''s representative, Elton. He couldn''t protest as Elton was the wisest and the strongest out of them too. He had achieved his current power because of Elton. Therefore, he would never go against him.
"Let''s cast a wind to swipe all of the fog covering him. I can''t hear any of the sound we heard earlier. He must be intentionally hiding himself from us."
"Understood!"
They started to chant the incantation of the Spell, then Mana gathered around them. It was getting denser each time until wind surrounded the four people.
"Don''t just stay idle, and help us too!"
"Ah.. yes..."
"[Gale]!"
"[Wind Swipe]!"
This time, the attack was coordinated enough as the students used the same element in their Spells. A variety of wind attack was sent at the fog. The fog was easily swiped, revealing what it had hidden previously.
"Nothing...?"
"Where is he?"
"Crap! Where did he go?!"
The four pirs instantly became tense. They cautiously looked at their surrounding but they couldn''t see Basil anywhere.
"I have a bad premonition about this. Let''s take a precaution."
"What? Are you really scared with a brat, Elton?"
"He is not a brat as he is merely a year younger than us. Calling him a brat will make us one too. Furthermore, has my instinct endangered us before?"
No one refuted Elton''s words. They nodded their heads and took his word into ount. Quickly muttering an incantation of a Spell, they shouted in unison when it was done.
"[Earthen Sphere]!"
Earth rose from the ground to the air surrounding the four people in a form sphere. The sphere was getting denser each time untill they were perfectly covered with it. The sphere was so dense that people could easily say it was a perfect defense.
"What? Seriously? They protect themselves alone, and leave us behind?"
"That''s not the point. What are they protecting themselves for is the question."
"What are you¡ª"
"Ahhh!!!"
A bloodcurdling scream was resounded through everyone''s fear. The sheer pain the scream conveyed was enough to chill one''s heart.
Everyone whipped their heads at the direction of the sound and they could see their ssmate lying on the ground with his limbs mangled in an awkward way.
"Ahhh!!! It hurts!!! Stop the pain!"
Gulp.
Their heart trembled upon seeing the terror in front of their eyes.
This isn''t how it supposed to be.
Their pupils dted. Their minds went into a flight state. Everyone started to group themselves to seek protecting. The student with mangled limbs was left behind.
"You people! Everyone, help me!!!"
His shout was ignored. No one wanted to help him. They were afraid if they did it, they would be the next one.
"You!!! How can you¡ª!"
Crack!
"Men shall not whine. That is unsightly."
Silence swept the entire Battle Ground. No one dared to let out a sound after the appearance of the one they had been waiting.
sh!
The whining student below Basil''s foot was expelled out of the field. Basil had merely stepped on his face and nothing more. However, it was considered to be enough to endanger his life. Everyone widened their eyes at the brutality that they had only heard from the rumours.
"I will give you some lessons to further your battling skills."
A chill ran down their spine when Basil looked at them with his deep eyes. All they saw was a man born to kill another men. The Hell Incarnation. Although it was nothing but exaggeration, it wasn''t that far from the truth considering Basil''s past.
p "First, never group yourself in one ce while fighting a stronger opponent."
Swish!
"Because, this will happen."
Boom!
Basil merely reappeared near them and punched the ground with his empowered fist. The result was a deep crater and a few flying students. Mages mostly had a frail body. Therefore, distance became their main advantage.
"Ahhh!"
"Kuhuk!"
"My feet! My feet!!!"
Once the distance was closed, they were nothing but chicken to be ughtered. Six students fell in that brief contact and the others flee to get away from him.
"I surrender!"
"Me too! I surrender!"
The students lying on the ground were shouting words of surrender, so they could get out of the nightmare they were currently facing. ke looked at them bitterly and was about to open his mouth when Basil beat him to it.
"Second, before participating in a battle, know the rules first."
Basil extended his hand and needles like wind emerged. The needles were positioned above the six students lying the ground, however none of them noticed it as they were too focused on Basil''s words.
"What do you mean by knowing the rules first?"
Basil didn''t answer the question as he merely brought down his hand.
Stab!
The needles pierced through the abdomen of the six students.
"Kuhuk!"
"Ahh!! There is something in my stomach!"
"It hurts!!!"
All of the students whined in pain. At this point, the audiences were already standing from their seats. All of them looked at the scene with widened eyes. The sheer cruelty Basil showed them was enough to bring chills to their spine.
However, Basil wasn''t done.
Twirl!
"Ahh! It''s spinning!"
"Help! Please stop this Battle!"
"Mom! It hurts! Help me!"
The wind needle wasn''t only for stabbing their abdomens. It twirled itself, widening the hole on their abdomens and stirring their innards.
The pain they felt was conveyed by their scream. Many people unconsciously put their hands on their abdomens as if they felt their pain.
As the pain became unbearable, the six students lost their conscious. A thin light wrapped themselves before they were expelled from the field. ke quickly waved his hands and medic teams swiftly took the unconscious students.
"The rule should be, ''You will be expelled from the field when you lost conscious or received an injury that could risk your life.'' It means until the Cage decides so, even surrendering doesn''t let you out of the battle."
Realization dawned upon the students. The next was, of course, fear. They were frantic. They started to distance themselves from each other and poured any kinds of attacks on Basil. It was a chaos as none of them cared about the effectiveness of the attacks.
Basil sighed, "Third, keep calm in any situation." He knew no one would hear him as they were too busy emptying their Mana on him. Taking out Kusanagi once again, he infused it with Mana. It shone briefly before a strong current of wind swept over him.
Screech!
The spine chilling sound was heard once again. The remaining nine students became even more frantic as they tried to distance themselves from Basil and stopped their attacks that had never hit him.
Sadly, it was useless.
[Shredder]!
Basil pointed Kusanagi to the front and a low mutter came out of him. The tip of the de shone in a green light before a strong current of wind shot forward.
Whoosh!
Screech!
Followed by that was a heart wrenching scream from the students. They couldn''t think of a way to protect themselves. The pain caused by the wind des shing their skins open was too unbearable to make them think straight.
Cheeks, necks, hands, feet. Every visible body parts weren''t spared by the wind des. All of them were shed mercilessly. Their clothes quickly turned into tatters. The horrifying thing about this was all of them could see their miserable state and hear their own scream loud and clear.
Basil looked at the students while furrowing his brows slightly. He didn''t think he hadunched an exaggerated attack. However, it seemed the students were weaker than he had thought.
Blood started to color the ground red and one by one the students fell on the ground. They weren''t dead. Basil had no intention to kill them in the very first ce. The pain was just too unbearable for them that they lost their consciousness.
Thud!
Thest student fell and the arena became silent. This time, everyone, without exception, stood on their feet and looked at the scene in horror. The scene in front of them was simply nightmare inducing.
Nine students lied on the ground in an unconscious state while having their flesh exposed. Blood was stilling out of the open wound, painting the ground in red.
Rumble!
At that moment, a sound resounded behind Basil. The earth sphere finally deformed itself, showing the people it had hidden. By the time the four people looked at scene in front of them, their breath hitched.
Thin light was wrapping the bodies of their ssmates before they were expelled from the field one by one. The field was quickly emptied. However, the bloodstains and the ruined ground were left behind.
Gulp.
"Fourth, never look away from your opponent."
"What are you talking about..?"
The four people were puzzled, they couldn''t hear or see anything from inside the sphere. Therefore, they were in a state of confusion at the unfolding events. Surely, Basil didn''t intend to exin it to them.
Raising Kusanagi to his waist, he bent his knee slightly and calcted the amount of power he should use.
"Formation! [Earthen Wal]!"
Being the meticulous person he was, Elton quickly led his friends to cast a defensive Spell. Just like what they had practiced everytime, the Spell was quickly casted and a 3 meters tall dense wall was quickly erected.
Basil finished his calction and Kusanagi shone briefly. In the next moment, Kusanagi was swiped forward with a speed that was barely visible to the eyes.
Boom!
A strong wind swept the wall, destroying it to dust in the process. The four people hiding behind were revealed. However, they had an attack prepared already. Sadly, it was a fire based attack. Therefore, the fire was swept by the wind, attacking themselves instead.
"Darn! It''s a wind attack!"
"Crap! It''s hot!"
"Ugh! I can feel something is shing my abdomen."
"That bastard! My tendons are cut!"
All of themmented frantically and tried their best to get out the attack range. Sadly, none of them managed to do so. The were quickly swept by the wind and thrown away backward. They rolled on the ground as they couldn''t right themselves in the air.
When they stopped rolling, all of them had an open wound on either their chest or abdomen.
"Kuhuk!"
"Crap! I think I broke my hand."
"You break your hand? I can touch my intestines!"
"Stop it... My chest is opened and I can feel the wind blowing on it."
All of them moaned in pain. However,pared to the previous people, they were considered silent. Elton looked at his friends and shook his head bitterly. He looked at Basil and sent him a contemting look.
"You are strong. I admit your prowess."
"What?! Are we just going to back down like this? Look, I can¡ª!"
Calhoun didn''t continue his words as Elton gave him the ''look''. He shut his mouth and opted to stay silent. Elton returned his gaze at Basil and sighed.
"I admit our lost. Wee to the fourth year, Basil."
Elton raised his hand and clenched it tightly.
Crack!
The back of their necks were hit by a blunt spike that had emerged from the ground, making they lose their consciousness entirely. The raised hand of Elton fell to the ground limply in the next moment as he lost his consciousness too.
Basil smirked faintly and muttered, "Smart move." Not longer after, thin light wrapped their bodies and they were expelled from the field. Basil raised his head and sent his gaze toward ke. Thetter received Basil''s gaze and raised his hand.
"Match ended! Winner, Basil Cobham!"
ke''s voice resounded through the whole Battle Ground, however he was met with silence. It wasn''t untill the like barrier disappeared did the audiences started pping.
No cheers were let out. The crowd only pped their hands absentmindedly. Their eyes were nted on Basil''s clear eyes. Sadly, they could never peek at the soul hidden behind his eyes.
Chapter 59 Orbs Of Emotion
The neen students were carried to the infirmary to get treated. Among them, the four pirs received the lightest injuries. Still, it didn''t mean the injuries were something to scoff at either.
Basil got out of the field and moved his feet toward ke and Chester. Every eyes followed his movement like they were looking at a celebrity. ke gazed at the approaching Basil and smiled wryly.
ke nced to his left, at Corvet who had been eager about this battle. Corvet had a look of a constipated person. Cold sweat ran down his forehead as he gazed at Basil''s eyes.
''This kid will be a monster in the future.''
Corvet threw his head at ke. He was about to protest to ke about Basil when he remembered something. He had been the one who had suggested the idea. Therefore, he kept his mouth shut.
"You have done quite a number on them."
"It was a choice they made themselves. It is the quickest way to teach them responsibility."
"For barking at the wrong tree?"
"No. For their stupidity."
Again, ke shook his head helplessly. This time however, he was also followed by Chester.
But, you were the one who challenged them!
Surely, it was left unsaid. ke looked at the crowd of students and motioned the teacher of each sses to lead them back to the ss. Chester gave a short nod to Basil before he too led his students back to the ss.
Corvet had already gone even before ke motioned the other teachers to take their students back. Therefore, most of Basil''s ssmates had returned to the ss. Among the fifteen students returning, only one of them was male.
As the one who took Basil''s challenge were all male students, it left only the female students and the average student who had retreated from the battle behind. Inarguably, the ss would be awkward.
They didn''t need to wait for long until the arena was empty. ke looked at the ruined arena and Basil alternatingly. He sighed forlornly.
"I''ve just fixed thisst day..." ke muttered under his breath. Basil had obviously heard it and responded, "I can fix that for you." ke whipped his head quickly at Basil and waved his hand, "No, no, no. I don''t need that. I can have someone done it by tomorrow."
Basil just nodded his head faintly. The two people didn''t say a word as they merely enjoyed the breeze and the silence. ke was about to ask Basil about something when he frowned his forehead. He felt a presence nearing them.
Not long after, both of them could see a man walking toward their way. The man got a blond hair, thin moustache, and a healthy build. The man was 183 centimeters tall, however the only one he towered over was ke.
Basil was over 187 centimeters tall, therefore the man''s attempt to act intimidating was really useless on him.
"Son..."
ke was slightly surprised. Even though he was quite old and knew quite a lot of people, he hadn''t known Basil''s father who was a mere Viscount. Basil leered at Nichs casually from the corner of his eyes.
"Are you speaking to me?"
"Who else will I speak to?"
"There might be a possibility you have dementia. You have just said a weird thing after all."
"You!"
Nichs almost lost himself. Although they had been on a cold war for a long time, Basil had never confronted him directly. Therefore, he could somehow hold himself back from exploding somehow.
Now that Basil didn''t even try to give him the least courtesy like he used to, it was really hard to hold back himself from exploding.
Sadly, it was all in his head. Basil had never given him the least courtesy. The situation had always been just coincidentally less irritating for Basil.
"Huuh... We need to talk."
"You can say it now."
"It''s a family matter. I can''t just say it here."
"Family?" This time, Basil properly looked at Nichs. Thetter was taken aback by the former''s abnormally aged look. "Have you ever thought of me as a part of your family?" As expected, Basil shut him up with that.
ke was having a dilemma. He didn''t want to be regarded as a busy body. However, if he were to leave, it would be awkward as the attention of the two people would be momentarily on him.
Nichs noticed of ke''s well hidden difort. He got an idea, then he bowed at him.
"I am really sorry for the inconvenience, Master ke. This son of mine is a little bit troublesome sometimes."
"Hm. Don''t mind me. I''m just here to speak with my student after all. Now, that he is preupied, I just have to wait."
ke had intended to get out of their vicinity in the beginning. However, when he was given the chance to, his heart told him not to take it. He was genuinely worried the father and son due would tear each other''s throats if they were to be left alone.
Nichs clicked his tongue inwardly. He hadn''t thought ke was a busy body. Seeing that nothing he could do, he decided to use his authority as an official father.
"Basil, my son. We really need to talk alone. I''m telling you this because I am your father and I have every right to speak with you."
"Were you referring to our arguable blood rtion?"
"..."
Nichs''eyes visibly widened. Not even ke was spared from the shock. He only managed to hide it because of his experience. He looked at Basil sighed bitterly.
''No wonder his father "liberated" him.''
The family drama was thicker than ke had imagined. However, he had chosen to stand beside Basil. He wouldn''t back down. Unfortunately, Basil didn''t have any attention to dwell on the matter too much.
"Mr. ke," called Basil. ke turned his eyes at him. Basil continued, "You said you have something to talk with me?" ke was puzzled and instinctively asked, "Yes?" Basil merely nodded in response.
"Very well. Let us have a talk."
"But..."
ke was about to say something when he looked at Basil who was faintly smiling. He gave up and opted to nod his head. He looked at Nichs once and nodded his head faintly. At that, Nichs could only nod reluctantly.
ke touched Basil''s shoulder. Then in the next moment, they disappeared after a sh of light. Nichs was silent for a moment, before eventually gritting his teeth and cursed in rage.
"Darn it! Like father like son, he is just as unbearable!"
Considering it came out from the mouth of the person who had dered himself as the father of the one he cursed, it was pretty weird to say the least. Nichs'' eyes glinted. Rage clouded his mind. A maniacal grin appeared on his face.
"You will regret this, Basil!"
...
Basil was together with ke in his office. They were chatting among themselves while having a tea. Turned out, ke just wanted to ask how he should aid him in his progress. Basil responded him by saying he only needed a secure ce to practice.
ke had enough mind not to ask Basil anything about his family matters. Even at a nce, anyone could tell how bad the rtionship of Nichs and Basil.
Just like that, the academy time ended. Every students were ready to go home as they had finished their lessons. Basil got out of ke''s office and every eyes were instantly on him. All of the students made a short bow at him or took a distance away.
Basil didn''t mind it. Out of his 19 victims, only 7 had regained their consciousness. Although the injuries the others received weren''t that heavy, the mental shock was enough to keep them out for a while.
"Brother!"
"Hello, senior!"
Basil was greeted by Shirley and Julia who were eager to meet him. Shirley quicklytched onto his body and hugged him tightly. Basil didn''t try to get rid of her as he merely patted her back tenderly.
Julia looked at the duo from the side and shook her head bitterly.
"That was a good battle, Senior. Now, you are officially the strongest student in our academy!"
Julia was ecstatic. Being a powerful Mage was her dream. Seeing someone who was already in his way to reach the top made her blood boiled in eagerness. She wanted to be the same too.
"Do you think being the strongest in our academy is something to be proud of?"
"Of course! Not just anyone could achieve it."
"Well, I bet brother doesn''t feel that way."
"What are you saying? Just look at senior..."
"..."
Julia was dumbfounded when she could inly see Basil didn''t feel proud or whatsoever. It seemed Shirley had understood some of Basil''s habit as she could guess it perfectly this time.
Shirley got down from Basil''s body and patted her uniform. She smiled sheepishly and said, "Father told me toe home today. So, I can''t stay with you tonight." She observed Basil''s reaction expectantly.
"Alright." Shirley was so disappointed by theck of reaction that she couldn''t help but exim, "Aren''t you supposed to feel sorry or something?!" Basil merely raised one of his eyebrows. He was about to respond when Julia beat him to it.
"Woah, woah. Chill out, girl! Your brother still have me!"
"What are you saying you thieving cat?!"
"..."
Just like that, they had their daily dose of banter. Basil looked at that from the side and decided to step back. However, he stopped midway as Shirley said something that caught his interest.
"Oh! Brother, Irene wants to see you."
"She does?"
"Hm. You haven''t met her for a quite long time. She misses you."
"Very well. I will meet her today."
Basil had intended to meet Irene the day after. However, now that thetter had asked to meet him first, he couldn''t refuse. He went to the Cobham Manor together with Shirley after parting their ways with Julia.
On their way, Shirley was so excited as she could finally walk home alongside with Basil like that time. They chatted in their way, or to be specific, Shirley talked about the respect the whole academy got on Basil.
Basil mostly nodded his head and responded it casually. Not long after, they arrived at their destination. Basil didn''t enter the manor. He waited outside and told Shirley to notify Irene that he was there.
"Young Master!"
By the time Irene went outside and took a look at Basil, she was overwhelmed with emotion as she instantly ran toward his way. She hugged him tightly while tearing up, and Basil returned the hug warmly.
They stayed like that for a quite some time before Irene let go of her hug and properly looked at him.
"My... Look at you, Young Master. You have perfectly turned into every woman''s dream now! You have grown well!"
"By saying every woman, are you including yourself too?"
"Well, well. Look at that. You can now flirt too!"
Irene chuckled and Basil let out a soft smile. His eyes were tender and the aura he gave was softer than usual. Shirley looked at the both of them from the side and her heart unconsciously clenched.
She wanted to be the part of that. She wanted to receive that warm smile of Basil. Sadly, she couldn''t. Her newly formed rtionship could never beat the strong bond Irene had with Basil.
"I have my own mansion. Although it is not big, it is enough to house more than one person. Are you interested to live with me?"
"Oh my... Is that a proposal? If so, I can''t ept it. I''m too old to be your wife, Young Master." Irene chuckled and Basil smiled in amusement. Irene cleared her throat and said, "As long as the Master let me go, I will dly follow you."
"You won''t."
A cold voice was heard from behind. Everyone''s head turned at the source of the voice and found it belonged to Nichs. He had a weird glint in his eyes. Irene bowed at him and Basil merely nced at him disinterestedly.
"We meet again, Basil."
"How much?"
Nichs was a little bit taken aback as Basil''s question was too out of context.
"What do you mean?"
"The cost of Irene''s liberation."
"Hah! You can''t even afford it even if I said it."
"Try me."
"2,000 gold!"
Irene widened her eyes as she heard the amount of money Nichs charged to free her of duty. She was pretty sure she didn''t worth that much. She turned his head at Basil and looked at him in concern.
"Young Master. You don''t have to¡ª"
"Consider it a deal."
Clink!
"What..?"
Nichs was bewildered at the development. Basil had just agreed to pay the ridiculous price and tossed him a pouch of gold. Nichs couldn''t believe his eyes. He looked at Basil in disbelief.
"Pack your things, Irene."
"Young Master, that much money is...!"
"Just pack."
"Understood."
Seeing that arguing was useless, Irene heeded Basil''s words and moved toward the door. She was about to enter the mansion when Nichs stopped her.
"Where do you think you are going?"
"I am going to pack my things, Mr. Cobham."
"Are you not aware that I am your master?"
"You are no more, sir."
"Insolent!"
Nichs raised his hand and was about to p Irene when terror washed over his entire body and soul.
"Touch her, and I will show you what pain is."
A cold voice resounded from Basil. Two Ultimate Circles floated behind him showing their might to the world. Nichs looked at that and gulped. He was genuinely scared by the pressure Basil emitted.
However, it wasn''t the worst part. When he looked at Basil''s eyes, he could see the pain he would endure if he chose to proceed his act.
Chapter 60 Orbs Of Emotion (2)
Nichs held his hand hanging in the air. Irene was unfazed. She looked at Nichs straight in the eyes, therefore she could see Nichs wasn''t focusing on her. She didn''t feel the pressure Basil was emitting, however she could still feel the faint dread he was emitting.
"Huuh... You may leave!"
Lastly, Nichs put his hand down. Irene didn''t ask any further question as she directly went inside the mansion. The atmosphere was so thick one can cut through it. Nichs gritted his teeth. He didn''t want to back down just like that.
Boom!
He also emitted his own pressure as three Magic Circles floated behind him. Two of them were Major Circle. The pressure of the two people shed against each other. The surrounding air turned heavier as it was overwhelmed with Mana.
Shirley looked at them from the side and could see the situation was getting out of hands. She couldn''t help herself from shouting, "Brother, Father!" She was feeling bitter. Why did her family be like this?
The two people retracted their pressure and turned their heads at Shirley. They were met with the scene of Shirley tearing up while looking at them. Nichs instantly developed aplicated expression on his face, while Basil was as stoic as ever.
"Please.. stop!"
"Shirley, my dear..."
"Why can''t our family be normal?"
"We are, dear. We have always been."
Shirley shook her head and gazed at Nichs right in his eyes. Myriads of emotion were conveyed in a single second.
"No, Father. You have never loved Brother as much as you love me, do you?"
"Honey, that is¡ª"
"Please, Father..."
"..."
Nichs opted to stay silent. He dodged Shirley''s eyes and turned his head at Basil instead. His eyes turned cold as he met Basil''s calm eyes.
"It was you, wasn''t it?" Nichs muttered spitefully. Basil faintly quirked his eyebrow and calmly asked, "What?" Nichs clenched his fist and indignantly eximed, "The one who poisoned her mind!"
Basil stared at Nichs in faint amusement. He had never once manipted Shirley into believing how bad he had been treated by Nichs, despite it being the reality. Shirley had figured it out by herself.
Tens of years is more than enough time to grasp how one''s parents treat one''s siblings. It is a natural urrence. Nichs was merely seeking for a scapegoat as he had gotten exposed.
"Brother didn''t tell me anything, Father. I realized it by myself, and it''s getting clearer each day."
In Nichs'' surprise, Shirley defended Basil in his stead. He was bewildered before rage clouded his mind. Not even his daughter was on his side. Everything was starting to getting out of his hands. All of it because the ursed brat!
"You..! Just what poison did you feed to my daughter?!"
The sh seemed about to erupt once again. Nichs'' eyes showed his feelings inly. Burning rage could be seen on his eyes as he looked at Basil heatedly.
? "Young Master, I am ready."
At that moment, a voice that somehow diffused the stifling atmosphere was heard. Everyone''s eyes turned to the speaker, and they could see Irene with two suitcases and a backpack standing in front of the door.
"Very well. We will immediately depart to my mansion," answered Basil coolly. Irene nodded her head and moved to Basil''s side. However, Nichs couldn''t let the matter go just like that. He shouted, "Do you think you can go?!"
As opposed to the boiling Nichs, Basil was the definition of calm. "Yes, I can. I cane and go whenever I please. Not even you, or your shadows can stop me." Silence greeted Basil as Nichs'' eyes widened in shock.
Burning rage was reced with anxiety and fear. Slowly returning his eyes at Basil, he could finally see Basil''s spine chilling look.
"I have stacked some heads, and I will be waiting yours."
Tremble!
Nichs'' body shook in horror. Basil''s eyes werepletely serious. He didn''t even try to hide the killing intent. Nichs was genuinely scared. He had felt some of Basil''s power from the brief sh. It wasn''t something he could scoff at.
The thing he had been afraid of had been finally realized. He had tried get rid of Basil as soon as possible to no avail. He had also tried to control him to no avail again. Finally, Basil had perfectly be a confounding variable in his life.
Basil didn''t give Nichs even a nce as he turned his body to the side. Basil faced Irene and stored all of her luggage inside his Spatial Ring. Then, without looking back, Basil moved his feet to leave the Cobham Viscountcy along with Irene.
"Brother!"
Shirley chased Basil''s back and held his sleeve tightly. Basil stopped in his track and turned around. He looked at Shirley, and se looked back at him with her teary eyes.
"We.. we will meet again, right?!"
Nod.
"I can stille to your ce, right?!"
Nod.
"Thank you!"
Shirley went to hug Basil and he returned her hug tenderly. Shirley held onto Basil for some time before letting him go. Basil patted her head once and left the vicinity with Irene in tow.
Shirley watched the two people''s backs untill they disappeared from her view. She turned her body and was met with Nichs''plicated gaze. Shirley shook her head in disappointment and went inside the mansion.
Nichs gritted his teeth in burning rage. His eyes were nted on the direction where Basil had just left.
"Again.. you are sealing your own fate."
With eyes lit in fire of fury, Nichs vowed in his heart to settle all the matters once and for all.
...
Basil and Irene were already inside a luxurious carriage that they had found a few moments earlier. Irene was looking at Basil in slight concern. What had just happened earlier had not been a very good farewell after all.
"Will it be alright, Young Master? Your father is pretty mad in my opinion."
Basil opened his eyes and gazed at Irene in her eyes. He raised his eyebrow slightly and calmly answered, "Father? It is unexpected of you to say it." Irene was slightly taken aback by Basil''s sure tone.
"Well.. since he is no longer my Master, I will not call him Master like I used to. Therefore..." Irene stopped her reasoning as she could see Basil had an amused smile on his face. "Young Master...?" She asked uncertainly.
"Why do you think he is my father?"
"That is because¡ª"
"We are not blood rted."
Gasp.
Irene widened her eyes and covered her mouth with her hand in shock. She wasn''t shocked with the fact Basil was adopted. She was already aware of Basil''s adoption. She was shocked Basil knew the fact.
"How did you...?"
"As expected you have already know."
"That is.. I... I am sorry, Young Master."
Irene bowed her head in apology. Basil didn''t mind that. What Irene had done was logical. She had no right nor the obligation to tell that to Basil. Furthermore, she couldn''t predict how it would have affected Basil if she had told him.
Therefore, her choice to stay silent had been correct.
Irene raised her head and softly asked, "When did you know it?" Basil answered her casually, "A long time ago." Irene sighed and muttered, "Then, you must have known about your father." This time, Basil was silent.
Due to theck of response from Basil, Irene raised her eyes and gazed at Basil. She widened her eyes in the next moment as realization dawned upon her.
"You.. you don''t.. know?"
"I don''t. Therefore, you can tell me now."
Irene kept her silence. Basil didn''t prod her any further. He closed his eyes and resumed to forge his body and cultivate his Mana Heart. Irene looked at that Basil and sighed helplessly.
"I don''t know as much as you think. Will you still hear it?"
"I am all ears."
Thus, the story began.
***
[Irene''s Recount]
It was a rainy night. The master hadn''te home yet like he had always done for the past year. However, I knew it instinctively something would be different that night. I walked through the kitchen to make sure the food was ready for the masterter.
However, at that time, I met someone who I knew pretty well. He was the most trusted subordinate of the master. He was drenched from head to toe. When I saw his face, I actually recoiled in surprise.
He had an expression of someone who had just seen a ghost. I observed him carefully, and only then did I see the bloodstain on his clothes and the bundle in his embrace.
"Sir Cobham, what happened to you?!"
I asked him frantically. He could only look at me emptily and tried to form some words to no avail. At that moment, I knew something was wrong. As I was just trying to tell him to sit, he finally opened his mouth.
"Irene. Sir Halton.. he.. he gave me this..."
"What is with Sir Halton? What did he give to you?!"
I was already frantic at the mention of my Master''s name. A bad premonition started to sprout in my heart. I was filled with concern and extreme worry as I couldn''t help to scurry over him.
"He gave me this."
"This is..."
Sir Cobham showed me the bundle in his embrace and the scene was forever etched in my brain. What I saw inside the bundle was undoubtedly a godsend gift. It was pure, beautiful, and warming.
It was a baby.
I looked up at Sir Cobham and what I could see was sadness and helplessness. He stared at me and said forlornly, "The baby is Sir Halton''s." The premonition turned into reality and I was reluctant to ask. However, my curiosity got the best of me.
"Where is Sir Halton?"
"I don''t know."
That was it. The nail is set on the coffin. I couldn''t wrap my mind around that fact. I prodded him to borate, however he was just as clueless as I was. He had only received the baby from the injured Sir Halton and he didn''t know the rest as Sir Halton had quickly run away to somewhere he couldn''t know.
From his story I could deduce someone was targeting sir Halton''s life. However, I still held hope that Sir Halton might still be alive out there. Surely, reality often disappoints people. Even after a month, Sir Halton still didn''te back.
"Irene. Sir Halton is pronounced dead, and I will inherit his position as the new Viscount. Will you help me to raise the boy?"
At that time, I was devastated. Things escted so quickly I couldn''t believe what happened. Suspicion bloomed in my heart. Ever since that day, I could see Sir Cobham''s change of behavior.
He became colder and distance. He was often absent-minded or thinking about matters I could never know. When he said he would inherit Sir Halton''s position, I didn''t really know what to do.
My loyalty was on the previous Master, not on him. However, when I looked at the bundle of joy in my hands, my decision was made in the spot. The kid belonged to myte master, therefore I had the obligation to raise him in my Master''s stead.
"I will help you."
"I thank you very much."
That was how it began. The Baron had risen to the position of Viscount. Inheriting was rathercking to describe it. Sir Cobham had perfectly taken everything from sir Halton.
There was no more Rothermere Viscountcy. It was reced with Cobham Viscountcy. There was no more Rothermere Manor, it was reced with Cobham Manor.
All of Sir Halton''s subordinate had also be Sir Cobham''s subordinate, forgetting their previous Master quickly.
Everyone seemed to forget about Sir Halton. I was befuddled, however I couldn''t do much thing. I was merely a maid and nothing more. Therefore, I only focused myself on raising the only inheritance Sir Halton left behind that would always belong to him.
It was none other than his son.
[End of Recount]
***
"There are still many things I don''t know about what happened at that day. Nichs must know something, but he always keeps it to himself."
"There are so many strange things that I can tell at a nce."
Irene could only nod her head in agreement. Even in her perspective, she knew her story was toocking. She couldn''t help it. She really didn''t know anything but that.
"Was Nichs that caring toward me when I was a baby?"
Irene stayed silent for a while as Basil didn''t even give Nichs the least courtesy anymore. Surely, she knew what Basil did wasn''t wrong in the slightest. She nodded her head and opened her mouth.
"Yes, he was caring toward you.. before that woman came in."
Irene ended her words spitefully. Basil knew who she was referring to and opted to stay silent. He had known what kind of person Catherine was a long time ago.
"Ever since she came, everything changed. Nichs turned even more distance and arrogant. He became the perfect example of peanut forgetting its skin."
"I see. If I may ask, do you know anything about my mother?"
The one million gold question was asked. Irene knew it would being, however she still couldn''t help herself from being momentarily silent. Sighing to herself, she shook her head in apology.
"I am sorry, Young Master. I don''t know anything about your mother. However, you don''t have to worry. You are really Sir Halton''s son as you really resembled him."
Irene ended her words and held Basil''s hands in reassurance. The warmth was conveyed perfectly. However, Basil didn''t really need her reassurance. He didn''t have any emotional bond toward his biological parents after all.
"Then.. can you tell me about my father instead?"
"Of course! I can tell you about Sir Halton. Sir Halton was a benevolent person. He had always treated people fairly and..."
Irene kept talking about everything she knew about Halton Rothermere, Basil''s biological father. Basil listened to her story attentively. He was curious about his father too.
After all, even in his previous life, there had never been any mention about Rothermere Viscountcy or a person called Halton Rothermere.
Another unknown thing was unveiled, and Basil was sure it wouldn''t be thest.
Chapter 61 Orbs Of Emotion (3)
Basil listened to Irene''s story about his father all the way to his mansion. He had known who had been his mother in his past life. However, the name had been all he got. He didn''t know about her distinct features or whatsoever.
This time however, he could know quite a lot about his father as he had a living witness to tell him about it. Still, it was the best he could get. Simply by hearing stories or people''s description can never make anyone to really know someone.
For that to happen, one needs to meet the one being told about. Basil asked Irene about his father''s photograph, however the answer was as what he had expected. His father had none.
To be exact, there was no photograph could be found after his father''s death. They had mysteriously disappeared right after his father had been dered dead. Both of his parents were clouded in mystery.
"What makes Nichs keep me as his adopted son? He even registered me as his son."
"That is.. I believe it is his guilt over his inability to protect his own master. Furthermore, your father had directly asked him to take care of you. Of course, he would take care of you. Everything changed only when that harlot came."
Irene became even more spiteful. She no longer referred Catherine as ''that woman'' but settled with ''that harlot'' instead. Basil didn''t correct her. Not only did he not care, but it was also the truth.
"I like to believe there is something more to it. You have said earlier Nichs became colder and distant after my father was pronounced dead. I believe his loyalty to my father was pretty much gone at that time."
"What you mean is, he has no reason to keep you anymore, Young Master?"
Basil nodded his head lightly. Irene began to ponder as what Basil had said was very logical. It didn''t only apply at Nichs. Even his father''s former subordinate seemed to forget about him.
A suspicion she had long buried deep in her mind started to crawl to the surface. Her heart ached and anger started to bud. However, she calmed down her heart in the next moment. This wasn''t about her. She raised her head to see Basil''s reaction.
She found none. Basil was pretty nonchnt about it. Irene sighed forlornly. She could understand it. No one can lose something they don''t have. Basil had never met his parents once. How could he feel the lost?
"I believe there was a greater scheme behind all of this, and the current me cannot uncover it yet. Therefore, it is better to not think about it now."
"I am sorry I couldn''t help you more than that."
"Besides, I still have family. I have a father and a mother. I have no blood rtion with them, however our bond is strong. Better to cherish what I have, rather than mourning what I lost."
"Young Master..."
Irene teared up at the wisdom Basil had shown. Her Young Master was strong. He had been tested ever since he had been born, however he had never bent once. He kept moving forward and held his head high.
The world was cruel on him, however he could still find something to cherish. Being one of the people he cherished moved her heart so much. She couldn''t hold back the urge to hug Basil right there right then.
''This is the child I have raised since a baby. The child I have taken care of tenderly. The child whom I love more than myself. The priceless godsend gift that always warms my heart. My son.''
Thus, their new lives began.
...
[Raneil Barony]
Familia Hotel.
The ce was as grandeur and rowdy as ever. Aside from the luxury one could enjoy, the affordable price which was lower than any other luxurious hotel also became the attractive point of the hotel.
It had been two months since Familia Inn had been renamed to Familia Hotel. No one had expected after the renovation the inn never stopped growing. As it was getting bigger each time, calling it an inn would be awkward. Thus, Familia Hotel was born.
The previously three storey inn, had be a seven storey hotel. The area of the hotel was also expanded as the surroundingnd and building had been bought by the owner of the inn, or to be exact by the son of the owner.
Renovation and upgrade were always done splendidly thanks to the famous Seven Workers. Their handiness was already known by everyone now as they had built such a grandeur building like Familia Hotel.
Sadly, the Seven Workers didn''t work for anyone except Familia Inn. Many people had tried to coerce them to no avail, even if they were paid higher than usual. When they were asked the reason, they would answer simply.
¡ªWhen we had just be a mere Retired Knights looking for a job to keep the food on the table, no one had nced at us.
¡ªIt was only one person who gave us not only the opportunity but also life and benevolence. It''s not a matter of money. We have our loyalty set on that person and his family only.
A truly heartwarming reason. No one could even mock them saying they were stupid. They had enough money from the pay they got in every project Familia Inn asked them to work. Still, there were many idiots who liked to force their way.
One of the Seven Workers had ever been kidnapped, and it reached the ears of the owner''s son. Let''s just say, the oue had not been pretty. An entire group of people had vanished and Cleaners had gotten a big job.
Everyone was aware of it, however no one dared to mess with the owner''s son who turned out to be a Mage and had an even higher standing than Baron Raneil himself.
"So... Do you really think that ''Dragon Prince'' will reallye today?"
"Yes, I am sure."
"Why are you so sure?"
"Do you know why Familia Hotel has been looking for new employees for the past month?"
"No, why is it?"
"It is because the owner and his daughter are going to go on a trip. Therefore, they need people to take care of the inn in their stead."
"So?"
"Huuh... Why do you still not get it? It means the owner''s son, the Dragon Prince wille to pick the owner and his daughter! Therefore, he will be here."
"Let me guess. These people are here, getting as close as possible to Mr. Danzel and rissa''s seat over there, just to witness the Dragon Prince?"
The girl who had been talking enthusiastically earlier merely nodded her head with shining eyes. The girl who had just spoken sighed helplessly.
"Hey, how do you know the owner''s daughter name?"
"Did you think I was joking when I told you I knew her personally?"
"Woah, really? That''s awesome!"
rissa''s friend sighed helplessly once again at her enthusiastic friend. She had known rissa coincidentally when she was shopping in the market. At that time, rissa had been confused about the type of flour she should use for her cake.
Being the good person she was, she had helped rissa to decide. Right after that, things had escted quickly and they became friends. However, rissa had never once spoken about her wealthy family to her.
Therefore, when she had met rissa at the bakery store inside Familia Hotel, that was dubbed as the best bakery in the entire Raneil Barony, she had been shocked. Still, rissa didn''t even brag, she treated her just like usual.
"Anyway, why are there so many people, I mean women, want to meet rissa''s brother?"
"I thought you were friends with the owner''s daughter?"
"Yes, I am. But, I am not friends with her brother!"
"Woah.. chill. I was just messing with you. If you want to know the reason.. just wait for it."
rissa''s friend sighed. She was getting tired of her friend''s stunt. Therefore, she opted to stay silent as she ate the cake rissa had made. It was as delicious as the rumour people had spread.
When she was about to spoon another cake to her mouth, she heard gasps from her surrounding. She was taken aback and quickly put down the spoon in her hands. Throwing her eyes at the entrance, she was met with a Prince.
She saw a young man who had an equally handsome and pretty face. He had a tall stature and visibly muscr but lean body. His brown hair was swept to the back, leaving a few strands falling on his forehead.
"It is good to see the business gets the customer it deserves."
Even the voice was very pleasant to the ears. He moved his feet and everyone followed his every movements. Everyone was captivated and stopped what they were doing only to look at him.
"Wee home, Son. It has been a long time."
Danzel stood and hugged Basil tightly. In truth, it had been merely a month, however he and rissa had missed him so much. Danzel let go of his hug, and rissa''s turn to be hugged came.
Danzel smiled bitterly at her daughter''s fierce hug that screamed possessiveness. He looked at his surrounding and could somehow understand her reason.
''Darn, women are scary!''
All eyes were on his son, Basil. To say that his Hotel''s attractivenessid in the cheap price was an utter bullcrap! These women were trying their lucking here to meet Basil. It was the reason the Hotel was popr with mostly women.
"Good to have you back, Brother! You don''t know how much I miss you."
"We are going to spend a quite long time together from now on. I think it will be enough to ease it, right?"
"Yes!"
Pat. Pat. Pat.
Basil patted rissa''s head tenderly. The women in their surrounding sighed in envy. They wished they could be the one being patted.
Basil faintly curved his mouth upward. He had been too focused on training he had momentarily forgot to spend his time with his family. rissa had called him a brother since three months ago, however he could only revel on it just then.
Eight months had passed since his return to the past, and many things happened. He had reached an eptable power level and he didn''t want to miss the time he could spend with his family.
Therefore, after a long time of waiting, he could finally bring Danzel and rissa to Woster County, where his mansion was located.
"Come, sit first. We''ll have a talk before departing." Danzel gestured Basil to sit and he did just that. "I have made a new cake and I believe you will like it, Brother!" rissa eximed enthusiastically.
Basil merely nodded and spooned every cakes rissa had prepared on the table. They were just as delicious as he had expected. He savored the taste properly like a normal person eating ¡ª without his godly eating technique.
Along with that, they chatted among themselves. They shared a fewughters and everyone in the surrounding had their heart warmed at the heartwarming scene. No, to be exact, at Basil''s pleasantughter.
Not long after, the family of three stood from their seats. The surrounding people instinctively knew they wouldn''t be able to see their Dragon Prince for a quite some time.
Basil looked at the dejected crowd and frowned inwardly. He thought the crowd was upset as his conversation with his family had disturbed them. As every eyes were on him, he smiled faintly and opened his mouth.
"Anything that I could do for you?"
Every women in the store had their eyes lit up dangerously. Basil''s lips made a thin line as he started to regret his decision. In unison, the women eximed, "Head pat!" Basil sighed and nodded his head faintly, "Very well."
Thus, he patted the heads of thirty two women before departing to Woster County with the constantlyughing Danzel and rissa who was trying her best to hold herughter.
"You.. you shouldn''t have asked... Pfft!"
"You behaved unlike yourself, Brother."
rissa tried to chastise him calmly, however her lip desperately trying to raise itself upward. Finally, she failed to hold back herughter. Soon, the carriage was filled with theughter of the father and daughter duo.
Basil didn''t bat an eysh at theughing duo. He merely closed his eyes to cultivate his Mana Heart that hadn''t reached its peak yet. It was still in the Middle Stage of Crimson Heart. However, it was close to breaking through to the Peak Stage of Crimson Heart.
''That was kinda dumb of you, Darling. You act like an experienced person, but in truth you are just old and were nothing but a loner in your past life who had no experience in interacting with people.''
Tick!
Basil stopped cultivating his Mana Heart. He was afraid he might explode it somehow. Vagus'' words had somehow hit home. No, he wasn''t a loner! He just preferred to be alone. Therefore, he wasn''t a loner!
He had had friends in the past.
''Oh, right. I have killed them all.''
Well, he was a loner after all.
Chapter 62 Orbs Of Emotion (4)
rissa calmed down herughter and properly looked at Basil. He always became more handsome each time she saw him. Like always, everytime he went, there were many women fawning over him.
rissa sighed to herself. The longer she spent her time together with Basil, the more she was aware of how awesome Basil was. Therefore, she also noticed howcking she waspared to him.
That didn''t mean she was going to back down though. She might have gotten sister-zoned currently, however she was determined to change that soon. She was also aware if she were to seed, the situation with her father would be awkward. However, she didn''t care!
Love truly makes one blind.
The trip continued for two days and a half. The trip was pleasant as the carriage wasfortable and they could fill each others with what had happened for the past month.
Stories were exchanged between them. Like usual, Basil had the least to tell. His story consisted of him training, removing some pests, and increasing the value of his wealth. They were sure it wouldn''t be boring if he had borated his story.
However, they knew the details would be gruesome. Therefore, they opted to not pursue it any further.
The waited day where they finally arrived to their destination came. Danzel and rissa was already aware of Basil''s family background. Therefore, rissa knew Basil had also one surrogate little sister.
Despite knowing so, she was still nervous to meet Shirley. She was afraid to be rejected, considering she was amoner unlike Shirley who was a Noble. Furthermore, she was afraid Shirley would hate her for taking her brother.
Pat. Pat. Pat.
A warm hand was put on top of her head. She looked up and was met with Basil''s considerably more tender than normal eyes. At this point, she could already grasp Basil''s way showing his emotion, despite howcking it was.
Her heart warmed. Basil knew about her nervousness and still didn''t call her out on that. It was what she wanted. She wanted to keep the image of a strong woman in front of her father. She didn''t care if Basil knew her weakness. She wanted to be spoiled by him!
"Huuh... Nothing can beat nature''s air!"
Danzel finally got down from the carriage and inhaled as much air as he could. He missed the outside air very much as he had spent most of the time in the carriage. Although the carriage wasfortable, he still missed the vast nature.
"It is great to know you don''t have any difort or whatsoever." Basil looked at Danzel and rissa, then motioned them to follow him. They were still in front of the mansion''s gate.
Even at a nce, everyone could see the grandeur and the majesty it exuded. Basil had done quite a lot with his mansion. He had expanded its size, created a garden full of flowerbed, and put many elegant decorations.
Basil put his palm on top of the mansion''s gate. The gate shone for a brief moment before it opened itself.
Hum.
The gate hummed beautifully. Danzel and rissa admired the scene in front of them. Not even their luxurious hotel couldpare to what they saw.
The grandeur the mansion showed alone was enough to overwhelm them. Not to mention the scenery inside the mansion. Flowerbeds decorated the side of the pathway giving a peaceful atmosphere to it.
"Woah.. it''s beautiful."
"Indeed. I feel it can make me a philosopher just by seeing it."
"You can''t, Dad. You don''t have the brain capacity."
"..."
Danzel''s lips turned into a thin line. His daughter had be wittier in her remarks. He felt proud and sad at the same time.
"What are you two doing? Come on."
"Kuhum.. let''s go."
"Can I stand by your side, Brother?"
"Sure."
"Can I hold your hand?"
rissa didn''t wait for confirmation. She just did what she asked. Basil had no qualms. He had never been a brother in his past life. Therefore, in this life he tried to be one. He was trying his best to be the best brother just so his surrogate sisters wouldn''t fall in love with him.
Misconception!
When one bes a too good of a brother, his sister will eventually fall for him. It is a testified fact!
¡ù For the sake of confidentiality, the identities of the samples are omitted.
Sadly, Basil would never know it. Just like what Vagus had said. Basil was indeed experienced, but not in regards of social interaction.
Walking through the pathway while holding her crush''s hand, rissa admired the scene. Many kinds of flowers which fragrance calmed one''s mind decorated the flowerbed.
She took a liking to the ce almost instantly. Looking to the back, she could see her father assuming a pondering look while observing the scenery around him. She shook her head helplessly. Her father''s penchant of doing stupid things irritated her as always.
The door to the mansion was quickly seen. rissa could almost hear her heart beating in her ears. Fear of rejection was strongly felt in her heart. Her mind kept whispering about the bad things that might ur.
Her palms became sweaty. It was so embarrassing as she was currently holding her crush''s hand. She tried to let the hand go, however her hand was gripped tighter than before. A soothing energy seemed to flow from her hand to her entire body.
Her heart calmed down and she looked straight to the front. Then, even before they arrived in front of the door, it opened by itself, revealing eight people. 5 of them were maids, while the other 3 were somehow familiar to her.
She knew about the three people. She had heard about them from Basil''s story. The one in the middle, the beautiful girl with blonde hair and perfectly sculpted nose must be Shirley. The one in the left, the beautiful elderlydy must be Irene.
While she was unsure about the one in the right. She believed the tomboyish girl with short blue hair was Shirley''s best friend, Julia. She gulped unconsciously. All of the girls were a top tier beauty.
"Huuh... Be strong, rissa!" She muttered under her breath.
While rissa was busy on building her confidence, Shirley was looking at her with a hawk eyes. She was looking at the tangled hands and frowned lightly. She turned her gaze at rissa''s face, then gasped inwardly.
''Oh my god, she is so cute! There is this "little sister vibe" surrounding her!''
Shirley''s heart tightened. She was afraid her seat of being a sister would be taken by rissa. The two girls'' eyes met. Lighting could be seen sparkled between their eyes due to how heated the look they gave to each other.
The onlooker looked at them from the side and smiled wryly. It felt like watching a drama of a wife seeing her husbanding home together with a mistress.
"It''s good to have you back, Senior!"
At that moment, the feud between the surrogate sisters was instantly terminated. Thanks to Julia''s timely intervention, the cold war stopped entirely. Both of the girls cooled down their heated gazes and nodded at each other.
"Wee home, Young Master."
"Wee home, Brother."
"I am home, everyone."
Basil smiled softly and it brought warmth to everyone''s heart. Basil shook his head inwardly at Irene''s way of calling him. He had told her to treat him like her child, therefore she should stop being a maid.
She had indeed stopped being one. However, she didn''t stop calling him Young Master, or doing the chores. What had changed was only her attire. Her activities were still that of a maid, despite Basil''s nagging to stop.
"Wee to our humble house. You must be my Young Master''s family. I have heard a lot about you." Irene bowed at Danzel and rissa.
"Oh, no, no. You don''t have to bow. We are equally a family. Basil had told us many things about his mother after all." This time, Danzel was the one who bowed along with rissa
A scene where each side acknowledging each other ensued. Each side raised their heads and smiled amiably at each other.
At that moment, rissa let go of Basil''s hand and stepped forward. Her eyes were staring straightly at Shirley. Despite being older than her, both of them stood at the height of 168 centimeters. Therefore, it wasn''t seen as a staredown.
rissa extended her hand and smiled softly, "I am rissa. Nice to meet you." She started to regret her decision as she had just introduced herself to a Noble with amoner''s way.
Luckily, her worry was unfounded. Shirley grasped her hand and replied courteously, "I am Shirley. Nice to meet you too, rissa." She didn''t even mention her family name to show she was a noble.
Both of the girls let go of each other''s hands and smiled at each other. They had gotten a glimpse of each other''s self from the brief handshake.
A terrifying disy of woman''s instinct indeed!
"Hey, me too! Hello, I am Julia. Nice to meet you! You can call me Jules if you want."
Being the person whocked ofmon courtesy she was, Julia snatched rissa''s hand and shook it enthusiastically. rissa was taken aback momentarily before shaking Julia''s hand with a smile.
"Hello, I am rissa. Nice to meet you. I hope we can be a good friend!"
"Of course, girl! I have liked you from the moment I saw you."
Just to be clear, Julia meant it in a good way. She was just friendly with people she had taken a liking to. Although she didn''t fancy men that much, her crush was a man.
"Let''s continue the conversationter. We have to get you settled first. Irene," Basil looked at Irene and she nodded her head.
"Very well, Young Master. Follow me, please. I will lead you to your room."
Danzel and rissa bowed their heads and followed Irene''s lead. The maids parted and gave way to the the three people. The maids bowed once to Basil before resuming their works.
"Shirley, Julia..."
"Yes, Brother?"
Shirley raised her head and looked at Basil curiously. She was no longer insecure of her growth. She had hit a growth spurt and she was already taller than Julia. The only part she wascking was her chest.
However, she didn''t mind. She was sure she would match Julia''s in no time. It was just a phase.
In the other hand, Julia opted to stay silent as she observed Basil calmly. His body gesture signified he was ready forbat. Julia nodded her head and sped Shirley''s hand. Shirley turned to her and looked at her in confusion.
"What is it, Jules?"
"Let''s help our cute rissa! I can see we can be good friends!"
"O-okay.. stop pulling me!"
"Ahaha! I won''t let you go, girl!"
Just like that, the two of them disappeared into the mansion. Basil''s faint smile faltered ever so slightly. By the time he couldn''t see their backs anymore, his face was bereft of any emotion, and his eyes were filled with freezing coldness.
"I admire your work ethics, however you are epting a job you can never aplish. Anyone with enough brain cells will stop by now."
Turning his body, he looked at the gate''s direction. There was no reaction or whatsoever. However, in the next moment, the surrounding air distorted before six men with ck hooded robe were revealed.
It was a disy of [Camouge].
Basil had naturally sensed them long ago. They had already followed him since his carriage entered Woster County. Basil gazed at them coldly, and killing intent washed over the six men.
Most of them had their knees buckled, however the one in front of Basil remained calm. He stepped forward slowly and said, "We are here to deliver you something." His voice was distorted. The only feature indicating he was a man was only his stature.
"Grab my hands."
Turned out, it was merely a message. Basil didn''t need to know who it was from. He knew the idiot who dared to use Assassins as deliveryman.
"That harlot became even more irritatingtely."
Basil sighed lightly. He looked at the six Assassins with a neutral gaze. All of them were Knights with Peak Stage Yellow Core. Undoubtedly a Middle-Rank Assassin. He shook his head in disappointment.
"Disgrace!"
That was the only thing the Assassins heard before all of their heads were beheaded instantly. None of them had seen the weapon Basil had used. None of them had even seen the moment the weapon cut their necks.
Basil waved his hand and fire engulfed the body of the six Assassins. Behind him, Kusanagi was floating like a Death God''s scythe. The beheading was done by it.
Kusanagi wasn''t sentient. Its ability to fly was thanks to Basil''s newly attained Aura Ability, [Master of Weapons]. It gave him the perfect control over weapons, including controlling them without even touching them.
A cheat-like envy evoking Aura Ability indeed. It was thanks to [Star Withering] and his Mana Heart. Surely, a good resource bears a good product.
Basil gazed into the void. His gaze was deep and cold. The wind blew and it caressed his face tenderly. His short hair billowed gracefully, following the rhythm of the wind.
"I will settle the matter once and for all."
The wind suddenly gone but the surrounding air turned colder.
Chapter 63 Orbs Of Emotion (End)
Shady things are often done at shady ces by equally shady people. Due to their work, Assassin were always shady, therefore they met with their clients at shady ces. However, this time, an unfortunate Assassin had to reveal himself to his client.
The reason?
"Sir, I am honored to be weed with such courtesy from you. However..."
"Assassin being shady is a stereotype."
"But..."
The Assassin who had dressed himself like a normal person wanted to retort, but he surrendered in the end. He had received his very first client earlier. However, this client seemed to have lost his mind as he required him, an assassin, to meet at a public ce!
The craziest thing was he had agreed to it! He was helpless. This very first client of his was his saviour. Being an independent Assassin meant less money, and riskier job. Not only would he risk himself for the job, but he also had to be careful for another Assassin aiming for his throat.
Thus, he had no choice but to ept the miserable fate.
"Why do you look so down? You can quit if you do not want to do it."
"Ah, no, no, no. I am not feeling down, Sir!"
The Assassin cursed in his mind. Quit? After going this far, then quit? He would lose everything! Not only his pride, but also the money he desperately needed.
"Very well. I want to know your name so I can address you easier."
"Ah, Sir... We, Assassin, don''t have name."
"I understand. From now on, I will call you Unko."
"Sir, that means feces in Eastern dialect."
"You are quite knowledgeable."
Knowledgeable my arse! Do you think you can trick me?! I have learned how to curse in many dialects, just so you know!
The Assassin was close to lose his mind. He had been waiting for some clients in need of his service, however he had never expected to meet a client as weird as this one. He felt like a dumbass and was treated as such.The client had just nodded his head as if admiring his unexpected intelligence after all!
"Huuh... Sir, you can call me Kuzo."
"Hoh? It also means feces in Eastern dialect."
"That is Kuso, Sir!"
Kuzo developed a really strong urge to bury his fist in his client''s face. It was still less than five minutes, but he was already harassed countless of times. His pride as an Assassin and a human being was wounded!
"Very well. I am Basil Pacifer. I hope you can satisfy me with your job, Kuzo."
"I hope my service is up to your expectation, Mr. Pacifer."
Hands were offered, and both sides shook each other''s hand. Fortunately, Kuzo''s client could pronounce his name correctly. He inwardly heaved a sigh of relief at that.
On the other side, Basil looked at the weird Assassin named Kuzo. He had met Kuzo coincidentally when he was searching for an Assassin Guild. In his past life, Kuzo had been a renowned Assassin for his skills and his tear inducing backstory.
Basil didn''t care that much about thetter. The reason he had immediately chosen Kuzo was the skill Kuzo had as an Assassin. Kuzo had always done his job cleanly to the point where his clients were afraid of him.
It wasn''t a big secret that Assassins were often made as a scapegoat when the act was exposed. Still, enough proof was needed to deem the Assassin guilty.
Therefore, each of Assassin''s clients would try to get a ''weakness'' out of them, so they could make use of that ''weakness'' when the assassination was exposed. Kuzo had none of it, and that made his client afraid of him.
"I will give you one simple task, and I hope you will carry it smoothly."
"Trust me, Sir. I will do my best. What is the task if I may know?"
"Information leaking."
Kuzo''s entire body froze. His mind went nk before spinning at miles an hour. Information leak usually referred to espionage. It was the job of a spy to leak some information of their enemy Kingdom to another Kingdom.
Assassin might be used to death as they always resumed themselves in every job they took. However, they would do their best to do that job. Leaking some information of a Kingdom was too big of a job for them.
Kuzo looked at Basil resolutely and bowed his head, "I am sorry, Sir. This job is too big for me. I am afraid I can not handle that." Raising his head, he was met with the frowning face of Basil.
"You are misunderstanding something. This is indeed an act of espionage, but not of that caliber. I wouldn''t have hired you if I were about to do something like that; I would do it myself."
"Sir..."
You have just insulted me again!
Kuzo was speechless at Basil''s self confidence. Basil had uttered every words as if it was an undeniable facts, and he strangely couldn''t refute Basil! In the end, he sighed tiredly and decided to ept his fate.
"I want you to dig some dirt out of someone, and mail it to someone."
"May I know who are these someones?"
Basil gave the name and Kuzo nodded in understanding. There was a slight sympathy in his eyes. He had quickly grasped the situation entirely.
"Are you trying to help this man, Sir?"
"No."
"No? Then why are you...?"
Kuzo didn''t dare to continue his words. The look he got from Basil chilled his spine. Basil''s gaze was iprehensible, however coldness was reflected in his eyes, albeit faintly.
"Here is the 300 gold, I hope you will do it well."
Kuzo looked at the dropped pouch and quickly scooped it in his hand. He was slightly surprised at the money he was paid. He raised his head, fully intending to return some of it. However ¡ª
"Sir, this much of money is... Sir?"
¡ª Basil had already gone.
No sound was made. No one was alert of his disappearance. People acted like he had never been there in the first ce. Kuzo was gaping his mouth before a bitter smile adorned his slightly above average face.
"Aren''t you more of an Assassin than me?!"
He was salty.
...
It had been two weeks since rissa''s arrival to Basil''s mansion. The rtionship between Shirley and rissa was strained for a few days. However, the more they got to know each other, the better their rtionship became.
Their rivalry wasn''t entirely gone though. There was always this sort ofpetition where they would try to capture Basil''s attention by flexing what they were capable of. Whenever that happened, Basil acted wisely by saying both of them were good they were capable of.
With that said, they could understand each other better. Shirley was aware of rissa''s infatuation on her brother. In the other hand, rissa was aware of Shirley''s un-sister-like love toward Basil, which thetter wasn''t aware of.
Still, despite knowing this, both sides didn''t call out on each other. They acted as if they didn''t know anything about that.
"Are you guys excited with Basil''s match today?"
"Yup!"
"Yes."
"Sure!"
Danzel looked at the three young girls ¡ª rissa, Shirley, and Julia ¡ª then frowned lightly. All of them didn''t give him any sincere reaction. Today was the day of the Regional Tournament. Basil was supposed to fight in this tournament.
They were currently waiting for Basil who had gone to pick Deacon from Vyres Forest. Deacon could go back by himself, however the guards wouldn''t let him enter the County. Therefore, Basil had picked him up.
While waiting for Basil, Danzel had tried to lessen the boredom as they really had nothing to do. However, the girls weren''t as enthusiastic as he had thought.
"What''s with the insincere reaction?"
"Ah, that is... We are talking about Brother, right? If it''s Brother..."
"Yes, I believe he will curbstomp all of his opponents just like usual!"
"We have literally seen his might, Father. I believe he will do just great."
"..."
Admirable conviction!
But, it doesn''t be the reason to feel that unenthusiastic, right?!
Surely, Danzel keep that thought to himself. His daughter had told him many times how unnecessarily rowdy he was sometimes. Therefore, he opted to stay silent. Still, his heart pumped in excitement.
"Oh my, everyone''s ready it seems. I can see the excitement on your faces."
"Oh, hello Irene! Are you excited with Basil''s match too?"
"Yes, I am."
Again, Danzel frowned his forehead. He had thought Irene would show just as much excitement as he showed. He was extremely bewildered at the amount of excitement the other people showed.
It iscking!
Sadly, it was only Danzel that showed his excitement more than necessary. The other people were also excited, however they kept it well within themselves.
Irene set herself between the girls and conversed with each other. Danzel sat on their opposite alone while pondering about thedies''ck of excitement. He looked at them who were talking about Basil carefully.
"Aha!" Danzel suddenly eximed, surprising the other four people. rissa quickly sent him her stinging gaze and Danzel coughed. "Kuhum... I am sorry I surprised you. I have just realized something."
"Oh? May I know what is this ''something'' you have just realized?"
rissa asked Danzel with a cold re. The surrounding people also nted their curious eyes on him. In result, Danzel sweated coldly.
Gulping once, he gathered his courage. "What do you think is the most expressive part of you?" Luckily, he could say that sagely. rissa was also surprised as she quickly assume a pondering look. Everyone did the same too.
rissa was the first one to open her mouth. "Body?" She asked uncertainly. The other people who hadn''t said their answers nodded their heads. However, Danzel was different. He shook his head and said, "No."
"What about hands? People like to gesture with their hands when they are speaking."
Julia said her answer, however Danzel still shook his head. Shirley frowned a little before saying, "Is it the heart? Even when someone was lying, their heartbeat will not be normal after all."
Still, Danzel shook his head. He threw his head at Irene with expectation. However, Irene shook her head indicating she didn''t want to participate.
Danzel smiled and assumed a sage like posture. With the wisest voice he could muster, he said, "The most expressive part of you is¡ª"
"The eyes."
"..."
Danzel''s lips turned into a thin line. His moment was ironically interrupted by the one they had been waiting for. The other people''s eyes lit up in delight before they stood up from their side and greeted Basil who had just arrived.
Danzel was left posing like a sage... Well, a failed sage. An invisible tears fell from his eyes, while imaginary ck clouds floated above his head. However, it didn''tst long as he quickly greeted Basil enthusiastically. His sorrow was quickly forgotten.
"You have finallye, Son!"
Basil smiled faintly and nodded his head.
"Are you excited with your match?"
"No. Why would I?"
"..."
Straightforward!
Danzel was speechless at Basil''s straightforwardness. The other people in the surrounding shook their heads as if saying, "Told you!" Danzel opened his mouth, but he didn''t know what to say. In the end, he settled with, "OK."
Woof!
Suddenly a cute bark was heard behind Basil. The girls'' eyes lit up as they quickly scurried behind Basil.
"Deacon!"
They eximed enthusiastically. Deacon was quickly lifted from the ground by Shirley, then she hugged him tightly. Right after that, Julia took him from Shirley before hugging him. rissa also didn''t want to lose as Deacon was quickly snatched from Julia.
In the midst of this, Deacon was filled with confusion. He had just barked to notify his Master. However, instead of notifying his Master, he had summoned three demons instead!
Stop toying with me!
His face was inly saying that. Sadly, the girls never understand. They took it as his enjoyment over their stunts. Therefore, they were fawning over him even more.
"Wow... Can''t imagine that 4 meters Beast is our cute Deacon." Danzelmented.
Basil merely nced at Deacon briefly, before ying dumb. He could feel Deacon''s despair from their [Link]. However, he didn''t intend to help him. He couldn''t care less. He knew that Deacon was enjoying it slightly.
"Is everything ready, Irene?"
"Yes, Young Master. Everything is ready."
"Very well. Let us depart to Randalvine, then."
Irene and Danzel nodded their heads. Even the girls became quiet. Still, Deacon was in Julia''s embrace. None of the girls wanted to let him go.
Thus, the trip began. In truth, Basil should have traveled with the academy. However, ke had given him a special right to go by himself. Surely, Basil was also given the opportunity to bring his family to watch the tournament.
Although he had money, he would never have been able to do it if not because of ke. A certain status or qualification was needed to watch the Regional Tournament.
As the distance between Woster County and the Capital ¡ª Randalvine ¡ª was quite far, the journey continued for seven days. Although they weren''t on their top speed, it was enough to show Woster County was quite remote.
Finally, the day where they arrived at Randalvine came. Ever since they entered the Capital''s region, all of them except Basil marvelled at the scene. All of them were awed by the grandeur exuded by the Capital.
They had never seen that kind of grandeur and majesty in Woster County. Their eyes kept shining as they roamed their gaze at the surrounding. Lastly, they stopped at the designated ce. It was Randalvine Battle Arena.
All of them got down from the carriage one by one starting from Shirley. ke was already there, and his eyes lit up when he saw Shirley got down from a carriage. He knew Basil must be there.
"Hey, that is..."
"Hm. Basil''s sister."
"Wait, there are other girls."
"They are also Basil''s sisters in a way."
Four students behind ke muttered among themselves. They were the representative from Stardust Academy and also the representative of Woster County along with Basil. In other words, they were Basil''s ssmates whom he had beaten a few months ago.
Their rtionship with Basil became a civil one as they admitted Basil''s skills and his superiority over them. Therefore, they weren''t shy to admit they put their bet on Basil in this tournament.
When Danzel had got down from the carriage, Basil finally showed himself from inside the carriage. Then, he got down from the carriage and observed his surrounding calmly. Everyone was showing off their might by releasing their pressure.
He was very familiar of this scene. He had stepped his foot to many tournaments in his past life too after all. He was assaulted with a sense of nostalgia. Smirking slightly to himself, he released his own pressure.
!!!
Every eyes were instantly on him. Even though it wasn''t his full pressure, everyone could still feel the prick from their Mana Sense. ke sighed helplessly to himself. He had intended to keep Basil as a surprise, however he wasn''t able to do that anymore.
Truly, Basil didn''t do that for showing off. He didn''t care about that. People would naturally find out his power. There was no need to show off.
"Haha! Finally, a good youngling!"
This was his aim.
Everyone was startled by the voice and turned their heads at the speaker. They were puzzled at first, however realization quickly dawned upon them when they saw the speaker''s attire. She was a member of Randalvine Magic Institute''s Student Committee.
There, stood a woman with long silky purple hair. She had small luscious lips, sharp nose, and beautiful sharp red eyes. She was tall for a woman as she stood at the height of 178 centimeters. Her figure was also every woman''s dream.
Basil knew her very well. She had been his light in his past life. She had been his mentor. She had given her heart to rece his defective heart. She had been the reason he could be a Mage and a Knight at the same time in the past. She was Iliana.
Iliana sent her gaze at Basil and their gaze met. Eyes are the most expressive part of oneself. At the moment Basil''s eyes met hers, myriads of emotion were reflected on them. For a very brief moment, Basil''s eyes became the orbs of emotion.
Chapter 64 Epilogue: Reunion
Time seemed to flow slowly for Basil and Iliana. However, in reality, time flowed normally. The amount of emotion conveyed by Basil''s eyes in that brief moment was enough to overwhelm Iliana.
However, just like seasons, it leaves as fast as ites. Basil''s gaze calmed down. The previous emotion he had showed in his eyes were gone as if it had never been there in the very first ce.
Iliana who had been entranced by Basil''s eyes instantly regained herself back. She recoiled in surprise in the next moment, as she realized she had been dazzled by a stranger. What made it even stranger was that she didn''t feel any repulsion toward it.
It felt like she had been reunited with an old friend, which was very strange considering her age. She frowned her forehead lightly. The stranger was still looking at her, but the gaze was different than before. She was about to call the stranger, when he turned his head away from her.
Tick!
She was irritated. How dare he to look away from her?! Still, she couldn''t cause a scene. Her promotion to the next seat of the Head of Committee was close. If she were to cause a scene, she could kiss her promotion a goodbye.
"Hmph!" She snorted. With hands on her hips, she looked at the crowd gantly, "Registration will be opened in the next five minutes. We hope the participants could register themselves on time!"
The surrounding people had their ears and eyes on her. They nodded their heads as a sign of agreement. She nodded her head in satisfaction at the reaction the people gave.
Unconsciously, her eyes searched for the stranger she had seen earlier. When her eyesnded upon him, her face contorted briefly. The stranger was busy talking to the people around him. He didn''t even bat an eysh at her words.
How dare he to ignore thisdy?!
Surely, the monologue was done in her head. She had promised to not cause a scene, and she was determined to really do that. Therefore, she let the matter slide. Turning her back on the people, she left the scene valiantly.
"Woww... She is so beautiful.. and strong! Look at her posture!"
"Who is she? I wonder..."
"Uh.. am I the only one who thinks she is a bit... entric?"
Julia, rissa, and Shirley said their opinions respectively. They were admiring Iliana who had just left the scene. Even without a keen sense, Iliana''s sheer presence was enough to overwhelm people. Therefore, the girls were amazed.
It was rare to see an outstanding female Mage after all. Julia became even more excited on her quest to be the strongest female Mage. In the other hand, rissa was sincerely admiring Iliana as she couldn''t be like her. Shirley was the only one who saw Iliana''s rather ''unique'' behavior.
Shirley nced at Basil. The way Iliana carried herself, her presence, her speech, all of them reminded rissa of him. The resemnce was fairly apparent that it was uncanny.
Surely, that was how far they resembled. There were still some differences between them. Still, it was quite a peculiar experience for her.
"Were you thinking about something, Shirley?"
"Oh, nothing, Irene."
Irene nodded her head at Shirley who had managed to get out of her trance. She nced at Shirley once again, then shook her head in the next second. Her Young Mistress had grown.
She had served Shirley as her Young Mistress for years. All of those years, she had seen her Young Mistress'' rather slow mind development. However, just by being close to her Young Master, her Young Mistress matured faster than she had ever expected.
A few months ago, when her Young Master had dered herself as his mother, Shirley had quickly told her to stop calling her Young Mistress. She had denied Shirley at first, however the reasoning really struck to her core.
¡ªI agree with Brother to call you Mother, as you are more of a Mother than our mother. If Brother calls you Mother, then I am your daughter too. No mother calls her daughter that way.
Since that day, she called her Young Mistress with her name as what her Young Mistress had wished. Sadly, Shirley wasn''t yet aware that she wasn''t blood rted with Basil. However, Irene was touched by her words. Therefore, she had obeyed.
ke threw his gaze at the entrance, then at Basil. He said, "Basil, the gate has been opened and it''s time to register." Basil nodded his head in confirmation and responded, "Very well."
"Are you really sure you are going to take the Solo Category?"
"I am."
"I am not forcing you to impress those guys from the capital. By participating in this tournament alone is enough for me. Therefore, you don''t have to push yourself."
ke looked at Basil in slight worry. Basil merely smiled faintly at him. He was sure if Chester could have arrived there on time, the two of them would be fussing over him. Although it was quite annoying for the ''experienced'' him, he still appreciated ke''s care over him.
"Worry not. I always know what I am doing."
"Very well... Chester will being in an hour. Therefore, you have to do your best, so he could see you on the match."
ke looked at Basil heatedly. His expression was free from worry. Since Basil had decided that to challenge himself, he would support Basil as much as he could. Thus, the encouragement.
Basil smirked faintly and nodded his head.
"The registration is open! We wish the participants to line up and register themselves!"
This time, the announcer was a young man with sses. Judging by his appearance, he must be in his early twenties. The people from the surrounding nodded their heads as a response. With a determined expression, they moved their feet toward the entrance to line up.
"I wish you for absolute win, Brother!
"Senior, wipe the arena with your opponents!"
"Good luck with the match, Brother!"
Before Basil lined himself up, Shirley, Julia, and rissa respectively wished him luck. Basil nodded his head faintly and patted each of their heads. None of them was surprised as Basil had done that to them many times. They enjoyed it instead.
"I believe you can take the world by storm. Therefore, I am sure it will be an easy ride for you. Right?" Danzel looked at Basil with the same heat ke had showed him. Basil chuckled a little before saying, "No doubt, pops."
Danzel nodded passionately and patted Basil''s shoulder in pride. Danzel retreated himself as his turn to say his encouragement was done. Irene stepped forward. This time, no words were exchanged.
They merely looked into each other''s eyes before settling with a hug. Irene''s feelings were perfectly conveyed to Basil. His heart warmed. Over the past months, his frozen solid heart regained its warmth little by little. It was thanks to Irene and the people who cared for him.
Letting go of his hug, Basil looked at his family once again. He thanked in his heart that he could enjoy this kind of priceless luxury in his second chance of life. His past life had been miserable. He had no one to trust or anyone to care. Therefore, he hadn''t been that bitter over his death.
However, now was different. He had his family, the people he could trust, and the people he cared. He needed to be far stronger to protect them better. He needed to be invincible to protect his one and only life.
Second chance maye, but third chance is stretching it.
He had died once, therefore he would make sure there would be no second death. The world had been in peace for the eight months since he had returned to the past.
However, he knew it was temporary. That peace would be shattered in no time as he had changed many things this time.
''Guide, how much time left untill the Obelisk of Goap''s outbreak?''
[Ding!]
[Answering the Host''s ignorance....]
[Rough calction of the time left untill the Obelisk of Goap''s outbreak: 6 months, 16 days, 7 hours, and 23 seconds]
''What is the probability of timeline change this time?''
[Up to 97%]
Basil stopped his questions. He had changed so many things ever since he had returned to the past. His soul''s possession over his body, his rise of power, the people he had met earlier than he should, all of them were enough to disturb the timeline.
This time, he had triggered an event that shouldn''t have happened for the next three years to happen in six months. And worse, the time would be shortened yet again today.
Taking a deep breath, he touched the middle of his forehead with his index finger and middle finger.
I am the strongest, for I never tremble in the face of crisis.
He chanted in his heart. He put his fingers away from his forehead, before smiling softly at the people he aimed to protect. Turning his back in the next moment, he moved his feet toward the entrance.
"Cmity, it is our reunion." He muttered to himself.
...
[Cobham Manor, Cobham Viscountcy]
A man with a blonde hair and a handsome moustache was working on his desk. He was still in his mid thirties, however the distress he felt made him look older.
Scratch. Scratch. Scratch.
Quickly scribbling on his papers, his focus was solely on the paper. He didn''t pay any attention to anything. Not even the shadow that weirdly grew closer to him ¡ª
Boom!
¡ª or maybe not.
The ce where the shadow had slowly approached him was scorched. The man stood from his seat and looked at the scorch floor coldly.
"A mere Assassin dare to target this me? Ludicrous!"
The man was about to swipe the room clean with his Magic when he felt something cold on his neck. His eyes widened and his pupils shrunk. Cold sweat started to pour down his forehead.
"I would never lower my guard in the vicinity of an Assassin if I were you, silly."
A yful yet cold voice was reverberating in his ears. He couldn''t do anything as the Assassin had perfectly gotten him. Gulping his saliva once, the man dared himself to speak.
"What do you want? Who sent you? How much were you paid? I can¡ª!"
"Shush. I need not any of them, Mr. Nichs. Per my Master''s order, I am here to deliver you something. Ku-ku-ku!"
The man who was revealed to be Nichs got his breath hitched. Theughter he heard from the Assassin chilled his spine badly. Slowly nodding his head, he said toward the Assassin, "Very well. Show me the mail."
"Ku-ku-ku. Not so fast. I will seal your Magic Circles first."
"What did you¡ª Kuhak!"
A painful groan was heard from Nichs as the Assassin had smashed his chest with something earlier. Kneeling on the ground, Nichs grabbed his chest to ease the burning pain in his chest.
"Ahh! What.. did you do.. to me?!"
"Rx. Stop using your Mana, and the pain will be gone."
As he was left no choice, Nichs followed the Assassin''s advice. True to his words, the pain really stopped when Nichs stopped the flow of Mana to his Magic Circles.
"Now, let''s do the business civilly. Here''s the mail, and I want you to look at the content VERY carefully. Ah, don''t worry about the seal, it will vanish in three hours!"
"Very well..."
Contrary to the cheerful Assassin, Nichs could only respond in grimace. He took the envelope from the Assassin and slowly peered inside the content. He could only find a cheap looking Spatial Ring inside.
Looking at the Assassin in confusion, he was about to ask what did it mean, when the Assassin quickly said, "Just drop a tiny bit of your blood on it, and boom! An amazing thing would happen!"
Nodding his head at the weird Assassin''s instructions, he did what he was told.
Drip.
Nothing happened for a quite some time. However, not long after, the ring started to glow before two things came out of it.
"Photograph Talisman and Visual Orb?"
"Congrattions! You are correct!" The Assassin quipped in a sickeningly bright voice before it turned into a deadpan, "Everybody knows of that crap. Just see the content!"
Nichs quickly nodded his head as he was afraid he would lose his head in the next moment. Quickly taking the Photograph Talisman in his hands, he looked at the content inside.
He recoiled in surprise as the photograph he saw inside belonged to his wife, Catherine. An uneasy feeling was budding in his heart. Still, he continued.
The more he checked into the content, the uglier his expression became. The more he looked at the photographs, the colder his eyes became. Tossing away the Photograph Talisman, he took the Visual Orb.
Inside it was a recorded scene, a moving imageplete with the sound, of his wife. His previously freezing cold eyes, lose their coldness. His eyes were empty as he gazed at the Assassin.
"Thank you for the delivery."
"Nope. Don''t mind! I''m getting paid after all."
Nichs nodded his head faintly. Grasping the Visual Orb tightly in his hand, his forcefully suppressed emotion was poured into it.
Crack!
The Visual Orb cracked before it shattered into pieces. The Assassin whistled in amazement. He had sealed Nichs'' Magic Circles earlier, therefore Nichs had been using his natural strength since then.
For a Mage to have that kind of strength was certainly impressive.
"Haha! Now that my job is done, it''s time to leave. Adi¨®s!"
Just like that, the Assassin was gone. He didn''t make any sound. He didn''t disturb the surrounding air. He just disappeared. It was something to marvel at, however Nichs'' attention wasn''t on that.
He was looking at the ceiling with his scary empty eyes. His mouth trembled, before a maniacalugh emerged from it.
"Kuhaha.. kuhahaha... KUHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! Good.. good. Ku-ku-ku... So, the world is finally going gainst me, huh?!"
Clenching his fist tight, Nichs gazed at the void heatedly.
"I have been holding myself back from acting irrationally. Now, I have had enough. Absurd things have happened to me, and acting irrationally is not different than acting rationally."
He was reminded of the things he had seen earlier. He had never expected nor had he imagined that kind of thing would happen to him. However, just like he had said, absurd things did happen to him.
Laughing maniacally once again, he grinned savagely, "HAHAHAHAHA! Very well... I will do it my way. It''s been a long time since that day. But, I meet you once again. Betrayal, it''s our reunion!"
Chapter 65 Basil Pacifer
Regional Tournament was held to decide the best young Mage among the existing Counties. In actuality however, it was the Capital''s way to pick the best ''seeds'' to be nurtured there.
There were 84 Baronies, 58 Viscountcies, 32 Counties, 18 Marches, and 6 Duchies in the entire Braxtein Kingdom. It might sound many, but in truth, most of the lower status Nobles gave the authority over their territories to the higher status Nobles.
Therefore, to easily sum it all, Braxtein Kingdom was divided into six parts. Although that being said, the higher status Nobles also had an obligation to ensure the safety of the lower Nobles'' territories.
In return, some of the ie of the lower status Nobles'' territories would be paid to the higher status Nobles. It was counted as paying tribute. With that policy, the political strife among Marquesses and Dukes was intense. It was the reason why most of Magic Academies were built in Counties.
It was to avoid the political strife of the Nobles. Most Mages normally wouldn''t care about worldly matters such as political strife. However, the story was different when another powerful Mages were involved in the matter.
Due to howplicated the matter could be, it was better to avoid it at all cost. Surely, those powerful Noble Mages still had a way to pull yet to be powerful Mages to their sides. It was the hidden purpose of the Regional Tournament.
"Next!"
The registrationmittee shouted to the lining people so they could register themselves. The next person readied himself to step forward, however he was cut by someone.
"Hey! It''s my turn. What are you doing?!"
"..."
"This prick! Hey, don''t you...!"
The young man who had just shouted for his cut line froze in the middle of his words. His mouth went dry when he looked into the eyes of the one who had cut his line.
"If you think thepetition starts when the tournament starts, you are wrong. Life itself is apetition. Wepete for everything."
The person who had cut the line turned his back and looked at the registrationmittee. He paid no mind to the silenced young man whose line he had cut.
"Your name and category, please?"
"Basil Pacifer, Solo."
"Pacifer...?"
The registrationmittee looked at the bewitchingly handsome young man in front of him. He was quite puzzled at hisst name. He had never heard of a Noble House named Pacifer after all. Still, he shrugged his shoulders after that.
Many people be a Noble each day.
With that thought in mind, the registrationmittee wrote down Basil''s name and category on a Runic Board, then captured his picture with a Photograph Talisman.
"You may wait in the waiting room until the tournament starts. Alright, next!"
Themittee shouted once again, and the young man whose line Basil had just cut quickly stepped forward. He didn''t want the same thing happened to him. His eyes were nted firmly on Basil''s back.
Basil didn''t even nce behind once. He had no remorse for cutting twenty people''s lines who were clearly younger than him in terms of mental age. Like he had just said, life is apetition. There is no need to look for something to step on. As long as there is a ground, you have something to step on.
To reach the peak, one should not feel remorse for stepping over someone. Competition is all about winning. Once you lose, you will lose for the second time and so on. To seed, one has to be always a winner!
Upon entering the waiting room, Basil was assaulted by the Mana Pressure belonging to the people inside. He wasn''t surprised, nor did he falter in his step.
''At least, these kids know how topete.''
Basil smirked faintly as he looked at the surrounding people. While most of them were surprised at Basil''sck of reaction, some of them had their eyes glinted iprehensibly. A nce was all he needed to know how many talented people in the room.
From the 96 participating academies representing 32 Counties, and over 640 participants, Basil had only found 12 people that could catch his eyes. Surely, the people in the room weren''t everyone yet. Therefore, there would still be another people that could potentially catch his eyes.
Moving his feet toward the best spot, in the corner, he sat himself on a bench and stared at the vast arena ahead of him. Nostalgia washed over him. In his past life, he wouldn''t havee here until three yearster.
Being able to participate in the Regional Tournament after only eight months since returning showed how many things he had changed. Sighing lightly to himself, he was reminded with the change he might have caused to the future.
There woulde a time where his future knowledge would be useless due to the change he had caused. Still, it didn''t matter. It would be just another challenge he had to aplish. There was no need to stress over it.
"Yo, Brother! May I sit beside you?"
"Hm?"
Basil quirked one of his eyebrows lightly when a voice interrupted his nostalgia. He turned his head to the side to look at who the voice belonged to. He was met with a short ck haired young man with an androgynous face.
A feeling of camaraderie was instantly budding in his heart. With that considerably beautiful nted eyes of his, Basil could somehow guess how much he had been bothered by the people from both genders.
Without saying anything, Basil nodded his head. The stranger''s eyes lit up and sat himself beside Basil. He hummed a cheery tone while looking at the same direction as Basil, the vast arena.
"You are like me, Brother."
Suddenly, the stranger said offhandedly. Basil quirked an eyebrow at that, and merely nodded his head with a hum.
"Hm."
"Right! You must have been bothered a lot due to how handsome you are."
"Hm."
"Oh! How about an introduction?"
This time, Basil turned his head at the stranger. He could see the stranger''s eyes lit up like a girl. It weirdly suited him. Sighing lightly to himself, Basil nodded his head faintly.
"Very well."
"Oh! Then, I am going first! My name is Wei Xiu Li, nice to meet you!"
|I am Basil Pacifer, nice to meet you too.|
Xiu Li was surprised at Basil''s introduction. After all, Basil hadn''t introduced himself with a Western dialect. Basil had introduced himself in Hua dialect, his dialect!
|Wow! You speak Hua dialect?!|
|I do.|
"Sugoi!"
This time, Basil looked at Xiu Li rather strangely. He had just spoken in Eastern dialect after all.
"I did not know people of Hua speak Eastern dialect too."
"We do! All of us are from the East. Therefore, we also speak in Eastern dialect to understand each other better."
"I see. I have just figured it out now, pardon me."
"Haha! No stretch, Brother! It is normal to think that way as the East is mostly governed by the people of Hon. Therefore, most of the people think Hon dialect is the Eastern dialect."
"So, do you mean there is also another dialects in the East other than Hua dialect and Hon dialect?"
"Exactly!"
Basil nodded his head in appreciation. He didn''t go to the East until histe thirties in his past life. At that time, the situation in the East had been everything but peace. Obelisk outbreaks, economy crisis, tyranny, and civil wars filled the East.
The once united countries of East, had separated themselves. It had been to the point where everyone hated each others. Therefore, Basil didn''t know that people of Hua also spoke Hon dialect.
After all, in the past, any people of Hua who spoke Hon dialect would be executed by the government.
"Why did youe to the West if I may know?"
"I am an exchanged student from the country of Hua!"
Again, Basil was slightly surprised. "I didn''t know the country of Hua trained Mages." Xiu Li once again eximed in enthusiasm, "We do, Brother. I am the first Mage of the country of Hua!"
Basil smiled faintly. Xiu Li must be a prodigy in Magic Principal, but really bad at Daoism. People like him who were bad at Daoism couldn''t really prosper in the East. Sad but true, Xiu Li must have been not well epted in the East.
''Huuh... He is just like me.''
Basil formed a bitter smile inwardly. He had never believed in fate even once. However this time, he was met with a coincidence that was close to a fated encounter. Shaking his head to clear the absurd thought, he opened his mouth.
|How old are you, Xiu Li?|
|Oh! I will be 16 in 3 months.|
Basil had already known Xiu Li''s age by judging from his posture and bone density. However, he had still asked to see how much trust Xiu Li had toward him. Just as he had expected, Xiu Li had entirely trusted him.
''Naive.''
Basil was sure Xiu Li didn''t even know he was banished from his country rather than being an exchange student. There was no Mage learning Daoism in the East and vice versa.
|You are quite young. How many Magic Circles do you have?|
|I have three! One of them is¡ª|
"Hah! Look at this Easterner speaking like an alien in front of us!"
Xiu Li recoiled in surprise due to the unexpected interruption. He turned his head away from Basil and looked at the owner of the voice. He was met with a blond haired young man looking at him condescendingly.
"Oh, I am sorry if I have bothered you, Brother." Xiu Li bowed his head toward the blonde and apologized sincerely. Then, he raised his head and said, "It won''t happen next time, I assure you!"
"Quit yapping! Just return to your homnd if you want to speak that aliennguage."
"Brother, it is called Hua dialect not¡ª"
"This pretty boy dared to talk back to me?! Insolent!"
The blonde lost his patient. Xiu Li''s cheerful but polite tone seemed to irritate him. Without thinking much, he swung his fist at the bbergasted Xiu Li.
Bam!
Xiu Li had closed his eyes as he knew he wouldn''t be able to do anything but take the hit. He would be deported if he were to fight back. He didn''t want that to happen! He was expecting the pain toe, however it didn''t.
Surprised, Xiu Li opened his eyes.
"You... What are you.. doing?!"
He was met with the scene of Basil holding the blonde''s fist with his index finger. Xiu Li''s eyes lit up in awe at the disy. He couldn''t stop his mouth from gaping. He felt like he was looking at his Senior Brother.
Basil didn''t use any Mana but still able to block that fist after all. Just like his Senior Brother!
"If you want to speak like a Westerner, you should go back to Ex."
It was the only response Basil gave to the blonde who was gritting his teeth. The blonde had wisely stayed silent as he knew what Basil meant. Ex was the region where Exon dialect that was used by Westerner came from.
Anyone who had learned history would know about it. However, Basil didn''t merely spew fact at the blonde. It was also a jab as everyone knew Ex was no longer habitable due to the monsters fluctuating the region.
"You! Aren''t you a Westerner?!"
"Who knows? I might change my nationality after this as I am disgusted to have the same nationality with a brain dead person like you."
"This...!"
The blonde who had retracted his hand couldn''t take it anymore as he tried to swing his fist at Basil. The keyword is tried. He didn''t manage to do that as Basil swiftly stood from his seat and lifted the blonde by grasping his throat.
"Brother Basil, violence is not good!"
Basil merely gave Xiu Li and the surrounding people a brief nce. Except Xiu Li, the others were ready to go for his throat. Basil merely smirked at that.
[Ding-dong!]
[Attention: Registration isplete!]
Suddenly, a transmission of a woman''s voice was reverberated through the whole waiting room. The people''s attention went from Basil to the voice. All of them hadn''t expected that to happen.
[The Selection Stage will be started soon. Please do mind the rules before you start.]
[Rule number one: to pass the Selection Stage, the participants have to at least take down another five participants.]
[Rule number two: the amount of participant tags will be regarded as the count of the people the participants have taken down.]
[Rule number three: any ways are allowed to take another participant tags, you can also forfeit your participant tag willingly.]
[Rule number four: themittee will not be responsible for any death that urs in the process.]
Silence descended upon the room. They looked at each other''s face. The rules they had just heard was enough to make them assume an absurd expression. They had thought they could fight in the arena with another participants directly.
It seemed they were wrong. They had to be qualified to be able to fight in the arena. With determination, they readied themselves to go for each other''s participant tags.
"Agghhh! Kuhuk... Let me.. go. You pri¡ª"
Crack!
A sound of someone''s neck breaking could be heard throughout the room. All of them whipped their heads at Basil instantly. Cold water washed over them as reality was presented before them.
¡ªThemittee will not be responsible for any death that urs in the process.
Basil smirked, and the others shivered.
Let the carnage begin!
Chapter 66 Basil Pacifer (2)
p Thud!
Basil dropped the lifeless body of the blonde whose name he didn''t know to the ground. Fiddling with the blonde''s participant tag for a while, he kept it in the next moment. He swiped his gaze to the surrounding people, and most of them shrunk back in fear.
Xiu Li was gaping his mouth. His nted eyes widened to the point it made his eyes looked normal. He hadn''t expected Basil would kill someone in a heartbeat. He knew it wasn''t breaking the rule. But still, he was baffled with Basil''s decisiveness.
"Brother Basil..." Xiu Li tried to reach out to Basil, however Basil had already turned his head at him even before he finished his words. "Struggle, survive, and ovee." It was the start of the chaos in the room.
"Bang!"
A young man with magenta hair shouted yfully while pointing his index finger at someone''s head. His index finger glowed briefly, before the head his index finger was pointing to was blown to pieces.
Ssh!
"Holy crap!"
"What the heck is happening?!"
"Darn! Is killing allowed?!"
Everyone turned frantic as the situation was escting too quickly. While most of them tried to scurry away from the crowd to avoid losing their lives, some of them were actively reaping souls here and there.
"These psychopathic bastards! Don''t they know how to not kill?!"
A red haired young man shouted indignantly at the people who were trying to cut his head. Still, even though he was saying that, he was doing the same to his assants.
"This.. this is not right. There will be many people die this way!"
"You''re right and you''ll be one of them!"
Xiu Li who had just shouted in frustration had to dodge to avoid getting cut by a sword. The person who had swung down his sword clicked his tongue before casting a [Reinforcement] on himself.
"Battle Mage!"
Xiu Li eximed in surprise. He quickly distanced himself from the Battle Mage as he knew he would be doomed if he was too close with him.
Boom!
Both Mages disyed their Magic Circles. All of them had three Magic Circles. When the Battle Mage looked at Xiu Li''s Magic Circles, he had to do a double take.
"A Grand Circle! There''s such a monster participating in this tournament?!"
The Battle Mage clicked his tongue in irritation. Luckily, Xiu Li had only one Grand Circle. Therefore, the gap in power between them wouldn''t be that much as the Battle Mage had three Major Circles.
At least, that was what he thought.
Boom!
"Tsk! He''s got some skills!"
Knowing that he was attacked, Xiu Li didn''t stay idle. While the Battle Mage was pondering over the best way to defeat him, Xiu Li initiated the first attack. A barrage of [Wind Bullet] was sent toward the Battle Mage.
He had no choice but to dodge the attack quickly. He was showcasing his skill as a Battle Mage in that moment. If not for the Magic Circles floating behind him, people would take him as a Knight instead.
It was the advantage of a Battle Mage. On top of being able to use Magic, they could show might that no ordinary Mage could disy. They could fight in long distance and close distance. However, they were by no means invincible.
The only absolute thing Battle Mage was good at was running away. They were the weaker version of Mage and the iplete version of Knight. Luckily, they didn''t have to be afraid of Knight in a close distance fight or Mage in a long distance fight.
When things got too much for them, they could just run away. Surely, it was the case when the gap of power wasn''t too big.
"Crap! This guy, does he have an unlimited Mana Supply?!"
The Battle Mage who was fighting with Xiu Li eximed in frustration. He couldn''t close the distance between them. In result, all he could do was dodging the attacks pouring down on him.
"Ah! Darn it! I have no choice! [Enhancement Art: Boiling Rage]!"
The Battle Mage''s body temperature rose continuously. His body started to let out steam and his skin turned redder in each second. His heart beat so fast it was unimaginable for it not to explode.
[Enhancement Art: Boiling Rage] was an Art that was derived from one of the Knight [Lesser Technique: Burning Heart]. It was an Art where the user forced their heart to beat faster while infusing it with Mana.
In result, their blood would flow faster than it should be, causing their blood vein to expand and their skin to redden. Due to that, their physical ability would increase dramatically. However, due to their high body temperature, they couldn''t think straight.
Therefore, they tend to lose control over their body. To sum it all, it was an iplete technique that had too many parts to be improved before being usable. It was the reason why the Battle Mage had been reluctant to use it at first.
"Grrr... I can''t think straight..."
Although he could feel his power had increased, the side effect had started to take effect.
"Have to end it quick...!"
Swish!
The Battle Mage swung his magic sword forward. Due to the power the swing possessed, it parted the air and produced a condensed Mana out of it.
Xiu Li who was on the receiving end encased his body with an [Earthen Sphere]. To further the defense, he even infused his Mana to the sphere protecting him.
Boom!
Roar!
The Battle Mage didn''t stay idle, he dashed toward the [Earthen Sphere] that was protecting his enemy. It was the purpose of his attack, to stagnate his enemy. Upon arriving in front of the sphere, he infused his Mana and swung down his sword.
Boom!
The sphere exploded as a blinding light from the sword encapsted it. In the middle of this happening, a person was thrown out of the sphere like a bullet. It was none other than Xiu Li.
Surely, it was his attempt to distance himself from the Battle Mage. It had been nned all along.
Skid!
Xiu Li stopped hisunch by nting his Mana infused feet to the ground. It took a couple of seconds for him to really stop. Once he stopped, he looked at his rabid assant. The Battle Mage was giving him the most savage look he could see on a person.
"He''s damaging his entire body. He will die if he keeps activating his Art."
Xiu Li mumbled under his breath. Exhaling deeply, he looked at the Battle Mage once again. He was determined to stop the Battle Mage. He didn''t want the Battle Mage to die uselessly.
"[Master Of The Land]!"
A spell was chanted and the ground in the vicinity of the rabid Battle Mage turned into soft soil. [Master Of The Land] was a spell that allowed the user to control thend on their whim for a short range.
It was the highest Earth Element Spell a Third-Circle Mage could use. It easily proved that Xiu Li was indeed a prodigy.
"Rise!"
True to hismand, the ground surged upward. The Battle Mage was quickly trapped in the earth, hindering his movements. Surely, the Battle Mage was trying his best to get out of the earthen trap.
Roar!
"You have to stop! You will die if you don''t!"
sping his hand, Xiu Li tried his best to suppress the Battle Mage. The amount of Mana he was using was tremendous and it started to burden him. At this rate, he might exhaust his entire Mana.
"Ckckck. What an unsightly scene to look at."
On the other side, the magenta haired young man who had started the chaos earlier clicked his tongue inmentation. He was observing the fight of Xiu Li and the rabid Battle Mage from afar. No one dared to go for him as he had blown too many people''s heads.
"Very well. Let this I, Belen Kingsbury, to end this unsightly scene." Pointing his index finger at Xiu Li, he raised his thumb before making a motion as if he was pulling a trigger. "Bang!" He uttered softly.
Boom!
"Hm?"
The expected head explosion didn''t ur. Belen frowned his handsome face. He scrutinized the person who had just made his attack failed, then clicked his tongue in irritation.
"You are Basil, aren''t you?"
"..."
"Tch! Not answering, huh? Fine with me. Now, scram! Don''t disturb my.. fun...?"
Belen instantly turned silent. He couldn''t speak anymore. He felt a touch of a cold steel on his neck and he knew whom the weapon belonged to. Looking at Basil with widened eyes, he opened his trembling mouth.
"Y-you.. a Mentalist?"
"Why do you think so?"
"Are you doubting my intelligence?! You can use [Telekinesis]. Of course, you''re a Mentalist!"
In response to Belen''s indignation, Basil merely snorted softly. He nced at the fighting Xiu Li from the corner of his eyes, then returned his eyes back at Belen.
"How many tags have you gotten?"
"If you want to take it, you can. I have seven of them."
Basil shook his head lightly before saying, "Why did you kill that many?" He knew Belen didn''t attain those tags peacefully. "Do you think it was unnecessary? Ridiculous!" Belenughed before saying, "I am weeding out the weak, so the tournament will be more fun."
Basil hummed quietly to himself at the answer. Looking around him, he could see many of the participants forfeited their participant tags willingly to another participants. Still, there were still some people with a few screw loose in their heads killing the participants indiscriminately.
It caused the participants to fight back or forcing their way to the exit door. Surely, thetter was useless as the door was sealed with a powerful Magic that Basil''s almighty [Heaven Piercer] couldn''t even pierce.
Of course, it was the case for now. Basil''s power wasn''t even sufficient enough to use it properly. He had to be at least a Seventh-Circle Mage to be able to use it properly.
"Bloody hell! What is happening? I have amassed five of the participants tags, but I still can''t get outside?!"
"Hahaha! Fool! The object is not to amass those stupid tags. It is to survive!"
"What are you¡ª!"
The young man who had amassed five tags couldn''t continue his words as the speaker, who had replied him, sent him an attack.
Boom!
"Ahhh!!!"
Fire engulfed him, entrapping him in the middle of a firestorm. The assant cackled in delight at the scene before proceeding to hunt for another people.
"Heh... It seems the tournament will be as interesting as I have wanted."
Basil looked at Belen who had just spoken. He recalled the rules themittee had announced at the start of the Selection Stage.
¡ªThemittee will not be responsible for any deaths ur in the process.
It was intended to trigger people like Belen, who had no qualms about killing and loved doing it. Basil also had no qualms about killing, however he didn''t have any obsession over it. He only killed when it was necessary.
"Hey, will you be okay standing here watching over me? Although, as that person has said earlier, the goal of this stage is to survive, you have to collect the other participant tags, no?"
"I have one."
"Just one? Pfft! You won''t pass that way."
In response to this, Basil merely looked sideways, at the people who were killing the others in eagerness. Extending his right hand over them, he spread his five fingers apart. Then, it glowed briefly, before the light was sent right to the unfortunate five people.
Ssh!
Five people''s heads exploded just like that.
"If I can have one, I can have more." Basil said to no one in particr.
The people who had been attacked by thete five people looked at the scene in horror. Brain mush and blood alike covered their heads. They looked at their saviour, however their heart was filled with fear rather than gratefulness.
"Bring me the tags over."
Nodding dumbly at Basil, the four people who had been attacked by the five people Basil had just killed brought the participant tags the five dead people had umted to Basil. Basil took the tags presented to him and counted it quickly.
Tossing four of the tags to the four people he had identally saved, he said, "Do your best to survive." The four people nodded weekly before scurrying away far from him.
Basil didn''t give the five people even a single nce. He turned his head and was met with the gaping mouth of Belen. He smirked faintly yet condescendingly.
"H-h-how?! My Art! H-how?!"
"Child tricks."
"W-whatt?!"
Belen was befuddled, enraged, and awed by Basil''s showcase of power. He had thought his Art solely belonged to him, and no one could ever imitate it. However, he was wrong! He was met with a reality he couldn''t easily ept.
Someone, a stranger that he had only known his name, could use HIS Art even BETTER than himself! How could he take it easily? His mind was in a state of denial and he couldn''t think straight.
Basil ignored Belen whose mind he had just unintentionally disturbed. He observed his surrounding and could say the chaos was closing to an end. As he had expected, most of the survivors were Third-Circle Mages.
There was a reason why he had called them ''survivor'' instead of participants. He was referring to the people who had lost their participant tags, but still managed to survive. Most of them were Third-Circle Mages.
In the other hand, all of the participants who would advance to the next stage were Third-Circle Mages.
"Surrender! Give me your tags, and I will let you go!"
Xiu Li''s fight hadn''t ended yet. He was currently suppressing the Battle Mage he had been fighting since the start who was currently bloodied from head to toe. The Battle Mage looked at Xiu Li condescendingly.
"Kill me."
"I won''t. I won''t resort to killing as long as it can be done peacefully!"
"Stupid bastard..." The Battle Mage sighed before saying, "Alright, you win. Loosen the restrain of my hand and I will give you my participant tag." Xiu Li''s eyes brightened, before he nodded his head cheerfully, "Very well."
Xiu Li did what he was told. Sadly, the Battle Mage didn''t do what he had said. Instead of throwing his participant tag to Xiu Li, he threw a dagger at him instead.
!!!
Xiu Li who was seeing the attack, acted reflexively this time. Swiping his hand horizontally, the ground below him spiked upward to block the dagger. However, it didn''t stop there as the spike also skewered the Battle Mage on the ground.
"Kuaaakk! Kuhuk...!"
Gurgle.
By the time Xiu Li realized what he had done, the Battle Mage he had unintentionally skewered had lost his life. Blood was pouring down from the body parts where his spikes had punctured. Xiu Li gulped dryly. He was mortified.
ck!
The participant tag of the Battle Mage he had killed fell to the ground, producing a sound in the weirdly silent room. However, he wasn''t ted at all.
[Ding-dong!]
[The selection stage is over! Congrattions, for the survivors! Those who fulfill the qualification will be able topete in the arena. Please, move to the door and let themittee check your qualification.]
Thus, the Selection Stage was over. The tournament could finally start.
Chapter 67 Basil Pacifer (End)
Wei Xiu Li, a citizen of Hua, a failure in Daoism, a prodigy in Magic, looked at his hands. They had never been tainted in blood, nor had they forcefully drawn someone''s blood. However, today, was the day they were colored in red. Although it was figuratively, he could almost see the blood covering his hands.
He kept looking at his hands intently as if he could clear the guilt if he did so. He knew, and he was aware it was useless. Therefore, in the next moment, he covered his face with his hand before sighing helplessly.
"I tried so much to save his life though..."
Contrary to anyone''s belief, Xiu Li wasn''t as naive as he showed. He knew how the world worked. He knew how harsh the reality was. He knew it was normal to kill. However, even knowing so, it didn''t mean he had to do just like what others did.
He preferred to do things peacefully. Therefore, he was scolded a lot by his Senior Brother back then at thend of Hua. Xiu Li bent his body down and took the participant tag of thete Battle Mage whose name he didn''t know.
"I failed. Not only in preventing a useless death, but also the tournament."
The minimum requirement for one to pass the Selection Stage was taking five participant tags that belonged to the other participants. Xiu Li failed to do it quite miserably. For someone who was hailed as a prodigy in Magic, he was ashamed of his performance.
"At least you have the conscience to feel ashamed of yourself."
"Brother Basil..."
Xiu Li had least expected Basil woulde to meet him after the Selection Stage. Basil''s eyes at the start of the Selection Stage was forever etched into his mind. Those cold eyes didn''t show any remorse or emotion. He could instantly deduce Basil didn''t think much of the deed he had done.
Therefore, he was quite surprised when Basil reached out to him after the Selection Stage was over. People like Basil tend to dislike people like him after all. He could say it due to his own experience.
"You have survived. Congrattions." Basil''s face was as stoic as ever, however his eyes weren''t as cold as they had been. Xiu Li was taken aback. He was about to open his mouth when Basil extended his hand, "Do better in the tournament."
Xiu Li''s hand unconsciously extended itself and took the things Basil had offered. When he saw what he was given, he quickly widened his eyes before calling, "Brother Basil, I can''t ept.. this..." However, Basil was already gone.
Once again, Xiu Li looked at his hands dumbly. In his hands were his qualification to pass the Selection Stage. Basil had given him four participant tags to him. With the participant tag he had just collected from thete Battle Mage, he had attained the qualification to join the tournament.
¡ªDo better in the tournament.
Xiu Li was reminded of Basil''s words earlier. He inhaled deeply, before exhaling it slowly. Grasping the participant tags in his hands, he determined himself, "I will pay this debt by fighting you in the final, Brother."
With passionate eyes, he gazed at Basil''s back that was furthering away.
Surely, Basil wasn''t aware of this. He didn''t care much about the tournament if he were to be honest. His action earlier wasn''t intended to motivate Xiu Li. He just thought it would be unfortunate for someone as talented as Xiu Li to lose before the tournament.
Therefore, he had lent Xiu Li a hand. Surely, he didn''t do that without any payback. He did that for his own amusement. He was curious to what extent someone like Xiu Li could push himself. Sometimes, we only need to give people an equal opportunity to produce an unexpected result.
Basil was expecting the unexpected out of Xiu Li. Just like him in the past, he decided to give Xiu Li an opportunity to show his worth.
"Fairfax Stafford. Score: 5. Pass!"
"Harvey Lecter. Score: 5. Pass!"
"Harrison. Score: 5. Pass!"
Each name of the participants who passed the Selection Stage and the amount of participant tags in their hand was announced by themittee. While most of them were Nobles, there were alsomoners among them. It was understandable as Nobles were blessed with better equipments.
"Belen Kingsbury. Score: 7. Pass!"
"Woah!"
"He got 7? That is crazy..."
"Hey, that is the dude who has blown people''s heads."
Gasp of amazement and disbelief resounded through the room. The requirement for the participant tags they had to amass was only 5. However, Belen had sessfully amassed 7 of them. It was quite unbelievable.
Surely, the amazement was short lived as the people saw the face of the person named Belen. Looks of fear and disgust quickly entered their eyes. They remembered the gruesome scene Belen had already created.
"Tsk! I could have taken more than this if I were not hindered."
In the other hand, Belen wasn''t satisfied with his result. He was slightly enraged as he couldn''t show his full might due to Basil''s intervention. Still, he didn''t dwell in his resentment that much. He could settle it in the tournament.
Quickly passing the exit door, Belen entered the Arena.
"Kimberley Bulmer. Score: 7. Pass!"
"Oh! Another one with 7 score."
"Who is it?"
"That girl over there? I don''t recall I have seen her."
Another gasp of admiration resounded through the room. The difference this time was itsted longer. However, the people were confused by the one named Kimberley as they had never seen her before.
The girl who was the center of attention didn''t bat an eysh at the crowd. She merely stepped forward and passed through the exit door. Her beautiful strawberry blonde hair swayed when she walked.
"Ahaha! It''s now my turn! Yo, check my score!"
"Jackson. Score: 9. Pass!"
"Kuhahaha! Look at how amazing I am!"
The people also gasped this time, however not as loud. They knew even without seeing the person''s face who the voice belonged to. They were familiar with the voice. It belonged to one of the people who had a few screw loose in their heads.
This grey haired young man was too dangerous to be approached that people distanced themselves far away from him. He didn''t care about fighting one on one. Once he had seen a gap, he would charge at whoever it was.
Luckily, he had attacked people with participant tags only. He had no interest in killing those who didn''t.
"What the heck is that guy? How can someone like him enter the tournament?"
A red haired young man moved his feet forward before stopping in front of themittee. He had a sturdy build and a tall body that towered over themittee. His gait was nonchnt, however the aura he exuded was the exact opposite. His overall look was suited for a Knight instead of a Mage.
"Can you check mine, sir Committee?"
The red haired young man asked politely before presenting the participant tags he had amassed. The Committee did a quick counts before announcing it with a clear voice.
"Kinsey. Score: 13. Pass!"
"Bloody cow! This guy, is he a monster?"
"Hey.. that guy, wasn''t he the one who butchered those guys over there?"
Everyone turned their heads at the direction that was referred, and the cheer quickly died down. Instead of being awed, they gulped instead. Another one with a few screw loose in their heads had just passed the Selection Stage.
Kinsey had been the one who had protested how the psychopaths had been aiming for his throat when the Selection Stage had been ongoing. However, he had been the one who had acted more like a psychopath.
"Basil Pacifer. Score: 18. Pass!"
The crowd hadn''t recovered from the earlier shock when they were busy with another shock. This time, they couldn''t react properly. When they saw the one named Basil, there was nothing they could feel aside from dread.
Althoughpared to Kinsey Basil was rather tame, the ferociousness he had shown had been iparable to Kinsey. Some unfortunate people had dared to charge at Basil and had been met with their doom.
All of them had themon way to die. They had lost their heads. Compared to Kinsey, this kind of death was considered normal. However, no one could say so if they had seen how Basil had done that.
He didn''t even move a finger to kill his enemy!
This time, a sane person passed the Selection Stage and entered the tournament. However, the danger he could inflict to others was no less if not higher than those psychopathic bastards.
...
When Basil had just passed the Selection Stage, ke was frantic. He was running through the corridor to meet the one who led the Regional Tournament. Once he arrived at the ce he could find the person, he quickly barged into the room.
"Lawson Lansdowne!" He yelled on top of his lungs. The person who was on the receiving end, a grey haired fit elderly man was taken aback. "ke? What are you¡ª?" He couldn''t finish his words as ke interrupted him, "What in the hell is the rule you have just set?!"
At this, Lawson Lansdowne stayed silent. He gazed at ke silently and a staring contest ensued among them. ke was livid. It could be seen by his burning eyes. After some time had past, Lawson sighed to himself.
Fixing his sses with his finger, it glinted briefly. "It is a new policy set by the Magic Institute and has been approved by the King himself," Lawson said calmly.
"Ridiculous! You are encouraging the act of killing among youngsters! We have never done this before."
"Even so, don''t you think they are bound to kill people soon anyway? We are just elerating the progress."
"You..!"
ke wanted to retort, but he couldn''t. The logic was sound. Killing wasn''t umon among Mages. They started doing that since young. ke had been so. He had killed people since he had been 13. Therefore, he couldn''t properly retort.
Surely, ke didn''t n to back down just like that. "Just because old people have experienced it, doesn''t mean the young have to experience it too. They can still show their might even without killing people!"
"ke..." Lawson shook his head, "The older you get, the softer you be. Where is the Blood Demon of The Battlefield has gone?" ke didn''t answer Lawson. He merely looked at Lawson with the same heated eyes.
"Listen, I know how much you value young people due to their ''potential'' as you have always preached. But, it''s time to let them spread their wings. Natural selection always produces good results. Just look at us!"
At response to this, ke just sighed in disappointment while shaking his head. Lifting his head to look at Lawson, he said in a deep voice, "To expect the unexpected, we can give an equal opportunity to everyone."
Lawson clicked his tongue, "Tsk. You and another one of your philosophy. That is a good thought to be honest. However, you have to realize you have just said ''to expect the unexpected''. Failure is also among the ''unexpected''."
''Then, what is your point?'' was left unsaid. Lawson didn''t need to point that out. ke was smart enough to know that. Contrary to his expectation however, ke didn''t back down on this one.
"I have once had the same thought as you. It was all due to my arrogance, thinking that I was always the best. However, one day I realized that all of the things happened to me was just an ''opportunity''. Say, if you weren''t let into the Mage Corps back then, will you still be able to reach the same height as of now?"
This time, Lawson was silenced. A pondering look adorned his wrinkled face. He had been deemed as nothing more than a dead weight in his youth. It had been to the point where the Mage Corps recruitment team had rejected him once, when he had registered himself.
The reason? They had been afraid he would have been nothing more than a dead meat. Luckily, after some persuasion, he had managed to get admitted. Since then, everything had been going up for him. His life had changed, and it had been a good change.
He had thought it was all due to his tenacity to be on top. However, when he had heard ke''s words, he was forced to think once again. Atst, he sighed. While looking at ke, he muttered softly.
"You know how it is. Some hands are controlling this tournament. I can''t say much."
ke could only sigh as he had expected this toe out too. Shaking his head in helplessness, he was about to leave when Lawson called him.
"Why are you leaving so soon. Let''s have a tea. It''s been a year since thest time we met."
"Very well..."
ke just epted the invitation and sat himself down on a sofa. Lawson stood up from his seat and was about to prepare the teamaking set when another interruption happened.
"Excuse me, Vice Headmaster! I have something to report!"
Lawson''s mouth turned into a thin line. He looked at the person who was standing in front of his desk with a helpless gaze. "Iliana... How many times have I told you to announce yourself before entering, and not the other way around?!"
"I am sorry, Sir. As I predicted you had nothing to do as always, I entered the room directly!"
"You predicted? And what''s that with I have nothing to do as always?!"
"It is called a fact, sir!"
"Thisss!"
ke was surprised as he had never seen Lawson so riled up by someone, a girl nheless. It was quite funny to see him that way. When ke looked at the girl, he was reminded with Basil somehow.
"Huuh... What is the report, then?"
"The list of the participants who passed the Selection Stage, Sir!"
"Very well, you can tell me."
"The highest scorer of the Selection Stage is Basil Pacifer, with a score of 18."
Before Lawson could response, ke stood from his seat and looked at Iliana in bafflement. The two people were mildly startled due to his action, however ke didn''t care a little bit. He was thinking about another matter.
Just who is Basil Pacifer?!
Chapter 68 Hands Have The Most Sins
Lawson gazed at ke in curiosity. He was curious why ke gave out such a reaction.
"What happened?"
"Kuhum... Nothing. I was just surprised."
Why though?
Lawson''s face portrayed his exact feeling. However, ke didn''t care about that as he merely turned his head to Iliana who was watching them in mild curiosity.
"It is an honor to meet the Blood Demon Of The Battlefield." Iliana bowed her head when ke''s gazended upon her. As expected, she knew who was ke. "I am Iliana, Sir. Nice to meet you!"
"Ah, yes..." ke was a bit taken aback by Iliana''s soldier like attitude. "Kuhum. If I may know, who is this Basil Pacifer you are referring to?" As the question was rather unexpected, Iliana looked at ke with mild curiosity.
"I believe he is from your Stardust Magic Academy, Sir." At this, the situation became awkward. While Lawson was looking at the exchange between the two, ke was looking at Iliana uncertainly.
"Are you sure he is really Basil Pacifer."
"Yes, sir! ording to the registered name, he is Basil Pacifer."
ke smiled awkwardly and Iliana looked at him in confusion. Surely, Iliana didn''t ask him what happened as she returned her gaze back to Lawson.
"How many participants passed the Selection Stage?" Lawson asked Iliana. "37 participants in Solo Category and 18 teams in Group Category," Iliana answered sternly. Lawson hummed in contemtion. It was less than he had expected.
"How many are the fallen?" Finally, the one million gold question was asked. ke set his eyes on Iliana attentively. He didn''t want to miss how many young people the world had lost in the tournament. "128 people fell in Solo Category, and 30 teams or 150 people fell in Group Category."
ke''s face turned unpleasant. He didn''t like the number he had just heard. Out of the 640 academy students participating in the tournament, 278 of them had lost their lives. It was more than a third of the total participants.
Such an early death was normal in his time. However, back then had been different than now. They didn''t have to risk their lives living in the battlefield anymore. Compared to his time, the current time was peaceful despite the existing dispute.
''Unfortunate, it''s unfortunate,'' ke thought to himself. Dying in a tournament was really wasteful. The flowers wilt even before they bloom.
"Can you list me the five top scorer?"
"Yes, Sir! From the first to the fifth, they are Basil Pacifer, Kinsey, Jackson, Belen Kingsbury, and Kimberley Bulmer."
"There are twomoners in the top five. Unexpected."
Lawson nodded his head in appreciation. Although this tournament cost too many lives, at least the purpose of the Selection Stage was realized. They managed to dig some gold out of the dirt.
Lawson threw his head at ke and bitterly smiled. ke wasn''t amused. His expression didn''t indicate anything. Lawson knew very what ke was thinking. However, he couldn''t do anything about that.
That was just how this world worked. The strong ones had thest say in anything. What could he, a mere Vice Headmaster do? Nothing. He just had to nod his head and proceed to do what he was asked.
He was no longer young. Although he agreed with ke that the rule was a little bit far-fetched, he couldn''t just spit that at the face of his higher ups. He was confident in his power, however a Kingdom chasing his arse would definitely mark his end.
"Is that all the report, Iliana?"
"Actually, there is some feedback from the participants who managed to survive the Selection Stage, but failed in it."
"Oh, feedback? Hit me."
"''The top five scorers are lunatic,'' they said."
This time, ke who had been motionless since then, spoke up.
"What do you mean by lunatic?" Iliana turned at ke and said straightly, "It means the amount of people they killed was enormous. For example, Basil Pacifer has reportedly killed 13 people. However, the participants imed he had killed more."
"..."
ke took a pondering look. He hadn''t expected Basil to be that fierce ¡ª
''Well, he is that Basil after all.''
¡ª or not.
He had seen how Basil trained himself for the past months. Per Basil''s request, he had provided Basil a private ce to train himself. ke was quite curious how Basil trained himself, and he had watched him once.
To say that he had been surprised would be an understatement. He had been bewildered, shocked, and mind-blown. The harsh training he had seen Basil had done had been enough to make him respect Basil even more.
The sheer tenacity, and focus Basil gave in his every training had been fascinating to look at. Still, he was a bit shaken. After all, Basil had really killed that many people even though he could do it without killing ¡ª he was sure of it.
"What about the other scorers? What makes them a lunatic?"
"About that, may I just show you the recording of the Selection Stage?"
"That is preferable."
Unlike the tournament, the Selection Stage wasn''t showed to the public. The audiences were only notified with the new rules and nothing more. Therefore, ke didn''t have any idea on what had happened while the Selection Stage had been ongoing.
Iliana took out a Visual Orb and set it down on Lawson''s desk. Soon, a recorded scene was yed. Each of the men''s eyes were nted on it. None of them wanted to miss even a single details.
While watching it, their face was always stoic. There was no emotion could be detected from their face. By the time the recorded scene was fully yed. Both men caressed their beard and hummed quietly.
They are lunatic indeed.
They agreed with how the other participants viewed the top five scorers. Not even them, in their rough youth, had behaved that way.
...
"Why do we have to wait for another twenty minutes? So they could set the arena? What a waste of time!"
Jackson was agitated, he couldn''t wait to fight the other participants in the arena. He didn''t care about his academy''s prestige or whatsoever. What he cared was he got to fight. Making his opponents shed their bloods brought him a thrill.
He liked that very much.
"Tsk. What are you saying? You look eager to kill another people."
"Huh? What are you saying redhead? Aren''t you the one who is eager to kill people?''"
"What the hell are you talking about? Did you see I kill people indiscriminately?"
"Bahaha! Your words are funny, because I saw you did just that!"
"Fraud!"
Jackson and Kinsey went back and forth right after that. Both of them were debating on who was the real psychopath. The crowd had long tuned them out as they had deemed the two of them psychopaths.
"Brother Basil! Would you like to eat my sandwich?"
Basil who had been watching the other 36 participants turned his head at Xiu Li. While the others were still tense due to the Selection Stage they had passed, Xiu Li was acting like nothing had happened.
Xiu Li was sitting on the bench properly ¡ª a bit toody-like in his opinion ¡ª with a box of sandwiches beside him.
"I thought the people of Han love dumplings more than sandwiches," Basil took a seat and said offhandedly. Xiu Li chuckled a little while scratching his head, "Well... I''ve been staying in Braxtein Kingdom for three years now. So, my tongue has somehow loved thetter than the former."
Basil hummed shortly as a response. He quickly took a seat and grabbed one of the sandwiches.
Munch.
Gulp.
No one had ever used Magic while eating. However, Xiu Li had just witnessed Basil done that. Like an irresponsible husband to his wife, the food came in and gone, just like that.
"Woah.. that is an amazing Technique, Brother! Can I learn that?!"
Basil was a little bit taken aback by Xiu Li''s enthusiasm. Looking at Xiu Li''s shining eyes, he couldn''t help his mouth from curving upward faintly.
''Finally, someone can understand the profoundness of my godly technique!''
Thus, the meal continued along with Basil teaching the concept of his Godly Eating Technique to Xiu Li.
"Hey.. those two..."
"What?"
"Don''t you think they are.. sweet?"
Two guys were talking among themselves while one of them was watching Basil and Xiu Li from afar. Suddenly, one of them spoke offhandedly to the other.
"Dude...? I didn''t know you swing that way."
"Don''t look at me with that judging eyes! Just imagine them in a girly clothing!"
"Huh? What are you...? Holy cow! Th-they are cute. Oh, no! I can''t erase that from my mind!"
"Keep yourself together, Max!"
Thus, the two of them tried their best to erase the image they had been seeing in their minds. Some of the other young men in the room coughed awkwardly as they had too thought about the same thing earlier.
These two bastards! What have you done to our mind?! At least whisper properly among yourselves!
The other young men cursed in their their hearts as their pure mind had been sessfully tainted with dirty thoughts about someone from the same gender, because of the two idiotic young men!
"Why are you squirming?" Basil who was looking at the ufortable Xiu Li asked in curiosity. Xiu Li smiled awkwardly before saying, "I feel like I''m being vited." Basil merely quirked an eyebrow and offhandedly said, "First time?"
"Eh, what?" They looked into each other''s eyes before settling to not pursue the matter any further. The meal was silent until it was finished.
"That was a good meal."
"Thank you for your appreciation."
"Hm."
As they had to wait for another 10 minutes before the tournament started, they had nothing to do anymore. Basil had done observing the participants and Xiu Li had his stomach full already.
"Hmm... If I may know what is your favorite Mythical God, Brother?"
"None."
"Yeah, me too. They are too vulgar for my own taste."
Due to the unbearable silent among them, Xiu Li decided to start a conversation. Luckily, Basil could engage in the conversation much to his surprise. Basil had been exuding "I am a lone-wolf" aura since he had met him after all.
"Then, what is your least favorite Mythical God?"
"Zeus."
"Agreed."
No debate happened among the two people. All of them epted it quickly. Whenever they thought about Zeus, they were instantly reminded with Aquarius. Whenever they thought about Aquarius, they were reminded of themselves.
Aquarius was a pretty boy, just like them. Unfortunately, someday, an insane Mythical God came and took him away because that Mythical God was so charmed by his face he couldn''t hold his urge back. Just imagining it made their blood boil.
Thus, the conversation ended. However this time, they had something to do. They were meditating to improve their control over their power, while determining themselves to kick Zeus'' butt if they were to meet him.
Chapter 69 Hands Have The Most Sins (2)
The participants who managed to pass the Selection Stage were waiting in the room designated for them only. It wasn''t that different from the waiting room, however the size was noticeably smaller.
They could still see the vast Arena in front of them, however none of them could get out of the room. They were stuck yet again. They couldn''t even hear the sound of the crowd due to how good of a Sealing Rune that had been put on the room.
[Ding-dong!]
[The preparation is over! We hope that each participants have observed their potential opponents well.]
The wanted announcement was heard. However, not a little of them were bewildered by what was announced.
"So, the preparation is for us?!"
"What do you mean by ''observe''?!"
"This bloodymittee is ying with us, huh?"
Still, the announcer couldn''t hear that. Therefore, the announcement continued regardless what the people said.
[The gate to the Arena will be opened immediately. Therefore, we hope you can line up in ordance with your rankings. The rankings will be announce soon.]
[Top 5 list: Basil Pacifer, Kinsey, Jackson, Belen Kingsbury, and Kimberley Bulmer. Please, step forward and line yourself in reverse. The lowest ranked one will be in the first line.]
The top 5 scorer moved their steps wordlessly. At least, most of them did. Kinsey and Jackson were still at it as they still couldn''t decide who was the real psychopath. The other people parted to give them a way. No one obstructed them.
Still, there were still some with glinting eyes among them. Basil had naturally realized that as he was still keeping his eyes on the people. With Kimberley in the frontmost, the top 5 scorers lined themselves.
[Prepare for your call. The gate will be opened in 5, 4, 3, 2, 1...]
As soon as the announcer finished the countdown, the gate opened itself. Each time the gate raised itself, they could feel the wind from the outside caressing their faces. They were thrilled because of it. Not even the loud duo could keep their argument.
[Kimberley Bulmer, please step forward.]
When her name was finally called, Kimberley inhaled a deep breath and exhaled softly. "Let''s do this," she muttered under her breath. Straightening her posture, she moved her feet and stepped forward graciously.
Whoosh!
The wind that she could only feel from the inside of the room before could be felt clearly now. Whenever she took a breath, she could feel her soul was getting cleansed.
The feeling she got was the exact opposite of what she had felt earlier. The atmosphere back then at the room had been suffocating. Right now, it was so refreshingly free.
[Greet our fifth ce, Kimberley Bulmer!]
"Woah!!!"
Surely, the wind wouldn''t be any more refreshing without the crowd''s cheers. She could feel every eyes on her right after the announcer said her name. Therefore, she walked more gantly than before.
Her heart was beating. She liked the cheer of the people for her. Therefore, she didn''t want to disappoint them. Stopping her step, she sat herself on a stone made armchair where her number was engraved on it. When she sat on it, the number lit up.
She had expected a hard seat out of the armchair, however it was just asfy as her sofa at home. Therefore, she could enjoy herself.
[Greet our fourth ce, Belen Kingsbury!]
Another participant was called, and the crowd went wild once again.
"Woah! Is that the prodigy from the Kingsbury Bar?!"
"He has the quality to be one!"
"Look, he seems pissed with something."
"I wonder, though."
Surely, Belen wasn''t satisfied by the crowd''s cheers. It wasn''t because they weren''t loud enough, but because they were too loud. He didn''t think he deserved that much cheers, considering what he couldn''t manage to achieve. Just like that, he sat on his seat.
[Greet our third ce, Jackson!]
"Eh? Amoner? That is amazing."
"An unexpected talent came from amoner."
As most of the audiences were Nobles or renowned Mages, the cheers weren''t as intense. However, the audiences still pped their hands. In the midst of this, Jackson merely grinned from ear to ear. He couldn''t wait to spill another blood.
[Greet our second ce, Kinsey!]
"Wait, again? How talented these guys have be?!"
"I am impressed. I have thoughtmoners could be nothing more than a farmer."
Contrary to the considerably aggressive expression on Jackson''s face, Kinsey''s expression was the definition of calm. He had nothing to show on his face beside calmness. His gait was organized and stable, making people doubt his identity as a Mage even more. He was so suitable to be a Knight.
Kinsey sat on his seat. He and the other three people looked at the opened gate from their seats. Like the crowd, they were waiting for the first ce. The crowd weirdly bing dramatic as they stopped any murmurs or cheers.
Their eyes glued into the gate as well.
[Here is whom we have been waiting for... Greet our first ce, Basil Pacifer!]
The name didn''t ring them a bell. They had thought the first ce belonged to a somewhat reputable Noble''s son, however they were wrong. They had never heard of a Noble family called Pacifer before!
Basil stepped forward graciously. His posture was casual but ready. He was exuding an aura that could only be felt from a veteran. His gracious gait instantly attracted people''s eyes, amplifying his gracefulness even further.
p His face was as stoic as ever. However, if one were to observe him attentively, they could see the boredom in his eyes. Still, no one noticed it.
"Woah! My brother is the best!"
"Go ahead, Senior! Swipe the floor with those losers!"
"Brother, go ahead and smash them to pieces!"
"Basil, my son, you are the strongest!"
Just like the word goes, whatever one is doing, family always give one the best support. The stoic face of Basil was slightly cracked due to how amuse he was by his family''s cheers. Surely, his family''s cheers weren''t the only cheers he heard. The other audiences also went crazy right after they heard the four people''s cheeers.
Finally, Basil sat himself on the biggest armchair where an equally big number 1 etched on it. "You have a good family," Kimberleymented at Basil offhandedly. Basil merely nced at her from the corner of his eyes, before smiling softly, "I do."
The conversation ended, however the cheers kept ongoing. The other 33 participants weren''t called yet after all. The top 5 participants took their time to wait for the other participants to sit themselves on their assigned seats. When all of the participants were finally on their respective seats, the announcer spoke once again.
[As the participants may have already noticed, the number engraved on your seats defines your position in this tournament. You have two chances to challenge the participants whose position you wanted. This tournament will end when all of the participants have used their chances.]
[Before we start the tournament, let me announce you the rules first. Rule number one: participants can only challenge the participants with higher rank than them.]
[Rule number two: challenge cannot be rejected. If you rejected the challenge, it indicates your defeat and the victory of the challenger.]
[Rule number three: the participants who lose the challenge will have to switch rank with the challenger. If you win the challenge, you can keep your rank.]
[Rule number four: if a death urs, the participants below the rank of the deceased will be automatically promoted to a higher rank.]
[Rule number five: the first ce has only one chance to challenge another participants since the start of the game. Defend yourself well.]
[With all of this rules being said, the tournament will be officially started now. For reminder, any death that urs will not be in our responsibility. When things get dangerous, the participants can dere their defeat and the match will be stopped. When you aren''t able to do so, we have no obligation to stop the match.]
The participants looked at each other''s faces. While the crowd was hyped about the uing battle, the crowds doubted their ears. The rules were really familiar as the announcer had announced the same thing in the Selection Stage.
¡ªAny death that urs will not be in our responsibility.
It was mildly infuriating, however they couldn''t refute that. Their lives, their own responsibility. They knew that already. Still, they couldn''t just ept it. Just by seeing the eyes of the other participants, they could guess who had the urge to end the other''s lives.
Luckily, they could forfeit this time. Therefore, whenever they felt they couldn''t keep going, they could yell their lost as desperate as they could. Then, the referee woulde to save their arse.
[May you start the first challenge!]
Right after it was said, Jackson stood from his seat with shining eyes. His mad grin was forever etched on his face while he was nting his eyes at someone.
"Ahahaha! I have waited this! Basil Pacifer, I challenge you!"
"Oh! Already challenging the first ce? That guy is quite bold!"
"Hey, I bet this guy will have his arse beaten."
Already, the audiences went crazy. Especially, on a certain ce of the audience seat. Two young men were discussing among themselves about the potential winner.
"Well, we couldn''t just judge someone by his looks."
"Yeah, that Basil guy is cute, right?"
"Bruh, you are a dude. What are you saying? But, I do agree with you."
"..."
"..."
The people around the young men didn''t want to get involved with them ¡ª despite how much they agreed with them ¡ª therefore they made a distance from the duo. The duo seemed to notice the ''look'' they received as they kept their mouth shut in the next moment.
[Basil Pacifer, will you ept the challenge?]
"I will."
"Ku-ku-ku! Great choice, Basil! Great choice!"
[May you enter the Arena!]
The instruction was honestly unnecessary as Basil and Jackson had quickly moved to the Arena by themselves. Jackson had the same thirsty grin on his face, while Basil was still as stoic as ever.
sh!
Someone appeared between them. It was a middle-aged man who was quite capable of using a [Teleport] Spell. The middle-aged man observed both of them for a while before speaking.
"I will be your referee. As stated in the rules, I won''t stop the match unless you forfeit yourself. Understood?"
"I got that!"
"Hm."
"Very well."
The referee didn''t bat an eysh at Basil''sck of reaction. He merely nodded and brought his hand upward. Then, he swung it down, before saying the sacred word sternly, "Begin!"
Whoosh!
Jackson distanced himself. He was a Spellcaster and he wouldn''t make a mistake by fighting Basil up close. He knew what Basil was capable of. He wasn''t stupid.
At this wise decision, Basil merely quirked an eyebrow.
"Want to see a masterpiece? I will show you one, Basil!"
Jackson shouted enthusiastically before extending his hand forward. His Grimoire materialized and it was flipped open. The pages were flipped until it stopped at a certain point. Without a chant, Jackson shouted, "[Hands Of The Cursed]!"
nk! nk! nk!
Ten sets of ck chains emerged from below the ground. They went fiercely toward Basil. Although chains weren''t as intimidating as one might expect, however these chains were different. Anyone could feel the dread they were exuding.
Jackson was grinning from ear to ear, while Basil was staring at the pointy end of the chains with his eyes that were faster than anyone else''s. Everything looked slow to him.
"It''s a ck Magic." He concluded.
A faint smile adorned his face. His hands were itching. Not even a year had passed since his return to the past, yet he had encountered something he had thought he wouldn''t be seeing that early.
He was met with a demon advocate.
Chapter 70 Hands Have The Most Sins (End)
No one can ever feel death, before the timees. One can only feel death when one''s time is nearing. Death can only be felt when it''s right in front of one''s eyes.
The audiences had their eyes glued to the scene before them. Even though they weren''t the one having it, they felt like they were watching the chainsing for their lives. Surely, it was what the inexperienced audiences were feeling.
The one who was having it, Basil, was nonchnt. He merely sent his Qi into his Spatial Ring and took out a Sword Relic out of it. As the closest chain was already a half step in front of him, he swung the sword swiftly.
nk!
Boom!
Surely, it wasn''t a mere swing. He had infused his Qi into the strike. Therefore, the chain was thrown sideways. However, it didn''t stop the other chains froming at him. To fend the other chains, Basil spun the sword in his hand.
nk! nk! nk!
Sparks of fire could be seen each time the chains were fended. Everything had happened in the count of seconds. However, it had happened very slow for Basil. His improved brain, and his experience yed a big role in that.
"Ahaha! Nice move! I don''t know why are you bringing some Knight stuffs here, but I appreciate your skills," Jacksonmented with his sickeningly eerie grin. He was genuinely impressed by Basil''s defence.
"Hmm... An attentive one, isn''t he?" Basil muttered to himself. Just as he had figured his opponent were using a ck Magic, his opponent had figured out his capability too. "Interesting. He seems to know more than he shows."
Jackson managed to pick his interest. Although both Principals used different things and terms, no one could really tell the difference by eyes. For example, Magic Sword and Sword Relic. No one would know the difference between them, until one wielded it.
Magic Sword belonged to Mage, and it required Mana to be properly utilized. In the other hand, Sword Relic belonged to Knight and, it required Qi to be properly utilized.
With that being said, unless a Mage showed their Magic Circles, or a Knight used their Aura, no one could tell the difference between the two either. Knight couldn''t sense Mana, and Mage couldn''t sense Qi.
Therefore, even though a Sword Relic was utilized in front of a Mage, the Mage normally shouldn''t be able to notice it was a Sword Relic. However, Jackson had perfectly deduced Basil was using a Sword Relic.
It was surprising as Jackson''s age suggested he didn''t have that much time to spend in the battlefield. In other words, he shouldn''t have the experience to do so.
"Surprised that I could guess it? Ku-ku-ku, you will be more surprised.. by this!"
Without any warning, the chains which had been thrown to the sides earlier, dug into the ground and reemerged from the ground near Basil. The chains pointed their pointy ends at Basil, clearly aiming to pierce him.
This time, Basil didn''t fend them. Tapping his foot once. His body shed, before disappearing from the attack range.
[Slip]!
Boom!
The chains vainly hit the ground as Basil had reappeared not far away from the chains.
"Tsk! Tricky Step Art. This is why I hate you Battle Mages!"
Waving his hand, Jackson retracted the chains back to his side. The chains returned and they assembled themselves behind his back. The chains were waving wildly behind his back, acting as if they were his tails.
"Hmph! Just like they said, you Battle Mages can only run. Still, it doesn''t matter. [Sins Of The Cursed]!"
Jackson''s whole entity was instantly radiating maliciousness. Mana condensed around him before the creation of ten ck spheres ensued. The ten ck spheres rotated themselves behind his back, actively sending dreadful aura to the onlookers.
"Go for him!"
One of the ck spheres charged with an insane speed toward Basil. Due to the speed, it flew like a cannon ball. As if that was not enough, the sphere spun itself, creating a suction force in Basil''s vicinity.
Basil''s Sword Relic trembled faintly. It wasn''t because he was scared. It was because the suction force produced by the spinning sphere was pulling his sword toward it.
"How shameful. I have mistaken it as a ck Magic." Basil muttered to himself. There was a hint of embarrassment in his tone.
He wasn''t disappointed about Jackson not using ck Magic. He was disappointed in himself. He had experience, but still mistaken a Spell with a Dark Spell. That was an embarrassment for someone like him.
Bringing his sword forward, Basil gathered his Qi on the tip of his sword. Pointing it at the ck sphere firmly, his feet didn''t even budge despite the suction which was getting stronger the closer it got.
Ding!
A sound of metal shing against metal resounded through the whole arena. Surprisingly, the ck sphere wasn''t merely a condensed Mana. It was a heavy metal sphere. By saying heavy, it was really heavy to the point of dragging Basil''s sword down.
"You have made one mistake, Basil! Let me tell you what my Spell is. Do you know what is the heaviest thing in this world? Correct! It is sin. It will drag you down to hell, no matter where you hide!"
Basil raised one of his eyebrows. He was mildly amused at the ecstatic Jackson. What a philosophical way to name a Spell. No wonder it was called [Sins Of The Cursed]. Still, Basil could only give an appreciation to the name.
Boom!
Crush!
"Huh, what?!"
Jackson''s seemingly endlessughter ended when he saw the scene in front of him. To say that he was dumbfounded should be an understatement. He was bewildered! How could he not? Basil had just destroyed his precious metal sphere!
"What in the bloody hell have you done?!"
"Ever heard of a Mage revealing their secret?"
"Of course, I have!"
"I''m sorry to burst your bubble, however those people are retarded."
"What did you say?! I often do that!"
Enraged by Basil''s taunt, Jackson threw six of his metal spheres towards Basil. Just like before, it flew like a cannon ball powered with an insane thrusting force. Basil''s body winded slightly.
The suction force produced by the iing six spheres was strong enough to pull him off the ground if he were to stay idle. Surely he didn''t mean to do that. [Reinforcement] was swiftly applied to his whole body.
Digging his feet to the ground, a thin barrier of Mana encapsted his entire body. He didn''t n to utilize his Step Art to move away from the range attack of the ck spheres. He didn''t have enough power to withstand the suction force while airborne.
Doing so would be a suicide as he would be sucked by the ck spheres.
"[One Swing Two Cuts]!"
Basil muttered under his breath. His sword glowed before he swung it toward the closing six spheres. His hand moved swiftly in the air. Each swing produced two light trajectories.
Clink! nk! Clink!
All of the spheres were pushed to the side. However, due to their speed, all of them were buried to the ground around Basil. Surely, it wasn''t the end. The ck spheres were still spinning even while in the ground. Thus, the suction force remained exist.
Basil had predicted this oue. It was the reason he had reaffirmed his stance. He was pulled from every direction. The ck spheres had conveniently surrounded him in every direction. He was perfectly pressured.
"Kuhaha! Now, let me spill your blood!"
Three chains attached themselves to the remaining spheres behind Jackson''s back. Then, the three chains shot forward to Basil. Holding his sword vertically with his two hands, Basil raised it until the handle was above his head.
"[Synchronization]!"
Basil poured Vagus'' soul into his sword. The sword shone in a blue light, and a crushing power was exuded out of Basil''s entire body. Tightening his grip on his sword, his focus was entirely on the iing chains.
Swing!
Boom!
The air split. Everyone could feel the aftereffect of the sh. The split air swept the surrounding fiercely. The chains dispersed due to the attack, and a deep trench was carved on the ground.
In the midst of all this, Basil didn''t stay idle. As Jackson was winded, his Mana fluctuated. The suction force lessened, and it gave Basil a gap to move forward.
[Slip]!
[Feather Step]!
Basil executed two movement enhancement on his self. The result wasn''t disappointing as Basil dashed through the ground like a jet powered bullet. Instantly reappearing in front of Jackson, Basil swung his sword down.
Jackson''s widened eyes were clearly seen by Basil. However, Jackson didn''t stay idle. He gathered the chains behind his back and wrapped himself with them.
nk!
Basil''s sword shed against the chains, producing a magnificent spark of fire.
Boom!
Surely, Jackson was thrown backward due to the impact. Luckily, he was quick in his action as two of his chains embedded itself to the ground to stop his skid. He managed to stop, however it wasn''t without any drawbacks.
"Kuhuk! Ugh.. crap! I think I broke my ribs."
As his body was tightly wrapped by the chains. His move to stop his skid tightened the knot even further. Thus, some of his ribs were crushed in the process, puncturing his lungs.
Blood was constantly pouring down from his mouth due to his punctured lungs. Looking at Basil with eyes full of resentment, he gritted his teeth.
"Bastard! Are you looking down on me?! You haven''t even showed your Magic Circles yet! Show me!"
"Do not say something stupid. You are doing the exact same thing."
"That''s because I''m better than you!"
"Is that so?"
The sheer nonchnce and the barely concealed disdain Basil showed him made Jackson''s blood boiled, quite literally.
"Ku-ku-ku.. you talk well. Fine, I will show you why these chains are called [Hands Of The Cursed]!"
Boom!
Three Magic Circles revealed themselves for the world to see. Two of them were Major Circles, except the third one which was merely a Minor Circle. Jackson''s Mana surged and his eyes turned entirely ck.
"Oii.. this feeling. It''s ufortable."
"What is this maliciousness? Just feeling it makes me shudder."
"Brother, will you be okay?"
"My son... I believe you will be as unfazed as ever."
Murmurs of worry could be heard from the audiences. The sheer maliciousness they felt from Jackson sent terror to their souls. Their hearts were beating like crazy. It was exceptionally absurd, considering the Magic Barrier set between them.
"Hmm... Is this ck Magic?"
The referee of the match was actually hesitating. The feeling he got from Jackson was as familiar as it was foreign. If it was proven to be ck Magic, he would move himself to remove Jackson. However, he couldn''t bring himself to consider that as ck Magic.
Thus, he opted to keep observing.
"Basil! May these cursed hands bring you down to hell!"
One might be wondering about what Jackson meant by cursed hands. However, it was just Jackson referring to the same Spell he had used. He was referring to the chains which had assembled themselves to resemble the two hands behind his back.
The three chains Basil had destroyed earlier had also regenerated themselves. Thus, the hands had perfectly ten fingers.
One hand swept forward at Basil, and he couldn''t pull back. The hand produced a suction force that was even stronger than the ck spheres had produced.
"Wee to the hell!"
The other hand went toward Basil as his feet were still nted on the ground. Jackson''s sickeningly eerie grin returned. His ck eyes were opened even wider, he couldn''t wait for the time where he spilled Basil''s blood.
"Huuh... I guess I have no choice?"
In other other hand, Basil merely sighed to himself. Storing his Sword Relic in his Spatial Ring, his Spatial Bracelet shed before Kusanagi appeared in his hand.
"To think that I am forced to be serious fighting against a brat... This generation is better than I have thought."
Kusanagi shone in blue light. [Synchronization] was activated. The hand was already a couple of inches before Basil. What Basil did would be forever etched into Jackson''s mind. Basil merely nted Kusanagi to the ground, and ¡ª
Boom!
¡ª the hand was pped away!
"Another trickery?!"
Basil smirked before picking up Kusanagi. Two Ultimate Circles floated behind his back. Sadly, none of the people knew they were Ultimates Circles as the highest quality of Magic Circle they knew was Grand Circle. Still, it couldn''t stop them from gasping among themselves.
"I will tell you the real reason why it is called [Hands Of The Cursed]."
Basil said softly but audible enough for Jackson to hear.
"Are you mocking me?!"
Jackson lost his grin. His face was decorated with a savage look instead. He had lost his reasoning as everything he had done had failed miserably. Still, Basil didn''t care about that.
[Slip]!
[Frictionless]!
Basil encapsted his body with wind to eliminate the friction his body would cause with the air. In result, Basil''s reappearance in front of Jackson was almost instantaneous.
nk!
Basil''s attack was blocked by the two big hands.
Crack!
Surely, the ground couldn''t handle the force behind Basil''s attack. Jackson who was under the pressure of Basil''s attack gritted his teeth.
"Why doesn''t my enforced gravity affect you?!"
"Gravity?" Basil asked in sincere puzzlement. "You thought it was gravity for all this time?" A humorless chuckle was unconsciously let out of Basil''s mouth. Jackson was more of an idiot than he had thought!
"What are youughing?!"
"It is called suction force. The reason why you can pull pretty much everything is because the vacuum state you caused."
"What.. do you mean?"
"To negate the suction force, you just have to fill the vacuum."
"Huh?"
Surely, Jackson couldn''t understand Basil. He had to degrade his exnation to the same level of monkey for Jackson to understand it.
Boom!
What is better than exnation? Demonstration! Basil had just demonstrated what he had meant by overfilling the vacuum with the wind that Kusanagi controlled. In result, Jackson was thrown backward.
Crack!
This time, his body was nted on the stone wall that separated them with the audiences. His eyes widened in disbelief, however there was nothing he could do. Basil had once again reappeared in front of him.
"I know who created this horribly iplete Spell," Basil whispered to Jackson. Infusing Mana to Kusanagi, he destroyed the assembled chains to pieces. "It was a man called Charles Blois who has killed his entire family."
Jackson''s eyes widened to an absurd proportion. Basil knew the name of his mentor! He was filled with bafflement and horror.
"How could you¡ª Ahh!!!" Jackson had no choice but to scream. Basil had just cut his hands like he was cutting butter. "The Spell was created as tribute to his family who he had killed for his own satisfaction," Basil resumed calmly.
Aiming Kusanagi at Jackson''s heart, he stabbed it forward.
Squelch.
The sound of Jackson''s heart being pierced was audible to the two people. Jackson red at Basil in terror. He felt immeasurable pain! The pain was so unbearable that he wanted to cry. ck tears flowed out of his eyes.
His ck eyes gradually turned normal as Mana started to leave his body die to his destroyed Magic Circles.
"Kuhuk! Spare.. me..." Jackson coughed a mouthful of blood. Sadly, Basil didn''t even bat an eysh. He merely resumed his speech, "Charles said the name was inspired by the feeling he gets whenever he sees his hands. He feels cursed."
Twisting Kusanagi in Jackson''s chest, Basil exploded the Mana on its tip.
"No!!!"
"Out of his entire body, Charles believes his hands have the most sins."
Boom!
Jackson''s chest exploded. The wall behind him was painted gruesomely in red. His head flew away and some of his body parts were sticking on the wall. The entire scene was witnessed by the audience, and nobody could cheer.
"I cannot agree more with him. My hands too have the most sins."
The whole arena was silent, and the match ended in Basil''s victory.
Chapter 71 What It Takes To Be On Top
Charles Blois had been the brightest child of the now non-existent Blois Family. He had had been different since his childhood and everyone had known about it. Blessed with talent in Magic, his parents had incorporated it to his genius.
They hadn''t been wrong, sadly they hadn''t been right either. Twelve years ago, the eighteen years old Charles Blois who had just advanced to the Fourth Circle found something about himself.
He had been puzzled about it for a quite long time and he couldn''t let it off of his mind. He had always wondered why was he different. He had always wondered why people could believe others. He had always wondered how people could feel emotion.
The incredibly intelligent Charles Blois had researched about that since he had been twelve, yet no results hade out. Seeing is believing. Charles Blois had decided to do an experiment rather than more observation.
His subject had been, of course, his family. His family had loved him. His family had adored him. If he asked something, his family would give him. His family had been so proud of him that they had overly doted him.
This had made him question himself, "What if I was not born a prodigy? What if I was born a retard? Will my family still love me? What will happen if I betray their expectations?" The thoughts had continued until a very dangerous thought came up.
How will my family see me if I take their lives?
At that thought, his heart had beaten faster. He had never felt a thrill so much until that day. A determination had strangely budded in his heart.
"I will conduct the experiment."
Not long after he had got the determination, the fateful day had finallye. With his usual fabricated smile, he had faced his family like usual. None of them had been aware he had poisoned their beverages and foods alike.
His family couldn''t move their bodies, however their minds were awake right after the dinner. At this point, they had already had an inkling as to what had happened. However, none of them had known who had been the culprit.
It hadn''t been until Charles had stood from his seat and approached his motionless father that his family''s heart had run cold. They could see his sickening grin inly. It hadn''t been a fabricated smile like the one he had worn for a very long time.
It had been a genuine smile. However, not even Charles had been aware of that. In his mind, all he could think of had been conducting the experiment.
He had stabbed his father in the chest to destroy the Mana Circles his father had had. Right after that had been a literal soundless murder. He had killed his family for his satisfaction and he had even the audacity to kill them slowly.
That night, Charles had killed his father, mother, younger sister, and younger brother who had sincerely loved him. He had got the result of his experiment, and it had been satisfaction like he had had expected.
That day, Charles had realized he had been cursed.
Surely, it was the rumour that the people told others. No one exactly knew what had exactly happened that night. However, people like to specte. Therefore, the already gruesome tragedy had be even more gruesome due to people''s mouth.
Drip. Drip. Drip.
Blood was dripping down from the wall which Jackson''s blood had painted. Basil who was in his white clothing was clean and bereft of any bloodstains. Flicking Kusanagi to the side, the blood that tainted it was removed to the ground.
Turning his back to look at the referee, he quirked one of his eyebrows as if to say, "Well? Do your job, idiot sandwich!" As expected, the referee understood Basil''s gesture as he quickly cleared his throat.
"Kuhum. Victor, Basil Pacifer!"
The arena was silent for a moment. They couldn''t help it. Death was pretty much a normal thing in the tournament. However, that kind of gruesome death wasn''t an everyday urrence! At that moment, six people broke the silence.
"As expected of my Brother, you are really the strongest!"
"Woo! Senior, even though you didn''t wipe the floor with your opponent, you managed to paint the wall with him! Amazing!"
"I knew you could do it, Brother!"
"My son, that was the most artistic way to finish the match!"
"Young Master, no one can beat you!"
"Basil, my beloved student! You are our academy''s pride!"
Basil''s supporters, namely, Shirley, Julia, rissa, Danzel, Irene, and Chester paid no thought toward their surrounding. Scratch that, they didn''t even know what they had just shouted! All they thought was the need to cheer on Basil.
Especially, Danzel who had called the gruesome match as an artistic end! He was cringing while pping his hands. Luckily, the other audiences didn''t remain silent forever. One by one the pped their hands and sent their appreciation toward Basil.
Death is imminent. No matter how one dies, death is death.
With that thought in their minds. They quickly forgot the gruesome scene they had witnessed earlier. Time is not stagnant, we have to move on. Just like that, the rowdiness returned to the whole arena.
In the participant seats, most of participants were looking at Basilplicatedly. They had thought they could give a shot at him. However, upon witnessing that disy, dare they did that? They didn''t. Not anymore!
This tournament was pretty much life and death. They had two chances of challenging the other participants, however they had only one life. They doubted whether they could utter the word "Forfeit" even before Basil finished them.
[The next challenge is to be proceeded.]
Basil returned to his seat with pretty much every eyes on him. With the same grace and disinterest, he sat himself down. Leaning his cheek to his knuckle, he gazed at his front. He was looking at his family who was there to cheer on him.
A soft smile adorned his face. Unfortunately, in the other participant''s perspectives, it was interpreted as a look of threat. They sucked a cold breath before subsequently turning their heads away from him.
"Look! Basil is looking at us! Wave your hands!"
"Really?! Oh, Senior! What a good painting!"
"Oh, my son! Can you see me! That was really an artistic way to end an opponent!"
While Chester ¡ª who had just arrived in the middle of Basil''s match ¡ª Julia, and Danzel sent their nonsensical two cents at Basil, the other three of the group opted to remain silent. The only indication they belonged to the same group was rissa who did a facepalm due to the secondhand embarrassment.
"Father..." rissa muttered softly, but audible enough for Danzel to hear. "Yes, my dear? What is..." Danzel didn''t dare to continue his words. rissa was giving him the ''look'' after all!
"One more time I hear you say that horribly nonsensical sentence, I WILL end you in an ARTISTIC way too. Understood?" Danzel could only nod timidly. His fear stricken face indicated how afraid he was toward his daughter.
Not only him, the teacher and student duo had been also instantly silenced. Together, all three of them sat quietly on their seat.
''Woah... rissa is at it again! Demonic rissa has emerged!''
''Blimey, I didn''t know Basil has a stepmother as his sister!''
''What kind of a daughter would treat her father like that?! Well, my daughter!''
Their thoughts were tightly sealed in their minds. They couldn''t afford to let their thoughts leaked from their minds. Once it happened, it would be their doom. They were sure of it!
"I know you are thinking about stupid things. Just behave yourselves, and everything is good." rissa muttered audibly to the three people. In unison, they responded, "Yes, Ma''am!" The surrounding people could only shake their heads in amazement.
What a unique bunch!
Surely, that thought was erasedpletely out of the surrounding people''s minds when they saw rissa''s absolute zero gaze. Her gaze didn''t chill their spine, it froze them instantly!
Luckily, rissa didn''t pay them much attention as she removed her gaze from them in the next moment. Surely, it was still traumatizing. In the end, the surrounding people vowed in their hearts to not mind the ''unique bunch'' in the future.
Basil who had seen the entire happening from afar could only shook his head in faint amusement. His family was a unique bunch indeed.
Not long after, another announcement was made.
[Rank 18 challenges Rank 7, will you ept the challenge?]
"I will."
[Very well. May Wei Xiu Li and Fairfax Stafford stepped into the arena.]
"Understood!"
Both people entered the Arena swiftly right after the instruction. The challenger and the challenged. Both of them looked at each other right in the eyes. One had a determined look while the other had a disdainful look.
"When you feel it is unbearable, you have to forfeit. I will give you the time to."
"Huh? I am amused. You, a mere foreigner, think you can beat me? Haha! Even my humorless Butler makes a better joke than you."
"At least, I have made my intention clear."
"Just do your best to survive, Mr. Foreigner."
Xiu Li kept his mouth shut. ncing at Basil through the corner of his eyes, he could see Basil''s eyes were on him. There was a faint smirk on Basil''s face, and it pumped him even more. He would show Basil what he was truly capable of.
"You are free to attack with anything. Like the previous match, I have no obligation to stop the match, unless you forfeit. Understood?"
The two people merely nodded their heads as a confirmation. The referee brought his hand upward, then sent it down before saying the sacred word, "Begin!"
Whoosh!
Both of the two people made a distance with each other. Both of them were Spellcaster, therefore they would fight in long range.
"I have heard that Easterners practice Daoism, not Magic. Are you going to fight me with that?" Fairfax asked Xiu Li mockingly from afar. In response, Xiu Li merely shook his head, "I have no talent in that regard."
"Hmph! Really? My Kingdom has just imported another trash? Unbelievable!"
Fairfax''s voice was reverberated through the whole arena. While most of the audiences were frowning in disagreement, only a few Nobles didn''t have an affirmative smile on their faces.
"Well, you do talk a lot."
"Watch your mouth, Foreigner."
Fairfax frowned his forehead and didn''t utter anything right after that. He merely showcased his Magic Circles for the world to admire.
Boom!
Three Magic Circles floated behind his back. All of them were Major Circles. Looking tauntingly at Xiu Li, he uttered one Spell.
"[Earthen Drill]!"
Countless of drills made from earth rose to the air. They floated behind his back while pointing squarely at Xiu Li.
"Spin!"
Wind surrounded the drill and spun them in unison. From the disy, anyone could deduce Fairfax was a Duo Elementalist. He was a Spellcaster who focused himself on mastering two Elemental Magic.
"Let''s start the Battle with this, Foreigner!"
Fairfax waved his hand forward and the drills were sent at Xiu Li. The drills were even faster than bullets as some of the audiences couldn''t see their trajectories well. Still, Xiu Li was unfazed. He merely raised his hand and chanted softly.
"[Earthen Blockade]!"
The name of the Spell was uttered. In the next moment, the soil beneath him rose and a blockade out of earth was made.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
The drills crashed on the blockade of earth and nothing could pierce it. Xiu Li was perfectly protected from the drills. Fairfax looked at this from afar and merely swept his hand forward.
"Petty tricks won''t work on me. [Earthen Tide]!"
The ground beneath him trembled before it surged upward. The ground looked as soft as water as it surged like a wave toward Xiu Li. This time, Xiu Li merely smiled, and this smile was noticed by Fairfax.
He was puzzled to say the least. However, he mostly felt insulted by the smile. Therefore, he infused more Mana into the attack he sent at Xiu Li.
"You know.. I am absolutely talentless at Daoism." Xiu Li muttered audibly while opening his Grimoire. The page stopped turning and three Magic Circles appeared behind him. "However, in Magic..." At this point, Fairfax''s face contorted.
Two of the Magic Circles Xiu Li showed were Major Circles while the other one which was the Fundamental Circle was a Grand Circle. Gasps of admiration resounded from the audiences. Paying no mind toward the audiences and the irritated Fairfax, Xiu Li muttered, "[Interference]!"
Boom!
The iing [Earthen Tide] was split in two and dispersed as if a lie. Xiu Li didn''t send any attack to the tide. He had merely extended his hand forward and the tide dispersed.
"Do you know what people say about me?" Smiling amiably, Xiu Li resumed, "I am a prodigy in Magic."
Surely, Fairfax''s face couldn''t be any uglier.
Chapter 72 What It Takes To Be On Top (2)
"Both of them are Elementalists of the same Element. It will be a good match to watch."
"Do you mean, ''Who is better, native of foreigner?''"
"Magic belongs to anyone. Ethnicity doesn''t matter."
"I can''t believe you say that at something our ancestors invented."
"Do you think our ancestors invented Magic?"
A humorless chuckle resounded through the area where the two discussing people sat themselves. Some of the audiences turned their heads at the duo before realizing who the duo were.
"Earl Woster and Earl Ilchester are at it again."
"Avoid getting caught up in their ''discussion'' at all cost!"
Surprisingly, the two discussing people were Ansley Woster and his acquaintance, Darwin Ilchester. They weren''t enemies or some sort. However, they often shed opinions due to the different perspective they had on almost anything.
As it was already well known among the Nobles, it was already an open secret to avoid them at all cost when they were ''discussing'' among themselves.
"Our ancestors didn''t invent Magic, Darwin. They merely inherited it."
"I guess you forgot about the Four Heroes, Ansley. They invented Magic."
"I am aware of that fact. Are you suggesting that the Four Heroes are our ancestors?"
"Do you think otherwise? Hah! You need to learn more about history, it seems."
"Pfft. Our Ancestors are the Exs. But, there was no mention of the Four Heroes being Exs. It seem YOU are the one who need to learn more about history!"
Just like the surrounding people had predicted, the discussion became heated. Harold ¡ª who hade along with his father ¡ª sighed helplessly. He had intended to meet his brothers who were also parts of themittee. However, he was forced to watch the match together with his father.
He had been reluctant to follow his father, however his father''s expectant gaze had left him no choice. Luckily, he could enjoy something other than his father bickering with his acquaintance. He could watch Basil''s match.
He sighed to himself at his history with Basil. Thinking about it now made his blood run cold. For the past six months his father had grounded him for his mischief and he couldn''t thank his father more.
If he were to keep his ignorance, he would have ended like that Jackson guy. A gruesome death would have been his end if he had decided to bother Basil. Luckily, he had managed to behave himself.
Looking at the bright youthspeting in the match opened his eyes even further. Mages were independent. Therefore, he couldn''t hide behind his father''s back forever. A time where he could only rely on himself would surelye.
Looking back at his front, hepletely tuned out his bickering father and watched the ongoing match.
...
"Kuuhh.. this prick!"
Fairfax looked down at his bloodied hand. Xiu Li had managed to hurt his hand. The foreigner had the audacity tounch a sneak attack on him. He was extremely mad about it.
Calming down his raging heart, he looked at Xiu Li in deep resentment. He couldn''t drink any potion to heal his wound, it was forbidden in the tournament. Therefore, it left him no choice but to injure his opponent too.
"Let us see how you fare against this. [Sandstorm]!"
The Mana surrounding Fairfax surged before wind swirled around him. Not long after, dust surged upward and joined the swirling wind. The previously invisible wind was now visible due to the sand mixed in it.
sping his hands tightly, Fairfax stabilized his control over the sand mixed whirlwind. Then, he spread his hands forward, and sandstorm ured.
Whoosh!
Vision was instantly obstructed. Nothing could be seen from the arena except the brownish sand floating around. The inexperienced Mages and the obnoxious ipetent Nobles clicked their tongues in annoyance. They couldn''t see anything but dust!
In the other other hand however, the experienced Mages nodded their heads in appreciation at the strategy Fairfax was using. Surely, Basil was one of the appreciative people.
"The more I see their capabilities, the more I am baffled about how much the quality of the Mages back then had fallen."
Basil had been frustrated in the past due to the ipetence most Mages had showed. The quality of every Mages had been dropping each year that he had been left puzzled in the past.
Therefore, he was baffled at how muchpetence the young Mages had showed him up till now. They could easily exceed many self proimed prodigies from his past life in histter years. It had sessfully picked his interest.
The situation back then had been as bad if not worse than the Age Of Chaos. Competence was needed to survive. Given the situation, human should''ve evolved to adapt to the environment. However, what had happened had been the exact opposite.
Basil frowned lightly. He had been thinking about too many thingstely. Thanks to the Guide, his curiosity over something could be easily provoked. Shaking his head to clear the thought, he sent his gaze to the arena.
He had promised himself to stop his pondering and enjoyed the tournament, therefore he observed the ongoing match to spare his brain from any hard thinking.
"This is troublesome. I am not worried about theck of vision, but his scattered Mana. Every floating dust has his Mana signature, and it prevents me to detect him."
In the Arena, Xiu Li muttered to himself. He was observing his surrounding cautiously while thinking of a way to get out of the predicament. Like he had said, he couldn''t detect Fairfax''s present anywhere.
"Aha, I got an idea! If I can''t do it on the surface, why not from below?"
As expected of a prodigy, it didn''t take long for him to figure out a way. However, as soon as he was about to execute his idea, the rumbling ground below him attracted his attention.
His flight response was instantly provoked, and not even a secondter, something emerged from the ground.
"Exactly what I am thinking, Prick!"
"Hm!!!"
Xiu Li was forced to dodge the close range attack with everything he got as he didn''t expect it in the least. How could he not? Fairfax, a Spellcaster, decided to fight like a Battle Mage? The idea was as unusual as it was ridiculous!
Still, it was happening in front of him. Xiu Li looked in front of him and calmed his beating heart. If he hadn''t managed to dodge earlier, he would''ve lost a good chunk of his abdomen.
Observing Fairfax calmly, he could notice Fairfax had covered the hand he had injured with ance like earth structure.
"You are integrating your body with your Spell to stop the bleeding."
"Wow. I didn''t expect you are smarter than you look!"
"Sadly, you are dumber than you look. Everyone knows injuries are to be sanitized not covered in dirt!"
"This insolent pri¡ª!!!"
Fairfax who was irritated with Xiu Li''sment couldn''t finish his retort as an earthen pir structure emerged from the ground and was aiming for his chest. He had to sloppily explode the Mana under his feet to make a quick escape.
"Again?! Can''t you do anything aside from sneak attack?!"
"I''m sorry, but everything is fair in love and war! [Earthen p]!"
Xiu Li didn''t n to end his attack right there. Two hands like structure emerged from the ground and chased the flying body of Fairfax. The hands were parallel against each other. Therefore, when they managed to catch up to Fairfax, he waspletely surrounded.
p!
Boom!
Like its name suggested, the hands bumped to each other and sandwiched Fairfax right in the middle. The audiences winced as they were sure another gruesome death had ured.
"Aaahhh! Freaking bastard!"
However, the audiences were proven wrong when they heard Fairfax''s enraged voice. They were slightly taken aback as they couldn''t properly see what happened right after the earthen hands pped.
In the other hand, the disheveled Fairfax couldn''t be anymore furious. He was furious beyond measure. His eyes were bloodshot and his blond hair was iling madly. Raising his Earth covered hand, he gathered the sandstorm back
Whoosh!
The sandstorm swirled and condensed. It wrapped itself around Fairfax''s raised hand while swirling. Looking ahead, Fairfax snorted coldly.
"Behold! This is the level of mastery you will never reach, Xiu Li! [Desert Nightmare]!"
The condensed sandstorm around Fairfax''s hand extended forward. It shot at Xiu Li at an insane speed that people could only see his attack instantly reappeared in front of Xiu Li.
Poosh!
Right when it arrived in front of Xiu Li, the condensed sandstorm exploded and created a nket of sand that was ready to wrap Xiu Li to death. Surely, it happened just like what everyone had predicted.
p!
Fairfax sped his hands tightly together despite how painful it was. Ahead of him, Xiu Li was perfectly engulfed in a sand cocoon. Not stopping there, Fairfax twisted his hands. Along with that, the cocoon also twisted itself.
"Gahhh... This bastard is quite resilient."
Fairfax gritted his teeth. He couldn''t ground Xiu Li who was inside the sand cocoon to death. A strong resistance could be felt from him. Infusing all of his Mana to the cocoon, Fairfax empowered the crushing power of the sand cocoon.
However, he didn''t stop there, he also casted [Earthen Lance] and sent it upon the cocoon.
Stab! Stab! Stab!
The cocoon became a porcupine. Many of the audiences were cringing while thinking about how Xiu Li''s body would look. However, it was always when they had expected the worst when the unexpected ured.
"Hm? I am losing my control over my sand. This is...?!"
Fairfax''s entire body trembled. His gaze was firmly nted on the cocoon. It was no longer twisting. It was squirming instead. Not only that, he could also see it getting brighter each time. It was as if it was about to ¡ª
Boom!
¡ª explode.
Fairfax covered his eyes with his hands. Disbelief was strongly conveyed by his eyes. He was bewildered at what had just happened.
"Huuh... showing me the highest level of mastery? I would take that as a joke. However, I will still thank you for calling my name."
Fairfax who couldn''t believe what he was seeing could only stare dumbly at Xiu Li, who was encircled by a ring of fire. Indignation and slight terror filled his heart.
"A Dual Elementalist?! Were you toying with me for all this time?!''
Still, Xiu Li didn''t answer Fairfax. He merely extended his hands and flipped open his floating Grimoire. Three Magic Circles floated behind his back as they shone intensely.
"Daoism is the act of understanding Dao, the way how thew of the world works. Wind, lightning, water, sword, and many of them have their own Dao. Toprehend Dao, one needs to be patient and in tune with the world."
Three pirs were rising from the ground slowly. All of them were set aze and the cracks on them were giving a strange oppression toward anyone who saw them. They felt like they were standing in front of the hell''s gate.
"Toprehend Dao, one needs to throw away any human logic. I can''t do that, therefore I am a failure at Daoism. Whenever I tried to be in tune with the world, Iprehend the way everything works through logic andmon sense."
"What are you¡ª?!"
"Just like earlier, you must have felt you lost your control over your sand, right?"
"..."
"I will take that as a yes. It will never happen to Daoist as they learn anything butmon sense. That means, their power doesn''t followmon sense. However, your power followsmon sense."
The three burning pirs were finally standing above the ground fearsomely. They were positioned in a triangle formation. An orb of zing fire were conjured from the air, and settled in the middle of them.
"Do you know what happens when you heat sand?"
"Shut up! I don''t need to be lectured about something I don''t need to know."
"They hardened and turned to ss. That was the reason you lost the control over your sand. Next time, make sure your sand doesn''t contain any ss particles in them."
Fairfax merely gritted his teeth and casted [Earthen Sphere]. He was fully intending to defend himself. At this point, he no longer cared about his pride. He would get through out of this first!
"Fairfax Stafford! Will you yield?"
"Dream on!"
"Very well."
Raising his hand to the air, Xiu Li squinted his nted eyes. The fire orb burned brighter and anyone could almost see the air itself was burnt.
"It is going to be painful, but you will survive... [Tower Of Purgatory]!"
Bringing his raised hand down, the fire orb shot forward. Due to its size and the intense atmosphere, everyone felt like it was traveling slowly through the air. Many people gulped dryly at the scorching heat and could only imagine the pain it brought.
Atst, the waited moment came.
Boom!
Not long after, a bloodcurdling scream resounded through the whole arena.
"Kuuuuuaaaaaaahhhhhhhh!!!"
Anyone could feel Fairfax''s pain. His scream conveyed the immeasurable pain he was feeling. Some of the weak minded audiences turned their head away and covered their ears. However, all of the experienced Mages looked at the scene with a neutral eyes.
In their eyes, they were seeing reality. It was what happened when one took a wrong decision. None of them felt any sympathy for Fairfax. He reaped what he had sow.
The world consisted of two kinds of people. The victor and the loser. The victor gets the right to write the history. While the loser, gets the role to be the devil. What happens to the devil?
They are sent to the purgatory.
Chapter 73 What It Takes To Be On Top (3)
Fairfax Stafford couldn''t be recognized anymore. His attire waspletely burnt and stick close to his skin. His handsome appearance was no more as the only thing people could see on him was his scorched skin.
He was still faintly whimpering and breathing, however he couldn''t move even an inch from his ce. Surely, only some people knew that Fairfax was still alive. Most of the people thought Fairfax had died, due to hisck of motion.
Being the perpetrator, Xiu Li was aware of Fairfax being alive. He had aimed for this instead of killing him. Although it pained his heart to a certain extent, he had done the best he could do.
Although the current condition of Fairfax was gruesome to say the least, his chance of surviving was high. On top of being a Mage, he was also a Noble. Therefore, he would keep his life for sure.
Surely, in exchange, he would lose some of his attractive features. However, it was way better than losing his life.
"Victor, Wei Xiu Li!"
The audiences were startled by the referee''s voice as they were too engrossed in observing the charred Fairfax. Even so, the audiences were quick to response. Just like the referee, they had also learned from the previous match.
p! p! p!
Xiu Li sped his hands and bowed to thank the referee for his work. Then, he walked toward his new seat. The seventh seat. Like Basil earlier, all eyes were on him. All of them were baffled. None of them had thought someone with that face was able to pull that fearsome stunt.
Sending his gaze at Basil, Xiu Li was expectant toward his reaction. He had been indebted to Basil as he had helped him pass the Selection Stage. This was his way to pay him debt, to perform better in the tournament.
He needed to know whether his performance was up to Basil''s expectation or not. His butt was already touching the armchair, however his gaze was still nted at Basil who hadn''t given him any reaction.
He was slightly disappointed by Basil''sck of reaction. It seemed Basil didn''t think his performance was good enough. As he was sighing to himself, something caught his attention. His heart started to beat faster as he was filled with excitement.
Although Basil wasn''t facing his way, he could see it! He could see Basil''s faint smirk that looked like a knowing smile of a big brother at his little brother''s mischief.
"He knew I have intentionally spared Fairfax''s life. Amazing..."
Xiu Li silently admired Basil''s attentiveness. No one without enough experience should be able to tell the motionless Fairfax was still alive. However, Basil could notice that from afar.
Fairfax was brought out of the arena to be treated immediately. Everyone''s eyes followed his body until hepletely disappeared from the arena.
[The next challenge is ready to be proceeded.]
"Kuhum... This time, the tournament is filled with a fearsome bunch indeed."
Someone coughed awkwardly after the announcement. He looked down at the arena and could see another two youngsters entered. The earlier gruesome scene was quickly forgotten like it was something didn''t worth remembering.
Startled, Chester looked to his side and found the person who had coughed earlier. "Master ke, you''re here?" He asked in confusion. "What about our studentspeting in Team Category?"
At this, ke merely smiled wryly before replying, "It is finished. Our team forfeit in the third match. They said they would like to preserve their lives more than winning the tournament." Chester chuckled in amusement as a response.
"Well, that is just like them. However, it''s a new record, isn''t it?" Chester looked curiously at ke. Without turning his head, ke nodded his head faintly, "Indeed. Thest time, our team could only manage to win one match. It can be considered an achievement."
ke and Chester heaved a sigh of relief. Compared to thest year''s tournament, their academy had achieved something big. Not only their students managed to survive the hell like Selection Stage, but also won two match before forfeiting.
Seeing their students were safe was already enough for them. The four students of the Team Category must be burdened mentally ¡ª
"Woohoo! We are finally here! When is Basil''s match?!"
¡ª or not.
Chester looked at the four students of the Team Category neutrally. He regretted his choice to sympathize over people who didn''t need it. All of them were as healthy as a cow! Not even a hint of distress could be seen on their faces!
"Kuhum.. good afternoon, Mr. Chester." The representative of the four students cleared his throat to erase the awkwardness between them and Chester. "Well, hello, Elton. I hope you are as fine as you look."
Scratching his cheek embarrassingly, Elton answered Chester, "Yes, sir. We are as fine as we look." Luckily, Chester could finally smile and nodded his head, "That is a relief then." Elton sighed in relief, however he didn''t let his guard down.
"If you are curious, Sir, I can tell you the detail of what has happened." Elton added quickly. Just as he had expected, Chester smiled even brighter, "That is preferable." This time, Elton could finally heave a sincere sigh of relief.
"Psst. We managed to dodge a bullet there." Calhoun whispered at Elton in a not so discreet manner. At this, Elton could only facepalm, "Shut it, dork." Unsurprisingly, Calhoun had the audacity to answer him with an okay.
At that moment, amotion ensued in the arena.
"I for¡ª Kuhuk!!!"
"Well, try to say it faster next time."
The people''s attention was brought to themotion. One of the fighting participants had his chest pierced by another participant''s hand. The perpetrator merely grinned disdainfully while looking down at the person whose chest he had pierced.
Whistle.
"It''s more intense than our category, isn''t it?"
"Yes, I agree. Look at their Magic Circles. Most of them are Major Circles."
"Well, they are not Grand Circles like Basil''s, so I''m not impressed."
"I think we have agreed Basil is an exception?"
Chester looked at the exchange with a faint smile. He was amazed with Basil''s unique method to impress people. Basil was a pretty much feared existence in the academy. However, all of them still admired and respected him.
Him beating a student or a couple of student''s arse at once hadn''t been a one time thing. In the span of five months, there were hundreds of students whose arse he had beaten. Surely, they didn''t end up as bad as what he had done at his advancement day to the fourth year.
Most of those students had been curious about the truth behind his might, therefore they had challenged him. The results had always been predictable. Basil had nted their heads to the ground, quite literally.
At one point, Chester had believed Basil would be tired of them and decided to make an example out of one of them. However, it had never happened. Instead, Basil had been strangely quite expectant toward it.
When Chester had asked his reason, he had simply replied, "I got to experiment." Toplement the nonchnce, Chester had been sure Basil had shrugged his shoulder a little.
When Basil said he had never done anything without a reason, he really meant it.
Returning back to the present, Chester could hear the announcement of the winner. Then, right after the arena was cleansed, another announcement resounded through the whole arena.
[The next challenge is ready to be proceeded.]
"I am challenging Rank 1, Basil Pacifer!"
[Rank 13 challenges Rank 1. Basil Pacifer, will you ept the challenge?]
,m "I will."
[May you enter the Arena.]
Just like his first match, Basil didn''t need the instruction as he was already inside the arena when the announcer finished speaking. He gazed at his opponent. A pale slender young man with long grey hair stared back at him. He was the same young man from the previous match.
The young man grinned and it didn''t fit his sickly pale face. Basil quirked an eyebrow. The young man reminded him of Jackson. They really resembled each other, except their body size.
"It seems you have realized something, huh? That is right! He and I are rted!"
"No wonder."
Basil faintly curved his mouth upward. It seemed the young man was just as observant as his sibling. Basil was slightly impressed. These kids were showing so many potentials in the early age. He was sure they would grow into a powerhouse if nurtured well.
"Unfortunate. A faulty product can never be usable." Basil shook his head, puzzling Jackson''s sibling. "What are you talking about?" Basil didn''t give him any answer. Using [Reinforcement] on himself, Basil dashed forward.
Bam!
"Darn, for someone of your size, you pack quite a punch!"
Basil had instantly reappeared in front of Jackson''s sibling with his fist aiming for the chest of Jackson''s sibling. With a superb reflex, Jackson''s sibling managed to block the punch.
"For a skeleton, you have quite a defense."
"Ku-ku-ku, goodeback!"
Blood is thicker than noodle. Just like Jackson, his sibling was also as loud. Basil almost couldn''t hold the urge to block his ears with the earmuffs he had gotten from rissa. However, he managed to hold his urge back.
It was disrespectful topletely tune out your opponent in the middle of a Battle, no matter how loud your opponent was. Furthermore, once Basil used the earmuffs, he would be reluctant to let it off. Therefore, he couldn''t do that.
It wasn''t because he liked the earmuffs so much that he didn''t want to part with it. He liked serenity better. Don''t get him wrong, he wasn''t a loner!
Bam!
"You are fast!"
Bam!
"Can you block this?!"
Whoosh!
"Darn, are you even a Mage?!"
Boom!
"Holy cow, your punch hurts!"
Maybe, Basil had been wrong in his decision. It was better to wear earmuffs while facing Jackson''s sibling. He was too loud that Basil couldn''t help but to massage his ears briefly.
"You talk too much."
"Ahaha! Don''t worry, you won''t be able to hear me right after this!"
Boom!
Three Magic Circles appeared and floated behind the back of Jackson''s sibling. All of them were Major Circles in quality. Basil was a little bit expectant at the stunt Jackson''s sibling would pull. Therefore, Basil gave him the opportunity to prepare his Spell.
Woong!
"Hm? Interesting."
Looking at his hands, Basil could see some runes were shining. All of the parts where the runes were etched had been the parts where Jackson''s sibling had touched in their earlier sh.
Jackson''s sibling who misunderstood Basil''s slight fascination with confusion grinned savagely. Flipping open his Grimoire, he muttered a chant that caused his hands to be wrapped in a dreadful ck aura.
sh!
Jackson''s sibling dashed through the ground like a ck lighting. He instantly reappeared in front of Basil just as fast. Curling his fist, he punched forward.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
One punch wasunched, however the impact was equal to an explosion. The ground below Basil cracked and dust flew to the air. However, the one who was left baffled was Jackson''s sibling.
"What the hell, dude? What is your body made of?!"
Basil kept his ground firmly like nothing had happened. His feet didn''t even move an inch. The only indication he had withstood an absurdly powerful punch was the cracked ground below him.
Basil shook his head in disappointment, "A Spellcaster can never imitate a Battle Mage, who is no more than an iplete Knight." Curling his left fist, Basil thrust it at Jackson''s sibling, "In other words, fight in ordance with your identity."
Boom!
"Kuhuk!"
This time, an even bigger explosion ured due to Basil''s punch. With his Mana Heart, Ultimate Circles, and Qi, that punch would be an instant kill if he were to let loose. However, he was still curious about something. Therefore, he couldn''t afford to kill Jackson''s sibling.
"You... Bastard!"
Jackson''s sibling coughed a mouthful of blood as some part of his sternum had been turned to dust by Basil''s illogically absurd punch. He was seriously curious about what was Basil''s body made from.
Clenching his ckened sr plexus, he gazed at Basil deadly in the eyes.
"You will... regret this!"
sh!
Jackson disappeared once again and reappeared in front of Basil. However, it didn''t end there as he swung his ck de like hands at Basil. Surprisingly, even the experienced Basil could only dodge his attack by a close margin.
Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!
Each swing tore the ground and the air. The sound produced by it was enough to make the hair on everyone''s hair stood. They were sure if they were to be hit, they would be instantly bisected.
Still, the one who was facing it was as calm as a deep sea. Basil was observing the pattern of the attack with his considerably faster perception. He was silently amazed at the work of the intricate Spell.
Jackson''s sibling was always aiming precisely at his hands where the runes were attached. Not only that, the speed of the attack was also dramatically elerated as if each each attack didn''t face any friction with the air.
"An ingenious Spell indeed. As expected of Charles Blois."
"Do you even have the leisure to¡ª Kuhak!!!"
In a split second, Basil''s foot had sneaked itself toward the unexpecting Jackson''s sibling. He was quickly thrown backward while clutching his upper abdomen where Basil had just kicked him.
Surely, Basil didn''t let him go. With [Feather Step], Basil moved to the spot where Jackson''s sibling hadnded.
"Kuuhhh.. this bastard. He really didn''t know any mercy... Huh?"
Jackson''s sibling was puzzled as he was lifted from the ground. Looking at Basil who had lifted him in confusion, he was about to speak when realization dawned upon him.
"Wait! I forfe¡ª Kuhuk!!!"
"You should have said it faster."
Just like how he had finished his previous opponent, Jackson''s sibling was ended in the same way.
Chapter 74 What It Takes To Be On Top (End)
Basil frowned while looking at the dying Jackson''s sibling. While trying to figure out the way Charles'' Spell work, he was also recalling the aides of Charles. Basil had met Charles once, however he had never had a feud with him.
He knew about Charles quite well. ording to his memories, Charles had had three aides. All of them had been his disciples who he had had nurtured since young. They had the same thing inmon which was their violent nature.
They were known with their brutality and sick hobby. They liked to toy with their victims and had often yed "Catch and Run", which had been pretty much them chasing the victims they had intentionally let go, then killing those victims when they were caught.
To describe them simply, they were breathing trash. As Basil had coincidentally met two of them, he had decided to contribute to society by eliminating them early.
Well, not really. He had been once troubled due to one of these idiots, therefore it could be considered settling a literal lifetime grudge.
Slip.
Basil slowly pushed the body of Jackson''s sibling off of his hand with his Mana, disying his better than most Mana control.
Thud.
The body fell lifelessly to the ground, however Basil didn''t even give it a single nce. He was looking at his clean hand and nodded in satisfaction. He had managed to protect his hand from the filthy stain!
"Victor, Basil Pacifer!"
The referee announced the winner and the crowd erupted in cheer. Much to their surprise, this match was rather tamepared to Basil''s prior match. Therefore, they felt like celebrating.
Whistle.
"Wew... You heard what he said? That is the most badass roast ever!"
"As expected, Basil really doesn''t show any restrain in this tournament."
"Does he even have any restrain?"
"You wouldn''t have been here if he didn''t."
The four ssmates of Basilmented on Basil''s performance among themselves. Their hearts were beating wildly at Basil''s victory. They did admire Basil, however it wasn''t the reason their hearts beat faster.
They had put their bet on him!
Therefore, the more match Basil won, the bigger the chance they would win the bet. They knew it was dirty to bet and profited over their friend''s sess. However, they had vowed to absolutely share the money with Basilter!
Chester who was observing the four students from the side shook his head helplessly. He knew they were betting on Basil winning the tournament. Although betting wasn''t a part of the tournament, it wasn''t forbidden either.
Therefore, many people did that.
"It''s good to be young. Their optimism is blinding."
Chester smiled softly to himself. His students were very sure Basil would win the match and he couldn''t help but smile at the semi opportunistic camaraderie. Their trust in their friend was admirable.
Surely, Chester had also bet his money on Basil. However, he had done that as a proof of his trust and appreciation toward Basil. It wasn''t because he was sure Basil would win! Absolutely not!
"Why the heck are these brats grinning?"
ke, who was observing Chester, who was observing his students, was confused by the grin on Chester''s face. Chester was nodding his head like he was looking at the good oue he had expected.
Suddenly, realization dawned upon ke. Looking at the five people, he muttered in amusement, "Youths are good, they like to go against the odds." He smiled softly at them.
Even after providing training resources to Basil ¡ª which weren''t much ¡ª he didn''t even know Basil''s current progress. The boy was very discreet in everything he did. Therefore, betting on Basil winning the match was risky.
Surely, it didn''t mean he didn''t bet. He had put his money on Basil too! Consider it a hunch. He was very sure his money would triple in the end. At that thought, ke also couldn''t help the grin creeping up his face.
Thus, the six supporters of Basil, who were also betting on him, threw their gaze back at the arena in expectation.
...
[The next challenge is ready to be proceeded.]
The arena was cleaned and it was ready to be used for another match. Basil was already back on his seat while silently meditating. All of the participants nced at Basil and hesitance adorned their face. None of them proceeded to call out a challenge.
"That guy is dangerous. He is really going to be the absolute winner if he were to be left alone."
"Darn! Do I have to challenge that kind of guy to be the first?"
The participants muttered among themselves while observing Basil from afar. All of them aimed to be the first. However, with an opponent as ferocious as Basil, they couldn''t help but hold the urge.
They preferred their lives over trying their luck in the arena.
Kimberley looked at the situation and could deduce what everyone was thinking. "They are hesitating," shemented. "Are you the same?" Kimberley looked to her right and found that the speaker was Kinsey.
"No, I am not. I would like to test my skills against him."
"Hmph! Then, why don''t you do it now?"
"It''s because I know not to aim too high."
Kimberley frowned her forehead lightly at Belen''s disdainful remark. He wasn''t even invited to join the conversation, but he interrupted her nheless.
"Now, now. No need to debate among yourselves. You can settle it in the arena."
"I will never have a match with women. They don''t worth my time. It is disgraceful!"
"Hoh? You must be someone who thinks theirself are superior because they were born as a man."
"Statistics proved that, Woman."
Kinsey sighed to himself as the quarrel between Belen and Kimberley didn''t show any sign of stopping. Moving his gaze to Basil, he admired his nonchnce despite being the center of everyone''s attention.
Looking at the other participants, all of their eyes were nted on Basil. All of them were contemting on how to remove Basil from his current rank. They were surely determined to be the first rank.
"Tsk! Can''t help it. I will show you why men are superior than women."
"Show me. I will witness it with my own eyes."
"You guys.. why don''t you settle your argument in the arena?"
"Shut up!"
"..."
Kinsey shut his mouth tightly at Kimberley and Belen. For someone who had been just arguing against each other, they were quite in sync when they shut him up.
"Listen, you cowards! I will show you what a man shall do in this kind of situation!"
The participants were drawn out of their contemtion at Belen''s sudden deration. Moving their gaze on him, they were puzzled at his reason of doing it.
"I, Belen Kingsbury, challenge Basil Pacifer!"
[Belen Kingsbury of the Third Rank challenges Basil Pacifer of the First Rank. Basil Pacifer, will you ept the challenge?]
"I will ept the challenge."
"Very well. Watch carefully, Plebeians! By the time of this match, you will know what to do!"
[May you enter the Arena.]
The participants looked at Belen weirdly due to his deration. The sheer confidence he was radiating was baffling. Although he had upied Jackson''s rank, his previous rank had been lower than Jackson''s. Such confidence was a bit baffling for them to see on him.
Surely, they didn''t want to voice anything. They merely shrugged their shoulders and observed the sh that was about to happen.
"Let''s have a rematch, Basil."
"..."
"Tsk. Alright then. Mr. Referee, please start the match."
The referee looked at Belen rather weirdly. He couldn''t figure out the kid''s n. Realising that seeing it would be better, he shrugged and decided to do his job.
"Begin!"
Right off the bat, Belen made a shooting motion and shouted, "Bang!"
Boom!
A small explosion ured, however Basil was unharmed. Straightening his leaning head, Basil stared at the retreating Belen. He curled his mouth faintly. He had to give Belen a credit, the kid knew how to properly fight.
While distancing himself away from Basil, Belen extended his two hands and imitated gun with them.
Boom!
His three Magic Circles were exposed and they shone intensely. Mana surged and light gathered the tip of his fingers.
"[Double Glock]!"
The name of the Spell was uttered and the light on the tip of his fingers was shot forward at Basil.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
The speed was close enough to be untraceable for the keen eyes. Basil had to dodge the destructive light projections sent at him meticulously. Although one hit wasn''t enough to pierce his skin, once hit there would be another hitting him.
"Keep dodging!"
Belen had a weird smile on his face while shooting the projectiles ceaselessly. He didn''t even care about the amount of Mana he was using. He was ecstatic with the mere act of shooting.
It was all began with a fated encounter with something called gun. Gun had been an ancient weapon that human used to defend themselves. When he had first read about it, Belen had instantly fallen in love with it.
He admired the genious person who had invented guns. Although the era of guns didn''tst long due to its uselessnesspared to Magic, Belen was still crazy over them.
Due to guns, he had been inspired to make an Art that belonged solely to him. Thus, his Art, [Gun Master] was born. All of the Spells consisted inside it were named after the guns he knew as to show his deep love toward guns.
Boom!
"Woohoo! Enjoy that big baby!"
Belen smiled in satisfaction at the biggest explosion he had caused so far. Although it didn''t harm Basil in the slightest, he was sure Basil was tired from dodging all of the attack.
On the opposite end, Basil hummed to himself. He was pondering over Belen''s puzzling behavior. Belen was wasting his Mana and Basil didn''t quite get what was his intention.
Surely, the thought didn''tst long. Sending his Mana to his Spatial Bracelet, he took Kusanagi out of it.
"Woahh!"
"That sword is..."
"What a beautiful sword!"
"Hmm... Is that a high tier Magic Sword?"
The instance Basil took out Kusanagi, the people''s eyes were instantly on it. They were fascinated with the unique aura it was exuding. Surely, they wouldn''t normally feel anything despite how beautiful it looked.
However, Basil had infused his Mana into it the moment he took it out. Therefore, the unique aura and some part of its true might were exposed. Looking at Belen from afar, Basil could see he was preparing something.
Sending his Mana to his feet, he was about to dash forward when Belen shouted something rather weird, "Let''s have a rematch!" Basil was puzzled, however it didn''t stop him to use his Movement Technique.
"[M134 Machine Gun]!"
At the instance Basil utilized his Movement Technique, Belen also casted his Spell. A rotating Circle with intricate patterns on it was formed in front of him, and it spew an absurd amount of projectiles.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
Basil had to dodge the projectiles sent at him way careful than before as the amount was simply overwhelming. Even if he could see all of them, dodging them was a different matter.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
Not only the amount was absurd, the destruction it brought couldn''t be scoffed at either. There were many pits made in the ground, and many holes made on the wall. Not even the Magic Barrier was spared. Each time the projectiles hit the Magic Barrier, the audiences would flinch.
Basil took a step back and uttered a single Spell.
"[Lesser Art: Aegeas]!"
A thin golden orb encapsted Basil''s whole body, and it perfectly protected him from the projectiles. Although it wasn''t perfect, Basil had managed to create a simplified version of [Aegeas] which he had used to defend himself when he had fought against Grogophone.
Crack!
Due to its considerably high Mana usage, the orb started to disperse in each attack it received. It wasn''t because Basil didn''t have enough Mana to sustain it, it was because he was intentionally limiting the usage.
Extending Kusanagi forward, Basil infused his Mana inside it. Kusanagi shone and wind was gathering around Basil. Slowly, the trajectory of the projectiles were altered. When [Aegeas] finally dispersed, Basil was untouchable despite the barrage of attack.
"Time to split it up."
The shining Kusanagi shone even brighter before an overwhelming aura descended upon the arena. Basil twisted Kusanagi and the wind followed his movement.
Whoosh!
The projectiles which were previouslying straight at him were swirling in the air due to the wind Basil was controlling. If whirlwinds were created horizontally, it would be like the scene the audiences were watching.
In the eyes of the horizontal whirlwind was Basil with Kusanagi extended forward. The barrage of attack was still ongoing and it didn''t show any sign of stopping soon.
"I will show you the proper way to use your spell."
Basil muttered to himself while staring straight at Belen who was standing nonchntly on the opposite side. Smirking to himself, Basil gathered his Mana on the tip of Kusanagi before sending it at Belen.
Bang!
Whoosh!
The small orb of condensed Mana was shot at Belen with a speed that was way faster than his. Belen''s eyes quickly widened as he quickly chanted his defensive Spell to protect himself.
The attack would be hurt and Belen was sure of it. Not only Basil controlled his Mana better than him, but he also elerated the speed of the orb with the spinning wind. His life was seriously at risk!
"[Bulletproof]!"
Boom!
Basil''s attack shed against the barrier protecting Belen and exploded spectacrly. Even Belen''s umted explosion would be pale inparison to it. The projectiles swirling in the air disappeared in an instant.
Belen had concentrated all of his Mana to his defensive Spell, therefore he had no leisure to keep attacking anymore
By the time the explosion died down and the dust settled, the ragged Belen could be seen panting with his hands on his knees. His Mana was entirely spent. Looking at Basil in resentment, he shouted indignantly.
"How dare you use my own Spell against me, Pacifer!"
"..."
Basil would normally ignore the gibberish of a loser, however he couldn''t ignore it this time. He felt like he had just heard something that was quite out of this world. Surely, it didn''tst long as he merely shrugged and activated [Feather Step].
However!
"I forfeit!"
Basil had reappeared in front of Belen and Kusanagi was already close to Belen''s neck. Sadly, he was forced to stop his attack as the referee had already locked his body with his Spell.
"Ku-ku-ku! You must be pissed."
Belen stood up and grinned at him. He didn''t give any reaction as he merely straightened his considerably taller body and looked down at the shorter Belen. Belen wasn''t bothered with that, he merely looked at the sitting participants and spread his hands.
"This is what I mean! You have two chances. It is called a chance for a reason. Use them wisely!"
After saying that, Belen moved his feet toward his seat. As realization dawned upon them, the participants had their eyes lit. Looking at Basil, a mischievous smile slowly adorned their faces.
"Victor, Basil Pacifer!"
The crowd erupted in cheer, but Basil frowned lightly. Looking at Belen''s back, an amused smile adorned his face.
''So, that was what he meant. Interesting.''
On the other side, Belen sat himself and smiled in satisfaction. Everything was going ording to his n.
"I thought you were going to show me why men are superior. Is forfeiting considered to be one of them?" Kimberley who was looking at the grinning Belen curiously asked. "I am doing it now. You just have to watch," Belen responded calmly.
''When you are on the top, many will try to bring you down. It is a cursed ce, but everyone wants it. It has so many requirements to attain it, and even harder to maintain it.''
Belen''s grin became wider the more he was thinking about that. Gazing at Basil from afar, his eyes lit up iprehensibly.
[The next challenge is ready to be proceeded.]
"I challenge Basil Pacifer!"
Contrary to the previous match, this time, everyone was eager to challenge Basil. All of them had an iprehensible smile on their faces.
Belen looked at the scene and muttered coldly, "Envy and jealousy are the two things human have inmon. When you seed, people can never stand you. Having your neck targeted by many people is what it takes to be on top."
Chapter 75 A Demon Advocate
When people are afraid, no one will dare to make an advance. However, a little nudge of encouraging words is enough to provoke their spirit.
It was what Belen had aimed. A little speech he had given after his battle with Basil had been intended to provoke a certain ''idea'' in their minds. Surely, Belen wasn''t just encouraging the other participants. He wasn''t such a person.
The idea he had subtly conveyed to their mind was simple. He had basically told the other participants to gang up on Basil. With the rule stating the fight should be one on one, this should be impossible. However, everyone had two chances.
It was one of the time where they had to work together for the greater good. They could use one of the chances to have an unrestrained match right off the bat, and forfeited as quick as they could just to annoy Basil, like what Belen had done to Basil.
If every one of them did that to Basil, by the time all of their first chances were used up, Basil would be so tired to face another opponent. At that time, he would be an easy prey for them to feast upon.
Surely, that was the expected oue. However, reality often disappoints people.
[Basil Pacifer, will you ept the challenge?]
"I refuse."
Belen was so bewildered that his smile froze instantly. He hadn''t expected this oue in the slightest. He had thought Basil would merrily dance on his palm!
Surely, he wasn''t the only one who got bewildered by Basil''s choice.
"Huh? Are my ears starting to fail me?"
"You are too stupid to suffer from that disease, Calhoun."
"Should I consider myself crazy?"
"THAT Basil forfeit? Are we even still living in the same ne?"
The people who had bet on Basil were so shocked they preferred to believe themselves were crazy. Their eyes were opened and all of them leaned their bodies forward to do a reality check.
When they found it was indeed a reality, all of them, with no exception,ughed humorlessly.
"What in the bloody hell is he doing?!!"
The situation was so bewildering that Calhoun, the least bright person of the group, could represent the people''s thought this time.
In the arena, the referee also stared at Basil in faint surprise.
"Are you sure you want to refuse?"
"Yes."
"It means you are going to forfeit your current position, just so you know."
"I am aware of that. So, what?"
The referee shut his mouth tight. There was no fault in Basil''s decision. Basil had every right to refuse the challenge. However, the referee couldn''t just wrap his mind around it. Someone as ferocious as Basil was willing to forfeit his seat? It was as unbelievable as it was ridiculous!
He believed Basil was up to something. However, he couldn''t guess what Basil was on. Therefore, he opted to observe rather assuming.
"Very well," The referee nodded his head faintly. He looked at the dumbfounded Basil''s challenger and shook his head faintly. Readying his voice, the referee decided to do his job, "Victor, Colby Dormer!"
The exact same thing that had happened in Basil''s first match was repeated. The audiences were so bewildered that they couldn''t think of cheerinh. They were doubting their eyes as seeing Basil had just forfeited his seat was that unbelievable.
Throwing their gaze at Basil, they wondered whether they were seeing the same person. The Basil in their mind wasn''t such a person.
Surely, Basil who had once again attracted everyone''s eyes ¡ª but for a different reason ¡ª was nonchnt. He merely walked toward his new seat, the tenth seat. Everyone''s eyes followed his every movement, however he wasn''t bothered in the slightest.
He was aware what Belen had been trying to do. With that being said, he had no intention to follow the n. Even if he could take the crap thrown at him, if he had the choice to avoid it, he would obviously take it!
Basil had pride, however he wasn''t overly prideful. He would never bow his head to anyone, however he wasn''t shy to avoid trouble. Therefore, he would never do something as dying in pride. That was inly stupid.
Position, power, and titles are bound to be lost someday. They are all temporarily in our hands. Thus, having it taken away from us doesn''t mean we lose it. It never eternally belongs to us in the beginning.
Everyone had thought Basil would be unwilling to forfeit his seat, however he wasn''t such a person. Basil didn''t care about momentary lost. He had had may of it in the past.
"Brother Basil.. why did you...?" Xiu Li who was three seats away from Basil, asked him in confusion. Basil merely nced Xiu Li from the corner of his eyes and said, "To enjoy the show." He even ended it with a faint smirk.
[The next challenge is ready to be proceeded.]
"I challenge the First Rank!"
[Rank 13 is challenging Rank 1. Colby Dormer, will you ept the challenge?]
The person in question was still spacing out as he still couldn''t believe he had be the first ce without doing anything. He didn''t register the challenge thrown at him, until a few seconds had past.
"Huuh... I ept!"
Colby Dormer finally epted the challenge. When opportunity is presented before you, it is your choice to take it or not. Colby had been the first one to take the opportunity, unlike the others who were slow on the uptake. Therefore, he would defend his seat to his very best.
He was missing something and he was aware of it. However, the voice in his mind told him his to focus on the thought of defending his seat instead of minding it. Readying himself, Colby looked at his challenger coldly.
The referee raised his hand, and brought it down while saying the sacred word. The brutal match began not long after.
The highest ce is highly sought by people. Being on top is always everyone''s goal. Therefore, when they have finally achieved it, they will do everything they can to keep it in their hands.
On the participant''s seat, Basil smirked faintly to himself. "Greed makes people blind. Therefore, many not realize their limits because of it. They will do anything because of their greed." Basil paused and took out a sweet potato for something to chew, "Still, in the end, they are bound to lose everything."
Munch.
Basil could finally enjoy the tournament.
...
While Basil was finally enjoying the tournament he had never enjoyed since the beginning of it, Nichs was hosting a a guest at his manor. He was conversing with the guest with an amicable smile on his face.
"Hahaha! Yes, I remember that too! It was such a long time ago."
"Yes, at that time, we are nothing more than two clueless bastards."
Both of Nichs and his guestughed in nostalgia. They were recounting the day where they were still young and naive.
"Well... in the end, out of the two of us, you have achieved the most, Nichs."
"No, not really. You are wealthier than me, and I believe I cannot beat you in the aspect in the meantime."
"You know I was born as a son of a Viscount, unlike you who was born in a Bar''s family."
"You are exaggerating my achievement, Justin."
The host and the guestughed together. Surprisingly enough, Nichs'' guest was Justin Escher.
Justin was sincere in hispliment on Nichs. He was nothing more than just inheriting his father''s assets, however Nichs was different. He had worked his way through the top. From a Bar''s son to a Viscount. That was an amazing achievement.
"You are underrating yourself too much, in my opinion."
"Well, then I guess I will take thepliment instead?"
Suddenly, a woman''s voice interrupted the two people from the side. Throwing their heads at the direction, they found a beautiful woman who was none other than Catherine.
"Hahaha! Well, I guess you can take that instead, Catherine. The husband''s achievement also belongs to the wife''s after all."
"Fufufu. You heard him, Dear."
Nichs merely smiled faintly at Catherine''s teasing. Looking at the interaction between his wife and his friend, he should be feeling warm as they could ept each other. However, his heart was filled with nothing other than a cold rage instead.
His empty eyes were neatly covered by the amiable smile on his face. No one could tell what he was thinking. Not even Catherine who was already together with her husband for 17 years. Therefore, she was worried.
Nichs'' invitation over Justin toe over had been out of the blue. She wasn''t even notified that he would invite Justin. Therefore, when she had found Justin was talking with Nichs in the living room she had been stunned to silence.
Luckily, she was quick to adapt. Regaining herposure back, she had immediately resumed her y as the good wife. Thus, she was delivering them delicacies toplement their amiable talk.
"Justin''s visit is so sudden that I can''t prepare anything."
"Why did you bother to? You have maids for that."
"That is..." Catherine was hesitating while looking at Nichs. In response thetter merely shook his head faintly, "We have lost our best maid months ago." Perplexed, Justin asked, "She died?" Nichs merely answered nonchntly, "My son took her."
Justin could only give an understanding "Oh" to that. At this point, every close aides of Nichs were aware of his feud with his son, Basil. Although Justin wasn''t considered one of Nichs'' close aides, he had Catherine to notify him.
"He is at that phase, huh? My son, Daniel, is like that too. He is getting brattier each day."
"Well, our son is different, though," Catherine chimed in. Justin looked at her and smiled almost too warmly, "I can see that. He is a prodigy, because has a great gene." Justin knew Basil wasn''t Catherine''s biological son, however he just wanted to flirt. Thus, he didn''t care.
At that, Catherine smiled rather forcefully. She had yed two men at once, and all of them were stupid. Justin was too obvious in his intimacy and Nichs was too oblivious to realize it! She was constantly on edge. She was afraid at some point, she would be exposed.
At that moment, Nichs who was merely smiling opened his mouth, "Although my son was prodigious, that isn''t the one that makes him different. When Catherine said he was different, she meant that he was REALLY different."
"Are you referring to his exceptional intelligence?"
"That is one of them, but no."
"So, what is it?"
"He is so exceptionally different, because he has always managed to eradicate every Assassins I sent him."
"Oh, Assassin! Wait.. did you say you sent them...?"
Silence descended upon the room. Justin was looking at Nichs in utter bewilderment. Unconsciously, his entire body tensed. By the request of Catherine, he had also been doing the same. He was afraid that it was a jab thrown at him as he had been discovered.
"Yes, I did that. My wife, Catherine, did that too. Right, Honey?"
Nichs put his eyes on Catherine, and she quivered under his scrutinizing gaze. A chilling coldness could be felt from Nichs'' eyes. Catherine''s eyes widened in fright. She was afraid she had been entirely exposed.
However, there was no guarantee Nichs found out her betrayal over him. Therefore, she dared to ask, "Dear, what do you mean by that? You know I will never do that." Nichs smiled softly, and it eased Catherine''s heart to a certain extent.
Well, not for long.
"Yes, Honey. It is unbelievable of you to do that. But, it happened nheless. Just look at these for example!" Nichs took out a Photograph Talisman and put it on the table. "I also didn''t believe it at first."
? Catherine tensely asked Nichs, "What do you mean...?" However, Nichs'' merely infused his Mana to the Photograph Talisman and projected the photographs inside. Instantly, Catherine and Justin froze.
Looking at the projected photographs in horror, they stood from their seats in shock. What they saw were the photographs of them having an intense session with each other.
They had been perfectly discovered!
Slowly turning their heads at Nichs, they were met with his demonic grin.
"Isn''t that beautiful? I have never even seen ''that'' face on my wife before."
A chilling aura instantly descended upon the room. Then, the cold rage that Nichs had long suppressed was finally let loose.
Chapter 76 A Demon Advocate (2)
Catherine was terrified. Her pupils dted, and her whole body trembled ceaselessly. Looking at Nichs'' demonic grin, an extreme sense of foreboding assaulted her entire existence.
"Wait! Nichs, I can exin this!"
Gazing at the mortified Justin in amusement, Nichs asked him funnily, "What do you want to exin? You don''t have anything to exin here." Nichsughed in an eerie way, before adding, "Furthermore, no matter how sound your reasoning was, I wouldn''t register any of it."
Justin quickly assume the look of a person with constipation. Nichs had basically told him the truth. In this situation, what did he have to exin? A reason to justify his act? Even if Justin wasn''t as bright as Nichs, he wasn''t stupid.
"Dear, this is... It must be someone''s attempt to tear us apart!"
Catherine was desperate. Looking at Nichs with her heart wrenching teary eyes, she gathered as much feeling in every word she uttered. Sadly, Nichs merely shook his head, andughed loudly.
"Look at these wretched couples! Your drama is so bad that I can tell right away you are acting!"
"Nichs, think logically! There must be¡ª"
"Someone who has fabricated it?"
"Yes, Dear! There is no way I¡ª"
"Meh, I''veid my hands in these proofs since two weeks ago. I have plenty of time to prove the authenticity of them. Therefore..." Nichs pped his hands and six hooded figures appeared behind him. "I have another proofs too," he added.
Each of the six hooded figures presented a Visual Orb in their hands. Without anymore instruction from Nichs, they projected the recorded obscenities inside.
Gasp!
Aption of Justin and Catherine''s heated session wasid bare in front of their eyes. They were horrified and ashamed at the same time. Especially, Justin who always regarded himself highly.
Justin who was filled with embarrassment and indignation shouted, "Nichs, stop this right¡ª Kuhak!" Sadly, he didn''t manage toplete his sentence as something hit his chest. His Mana went berserk right after.
"Ahhh!!! What is.. this??!!"
"Ho-ho-ho! Did I make that face too back then? Judging by this bastard''s face, my face should''ve been pretty hrious too. Ku-ku-ku."
Nichsughed in humor at the squirming Justin who was painfully clutching his chest on the ground. As he had said, one of the Assassins he had hired had shot the same thing that had ever sealed his Magic Circles at Justin.
He didn''t know what they were using, however he didn''t care too much about that. Seeing the squirming Justin on the ground was already an amusement for him.
"I will tell you one thing to stop the pain. You will have¡ª"
"To stop using Mana? You have sealed my Magic Circles?!"
"Wow, you are smart enough, I guess?"
"Nichs!"
"Why are you angry? Do you think you have the right to be angry?"
Nichs asked Justin in mock curiosity, however it was enough to shut him entirely. Justin couldn''t utter any word as he couldn''t think of a perfect reason to defend himself.
"Dear, stop this immediately. I will exin everything, please!"
Catherine was torn between her choice. She couldn''t decide which side she would choice. Currently, Nichs had the upperhand and thepetence. However, in the other hand, Justin had the wealth and the connection.
She was an ambitious woman. She had chosen toy her body for them just to make them dance in her palm. She had no feelings over them. All she had on them was her interest in their position.
Now that she was exposed, she had to choose between the two. She had to make the right decision. Once she made a wrong decision, she would lose everything she had been trying to build!
"I am sorry, Dear! I was forced to do that!"
"Huh? What are you saying, Catherine?!"
"Shut up, you filthy man!"
Justin was extremely baffled at Catherine''s decision of making a scapegoat out of him. He stared at Catherine in indignation and resentment. Surely, Catherine ignored himpletely. She had decided her choice, and she had to bemitted to it.
"Hoh? Actually, I''m a little bit interested in the story."
"Catherine, you harlot! How dare you throw your dirt all on me!"
"Hearing that from someone who has forced himself upon a married woman like you is disgusting!"
"Tsk. Why are you cursing to each other? I just want an exnation."
Nichs clicked his tongue in annoyance. He was sincerely interested in Catherine''s reason for betraying him. However, instead of hearing the reason, he was forced to watch the quarrel between the two betrayers.
"You can''t hear this harlot out, Nichs! She is tricking you!"
"Who do you believe more, Dear? Your wife or your rotten friend?"
Contrary to the loud Justin, Catherine spoke softly with her sympathy evoking crocodile tears. Nichs clicked his tongue at that, and merely gestured one of the hooded figures to restrain Justin.
"Nichs! You can''t¡ª!"
That was all Justin managed to say before his mouth waspletely muffled by the hooded figure. He couldn''t even move his body as it waspletely restrained by the hooded figure.
"Let me hear you."
Catherine nodded her head and started to recount her version of story, "It was started at the gathering from 15 years ago. Justin had just lost his wife and was stressed out. He drank too much and lost his self control. He then forced himself upon me."
Catherine paused as tears were falling down her cheeks. She was trying her best to wipe them, while sobbing constantly. She gritted her teeth as if recounting the story itself was hurtful.
"When I retaliated, he used Magic against me. I couldn''t fight back as I am merely an ordinary person. That night, he vited me to his heart content. I couldn''t do anything but crying helplessly."
"Huuuummmmhh! Huuuuhhhhm!"
Justin was outraged at Catherine''s audacity to fabricate the story. However, he couldn''t do anything to defend himself as the hand of the hooded figure was tightly sealing his mouth. He could only stare at Catherine with disbelieving eyes and resentment.
"When he got sober, what he did was threatening me to keep the thing he had done to me to myself. He said he would make your life miserable if I told anyone. With that threat, he has been controlling me for all these years."
Sobbing audibly, Catherine added in the most sincere sorrowful tone, "I''m really, sorry! I was too afraid and ashamed to tell it to you!"
Justin regretted his decision. He shouldn''t have believed in Catherine. He didn''t know Catherine was such a person. He didn''t foresee it. He should''ve been more careful on that day where Catherine had tempted him.
Due to his carelessness, he had perfectly fallen for the trap of this maniptive harlot. s, that was the only thing he could do, thinking of the what ifs. What happened had already happened. He could do nothing but wallow in regrets.
"Honey... That is..." Nichs went closer, before finally stopping in front of Catherine. His demonic grin disappeared and was reced with a sympathetic expression. Seeing that her charm was working, Catherine snuggled closer, "I''m sorry, Dear. I''m really sorry!"
Nichs reciprocated the hug Catherine was giving him warmly. His shirt was starting to get wet by her tears. Surely, all of them were crocodile tears. Although she was crying, Catherine couldn''t help the grin on her face.
"That is so unfortunate, Honey." Nichs rubbed Catherine''s back tenderly, before stopping and said, "However, I don''t care with your stupidly made up reason. I can see you were enjoying it too."
Letting go of his hug, Nichs looked at Catherine right in the eyes. His demonic grin returned in full force. Catherine recoiled in surprise and took a step back, "Dear, what are you¡ª?" Nichs shushed her and said, "We are going to do something fun!"
Gesturing at the hooded figures, all of them started to scurry over Catherine. Justin was incapacitated and quickly bound by a rope. His mouth was also gagged to prevent any sounding out of his mouth.
Catherine stepped back each time the hooded figures got close to her. However, it didn''tst long before she was out of space to move as the hooded figures hadpletely surrounded her.
"Dear, what is this? What are you trying to do?!"
Nichs quirked an eyebrow and said, "Well... I am about to make you be what you really are." Extending his hand forward, he ripped apart Catherine''s dress. "Kyaa!!!" Catherine could do nothing but scream.
Two bountiful mounds with fair skin were revealed for the world to see. Nichs who was seeing the scene had his eyes lit up in glee. A sick desire filled up his head. Gesturing his hand at the hooded figures, they quickly understood his meaning.
"You are about to be a real harlot today, Catherine."
"N-no! D-don''te near me!"
Catherine wanted to run away. Her eyes widened in horror. She didn''t need to ask to know what was about to happen. The hooded figures had long lowered their pants for her to deduce. Surely, Nichs was no exception.
"Let''s ravage her!"
"Kyaaaa!!! No, stay away!!!"
Thus, Nichs'' revenge on her wife started, and Justin was forced to watch the sickening debauchery with his wide eyes. In the process, Nichs was having the best time of his life.
...
Basil had a sudden urge to smirk, and he did just that. Raising his eyebrow in curiosity, he was thinking about the thing he had momentarily forgotten. "Oh, right. Chaos must be happening at that ce. Well, it is not that it matters anyway."
Cleaning the crumbs of the sweet potatoes off his fingers, he observed the two people in Battle. In all honesty, he hadn''t paid a single attention to a single match. He had been too engrossed in eating his sweet potatoes to even mind the match.
"Kuhum. As expected of my personally baked sweet potatoes. It can even drown me in its deliciousness!"
When you are in the wrong ¡ª and you are aware of it ¡ª but you want to y it cool, you can only do one thing.
Shameless flex!
Yes, you heard it right. Shameless flex is way better than ming the others! When you are in fault, you just have to admit it. Then, show the others why you are superior than them. With that, your mistake will be forgotten instantly!
Surely, it was all Basil''s thought and avable to Basil only. Don''t get him wrong! He wasn''t narcissistic, for he could always take responsibility of what he had said. Therefore, even though the way his act was close to narcissism, people had never seen him that way.
At that moment, an explosion ured in the arena.
Boom!
Basil''s attention was perked up and he held the urge to eat another sweet potato back. He quickly nted his gaze at the scene uring in the arena.
"Gahak! You, bastard.. you are ying dirty!"
"Kuhahaha! Hearing that from you is funny. Come on, just forfeit, and I will spare you from the pain."
"I will never forfeit my seat!"
Colby Dormer was already in tatters. One of his eyes was half closed and blood was pouring down from his forehead. He had battled five times consecutively, and the fatigue had finally taken a toll on him.
Still, he was unwilling to forfeit. The voice in his head was still encouraging him to move forward. He would do anything to keep his seat, even if it meant to be injured badly. He would definitely win the tournament!
"Tsk! A deadman talking nonsense. Curb your greed, imbecile!"
Colby''s opponent had enough of him and dashed toward him in a swift movement. Jumping in the middle of his dash, he twisted his body along with his twin swords whilst airborne.
"Huh? What is he...! [Water Dome]!"
Colby who was in the brink of copse realized his opponent''s attempt on taking his life a second toote. He could do nothing other than casting a sloppy defensive Spell with his remaining Mana.
Ssh!
"Ahh!!!"
"Die, you bastard!"
Boom!
Colby was thrown to the ground. His [Water Barrier] was too sloppy to protect him. Thus, by the time his opponent''s swords made contact with it, it was instantly destroyed. In result, his body was bisected right in the middle.
"Kuhuk! Is this the end for me?" Even if he was already cut in two, Colby was still alive. Raising his hand, he tried to grasp the light that was dimming each second, "Ahh.. it was already so close. Too bad, I lost here."
Colby''s opponent who was looking at him from the side couldn''t help clicking his tongue. Bringing his sword down, he quickly jabbed it at Colby''s heart.
"Tsk! I will free you of your misery."
Stab!
"Ahh.. my chest hurts... I wish... I hadn''t stepped up."
Colby''s opponent frowned his forehead. Shaking his head bitterly in the next moment, he was puzzled himself at how the tournament turned this way. They werepeting no more. They were ying each other instead, and they were even aware of it.
However, despite knowing it, their urge to kill became even stronger.
[The next challenge is ready to be proceeded.]
Thus, the cycle continued.
Chapter 77 A Demon Advocate (3)
"I challenge Marcus Shelby of the First Rank!"
The audiences sighed at the repeated things they heard. Normally, they would be excited for the unexpected oue, and the thrill each match gave them. However, thest five matches they had witnessed had been nothing but lunacy.
Killing wasn''t forbidden in the tournament. However, it was a choice, not an obligation. What they had witnessed had been nothing more than two people aiming at taking each other''s lives. Even worse, none of them wanted to back down.
[Rank 7 is challenging Rank 1. Marcus Shelby, will you ept the challenge?]
Marcus clicked his tongue in annoyance. He knew it woulde to this. Sighing to himself, he straightened his posture before replying.
"I ept the challenge."
[May you enter the Arena.]
The Rank 7, or to be precisely Wei Xiu Li, stepped into the arena. He had stayed quite for all this time, however he couldn''t stand it anymore. The matches he had seen had no qualification to be called a match. They were nothing more than carnage. He needed to stop it!
The participant seemed to forget that they were here topete not to kill each other. Xiu Li could see it inly. None of them were interested in winning the tournament. All of them were engrossed in the act of killing the others.
"Are you the same too, Brother?"
"Huh, what are you saying?"
"Are you the same too? What is your aim?"
"Are you high? Of course, it is to win this tournament."
"Very well. Can I assume you value your life more over winning the tournament?"
Marcus stayed silent. He stared at Xiu Li in curiosity. He was puzzled by Xiu Li''s question. The boy in front of him didn''t have the face or the stature suitable for joining the tournament.
He looked like someone who suited to be those wretched noble women''s y thing instead. However, he had witnessed how ferocious Xiu Li could be. Thus, he was curious toward the purpose of Xiu Li''s question.
Still, he didn''t forget to answer, "Of course, I value my own life. Winning is not important if it cost my life."
He observed Xiu Li''s reaction toward his response, however he didn''t find much of it. Xiu Li merely smiled, and threw his head at the referee.
At the exact moment, the referee spoke, "The same rules as before. Learn from the other''s mistake. Know your limit." Even at this point, the referee was a little bit uneasy.
The tournament went off the track and he didn''t know the cause of it. Still, he should mind his job only. Raising his hand, he swung it down while uttering the sacred word, "Begin!"
Whoosh!
Xiu Li quickly distanced himself from Marcus. He was a Spellcaster. Facing Marcus who was a Battle Mage in close range would be suicide. Swiftly materializing his Grimoire, Xiu Li quickly chanted a Spell.
"[Master Of The Land]!"
As its name suggested, at that moment, Xiu Li became the master of thend. Thend in radius of 3 meters around him surged upward, following his everymand. Without wasting any time, he chanted another Spell.
Boom!
This time, his Magic Circles were fully on disy. A heavy pressure descended upon the arena, and the audiences gulped unconsciously. Would they watch another gruesome death? They couldn''t know. However, they were anticipating the oue of this match.
"[Inferno]!"
Burst!
As the name was uttered, thend in Xiu Li''s possession was set aze. The heat of the me produced by his Spell was so hot that the ground burned in red. Looking at this, the audiences went crazy.
"What?! [Inferno]?!! How the hell?!"
"Unbelievable! Just how could this be possible?"
"A Third Circle Mage is using a Spell that can only be learned by Fourth Circle Mages..."
"When he said he was a prodigy, he really meant it, huh?"
"This is highly baffling as he is not even a native. On top of his brilliance inprehending Magic, he is blessed with a natural talent too. What a lucky individual."
No one had expected that there was really a prodigy of Xiu Li''s caliber in a County. Most of the people like him that they knew were from the Capital, and children of highly renowned Mages.
The even more baffling thing was his origin. It was unbelievable that a foreigner''s talent couldpete with the prodigious youths from Braxtein Kingdom.
"You are going all out, aren''t you?" Marcus asked in a sure tone. In response, Xiu Li merely said, "Who knows?" Extending his hand forward, Xiu Li created a ball of burning earth that distorted the atmosphere with its heat.
"I will make you forfeit."
"Bloody hell!"
The burning earthen ball was sent toward Marcus, and he could only curse, before dashing away from its trajectory. Still, he was aware he couldn''t get that far.
He couldn''t even fend it, and he was very sure about that. Thus, he decided to do one thing. Readying his twin swords, he infused his Mana, before utilizing the most basic Battle Mage Art.
"Killing Art: [Drill]!"
Wind surrounded his entire body, before spinning him like a gale. Moving his spinning body toward the iing burning earthen ball, he was fully intending on destroying it to pieces.
When running away is not an option, destroy your problem!
With that thought in mind, he spun his body even faster, and sharpen his move even further. Finally, the anticipated sh came.
Boom!
There was a bit of resistance at first, however Marcus still managed to destroy it. Pieces of earth were scattered due to it destruction. Sadly, Marcus forgot one crucial thing. Wind makes fire stronger.
Burst!
"Bloody hell! This fire is trying to fry me!"
As he was still covered with the wind produced by his Art, he was quickly engulfed with the remnants of the fire from Xiu Li''s attack. Luckily, Marcus was quick to deactivate his Art. Therefore, the fire quickly dispersed.
Sadly, Xiu Li''s attack didn''t stop there.
"Another one?!"
Boom!
If Marcus hadn''t dodged in time, he would be vanquished from the mortal world. That freak, Xiu Li, still could produce another weird arse fireballs! Although they were considerably smaller, the lethality was no less than the previous one.
"Ahh! Screw this!" Channeling his Mana to his entire body, Marcus activated the Art his master had forbidden him to use, "[Boiling Rage]!" It was the iplete Art that harmed the user''s body.
"Hm? Why are Battle Mages so suicidal?"
Xiu Li clicked his tongue at the familiar scene. He had fought an opponent that used the same Art as Marcus in the Selection Stage. Not only was it troublesome to face, but also irritating.
The Art forced the user''s Mana went berserk, and it slowly burned away the user''s lifespan. Although they got a significant power boost, the consequence didn''t worth it.
Roar!
As expected, Marcus went berserk too, like the other person. His Mana was in disarray, and he used it recklessly. Infusing Mana to his twin swords, he sent those condensed Mana at the burning earthen balls Xiu Li sent.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
He didn''t even care about his charred clothes. All he cared about was advancing forward and destroying every attacksing at him.
"Execution Art: [Space Cutter]!"
Strangely enough, in the midst of his berserk stage, he could still activate another Art. An extreme amount of Mana condensed around his sword. Gazing at Xiu Li with his burning red eyes, he grinned savagely.
"Kuhahaha! Receive my mighty Art, Plebeian!"
Even hisughter no longer sounded human. Still, at least, he could still utter words that belonged to human.
? Xiu Li observed the berserk Marcus calmly. He could feel the impending doom Marcus'' sword was exuding. Therefore, he had decided to reveal one of his cards. Sighing lightly to himself, he uttered, "This is the reason why I failed Daoism."
Still, a smile adorned his face. When Marcus swung his sword horizontally from afar, Xiu Li also casted his Spell.
Screech!
The sheer friction Marcus'' swords caused with the air made a loud sound that hurt everyone''s ears. A heavy pressure was constantly exuded by the swords, and they could feel the atmosphere turned heavier.
Boom!
The attack finallynded upon Xiu Li. A huge amount of Mana filled the entire arena, even to the point of suffocating some of the weaker audiences. A blinding light covered the arena and everyone''s ear was ringing due to the explosion.
It wasn''t only after some time had past that the scene in the arena was revealed. The ground was dented deeply and cratered badly. Dust rise to the air, and the ground was steaming due to the attack. Marcus looked at the scene with a savage grin on his face.
However, it didn''tst long. Looking at his prey, puzzlement filled his head. His prey was encased with some ck dense blocks in the middle of the dented ground. He was extremely confused as he couldn''t identify what it was.
Surely, it was only the case with the berserk Marcus. The audiences knew about it, and they couldn''t give a particr reaction. They were doubting their eyes.
"I-is that what I think it is?"
"W-well.. I guess?"
"A Grand Circle, incredible Magicprehension, and now, this...?"
"Sub Element: Iron. He is truly a son favored by the heavens."
"That is called cheating since birth. Why are you talking like an old man from the East?!"
In the arena, the blocks of iron that covered Xiu Li retracted themselves before fully revealing him. Looking at the berserk Marcus, he shook his head bitterly. He knew suppression wouldn''t work on Marcus, therefore he steeled his heart.
"I know it will be anticlimactic, and maybe insulting to you," he said while extending his hand. A spike of iron with pointy end rose upon his gesture and he pointed it toward Marcus. He continued, "However, this is the only I could think of to save your life."
Clenching his opened palm, the spike shot forward. Even in his berserk state, Marcus'' instinct was still active. Therefore, he readied himself to stop the attack. However, Xiu Li didn''t aim to deal a heavy damage on him.
The spike Xiu Li had aimed at Marcus earlier turned into a thin needle. Marcus who wasn''t expecting it didn''t know how to react. The speed of the needle was too fast for him to even react.
Sting!
He felt a prick on his sr plexus. When he looked down, he could see the thin and long needle was half embedded into his sr plexus. Frowning his forehead, he tried to grab the needle out of his body.
However, his body went sluggish in the next moment, and power was leaving his body. It didn''t take long for his entire body to slump to the ground, and he lost his consciousness. Looking at Marcus from afar, Xiu Li sighed to himself.
"The only thing I am good at my country is Acupuncture. Well, at least I can finally integrate it with Magic, and it worked splendidly."
p. p. p.
Someone''s hand pping attracted the attention of the bewildered audiences and Xiu Li. Quickly turning his eyes at the perpetrator, his eyes widened in surprise.
"Brilliant," the person said briefly, before sitting back down.
One word. It was only one word. However, he couldn''t wipe the grin off of his face. How could he not? The brightest star of the tournament, the most unpredictable, and the most overbearing person in the tournament, Basil Pacifer had praised him.
Surely, Xiu Li wasn''t the only one who was surprised. The people who knew Basil were too!
"What the hell? Is that even Basil?"
"THAT Basil just praised someone?"
"I think we are getting bewitched. My student, Basil, will never do that."
"What are you guys talking about? We are just too hungry that we are seeing things."
They were so unwilling to believe the reality that they doubted their superior senses. They couldn''t help it, the action was unprecedented. Therefore, seeing it happening in front of their eyes were too surreal to believe.
"Victor, Wei Xiu Li!"
Finally, the referee announced the victor. Basil, who was in the middle of everyone''s attention didn''t care a least bit about it. He was merely observing the person who had attracted his interest.
[The next challenge is ready to be proceeded.]
At that moment, someone stood up from his seat. Basil smirked to himself faintly before muttering, "Found you."
Chapter 78 A Demon Advocate (4)
Xiu Li frowned at the one standing up from their seat. He hadn''t expected the person to be the one who would challenge him next.
[Rank 2 is challenging Rank 1. Wei Xiu Li, Will you ept the challenge?]
"I ept."
[May you enter the Arena.]
Just like the prior matches, the instruction was unneeded. Even before the announcer finished her sentence, the challenger had already entered the Arena.
"That Magic of yours has sessfully attracted my attention. I''m d you didn''t refuse my challenge," the challenger eximed. Xiu Li didn''t immediately response. He took a good look at the challenger, "I have thought you weren''t interested in tournament, Brother."
"Hahaha! Thepetition was so intense that I couldn''t find the perfect moment to jump in. Also, you can call me by my name."
"Very well, Brother Kinsey."
Frowning his forehead, Kinsey gazed at Xiu Li in confusion. He was sure he had told the kid to call him by his name, but the kid didn''t listen to him.
"Why are you being so polite? Just call me by my name! We are of the same peers after all." Kinsey thought that he wasn''t being sincere enough. Therefore, he stretched his mouth as wide as he could to bring out the most amiable face he had.
Sadly, it looked terrifying to the onlookers. Xiu Li smiled wryly, before replying, "Being polite is one of our culture in the East. It''s not that I don''t want to be a good friend with you, but I just want to show you my respect."
"Ooohhh... Okay! You can call me whatever you want!"
Xiu Li shook his head in faint amusement. Every participants he had seen had been either lunatics or the silent type like Basil. Seeing such a cheerful personality on his fellow participants was a first.
Still, he couldn''t let his guard down around Kinsey. He felt something repulsive from Kinsey that he couldn''t quite point his finger to. Shaking his head lightly to clear the unnecessary thoughts, he looked at the referee.
Having a brief time to talk before a Battle was kind of a tradition in the West. However, Xiu Li felt the referee gave them too much leeway. In the East, making a referee wait was unforgivable! It was one of a culture shock that he couldn''t quite cope with.
"I won''t say much. By this time, you''ve figured everything out by yourself. So..." Raising his hand to the air, the referee then brought it down firmly and eximed, "Begin!"
Swish!
Xiu Li took a distance away from Kinsey. However, Kinsey was motionless. He stood in his position like a statue, while staring at Xiu Li in wonder.
"Why are you Spellcasters so afraid of us Battle Mage?"
"As a Mage we shall not afraid of anything. However, we have to fight in our area of expertise."
"Ah, that is a brilliant answer!"
Xiu Li kept his mouth shut. He had to show his courtesy to keep the fact that Kinsey wasn''t really bright to himself. Materializing his Grimoire, Xiu Li flipped the page open.
"Oh, that is cool! It always fascinates me whenever I see it happening in front of my eyes!"
Xiu Li tuned out everything Kinsey said. He didn''t care if Kinsey was too fascinated to counterattack. The more Kinsey was unaware of his own trance, the faster he could end the match.
"[Ground of Nightmare]!"
Boom!
Three Magic Circles revealed themselves behind Xiu Li''s back. Mana surged and the Spell he had casted activated. The ground where Kinsey was standing surged upward and targeted every vital parts of his body.
"Holy cow! These earthen spikes have no mercy at all!" Kinsey cursed loudly. Each time he stepped his foot on the ground, there would be spikes surging upward. "These bastards are targeting my ''future'' too!" Thus, he was was forced to jump here and there.
Despite the gruesome oue that might happen, the audiences could rx themselves. Kinsey''smentary on each what was happening to him was enough to crack them up.
Normally, they wouldn''t. However, the mood had been depressive for the previous matches. Therefore, looking at Kinsey''sical way to cope with his predicament was a good mood change.
"Darn! I have to do something about this! [Inferno]!"
Kinsey swung the axe on his back forward and an extreme amount of fire surged.
Burst!
The ground below the airborne Kinsey was quickly engulfed by the raging crimson fire. The fire was so big that it even engulfed Xiu Li. Luckily, he was quick to prepare a defensive Spell.
In the other hand however, Kinsey was cursing to himself.
"Bloody hell! How am I going to survive this?!"
Human can''t fly. To do that, human have to use something like Magic or anything that makes them able to fly. Unfortunately, Kinsey had no such luxury. Looking at the burning ground, his face contortedically.
"I''m going to bepletely roasted when I touch the ground!"
Being the less bright person he was, he was cursing incessantly, rather than thinking of the way to survive. It wasn''t until his clothes were close to touch the fire did he figure something out.
"Oh, I get it!" Stretching his Mana to the raging fire, he dissolved the Spell he had casted on them. Instantly, the fire disappeared like a lie. "Aha! Got you¡ª crap!" It would''ve been a perfect moment tond gantly, if not for the fact that he tripped himself.
Luckily, the ground waspletely charred in ck. Therefore, there was no more earthen spikeing at him as he hadpletely changed the ground structure.
"Kuuhh! I am safe!" Puffing his chest, he sent his gaze at Xiu Li pridefully. Only then did he realize the dumbfounded Xiu Li, and the silent audiences. Scratching his head awkwardly, he muttered, "What the hell?"
"What have I just witnessed?"
"This is miracle a miracle!"
One by one the audiences started to exim amongst themselves.
"Oh, boy... There is a saying that says, ''A hundred fortune signifies theing of a great cmity!'' I''m afraid this is one of that. It''s a curse!"
"Dude! What in the bloody hell are you saying?! At least we get to enjoy the fortune first!"
"No, you don''t understand!"
"How about the two of you shut your bloody mouth?!"
The two loud people instantly shut their mouths when Ansley eximed in irritation. If one were to pay them close attention, one would notice they were the same person that had tainted everyone''s mind with the image of the cute Basil.
"Huuh.. youngsters these days," Ansley sighed to himself. Throwing back his gaze at Kinsey he muttered in amazement, "Yet another genius is born in our Kingdom. To be able to use [Inferno] with three Magic Circles... Amazing!"
Darwin, Ansley''s friend, also chimed in, "I''m not pretty impressed with his ability to cast a Spell with hiscking Magic Circles. Instead, I''m impressed with how he erased the fire."
Ansley recoiled in surprise, then looked at the frowning Darwin, "Now that you said about it... It shouldn''t normally be possible, right?" Darwin''s only response was a faint nod. As if on cue, the two people''s attention returned to the arena.
"Why are you so surprised, Xiu Li? I get to cast [Inferno] too, because Fire is my affinity!"
"Umm.. no, it is not the case. How could you do that?"
"This?"
Kinsey merely swung his sword and [Inferno] was casted without any casting. Xiu Li widened his eyes. Kinsey was a Battle Mage. Such a thing should be impossible for a Battle Mage who wasn''t very versed in Spell Casting!
"How?! This is.. this is not Magic. Such a thing resembles..."
"Daoism? No, it is not Daoism, Xiu Li."
"Then..."
"Shush! Rather than discussing it, why don''t you figure it out?"
Xiu Li was about to open his mouth when suddenly a sickening feeling was stretched out of Kinsey''s entire existence. Xiu Li''s mind went in disarray. A sickening thought that he had never thought he had was filling his head.
Clutching his head, he infused as much Mana as he could to wake his bewitched mind. Luckily, he managed to clear his thoughts from those sickening thoughts after some time. Coming after that was a realization. Looking at Kinsey with heated eyes, Xiu Li shouted indignantly.
"It was all your doing, wasn''t it?!"
"Hoh? You have a strong mind."
Kinsey''s only reaction at his outburst was an amazement.
"You! To do such a thing..."
Xiu Li gritted his teeth. The man in front of him, Kinsey, was the cause of the unnecessary deaths that had happened. Xiu Li was extremely enraged. Thus, he forgot his self-restraint.
"[ck Coffin]!"
A Spell was casted, and ck sand emerged from the ground, before turning into blocks of dense iron. Swiftly moving toward Kinsey like a dolphin in the ocean, they surrounded Kinsey from each side.
Kinsey merely smirked, and proceeded to move his feet. However, he quickly found that he couldn''t. Looking down, he could see his feet were shackled with dense iron that had magically emerged from the ground.
"Smart. Still, if you think¡ª bloody hell!"
He was about toment that he could still fend the attack when the two parts of the dense iron coffin of his size surrounded him from the back and the front. The only thing that caught his attention was the pointy spikes attached on the inside.
Quickly swinging his axe downward to free his feet, he thought he could break it in one swing. Sadly, reality often disappoints people.
nk!
"It''s exceptionally dense?! Motherfu¡ª!"
Boom!
He couldn''t even finish his word as the coffin encased his body. The audiences flinched at that disy as they were unconsciously thinking what would they feel if they were Kinsey.
Such a death must be painful. Encased with a coffin while being stabbed by countless iron spikes. Imagining the horror Kinsey must have gotten when he watched the spike slowly pierced his eyeballs made them shudder.
Still, Xiu Li was unmoved. He tightened the coffin even more to the point of ttening it. His eyes were as cold as a deep abyss. However, he knew he was anxious deep inside. He couldn''t see any blooding out of the coffin!
Sighing to himself, he stretched his Mana Sense forward.
"Where are¡ª"
"That was a nice attack!"
"!!!"
Bam!
Xiu Li was punched, and thrown away by the time he turned his body toward the speaker. He couldn''t quite understand the situation, however Kinsey had magically appeared behind his back.
Skid!
Stopping his unruly flight with his feet, Xiu Li clutched his chest while looking at the nonchnt Kinsey.
"Oh? I thought you would faint by that punch. As expected of a former Daoist Disciple, you got a strong physique!"
"How?"
"Oh, that was easy! I have told you that my affinity was fire, haven''t I? I just melted your shackle on me."
"That should be impossible.. I have tempered the iron with fire¡ª"
"Very bold of you to assume your fire is stronger than mine."
"That is¡ª"
"Well, I don''t care. Let''s fight!"
Kinsey shrugged his shoulders once, then wielded his axe once again. This time, his body expanded and his axe was covered in fire. The air visibly distorted due to the heat, and the audiences gasped in terror and amazement.
Some of them still couldn''t wrap their heads around what had happened, while the others who were quick to catch up were afraid of the same roasted human tragedy would happen to Xiu Li.
"Using fire against fire will be useless. Mine is definitely weaker than his. I can only use Fire Magic to defend myself, and use Iron Magic to attack. Let''s hope for the best."
Xiu Li clenched his fist and straightened his posture. Gazing ahead, he extended his hand forward. Grimoire materialized, and his Magic Circles shone even brighter than before. And then, a shocking thing happened.
His second Magic Circle trembled. It was rotating itself, and the pattern was constantly changing. Each second, the Mana surrounding Xiu Li was turning denser. When the second Magic Circle stopped trembling and rotating, a new Magic Circle was born.
"Another Grand Circle! He has two Grand Circles!"
"So, he was fighting with sealed power all of this time?!"
"Cheating, that''s basically cheating!"
Xiu Li, who became the center of everyone''s attention frowned. He couldn''t understand why the audiences reacted so loudly. Like him, Basil also had two Grand Circles. Why did they react like they had never seen two Grand Circles in someone?
The answer was simple. Basil was a Second Circle Mage, while he was a Third Circle Mage. Even up to this time, people still prefer quantity over quality. However, Xiu Li didn''t know that.
"Great trick. Well, best of luck, I guess?"
Kinsey smirked yfully and stepped forward. His Mana surged, and his feet were covered in fire. Grinning brightly at Xiu Li, he shot forward with an insane speed, leaving the ground lifted upward as an aftermath.
Burst!
Xiu Li was calm, he had foreseen that to happen. Therefore, he had casted his best defensive Spell that incorporated his Fire Magic and Iron Magic. Kinsey was getting closer. He could feel the heat was getting stronger the closer Kinsey got.
Then, Kinsey finally arrived in front of him. He could see Kinsey swung thatrge axe of his at him slowly. An impending doom assaulted him, and suddenly his eyes widened. Quickly following the instruction in his mind, he shouted loudly.
"I forfeit!"
It was loud and clear, however Kinsey was too close to stop his advance. Therefore, the audiences could do nothing but to close their eyes, while expecting the worse oue.
nk!
Boom!
A loud explosion ured and the arena was engulfed in a raging fire. Every experienced Mages opened their eyes widely and nted their gaze to the arena. The fire slowly died down, then revealed the ruined state of the arena.
The ground waspletely scorched and a deep hole was created. However, none of that attracted their attention. Their attention was on the young man beside the unharmed Xiu Li with his sword extended, blocking the advance of Kinsey''s axe.
"I, Basil Pacifer, challenge Kinsey of the First Rank."
The arena couldn''t be any silent after his deration.
Chapter 79 A Demon Advocate (End)
How in the hell could he get there?!
Everyone had the same thought. They were too bewildered at the extremely fast development that they couldn''t pay any attention toward any insignificant details. However, the one being bewildered weren''t only the inexperienced audiences, but also the experienced Mages.
They couldn''t detect any Mana fluctuation that signified the activation of Magic. Still, at that time, Kinsey''s Mana had engulfed the entire arena. However, it couldn''t be any reason for them to not be able to detect a different Mana.
"Kuhum! I haven''t even dered the victor, yet you have challenged the victor. It doesn''t work that way, Boy."
The referee who had been there beside Kinsey ¡ª yet everyone had overlooked ¡ª looked at Basil helplessly. He was extremely bewildered at the youngsters participating in this tournament. Very few of them were normal!
"Wei Xiu Li has dered his forfeit, thus making Kinsey win in default."
"Still, you ca¡ª"
"Then, you should do your job."
Agghhh!!!
The referee wanted to scream so bad that he was forced to bite his tongue. Looking at the unamused Basil, the referee really wanted to punch that attractive face of his. Sighing to himself to calm himself down, he finally did his job.
"Victor, Kinsey!"
[Rank 10 is challenging Rank 1. Kinsey, will you ept the challenge?]
"I ept."
The referee was irked. The dumbfounded Xiu Li hadn''t even exit the arena, yet the announcer had dared to announce another challenge. At this point he was sure everyone was messing with him.
Luckily, Xiu Li was polite enough to give him a respectful bow. He sighed at that, and his raging heart calmed down to a certain extent.
There IS a normal one!
With that thought in mind, the referee returned his gaze toward the two enigmas. Their axe and sword were still extended forward. Same height, same ferociousness, and same mysteriousness. Both of them looked into each other''s eyes with an iprehensible gaze.
nk!
Basil flicked Kusanagi and Kinsey was thrown backward. Kinsey reacted calmly, however a faint surprise could be seen on his face.
"What a force!"
"Mr. Referee?"
Instead of minding Kinsey''s reaction, Basil quirked his eyebrow at the referee. His face was screaming, "Do your job, idiot sandwich!" The referee''s mouth twitched. But still, heplied nheless.
"Begin!"
sh!
The referee disappeared after uttering the most half-assed match deration in his life. ''Since you want to Battle badly, I won''t waste your time!'' Was on the referee''s mind, while he was observing the two people from his ce with a smirk. He thought it was an enough payback to the rude youngsters.
Sadly, he was wrong.
Crack!
Kinsey popped the tense muscles of his neck and smirked at Basil. "I wish you can surprise me, cute guy," he said with a teasing grin. Basil was unamused as he responded, "Let us see how far ck Magic can help you."
Instantly, Kinsey''s smile waspletely wiped off of his face. Looking at Basil coldly, he pointed hisrge axe at him, "What are you spouting about?" This time, Basil smirked, "All of you are the same. You instantly develop a personality shift, when you are called out on your secret."
Basil was referring to the Obelisk Masters he had defeated in his past life. All of them had always lost their smile when their tricks had been revealed. It had been one of his amusement when clearing Obelisks.
"What are you talking about?"
"Demons."
Boom!
A sickening aura instantly descended upon the entire arena. The audiences instantly felt uneasy and nauseous as they were also swept in it. However, Basil, who was in the center of this, merely quirked one of his eyebrows.
"Who''s your ve Master?"
"Shut your bloody hole!"
Kinsey was enraged. Not only was Basil unaffected, but he could also mock him from time to time. He knew Basil was intentionally irritating him, however it couldn''t stop his outburst.
"A pup barking at a tiger, what a joke! Tell me your ve Master, and I will consider leaving you alive."
"How dare you call our Lord a ve Master!"
"Yet another proof to support my point."
Kinsey clenched his teeth. He was extremely offended in his Lord''s stead. His Lord had given him life, hope, and power. Yet, Basil was here harassing his Lord. He couldn''t ept it! He was about to swing hisrge axe at Basil, when Basil asked another question.
"Also, who sent you? I know you have been observing me since the Selection Stage."
At this, Kinsey''s mood got better. He put a finger in front of his mouth in a shushing motion, and smirked, "About that, why don''t you figure it out?" Basil merely shrugged and said nonchntly, "It must be Nichs." Kinsey''s smirk was once again wiped off of his face.
"You, Bastard!"
Clutching his axe tightly, he dashed at Basil in the same manner he had dashed at the end of his match with Xiu Li.
Burst!
The ground was lifted upward, and a trail of fire decorated the ground. Basil firmed his stance and shot forward too.
nk!
Boom!
Sword shed against axe. The sheer impact the sh between them produced was enough to make a crater below them. The [Auto-fix] Rune inscribed on the arena hadn''t even properly activated yet, therefore the ruined arena became even more ruined.
tter.
Kinsey''s axe trembled at the force behind Basil''s swing. Jumping backward to get some space to breathe, he tried to calm his trembling hand. Unfortunately, he couldn''t do it for long as Basil was already swing his sword at him.
ng!
Boom!
Crack!
The ground below Kinsey was dented under the pressure of Basil''s attack. Kinsey looked at the cold eyes of Basil in rage, then a dark aura started to surround him.
"You! Are you ying with me?!"
nk!
Kinsey swung his axe widely to throw basil away. He seeded in his attempt, however Basil wasn''t thrown away that far. Therefore, he coulde back at him in a very short time.
[Slip]
nk!
"Ugghh! This son of a bi¡ª Kuhak!"
Kinsey who was about to curse another profanities at Basil didn''t expect he would be kicked in the abdomen. He was thrown away by the powerful kick, and skidded on the ground to stop his advance.
"Stop talking and show me your true form."
"This insufferable, Bastard!"
Kinsey was so enraged that literal fire burned in his eyes. His body let off steam, however it wasn''t the sign of [Boiling Rage] activation. It was something more dangerous. Something more malicious, yet profound.
"May your soul be burned in hell!"
Kinsey''s voice got distorted. His skin turned darker, while his eyes turned redder. Fire started to surround him, and the surrounding temperature rose dramatically. Not only that, the sickening aura returned in full force.
Then, something more shocking happened
Boom!
The Magic Circles that everyone hadn''t seen up till then were finally revealed. Three ck and eerie Magic Circles, which quality they couldn''t tell, were exposed for the world to fear upon.
The audiences trembled and the experienced Mages gazed at Kinsey in curiosity. None of them held any suspicion toward Kinsey, and Basil was left disappointed at the people''s reaction.
"As expected, these guys have been roaming around the world even before The Second Age Of Chaos. Sadly, none of the people know the difference between ck Magic and White Magic yet."
Looking at the burning Kinsey, who would definitely look like aplete Demon if he had horns, Basil steadied his stance, and closed his eyes. Hepletely tuned out the gasping audiences or the grunting Kinsey in front of him.
He couldn''t win, and be was absolute about that. Kinsey''s body was fluctuated with his "Lord''s" aura, which meant he wasn''t fighting a human, but a Demon. Fighting a Demon was an entirely different matter with fighting a human.
Their physiques and Magic were stronger and more powerful than human. To fight Kinsey, he needed to let loose. As expected of him, he had been sealing his power up till now.
Opening his closed eyes, Basil''s majestic golden eyes were revealed for the world to see. Looking ahead coldly, his heart pumped Mana toward his Magic Circles.
Boom!
Three Magic Circles materialized, and floated behind his back. All of them were Ultimate Circles in quality. Sadly, the ignorant people thought they were merely Grand Circles. Still, they gasped in disbelief.
Not a singlement entered Basil''s ear. With Kusanagi firmly grasped in his hand, his Spatial Ring shed, and three Sword Relics instantly floated behind his back. Once again, the audiences gasped at the abnormality. Still, none of it was registered in Basil''s mind.
Roar!
Kinsey roared like a beast, before dashing forward like a mad dog. Basil was as calm as ever as he shot the three flying swords behind his back forward.
Swish! Swish! Swish!
Each sword was infused with Qi, thus elerating its already incredible speed. Kinsey was forced to block each of them to prevent his body from being pierced.
nk!
Boom!
Each time a sword was deflected, the ground exploded. The force behind the sword was that great that even the ground couldn''t handle it. Kinsey whose step was slowed down got enraged and exploded his fire forward.
"I will roast you alive, [Hellfire]!"
Everyone was witnessing the hottest fire that only a few Fifth Circle Mages could produce. However, instead of feeling any suspicion, they admired it instead. Basil who was already aware of the people''s ignorance merely shot forward.
With Kusanagi in his hand, he controlled a huge amount of wind to distract the fire away from him. And as he had expected, it worked splendidly. Nothing can beat the naturalw!
Whoosh!
Quickly prating through the fire, he was met with Kinsey''srge axe.
nk!
Boom!
As he had expected too, Kinsey had expected him toe. Basil could feel the dread Kinsey was emanating off of his body. The extreme heat that his body produced could hurt anyone''s skin from afar.
However, Basil was unharmed. He could keep his skin moist with Water Magic. Only an intelligent mind and a decent control of Mana were needed to do that.
"Who is your ve Master?"
"How many times have I told you, he is our Lord?!!"
Boom!
Fire exploded from Kinsey''s body and it swept the surrounding, including Basil. He was unharmed as [Lesser Aegeas] had long covered his body. When the fire died down, the two people once again shed their weapons against each other.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
Instead of producing the sound of a sword shing against an axe, it produced an explosion instead. Each sh brought a destruction upon the arena. Deep trenches and pits quickly decorated the ground.
The previously fertile looking ground was left barren. It was scorched so bad it turned dark. If one were to look at it, they would be reminded of the scene they saw on volcanoes.
"Die!"
A distorted shout was heard, before arge ball of burning moltenva was thrown at Basil. Seeing that Kusanagi''s might wouldn''t work on that, Basil decided to run away from it.
"Hahaha! Where are are you going?!"
"Tsk!"
Sadly, Kinsey was always there to prevent him from going anywhere. He could run away at anytime, however Kinsey could catch up to him, and lead him back to the attack''s path. That ursed Demonic Mana was really a cheat at this kind of situation.
Finally, Basil stopped moving and decided to gamble. His golden eyes shone intensely before water was conjured from the air and encapsted himpletely. However, it didn''t stop there. The water spun itself and started to harden.
The high temperature started to fall down, and only then the audiences realized what Basil was up to.
"What in the bloody hell is this? Sub Element: Ice, on top of having a Solid Realm?!"
"This is.. I am afraid, something big is going to happen."
"What are you, Basil Pacifer?"
Basil was encased in a dense and chilling ice orb and none of them could wrap their minds around the absurdity of the situation. Anyone could learn any Elemental Magic. However, to learn the Sub Elemental Magic, one had to have the required affinity and talent.
Basil''s unknown power, incredible talent, and unique way of behaving really provoked their curiosity. Still, they were there to watch the match. Therefore, their curiosity was buried deep down below their eagerness to see the oue of the match.
Boom!
The ball of moltenva shed against the orb of ice. An explosion ured, before a dense amount of steam covered the entire arena, thus blocking everyone''s vision. Kinsey wasughing madly to himself, and everyone''s attention turned to him.
In the dense steam covering the entire arena, his burning body was the only thing they could see. Suddenly, a gale was created out of nowhere, and it started to pull the steam toward it. Kinsey stoppedughing and looked at his surrounding.
The audiences did too as they could finally see the empty orb of ice that should''ve been protecting Basil earlier.
"That was a nice attack."
A voice resounded throughout the arena, and Kinsey urgently turned his body facing the speaker, who was none other than Basil himself. Sadly, the speaker''s fist was faster than his body.
Boom!
"Kuuhhh!!!"
A muffled grunt was let out of Kinsey''s mouth. Basil had punched him right in the center of his chest with his full power. Kinsey''s chest caved in and he started to have a difficulty at breathing.
However, Basil''s assault didn''t stop there. He was sending Kinsey toward the gale that he had conjured. Although Kinsey managed to stop his flight before entering the gale, his body was slowly pulled toward it.
"Basil... Pacifer!!!"
An enraged distorted voice was heard out of Kinsey. However, Basil was still nonchnt. His left shoulder was slightly burnt and the fabric at that part was entirely gone. Looking at his first injury, Basil smirked in nostalgia.
''It has been a long time...'' Returning his gaze at Kinsey whose fire surrounding his body was slowly pulled toward the gale he had conjured, Basil''s eyes turned cold, "Still... How dare you, a ve, hurt this Lord!"
Instantly, the intensity of the gale increased. Not only was the power raisen, but the temperature was also turning even lower. It was to the point where snow started to fall from the sky.
"Agghhh!! You! My fire!"
Kinsey whined in pain and annoyance at his disappearing fire. His body was inching toward the gale faster than before. The closer he got, the colder he felt. The colder he felt, the more painful his body became.
Surely, Basil didn''t care a single bit. Pointing Kusanagi at the gale, he muttered a Spell that he had just made, "[Winter Gale]!" Suddenly, the gale turned denser, and the temperature dropped even further.
Snow that had been faintly falling down, finally fell down upon the word heavily. In the midst of all this was the struggling Kinsey who was finally pulled at the snow gale. No one paid him any attention. The beautiful scene stole their attention away from him.
The scene felt likested forever. However, in reality, it merelysted for fifteen breaths at best. When the gale calmed down, the snow also stopped falling. The temperature slowly returned to normal, and the snow covering the ground also melted.
Only then did they remember about Kinsey. Quickly turning their attention on him, what they saw was an ice statue. Kinsey had beenpletely turned to an ice statue, and no one knew how did it happen, except some very few.
Basil looked at the result, and nodded in satisfaction. He pointed his index finger at the frozen Kinsey and said, "Bang!"
Crack!
Just like that, the frozen statue of Kinsey broke, and the beautiful scene the audiences had witnessed was ruined. Turning their heads at the perpetrator, bafflement decorated their faces.
At this, Basil nonchntly said, "What are you admiring at? A demon advocate? Even a retard is smarter than you."
Thus, the match ended in a gruesome yet beautiful way.
Chapter 80 Endings Are Chosen
While every eyes were still on him, Basil moved his feet toward the fractured ice statue that had been Kinsey. Even if the body was perfectly destroyed, the head was preserved. Basil had intentionally aimed for Kinsey''s frozen body instead of his head.
When Basil picked up Kinsey''s frozen head in his hand, only then were the audiences awaken from their trance. Quickly enough, they noticed two things. First, the sickening feeling they had felt earlier was gone. Second, Basil was talking to Kinsey''s frozen head.
Their curiosity was once again provoked. While some of them were still trying to cope with the bewildering event, most of their attention was on Basil''s every action. Basil, who was in the middle of this, behaved as if he didn''t notice their eyes at all.
Surely, he had preserved the head for a reason. This was the reason.
"Now, tell me who you are."
"..."
"I know you are there. There is no use hiding."
"..."
The head kept its state ¡ª gaping mouth and wide open eyes. Not even a twitch could be detected on it. However, Basil knew the Demonic Mana hadn''t left the headpletely. Therefore, he smirked and stared deep into the head''s eyes.
"The 7 Princes have abandoned you."
The reaction was instantaneous. The same sickening aura descended upon the world. However this time, only Basil could feel it. Despite the heavy pressure and the sickening aura, Basil still kept the same smirk.
"Very bold of you to utter such an insolent words, human!!!"
Kinsey''s frozen head was still frozen. The only weird things uring to his head were his moving eyes and mouth. The voice was also thunderous, however no one in the arena seemed to have heard it.
Looking at his surrounding, Basil said, "You have isted us." At this, the head merely scoffed, "A mere human doubting my intelligence. Ludicrous!"
With a quirked eyebrow, Basil turned to the head, "Judging by your ability to smear people''s mind, and your loud mouth, you must be... Dantalion of the Thirty Second Obelisk."
The head was so bewildered that it forgot how to react. It just stared dumbly at Basil. It wasn''t until some time had past, did the head spoke. "How do you know my name? Are you one of ''those'' people?"
Basil gazed at the head curiously, "What if I am?" The head kept its silent before asking, "Why are you exposing us, then?" Now, Basil could somehow grasp the identity of ''those'' people. He snorted coldly, "Hmph! You have no right to dictate any of my actions. I am not your ve."
The head''s eyes widened, before cackling madly. Basil frowned lightly. He felt like he had misunderstood something.
"So, you are not one of ''those'' people! Ku-ku-ku, you got me there, human."
"I will not confirm it, nor will I deny it," Basil responded calmly. Gazing at the head''s eyes deeply, he said, "However, let me ask you a question. If you are so sure The 7 Princes wille, when will theye?"
A low chuckle was heard from the head, before a sinister smile adorned its face. "They wille when the world is ready. They wille when we are ready. They wille to save us. They wille to cleanse the world!"
The head''s tone was getting more passionate in each sentence it uttered. Basil looked at that neutrally. He was unamused. He had thought he could pull some information, that the Guide restricted for him, out of Dantalion. However, he got nothing useful instead.
Basil snorted once before saying, "Hmph! You don''t even know who your Princes. Such a blind dedication toward someone who you don''t even know is bewilderingly stupid."
The head snapped out of its trance and stared at Basil murderously. "I don''t even know my Princes, you say? Ku-ku-ku! How dare you?! I chant their names everytime to wish their return sooner. If he were here, Prince Lu¡ª!"
Suddenly, the head stopped speaking. Widening his eyes, he cursed at Basil, "You filthy creature! You are tricking me!"
As he had been found out, Basil clicked his tongue inwardly. He had failed at his second attempt to dig out the identity of The 7 Princes.
The head calmed down, and properly looked at Basil. With its eerie eyes, the head gazed at Basil deeply.
"You are ying with something you do not know. Most of the times, mystery better remains a mystery. You should cherish your ignorance, human. Leave it, and do not pursue this matter any further. Forget about us, Demon, and you will be free of misery."
Basil frowned his forehead. Gorgophone had said the exact same thing to him in his past life. His curiosity was provoked even more. He was extremely curious with what exactly was going on with these Demons.
Still, he knew he wouldn''t get any answer out of Dantalion anymore. Sighing lightly to himself, he decided to ept his fate. He had his somewhat useful Guide. He just needed to increase his power to upgrade its function, thus enabling him to extract more information.
"Very well. I get what you are saying. ''Curiosity kills the cat,'' isn''t it? Worry not, for I am a Dragon."
"Insolent filthy hum¡ª!"
The head''s retort was cut as Basil firmly sped its mouth and poured his Qi to his hand. His hand glowed, and a destructive aura instantly overwhelmed the surrounding.
"See you in the future."
Boom!
The head in Basil''s hand exploded, and the sickening aura tainting the air instantly disappeared. Slowly, the rowdiness of the arena could be heard once again. People were already standing on their feet, looking at Basil in visible worry and fear.
"Basil!"
A familiar voice was heard, and Basil threw his head at the speaker. ke had instantly appeared beside him, and he wasn''t the only one. The referee, Lawson, and Iliana were also approaching him.
Quirking one of his eyebrows in wonderment, he eximed in curiosity, "Why are you so eager to meet me?" However, the reaction he got was violent.
"Are you alright?!"
"Basil Pacifer, do you need immediate treatment?!"
"Boy, you look fine, but how''s your head?"
"Kid, what have you seen?!"
Basil looked at the four people silently. His unamused face wasn''t even hidden to them. Such an unruly way to ask a question was unthinkable toe from the four people who should be experienced enough to stay calm at any given situation.
Luckily, Iliana was calm enough to realize their mistake.
"Kuhum! Everyone, we shall not overwhelm Basil with questions."
The other men eximed, "Oh." Before calming themselves. Still, they were looking at Basil heatedly.
"Firstly, I will ask you to rify what actually makes you concern over my well being." Basil was straightforward. He didn''t want to beat around the bush.
"So, you weren''t aware of it?" ke asked Basil in slight curiosity. He nodded and said, "Enlighten me, please." This time, Lawson stepped forward.
"Let me get this straight. You have just been bewitched, or to be exact, you have been exposed to a Dark Spell. Right after you picked that head, an overwhelming aura descended upon the arena." Quirking his eyebrow, Basil asked Lawson in wonderment, "So?"
To say Lawson was bewildered would be an understatement. After all, the kid had just asked him what was wrong! How did he suppose to answer that?! Luckily, he had Iliana to back him up.
"ck Magic is known for its corrosive effect towards the mind. We wonder whether you are feeling ufortable." Iliana took a good look at the unperturbed Basil. She wondered why was the boy so calm facing the entire thing.
"To ssify ck Magic as being hideous and mind eroding is a stereotype. It signifies one''sck of knowledge regarding ck Magic."
"Hoh?"
Surely, she didn''t expect Basil would insult everyone''s knowledge regarding ck Magic. For a mere Third Circle Mage saying that thing ¡ª in front of some considerably experienced Mages with more Circles than him ¡ª was very bold.
Therefore, Iliana was intrigued.
"Mind to tell me what do you know about ck Magic, then?"
"ssify them by their source of power, not by the way they use their power."
The three men who were looking at the exchange of the two youngsters widened their eyes. Looking at Basil in utter bafflement, their curiosity over him was provoked even more.
"Kid, have you figured it out since the beginning?!"
"Basil, how did you know?!"
ke and Lawson questioned Basil heatedly. They couldn''t believe what they had heard. The practice of ck Magic had been a forbidden act for a very long time. Even to the point where talking about it was taboo amongst Mages.
Therefore, not many people knew about it. The King''s decision to restrict the spreading of any info regarding ck Magic didn''t help either. It was the reason why only veterans knew what ck Magic really was.
¡ªssify them by their source of power, not by the way they use their power.
Basil had perfectly hinted the truth behind ck Magic. Sinister Spells and bloodthirsty Mages, such as Charles and his disciples, weren''t signs of one being a Dark Mage.
The foreign sinister power that flowed in someone was the indication of them being a Dark Mage, just like Basil had pointed out.
Therefore, they were curious how Basil got his hands on that information. Not even Iliana, the raising star of Randalvine Magic Institute, was aware of it.
Basil''s answer to them was unexpected.
"Yes."
"Yes?"
"What do you mean by yes?"
The curious men were bewildered. Basil had indeed answered the question. However, the answer couldn''t even be considered as an answer!
What kind of an answer is that?!
Still, they needed to calm down, and got back to their priority. That was, surely, to ensure Basil''s safety. They couldn''t prod Basil too much. He wasn''t a criminal after all.
"Are you alright? We are really sorry that ourmittee is very slow to notice the disturbance. We were too caught up in wrapping up the Group Tournament. I will give you enoughpensation as an apology."
"It is unnecessary. The Mage yed it good. He had this arena isted with his Magic, that not even Mr. ke here could notice something was wrong."
Basil didn''t call Kinsey by his name. He didn''t want to admit someone who was enved by the lowly creature called Demon.
Iliana looked at Basil in slight surprise, and the others did too. For someone overbearing, he was surprisingly modest. Not even ke had expected him to say that. Still, ke could understand his point. Basil had merely stated a fact.
"Huuh..."
Lawson sighed to himself. ke was bestowed with a good diamond. ncing at ke in slight envy, he was reminded of Iliana. Luckily, he had also a diamond of his own. Still, it would be better if he had two of them.
"Then, I will ask you this. Will you continue to participate in the tournament? Even if you decided to end it here, the first position would still belong to you. It is your reward for defeating a Dark Mage. Although it iscking, our institute will give you the more suitable reward after the tournament."
Such an offer was tempting. However, Basil merely shook his head.
"I will not refuse a reward. However, I will not pull myself out of the tournament. It will be unfair to the others. Besides..." Basil smiled iprehensibly, and continued, "I get to enjoy some amusement from this."
The three elderly men smiled wryly to themselves. In contrast to them, Iliana wasughing loudly, yet graciously. "I love this Boy!" She eximed. Not stopping there, she hit Basil''s shoulder like an old friend, while stillughing.
Basil just stood there and received the friendly hit. A strange light entered his eyes. He was extremely familiar with the touch. It was the touch he had yearned and missed for long.
When finally it came the time he could feel it once again, he was assaulted with a strong feeling of nostalgia.
He was so overwhelmed that he felt nothing.
Yes.
Nothing.
Contrary to his expectation, he felt nothing. The touch was surely familiar. However, it wasn''t the same touch. It didn''t bear the same feeling he had felt in his past life.
He knew it already. Everything would be different.
At that day where he had decided to return to the past, he knew he would change so many things that he might annul the rtionships he had made in the past. Still, he did it.
Anything built, can be rebuilt. Rtionship is such a thing, that sometimes it is too trivial to be concerned of.
Therefore, Basil was determined to keep the people he could trust by his side, and cherished them. The inexistent rtionship? He would build it once again! This time, he would really take the world by storm with the people he could trust by his side to apany him.
Then, he would give the world a middle finger.
Chapter 81 Endings Are Chosen (2)
"Kuhum!"
Everyone''s attention turned to the referee who had cleared his throat. He didn''t mean to be a party popper. However, the tournament was still ongoing, and he had a job to do.
"I hope we can postpone this matter, untill the tournament is over."
"Very well," Lawson nodded his head. Throwing his gaze at Basil, he said, "I remind you once again that you do not need topete anymore, for your position as the winner is guaranteed. Therefore, don''t push yourself."
"Fufufu. I''m sure this boy will be fine. Just look at his face!"
Basil nodded his head lightly, before dodging Iliana''s hand that wasing at his shoulder. In result, Iliana''s hand hit the air. She quickly developed a frown on her face, and looked at Basil with eyes which were saying, "Why did you dodge?"
Surely, Basil had no intention to mind that. He merely touched his slightly burned shoulder and channeled Mana to his hand. Although his body''s regeneration rate was ridiculously higher than any Mages, he wanted to have his skin back to normal as soon as possible.
Basil''s palm shone in a soothing white light. Then, it quickly enveloped his burned skin. The result was visible to the eyes. His red skin quickly gained its initial color. The people looked at the scene in utter bafflement.
None of them had expected Basil could perform such a miracle! To do that, Basil had to be a Priest. However, they could inly see Basil wasn''t a Priest. Therefore, they were extremely bewildered.
"So, can I return to my seat?" Basil, who was in the center of everyone''s eyes, stared at the referee, and asked casually. He acted like he didn''t know he was performing such a dumbfounding thing. "Are you going to stare at me like that forever?"
At that word, the referee was finally awaken from his trance. Clearing his throat once, "Kuhum!" He proceeded to raise his hand, "Victor, Basil Pacifer!" Finally, the three other people were also awaken from their daze.
Hearing the announcement, they knew it was time to get out of the arena. Therefore, Lawson spoke quickly, "We will have a conversationter!" Then, together with Iliana, he disappeared from the arena. Surely, Iliana didn''t just leave like that. She made sure she sent a quick wink at Basil.
ke, who was still by Basil''s side, merely patted Basil''s shoulder once, before disappearing too, by casting [Checkpoint].
[The next.. challenge is ready.. to be proceeded.]
There was a hint of hesitation could be detected from the anouncer''s tone. It was understandable. The descent of the sinister aura upon the entire arena earlier had been enough to instill fear toward any people''s soul.
An immediate investigation was surely needed to know what had just happened. However, Lawson had decided to resume the match, and the announcer could do nothing but following the order. Thus, the hesitation.
"Well, kid. You may return to your seat." The referee turned his head at Basil. Quirking an eyebrow, Basil asked, "Are you telling me to forfeit?" Puzzled, the referee asked, "No. Why wo¡ª"
"I challenge Basil Pacifer!"
"So that''s the case..."
The referee sighed to himself. He had been the referee of Regional Tournament for 8 years, and this year was the craziest tournament he had ever seen. He had never met such a unique, and unruly bunch before this.
[Rank 3 is challenging Rank 1. Basil Pacifer, will you ept the challenge?]
"I ept."
Short and brief. Basil didn''t need to say a uselessly long sentence to respond. The person who was challenging Basil was eager to fight him. Quickly dashing to the arena, he appeared in front of Basil in a matter of second.
"We finally have a rematch, Basil Pacifer!"
"It is not in my pleasure to see you again, Belen Queensbury."
"Hahaha! It''s Kingsbury, prick!"
The challenger, who was revealed to be Belen, red at Basil heatedly. No matter how many times he spoke to Basil, thetter always managed to irk him. Calming his heaving heart in the next moment, he snorted at Basil.
"Hmph! Let''s see who has thestugh."
Belen threw his head at the referee and gestured with his head. The referee sighed to himself once again, but decided toply anyway. He felt like he was bing everyone''s vetely.
Raising his hand to the air, the referee brought it down passionately, while dering, "Begin!"
Belen quickly readied himself. A triumphant smirk adorned his considerably attractive face. Although his n didn''t work the way he wanted, the result he had aimed was achieved. He knew Basil was spent.
"This will be your end, Basil Pacifer!"
Mimicking a gun with his hand, he aimed at Basil. Shockingly, he couldn''t find Basil anywhere. It was at this moment, that he knew he screwed up.
In a blink of an eye, Basil had reappeared in front of him. His extended hand was pushed to the side by Basil''s hand. In the other hand, Basil had his pointer finger on his forehead. His pupils dted in horror. He could feel Basil''s finger that was slowly heating up. He knew what was about to happen.
"Well, I will not have thestugh. However, I will make sure you will not be able tough."
"No! I for¡ª"
Bang!
Belen couldn''t even finish his word. Basil''s attack was faster than his mouth. His head exploded splendidly. Brain matters flew everywhere, and painted the ground in a gruesome red color.
The headless body fell to the ground with a thud, and itplimented the gruesome decoration of the already ruined arena. The surrounding becamepletely silent. It was so silent that they could almost hear the flowing blood on the ground.
The audiences hadn''t recovered from their initial fear yet. Instead of beingforted, they got to witness another gruesome scene. How they were supposed to react to that?!
The perpetrator, Basil, merely took a quick nce at Belen''s body, before turning his attention to his white attire. He nodded his head in satisfaction, when he found there was no bloodstain on his attire.
"You shouldn''t have yed with the unknown, Belen. This is the price of doing so. You are lucky I am benevolent enough to end you with your beloved Spell. Killed by the beloved. Yours is the most romantic death I have seen from the entire matches."
Belen was ended by the thing he had loved the most. His self-made Spell. To Basil, it was the greatest honor he had bestowed toward someone who had dared to y with him. He had decided to ''spare'' Belen as he had been still a kid.
Kids tend to not know what they are doing, after all.
Turning his attention to the referee, Basil raised one of his eyebrows. Sighing lightly, the referee eximed, "Victor, Basil Pacifer!" Paying no more attention to the referee, he returned to his seat.
[The next challenge is ready to be proceeded.]
Everyone''s eyes followed his every movement, and their uneasiness returned in full force. Now that their courage to fight Basil waspletely stomped, they started to look for other participants to challenge.
"Brother Basil..." Xiu Li, who was seated right beside Basil, spoke carefully. Basil, who was leaning his cheek on his fist, nced at Xiu Li from the corner of his eyes. "What is it?" He asked.
Xiu Li stood from his seat, sped his hands in a unique way, then bowed deeply to Basil. "Thank you for saving my life!" Basil casually responded, "Your mouth was the one that saved your life." He was referring to Xiu Li''s quick decision on forfeiting.
However, Xiu Li shook his head, and said firmly, "I heard an instruction in my head, while Brother Kinsey was still a few steps away from me. If not for that instruction, I would never forfeit." Xiu Li raised his head, and stared at Basil.
This time, Basil was already facing Xiu Li''s way. He was overbearing, however not impolite. He had always received everyone''s gratitude like a benevolent person he was. After taking a good look at the firm Xiu Li, he returned to his initial position.
However, this time, he had a faint smile on his face. "I guess so," he said offhandedly. Xiu Li bowed once again, before sitting himself back on his seat.
Then, Xiu Li conversed with Basil like the first time they had met.
...
[Cobham Manor, Cobham Viscountcy]
A moan of pain mixed with slight pleasure resounded through a dimly lit room. 9 people filled the dimly lit room, and they wereprised of both genders. 8 of them were men, and thest one was a woman.
The woman was naked and panting, while lying powerlessly on the ground. An auspicious white semi viscous substance covered her face and body alike. Signs of vition were apparent on her entire existence. However, she didn''t have the eyes of someone vited.
Her eyes burned in intense hatred and resentment. As her body was powerless, the ceiling became the ce where her gaze was nted at.
Whistle.
"Seeing such eyes on you was unthinkable to me before. Now, that I have decided to see it for myself. I am baffled by what I am seeing."
One of the men, the one with blond hair, eximed at the woman. The woman tried to raise her head, however she was too powerless to do so. Luckily, her mouth wasn''t as powerless.
With utmost hate, the woman cursed the man, "You, vile creature! You don''t have a right to live!"
Her voice was raspy, and it was apparent that the mere act of speaking hurt her throat badly. The blonde man merely picked his ear, before pinching his nose in disgust.
"Bloody hell! This filthy woman''s breath reeks of sexual fluids!" The man said mockingly, before cracking up.
The woman lying on the ground could only grit her teeth in fury. After some time, the man stoppedughing and stared at the woman''s eyes. His eyes nted, and a wide eerie grin was stered on his face.
"Did you like our session? It has been hours, however you are still as energetic as a horse!"
"Fuck you, Nichs!"
"Woah! Such a vilenguageing out of a woman''s mouth! As expected of a harlot."
The man, who was revealed to be Nichs, was cackling madly to himself. Looking at the semen covered Catherine, a sense of aplishment washed his whole existence.
He felt refreshed.
Although he hadn''tpleted his revenge yet, some of his revenge was quelled to a certain extent.
"I must admit, Catherine. Compared to your usual self, you are even prettier right now. No wonder Justin was intoxicated! Am I right, Justin?"
Nichs threw his gaze at Justin whose eyes were bloodshot. Justin was visibly trembling. Although he resented Catherine for throwing all the dirt on him, he absolutely abhorred the act Nichs had justmitted.
He wanted to stop Nichs badly. However, the mysterious object that was inflicted upon him was constantly sealing his Magic Circles, preventing him from using Magic. Therefore, he could only watch the obscenity happening before him.
"Hmmpphh hmmfff phmm ffmmm!"
"What in the hell are you saying, Mate? Ah, right. Let me take off that gag."
Nichs moved toward Justin and proceeded to take the gag off.
"You, cursed bastard! What have you done to your own wife?!"
When the gag was taken off, Justin instantly exploded. Nichs, who was on the receiving end, merely picked his ear and rolled his eyes at Justin.
"What are you saying, my wife? Did you mean, our connector? We are connected by the same hole, after all." Nichs ended his word with a wink.
"You, sick bastard!"
Justin was livid. No matter how much one felt betrayed, one couldn''t just do that toward someone one had loved. However, Nichs could do that while smiling, and Justin couldn''t wrap his head around it.
"Listen, my brother of the same hole. The act doesn''t matter, the impact does. You should know what I mean as you are not that stupid, right?"
Justin could only grit his teeth. Nichs'' words were correct. Catherine''s betrayal over Nichs was insignificant. However, the impact it caused toward Nichs'' psychological state was significant.
Him, being the partner in crime, couldn''t do much but epting the sound logic. Still, that didn''t mean he didn''t resent Nichs anymore. Raising his head, he stared at Nichs with as much heat and resentment as before.
"Well. That''s the eyes! You both have the same eyes. Ku-ku-ku!" Nichs clutched his stomach as he found the entire situation funny. When he stoppedughing, he gestured his hand, and eximed, "Boys, bring the harlot here! I will perform a ''duo'' in front of this man!"
The six hooded figures, who were motionlessly standing in the back, picked Catherine up, and delivered her to Nichs. Nichs took her in his hand, and shed herher part to Justin.
Justin could only grit his teeth in rage, and looked at Nichs in deep hatred. He had never felt that enraged, and excited at the same time. He was sick of himself.
Nichs smirked, and held the squirming Catherine even tighter. Catherine opened her mouth, and shouted to her very best.
"Let go of me, you¡ª!"
"Enjoy our performance, Justin!"
Sadly, she was instantly silenced by Nichs'' next course of action.
Thus, the sickening debauchery was continued.
Chapter 82 Endings Are Chosen (End)
***
"Catherine, you are beautiful. Therefore, you have to be careful, okay?"
I remember that sentence clear and vivid. My mother used to say that to me. It was a very long time ago, where I was merely Catherine, without anyst name.
I was born amoner. My family consisted of me and my parents only. My family wasn''t wealthy, nor was poor. We had enough money to support our life, but never could we afford a luxury. But still, we were one happy family.
At least, until that day.
"Catherine... How old are you?"
"I am fourteen, Mother. Have you forgotten my birthday a few weeks ago?"
"No, Catherine. Mother just wants to make sure."
At that time, I had no idea why was my mother crying. I was the one and only child my parents had, and a daughter at that. Therefore, my life was pretty sheltered. My mother kept wiping her tears, while my father was pacing anxiously.
"Mother, Father? What is going on?"
"Nothing, my daughter. Nothing."
The naive young Catherine looked at her mother curiously. She wiped the tears on her mother''s face, and patted her mother''s back to soothe her. Contrary to her expectation, her mother cried even worse.
"I am sorry. I am sorry, I have to do this. Such a good child, such a good child..."
Her mother went to hug her, and sheplied. She heard her mother''s whisper, however she disregarded it instantly.
Remembering it now, I really want to punch the younger me right in the face. Sadly, past is in the past. There is no use to wallow in regret.
"Catherine, Baby. Come here, my little girl."
"Yes, Father?"
I was suddenly called by my father, and Iplied. My father, who had been pacing back and forth anxiously, looked me in the eyes for a few seconds, before speaking.
"For the 14 years you have been living under our roof, have you ever felt unhappy?"
"No, Father. I am happy to be able to live with you, and Mother."
"I see."
My father bent down, and gave me the warmest hug that I have ever gotten. After some time had past, my father finally let go of me. Looking at me in the eyes once again, my father said, "I want to show you something. Do you want to see it?"
The curious young Catherine was so thrilled that she didn''t even ask what was her father wanted to show. She merely nodded her head, and followed her father. The direction they were going to was her bedroom.
"Father, what is exactly you are trying to show me?"
"A life lesson, my little girl. Will you still want to see it?"
If I had been on the younger Catherine''s position, I would refuse immediately. However, the young Catherine was stupid and naive.
"Yes, I do still want to know!"
"Do you trust me, my little girl?"
"Yes, I trust you!"
"Very well... Can you undress yourself?"
At this point, my father''s eyes went ssy. It was so unlike him that I noticed it immediately. However, my father yed it cool. His face was as straight as a paper, and it was enough to trick the young and naive Catherine.
"Now, what do I do, Father?"
"Just follow my lead... And follow... my... instruction."
"Okay, Father."
Thus, my father started to touch every parts of my body. His touch was so tender, and warm, that I was overwhelmed with the sensation that I didn''t understand yet at that time.
My body went hot, then myher part became wet and slippery. I squirmed in my ce, then my father stopped licking my breast.
"Are you feeling ufortable, my girl?"
"No daddy. My crotch just feels weird."
"I know what to do with that."
My father smiled, and I knew it was a hollow smile. His gaze was dodgy, however the intoxicated young Catherine couldn''t notice that. Guilt and excitement, two contradicting emotion, was radiated out of his entire existence.
Still, the young Catherine didn''t notice that.
My father did a lot of thing after that, and I remembered all the scene vividly. My first time was taken by my own father. I was defiled by him. However, out of this ursed and disgusting deed, all I got was pleasure and contentment.
I had dly agreed to the deed, and I was still d even after the deed. Although my crotch hurt, I could clearly remember the ecstasy I got from it. Dare I say it was the best session that I have ever got in my whole life.
"Catherine, my girl... There are things I have yet to teach you. If you want to learn it, we will have another session of this lesson in the future. Do you want to learn it?"
My father was basically saying, "Will you let me to defile you again?" However, the young and curious Catherine was ecstatic. She wanted to know further about the deed she had done with her father. Therefore, she agreed to do that.
The young Catherine fell asleep due to the tiredness. However, her mind was still faintly aware of the surrounding. She could hear her father faintly sobbing to himself. She could hear the sound of the door opened.
She could hear her mother''s words tofort his father. She could clearly hear her father''s words in the middle of his sob.
"I am already cursed to throw away my daughter. At least, I have to make her first to be free of force and pain. I... I am... I am such a bastard of a father."
Surely, the young and naive Catherine didn''t know what it meant. She knew her father would never throw her away, therefore she disregarded the conversation as her mere imagination.
The deed continued for three whole months with a few days of intervals between each session. The young and naive Catherine turned into the young and ''skilled'' Catherine. Her father taught her many things, and she enjoyed each new things her father taught her.
There were even some asions where she was the one who initiated the session. At those times, her father would dodge her gaze, and gave her a stifled smile.
Finally, the day where my parents had been anticipating came, and the young Catherine was still oblivious to that.
"Father, Mother, who is this person?"
"Hahahaha, hello young Catherine. My name is Timothy. It''s nice to meet you!"
The oblivious Catherine grabbed the stranger''s extended hand, and shook it. However, when she tried to pry her hand off, she found she wasn''t able to. The stranger gripped her hand tightly, and rubbed it with his thumb.
"Such a beautiful, and smooth skin. What a perfect girl."
She could hear the stranger''s muttering, and she shuddered in disgust. Unfortunately, the young Catherine''s fate was sealed that day.
"Listen, my girl. You will have a better life from now on. This man will provide you everything, including your ''education''. Therefore, you have to do your best, okay?"
"Okay... Father."
The young and naive Catherine thought the education her father meant was amon thing to do. Therefore, at the first night she was with the merchant, Timothy, she performed everything her father had taught her to her very best.
Sadly, the merchant wasn''t satisfied. It turns out, her father''s teaching was too tame in Timothy''s word.
Timothy did the same thing my father had done to me, however it felt different. At that time, I clearly felt vited. Timothy was furious, and he hit me as he found I was no more the ''pure'' girl he was looking for.
Still, he kept viting me each day. It was so unbearable that I wanted to go home.
''I don''t want such an education!'' The young Catherine thought to herself. However, when she tried to go home, she figured out that she couldn''t.
It didn''t take long until she figured out that sex is what she had called education. She also figured out that she was sold to the merchant as a sex ve. Apparently, the merchant liked to ckmail anymoners he met, and took their daughters in exchange of some money.
The young Catherine was furious that her parents had the mind to sell her to the disgusting bastard. She couldn''t believe what her parents had done to her. Thus, she decided to do everything in her capability to get out of the hellhole.
She started to learn to ''perform'' better. She experimented, and figured out the best way to satisfy a man. She learned the way to charm men, and she learned the way to control men with her body. Thus, she became the woman every guy wanted.
Right when she head gotten a full control over the wealthy merchant, Timothy, she betrayed him. She slit his throat in his sleep, and ran away with as much as gold she could bring with her. Her destination was her home.
Although she knew her parents had been given no choice, her vengeance over them remained prevailed. Sadly, when she arrived there, her parents were already gone. Her old house was gone. It was already reced with a cake store.
It makes sense, since she had gone for five years. However, the young Catherine couldn''t bear the rage her parents had caused. She was so full of vengeance that she decided to figure out her parents'' whereabouts.
One day, she found out the truth. Right after Timothy had figured out she had lost her virginity, he hadmanded some mercenaries to kill her parents.
The young Catherine was devastated. She had intended to kill her parents herself, that upon hearing the news she didn''t know how to react.
Her feet wobbled, and she cried in rage and sorrow. Her parents had been a failure as a parent, and her father was the worst father. However, she knew deep down her heart, they didn''t do that intentionally.
Her rage quelled, and something inside her bloomed. A brand new wayof thinking, and a brand new mindset. That day, the young Catherine died, and the present Catherine was born.
That was the beginning of my ambition.
With the money I got from Timothy, I went to Woster County. There, I tried to do some business like flower shop, and bakery. However, all of them failed miserably, and the money I had was running thin.
I was so desperate, until one day, I was reminded of what I am good at. Lurking men, and suck them dry.
Thus, I did just that. The more I did that, the more addicted I became. The longer I did that, the bigger the fish I managed to lurk. Then, came the day where I met Nichs. He was so infatuated with me that I could see it inly.
Nichs, who was a mere Bar at that time, visited my fake flower store everyday. He joked about proposing me, and I told him to be a Baron first, before proposing me. I didn''t expect he took that seriously.
One day, he became a Baron, and proposed me properly. I was so touched with his action that I didn''t think much, before saying yes. He got excited, and we married in the next day.
Life was happy, untill I realized I haven''t had enough. The Life I have is not up to my satisfaction. I need to dream bigger, and climb higher. Thus, my betrayal over the loving and loyal Nichs started.
I got to seduce Justin, resulting me controlling two men, who are both Nobles. Their money is mine, and I can use it whenever I want. However, I don''t feel any sense of aplishment.
That time, I realized what I yearn. I yearn for control. Watching the men dancing in my palm has always brought me a satisfaction, and I realize itte.
Therefore, I be even more passionate on my ambition, upon realizing it. I have no thought to stop doing it, that I do everything to cover my wrongdoing.
However, no matter how good the squirrel hops, it is bound to fall one day.
Today, my ambition is burned to dust, and my choice brings me to my end. I cry silently as Nichs and the other vile creatures vite my body. s, I can''t do anything.
When people say, "Be careful with how you begin things." It must be because our beginning decided our ending.
I have begun things wrong, and today, I learn something toote.
Endings are chosen.
I have chosen the wrong end for myself.
Chapter 83 Lunacy Sees No Common Sense
***
[Randalvine Battle Arena, Randalvine]
The tournament kept ongoing with the top three spots remained unchanged. Basil, who got bored with the tournament, did a good job to hide his boredom. He found conversing with Xiu Li was way more interesting than the match.
Surprisingly, Basil wasn''t the only one who thought that way. The audiences also thought the same. They couldn''t help it. What they had witnessed up till then had been bloody matches between bright Junior Mages, like Basil, Xiu Li, and Kinsey.
The current match was really pale inparison to the previous matches. It was within expectation. No one will admire marbles, after seeing rubies.
"Brother Basil, I know it is rude to ask a Mage about their Art, but... I''m really curious. May I ask you?!" Xiu Li looked at Basil with eyes lit in curiosity. Quirking one of his eyebrows, Basil responded, "Hit me."
Xiu Li''s face contorted, before saying, "No, Brother. I won''t hit you. Why would I do that?" Sighing to himself, Basil exined himself, "It''s an expression to say, ''Tell me.'' in Exon." At this, Xiu Li made an ''O'' with his mouth.
"I am sorry, Brother. I am new to Western Culture."
"I can see that. Now, what do you want to ask?"
"Ah, right. I want to ask whether you are a Mentalist."
"No, I am not."
"Do you master [Telepathy]?"
"That''s the same question as asking whether I am a Mentalist."
"Then, how did you instruct me to forfeit at that time?"
Xiu Li stared at the chilling Basil intensely. He was curious by nature, and liked to learn something new. Normally, he wouldn''t act this way. However when the permission was given, he wouldn''t hold back.
"I didn''t."
"Eh, what?" Xiu Li was bewildered. He was pretty sure Basil had instructed him to forfeit, before Basil arrived by his side to fend Kinsey''s attack.
"To learn [Telepathy], I have to enter the Middle Realm first. Which means, the minimum requirement to learn it is to be a Fourth Circle Mage. Therefore, I didn''t use any [Telepathy] on you."
"Then?"
p "You are talented as a Mage not because your quickprehension towards Magic, but your keen sense towards Mana. I merely sent you a warning with my Mana Wave, and your brain picked that as an instruction to forfeit."
"Uh, what?"
Xiu Li was embarrassed. He didn''t understand half of what Basil had exined. Surely, Basil didn''t intend to repeat his exnation. He was a man of action. Therefore, he merely demonstrated what he had exined.
Basil exposed his Mana Wave toward Xiu Li and leaked his killing intent to it. Xiu Li''s eyes widened in surprise. His pupils dted in terror, and his mind told him only one thing.
Run!
Then, as fast as it came, it was gone just as fast. Xiu Li calmed his beating heart, then looked at Basil in surprise.
"So, that was the case. I get it now. I didn''t know our mind can do that."
"There are so many things we do not know about our mind. It is the most overlooked, and the scariest ce in the universe."
"I agree with how scary our mind could be."
Someone who sat beside Xiu Li, the only female who had managed to pass the Selection Stage, the one and only Kimberley Bulmer, looked at the conversing duo in wonder.
She had realized how exceptionally close the two since their meeting at the Selection Stage. If she were that ''type'' of woman, she would have been already thinking about who would be the top and who would be the bottom in Basil and Xiu Li''s rtionship.
She quickly shook her head to abolish the ursed thought. Thinking that unsightly thing about someone was uneptable. She was a prideful Mage who respected other''s privacy and rights, after all!
Heaving a sigh softly, she right herself up. Clenching her fist, she put it on top of her chest. Her eyes heated, and determination filled her entire existence. She couldn''t win this way. She had to fight to win. She would let everyone know of her family''s name!
[The next challenge is ready to be proceeded.]
Kimberley stood from her seat, and the motionless and unamused audiences threw their gaze at her. Their eyes slowly lit up in interest. Knowing that the people''s attentions were all on her, Kimberley mustered her valiance, and dered.
"I, Kimberley Bulmer, challenge Basil Pacifer of the First Rank!"
Whistle.
Some of the audiences whistled in amazement at the bravery of Kimberley. Not even those wimps, who had dicks between their legs, dared to challenge Basil, after witnessing his ferociousness.
However, Kimberley, despite being a woman, still dared to challenge Basil. Just the bravery alone was praiseworthy. Therefore, the audiences put their keen attention on her.
[Rank 3 is challenging Rank 1. Basil Pacifer, will you ept the challenge?]
"I ept."
Surely, Basil didn''t disappoint them. He epted the challenge, and was the first person to appear in the arena. They audiences were mildly bewildered. However, that was it. Basil had done more bewildering things than that. In a way, they were desensitized already.
"I need you to fight in your true power. I don''t want you to show me any sympathy, just because I am woman."
Kimberley, who had just arrived in the arena, stared at Basil and eximed valiantly. The response she got was Basil''s unamused gaze. She tried so hard to prevent her brow from twitching.
Luckily, Basil gave her another respond, "Do not worry. I am an advocate of gender equality. I will make you the person who helps me to prove my point." Sadly, the response she got this time wasn''t any better than the previous one.
"Alright, kids. You know the rules."
The referee looked at the two conversing youths seriously. However, it was merely his attempt to hide his amusement. Basil irked everyone he met, it seemed. Raising his hand to the air, he brought it down violently, while dering, "Begin!"
Contrary to everyone''s expectation, Kimberley stayed on her position, unlike Basil''s previous opponents. Basil stood uprightly, and as unamused as before. Kimberley looked at that Basil curiously.
"Are you not surprised?"
"I will, if you turn out to be my sister."
Tick!
This time, Kimberley couldn''t hold back her mouth from twitching. Sighing to herself, she infused her Mana to her Spatial Bracelet. It shed briefly, then ance appeared in her hand.
Staring at Basil deeply in the eyes, she was met with Basil''s own gaze that conveyed his slight interest. Readying her stance, she activated her Art.
[Dash]!
Her Art was activated silently. No one could hear her say a thing. In response to her Art activation, her body moved like a sh, before reappearing in front of Basil. Hernce was firmly held on her hand, and its pointy end was directed to Basil''s heart.
nk!
Her eyes widened in surprise. Basil didn''t even need to take his weapon out. Basil just pped hernce to the side with his bare hand! Such a move was as ridiculous as it was amazing.
"What...?"
"I know you are notfortable fighting like that."
"That is... Why didn''t you finish me?"
Kimberley asked while ncing at the tip of Basil''s finger that was touching her forehead. She was sweating coldly, and gulped dryly. However, her eyes were still as fiery as before.
"You are looking down on me by doing that. Therefore..." Without any warning, Basil''s foot shed and hit Kimberley in the abdomen. Right before she was thrown away, she heard Basil said, "I will y with you."
"Gahh!"
"Ooohhh... I expected a ''Kyaaa!'' out of her."
"Dude, you are stereotyping."
While watching Kimberley thrown away by a mere kick from Basil, the audiencesmented on her reaction. They didn''t sympathize with her. That is how the world works. Gender doesn''t matter in reality, power does.
Skid!
Kimberley managed to stop her body from rolling on the ground. While looking at Basil in slight resentment, she clutched her lower abdomen painfully.
''He kicked me right in the womb! What a savage!''
She knew she was being unreasonable, considering what she had said to Basil. However, she couldn''t help it. The pain made her irrational. Inhaling a deep breath, she exhaled softly.
"I am sorry, I didn''t fight to my best. I will do it from now on."
"Show me."
She paid Basil no mind. She merely stabbed hernce to the ground, and closed her eyes in concentration. Quickly enough, a Magic Circle that was unlike any other Magic Circles carved on every Mage''s heart appeared on the ground.
Boom!
Mana exploded, and three Magic Circles appeared behind her back. All of them were Major Circles. Opening her eyes, she stared at Basil valiantly. The Magic Circle below her expanded, before shining intensely.
The Magic Circle spun, before it shrunk. Then, something emerged from the magic Circle, and positioned itself beside Kimberley.
"Ooohhh! That is!"
"Woah.. we have many bright Junior Mages this year."
"Dude... You know that they are of our age, right?"
"Curse you! Why do you have to remind me that?!"
"A Summoner has appeared."
Most of the audiences sighed in amazement, while some in envy. Beside Kimberley, they could see a healthy white horse with wings attached to its side. On its forehead, anyone could see a unique shaped horn.
It was no other than the famous Unicorn. It was a high ss Summon that could rival Mythical Beast. To establish a contract with them, one needed to have a pure heart, and pass some of their tests. Meanings, it was very hard.
For Kimberley, a Third Circle Mage, could establish a contract with a Unicorn was really baffling and amazing. Therefore, they couldn''t help but sigh in amazement. Kimberley reveled in the people''s reaction, then looked at Basil to see his.
Sadly, Basil wasn''t even surprised or amazed. He was even less interested than the first time he saw her taking out hernce!
"Hmm... She must be around 18 years old. So young. I wonder whether it is bound to you since birth."
Funnily, the one who was surprised was Kimberley. Basil had just figured out everything correctly! She was bewildered beyond belief. Still, she managed to regain herposure.
"Huuh... Yes. She''s bound to me since birth."
"So, most of your family is a regr to the Unicorns."
"You can say it that way."
"Interesting." Basil cupped his chin, while scrutinizing the Unicorn.
The Unicorn squirmed as if she was ufortable. Basil was mildly surprised at the reaction. He didn''t expect his past act of ughtering too many Unicorns in rage made him being a feared existence among Unicorn even in this life.
Sadly, Kimberley misunderstood this. "Hey! I respect other''s sexuality. However, you can''t do that with Acacia!" Throwing his unamused gaze at Kimberley, Basil responded, "With a heavy heart, I prefer to ride you than your Summon."
Instantly, Kimberley''s face went red. Surely, it wasn''t unnoticed to Basil. Therefore, like always, he said something that irked her even more, "Hmph! Such a dirty mind. I wonder whether your Summon was forcefully bound to you."
"She wasn''t!"
Basil heard none of her excuse, and looked at the audience seat. There, he could see a fluffy little creature being hugged by rissa. It was none other than Deacon, who was having the time of his life.
At this point, Basil couldn''t even tell what caused Deacon to be excited. His attention on Deacon or the bountiful where Deacon''s headid. Maybe both. Sighing softly to himself, Basil snapped his finger.
Snap!
The sound reverberated through the whole area as it was amplified by Wind Magic. Deacon, who understood what it meant, quickly jumped out of rissa''s hold. Like a ck sh, he appeared next to Basil.
"Ooohhh!!!"
"Kyaaaa!!! How cute!"
"Whose puppy is that?! I want to have one!"
"Oh my, such a cute little puppy!"
When the audiences properly saw what was beside Basil, all of them eximed in excitement. Deacon''s cuteness was that much. He could pull a reaction out of both genders!
"Why are you calling your dog? You want to fight Acacia and me together with him?"
"Hm."
Kimberley chuckled rather condescendingly. Normally, she wouldn''t do that. However, her stress over facing Basil''s indirect insults had finally taken over her. Surely, herugh didn''tst long.
In the next moment, the cute and small Deacon turned bigger and bigger. His fangs turned thicker, then protruding out of his mouth. Not long after, the cute Deacon was reced with a big and ferocious King Saberwolf. He was still fluffy though.
The audiences turned silent. Kimberley lost herughter. She didn''t know how to react to the 4 meters tall Deacon. Looking at Basil standing beside Deacon, her mind could only think of Basil with one word.
Overbearing!
Chapter 84 Lunacy Sees No Common Sense (2)
Basil patted Deacon''s soft fur, while still looking at the petrified Kimberley. He wasn''t the least bit offended when Kimberley hadughed at him, he wasn''t petty. Furthermore,pared to him, Kimberley was still a kid, and kids tend to not know what they''re doing.
"So, shall we continue the match?" Basil asked casually.
Sadly, in Kimberley''s ears, it sounded condescending. Therefore, Kimberley clenched her fist, then mounted her Unicorn, Acacia. Facing her right palm upward, her Spatial Bracelet shed, before an armour helmet appeared in her hand.
"Let us see who is better between us!" Right after saying that, she put her helmet on.
Instantly, her aura changed. With hernce pointing at Basil, she posed mightily like a gant warrior. To support the mood, Acacia spread her wings. Thus, a scene where everyone could only see in a painting was created.
"Hmm... No wonder she is familiar. So, she is the Lance Valkyrie. To be exact, she will be one in the future."
Surprisingly, Basil had met Kimberley before. Although it hadn''t been a meaningful encounter, Basil knew some things about her. The Lance Valkyrie had been Kimberley''s moniker in the past. She had been called that way due to her attire that resembled Valkyrie, and her skills in usingnce.
Surely, to be called that way, she had been an exceptional Battle Mage. Her valiance, and boldness to charge first in every wars against the Monsters ¡ª Demons ¡ª had managed to gain everyone''s admiration.
She had even be everyone''s leading figure. She had led many battles, and eventually died in one of them. Surely, the cause had been her ''people'' leaving her behind. That had always happened whenever a ''hero'' had emerged in the past.
People. They will be with you, when they can profit from you. When you seem to drag them down, they will unhesitatingly leave you.
Such hypocrisy from the people had been so sickening that Basil had never wanted to be a hero. It had been the reason why he had always refused any help request. His answer at that time had always been the same, "The best person to help you is yourself."
Now that he had recalled the past, he was constantly reminded with the people''s hypocrisy everytime he looked at Kimberley.
"Hmph! Stupid girl," Basil snorted softly to himself.
With grace, Basil mounted Deacon who had lowered his body. Infusing Qi to his Spatial Ring, he took out a spear out of it. He spun it in his hand a few times, then pointed it at Kimberley.
"You can wield spear?" Kimberley asked in surprise. Basil merely quirked his eyebrow, before replying, "You can tell?" Unsurprisingly, it irked Kimberley to no end.
She sighed, before shifting her body for afortable position.
Whoosh!
Acacia opened her wings. She pped them once, before taking off to the air. The audiences gasped in amazement at that disy. Eyeing Basil like an eagle from the air, she tried to look for a gap to attack him.
Surprisingly, she found none.
"Hmm... What do you think, Buddy? Should we fight airborne too? No? Why? Ah, I see. You are afraid of height."
Instead of minding Kimberley who was flying above his head, Basil chose to converse with Deacon instead.
After being with Basil for eight months, Deacon could already grasp his Master''s antics. One of his master''s antics that he remembered the most was, his Master liked to experiment.
A few months ago, his Master had had an enlightenment in Wind Magic. His Master had said that he had found a way to fight whilst airborne. Excited, Deacon had immediately requested to practice that together. To conclude the event simply, Deacon had been left traumatized.
"This is bad. We can''t just stand here, while shifting continuously to avoid being attacked."
True to his word, Basil and Deacon were constantly shifting to avoid any gaps from forming. Kimberley was left frustrated due to it. Suddenly, Deacon suggested something, and Basil nodded his head in agreement.
"You are right, Buddy. I can just use my Aura. However, let me check whether anyone would notice it, first... Alright, all of them are imbeciles."
No, he wasn''t being rude. He was just stating facts ¡ª with his standard as the reference. In his opinion, anyone that didn''t know anything aside from their own area of expertise was an imbecile. Just like a Mage who couldn''t know the moment of Qi utilization.
One needs to know many things, not master many things. Therefore, no one can give an excuse that they know only this, because they are good at that. No one ask you to master anything, but you need to know as much you can.
Basil''s Spatial Ring shed, and weapons floated behind him. To be exact, 3 swords, 5 spears, and 6 short swords floated behind him.
The audiences were bewildered. Such a disy of [Telekinesis] from a Third Circle Mage was unbelievable. They had thought Basil could only control up to three things ¡ª like what he had showed in his fight with Kinsey. Surely, they didn''t know it was Basil''s Aura Ability, [Master of Weapons].
That was the advantage of Knight. They were weak in the early stages,pared to Mage. However, when they developed Aura, their growth exploded until they finally encountered a bottleneck, the Purple Stage. Before that, they were normally stronger than most Mages.
Deacon puffed his chest in pride at his Master''s disy of might. ring at the flying Unicorn murderously, he growled threateningly. Now, his Master would make a porcupine out of the flying duo with his weapons.
Sadly, Deacon''s thought was wrong. It didn''t take long for him to notice the cold steels pressing again his body. Tilting his head to look at Basil, thetter responded calmly, "You are right, Buddy. I should have controlled these weapons to help us fly instead."
If crying without shedding tears was a thing, Deacon was demonstrating that perfectly. Resigning his fate inwardly, he followed his Master''s instruction.
Surely, Basil did that just to mess with Deacon.
Howl!
Whoosh!
Wind waves were sent at the flying Kimberley, and her flight was disrupted because of them. In the next moment, Deacon and Basil also started floating with the help of his [Master of Weapons]. Even if he could only perform telekinesis on weapons, there was no saying he couldn''t lift things with said weapons.
Thus, thinking out of the box beats the rule!
Out of the 14 weapons Basil was controlling, it took 8 to lift the heavy deacon to the air. Basil''s Qi was quickly depleting, and the mental energy it consumed was enormous. However, Basil was used to that. Furthermore, he didn''t think fighting Kimberley would take a long time.
Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!
Weapons were thrown at Kimberley, and she did her best to avoid them. Still, dodging them didn''t mean free from them. They kept chasing her, and eventually led her to Basil. She wasn''t even aware of that.
nk!
Lance met spear. The difference in movement was apparent. Basil was waving his spear wildly yet graciously, while Kimberley was thrusting hernce toward Basil''s vital point.
Basil did a great job at fending her attack, however Kimberley was overwhelmed with Basil''s attack.
''Such ferociousness! What is this power?!''
She was bewildered at the absurdity of the situation. Not only was Basil flying with Deacon, but he also fought with spear so well! Her hand got numb each time she fended his attacks.
Whoosh!
"Tsk!"
Kimberley clicked her tongue in annoyance, and flew away. Basil''s weapons wereing at her. She didn''t know how could Basil disy such control over his power. It was maddening.
''Just how could he multitask that good?! Do you have two brains?!''
Kimberleymented in her mind. She couldn''t believe someone like Basil existed. He was talented, smart, attractive, and powerful. He was so blessed. He was a cheat-like existence in this world!
Sadly, Kimberley could never know. Basil wasn''t cheating. He merely had a headstart. Anyone with experience should be able to pull that. Only idiots couldn''t.
nk! nk! nk!
"Wow...! Am I witnessing a fight between Knights? I have seen more swords than Grimoires in this tournament."
"Is that what bothers you? What about the fact that they are of our peers?!"
"Ah! Don''t! Don''t say it! I''m such a failure!"
"What is wrong with those two?"
"I don''t know... What''s wrong with you? You''re crying."
"Ignore me. I''m wallowing over my inexistent talent."
The reaction was varied. Some gasped in amazement, some in bafflement, while some in envy. Surely, their interest was still put on the battling duo in the arena. No one wanted to miss the ongoing least gory, yet the strangest match.
Woong!
nk!
Kimberley dodged a short swording at her, then charged at Basil. Their weapons shed, and like always her hand trembled. It was within expectation. Basil practiced Body Forging, while Kimberley merely counted on her [Reinforcement].
[Annihtion Thrust]!
An Art was utilized. It belonged Kimberley. Hernce spun without her hand spinning it, and it was thrust at Basil. Sensing the destructive aura from the attack, Basil also utilized his own Technique.
[Boulder Cleaver]!
Art met against Technique. Basil raised his spear to the air, and swiped it down violently at the iingnce of Kimberley. The power behind Basil''s attack was so overwhelming that hernce was directed downward, and she was brought down too.
Boom! Boom!
Two consecutive explosion happened. The first happened when Basil''s spear smashed against Kimberley''s spinningnce. The second happened when Kimberley''s attack was directed at the ground.
The ground where Kimberley''s attack hit was dug, forming arge pit. In the pit, a spiral pattern could be seen decorating it. Not far away from there, Basil''s earlier attack managed to make a trench on the ground.
Screech!
Surely, Basil didn''t let Kimberley who was trying her best to regain her posture do what she was doing. Quicklying at her, he jumped into one of the flying weapons, and delivered her another kick to throw her off of her mount.
"Gahak!"
Boom!
Surely, it worked. Kimberley was thrown off of her mount, and sent rolling to the ground. Acacia, Kimberley''s Summon, was bewildered. However, her bewilderment didn''tst long as it quickly developed into terror.
Deacon wasing at her with his spine chilling smile!
Deacon wasn''t mean. He was normally a cute and chill guy. However, he was so stressed currently, due to his phobia of being airborne. Therefore, he needed something to distract him from his stress.
"Acacia!"
Kimberley who had just stood from her fall, quickly cancelled her summon over Acacia, and said Summon quickly disappeared right after. Surely, she would pay the price of facing her eyes away from Basil.
Bam!
"Kuhak!" Basil punched Kimberley in the stomach. "You savage, what are you doing to a woman?!" Kimberley shouted incredulously. Basil''s response was simple, "I have told you that I am an advocate of gender equality."
Gritting her teeth, Kimberley did the thing she rarely did, "At least, don''t hit my womb, Bastard!" She cursed. Basil was so infuriating that she was forced to curse. Surely, Basil didn''t pay her any mind as he answered, "Don''t worry, you''ll be fine."
nk!
Boom!
Kimberley was losing it. She lost her patience already. Coming at Basil with everything she got. She poured her pent up rage at him.
nk! nk! nk!
Boom! Boom! Boom!
Each time she thrust or swung hernce, either the air or the ground exploded. Her attack was more concentrated and more powerful than before. Sadly, Basil still could keep up with her. He moved with the same grace as before, and the strength behind his attack turned even stronger.
The audiences cringed every time the weapons of the two shed. The power contained behind the attacks was even visible to the eyes. Countless of Arts were activated, and the fixed arena was ruined once again.
"You! I will finish you!"
Bam!
"This bastard! Why are you hitting me in¡ª"
Bam!
"Gahak!"
Basil paid no mind to each of Kimberley''s reactions. He kept attacking her whenever he saw a gap. Surely, her silent cry was also ignored by him. He kept repeating the same thing where he would punch or kick her whenever he saw a gap in her defense.
Until finally ¡ª
Sob!
¡ª Kimberley was crying.
She was bullied so bad that she couldn''t help but crying.
Thud!
She dropped to her knee, and covered her eyes with her hands. She was trying her best to hide the fact she was crying. Basil stopped his attack, however his attention wasn''t on her. He was looking for something, her helmet.
He picked it up from the ground, and moved his feet toward her way. Upon arriving in front of her, he put his hand on top of her head, and patted it tenderly. Surprised, Kimberley raised her head. With her puffy and red eyes, she stared at Basil.
"A warrior shall never cry. They fight, and bear their lost without crying. Whenever they can not handle their pain, they will hide it to their very best. It is the reason why helmet is made." Basil put the helmet on to the bewildered Kimberley''s head.
She was so bewildered that she didn''t even notice she was gaping her mouth. At that moment, Basil looked like the prince form the fairy tales herte mother had told her.
Sadly, she met Basil.
"Therefore, you should wear it now."
"What do you¡ª Gahak!"
Basil kneed Kimberley right in her sr plexus swiftly and precisely. She had some time to groan painfully and looked at Basil incredulously, before eventually passing out.
Thud!
Her bodyid motionlessly on the ground. The referee who had heard their conversation, and clearly knew what had happened, had his jaw dropped. The audiences were also dumbstruck.
Surprisingly or rather unsurprisingly, Basil Pacifer was merciless toward any gender!
Chapter 85 Lunacy Sees No Common Sense (End)
"Victor, Basil Pacifer!"
The arena was silent, until it was broken by the referee. Although he was dumbfounded by Basil''s earlier action, he was quick to recover. After all, that is just how the world works. It is fair and square. Gender doesn''t matter.
He agreed that seeing it on a young man as young as Basil was kind of surprising, though.
p! p! p!
Cheers came right after the deration. Basil took back his flying weapons, and brought Deacon down. Thetter did his best not to show his quivering feet. Although this flight had been smooth, Deacon''s fear of flight didn''t disappear that easily.
Right when everything was settled, Basil moved his feet to his seat. Deacon shrunk his size, and assumed his cute and fluffy small dog form. Jumping on Basil''s shoulder, he followed Basil to his seat.
[The next challenge is ready to be proceeded.]
Right when the medic team wanted to put Kimberley to a stretcher, she woke up abruptly. "Kya!!!" In result, she scared the weak hearted medic staff. Kimberley took off her helmet and bowed to the medic staff, before returning to her seat.
She didn''t pay the bewildered medic staff any attention as her attention was solely put on Basil. Her eyes were filled with resentment and slight embarrassment. She couldn''t help it. She felt humiliated.
She didn''t know whether Basil had done that in purpose, however Basil had managed to sessfully make her lose her self control. By the time she sat herself down, she was expecting Basil to mock her. However, she found none of it.
Throwing her gaze at Basil, thetter was eating steak together with his Beast Companion, and Xiu Li. She knew she was being unreasonable. However, she preferred to get mocked over being ignored. It felt like she didn''t even worth the time.
Unfortunately for her, her thought was correct. If Basil could just erase his memory about any useless thing he had seen, he would have forgotten any Battle he had in this tournament. Arrogant? Sure. However, he had the skills to back up his word.
The tournament continued, and the same situation was repeated. Everyone was battling without bothering the top three. After witnessing the power disy of the top three, none of them dared enough to bet.
Their probability to win was lower than their probability to lose. They didn''t want to try their luck and sacrifice their limited chance. Thus, they were battling among themselves for the fourth ce, the highest ce below the top three.
Time passed, and the chances of every participants were almost used up. Some of the matches the audiences had witnessed had been enough to earn amazement from them, while most of them had been so ordinary that they had been reluctant to p their hands.
They couldn''t help it. After watching Basil''s Battles against his opponents, they were desensitized with ordinary Battles. How could they not? Their eyes were too often exposed to light that they couldn''t see dark ces well.
Finally, the fourth ce was determined. The tournament would be ended, if not for the fact that Kimberley hadn''t used her onest chance. All eyes were on her. She was quickly assaulted with a sense of deja vu. The scene was extremely familiar to her.
Calming down her heart with an inhale, she stood from her seat. Every eyes, except Basil''s and Xiu Li''s, followed her every moment. This time, she didn''t take her time to revel in that moment. She merely mustered her voice, then eximed valiantly.
"I, Kimberley Bulmer, challenge Wei Xiu Li of the Second ce!"
[Rank 3 is challenging Rank 2. Wei Xiu Li, will you ept the challenge?]
Kimberley stared at Xiu Li expectantly. In the other hand, Xiu Li scratched his head awkwardly. He hadn''t finished the steak Basil had given him yet. He had been too engrossed in savoring the vor that he had eaten the heavenly steak slowly.
Reluctantly putting the steak inside his Spatial Bracelet to save it forter, he stood from his seat. "I ept!" He dered, before shing to the arena. Kimberley followed suit, and the referee also positioned himself between them.
"Ready?" The referee was quick to the point. Knowing it was thest match, he wanted to do his job quickly. The two youths merely nodded their heads as a response. Then, the referee raised his hand to the air. "Begin!" He brought his hand down violently.
Whoosh!
Xiu Li quickly took a distance away from Kimberley. Looking at Kimberley seriously from afar, Xiu Li suddenly spoke. "Unlike Brother Basil, I can''t hit women easily. Therefore, I have to apologise." He bowed his head right after.
Kimberley was slightly taken aback. Quirking her eyebrow, she asked him, "Are you meaning to give up?" At this, Xiu Li shook his head softly. "No, that''s not what I mean." Kimberley was so puzzled that she momentarily forgot to be aware to her surrounding.
"Then... What do you¡ª"
"This."
Kimberley was cut in the middle of her speech, and a thin ck needle was thrown at her. Sadly, she noticed itte.
By the time she wanted to dodge the needle, it was already a few centimeters away from her abdomen. Seeing that the needle wouldn''t bring her any fatal injury, she let it pierce her sr plexus.
Stab!
She could feel a little prick on her skin, but that was all. Looking down at the needle piercing her sr plexus, she tried to pull it out. However, at that moment, she was reminded of Xiu Li''s prior match.
The needle should have had a paralyzing effect.
Then, as if proving her thought right, her feet quickly turned jelly. She was also losing her power to move, and her body fell helplessly to the ground. Trying her best to raise her head, she tried to look at Xiu Li''s direction.
Sadly, it was all in vain. Her eyes turned droopy, and she started to lose her consciousness. Before she lost her consciousnesspletely, she heard Xiu Li said, "I can''t hit women, but I can incapacitate them. Also, I''m sorry for your unsightly lost."
''Infuriating!'' was thest thought she had.
"Victor, Wei Xiu Li!"
The referee heaved a sigh of relief, and the audiences erupted in cheer. They were all d that the tournament finally ended. None of them bat an eysh at the motionless Kimberley on the ground.
Among the cheering audiences, there were six people who were so ecstatic that the people around them were weirded out.
"Yes!!! Basil wins the tournament!"
"I knew it, I knew he was going to win!"
"Jackpot! Jackpot!"
"Uwoohhh!!! What a good day to win!"
"Trust I sow, gold I reap! My favorite student doesn''t disappointment me!"
"Hahaha! I can have a party tonight!"
Surely, they were the people who bet in Basil. Namely, his four ssmates, Chester, and ke. To be honest, they didn''t really care about the money. However, the feeling of winning without even winning was unexpectedly good. Thus, they couldn''t help the cheer.
"Hey... Shirley."
"What?"
"Why are those six so excited?"
"They bet on Brother to win. Of course, they are excited."
"Wow... That is shameless."
Julia shook her head in amusement. She hadn''t thought his teachers and seniors could act so shameless. Still, at least they weren''t pretentious. She knew Shirley was also betting on Basil, but Shirley did a good job to cover her excitement.
Being a good friend she was, she didn''t call Shirley out in that. Surely, Julia herself wasn''t any different. She also bet on Basil. Therefore, she couldn''t help herself from rubbing her hands in eagerness.
Still, she wasn''t very open to it. Therefore, no one could notice it. Well, almost no one.
Irene shook her head from the side. She knew the only people who weren''t betting on Basil were Danzel, and rissa. That being said, she did too. Although she didn''t need the money, she could use that money to buy some decorations for Basil''s mansion, her home.
Throwing her gaze at Basil who sat on the participants seat, she found thetter was also looking at her. Their eyes met, and Basil smiled. Her chest warmed, and a smile also bloomed on her face.
A foreign yet wee feeling surged. It was a feeling that every mother is familiar with. It was the feeling of pride over her child''s achievement.
...
While the conclusion of the tournament was ready to be proceeded, the situation in Cobham Manor was still ongoing. Nichs was still performing his ''duo'' in front of Justin. He enjoyed the look on Justin''s face greatly.
"Huuh... It''s starting to get boring."
Nichs stopped his waist movement, then gestured one of the hooded figures to take Catherine. Thetter could only let her body being passed over like a baggage. Surely, it didn''t mean her role as a toy stopped.
"Hey... Do you think I should ask your son to join us?"
"Nichs!!!"
"Woahh! Chill out, Mate. I know you are raging down there. Don''t be a hypocrite."
"You sick bastard! You are an incarnation of a devil!"
"Well, I won''t deny that."
"You! Don''t you think of the consequences?!"
"Ku-ku-ku! What are you talking about?"
Justin instantly shut his mouth. Nichs had just chuckled with mirth, and it chilled his spinepletely. Looking at the demonic grin on Nichs'' face, a sense of foreboding assaulted him.
Nichs moved his body a little, and took a Transmission Talisman. Justin widened his eyes, and quickly shouted.
"What are you going to do with my Transmission Talisman?!"
"Well, who knows?"
"Nichs!!!"
Paying no mind to the raging Justin, Nichs merely cleared his throat, before infusing his Mana to the Transmission Talisman. "Kuhum! Ahh.. Daniel, It''s me. I''m at Uncle Nichs'' Manor currently. Can youe over here?" Nichs mimicked Justin''s voice perfectly.
Justin was petrified. He couldn''t believe what he had seen. Looking at Nichs who had just mimicked his voice in disbelief, he momentarily forgot how to react.
"Well, your son will soone over here. He will join us in no time! I''m sure he must be excited to mingle with his own mother."
"Nichs.. what are you...?"
Justin was dumbfounded, and devastated at the same time. Looking at Nichs in disbelief, he couldn''t muster his voice to retort him.
"Well, I mean, the two of you have been ying behind my back for a very long time. I am sure that Daniel was born from that harlot too."
"What are you talking about?! Myte wife personally gave birth to my son! You know it! You were there!"
"Well, who knows? Oh! Maybe, my daughter isn''t my daughter too, after all. Ah, that''s right, I should call her too! I shall have a taste of her!"
Nichs took his personal Transmission Talisman, and sent a message to Shirley. Justin could only see that dumbly. He was overwhelmed by Nichs'' irrational course of actions.
"Nichs, are you nning to defile your own flesh?! Where is yourmon sense, you lunatic?!"
At this, Nichs merely chuckled creepily. Looking at Justin with his widened eyes, and shrinking pupil, Nichs grinned widely.
"This is what you and that harlot have done to me, Justin. Yes, I am a lunatic. Therefore, you should know by this point." Nichs moved his face closer, and whispered, "Lunacy sees nomon sense."
Chapter 86 Son Of A Betrayer
"Hm? Someone messaged me."
Shirley gripped her Transmission Talisman, and infused her Mana to it. She quickly found that it was Nichs. He said there was something urgent, and she needed to go home.
Shirley frowned her forehead. Since Basil''s banishment from her house, her rtionship with her father had been distant. It wasn''t only with her father, but also her mother.
Each of them was busy with their own things. Therefore, Shirley slept at Basil''s manor more often than at her house for thest four months. Surely, sometimes Julia would also crash over at Basil''s manor to apany her.
Julia noticed the frowning Shirley, and couldn''t help but asking, "What is it, Shirley?"
Shirley had been rarely frowningtely as she got to spend her time with her brother. Therefore, seeing Shirley frowning, Julia was curious.
"It''s my father."
"Oh... What happens?"
"I don''t know. He just told me toe home."
Julia creased her forehead. Shirley had opened up to her not long ago about how the rtionship between Basil and her parents copsed. Favoritism wasmon in a family. However, doing it to such extent. wasn''t healthy.
Therefore, Julia held no respect toward Shirley''s parents. Surely, she didn''t say that tantly in front of Shirley''s face. It would disrespectful of her.
"So, are you going home now?"
"I think so..."
"Why are you hesitating?"
"If it''s so urgent.. why didn''t my father tell Brother to alsoe?"
"Shirley, I will be honest..." Julia looked at Shirley squarely in the eyes. Exhaling deeply, she continued, "Your father is a jerk." Shirley was so shocked that her mouth was left gaping. In the other hand, Julia smiled wryly.
Luckily, the awkward situation didn''tst long as Shirley nodded her head, showing her support over Julia''s opinion.
"Yeah. I can''t refute that."
"The fact that you also agree with me is awesome."
Shirley looked at Julia in her eyes, and thetter also did the same. They stared at each other for some time, beforeughing among themselves.
"Alright, then. I guess I have to go," Shirley sighed in exasperation. Julia sympathized her, and patted her back, "Cheer up, girl! I will be there to apany your charming brother in your stead!" The gaze she got from Shirley was unsettling.
However, Julia wasn''t bothered. She was used to it already. She might be afraid of that at first. However, she had already grasped that Shirley wasn''t even aware doing that. In the other words, Shirley wasn''t aware of her infatuation with her brother yet.
"Huuh... Just don''t fool around with my brother."
"Chill, girl. If I hadn''t known Senior Basil, I would have thought he swung that way."
"..."
Shirley could hardly refute that. Even worse, she had almost thought Basil had no interest in human. She knew many girls in the academy had confessed to her brother. She even knew her ssmates who had confessed to her brother.
Despite so, everytime her brother was confessed to, his answer was always the same, "If you have time to think about love life, you should use that time to improve your mastery." He would always answer them in disinterest.
Still, that didn''t be the reason she had ever thought her brother had no interest in human.
Her brother had also been confessed to boys! She had been also shocked when she had found that out. Surely, her brother''s response at that time had been the same too. The notion of her brother swung that way had been instantly discarded.
In return, after that day, Shirley had thought her brother had no interest in human. However, it had been quickly proven wrong, after she observed how caring her brother toward her.
"Huuh..." Sighing to herself, Shirley threw her gaze at Basil. "I really want to see the award ceremony," shemented. Now that she had to go home, she wouldn''t be able to watch Basil receiving his medal. She was really sad.
However, she couldn''t just disobey her father. She needed to get home. Standing up from her seat, she was about to tell Irene to convey her farewell to Basil, when Irene also stood up too.
"Irene...?"
"I will apany you, Shirley."
"No, no, no. You don''t need to! I know you want to witness Brother''s award ceremony."
"It is alright, my girl. Seeing him win the tournament is already enough for me."
"But¡ª"
"Danzel, I will need your help to say my farewell to Young Master."
Shirley was quickly cut by Irene who was determined to apany her. Danzel looked up in surprise. However, he soon nodded his head.
"Okay. I will tell Basilter. Where do you want to go, though?"
"We are going to the Cobham Manor."
"You are going to that ce?" Danzel asked in surprise. Squinting his eyes, he said seriously to Irene, "Be careful. Basil wouldn''t like anything to happen to both of you." In response, Shirley and Irene nodded their heads.
They had heard enough from rissa and Danzel how Basil had dealt with the people who had bothered them.
"Very well, we will be leaving."
"Just be careful!"
"We will."
With Irene in tow, Shirley left the arena. Surely, they nned to collect the money from the bet they won.
Looking at the disappearing back of Irene and Shirley, Danzel put his hand to his chest. He tried his best to calm his uneasy heart. He was sure Irene was feeling that too. Therefore, she had been adamant to apany Shirley.
Gazing at Basil, he prayed in his heart, "May there be nothing will happen." He was afraid of what Basil would do if something were to happen.
...
Every participants who manged to survive until the end were lined up in the arena. Out of the originally 38 participants, only 26 managed to survive. Even so, most of the people still thought that Fairfax had died.
"Brother Basil, congrattions! You win the tournament!" Xiu Li said that loudly, however no one scolded him. He merely stated a fact. Despite how bitter it was, they had no choice but to ept it.
In the other hand, Basil was as calm as ever. "Hm," he responded simply.
[This year''s Regional Tournament will be officially concluded after the award ceremony.]
[Before the award ceremony is started, may we thank themittee who has supported the tournament to the best they could.]
p! p! p!
Like usual, before the event was concluded, a few acts weremitted for the sake of formality. Everyone was used to it, thus they went with the flow.
[As the responsible person of this tournament, greet our Randalvine Magic Institute''s Vice Headmaster, Master Caster Lawson Lansdowne!]
The crowd erupted in cheer. Although they had seen Lawson after Basil''s Battle with Kinsey, it didn''t diminish their enthusiasm in the least. Furthermore, there were still many of them who didn''t know Lawson as Randalvine Magic Institute''s Vice Headmaster.
Looking at the surviving participants, Lawson''s eyes fell on Basil. His eyes lit up in fascination. Although the boy had shown them many incredible things, he was sure the boy hadn''t shown his all.
"Thank you for giving your best to reach this point. So many people participated, yet so many people fell in the process. Being one of the people standing here makes you one of the best youths in our beloved Kingdom," Lawson spoke sagely.
Most of the surviving participants, who had witnessed the lunacy happening in this tournament, clenched their fists. They had gone this far, and they had done their best to survive.
They had thought the Selection Stage had been the end of the lunacy. Therefore, they had been shocked that the tournament itself was the lunacy itself. Just like Lawson said, just by standing here, they already became one of the best youths in Braxtein Kingdom.
Therefore, they didn''t have to feel shame for their cowardly way to survive.
"Still, being one of the best doesn''t ensure your survival in thispetitive environment. Therefore, you have to ovee your weakness, and improve yourself," Lawson continued.
"Enough with the speech. We will proceed the award ceremony immediately. However, I will not be the one who give you the award." Lawson smiled, before continuing, "Greet our Randalvine Magic Institute''s Headmistress, Master Summoner Jacinda!"
As the deration was uttered, so came the expected person. A beautiful woman in herte twenties appeared from behind Lawson. Her long dark blue hair was swept by the wind, and billowed in the air graciously.
Lawson stepped back, and let Jacinda stood in front of him. Standing at 174 centimeters tall, her fit build and upright posture exuded might and pride. Staring at the people sharply, her long eyshes fluttered whenever she blinked her eyes.
"Congrattions for reaching this far. I am Jacinda, the one who will reward the winners of this year''s Regional Tournament."
Everyone kept their silence. No one dared to interrupt Jacinda. Her voice was soft, yet stern. Everyone felt a faint oppression from her voice alone. That proved how powerful of a Mage she was.
Jacinda. A Master Summoner. Meanings, a Seventh Circle Mage. Her genius was known throughout the whole Kingdom. At the age of 28, she could already achieve the height that most Mages could only dream of.
She had rejected every offer the Kingdom had given her to be a Noble. She was a dedicated, and diligent Mage. She didn''t care about worldly matters. Nothing could beat her fascination toward Magic.
"I will call each of the winner, and you may step forward," Jacinda said. Everyone nodded, and Jacinda eximed, "Kimberley Bulmer!" Said person, who had just regained her consciousness not long ago, stepped forward.
"Congrattions for achieving third ce. As a woman myself, I am d to see such a bright young woman like you be one of the winners of this tournament." Jacinda put the bronze medal on Kimberley''s neck, then shook her hand.
Kimberley was touched. However, she didn''t know how to react. She didn''t think she was worth the praise. Therefore, she could only smile wryly, before bowing her head in embarrassment.
Jacinda noticed it, and whispered to her, "Don''t worry, you are a great Mage. Your opponents are just abnormal." Kimberley raised her head in surprise, before bursting in tears. She was so touched at the fact that finally someone could appreciate her.
Jacinda merely patted her shoulder, before giving her one Spatial Bracelet. "Along with the reward, you are also guaranteed a direct admission to our Randalvine Magic Institute!" Jacinda dered.
The crowd cheered, and pped their hands. The arena turned rowdy once again. To be admitted to Randalvine Magic Institute, one needed to pass a test that had only 10% of passing rate. To be rewarded a direct admission was an opportunity that any young Mages envied.
Kimberley stepped aside, and Jacinda called the next person, "Wei Xiu Li!" Said person stepped forward, before bowing his head at Jacinda. "Congrattions for achieving second ce. You have proven those who think lowly of you wrong."
p Wei Xiu Li bowed his head, and let Jacinda put the silver medal on his neck. Raising his head in the next moment, he stared at Jacinda brightly.
"Thank you for giving me the opportunity to learn Magic."
Jacinda merely smiled at that. She gave Xiu Li a Spatial Bracelet, and the same direct admission to Randalvine Magic Institute. Xiu Li stepped aside, before standing beside Kimberley. Looking ahead, he was anticipating the next person to be called forward.
"Basil Pacifer!"
The crowd instantly went crazy when Basil stepped forward. With Deacontched on to his shoulder, Basil stood in front of Jacinda. Due to his height, he easily towered over her.
"Congrattions for achieving first ce." Jacinda gestured Basil to lower his head so she could put the medal on him. However, thetter didn''t have any intention toply. Instead, Deacon lowered his head, ready to receive the medal.
"This is... I need put this on you, not your Companion." Basil quirked an eyebrow at her, and answered simply, "He is also a part of me. Putting it on him is the same as putting it on me. As a Summoner yourself, you must be agree with me."
Jacinda opened her mouth, only to find no wordsing out. She couldn''t refute Basil''s words. Shaking her head softly, she put the gold medal on Deacon''s neck. Thetter was ecstatic as he raised his head proudly, and posed as mighty as his cute form could.
"In addition to the reward of this tournament. I will personally give you this." Jacinda gave Basil a Spatial Bracelet, and a Spatial Ring. Raising his eyebrow in interest, Basil gazed at Jacinda right in the eyes.
"I will keep the fact you are cheating to myself," thetter winked her eyes and smiled in mischief.
Basil snorted softly in amusement, before stepping aside to stand in the middle of Kimberley and Xiu Li. Jacinda turned her attention to the crowd, and sped her hand.
"Apuses for the winners!"
p! p! p!
Thus, the Regional Tournament was concluded.
Chapter 87 Son Of A Betrayer (2)
The Regional Tournament was concluded, and the news of the winners were delivered to the expecting people. Surely, it caused shock amongst them. No one had expected three unknown individuals to win the match.
Basil Pacifer of an unknown Noble family, Wei Xiu Li of Hua, and Kimberley Bulmer of a Bar''s family. No one had heard of their brilliance before. Therefore, they were bewildered.
Luckily, one of them came from a fairly well-known Magic Academy. Thus, they were somehow spared from the extreme bafflement.
Right after the award ceremony, Basil wasn''t spared to be alone. He was quickly snatched by Lawson to have a talk as Lawson had promised after his fight with Kinsey. Surely, Lawson wasn''t the only wanting to have a talk.
ke, Iliana, and surprisingly Jacinda did too.
"I wish you could spare me some time to have my family settled to afortable inn." Basil said neutrally. The response was instantaneous. ke swiftly said, "Don''t worry, I have Chester done that." Basil quirked an eyebrow, then sighed softly.
''So be it.'' He decided to go with the flow. Seeing that Basil was ready to talk, Jacinda cleared her throat. Iliana, who had just served the tea for everyone, quickly sat herself beside Lawson.
"Kuhum. Mr. Pacifer, or may I call you Basil?" Jacinda asked for confirmation. Basil nodded softly, and said casually, "Whatever you arefortable with."
"Very well. Firstly, I will have to thank you for eradicating a ck Mage among the contestants that we somehow missed." Jacinda bowed lightly. Lawson, and Iliana also followed suit.
In return, Basil eximed softly, "I didn''t do that out of duty. I did that, because he was my enemy. Gratitude is unneeded." Jacinda raised her head, and quickly retorted, "I am a firm believer that consciously done or not, good deed is a good deed."
Basil snorted softly in amusement, before saying, "Do what you think right,dy." ke widened his eyes, and softly eximed, "Basil, you shouldn''t be disrespectful to Miss. Jacinda!'''' He turned to Jacinda, and bowed his head. "I am sorry for my student''s behavior."
"Fufufu. It''s alright Mr. ke. He didn''t say anything wrong." Herugh was as melodious as her voice. It was to the point where anyone who heard it could instantly fall in love with her.
Suddenly, Jacinda squinted her eyes, and looked at Basil sharply.
"Now, my question is, how could you know your opponent was a ck Mage?"
Right after that, a pressure descended upon Basil. Jacinda quirked an eyebrow at Basil''s reaction orck thereof. In return, Basil merely raised his teacup, and sipped the tea calmly.
Everyone was dumbfounded. They knew Basil was pressured by Jacinda. Normally, in this situation, one should feel nervous. However, Basil was different. His nonchnce baffled them.
ck.
Basil put down his teacup.
"As I have said to Senior Mage Iliana, discerning a ck Mage was easier once they utilize their Magic." Basil looked at Jacinda directly in her eyes. He tilted his head, and said, "You know that ck Mage don''t use Natural Mana, do you?"
Jacinda''s face quickly stiffened. Lawson was quick in action, and swiftly casted an istion spell on the room. Anything regarding ck Mage was forbidden to be discussed in open.
Soon, the room fell in silence. Each of the experienced Mages could only stare at Basil in disbelief. They couldn''t believe Basil knew that fact.
"How did you know about that?" Jacinda asked Basil uncertainly. "I have keen Mana Sense." He sipped his tea. Jacinda couldn''t bear her curiosity as she quickly blurted out, "Then, what do you see in the istion spell?!"
Basil raised his eyebrow in amusement. Jacinda was pretty enthusiastic. "How do you want me to answer? The way you wanted, or the way it really is?" Basil asked casually. Jacinda responded instantly, "I want it how it really is."
"Then, you should know by now that I saw nothing."
"What? Impossible! You must have seen something. Please, you can tell me any trivial thing you saw!"
Basil hummed to himself. He could feel a certain obsession regarding this matter from Jacinda. He quirked an eyebrow, and stared at Jacinda intently. Thetter was taken aback, however Basil''s attention wasn''t on her.
''Guide, what rtion Jacinda has toward ck Magic.''
[Ding!]
[Answering the Host''s ignorance...]
[Judging from the taint in her Mana, Jacinda has ever been cursed once, with a Dark Spell.]
''Is that the only thing you can provide me?''
[Yes.]
Basil sighed inwardly. It was good he had found another way to utilize the Guide. However, the information was limited! He needed to upgrade it to gain further information. Still, he was d he had something to make sure he was right.
"I believe you''ve had your own encounter with a ck Mage before." Basil said offhandedly, before rxing his posture.
Jacinda widened her eyes, and tried to open her mouth. However, Basil was quicker. "In my calction, it should be when you were around the Fifth or Sixth Circle Stage. The ''thing'' you saw that day was a Curse." He once again took a sip of his tea.
Jacinda opened her mouth to say something. However, in the end, she could only mutter, "How did you know?" Basil fiddled with his teacup, before saying, "You were cursed, and survived. In return, you gain power."
Looking into the baffled Jacinda''s eyes, Basil said, "Are you fearing yourself has be a ck Mage?" Jacinda quickly shut her mouth right away, and her pressure on Basil was retracted. She had been perfectly seen through.
When she had been merely a Fifth Circle Mage, she had encountered a ck Mage. She had struggled and risked everything to survive, before managing to kill the ck Mage. Right after the ck Mage had died, she had seen something that terrorized her to the core.
She had been terrorised even in her dream. However, after sometime, it had just disappeared suddenly. Since that day, her power had improved significantly.
Upon bing a Sixth Circle Mage, she had finallyid her hand on the information regarding ck Mage. Since then, she had been afraid of herself. She was afraid of the possibility, she had be one. Sadly, her encounter with a ck Mage was a one time thing. She couldn''t make sure of it.
Upon sensing the appearance of another ck Mage, she had been ecstatic. Imagine her surprise when Basil had eradicated the ck Mage, just like her in the past. Therefore, she was curious to what Basil and undergone.
"Although ck Mage are known for their absurdly fast improvement, undergoing the same thing didn''t make you one. Your Circles are tainted by the foreign Mana unique only to ck Mage, due to the curse. Thus, making you improving faster than any normal Mage."
Jacinda was startled as she was woken up from her thought. She looked at Basil, and nodded softly. "Still, doesn''t it mean I utilize the same Mana that ck Mage utilize?" She asked timidly. She didn''t know why, upon speaking with Basil, she felt like a child.
Thetter, as calm as ever, merely said, "A drop of ink to a paper doesn''t make the paper be ink." Silence descended upon the room. The other people who had merely listened to the interesting conversation, looked at Basil and Jacinda alternatingly.
"I didn''t get cursed. For your information, only Fifth Circle ck Mage and above could curse someone. Therefore, I didn''t see the ''thing'' you saw at your encounter with a ck Mage." Basil said after some time.
Only Fifth Circle ck Mage and above could curse. The reason was simple. To curse, ck Mage needed to contain a certain amount of Demonic Mana in their body, andprehending a certain Dark Spell.
Being a ck Mage was easy. However, being a good one was not. The only reason they were generally superior to other mages was due to the Demonic Mana in their body that was easily more potent than Natural Mana.
Surely, Basil didn''t say this to them. Exposing the existence of Demon now wasn''t a good choice. He would either be seen as a lunatic or be interrogated for further details. He didn''t want one of the troublesome things to happen. He had enough on his te already.
"I see... Then, may I ask what happened when you were isted?" At this, Basil faintly raised his lip upward. "That is the proper question to ask,dy."
Jacinda''s eyes lit up interest. Leaning her head forward, she was eager to her what had happened. Needless to say, the others were too.
"I met someone who apparently took possession over Kinsey''s body in thest moment." Basil paused to sip his tea. The others became even more curious as they utilized their ears better.
Then, Basil dropped the bomb.
"He is one of the prominence figures amongst ck Mage."
Basil didn''t lie, however he didn''t say the truth. Surely, it was enough to make the room fall into a deafening silence. Basil didn''t care about the silence he had caused. He was reveling in the sensation of managing to distract the people from asking how he got his knowledge.
...
[Cobham Manor, Cobham Viscountcy]
Daniel, who had been called by Nichs who had impersonated Justin, stood in front of the Manor''s door. He was extremely puzzled by the reason his father called him. Still, he was a good son. Therefore, he didn''t ask much.
Knock. Knock. Knock.
"Excu¡ª"
"Wee, Young Master Daniel. Lord Justin is waiting for you."
"O-okay."
Daniel was slightly surprised at the quick response of the maid. Still, he quickly followed the maid''s guide. Upon arriving to the designated room, where his father supposed to be in, the maid knocked the door three times, before leaving him behind.
He quirked an eyebrow, before shrugging in the next moment.
"Father, I''m going in."
No response. However, he had announced his intention. Therefore, he was free toe in.
Click!
The door opened, and a sickening feeling assaulted him. Still, at that point, he didn''t think anything was wrong. Thus, he stepped in.
Upon entering the room, he could hear the sound of something shing against each other. Likely a leather, or a wet cloth. It wasn''t until he heard a faint groan and moan, did he start to feel something wrong.
"Did the maid guide me into the wrong room?"
"No, Daniel, it''s the right room."
Startled, he turned his body toward the direction of the sound. He was met with the grinning and naked Nichs. However, his eyes weren''t nted on Nichs. His eyes were nted on the scene behind Nichs.
Due to the Barrier Nichs had casted, Daniel couldn''t notice it, before Nichs temporarily deactivated it to greet him. Upon noticing the scene, he gasped in surprise.
The woman, who he knew his father had an affair with, was ganged upon by seven men. What was worse, his father was one of the men. Bound or not, his father joined it.
Nichsid his hand on Daniel''s shoulder, and asked lightheartedly, "Will you join us?" Daniel raised his head, and looked at Nichs. He responded without missing a beat, "Count me in."
Nichs'' grin couldn''t grow any wider.
Chapter 88 Son Of A Betrayer (3)
"Kuhum. May I ask who this figure is?" Jacinda, who had quickly regained herposure, asked Basil. Surely, Basil''s answer was simple. "I don''t think you expect me to know him." Upon hearing it, Jacinda sighed softly.
"I am sorry for asking." She shook her head faintly, then stared at Basil. Likewise, Basil stared at her back. After some time, Jacinda finally opened her mouth. "About the reward, what would you like to ask?"
"Since it hase to this, I will not hold back." Jacinda wasn''t bothered as she merely nodded her head. "I would like to visit the Kingdom''s library." Jacinda quirked her eyebrow. "Do you mean Arthan Library?" Basil answered simply, "Yes."
Jacinda was unsure. Although Arthan Library wasn''t essible just to anyone, it wasn''t a big deal to give Basil a permission to enter it. However, aside from Braxtein Kingdom''s history, there was nothing could be enjoyed there.
She was baffled by Basil''s choice. Why would a youngster like him delve himself into the boring history of Braxtein Kingdom?
The answer was simple. There was a legacy left behind by a fairly well-known Mage from Braxtein Kingdom in Arthan Library. Basil was nning to discover this legacy. Surely, he didn''t want to exin himself. It would be stupid of him to do so.
"Are you really sure?"
"Yes."
"You sure you wouldn''t regret itter?"
"Yes."
"Very well."
Since Basil was adamant, Jacinda agreed to it. She didn''t bother to convince Basil otherwise.
"Here is the visiting card. It is avable permanently. Therefore, you can visit the library whenever you want."
Jacinda gave a rectangr card that had Rune carved onto it to Basil. He took it in his hand, and fiddled with it for a while, before storing it in his Spatial Bracelet.
"I am sorry to say this. However, your merit on eradicating a ck Mage will remain unknown. It is to protect your peace from ''certain'' individuals."
"Do you mean the faction?"
"I suppose you are well informed. As to your question, yes, it is the faction."
"I do not mind. I have never thought of it as a merit since the beginning."
Jacinda nodded softly to herself. She talked about some trivial things, before excusing herself. As the Headmaster of Randalvine Magic Institute, she had many things to do.
When Jacinda finally left the room, the other people, who had hold back themselves, bombarded Basil with questions. It ranged from how he could train in both Principals to his favorite things to do. Thetter belonged to Iliana.
Basil answered all of them as necessary as possible. Once it got into a dangerous zone, he would distract them away from the question.
When the people were satisfied, Basil was finally free to go. Surely, not without an escort. Iliana volunteered ¡ª read insisted ¡ª to be his escort, while ke returned to organize his other students.
"There would be a banquet tonight, Basil. Will you join us?" Iliana asked, while escorting Basil. "Am I obligated toe?" Basil responded calmly. "No, but I would like to see you there."
Basil hummed to himself. He didn''t know Iliana had this side on her. Although she wasn''t overly friendly, seeing her this way was surprising. She didn''t act this way in the past when he had met her for the first time.
"Why are you silent? Is that your way to refuse my invitation?"
"No. I was just thinking. I will attend it."
Iliana stopped her footstep, and stood before Basil. She stood on her toes, and stared at his eyes. Then, she hummed to herself, while observing the specimen called Basil.
"Hmm... No wonder you are familiar. You are the cocky boy who paid no attention to my announcement, before the registration, this morning." Basil quirked his eyebrow, and remarked, "Took you long enough to realize."
"Well, it''s a one time thing. I met many people today." She shrugged. Humming to herself once again, she stared at Basil more intently than before. "Basil is too long. Can I call you Sil, instead?" Upon hearing it, Basil''s eyshes trembled faintly.
Although she behaved differently. She still had the penchant to shorten people''s names. Nostalgia washed over him. Still, he wasn''t the type to easily get carried away. Therefore, he could instantly respond.
p "You may call me whatever you arefortable with."
"I understand!"
She returned to stand on her feet normally, and resumed walking. Likewise, Basil did too. They were heading to the ce where the tournament winners were congratted by themittee, or their future senior. It was a tradition.
Sadly, Basil couldn''t meet his family, before going there.
Whoosh!
A gush of wind blew over their way, and caressed their faces tenderly. The wind wasn''t alone, it carried fragrant smell upon its wake. Basil turned his head, and found where the fragrant smell came from.
There was a flower garden that was filled with countless of varieties of flowers. Basil stopped his footstep, and gazed at them. Among the countless flowers decorating the garden, one particr flower attracted his attention.
His feet unconsciously moved toward the flower''s direction. When he arrived in front of the flower, he plucked three stacks of it, then brought them to Iliana. He didn''t get carried away. He merely let his body do what it wanted.
"For you."
"O-oh. Thank you..."
Iliana was taken aback by Basil''s sudden act. However, she was quick to act. She took the flower Basil gave to her, before looking at Basil curiously. She couldn''t help herself from asking.
"Why this flower, though?"
"It reminds me of your hair. If you are a flower, this flower must be you. It suits you very well."
Iliana was left bewildered by Basil. She was curious whether it was Basil''s attempt to flirt with her. If so, it was an unusual one. However, the former didn''t have any intention to make himself clear. He merely walked away, leaving Iliana behind.
"Huuh... A strange one, huh?" She sighed to herself. "Still, how did you know this is my favorite flower... Sil?" Iliana looked down at her hand. Three stalks of Purple Hyacinths were on her grasp.
...
Shirley and Irene were already on their way to Woster County. They had just passed a Teleportation Gate a few minutes ago, and it left them a day to reach Woster County. Despite the distance, in truth, anyone from various Counties could reach the Capital in a fairly short time.
It was all due to the Teleportation Gate. The reason why Basil and his family took nearly five days to reach Randalvine had been because they didn''t pass any Teleportation Gate. They had wanted to enjoy the trip.
Surely, when ites to emergency, people will be in a rush. The same also applied to Shirley. She didn''t want to dillydally, since she was curious to what the emergency situation Nichs was referring to.
"Shirley, is there a need to hurry?"
"I am a little bit worried about what Father said, Irene. I want to see the situation with my eyes as soon as possible."
Irene sighed to herself. She couldn''t bring herself to tell Shirley of her bad premonition. She had apanied Shirley to ensure nothing unwanted to happen to her. Still, Irene couldn''t rx. She had felt the same thing on that night, where her lord, Halton Rothermere, had gone missing.
Gripping Shirley''s hand, Irene muttered softly, "Don''t worry, sweetheart. Everything will be alright." She didn''t even know whether it was an attempt to calm Shirley or herself. Oblivious to Irene''s anxiousness, Shirley replied, "Hm. I know, Irene."
Thus, their trip to Woster County continued.
...
In a luxury clothing store, two attractive youngster were having their time to choose for the suits they wanted to buy. All eyes were on them, watching the unfolding scene in mild interest, and of course, while also enjoying both of the eye candies.
"Hmm... Hmm... Hmm... I like this better on you. How about wearing it?"
"At this point, I am convinced you like me better without no clothes."
"Exactly! However, Darling, you can not go to the banquet naked, don''t you think?"
"Vagus..."
Surprisingly, the identity of the two youngster were Basil and Vagus. One might wonder how Vagus was there. The reason was simple.
Jade of Soul Memoir.
Right after Basil epted the Jade of Soul Memoir from James, Basil had an idea to send Vagus'' soul inside it.
As Mana also became the part of oneself upon entering one''s body, the soul, which was undoubtedly the part of oneself, should be able to enter the Jade of Soul Memoir. Unsurprisingly, Basil''s theory was correct.
Upon infusing Vagus'' soul to the Jade of Soul Memoir, she could manifest herself. The drawback was her inability to use Magic. As her soul was too powerful, that even Kusanagi couldn''t handle, she had to sacrifice her ability to use Magic to manifest herself.
Thus, upon manifestation, Vagus was no different than an ordinary girl, with an extraordinary attractiveness. Surely, giving her the right to manifest herself quickly became one of things Basil regretted doing.
"Why are you just standing there? Quick, let me put this on you!"
"How about I do it myself?"
"Why? Do you love your wife no more?"
Vagus'' eyes quickly turned ssy. The people looking at her sympathized her, but didn''t know how to react. They had witnessed how she had experimented on her husband, Basil. Surely, at this point, people already believed they were indeed married.
Basil sighed inwardly, and patted her head, to soothe her ''wounded'' heart. He resigned his fate, and his dumb decision. Still, Vagus'' had helped him since his past life. He couldn''t just throw her away... until he found a stronger weapon, at least.
"Alright, I will let you put this suit on me. Therefore, you have to keep your hands from traveling to weird ces, okay?"
"..."
"Vagus, my dear?"
"Yes..."
Even mosquito sounded louder than her. Luckily, Basil was no ordinary person. He could perfectly hear her. However, that kind of response means she was going to break her promise.
They both stepped into the fitting room. Just as Basil had expected, the lewd immoraldy, named Vagus, touched him in various ces. He could even hear her suppressed giggle. He was sure, if she had had body, there would be puddles of blood on the floor.
Looking at the mirror, Basil admired his slightly manly face. He didn''t dare to take any Hormones Booster Potion in fright of uncontroble growth. He was growing taller than his past self, and it didn''t show any sign of stopping.
He had been this tall ¡ª 192 centimeters ¡ª when he had stopped growing in his past life. Although it had been the result of his unhealthy life, he didn''t expect to grow this much. Furthermore, his ''down there'' was growing too.
Too much growth is a cmity in fortune. If he were to take the Hormones Booster Potion, his ''down there'' would grow to the point where he would bring suffering to women. He didn''t want that!
Although he mostly ignored his sexual urge, he wasn''t a eunuch. He would do the ''deed'' at some point! Being unable to do so due to his gift would be frustrating.
"Darling? Are you finally thinking of doing it?!" Vagus was enthusiastic upon glimpsing some of Basil''s thought. ''Glimpsing'' was the reason of her misunderstanding. At times like this, Basil handled it calmly.
"Curb your urge, Lady!"
¡ª or not?
...
Night came, and it was time for the banquet. The banquet was held to celebrate the conclusion of the tournament. It was usually the Nobles'' way to tempt the tournament winners, or some of themittee who hadn''t joined any faction yet, to join them. It was a well hidden political war.
Unsurprisingly, it was also the chance for the youth to associate among themselves. The Nobles attending the banquet also brought their children. Thus, it often became a prior engagement event among their children with the promising stars.
Iliana, the ultimate eye candy, became one of the highly targeted individual. However, no one dare to approach her. The aura she emitted, and the pressure she sent toward anyone who was stupid enough to approach her was suffocating.
"Tsk! He said he woulde. Where is he?"
Iliana clicked her tongue, and tapped the floor impatiently. She was waiting for the one who had promised her to attend the banquet. In other words, Basil.
"Woah, you are grumpy today. Is it ''that'' time already?"
"Shut your food hole, Woster! You will not like what I can do to you."
"Woah, woah, chill out, Miss. I''m not hitting you or something. I''m not insane."
Iliana turned her head to look at the person speaking. A young man with an attractive facial features, and blond her. One could easily see he resembled Harold a lot. In fact, they were siblings.
This young man was no other than Harold''s brother, Clovis. He was older than Iliana, and they were ssmates. He wasn''t talentless. Iliana was simply a genius.
"What are you doing here, then?"
"I am waiting for Basil too."
Iliana raised her eyebrow, "Are you swinging that way?" Clovis'' mouth twitched. Looking at Iliana with his trained courteous smile, he said, "I am sure you knew about my normal sexuality." Iliana merely shrugged, and turned her gaze to the front.
"Who knows? Maybe, you were too heartbroken when I rejected you that you went ''that'' way."
"Huuh..."
Clovis would be roasted, if he were to retort. Therefore, he chose to admit his defeat. Looking at the other tournament winners, he chuckled in amusement. While Kimberley did a good job to handle the curious crowd, Xiu Li was overwhelmed.
No, he was being harassed by those Noble women! It''s time to save his future junior. When he was about to dash at Xiu Li''s way to save thetter''s arse, the ballroom''s door opened. Everyone''s gaze shifted to the door, and no one could blink their eyes.
A tall young man with an equally handsome and beautiful face stood in front of the door. His silky, but wild, brown hair was swiped to the back, leaving a few strands covering his forehead.
He looked at the crowd with his deep gaze and captivating brown eyes.
Tap. Tap. Tap.
Dressed in a fitting ck and white suit, his manner and gaitplimented his charisma. Every eyes followed his movement. Some in amazement, and some in obsession. He stopped his footstep, and stared at the person waiting for him.
"Took you long enough toe here, Basil."
The young man, Basil, merely smirked in response. Looking at Iliana, he could see Purple Hyacinths decorated her neatly braided hair.
She looked beautiful that night.
Chapter 89 Son Of A Betrayer (4)
"You look prettier than your usual self tonight."
"Hoh? Do you even know how I usually look?"
"You look pretty."
Iliana shook her head in amusement. She would like to consider herself being flirted with, but Basil''s face was too straight to indicate he was flirting. It felt like Basil had merely stated a fact.
"Good evening, Basil! I hope you still remember me." Clovis, who returned with Xiu Li in tow, greeted. He had just sessfully saved Xiu Li from the predators. "Good evening, Brother Basil! You look great!" Xiu Li chimed in, while admiring Basil''s appearance.
Basil smiled, and said softly, "Thank you." Looking at the unfolding scene curiously, Iliana asked, "Are you two perhaps...?" Clovis sighed in helplessness. He didn''t understand Iliana''s obsession toward ''that'' kind of thing among men.
"Yes, we are." Basil''s answer made Clovis gasped in surprise. "We are acquainted." Upon hearing this, Clovis and Iliana sighed in relief. Bewildered, Clovis sent his gaze at Iliana.
''Well, aren''t you obsessed with ''that'' thing?''
''Shut your food hole, or I will tear your head off, Woster!''
Surely, Clovis could only dodge her eyes after that.
"You are here quitete, Brother. Mr. Lawson has given his speech already. What took you so long?"
"I forgot there was a banquet tonight. I was too focused on training."
"Oh..."
The surrounding people nodded their head in amusement. Judging by how nonchnt Basil had been the entire tournament, it was very like to happen.
Surely, Basil wasn''t saying the truth. His memory was too good to forget even a trivial thing, such as the banquet. He hadete, because he didn''t like to hear the boring speech. He had lived long enough. He didn''t want to hear that crap again.
At that moment, someone interrupted their circle.
"Good evening."
They turned their head over, and found Kimberley approaching them. She politely greeted everyone with a nod, except two people. They were the conversing Iliana and Basil.
"Kuhum! Good evening." Iliana nced at Kimberley from the corner of her eyes, before nodding her head as a response. "Fancy meeting you here, Basil Pacifer." Kimberley was slightly irritated Basil didn''t return her greeting.
"What a coincidence meeting you here, Bulmer."
"Hoh? The banquet is scheduled. How can you call it a coincidence?"
"Toplement your ignorance, it is called pleasantry. You have done the same thing, in case you have forgotten."
Snap!
Something broke, however it wasn''t a bark. It was Kimberley''s patience. She had thought she could somehow irritate Basil as a payback, however she was the one being irritated instead.
She merely sighed to herself to calm herself down.
"Basil, my boy! I thought you wouldn''te. Fancy meeting you here!"
ke quickly approached Basil, and gave him a brief hug. Although he had noticed Basil when he had stood in front of the room''s door, ke had chosen to let Basil associate with his peers first, before greeting him.
"Ah, I am sorry to interrupt you, youngsters. I just came here to greet Basil." keughed, and patted Basil''s shoulder. "I will resume my conversation with Lawson. You should enjoy the banquet too!" With a wink, ke left the scene.
Looking at the disappearing back of ke, Basil shook his head in amusement. Just what was he suggesting? Enjoy the night, and bed some women? Basil didn''t like doing that. He would never have a one night stand, except when he was bored.
Yes, our hero, Basil, could be bored.
"Since talking like this will be tiring, why don''t we sit ourselves at the nearby table?" Clovis suggested. "That''s a good idea." Iliana nodded her head, and took Basil''s hand, before leading them to an empty table. The other people could only look at them in surprise.
As most of the people wanted to socialize, and widen their connection, most of them ignored the table set in the room. Therefore, there were quite many empty tables.
The five people sat themselves, and waited for their sses to be filled. They didn''t have to wait for any delicacy, as it was already on the table, fully prepared.
In the midst of this, the conversation started.
"Do we have to drink alcohol?"
"No, you don''t have to. The server will provide you with two kinds of drink, non-alcoholic, and alcoholic. You can choose by yourself. However, I will suggest you to try the alcoholic one. In banquet, the liquor served always tastes heavenly."
Kimberley creased her eyebrows at Clovis'' reply. She was genuinely curious, however she didn''t want to get drunk. Being drunk is every warrior''s enemy! A warrior is not allowed to be drunk. Thus, she decided not to drink any liquor.
"What would you like to drink, sir?" A male server stood beside Basil, and presented him two bottles of beverage. "Give me something refreshing." The server nodded, and poured the liquor in Basil''s ss.
Then, he proceed to do the same thing to the other people. Surprisingly, out of the five people, only one people chose liquor. Obviously, that was Basil.
"I didn''t expect you will actually drink a liquor, Basil." Clovis was gaping his mouth. Iliana was unamused as she chided, "You shouldn''t teach something you never do, Woster." The look Iliana gave him was enough to terrorize his soul.
"I am sorry! How could I know Basil would take my word seriously?"
"..."
The deadpan look he got from the others was enough to shut him entirely. All of them had chosen to not drink liquor due to his suggestion. Any strong liquor tastes good. They knew it. Therefore, they tried to avoid it.
"Brother, you can take my sparkling wine. You don''t need to¡ª"
Xiu Li paused his words as he saw Basil inspected, judged, and sipped the liquor like an expert. The other people also looked at him in bafflement and surprise.
"Are you an alcoholic?" Iliana blurted out in curiosity. "I am surely not. However, I know how to appreciate a good liquor." Basil took another sip, before putting his ss down.
Shrugging helplessly, the other four decided to do the same, before picking their fork, and knife. They started to feast the delicacies.
sh!
"The meat is well cooked. It is really tender."
"I agree. Needless to say, it is even better than the one my family''s cook made."
"What are you? A gourmet?"
"Hahaha! It''s called appreciation, Iliana. You need to loose yourself a little."
"Shut your food hole, Woster!"
"I was merely giving a suggestion, though..."
Clovis sighed helplessly, before throwing his gaze to Basil, who was sipping his liquor calmly. His eyes lit up, before he called out to Basil.
"Basil. I forgot to say this to you..." Clovis bowed his head briefly, before raising it again to look at Basil''s eyes deeply, "Thank you for teaching my little brother a lesson." Basil quirked an eyebrow, and replied simply, "Hm."
Harold Woster had been a spoiled child in Basil''sst life. However, he hadn''t been naturally bad. His family had loved him so much they couldn''t bear to reprimand him.
In the end, Clovis, who was the oldest son of Ansley, had personally ended his younger brother''s life.
Harold had done something unforgivable that Clovis, as his elder brother, had taken the responsibility of punishing him. Not long after ending Harold''s life, Clovis hadmitted a suicide due to his sorrow over the death of his younger brother.
The story of the siblings had been as romantic as it was tragic. Luckily, the future changed due to Basil''s interference.
''Guide, how much time left before the Obelisk of Goap''s outbreak?''
[Ding!]
[Answering the Host''s ignorance...]
[Rough calction of the time left untill the Obelisk of Goap''s outbreak: 2 months, 7 days, 3 hours, and 13 seconds.]
Basil hummed to himself. He didn''t expect winning the tournament impacted the outbreak time that much. Looking at Clovis, he could instantly deduce Harold''s change of fate was one of the reasons.
"Are you okay? You look anxious." Iliana suddenly asked. Turning his head on her, Basil asked her back, "Do I look like that?" Iliana shook her head softly, "No. I just feel that you are anxious." Basil chuckled softly.
"Are you a Mentalist?"
"No, you are just easy to read."
Basil shook his head in amusement. It had also been like that in the past. No matter how good his control over his facial expressions was, Iliana could guess what he was feeling.
Basil attributed this to Iliana''s abnormally keen Mana Sense.
Basil could hide his thoughts, and control his facial expressions. However, he couldn''t stop his Mana from conveying his feeling. Mana had be a part of him. Therefore, the Mana he was exuding naturally conveyed what he felt.
Surely, he didn''t have to tightly seal his Mana to protect his privacy, since not just anyone could understand one''s feelings by sensing Mana. Iliana was special.
The banquet unfolded with Basil and the other four conversing while having a meal. Like usual, Basil rarely chimed in as he didn''t find any Magic Institute rted topic was interesting.
The other attendees, who were eager to speak with the winners, couldn''t hold themselves from rushing toward Basil and the others'' table, after they had finished their meal.
It was also at that moment that Basil''s Transmission Talisman received a message. When the other curious attendees approached him, he didn''t even register it. His attention was focused on his Transmission Talisman.
[The fool loses himself.]
It was a short message from Kuzo, the Assassin he had hired. Standing up abruptly, he surprised the people surrounding him.
"What happened, Sil?" Iliana asked in surprise. "I need to excuse myself." Basil''s response was quick and short.
He quickly turned his body toward the door. Iliana was about to stop him, when suddenly a suffocating pressure descended upon the room.
Boom!
Everyone''s eyes widened, before throwing their gaze at Basil''s direction. However, Basil didn''t care about their gaze at all. His mind was on the message. He knew what Kuzo was telling him. Therefore, he needed to hurry.
"Irene, Shirley, please be safe. I don''t want to bury another body this soon."
...
Irene and Shirley, who had just arrived at the manor, weren''t aware of the atrocity happening inside. Surely, they also didn''t know how fast Basil was moving to catch up to them.
They had just arrived after 12 hours of travel. Surprisingly, it didn''t take them a day to reach Woster County. With the help of the Teleportation Gate, and the fast Hexapod Horses powered carriage, they could arrive there faster than they had expected.
"Huuh... We have finally arrived!"
"Shirley, you shouldn''t be too loud. It''s five in the morning."
"Oops... sorry."
Shirley covered her mouth, and smiled yfully. Irene shook her head helplessly, before knocking on the door.
"Why did you do that? I can do that myself!"
"Habits die hard, my dear."
This time, Shirley shook her head. Waiting for the door to open, it didn''t take a long time for the waited moment toe.
"Wee home, Young Mistress." The maid, who opened the door, bowed at Shirley. When she noticed Irene was also there, she gasped, before eximing, "Lady Irene?!" In response, Irene chuckled softly, "Yes, I am Irene."
The maid was so shocked she didn''t realize Shirley was looking at her. "Kuhum. May you let us in?" That sessfully woke her up. She quickly bowed once again, and let the two in.
"Young Mistress, the lord asked me to tell you to meet him right after you arrived."
"Right away?"
"Yes."
"Do you know what is the urgency that Father told me?"
"That is... I am sorry, Young Mistress." The maid bowed, before continuing, "I was told to let you discuss it with the lord himself."
Irene''s uneasiness was instantly amplified. Therefore, when Shirley was going to meet Nichs alone, she quickly stopped her.
"Irene?" Shirley looked curiously at Irene. "I will apany you." She replied.
Nodding her head, Shirley went to Nichs'' office, the room he often spent his time in, with Irene in tow.
Knock. Knock. Knock.
"Father, I aming in!"
Click.
The door opened, and Shirley stepped in, followed by Irene. Quickly enough, a strange smell assaulted her nose. She pinched her nose in disgust, and eximed indignantly.
"What is this bloody pungent smell?! It''s disgusting!"
She was about to turn her head at Irene, when suddenly she was pulled behind thetter. Bewildered, she threw her gaze at Irene. However, Irene''s attention wasn''t on her.
"Hoh? Why are you distancing my own daughter away from me?"
"Stay away, you lunatic!"
Irene hissed defensively. Nichs, who had dressed himself loosely,ughed in amusement. He threw his gaze at the confused Shirley, and his eyes lit up in glee.
"It''s nice to finally see you, my daughter."
"Father...? What happened?"
"Ku-ku-ku... Do you really want to know?"
Irene could somehow guess what was happening. Therefore, she was desperately hiding the taller Shirley behind her back, and shouted in rage.
"Stop it, Nichs!"
"Ku-ku-ku. What are you saying, Irene? I am just going to show my daughter the truth." Nichs snapped his hand, and Irene eximed, "Shirley, close your eyes!"
Sadly, Shirley didn''t manage to do that. Therefore, she could see the scene where her mother mingling herself with eight men at a time. No matter how much she had grown, surely, her young mind couldn''t handle the shock.
Chapter 90 Son Of A Betrayer (End)
"M-mother... W-what is this? What is happening?!" Shirley was frantic. She couldn''t understand the scene she was witnessing. "Father, why are you just standing there? Help her!" She was so frantic she didn''t register Nichs was snickering at her.
"Shirley, close your eyes!" Irene, who had enough of it, pulled Shirley to her chest, sessfully covering thetter''s vision. "Nichs, you sick bastard! What have you done to your own wife?!" In response, Nichs cackled madly.
"I am just doing her a favor of making her what she really is."
"What are you¡ª"
"She is a harlot, Irene. She betrayed our marriage for pleasure."
Irene shut her mouth. She had suspected Catherine must have been up to something each time she had mentioned "Gatherings". However, she had never expected her suspicion would be proven true. Catherine didn''t look like the type of someone who would do things like that.
That proved just how good Catherine yed her game.
Nichs inched closer, and Irene stepped backward. The former frowned, and stared at Irene.
"Why are you distancing yourself away from me? Along with my daughter no less?"
"You are not sane, Nichs. Who knows what you might do to your own daughter?"
"Huh, I am amazed by your words. Now that I realized it, you just called me by my name."
"Are you expecting me to call you like how I used to call you? You are not my master anymore. You have lost the privilege!"
Nichs red at Irene coldly. He didn''t like someone like Irene meddling in his n. Clicking his tongue in annoyance, he eximed at Irene.
"This is our family matter. Stay out of it, and you will be harmless."
"Hah! Even more reason to not do so!"
"You darn old hag!"
Nichs lost his patience. He strode to Irene''s way, and tried to grab her. "Tried" being the keyword. That means, he didn''t manage to do that. Therefore, he was surprised.
"Huh? You are pretty agile for your age." Nichs quirked his eyebrow, while looking at Irene. Irene, while carrying Shirley in her hands, had distanced herself away from Nichs.
"How did you get there? One second you are in front of me, and the next second you are in front of the door." Nichs asked in puzzlement. "Well, you will never know what elders hide, unless you ask them." Nichs hummed at Irene''s answer.
Nichs looked at Shirley who was quivering in Irene''s hug. Caressing his moustache, he decided to do what he had intended since the beginning. The moaning in the background was urging him to do it faster.
"You know what, Shirley? For all this time, I have treated you to my very best as my daughter. I have just recently found your Mother betrayed me, ever since Basil was entrusted to me. So, that'' means, you are not really my daughter, after all."
Shirley raised her head from Irene''s chest, and tried to look at Nichs. However, Irene stopped her. Irene was very sure she wouldn''t be able to handle the scene happening in the background.
"What do you mean, Father? Mother would never do that!"
"Yes, darling, I know. It is unbelievable, right? I reacted like that too, until I saw the evidence. I still have it with me, in case you are curious. However, it doesn''t matter anymore, does it?"
"What do yo¡ª Kyaa!"
Shirley was cut in her speech as Irene moved away from the iing Nichs. This time, Nichsing at them fully intending to inflict them harm. Irene could see it inly in his eyes full of madness.
"So, that''s the case, huh? You are a Knight, Irene?!"
Nichs shouted in amusement, while Irene kept moving. She utilized her Movement Technique that she hadn''t used for quite a long time. Nichs, being a Mage, also utilized his Step Art.
"[Fire Bullet]!"
Boom! Boom! Boom!
Nichs shot countless of fire bullets at Irene. He didn''t care he would burn the room. The room had been built different. It could withstand a weak spell like that. Still, he couldn''t get Irene. Therefore, Nichs clicked his tongue in annoyance.
In the other hand, Irene was sweating. Her old body was starting to not be able to keep up. No matter how much she had trained her body in the past, it was all in the past. She wasn''t as fit as she used to.
"Tsk! Hang on tight, sweetheart!" Irene warned Shirley who was carried in her arms, before uttering something that would shock Nichs, "Killing Technique: [Sparkle]!" Her soles lit up, before a st of Qi was directed at Nichs.
Boom!
"Gah! This ursed hag! What have you done?!"
Nichs was momentarily blinded by the light. Luckily, he had managed to pull himself, before the st had happened. Thus, resulting only in momentary blindness. When he regained his vision once again, Irene was already close to the door.
She was eager to get out of the room. However, Nichs merely smirked.
Bam!
"Huh?!"
Irene, who had kicked the door with every power she had, was surprised. The door that should be fragile, didn''t break under her immense force. Her spine turned cold. She knew who was the culprit.
"Hahaha! Did you think I wouldn''t make any precaution? I know this thing would happen when I formted my n!"
"Nichs! What are you nning to do?!"
"Well... who knows?" Nichs smirked, and clenched his fist. Mana gathered around him, and it was umting in his clenched fist. Then, he uttered his Spell, "[Burning Gauntlet]!" His fist was instantly coated in fire.
Smirking coldly at Irene, he dashed at her.
Whoosh!
While carrying Shirley, Irene utilized her Movement Technique to her very best. She could only run. She couldn''t fight Nichs. She was outssed badly.
Gritting her teeth, she ignored the pain her body was enduring. She needed to get Shirley out of here.
Sadly, fate wasn''t in her favor. Nichs caught up to her, and reappeared before her. Her eyes widened, and Nichs smirked.
"Surprise, old hag!" Nichs swung his fire coated fist at Irene.
Bam!
"Gahak!"
Irene was thrown backward like a bullet. Blood spurted out of her mouth due to the internal injury she suffered. It hurt badly. However, she kept hugging Shirley tightly to protect her from the collision.
When her bodynded on the ground, she couldn''t twitch even a muscle. The fatigue, and the pain she was enduring was unbearable. Shirley sat herself up, and looked down at the lying Irene.
"Irene! No, no, no, no! Irene, please wake up!"
Irene''s abdomen was scorched badly. The skin was peeled, and it was bleeding profusely. She constantly coughed from time to time, and it was easy to deduce her stomach was ruptured.
"You endured well. I didn''t even know you were Knight."
Shirley jumped in fright, before pulling Irene''s body close to her. Nichs merelyughed at the scene in amusement. At that moment, Irene held Shirley''s hand, and muttered softly.
"You have to run, sweetheart. This man is not your father anymore."
"No! I won''t leave without you!"
Shirley was crying profusely, and Irene could only smile bitterly. Things wouldn''t end beautifully, and she was sure about it. Thus, she cried at her helplessness.
"Who trained you, Irene?" Nichs asked, without any care to Irene''s bitter thought. Surprisingly, thetter answered him, "It was my Master. My one and only true Master." Instantly, Nichs'' eyes darkened.
"So, it was the ursed Halton, huh?"
His mind travelled back to the past.
***
[Nichs'' Recount]
I was shocked when I received the baby in my hand. Looking at the tall man in front of me, I asked with trembling voice.
"Lord Rothermere, what is this?"
"Nichs... Among all of my subordinates, you are the longest by my side. Therefore, I trust you the most. I will entrust my precious treasure to you. I hope you can keep him well."
The shocked me couldn''t mutter anything, except, "Who is the baby?" Halton answered without missing a beat, "My son. My most precious treasure." His eyes were warm, and tenderness could be felt from the aura he was exuding.
My eyes teared up. There was only one reason he entrusted his son to me. There must be something going to happen to him.
Rustle.
The bushes around us trembled, before six white hooded figures emerged. My body tensed. The aura those people were exuding was suffocating. However, like always, my lord, Halton Rothermere, was unfazed. He faced the people gantly.
"Nichs!" He called me. "Yes?" I answered. "Keep my son safe." He smirked before charging at the six figures.
I stood there dumbly, not knowing what to do, before I was awaken by the scene that would be forever etched to my brain. It was the scene where one of the figures'' hand pierced Halton''s heart. It happened when he was facing my way.
It happened because he protected me.
"Kuhuk!" He coughed blood, and it was sshed on my face, and clothes alike. "Damn, bastard...! What are you doing here? Go!" Even with the pain he must be enduring, he could still muster the power to smirk.
I ran to the very best I could, leaving my lord, who had changed my fate for the better, behind. It was raining that night. The blood on my face was washed away. However, the bloodstain still remained on my clothes.
I wished the rain could wash away the memory too. However, it couldn''t. I didn''t know whether I was crying or it was the rain. However, I was very sure everything was blurry. Looking down at the bundle in my hands, the treasure my lord had entrusted me, I didn''t know what to do.
I hugged the baby closely. I was determined to keep the baby with me. That was, surely, until another shocking thing was revealed.
"Halton Rothermere has betrayed humanity. He joined his hands with the people from ''Beyond''."
"W-what do you mean, Great Pontiff?"
? "I mean it as what you have heard."
I was shaken. People from ''Beyond'' is our way to call the people living in the area whose Obelisk isn''t conquered yet. It is said those people pledged their loyalty to the Obelisk Master for them to be able to stay there.
The kind, righteous, and amiable Halton Rothermere, my lord, joined hands with them? I was simply shaken. I couldn''t believe what I heard, until the evidence was shown to me. That day, I discovered myself had been betrayed for the entire time. Since that day, I spite betrayal the most.
I didn''t know how I should act from then on. Things escted quickly. The Viscount title was handed to me, and anything rted to Rothermere was exterminated. It was gone like it had never existed before.
People also quickly forgot of Halton. However, I couldn''t just forget him. I have the thing that reminds me of him everytime. In other words, his son. My indignation toward Halton''s betrayal was constantly provoked everytime I saw the baby.
I had even thought to kill the baby. However, I was reminded by my ownmon sense. He was just a baby. Babies are born bereft of any sin. They are born without any mistake. I couldn''t vent my anger on him.
But still, my rage didn''t quell that easily. Thus, I distanced myself away from him. I was afraid the betrayal he reminded me of would make me eventually kill him.
[End of Recount]
I am awaken from my thought, and by the time I realized it, I am already ripping my daughter''s clothes off. I know she''s my daughter. She is born between me and my betrayer of a wife. But, I am already losing it.
I can''t bear it any longer. The betrayal that is constantly happening to me makes me this way. I have been lied to in my whole life! Everyone is messing with me. Now, it is my time to mess with them!
As I am close to tear the undergarments of my screaming daughter, the barrier I set on the room is broken.
Bam!
The door opened, and someone steps inside. The sheer aura he is exuding reminds me of that day. The person enters the room, and I can finally see him fully. He wears a luxurious white suit, and it is ruffled due to whatever reason it is.
He looks my way, and I can finally see his face. He is someone I know. With as eyes as cold as the coldest abyss, he stares at me with a concentrated bloodlust.
"Well, well, well. The son of a betrayer hase!"
Chapter 91 Wounds May Heal, But The Scars Remain
***
Basil gazed at the unfolding scene with his cold deep eyes. He had run for eight hours non-stop to get here. His muscle was strained. However, the unfolding scene he was witnessingpletely diminished the pain he felt from his muscle.
Irene was sprawled on the ground with scorched abdomen, while coughing blood from time to time. Her eyebrows were frowned due to the immeasurable pain. A few meters away from Irene, Shirley was sprawled on the table which Nichs used to support executing his sickening deed.
Basil had seen the sickening debauchery happening in the background the moment he had entered the room. He didn''t care about that. What he cared about was the things happening to the two people he cared.
sh!
His Spatial Bracelet lit up, before Kusanagi appeared in his hand. Nichs, and the six hooded figures, who had stopped doing their ''activity'' ever since Basil''s entrance, tensed.
"The air is disgusting."
He swung Kusanagi.
Whoosh!
The people were instantly alerted, and they dodged frantically.
sh! sh! sh!
Countless of shing marks decorated the wall, and floor alike. No one was injured. However, none of them dare to y around any longer. Their attention was focused on Basil.
"Y-you are... Basil!"
Basil leered at Daniel, who was still shaking his hip enthusiastically before Catherine''s crotch, disinterestedly. He didn''t bother with the fact the little bastard was there. He merely ignored him.
"Just do what you do, lowlife." Basil said, before approaching Irene. "Are you still breathing?" He calmly asked with a smile. Irene mustered her power, and answered, "Yes, I do, Young Master."
Taking out a pill of Crystal Clear, he crushed it to powder, before feeding it to the haggardly breathing Irene. "I hope you can hold on for five minutes. I will take you out by then. I promise."
Irene could only smile tiredly, before closing her eyes. She was relieved her Young Master hade. Everything would surely be alright.
Basil looked at the sleeping Irene briefly, before moving his feet to the traumatized Shirley.
"Brother... Am I hallucinating?" She sobbed, she couldn''t handle it anymore. The thing happening to her was too shocking. "Brother, help me. Father is not being himself!" She was crying profusely.
Basil didn''t say a word. He merely took her in his hand, surprising her in the process, and hugged her tightly.
"B-B-Brother? Y-you are real? You are real!" She hugged Basil tightly in delight and disbelief. She didn''t want to let him go. She was afraid Basil would be gone, if she were to do so. "Shush... Everything is going to be alright. Be a good girl, and wipe your tears."
Shirley was choked by her own tears. She couldn''t muster anything to stay. She merely hugged Basil, while crying her heart out. Basil was the perfect person for her mind to lean on, after the stressful thing she had just experienced.
Basil moved his feet back at Irene, while carrying Shirley in his embrace. No one dare to stand in his way. The pressure he inflicted upon them was enough to shy their courage away.
"Wait here until I settle everything." Basil put Shirley down, and she reluctantly let him go. "Here is my Transmission Talisman. I need you to notify the Alchemy Store''s staff toe here with medicine. Can you do that?"
Basil looked at the puffy red eyed Shirley seriously. Thetter nodded, and Basil smiled. "Good. Now, watch Irene for me, and don''t look at what I am about to do." Again, Shirley merely nodded her head.
Turning his back on her, Basil faced the people. Instantly, a full st of bloodlust that had been trained for years, assaulted them.
!!!
They recoiled in shock and terror. None of them had expected such a terrifying killing intent coulde from someone as young as Basil. Surely, the couldn''t know who Basil truly was.
He had looked down on the most powerful Obelisk Masters, he had in dragons which many people thought had extinct, and foremost, he had been the strongest Mage alive in his past life.
How could theypare themselves to him?
Woong.
Kusanagi sang when Basil lightly swung it in the air. Looking at the anxious people in front of him disinterestedly, he dered the start of the massacre.
"Pray, if you believe in God."
Then, he dashed forward.
[Slip]!
sh!
His body shot forward like a trail of light. Nichs moved out of the way, and let the one behind him took the assault.
nk!
Sword met dagger. One of the Assassins Nichs had hired managed to fend Basil''s attack. However, it was apparent he couldn''t hold much longer. His hands were already trembling from the immense force.
"Assasination Technique: [Decap¡ª"
Break!
The Assassin was shocked to the core. His dagger was cut in two by Basil. He couldn''t even utilize his Technique properly. He could see it. He could see Kusanagi approaching his head. He could see it slowly due to his impending doom.
sh!
Just like the Assassin had expected. His head was cut horizontally in two. Blood sshed, however none of it stained Basil''s white suit. Flicking Kusanagi to the side, the blood on it was removed to the floor.
"A mere pup, who couldn''t even utilize his Technique properly, dare to stand against me? Laughable!"
It was said casually. Even the amusement in his tone was faint. However, in the other people''s ears, it sounded like a death sentence. They tensed their body, and decided to attack Basil all at once.
"Assassination Technique: [Decapitation]!"
The remaining five Assassins charged at Basil, and utilized the same Technique from five different angles. Basil held Kusanagi in vice grip, and struck the floor with it.
Nothing happened for a moment. However, it changed when the Assassins'' des were close to hit his neck.
Wind gathered around him instantly out of nowhere, changing the trajectory of the des, before attacking the assants.
sh!
"Gah!"
"Kuuhh!"
"Ahh!"
Three people were cut deeply, and couldn''t bear the pain. Luckily, they still managed to pull back. Therefore, none of them died. Still, they were bewildered. They were an Aura user, a Yellow Core Knight! How could a simple attack from a Mage pierced their skin?!
"You don''t have to look at me like that," Basil remarked. Picking up Kusanagi, he said toward the Assassins, "I am a Knight too." Kusanagi shone in bright yellow light, and weapons floated around Basil. He had activated his Aura.
The Assassins were quickly awaken from their bewilderment, and they too activated their Aura. 1 of them had [Spiritual Armor], 2 had [Agile Feet], 1 had [Trembling de], while thest person had [Shadow Resident].
Aside from the first person, all of them had the Aura Ability fitting for an Assassin. Basil harrumphed coldly, before sending every weapons floating behind him at them.
Woong! Woong! Woong!
The des Basil threw at them resonated each time it parted the air. The Assassins surrounding him readied their weapons and fended every des sent at them.
nk! nk! nk!
Their hands trembled. They hadn''t expected the des contained such a power! Gritting their teeth, two Assassins who had [Agile Feet] dashed toward Basil in a sh. Just like the name of their Aura Ability, their feet were fast.
nk!
Sadly, that was it. They were merely fast. Their power wasn''t so much. Basil who had fended their attacks at once, exploded the Qi he had infused Kusanagi at them.
Boom!
They were thrown away, and Basil didn''t have any intention to let them go.
[Slip]!
[Feather Step]!
A Movement Technique and a Step Art were utilized at once, and Basil reappeared in front of the two people, who he had sent to the same direction.
[Decapitation]!
A Technique that was very familiar to the Assassins was activated. Kusanagi moved in a sh, and both of the people''s head was decapitated cleanly. Still, Basil didn''t have any intention to celebrate that.
He utilized his Movement Technique once again, and dashed at one of the three remaining Assassins.
nk!
The de belonging to the Assassin who fended his attack was vibrating. It wasn''t because the attack it fended, but the Aura Ability of its wielder.
[Trembling de] was an Aura Ability that relied on outrageously fast vibration of the user''s de to destroy everything.
It was normally a cheat-like Aura Ability, and highly sought amongst Knight. Sadly, at this moment, it was rendered useless due to Kusanagi''s absolutely higher quality metal.
The Assassin was so bewildered he didn''t know how to react. Thus, his head flew to the air.
Whoosh!
Basil sent one of the floating swords, that kept the other Assassins busy, behind him. It stuck on the floor, right at his shadow. Surprisingly, his shadow trembled, before a part of it separated itself, and a man emerged from it.
"[Shadow Resident], huh? Too bad you are untrained."
Basil sneered coldly, before pointing his finger upward.
"[Eyes Of Truth]!"
A Spell was muttered softly, and a ball of light with the size of an eyeball emerged out of Basil''s tip of finger. It went to the ceiling, settling there, before shining intensely. Right before the blinding light exploded, the Assassin with [Shadow Resident] gasped in shock.
"A Light Spell! Impossible!"
The room was engulfed in white light, and no one aside from Basil could see the thing happening.
Snap!
Basil snapped his finger, and all of the floating swords his [Master Of Weapons] was controlling were sent at the two Assassins.
Stab! Stab! Stab!
A muffled groan was heard, and it belonged to the two Assassins. When the light died down, Basil could see the two Assassins were pierced by the swords he had sent.
Thud!
One of the Assassins, the one with [Shadow Resident] fell to the ground lifelessly. Three swords pierced his chest, and one of them sessfully pierced through his heart.
Thest Assassin, despite having seven swords piercing his body, was still alive. His [Spiritual Armor] did a great job to protect him. His hood was down, and his face was revealed. Basil didn''t know who he was, however he was quite young.
The Assassin red at Basil spitefully, and Basil took that nonchntly. Moving his feet toward thest Assassin, he eliminated the distance between them.
Basil stared at the Assassin''s eyes deeply, and said casually, "Say hello to your friends." Kusanagi lit up, and the Assassin was shredded to pieces.
Nichs looked at the dumbfounding scene dumbly. The intense fight between the seven people had been too intense he didn''t dare to interrupt. Receiving Basil''s gaze, he gulped in horror.
"What a monster."
Indeed, Basil was a monster. He had run even faster than a Hexapod Horse, for eight hours non-stop, but he still managed to disy such prowess. His stamina, and reserve were simply absurd.
"How do you choose your end, Nichs?"
"Hahaha! How about not ending it?"
Basil stared at Nichs with unamused eyes. He perfectly disregarded Daniel who was cooping himself in the corner in fright, leaving Catherine, who was covered in cum, sprawled on the ground.
Ding!
Basil tapped on Kusanagi, and wind covered it instantly.
Screech!
The sound of wind des shing against each other was very unpleasant to the ears. However, none of the two people cared. Nichs smirked, before chanting a Spell.
"Annihtion Art: [Fire Incarnation]!"
A Spell was uttered, and his body was entirely covered in fire. To use it, a certain mastery over Fire Element was required. Surely, Nichs, who was considered as a veteran, had the required mastery, despite how little the amount of Magic Circles he had.
"Now, let''s up the game!"
A distorted voice was heard out of Nichs. Even though his face was covered in fire, Basil could still see his smirk.
Snap!
Nichs snapped his finger, and the barrier he had set to separate half of the room was activated once again. This time, Shirley, who was sneakily watching them from behind, lost the sight of them.
"Out of the things you have done, you only did one thing right." Basil pointed Kusanagi at Nichs, before continuing, "You did me a favor by hiding your death scene." Then, Basil charged forward.
Chapter 92 Wounds May Heal, But The Scars Remain (2)
Whoosh!
A strong gust of wind was sent at Nichs, and the fire covering his body was nearly blown away. He clicked his tongue, before sending a fireball at Basil. Being the agile Mage he was, Basil dodged the fireball easily.
Boom!
The fireball hit the Magic Barrier behind him, and it actually trembled under the force. Still, Basil was unperturbed. He arced Kusanagi, and a wind de flew at Nichs.
Watching the iing de coldly, Nichs shot a concentrated fireball at Basil. "Hmph! Don''t you know air is m¡ª!" Nichs was forced to dodge the iing wind de.
sh!
The ce where he had been standing developed a deep trench due to Basil''s attack.
He looked at Basil in bewilderment.
"Why the hell my fireball is cut through?!"
"Idiot. Air is mmable for sure. However, a high pressure one is a different story."
Basil snorted coldly, before dashing at him. Gritting his teeth, the three Magic Circles behind him shone intensely. He overwhelmed them with Fire Mana, causing their color to turn red.
"Let''s up the game for onest time!"
He dashed at Basil.
With high pressured wind des spinning around Kusanagi, Basil greeted Nichs head on.
Boom!
Two power shed against each other, causing an amazing explosion that destroyed the specially made floor.
While Nichs recoiled in shock due to the immense power he felt from Basil, thetter was observing the former calmly. Nichs was using [Overheat]. It was a technique that risked one''s Magic Circles for immense power.
There was no special incantation needed to utilize it. One had only needed to overwhelm one''s Magic Circles with Mana, and the rest would be history.
More often than not, people lost their Magic Circles due to it, or worse, they died. Still, in time of peril, it was quite useful.
Although Nichs was in peril, he didn''t really need to utilize it. However, he was already losing himself. Therefore, he didn''t care about the consequence.
"[Fire Whip]!"
Two long whip of fire emerged out of his grasp, and he sent them at Basil.
Basil, who was on the receiving end, dodged them calmly, and sent his own long range attack. That was, of course, his weapons that he controlled with his [Master of Weapons].
Woong! Woong! Woong!
Nichs widened his burning eyes in surprise, and dodged the weapons frantically. ring at Basil right after, he decided to do a frontal attack.
Boom!
He sted the floor to propel himself forward. Like a bullet coated in fire, he reappeared instantly in front of Basil. He swung his fist at Basil, but Basil dodged it sessfully.
Boom!
His fist was explosive. Even his burning body could scorch anyone''s skin in his proximity. However, his opponent was Basil. He had years of experience, and countless way to defeat Nichs.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
Each time Nichs swung his explosive punch, Basil would p it with the blunt side of Kusanagi. Surely, being blunt didn''t mean it wasn''t sharp. Nichs would curse each time his skin was ripped apart by the wind des coating Kusanagi.
Basil, surely, didn''t stop there. He was slowly engulfing himself and Nichs inside a sphere of wind he made. It was done to suck the fire covering his body away.
Thetter, being the lunatic he was, didn''t register this fact. He merely swung his fist like there is no tomorrow.
Boom!
Basil finally used his Magic Circles. Mana umted around him, and he could finally control it better. He had been holding himself to use Magic Circles to minimize the usage of his depleting Mana. Now that Nichs was perfectly caught in his trap, he had no reason to hold back.
Whoosh!
Gasp!
Nichs lost his ability to breathe normally. He was suffocating. Inside the wind sphere encapsting them, only Basil could breathe normally.
Basil watched the suffocating Nichs, and the fire covering his body sucked by the wind slowly, but surely.
"Kuuhh... You... bas...tard!"
Nichs red at Basil in rage. Each time he looked at Basil''s face, he was reminded of his former lord, Halton Rothermere. Although the simrity of their facial feature wasn''t really apparent, the way Basil carried himself really resembled his father.
Atst, the fire covering his body was sessfully sucked away, and all of his Mana was used to support his lungs. He was breathing heavily, as his lungs could hardly contain any air from the surrounding.
After some time, Basil dispersed the wind sphere, and looked down at Nichs coldly.
"I will normally behead you right away. However, I have something to ask you. Therefore..." Basil pointed Kusanagi at Nichs'' chest, and exploded the Mana outward. "Answer it to your very best."
Boom!
"Gahak!"
Nichs was thrown away like a bullet. His chest was bleeding due to the attack. The skin opened, and the blood made a trail in the air, while he was airborne.
Basil moved his feet to the sprawling Nichs. Nichs was bloodied from head to toe. His skin was full of shing marks due to Basil''s wind des.
Upon arriving there, Basil crouched, and stabbed Kusanagi on the floor, right beside Nichs'' neck.
"Tell me about my father."
"Kuhuk!" Nichs coughed painfully, and tried to activate his Magic Circles only to find he had lost it. Heughed humorlessly, upon realizing Basil had destroyed them with his earlier attack. "As expected of you. You have figured you''re adopted, huh?"
Basil didn''t respond Nichs. He merely pointed his index finger at Nichs'' opened skin, before infusing Qi to it.
"Agghhh!!!!!! What are you doing, bastard???!!!"
Nichs shouted painfully at the rampant Qi in his blood flow. He felt like his body was being fried from the inside.
"I have two facts for you. One is fun, while the other is cruel. Fun fact: for someone who is foreign to Qi, it is very corrosive. Cruel fact: anything said after ''fun fact'' is never fun."
"You... ba..s.....tard!!!"
Basil stopped infusing his Qi to Nichs'' blood stream, and stared at him coldly. Thetter red at him murderously, however it didn''tst for long.
"Ha-ah! What a turn of events." Nichsughed humorlessly. He had thought he could somehow fight back. However, he soon found he couldn''t even twitch a muscle. Sighing to himself, he asked Basil once again, "Did you say you want to hear about your father?"
Again, Basil didn''t respond. He merely inched his pointer finger closer.
"Okay, okay! I will tell you about your father." Nichs shouted frantically, before sighing at Basil''s cruelness. "To tell you about your father simply, he was a betrayer..." He recounted everything about the man named Halton Rothermere.
Basil heard his story intently, while also observing Nichs'' expression. It changed from time to time. It was sometimes filled with nostalgia, anger, excitement, sorrow, and hatred. He made myriads of expression.
When Nichs hadpletely recounted the past, he stared at the pondering Basil. "That is all I can say about your father. He was the first person ever betraying me," He said neutrally.
Basil turned his gaze to him, and merely nodded his head. He didn''t mean to ept Nichs'' words, he was just agreeing with himself. He had heard some of his father''s history from Irene, and all she had told about his father matched with what Nichs had told him.
However, the strange part also matched. That means, there was something more to his father''s history that none of the two knew.
"What are you going to do from now on?"
Nichs asked the standing Basil curiously. Basil didn''t say a thing to Nichs. He merely gripped the handle of Kusanagi, before infusing his Mana into it. Kusanagi shone briefly, before a wind de was produced out of the de.
It swiped the unexpecting Nichs'' neck cleanly in one hit. Nichs didn''t even know he had been decapitated. He was still looking at Basil, and tried to form some words, only to realize he wasn''t able to do so.
"Fun fact: human''s head still bears consciousness for thirty seconds after decapitation," Basil remarked casually.
Nichs'' decapitated head widened its eyes, before eventually closing them for eternity.
The barrier Nichs had set, which Basil was supporting with his Mana, was finally deactivated. Shirley could finally see her father''s decapitated head. However, she didn''t register it in her mind. She was preupied with something.
It was the evidence of Catherine''s betrayal over her family. The young Shirley was shocked. She couldn''t believe what she was seeing.
She had thought her father had been lying. It turns out, her mother ¡ª her kind mother! ¡ª had done that wretched thing to her family.
She couldn''t wrap her head around it.
Basil ignored Shirleypletely, and went toward Catherine. Thetter, who was witnessing the former''s fight with Nichs since the beginning, stared at the former emptily.
"What? Are you going tough at me? Or perhaps, you are also wanting to have a taste of me?"
Basil quirked his eyebrow in amusement. "Very bold of you to assume I will ever ''taste'' a public use." That actually managed to get a reaction out of Catherine. Surely, Basil wasn''t done yet. "Also, I will notugh at you. Predictable stupidity is never funny."
Catherine''s empty eyes were quickly filled with emotion. They were filled with resentment and indignation. Basil merely smirked in faint amusement, while looking down at her.
"You know... In the past, you married a newly rising Marquees, after sessfully seducing him. Nichs was stressed out of his mind he went crazy. Shirley, who didn''t know anything about the real situation, met with Nichs."
Catherine had been listening to Basil at first. However, the more she heard, the weirder the thing. She was simply bewildered by the story Basil was recounting.
How could she not? After all, this story belonged to the timeline where Basil hade from.
"Nichs raped his own daughter, before killing himself out of guilt. Surely, the news was quickly spread, and you, as Shirley''s mother, despised her to your very core. You disowned her, and left her alone..."
Basil paused, before continuing, "However, it didn''t stop there. You even allowed your new ''husband'' to vite her, saying she was a public use. Bad rumours about her were spread around, and she eventually killed herself out of stress."
Basil''s eyes glinted, and he stared at Catherine iprehensibly. Catherine couldn''t understand a thing Basil was saying. However, there was something in her chest that forced her to cry. She didn''t even realize her eyes were already flooded with tears.
"W-what is this...?" She asked in genuine puzzlement. Her voice was riddled with sorrow. However, Basil didn''t n to answer her. He merely asked, "What is your plea?" She stared at Basil with teary eyes for a while, before her mouth unconsciously provided him the answer.
"I... I only wanted to be free."
Basil closed his eyes, and muttered, "Then, freedom you get."
Stab!
Kusanagi was sent down at Catherine''s heart.
Catherine had done everything to free herself from her past, leading her to do things that had led her to death. Little did she know, the only way to be free of her past was embracing the past itself.
That day, Catherine, who had been caged by her past, finally achieved what she wanted. She finally gained freedom.
Along with that, her soul was also freed from its mortal shell.
Chapter 93 Wounds May Heal, But The Scars Remain (3)
Basil looked at Catherine, who died while crying. Even so, her face wasn''t filled with sorrow. Her mouth contradicted her eyes. While her eyes are flooded with tears, her mouth formed a smile.
Basil didn''t really have any personal grudge against Catherine. However, he didn''t want to leave any possible problem alone. In the past, Catherine had done many wretched things that had indirectly troubled him.
She, with her body, had managed to seduce quite a few high ranking officials, andpletely controlled them on her whim. Such a woman was dangerous to be left alone.
She hadn''t been on her right mind anymore. If he had left her alone, she would do many ridiculous thingster.
In the end, birds of a feather flock together. Nichs and Catherine were equally unstable. They were both two broken people met by fate.
Basil looked away from Catherine, and moved toward the bound Justin who was looking at him emptily. He had emptied his tears reservoir. Tear stains decorated his cheeks, and his gagpletely silenced him.
sh!
Basil cut the gag, thus freeing his mouth from any constraint to speak. Looking down at the idiot who had been yed around by Catherine, Basil asked him a simple question. His voice was bereft of any emotion.
"What is your worth, Justin?"
"..."
Justin didn''t answer him. He merely raised his head, and looked at Basil with the same empty eyes. He stayed that way for a few seconds, before turning his gaze to Daniel who was shriveling in the corner in fright.
"I have no worth. I am a failure as a father. I am a failure as a friend. I am a failure as a human being. What worth do you think I have?" Justin muttered with voice that was void of emotion.
His eyes were still nted on Daniel, who he had never thought would have joined Nichs in his wretched act.
"I can not return your previous worth." Basil said, attracting the attention of Justin. "However, I can give you a new worth." Basil ended his word, while looking at Justin deeply.
Justin opened his mouth only to find he could say nothing. In the end, he merely chuckled soundlessly. Such an unsightly fate for someone like him. However, he had no qualms. He held no worth in himself any longer.
"How?" Justin asked emptily. "Be my witness." Basil answered simply.
Justin nodded his head in understanding. A Viscount had just died, and he had been killed by his own son. The case would be usually considered as a family conflict. However, the matter was different if another Noble was involved.
It might be considered as a premeditated murder, thus punishable byw. Therefore, Basil needed Justin as a witness to free him of charge. He didn''t want to be a criminal this soon. He had no time to dilly-dally in the prison.
Paying no attention to Justin anymore, Basil moved to Irene instead. Her scorched skin was already healed. However, he knew more than anyone, her injured innards weren''t healed yet.
Putting his hand on top of Irene''s exposed abdomen, Basil channeled his Qi to his palm to heal her. He could only wait until the people from Philosopher ¡ª which Shirley had notified before ¡ª came with the necessary medicine to help Irene.
"Shirley, are you alright?"
At Basil''s question, Shirley turned her empty eyes to him. He received her gaze calmly. Not once did he dodge her gaze.
"Father, and mother..." Shirley struggled to keep talking. She was choked by her own tears. "Brother... This is a dream, right? None of these is real, right?" Shirley covered her mouth with her hands.
She couldn''t bear the truth. Basil''s eyes conveyed it all. Everything was indeed real.
Suddenly, Shirley felt nauseous. Her mind was so overwhelmed with stress that her stomach couldn''t bear it any longer.
"Ueeekkk..."
She emptied the content of her stomach. Everything was let out of her stomach.
Basil looked at the scene with absolutely emotionless eyes. He didn''t sympathize with Shirley, nor would hefort her. Reality is harsh, and the world is cruel. She needed to get through this to grow.
Being clueless and naive in this world is poisonous. Snakes in human form are always lurking around, looking for the perfect opportunity to strike. One needs to experience the harsh truth firsthand to survive.
Shirley was currently undergoing the phase. He wouldn''t help her, until he deemed her couldn''t get through her predicament. Before that, he would let her cope with it by herself. For now, his role was merely as a remainder she was not alone.
"Where is the patient?!"
Two people came in, and they were the people Basil had asked Shirley to call. They were Hanz and ra of Philosopher Alchemy Store. They hade here due to Shirley''s urgent call.
"Here!"
When they heard Basil''s voice, their eyes were nted on Basil''s glowing hand on top of Irene''s abdomen. They wanted to admire that, however they had something more important to do. That was, treating the patient.
"What in the bloody hell happened here?"
ra eximed in shock at the scene she was seeing. Seven bodies and one bloody mass littered the ground. Out of the seven visible bodies, only one remained intact. The pungent smell of blood permeating through the room was enough to make anyone vomit in disgust.
ra was about to open her mouth to ask Basil what happened, when the littered swords on the ground flew at him, and entered his Spatial Ring. She shut her mouth instantly. She didn''t need to ask for confirmation. She knew instantly who was the culprit.
"Do you think she could make it?" Basil asked Hanz calmly. Hanz didn''t answer immediately. He merely kept mixing the medicines he would feed to Irene. "I can''t guarantee. It depends on her will to live." Hanz finally gave his response after some time.
Basil nodded his head calmly, before taking Shirley in his embrace. He would do do her the favor of being the tform for her to cry her heart out.
By the time they realized it, the sun had crept up the sky. Whereas everyone else started the day with delight, Basil and the others started the day with the end of the tragedy.
It didn''t take long until Irene was moved to Basil''s manor, and Investigators came to the scene. Just like that, the tragedy ended, and the trial started.
...
Three days had past since the tragedy everyone called as Cobham Internal Strife. It gained so many attention the Kingdom''sw authority personally handled the matter.
The massacre of an entire Noble family had beenmitted previously by Charles Blois 12 years ago. The simr case had happened to Cobham Household, and it attracted the attention of the Kingdom''s authority.
They wanted to make sure the history wouldn''t repeat itself. They had enough of one Charles Blois already. They didn''t need another one.
Today was the day where Basil would be called to the court to be judged. The witnesses would also be there, recounting what they had seen, that would be surely in Basil''s favor.
Basil wasn''t worried with the trial. He knew he would be free of charge. What he worried about was the person lying on the bed motionlessly, who was no other than Irene. She hadn''t regained her consciousness since that day.
Although her injury was quickly treated, nothing can beat age. She wasn''t a powerful Mage, nor was she a powerful Knight. Her body didn''t have the power to live longer than any human.
Thus, no matter how much he had healed Irene, her damaged organs would never be the same. Currently, her body was too weak to let her regain her consciousness.
"Brother... It will be the time soon."
Shirley looked at the back of Basil, who she had figured out wasn''t her biological brother, solemnly. She had passed through her shocked state due to the support of the people around her.
Although she had lost her parents, she didn''t feel alone. She had Basil ¡ª despite not being her blood rted brother ¡ª to stand beside her.
Sure, she had been shocked at first. However, after realizing Basil had known it long ago, and still being a good brother to her, she quelled her anxiousness of being alone. Blood rted or not, Basil was her brother.
Therefore, her heart bleed everytime she looked at the well hidden sorrow in her brother''s eyes. For her, Irene was merely a very close caretaker. However, for Basil, Irene was his mother ¡ª his real mother.
Seeing Irene suffered under the injury her father had inflicted must be hard for him. She didn''t even know how he didn''t go on rampage, and hate her for her father''s act.
"Are you ready for the trial, Shirley?" Basil asked while caressing Irene''s hand softly. "I am ready, Brother." Shirley answered surely. Basil smiled, and remarked, "You are a strong girl."
He had to give her credit. He didn''t expect Shirley would eventually ept everything in three days. She was a strong hearted girl, who didn''t even hate him for killing her parents.
Her reason was simple.
¡ªFather deserved it, and mother desired it. Even if you had left her alive, she would have ended her life by herself.
Such way of thinking was very mature for a 16 year old girl. Surely, she had cried when she had said it. Still, she had eventually passed that phase like a champion.
Basil held Irene''s hand for onest time, before standing on his feet, and headed outside with Shirley in tow. Danzel, rissa, Julia, Chester, ke, and surprisingly, Julia''s mother were there to greet him.
"You don''t have to be worry, Basil. I have many acquaintances as juries. You will absolutely win this case!" Julia''s mother eximed brightly, when she saw the sight of Basil.
"It is alright, Viscountess Diana. I have done nothing wrong. Therefore, we don''t need to resort that way." Basil shook his head faintly at the enthusiasm Julia''s mother, Diana, was showing.
Just like Julia, she was an independent, and carefree woman. She had divorced her husband merely because he had told her she would have been nothing without him. Yearster, she had eventually achieved a higher standing than her Baron husband.
She was a quite impressive woman.
"Aha-ha-ha! I mean it to lighten you up. In case, they y something weird, we got my friend to rescue you!"
The other people surrounding Diana chuckled awkwardly at the dirty y she was implying. Likewise, Julia pped her forehead due to the second hand embarrassment. Still, theyughed it off right after.
Just like that, they set to move. Their destination was the court.
Chapter 94 Wounds May Heal, But The Scars Remain (End)
Although the highest level court that dealt with cases like the one Basil having was located at the Capital, Basil didn''t need to go there to be judged. As the Kingdom''s authority hade here, he would be judged at Woster County''s court.
Upon arriving there, Basil and his entourage entered the building like a celebrity. As the case was attracting many people''s attention, many of the Nobles attending there nted their eyes on Basil.
They were curious to the young man who was dubbed as the second Charles Blois, even if they knew it was nothing more than a rumour.
When Basil entered the court room, he could see Justin was already there. He was alone, without Daniel, who was also involved int the tragedy, apanying him.
Justin looked at Basil with the same empty eyes he had shown three days ago, and greeted Basil with a nod. Basil merely quirked his eyebrow in return.
"Listen, Basil. You don''t have to be nervous, okay? We are on this together!" Diana held Basil''s hand, and stared at him with bright eyes.
Basil merely smiled, and patted her hands reassuringly. "I will be fine, Viscountess Diana."
From the side, Julia quickly pulled her mother dress. "Mom, let go! Senior is a tough guy. He wouldn''t even blink in front of a dragon, you know?"
She was embarrassed at her mother''s unnecessary worry toward Basil. No, actually, she was afraid her mother was hitting on Basil!
"Oh, my! I am sorry if I bothered you, Basil. I can''t help it. I can''t just let my daughter''s important person rot in prison for the wrong he didn''t do." Diana winked her eyes at Basil.
While Basil merely nodded his head at the Vagus like woman, Julia, in the other hand, was cursing in her mind.
''This cougar! What do you mean by my important person? Are you referring him as my precious senior, or my future father?!''
Diana let Basil''s hand go, and Basil quickly moved to the center of the room. He stood on his designated position, and the witnesses ¡ª Justin and Shirley ¡ª also positioned themselves to their designated position.
Basil''s entourage also seated themselves on the chair reserved for them.
Basil stared in front of him. There were seven people wearing white and gold tunic with veil covering half of their face sitting in parallel. They were the people from the Kingdom''s court, the people of the Church, the people who would judge him.
One of them stood up, and extended his hand. The whispering crowds, and juries alike were quickly silenced by his mere gesture. No one dared to disrespect the judge, who was also an important figure of the Church.
"Without any further ado, I hereby dere the start of the trial!"
The judge sat himself before looking down at the Record Talisman containing the chronology of the happening, ording to the eyewitnesses and Basil''s narration.
The judge narrated the tragedy that had happened sequentially, and thee crowds would gasp from time to time, bearing the atrocities that''s had happened. The juries were also starting to develop a pondering look on their face.
"Basil Cobham. What is your plea?"
"Should I make one when it is evident I have done the right thing?"
The crowd gasped in surprise. Although they agreed with Basil after hearing the chronology, they hadn''t thought Basil would have the guts to talk like that.
While some of the Nobles were about to chide Basil on his insolence, the judge opened his mouth, surprising the people in the process.
"Very well. Then, allow me to ask you a few things. Did you have a personal grudge against yourte father?"
"I would have ended him sooner, if I did."
Gasp!
Everyone couldn''t believe Basil would actually say that. Although the implication wasn''t malicious, the way he said that could cause a misunderstanding.
Then again, the judge surprised them.
"Very well. Did you kill yourte father intentionally or unintentionally?"
Basil quirked his eyebrow. He was unamused by the stupid question.
"With all due respect, I know you are trying to figure me out with your ''Miracle'' since the moment I entered the room. Why would you ask something that can be easily figured out by your ''Miracle''?"
Again, Basil answered the judge casually. While the people who were close to Basil were facepalming, the other Nobles were ready chew his arse off.
Surely, the judge surprised them once again by chuckling at Basil''sment.
"Very well. I have found nothing wrong in your words. If it was only me, I would end the court here. However, I have to follow the procedure. Therefore, I am going to ask the witnesses too."
Everyone was gaping at the trial that had never happened before. How could a convicted act insolently in front of the judge, and the judge just brushed it off? It was as unprecedented as it was impossible.
Surely, no one knew It was possible because this Capital''s w authority" had been paid with arge amount of money by Justin beforehand. This was what Basil had meant when he had asked Justin to be his witness.
He knew the court would think with their arse, and decided to make a stupid decision in the trial. He didn''t want that to happen. Therefore, he had told Justin to pay thisw "authority" a huge sum of money.
None of the lower Nobles like Viscount or below dare to bribe the people from Church. However, the higher Nobles knew more than anyone how rotten the Church actually was. No matter what name they carried, in the end, they were human.
Human are greedy in nature.
Thus, the whole trial was merely a joke, and as expected, Basil easily won the case. Everyone was made aware of the atrocities Nichs had done to his wife and his daughter, while Basil was getting an appreciation from everyone for his decision.
Surely, the things happened next weren''t within anyone''s expectation.
Two days after the trial, Justin was found dead in his mansion. He had died due to suicide a few hours prior. His son, Daniel, was also found lifelessly nailed on the wall.
It was concluded Justin had done it himself. Many theories of conspiracy were made on the reason behind his action. However, the real reason remained unknown untill this day.
Surely, Basil knew Justin''s reason of doing it. Therefore, he wasn''t surprised. However, while he had predicted something like that would happen, he hadn''t expected the scene he was seeing in front of his eyes would happen.
"Irene... How do you feel?"
"I have never been better, Young Master."
"I see. When you are healed, should we go on a shop together once again?"
"Ah, yes. I would like to do that, Young Master."
Irene held Basil''s hand close to her chest, while caressing it warmly. With her droopy eyes, she looked at Basil''s emotionless face. Raising her finger to Basil''s eyes, she touched the corner of his eyes.
"Why are you crying, Young Master?"
"Your finger is just moist, Irene."
"You can''t fool me, Young Master. I know you since you are a baby." Irene paused, and caressed his cheek.
"I remember those days when you yed outside, anding home bruised and battered. You told me you fell while ying, but I know you were bullied. Therefore, when I called you out on that, you would cry on myp. Oh, it''s so nostalgic!"
Ireneughed, before looking at Basil with moist eyes. While caressing Basil''s cheek warmly, she stared at Basil with her blurry eyes.
"You have grown this big. You are already so powerful no one dare to bully you. In my eyes, you are already a mature man. Therefore, you can''t cry, Young Master."
Drip. Drip. Drip.
"I am not Irene. This is what you called excessive eye liquid."
Irene chuckled once again, "You and your another weird excuse." She sighed weakly, after that.
She motioned Basil to get closer, before mustering her power to speak, that was heard as a whisper.
"You are strong. Therefore, you will never lose. When the hardship is too much for you to bear alone, find a trustablerade. When you feel you are alone, just remember I will be always by your side..."
Irene took abored breath, before saying, "Stay safe, my son. I love you."
Irene kissed Basil for thest time, before finally closing her eyes for eternity. Her hand quickly lost its strength, and Basil held it closely to his face. Basil leaned his head on her chest to hear her slowly diminishing heart beat. He closed his eyes, and tears slowly poured out of his eyes.
The scene was entirely witnessed by everyone close to him. None of them could hold back their tears; Irene''sst words, and the beautiful bond Basil had with Irene moved them so much.
Basil''s reaction might be very tame. However, anyone could feel the sorrow he he hid behind the calm face he made. The powerful and suppressing aura he was usually exuding was reced with a calm and deep one. People who knew Basil could instantly tell the difference.
Looking at Basil, who was just lying his head on Irene''s chest while caressing her cold hand, made their heart bleed. Still, no one dare to make a sound.
They didn''t want to interrupt Basil''s silent mourning.
In the other hand, Basil merely sighed helplessly. He had been the one who had leaked Catherine''s betrayal to Nichs. He hadn''t expected things would have escted this way.
He had thought it would have merely stopped Catherine from pestering him. He hadn''t expected Nichs would have lost his mind.
Indeed, such a naive thought for someone as experienced as him! He was ashamed at his stupid decision.
While there might be people who would cope with their mistake like Justin, Basil wasn''t such a person. He would strive far better, using his mistake as a reminder.
Today, he had just made his first mistake in his second chance. Today, he received a wound. Just like how it usually goes, his wound will eventually heal, but the scar remains with him for eternity.
Just like his mistake.
Chapter 95 Earning Rather Than Receiving
Green and lush grasses decorated a in, whose scenery alone made one gasp in amazement. A big and lush tree stood strongly in the middle of it. Its leaves swayed each time wind hurdled the tree, creating a peaceful and beautiful scenery.
Below this tree, a young man sat himself, and leaned his body toward it.
"I have never wept for anyone. However, I will weep for the mistake I have done. Who knows I wouldmit one this soon," The young man muttered to no one in particr.
A smile adorned his face, before he opened his eyes. Two bright and brown ssy orbs full of mystery were revealed. The young man stared at the lush grasses decorating the in, and hummed to himself.
It was a song which he had often heard when he had been a child. A song which the one he cared had liked to sing.
"Whenever Iid my head on yourp, I always felt peaceful. You liked to sing a song, which I have always favored because of your voice. This scene reminds me very much of you, Irene."
The young man, who was none other than Basil, threw his gaze to the side. His eyes were nted on a tombstone, that had Irene''s name carved on it. He smiled softly, hiding the forlornness in his heart.
"We came from nothing, and returns to nothing. Never have I expected, it will be this soon, Irene." Basil patted the tombstone. "Forgive me for my ignorant decision. May you live happily in your next life, if reincarnation does exist."
He stood up, and left the tombstone alone, in the middle of the green in.
It had been two days since Irene had been buried. Today, he was called to the Capital for the session of Nichs'' Viscount title to him. He would meet the King today, and everyone''s attention was focused on him, the sole son of Cobham Household.
Surely, he didn''t want to rush. He wasn''t very eager to meet the King who he had eventually killed in his past life. The King had subpar power, and the only thing holding back the other people in power to seize his seat was his father, the Human Emperor.
Just like most of the people under him, he was corrupt. The only good thing about him was hispetent subordinates, who managed the Kingdom in his stead.
Basil held no respect for someone like that.
"Brother, are we leaving now?"
Upon arriving in front of the carriage he had ridden to visit Irene''sst resting ce, Basil was greeted by Shirley. She was nervous for some reason, and she shifted a lot in her ce.
Basil smiled softly, and patted her head. "Yes, we are leaving now." Shirley nodded her head reluctantly, before holding Basil''s hand tightly. "Will everything be okay?" She asked. Basil merely hummed softly, and led her inside the carriage.
The ride to Randalvine was silent. Basil forged his body the entire way, and Shirley held his hand tofort herself. She was nervous about what would happen next. The session ceremony would be a turning point in her life.
She sighed, and inched her body closer to Basil. She foundfort in his presence.
...
"Basil will be having his session ceremony today?" Iliana asked Lawson who was ready to leave. "Yes. That''s why I am going to attend the ceremony." Lawson nodded in confirmation.
Iliana hummed to herself, before opening her mouth, and asked Lawson, "Can Ie too?" Lawson threw his gaze at her, and sighed. "You can. But, don''t beat anyone!" Lawson sternly warned Iliana.
Iliana met Lawson''s gaze unwaveringly, and eximed righteously, "It is not my fault they are born with punchable face."
"Thisss..."
Lawson sighed once again. Iliana was a prideful Mage. She didn''t care about titles, anyone who messed with her would be met with an unpleasant fate. As she was a beautiful young woman, many young Nobles were eager to take her hand in marriage.
Surely, she considered it as them messing with her. Thus, she always, at least, blew their consciousness away. Due to that, Lawson was always forced to bail her out of troubles. He couldn''t let his favourite student got in trouble, just because she wasn''t a Noble.
"Anyway, just ignore them. You don''t need to punch them everytime they say something silly." Lawson warned once again.
Iliana nodded faintly, and answered, "That depends on how they behave."
Lawson opened his mouth, before closing it again. He didn''t know what to say. He just sighed, while hoping for the best.
With Iliana in tow, he got out of his office in Randalvine Magic Institute, and set to the pce.
The trip to the pce didn''t take long. Since the pce was located in the inner part of Randalvine, it took merely half an hour to arrive.
"Hmm... I didn''t know there would be so many Nobles attending the ceremony." Iliana hummed upon seeing the people crowding the pce.
"Normally, it is not that crowdy. But, since Basil is the hottest topic in our Kingdom right now, many are curious. Of course, these people are also waiting for the opportunity to pull him to their side," Lawson exined to Iliana.
"Is who the next King really that important? They are pretty enthusiastic doing this ''faction'' thing."
Lawson chuckled at Iliana question. "No, Iliana. They don''t care about who is the next King. They care about the profit they will getter," Lawson stated.
Iliana merely hummed in understanding, and followed Lawson to enter the pce. Surely, they needed to identify themselves before entering. Even though Iliana was not a Noble, she was still granted entrance, due to Lawson.
"These guys are dreaming too much. What is there a title, when it is useless in front of an absolute power."
"It is what you called politic, sweetheart. You will get used to itter."
"I don''t find myself will get used to it."
"Haha. I can see it."
Lawson chuckled helplessly at Iliana''s remark. She didn''t say anything wrong. In every kingdoms, titles didn''t symbolize status. It symbolized participation in the political strife.
It was the reason why many powerful Mages rejected the offer of being a Noble. They were too busy improving themselves to mind the worldly matters ¡ª such as political strife.
However, when a Mage was too powerful to be left alone, they were forced to receive a Noble title. If they rejected it, it would be considered as a betrayal to Human Empire, thus would be hunted down by everyone.
Therefore, there were many people decided to be Wandering Mages. They wanted to avoid this troublesome thing that might ur to themter.
"Oh, that''s Basil."
"Where is he?"
Iliana was eager to see Basil. It had been a week since his abrupt leave. She was curious about his condition. Moving her eyes to the pointed direction, she found Basil in the middle of the throne room, standing valiantly with his sister by his side.
Upon seeing him, Iliana did a double take. He still exuded the same overbearing aura. However, there was something different about him.
"He is sad." Iliana muttered, picking Lawson''s interest. "Oh, you didn''t know?" Iliana threw her head at Lawson upon his question. "What do I not know?"
"Basil has just lost his important person due to the tragedy. People say she was his nanny. But, I don''t see him that sad."
At Lawson''s response, Iliana muttered softly to herself, "See not from his face, but his heart." Lawson stared at her curiously. However, she didn''t have intention to make herself clear.
Suddenly, the counselor of the king tapped the butt of his staff to the ground.
Ding!
The people''s attention moved to him, and no one dare to make a noise.
"Greet your majesty Anthony Lionheart Braxtein!"
Everyone in the room touched their left chest, right on the position of the heart, with two fingers as a form of respect. Then, came in the person who they had pledged their loyalty to.
Anthony Lionheart Braxtein was a fit man in histe sixties. He was 190 centimeters tall, and had a fairly muscr body. His long blond hair was untied, yet neat. With condescending eyes, befitting of a ruler, he looked at the crowd.
"It is a good day, everyone."
"Yes, your majesty!"
The crowd replied Anthony''s greeting that didn''t really sound like greeting. He nodded in satisfaction, before nting his eyes on Basil, who was already left alone by Shirley, in the middle of the throne room.
"I can see it from your eyes, you are a great young man, Basil Cobham."
Anthony stared at Basil, and he stared him back neutrally. Basil held no respect, nor was he afraid of this Seventh Circle Mage in front of him.
Being the prideful person he was, the former was irked by Basil''s unwavering gaze. Therefore ¡ª
Boom!
¡ª he pressurized Basil.
To Anthony''s surprise, Basil kept staring at him with the same neutral eyes. Not even his finger twitched under the pressure. Getting irked even more, he increased the pressure on Basil.
Imagine his surprise when Basil still had no reaction. Therefore, he increased the pressure once again. This time, he was fully intending to make Basil kneel on the ground.
Iliana, who was watching the scene together with Lawson on the side, frowned her forehead at Anthony''s action. Even though the pressure was concentrated on Basil, she could faintly feel it.
Everyone was puzzled too, however no one dare to ask what was happening.
It was only when they even could clearly feel the pressure did a surprising thing happened.
Boom!
Three Ultimate Circles floated behind Basil, and shone intensely. Surely, all of them thought they were merely Grand Circles. However, it was enough to make them widen their eyes. The pressure Basil was also exuding was unbefitting of that belonged to a Third Circle Mage. It easily outssed it.
"Hoh? Interesting."
Anthony retracted his pressure, and smiled in mild fascination. Basil also retracted his, and quirked his eyebrow at Anthony. He was a bit puzzled by the stupid king''s mood.
"You really are an exceptional Mage, Basil." Anthony praised him rather sincerely. Motioning Basil to kneel with his hand, Anthony said, "Very well, let me grant you the title that fits you."
Basil didn''t kneel, he opened his mouth instead, "About that, I will have to decline, your majesty."
Although it was distasteful to call Anthony that way, he had to do it. The current him wouldn''t be able to go against a whole empire yet.
"Hm? Why?"
"As you may have already known, I am not really a Cobham. Viscount Nichs adopted me due to his pity over me. Therefore, I can not seed his title."
Basil purposefully didn''t tell him the truth. He was sure something unwanted would happen, if he were to tell Anthony that he was Halton''s son.
The crowd gasped in surprise, not due to the fact he was adopted, but because he had rejected the offer.
"Basil, you are already a Cobham by the time you are adopted into the family. Blood rtion holds no significance in the title session."
The other Nobles nodded their head at Anthony''s word. It was the exact reason why they were surprised Basil had rejected the offer.
"I might take the offer, if I was alone. However, I have my sister, who is rted to Viscount Nichs by blood. It will not be fair to her, if I take the title."
"Hmm..."
Anthony hummed to himself. The logic behind Basil''s word was sound. The other Nobles also thought the same as they nodded in appreciation at Basil.
"Still, don''t you think it is unfortunate? Not just anyone is offered the chance to be a Viscount."
"Anything that is given on a silver tter is never an achievement. I want to achieve things, and cherish them. I choose earning over receiving."
Anthony smiled with a well hidden disdain at Basil. To him, what Basil had said was ignorant. Still, he didn''t want to convince him otherwise.
"Very well. May Shirley Cobham step forward!"
"Yes, your majesty!"
Shirley stepped forward, and quickly kneeled in front of Anthony. Anthony was ready to open his mouth, when suddenly Shirley said something.
"I beg your pardon, your majesty. I, Shirley Cobham, will also decline the title. Like my brother has said, I, too, prefer earning rather than receiving."
The crowd gasped in bewilderment at the two siblings'' choice. Needless to say, Anthony was irked.
Chapter 96 They Choose Their Path, He Creates His Path
Anthony looked down at the kneeling Shirley, and the uprightly standing Basil. He creased his eyebrows. He couldn''t believe these two youngsters had just refused a Viscount title.
Although they would still remain a Noble even without it, they would have no territory to rule over. By then, their status would be no different from a Bar. They would need to climb up once again to reach the height they had gotten down from.
That was ignorantly ridiculous.
"What a burning spirit the two of you have showed. Very well, I will grant your wish. Your parent''s former territory will be hand over to another Viscount. However, you can keep the belongings and the wealth your parents had umted."
Anthony motioned Shirley to get up, before continuing, "I will remind you once again, you can''t reim your parent''s former territory that you have refused."
"Yes, your majesty."
"Hm. From today onwards, both of you would bear the same status as a Bar!"
While some of the crowds nodded their head in amazement at the two''s determination, most of them shook their heads in disappointment. Basil and Shirley could''ve been a ruling Noble, if they hadn''t refused the title.
Now, they weren''t even given a title. They were merely given a status as low as a Bar. Even then, Bars were still better than them. They had not only the privilege, but also the title, unlike Basil and Shirley.
"Pardon me, your majesty." Basil suddenly spoke, gathering the crowd''s attention on him.
"Yes?"
"As I have stated in the beginning, I merely am an adopted son. Now that even Viscount Nichs has died, I have nothing to bind me to the Cobham Household anymore."
"Your point is?"
"I am going to throw away my Nobility."
Gasp!
The crowd recoiled in surprise. If they were previously bewildered, they were shocked this time. Basil was basically degrading his status!
"Pardon?"
"I will pull myself out of Cobham Household."
"Are you sure?" Anthony said with a raise eyebrow.
Previously, he had looked down on Basil for refusing the Viscount title. However, at that time he still had a little bit pity on Basil. After hearing Basil''s next word, he had instantly lost the pity he had on Basil.
For him, titles and status matter. He had no pity over an idiot who couldn''t even know their worth.
"Very well." Anthony nced at his counselor, and the counselor nodded his head. "Basil Cobham, from today onwards, you are stripped off your Nobility status!"
Bang! Bang! Bang!
The counselor hit the butt of his staff to the floor.
"With this, the session, or rather the degradation ceremony is concluded." Anthony stood from his throne, and left the room.
"Honor to your majesty Anthony Lionheart Braxtein!" The counselor dered loudly.
Everyone paid respect to Anthony in the unique way belonged to Braxtein Kingdom''s people ¡ª by touching their left chest with two fingers.
...
Basil had quickly left the pce with Shirley in tow; he didn''t want to get caught up in the political approach of those hypocritic Nobles. Now, they were in Randalvine''s Central Garden enjoying the scenery.
The first time Shirley hade here had been to watch Basil''s tournament. She had even left midway, due to an unwanted interference. She hadn''t had the chance to admire the grandeur of Randalvine yet. Basil came here for that perfect reason.
"Woahh! It''s so beautiful here!"
Basil smiled at Shirley who was admiring the garden full of flowers like a child. There were many people ¡ª mostly couples ¡ª in the garden. However, due to the garden''s vastness, it looked as if they were the only people there.
"Irene must have liked this scenery, if she were here." Shirley muttered to herself.
"Hm." Basil hummed softly to himself.
He gazed at the scenery in front of him. The garden was full of many kinds of flowers. Pleasant fragrances assaulted his nose, bringing a calming effect to his mind. Children of both genders running around, whileughing happily with their friends.
If Irene were here, she would definitely like the scenery.
"Brother,e, sit here." Shirley, who had just set their mat on the ground, motioned Basil to sit beside her.
Basil sat himself, and helped her to set the food they had carried from home. When everything was done, Shirley served Basil the sandwich she had made.
"Did you learn how to make it from Irene?"
"Yes, Brother. How is it?"
"It''s edible."
Normally, anyone would feel insulted. However, Shirley didn''t. She knew Basil was honest in his word. He didn''t like to sugarcoat things, and never insulted people. He was just honest.
Therefore, Shirley smiled brightly. Considering Basil''s high standard in almost everything, ''Edible'' was already apliment.
"Brother... I know we have talked about it, but... are you really okay if I stay with you?"
Basil quirked his eyebrow, and looked at Shirley. "Are you doubting me now?"
"No, no, no! I will never doubt you!" Shirley waved her hands in strong denial. "It''s just... We are not even a real sibling. I am just worry I may trouble you."
"Hm."
Basil nodded his head in understanding. He understood Shirley''s worry very well. Considering the not so heartwarming past between them, she must be feeling guilty for "troubling" him. Luckily, he had the perfect answer for this.
"Shirley, do you remember what I said when we talked about this?"
"Yes. You said you would always be my brother even if we are not rted."
"Not that one."
"Is it the one where you said you would let me follow you?"
Basil shook his head faintly, before staring at Shirley''s eyes deeply. "Although I said that, I have also said a condition you have to fulfil before following me. Can you say what the condition is?"
Shirley hummed, and assumed a thinking manner. "I have to be independent?"
"Yes, that means, aside from letting you to follow me, I won''t help you with anything else. You will struggle by your own, and I will not do anything about it."
"Hm." Shirley nodded her head in understanding. But, she was still puzzled by the point Basil was trying to tell her. "So, what do you mean, Brother?"
"Can you see where you trouble me?"
Shirley turned silent. Now that she thought about it once again. Aside from providing her a ce to stay, Basil did nothing for her. When Basil said she didn''t trouble him, he really meant it.
When the conclusion was reached, another thought sprout out. She looked down on the ground, then held her hot and flushed cheeks in embarrassment.
"B-but, I want to trouble you, Brother..." She muttered her real feelings in a barely audible voice.
Basil quirked his lips upward faintly, and patted Shirley''s head tenderly. "That''s what a Brother is for."
Shirley let go of her cheeks, and put her hands on top of her thighs. She felt like a heavy stone was finally lifted from her chest. Her anxiety, her fear, and her insecurity were all gone. As if a thirsty person given water, she felt refreshed.
Her eyes were honest as they became hot and blurry.
Drip. Drip. Drip.
Before she knew it, the mat was wet with her tears. She raised her head, then looked at Basil with her teary eyes, and flushed face. Thoughtlessly, she jumped at Basil. She hugged his sturdy and warm body, before crying her heart out.
"Thank you. Thank you. Thank you for being by my side."
Basil patted Shirley''s back tenderly. "Thank you for being by my side." This sentence made Basil smile bitterly. His mind travelled back to the past, where Shirley had been abandoned by everyone.
When she needed someone to be by her side the most, anyone she had trusted had turned their back on her. She had been so lonely that she had felt she had been not wanted. In the end, she had decided to end her life.
The past Basil who had been too busy on his quest to reach the top didn''t know any of this happening until it had been toote.
Shirley had been the one who had introduced him to Knight Principal. She had been the one who had opened his path to reach the top.
In the past, he had nned to pay his debt on her upon returning from one of his expeditions. Sadly, he had never managed to do that.
Now that he had received the chance to make amend to his tragic life, he would pay the debt he had never been able to pay.
Sob.
"Are you feeling better?"
"No, let me be like this for a while." Shirley shook her head, and hugged Basil even tighter.
Luckily, Basil didn''t have any thoughts to pry the ko off. He let her be like that, and ate his sandwich.
Rustle.
Basil''s eyes flickered to the side. Someone, or rather two people wereing his way. ncing at the frontmost person from the corner of his eyes, his mouth quirked upward faintly.
"Basil Pacifer!"
"Hello, Iliana."
Surprisingly, the two peopleing his way were Iliana and Lawson. They had wanted to talk to him after the ceremony, but he had quickly left like a ghost. They had chased him to here, but had found he had been having his moment with Shirley.
Being the sensible person he was, Lawson held himself back from meeting Basil right away. However, Iliana was different. She didn''t care about that.
Therefore, Lawson was shaking his head, and looked at Basil apologetically. "I am really sorry for this insensitivess."
"What do you mean insensitive, Master Lawson? I am as polite as I can be right now."
Lawson sighed, and massaged his forehead. "As you can see, she is like this."
"I don''t mind." Basil motioned the two people to sit on the mat. "What is the purpose of the two of you meeting me?" Basil was always to the point, he didn''t like wasting breath.
"It is about your choice. Are you going to establish a new Noble Household?"
"No. I don''t care about such a thing. I just want to use my real family name."
"Oh, so that''s the case."
Lawson nodded his head in understanding, and amazement. Normally, he would think such a reason was a little bit stupid to throw away Nobility. However, he couldn''t find fault in Basil. The boy got the right to do.
Looking at Basil who was still hugging Shirley, Lawson admired his guts. He didn''t feel awkward even if there were two people watching. Especially, there was Iliana who was gazing at him intently.
"Why is she like that?" Lawson was mortified at Iliana''s insensitive question, and quickly chided her. "Iliana, that''s rude!" Thetter merely looked at the former in confusion.
Luckily, Basil quickly solved the situation.
"Don''t mind her. She''s just in her Sleeping Ko Mode."
¡ª or not really.
Chapter 97 They Choose Their Path, He Creates His Path (2)
"It might be insensitive, but how do you know your mother''s family name?"
Basil moved his gaze to Iliana who had just asked the question. He hadn''t even told that Pacifer was his mother''s family name, however she had dare to say it. She didn''t bother to hide her knowledge regarding it.
"I will like to talk about my mother with youter, Iliana." Basil looked at Iliana with a knowing gaze. She nodded, and Basil continued, "As for your question, although not much, someone had told me about her."
"Who was this¡ª nevermind. We will talk about this when we are alone."
Iliana prevented herself from talking about the matter any further, because Lawson was still there. It would be rude to talk about someone''s privacy in public, and Lawsonpletely agreed with Iliana''s decision.
"I have my own assumption. However, I am not really sure. Do you n to be a Noble once again?" Lawson stared at Basil curiously.
Basil answered stoically, "I don''t."
"I knew it!" Lawson eximed enthusiastically.
Iliana was weirded out by her mentor. She wanted to ask him, however realization quickly dawned upon her.
Basil was a young Mage with the highest potential amongst the others. As long as he didn''t die young, his prominence was guaranteed. Such a person would be every Noble''s desired person in their faction.
By pulling himself out of Nobility, Basil had just dodged the politic strife that would be forced upon him.
The act itself wasn''t impressive. Basil''s long-term thinking was what amazed them. At such a young age, he could already grasp the situation in the world. That was amazing.
Surely, they wouldn''t know underneath the young body Basil had, there was an experienced monster residing.
"Huuh... I wish I was as intelligent as you."
"Are you regretting your decision now, Master?"
"You don''t need to rub it in my face, Iliana."
Iliana and Lawson''s rtionship was pretty much like Basil and Chester''s. The only difference was, Lawson considered Iliana his as daughter, while Chester considered Basil as his brother. Therefore, they were close to each other.
"Ah, silly me!" Lawson eximed suddenly. "We are here to ask you about your enrollment to our Magic Institute. Do you ept our direct admission offer?"
"I do."
"Phew... Good to hear that. Also, the new term will be started in a week. You only have to bring your luggage and nothing else. We have prepared dormitory for you to stay in." Lawson threw his gaze to Iliana.
"I will help you to settle down in our dormitoryter."
"Very well." Basil nodded in understanding.
Although he didn''t need Iliana''s help, he wouldn''t refuse her help. Just looking at her face, he knew she was eager to do that. The current Iliana surely behaved differently from Iliana he had known. However, the difference was still negligible.
"Mr. Lawson."
"Yes?"
"What is the condition to be admitted to Randalvine Preparatory Academy?"
Lawson was taken aback by Basil''s sudden question. He was about to ask why Basil cared about such thing, when his eyesnded on the sleeping Shirley. Realization suddenly dawned upon him.
"She has to reach Second Circle stage before 17. That''s the minimum requirement."
"That is rather easy."
"No, it''s not, Basil."
Lawson smiled wryly at Basil. He really resembled Iliana. Normally, someone would only reach Third Circle stage at 20. Surely, there would be geniuses like Basil and Iliana who had reached Third Circle stage before 20.
Iliana was soon to be 19 and she had reached the stage that was unthinkable to someone of her age. Could Basil, who was soon to be 17,pete with her? Lawson was eager to see Basil''s growth.
"What will you do for the remaining week, Sil?" Iliana asked Basil.
"I will spend my time with Shirley, and teach her a few things regarding Magic."
"Hm. Just don''t forget to arrive here two days prior to the start of the new term."
"I will remember that."
Although she didn''t show it, Iliana was irked for some reason. Basil whose Mana Sense was just as sensitive, if not more than Iliana''s, noticed her mood form her Mana Wave. He shook his head faintly, and served her a te of meatballs.
"This is?"
"Meatballs."
"I know that, Sil. What do I have to do with it is what puzzles me."
"Munch and rx. It will fix your mood."
Upon realizing what Basil had meant, Iliana''s eyes widened briefly. She didn''t particrly hid her Mana as she had thought no one would be able to read it.
Looking at Basil intently, she quickly sent her Mana Wave in a unique way to him. Upon receiving the Mana Wave, his brain quickly tranted what it meant.
[Can you hear me?]
[Yes, I do.]
Iliana''s eyes widened even further in shock. Basil had just replied to her! She didn''t think there was someone who could do the same thing as her.
[How did you learn it?]
[Trial and error.]
[Bollocks!]
Basil was inwardly amused at Iliana. Although he admitted his reason was a little bit stupid, that was also the way Iliana found this way ofmunication. He couldn''t just say that she had taught him in the past, could he?
"Hmm... I can barely feel the Mana fluctuation, and yet I am sure you aremunicating between yourself."
As expected of a veteran, Lawson had quickly grasped the situation. Iliana turned to him, and nodded her head. Although she had been bewildered earlier, she had quickly regained herposure.
"I didn''t expect there is another person who can use [Wavelingo]."
[Wavelingo] was an Art of Mana Wave maniption used tomunicate with each other. Iliana had found that human''s brain could react differently, depending on how she sent Mana Wave at them.
She had experimented for years, before she had finally mastered the way to form a sentence.
Compared to [Telepathy], it was harder to learn since one had to master Mana Wave maniption first. Not only that, if one was too insensitive toward Mana, one might not get the message being transmitted.
However, one didn''t need to be a Mentalist to master this. Therefore, [Wavelingo] was more universalpared to [Telepathy], despite the difficulty of learning it.
"[Wavelingo]... Is that what you call it?" Lawson asked curiously. However, the gaze he got from Iliana was frightening. "Do you think it''s a bad name?"
Lawson cleared his throat, and answered, "Kuhum! No, it isn''t a bad name. You are very creative."
Iliana nodded her head, before turning to Basil. "Did you hear that, Sil? Since I am the one who invented it first, you got to name it that way."
"I do not have to do that, actually." At this, Iliana frowned. However, Basil wasn''t done yet. "I have named it with the same name."
"Fufufu. Finally, someone with a good naming sense! We are going to be a good friend, Sil."
Shirley squirmed in Basil''s embrace, and hugged him even tighter. Iliana, who saw that brief movement, squinted her eyes at Shirley. "Hmph! She is sure a ko," she stated.
Lawson and Iliana spent a few minutes chatting, while enjoying the delicacies Shirley had prepared. Surely, they didn''t eat that much. They were more interested in Basil''s next course of action. Unfortunately, Basil didn''t give them much.
Right after that, they excused themselves, and left the siblings alone.
"I know you are awake. You don''t need to pretend you are sleeping, Shirley." Basil looked down at the ko hugging his body.
The ko opened her eyes, and looked at him while smiling sheepishly. "I am sorry. I didn''t mean to eavesdrop."
"It''s not eavesdropping, if the people knew you were listening."
"What?! They knew?"
Shirley was mortified. She had thought her acting was perfect. She was so embarrassed she didn''t know how to face Lawson and Iliana, if they were to meet again.
Basil chuckled softly. "Don''t worry. They won''t poke fun at you. Also, your acting was good enough. You have just faced the wrong opponents."
Sadly, it didn''t ease herself at all. She was still embarrassed at her action.
"Why did you pretend to sleep even after you are awake?" Basil asked, attracting her attention. "Well, I was just too embarrassed to show my face in that position. Also, I don''t seem to like that Iliana woman." Shirley answered quickly.
Basil quirked his eyebrow, and said simply, "Why?"
"It''s just..." Shirley looked around, before whispering, "She gives this ''I will take everything away from you'' vibe. I am actually afraid of her."
Basil chuckled softly in amusement. He hadn''t expected Shirley to say that. Although Shirley didn''t say what she really thought, Basil knew what exactly she had meant. Therefore, he was amused.
''Has my sister be possessive towards her brother? Should I distance myself away?''
Looking down at Shirley''s bright eyes that were looking at him, he shook his head faintly to clear his funny thought. He looked to his front, and his eyes met the flowers decorating the garden.
The clear sky let the sunshine basked the entire garden with its warmth. Faintughter of children could be heard from the surrounding, making the calming scene felt like home.
Basil sighed to himself. Two months. In two months, a tragedy would begin. This scene might not be able to be seen anymore in two months. Chaos would ensue, and death would be a sure thing.
He had a lot work to do before the time came. Not to save the world, but to protect the people he cared about.
Chapter 98 They Choose Their Path, He Creates His Path (3)
As Shirley and Basil both rejected the Viscount title, Cobham Viscountcy was gone in two days. It was handed to a newly rising Viscount named Addison Merton. Thus, Cobham Viscountcy was reced with Merton Viscountcy.
Some of Nichs'' subordinates decided to change their lord, while some decided to stay, just like what always happened.
The same thing was also happening to Escher Viscountcy, which previously had belonged to thete Justin. As he had no alive sessor, his assets became a prize pool. Every Viscounts under Earl Wosterpeted to win the assets he had left behind.
With Basil''s help, Shirley had sold every assets Nichs had had, which she was sure she couldn''t ever manage, leaving her with an enormous amount of money. The only thing she kept with her was the manor, and surely the maids and the butlers.
She couldn''t just free them of duty, lest they lose their life. Living outside as amoner was not really safe after all.
Still, despite keeping the manor with her, Shirley had no intention to live there any longer. Everytime she went there, she was reminded of that day''s tragedy. She didn''t want to think any of that. Therefore, she merely let the butlers and maids take care of it.
Instead, she stayed at Basil''s manor on the outskirts of Woster County.
When everything was already settled, four days had passed. There was only a day left, before Basil''s departure to Randalvine. Shirley was anxious currently.
"Huuh... I.. I can''t do it."
"Yes, you can."
"I-I don''t think so, Brother."
"You will know when you try."
"I can never learn this, Brother!"
Shirley wasn''t afraid of Basil leaving her. She knew she could visit him whenever she liked. She was afraid of learning the lesson Basil was teaching her. It was extremely extreme!
She didn''t even know one could train their Circles. She DEFINITELY didn''t know that doing it wrong could cause one''s body to explode. With that kind of warning from Basil, how could she not feel anxious?!
"You don''t have to be afraid, Shirley. Only idiot will have their body explode."
"I really want to believe you, Brother. I really do. However, you are a genius, and for you, everyone is an idiot!"
Basil blinked his eyes at Shirley''s outburst. He ended upughing softly, before moving behind Shirley, and put his palm on her back.
"I will infuse my Mana into your body, and you try your best to feel it."
"W-will I explode?"
"You will, if I decide to let you to."
"Y-you will not let that happen, right?" At Shirley''s question, Basil kept his silence. "Right?" She asked once again, but Basil still kept his silence.
At this point, she is already worrying about her well-being. However, even before she managed to run, Basil had done what he had said. He was infusing his Mana into Shirley''s body. She quickly felt something warm coursing through her whole body.
"Ahhhnnn..." Shirley moaned.
Shirley was mortified at her slip. She quickly covered her mouth, and desperately searched a hole to hide herself in. Luckily, Basil was nonchnt. He acted as if he didn''t even hear her.
"The warm feeling you got is my Mana. However, don''t focus on the feeling. You have to try your best to expel my Mana out of your body."
Shirley was curious. However, she was still red from the embarrassment. Thus, without turning her head, she asked, "H-h-how do I do it."
"Use your own Mana."
Shirley wanted to ask once again. However, she quickly felt another force in her body that was fighting the warm feeling.
"Th-this is..."
"Focus on that feeling instead."
Basil nodded his head in satisfaction. Shirley was indeed talented. Normally, one would take a quite long time to figure it out. However, Shirley could feel her own Mana after a few minutes.
"Grasp the feeling, and rule over it. Slowly push my Mana with it."
Shirley had long lost her blush. She followed Basil''s every instruction sincerely and seriously. Her hair was matted with sweat, and it sticked to her forehead. Basil took away his hand from Shirley''s body, but she didn''t even register the fact.
She was too immersed in the feeling of controlling her Mana to realize what was going on. Basil let her be. The feeling of controlling one''s Mana without the help of Magic Circles for there first time was always addicting.
Shirley would naturally stop when her body was too burdened to bear the Mana.
Not long after, Shirley copsed to the ground a few minutes after. Her body was too sluggish to let her move.
"W-what is happening to me?!"
A panicked muffled voice was heard from Shirley. As they were in the backyard of Basil''s manor, the ground was covered with green and lush grasses. Therefore, Shirley, whose face was kissing the ground, had her voice muffled.
"That is Mana Exhaustion. Technically, Mana is inexhaustible. However, your body''s ability to gather Mana is. Therefore, people simply call it Mana Exhaustion."
"W-what should I do?"
"Lay there, and wait until your body recover itself."
"..."
Basil quirked his mouth faintly upward. It was the difference between him and the other Mages. He had a Mana Heart that could store Mana, while the other Mages only had Magic Circles to amass Mana.
Basil was the only Mage who could literally experience Mana Exhaustion. When his Mana Heart emptied its reservoir, Basil would be left without Mana. However, he wouldn''t pass out, because his body wasn''t burdened.
Different than the other Mages who gathered Mana by the help of their Magic Circles and stored it inside their body, Basil had his Mana Heart who did it all for him. Therefore, he would never get the burden any other Mages felt.
"Brother... can you help me?"
Shirley couldn''t stand it any longer. Although she had promised to be independent to Basil, she really wanted help right now.
Basil moved to pick Shirley up, and carried her like a potato sack. It was unsightly, but she couldn''t do anything about that. She could only il helplessly.
...
Night came, and the siblings were currently having a dinner. Unlike any other wealthy individuals, they didn''t have the dinner separately from their maids. They ate the dinner together.
The maids had been shocked by this at first. However, under Irene''s reassurance and Basil''s show of kindness, they had quickly gotten used to it. Still, it didn''t mean they had losr their work ethics.
"Young Master, you should definitely drink this soup. You will feel energized in the morning!"
"Young Master, don''t forget to eat the meat too. You are still growing. Protein will strengthen your muscle."
"Thank you, I will take the soup and the meat."
Basil took the suggestion in kind, and took everything offered to him.
As they had been under Irene''s guidance for a long time already, all of them turned to another version of Irene. They would pay attention to every single detail regarding Basil, whether it was his diet or clothing, just like Irene had always done.
They became even more like Irene, after Irene''s death. Although their Young Master barely showed anything, they could see how different their Young Master behaved after Irene''s death.
Therefore, they tried their best to take care of their Young Master like Irene had done. They wanted to repay the kindness their Young Master showed, and the opportunity Irene had given them by choosing them to follow their kind and respectable Young Master.
"Young Mistress, you should eat the vegetables too. You need minerals for your bones."
"Ehh... I am tall enough already."
"Being tall doesn''t necessarily mean having a strong bone, Young Mistress."
At the strong suggestion from one of the maids, Shirley finally ate the spinach, albeit reluctantly. Seeing that, the maid smiled in satisfaction, and continued eating.
When the dinner finished, the maids quickly assumed their role once again. Some washed the dishes, while some cleaned the table.
Basil went to the rooftop to forge his body and cultivate his Mana Heart. The deadline was getting closer, and he had no time to stay idle.
A few minutes into his training, Shirley came to the rooftop, and watched him from the back.
She didn''t make a sound to not bother him. However, Basil could hear her soft footstep, and feel her presence. He stopped his training, and turned to face Shirley.
"Shirley."
"Did I disturb your training?"
"No, you didn''t. Why are you here?"
"Well..." Shirley squirmed in her ce. "You will leave tomorrow, and tonight will be thest night we spend together. I just want to cherish the moment."
"Come here." Basil patted the ground beside him. "Let''s talk."
"No, no. I don''t want to disturb your training." Shirley waved her hands frantically.
"We will talk, while I am training."
"Eh? How?"
"Come here, and you will see."
The curiosity got the best of her. She stood from the ground where she previously sat on, and sat herself beside Basil. She stared curiously at Basil, but thetter merely smiled faintly, and closed his eyes.
Shirley was puzzled, and started to think Basil was pranking her. However, her thought was soon proven wrong, when a shocking thing happened.
[Can you hear me?]
"Wha¡ª what is this?!" She turned to Basil, and asked in surprise, "Brother, are you a Mentalist?!"
[No.]
"Then, how can you use [Telepathy]?"
[It is not "Telepathy".]
"Then, what is it?"
[It is called "Wavelingo".]
Basil was forging his body, cultivating his Mana Heart, and using Wavelingo tomunicate with Shirley. Such a task couldn''t be carried easily.
However, Basil had an upgraded brain. His brain had far surpassed any human brain. Therefore, he was good at multitasking.
The talk continued, until Shirley eventually fell asleep on his shoulder. It had been hours by then, and Basil took that as the cue to stop his training.
Picking Shirley up, he brought her to his bedroom. He knew that oncetched onto his body, Shirley would never let go of him. Furthermore, it was hisst night staying here. Therefore, he would let her sleep with him tonight.
The night ended, and morning came.
Chapter 99 They Choose Their Path, He Creates His Path (4)
Basil was standing in front of his manor with Deacon on his side, while facing Shirley and his maids. Today was his departure day. Therefore, everyone from his manor was seeing him off.
"Brother, I promise I will get admitted to Randalvine Preparatory Academy in no time. By that time, we will be able to be together again!" Shirley dered heatedly at Basil.
Basil smiled faintly, before patting her head. "I will be waiting." Moving his gaze to his maids, he said, "Take care of this girl in my stead." The maids bowed, before eximing in unison, "We will do our best, Young Master!"
"Remember, you are not alone. You have rissa and Julia." Basil reminded Shirley.
"I know. I will reach out to them, whenever I feel lonely." Shirley hugged Basil tightly, while muttering, "I will miss you."
Basil didn''t answer her as he merely patted her back. When Shirley let go of her hug, Basil immediately turned his back on her. While waving his hand casually, Basil entered the carriage. The Hexapod Horse neighed, before it ran with the carriage on its back.
Soon enough, the carriage couldn''t be seen any longer.
"Just wait, Brother. Just wait..." Shirley stared at the direction where Basil was heading heatedly.
She was determined to be a Second Circle Mage as soon as possible.
...
As Basil rode a special carriage, the trip to Randalvine took only six hours. Surely, it was also possible due to the Teleportation Gate.
For the whole trip, Basil was concentrating himself on training. Therefore, the ride was silent.
Upon arriving at Randalvine, Basil''s carriage passed through the bustling road slowly. As they were already so close to the destination, the Hexapod Horse didn''t need to run any longer.
Therefore, Basil could see the happy face of the wealthy people, who inhabitated Randalvine, walking on the road.
Ignorance is bliss. All of them didn''t know what would happen in the near future. They could be happy, because they thought the moment wouldst forever. Such happy face showed their ignorance. And yet, it was still enviable.
People who live in ignorance can still find their happiness. But, those who know will never ever find the way to be happy. All they do is preparing themselves to pass the hurdle that is about to hit them.
Basil wasn''t ignorant. He knew every sequence of the tragedy about to happen. What''s worse, he could even predict the time it would happen with the help of the Guide. Such Basil couldn''t be merry for now.
However, he was sure he would get thestugh.
"We have arrived at your destination, Sir."
Basil merely hummed at the carriage rider, and got down from the carriage with Deacon on his shoulder. He didn''t bring any luggage with him, as he had them stored inside his Spatial Ring.
He is wearing his favorite ck attire on him. This time, instead of Infiltration Robe, he wore a ck leather coat instead.
Magic Institute was the next education phase after graduating from Magic Academy. In Magic Institute, one would be given the path to be chosen, and be trained to do their role better. It was already amon knowledge that Mage ended up as either a Schr or an Extinguisher.
Extinguisher were people who y the Demons spawned by the Obelisk. Surely, none of them knew they were killing Demons not Monsters. It was an upation for both Mage and Knight alike. Compared to Knight, Mage indeed had too little job options.
Looking to his front Basil was greeted by the sight of four storey building that extended for 1 km in length, and 250 m in width. The area belonged to it was also as vast as the building merely took a fourth of the whole area.
There were also other buildings filling up the area, however it was clear the biggest building was the main building of the area. This ce was the best Magic Institute in Braxtein Kingdom. It was Randalvine Magic Institute.
At the entrance of the Magic Institute, a 10 m tall gate was put. It was entirely made of one of the strongest Magic Metal, Vanadium.
Basil approached the closed gate. He was about to verify his identity to the gate, when it suddenly opened by itself.
Hum.
Due to the air friction, the metal hummed each time it moved. It gave a majestic and a fearsome feeling at the same time.
When the gate waspletely opened, Basil could see someone opposite him. It was someone he knew well. A beautiful young woman with long and silky purple hair, sharp red eyes, and a well-endowed figure.
It was none other than Iliana.
"You have finallye. Took you long enough, Sil."
"Since there was no specific time mentioned, I am notte."
"What an innovative way to say ''I don''t care''." Iliana pped her hands in mock amazement.
Basil paid no attention to her, and stepped inside. Iliana, whose eyes shone briefly before Basil stepped in, was left with disappointment when nothing happened.
"What?" Basil asked in mock curiosity.
"You know all along, don''t you?"
"Know what?"
"The trap."
"Oh, did you mean this?" Basil tapped his left foot on the gateway.
Right after he retracted his foot, a strip line appeared on the ground of the gateway, and shone intensely. A strange yet profound symbols, could be seen written on the strip line.
It was a Rune.
However, one couldn''t admire the Rune for long. A strong wind was expelled from the Rune, sending anything on top of it to the sky.
Whoosh!
It all happened in less than three seconds.
Iliana red at the nonchnt Basil with unamused eyes. Basil returned the gaze with his casual yet condescending smirk.
"Hmph! You have a good sense."
"Anyone with eyes can see it inly. Your Council needs to learn more."
"Hoh?"
Iliana was surprised Basil knew the Rune was carved by the Student Council. She wasn''t that surprised Basil knew there was a rune carved on the gateway.
"How did you know it was carved by our Council member?"
"The Rune is sloppy."
"How can you judge it?"
"The flow of the Mana."
Once again, Iliana was amazed. Such an answer would normally make her face contort in irritation. However, since it wasing from Basil, she could believe the absurd answer.
To detect the flow of Mana was easy once one concentrated on the thing that was exuding Mana. Surely, the Mana had to be exuded.
It wasn''t the case with Rune. Rune didn''t exude Mana.
p To detect the Mana flow of an activated Rune, one had to have a special eyes. It was the eyes that could see Mana. To do that, one had to be able to move one''s Magic Circle from the heart to the eyes.
Needless to say, not everyone could do that.
"Come, I will lead you to your dormitory."
"Very well."
Basil followed Iliana''s lead to his dormitory. Along the way, he met with many of his "Senior". Surely, Basil didn''t want to admit they were his Senior. He knew more than the Human Emperor himself. How could he admit them as his Senior?
As he was walking side by side with Iliana, he was also receiving the curious gaze from the students. Judging by his attire, they knew Basil was a freshman. However, they couldn''t get the reason why would the Council''s Vice President personally guide him.
Of course, he didn''t only get the curious gaze. There were also people ring at him or stupidly trying to suppress him. There were many salty Nobles who had been rejected by Iliana, apparently.
"You are taking it well."
"Is this what you are aiming?"
"Not really. It is just fun to see how those idiots react to your appearance."
"Which one do you refer? The male or the female?"
"Both. Thetter is irritating, to be honest."
Basil smiled faintly. Iliana in the past had been that way too. She had hated women who were crazy over men. She had always said sacrifice over one''s love was an utter nonsense.
Still, in the end, she had saved his life.
"Women who know nothing more than just loving a man are a fodder. There is nothing such as mercy in this world." Iliana said sagely.
"The world is cruel, yet honest. People are many things, and never honest."
"Hmm... Are you saying that there is a kind liar?" Iliana stood in Basil''s way, sessfully stopping him.
"Of course." Basil gazed into Iliana''s eyes deeply. "A woman promised to be eternally by a man''s side. However, due to an ident, the man is left dying. The woman, who loves the man so much, sacrificed herself to save him."
Basil''s eyes shone iprehensibly. "The promise is broken, she became a liar. But still, she is a good partner and a kind liar. Dare you say otherwise?"
Iliana was weirded out. She was unreasonably feeling attacked. However she was a reasonable woman, so she was quick to regain herposure.
"Hmph! Nothing stops me from saying she is stupid."
"Yes, you are right." Basil nodded his head, while smiling softly.
Iliana blinked her eyes. Basil''s expression, and his mood waspletely the opposite. Although she felt it briefly, she could feel he was saddened. Still, she attributed it to his mourning over Irene''s death.
The two people continued walking, and not long after, they arrived at the dormitory. The building was four storey, and it was divided in two. One of them belonged to male students, and the other belonged to female students.
"As you are still in the first year, you will stay in the first floor." With eyes on them, Iliana guided Basil inside.
"You have the privilege of the Tournament winner. That means, your room is the closest to the bunker." Iliana nced at Basil. "Don''t you want to know the reason?"
"In case of any sudden attack ensues, it is to make sure those who are "chosen" have the highest survival rate."
"Yes, that''s the harsh reality. We only needpetent people to live. The useless ones can die." Iliana stated rightfully.
Iliana had taught him the same thing in the past. However, seeing it now, it was rather unsuitable to someone her age.
Basil shook his head faintly to clear the thought. As he was physically younger than Iliana, and had the same mindset as her, the way people saw him would also be the same as the way he had seen her earlier.
"Here is your room. You will live alone, so you don''t have to worry about ''privacy''." Iliana winked at Basil.
Basil took it nonchntly, and merely nodded his head. Iliana clicked her tongue inwardly. She had thought she could tease him.
"Meet me in the Training Field tomorrow at 9 in the morning. Don''t bete." Iliana said toward Basil.
"Hm."
At Basil''s simple response, Iliana immediately turned her back on him, and left the vicinity.
Everyone who had been watching the interaction between Basil and Iliana, put their gaze on Basil. Curiosity was in in their eyes.
Surely, Basil didn''t care. He merely entered his room.
Chapter 100 They Choose Their Path, He Creates His Path (5)
The rumour of the freshman who had been guided personally by the Council''s Vice President to the dormitory was spreading through the whole dormitory. Everyone who had seen him confirmed the rumour was true. Therefore, everyone was curious.
They wanted to see the face of this person. Sadly, they couldn''t. Apparently, this person was solitary. He didn''t like socializing that much. Even though they knew where his room was, he didn''t get out of it ever since entering.
"Hmm... I believe this person is the one who we think it is."
"Yes, judging by his attitude, it must be him."
Two people were conversing among themselves in front of the door of the rumoured person. One of them was a long ck haired young man with a beautiful face, and one of them was a blond haired young man with a handsome face.
The former stood at 178 cm, while thetter stood at 181 cm. These two were the people who knew of the rumoured person. They were Clovis Woster, and Wei Xiu Li.
"Should we knock his door?"
"I don''t know, Senior. You are the older one here, you should be the one who makes decision."
Clovis turned his head at Xiu Li, who had just given him a witty answer. Xiu Li was giving him an innocent face, and it was hard for him to rebuke Xiu Li. Sighing to himself, Clovis decided to knock Basil''s door.
Knock. Knock.
Clovis and Xiu Li waited for a few minutes. They sighed, when there was no response from the one inside.
"I think it''s time to¡ª"
Click.
Clovis turned his head to the door. It was opening slowly. Xiu Li was also the same, as he nted his eyes on the door, or to be exact, to the person behind the door.
When the door was fully opened, a young man that towered over the two people could be seen.
His brown hair was swept to the back, leaving a few strands of his hair covering his forehead. He had an equally handsome and beautiful face, and a gaze that don''t belong to someone his age.
This was the rumoured person, someone who Clovis and Xiu Li knew quite well. It was Basil Pacifer.
"Brother Basil. It''s really you!"
"As expected, it''s you."
Basil looked at the two people in front of his door. He had been training himself, when he had heard the knock on his door. As he had been training body, he needed some time to finish his regime.
"Were you training?" Clovis asked.
"Yes."
"Even at this time?"
"Yes."
"How long do you spend your day training, Brother?" Xiu Li asked.
"Yes."
"..."
"..."
Clovis and Xiu Li looked at each other, before smiling wryly.
"Come in. All eyes are on us."
At Basil''s word, Clovis and Xiu Li Turner around to look at what was going on. Surely enough, there were already crowd looking at Basil curiously. Wordlessly, both of them entered Basil''s room.
Upon entering, they could see an organized and big room. The bed was big enough for two people to sleep in, and it lookedfortable. Judging by the room setting only, the room was on par with the room belonged to a wealthy merchant.
Such a room was unthinkable of a dormitory room.
"Woah... It''s half times as big as mine. As expected of the room belonged to the first ce." Xiu Li admired Basil''s room.
"Xiu Li is right. This room is as big as an unranked third year''s room, and that is saying something."
Basil paid no attention to the two people. He merely took out his own teamaking set,id it on the table, then brew the tea. His visitors'' attention quickly turned to Basil, when they smelled the fragrant tea.
Instantly, they were amazed by Basil''s skills on teamaking. His movement, and the way he ground the tea leaves left them speechless. They were feeling like they were looking at the master of tea brewing.
"Wow... Brother Basil, you are extremely good at it!"
"The more I see what you can do, the more I am amazed."
Without looking at them, Basil replied, "Let''s chat over some tea."
At Basil''s order like suggestion, his visitors quickly sat themselves on the chair, before eagerly sipping the tea.
Slurp.
"Th-this is... This is...!"
"Ahhh... Heavenly!"
Basil looked at the two dramatic people silently. He knew his teamaking skill was godly. However, he didn''t expect these two would react that way. After all, he had merely used a considerably average quality tea leaves.
Surely, Basil also didn''t forget to enjoy his personally made tea.
"Kuhum!" Clovis realized what he had de. "I am sorry. That was unsightly of me." He looked to the side, only to find Xiu Li already regained hisposure.
"Your tea is awesome, Brother! It reminds of my country."
While Clovis was puzzled by Xiu Li''s word, Basil smiled faintly. "I learned how to make tea from my friend who is from the country of Hua."
"Really? That is awesome! No wonder it tastes very familiar."
"Indeed. I have made some changes. Therefore, the taste is not exactly the same."
"It''s even better this way, Brother."
Clovis looked at the two conversing tea enthusiast. He felt left out. Surely, he had a way to gather the two''s attention.
"Kuhum!" Basil and Xiu Li turned their attention to him. "We are here to wee you, Basil." He took a sip of his tea, before continuing, "And also to ask you to spill the tea."
"Huh? What are you saying, Senior? Why do you want to spill this heavenly tea?!" Xiu Li asked in bewilderment.
"..."
"..."
Surely, the two people didn''t know how to react. Due to how good Xiu Li was at speaking Exon, they had momentarily forgot he was someone from the county of Hua, and thus was still learning their culture.
After some brief exnation, Xiu Li''s eyes lit up in understanding. "Oh, so that''s it! I am sorry for taking it literally." Xiu Li bowed his head at Clovis.
"Nah, don''t worry." Clovis merely waved his hand. "The important thing is... Basil, how is your progress with Iliana?"
Xiu Li didn''t know what Clovis was talking about, but he listened anyway.
Basil quirked an eyebrow at the two curious people. He was secretly amused by the two''s reason of visiting. Although it must have been mainly because of Clovis, he considered Xiu Li riding the same boat as Clovis.
"We are going to have a date tomorrow." Basil answered nonchntly. He decided to y with them.
Basil''s two visitors were shocked to their core. Especially Clovis, who had known Iliana for two years. He couldn''t believe it. THAT Iliana was willing to have a date! He felt the need to deliver this news ASAP.
Quickly bringing Xiu Li with him, Clovis left Basil''s room in hurry.
Needless to say, Basil didn''t expect another shocking rumour about him was spreading through the whole dormitory in the next morning.
...
Like he had promised to Iliana, Basil was already in the Training Field by 9.
Basil was always on time. He was never in time. If someone made an appointment with him at 9, he woulde at 9. Not less, not more.
Therefore, he was surprised when he found Iliana was already there when he arrived at the field exactly at 9. How could he not? Iliana had been the one who had taught him to be on time.
"Tsk. You arete, Sil."
"Ie perfectly on time."
"It''s amon courtesy toe 15 minutes earlier than the appointed time."
"Say that to anyone else."
At Basil''s nonchnt answer, Iliana red at him. She tapped her foot on the ground, before sighing to herself.
"Was it you?"
"What was me?"
"The rumour."
"I have many rumours surrounding me already."
"The one where you are going out with me."
Basil looked at Iliana closely. Due to their height difference, it looked like a staredown though.
"Do you mind if it was me?" He retracted his head.
Iliana hummed to herself. "Hmm... That''s very bold of you." But then, she smirked, and said, "I am fine with that though."
Basil shook his head faintly with a small smile. "Sadly, it wasn''t me. It must have been Clovis'' work."
"Hoh? So, it was that prick." Iliana smiled coldly. "I will end that prick''s life for sure."
''A silent moment for thete Clovis.'' Vagus said, while making a praying gesture.
Basil inwardly shook his head. Clovis wasn''t even dead yet. They needed to do it only after his death. Doing it now would be a waste of effort.
Surely, all of them had never entertained the thought of how wrong it would be killing Clovis.
"Ah, I think you will still bear the consequence though."
"Are you referring to your rabid admirers?"
"Well, I won''t say admirers. They are just inly delusional."
Basil smiled in amusement at Iliana''s blunt opinion. He was about to ask what was Iliana''s purpose for calling him here, when a voice suddenly interrupted them.
"Basil Pacifer!"
Someone entered the Training Field. It was a young man in his early twenties with green hair, and a fairly attractive face. Judging by his gait, one could instantly deduce he was a Noble.
"Well, that''s your first disturbance." Iliana said to Basil. "Good luck!" She cheered on him.
"Basil Pacifer, I challenge you to a Battle right here, right now!" The newly entered person eximed at Basil.
"What is the bet?"
"If you win, I will admit your rtionship with Miss Iliana." At this, Iliana''s face contorted. She didn''t need the idiot''s admittance to go out with Basil! "If you lose however, you will have to stay away from Miss Iliana!"
Basil frowned. Such a condition was counterproductive. Therefore, he couldn''t help but suggesting something.
"How about giving me your monthly allowance, if I win."
"Deal!"
Basil smirked faintly at the quickly agreeing idiot. Although he had more money than the idiot, he would never refuse more money.
"I swear upon this Rune to follow what was uttered!" The person who challenged Basil eximed. The ground below him shone briefly in red, before settling down.
As the whole area of Randalvine Magic Institute was covered with all kinds of Rune, everywhere was a Battlefield. One only needed to utter the activation word, and the Battle could be proceed.
Basil also muttered the activation word, and the ground below him shone briefly in red. Looking at his opponent in ridicule, he took Kusanagi out of of his Spatial Bracelet.
Then, he charged forward.
Chapter 101 They Choose Their Path, He Creates His Path (6)
Matthew Harborough was the favored child in his family. He was hailed as a genius, and behaved like one. At the age of twenty, he had be a Fourth Circle Mage. Not only that, he also had two Grand Circles on him.
Such a person like him had the right to feel superior over others. Surely, Matthew abused this right. He often ridiculed talentless people, and harassed every "weakling" heid his eyes on. Needless to say, he was also narcissistic.
He had thought he could get everything he wanted. However, he was awaken from his dream, when he met Iliana, the prettiest girl he had ever seen in his entire life. He had quickly "conveyed" his interest to her, and her response hade even quicker.
She had rejected him without even batting an eysh.
He had been enraged. He had said Iliana should have been grateful to be fancied by him. Surely, it had been his biggest mistake. It had taken him two weeks under the best treatment to be able to function like a normal person again.
Since then, he had never dare to act arrogantly in front of Iliana. Surely, his fancy over her didn''t diminish in the least bit. Thus, when he had heard Iliana had gotten a boyfriend, he had been so enraged!
He felt the need to teach this boyfriend of her a lesson. Therefore, he had challenged him.
Gulp.
"H-h-how?"
Surely, it wasn''t within his expectation Iliana''s boyfriend, Basil Pacifer, could beat him in a blink of an eye, quite literally.
Matthew nced at the sharp sword touching against his neck. Even though Basil hadn''t moved his sword at all, his neck was already bleeding. No. He was sure his head would be chopped off, if not for the [Protection] Rune set on the whole area of the Magic Institute.
"What are you doing? Don''t make me wait. The Battle will not end, before you forfeit."
Although Basil had said that calmly, Matthew felt extremely frightened by his word. Matthew felt as if the sword could move anytime, and chopped his head off.
"I f-forfeit."
In the end, he decided to forfeit. He had lost even without fighting back. It was unsightly for the genius of Harborough Household. However, he could tell when it was time to back off.
Even the Rune had decided to help him. That was already an enough proof of his incapability to face Basil.
The ground below Matthew briefly shone in blue, before settling down. Basil also retracted Kusanagi, however he didn''t store it right away.
"Well?" Basil quirked his eyebrow at Matthew.
Matthew, who was busy on making sure his neck whether his neck was alright, turned his head to Basil, and was instantly reminded of the bet between them; he begrudgingly took all of his money out of his Spatial Bracelet.
"Here."
Basil took the offered pouch, and weighed it down. "Light," he muttered casually.
Matthew was extremely humiliated by Basil''s word. Basil had just basically said he was broke. Still, he didn''t have the right to get angry. He was a sore loser; a loser can only grit their teeth, and bear the humiliation.
"Don''t think it is the end, Basil Pacifer! I will regain my honor back." Matthew stared at Basil resolutely. "I will expect a great prize out of you," Basil replied casually.
? With gritted teeth, Matthew turned his body, and left the scene.
Iliana, who was watching the entire scene in amusement, turned her head at Deacon beside her. "Pup, your Master is sure merciless in many ways."
Although Deacon didn''t like the way Iliana called him, he was still proud of his master. Therefore, he puffed his chest, and raised his head high.
Woof!
"Like Master, like Companion, huh?"
Iliana shook her head, at the posing Chibi Deacon. Although he was as small as a pup, he could still find the right pose to look mighty.
"May I ask you what is your purpose of calling me here?" Basil stored the money he had gotten, and stood beside Iliana; Kusanagi was attached to his back.
"Well, no particr reason. I just want you to show me your Magic Circles."
"My Magic Circles? Why?"
"I want topare them with mine."
"Hoh?" Basil quirked his eyebrow in interest.
Iliana must have noticed something different about his Magic Circles. As expected of her, she was as observant as usual.
Boom!
Basil materialized his three Magic Circles, and the surrounding area was quickly overwhelmed with Mana.
Star Vein was the point of where Natural Mana gathered in one ce. There were 180 Star Veins on the earth, and there were only 80 of them had been seized. The rest were still on the hands of Demons.
As Randalvine Magic Institute was built on top of a Star Vein, the Mana density was a few times denser than the other ces''. Therefore, upon contact with Basil''s Ultimate Circles, the Mana in the surrounding area quickly gathered around him.
"Hmm... Fascinating." Iliana hummed to herself.
She observed every strange yet profound symbols carved on Basil''s Magic Circles. She couldn''t understand anything, but she could tell the profoundness.
"Huuh..." She sighed.
Even though minutes had passed, she still couldn''t figure out what Carving Manual Basil used to carve his Magic Circles. However, she was sure it was not something normal. The amount of Mana Basil''s Magic Circles attracted was no joke.
"Very well. You can take them back."
Basil deactivated his Magic Circles, and they were quickly dematerialized. Quirking his eyebrow at Iliana, he asked, "Shouldn''t it supposed to be aparison? Where are yours?"
Iliana crossed her hand below her chest. "You will eventually get the chance to see them. So, I won''t show them now." She smiled mischievously, and raised her chest with her crossed hand. "I can show you another thing though."
Basil looked at Iliana,pletely unamused. The younger him would surely blush in embarrassment, and refused as hard as he could. However, the current him was different. He was already experienced enough to face this kind of teasing.
"Show me, then."
"Sure..." Iliana, who was about tough, looked up to Basil in surprise. "Really?"
"Yeah."
"Well, okay then." Iliana shrugged.
Since both of them were stubborn in nature. None of them wanted to back down. Basil kept staring at Iliana with unamused eyes, while Iliana faced his gaze unwaveringly. She was determined to do what she had said.
When she was about to open her t-shirt, Basil put his hand on top of hers. Quickly looking up to him, Iliana smiled victoriously.
"What? Backing down already."
"No. Someone ising."
Surprised, Iliana quickly scanned her surrounding. Surely enough, there was someoneing their way. She scolded herself in her mind; Basil''s presence had rxed her too much, she had forgotten to remain cautious.
"So, the rumour turns out to be true, huh?" A heavy voice was heard from the entrance of the Training Field.
Iliana''s face quickly developed a frown. She knew who the voice belonged to. It was one of her adamant suitors who was too confident in himself.
She had made this idiot kissed the ground many times, but he still dare toe to her. A tenacious prick indeed.
"He will be your second for today. Good lu¡ª Sil?" Iliana was taken aback, when she saw Basil''s face.
Basil rarely showed any expression. However this time, Basil fully smiled. He smiled in apparent delight, but the aura he was exuding was extremely unpleasant. Rage, killing intent, and a touch of madness was mixed together.
Iliana couldn''t even tell what Basil was feeling, as she was too sickened by the aura Basil was currently exuding.
"Basil!" Iliana shook his body. She didn''t even call him with the nickname she had given him.
Basil lost his smile, and turned to Iliana. Despite so, the unpleasant feeling still remained.
"What is it, Iliana?"
"What happens to you?" She asked while still grasping his arm.
"I am about to have some fun." Basil removed Iliana''s hand from his arm.
He stepped forward, and met the person who had just entered the Training Field.
He was a blue haired young man with a fairly muscr body, and aH face that was considerably more attractive than Clovis. Dressed in Randalvine Magic Institute''s third year''s uniform, he stood at 187 cm tall.
Basil knew this person personally. No, he knew this person very well. He had had been extremely close with this person in the past. He had had been his trusted friend. His name was Eugene, amoner, and a betrayer.
Because of this bastard in the past, Iliana had been forced to forfeit her life. Because of this bastard in the past, he had to live in a constant running. Because of this bastard in the past, he had lost everything.
Now that he was presented the chance of meeting this bastard early, he would finish this bastard even before he became a problem.
Once a betrayer, will always be a betrayer. It runs in their blood, and Basil cared not about the event that hadn''t happened yet.
"Basil Pacifer, may we exchange some pointer topare our skills?" Eugene said with a smile to Basil.
Basil smiled faintly, and Eugene was instantly assaulted with an unpleasant and heavy pressure.
"Sure. We can exchange some blow, and see who will keep their head in the end."
"Hahaha! We don''t need to go t-that far." Although Eugene tried to say it as steady as possible, his voice faltered in the end.
Woof!
Deacon called out to Iliana. When Iliana turned her head at Deacon, she was taken aback. Deacon''s expression wasn''t good. The Mana he was exuding told his mood. He was agitated, anxious, and afraid. Out of the feeling Iliana could detect, fear was the strongest.
Deacon couldn''t help it; his Master''s expression wasn''t good. It reminded him so much about that day where his Master had gone from Randalvine to Woster by foot. However this time, it was more frightening. He was sure nothing good would happen.
Woof!
Iliana stared at Deacon in puzzlement. She knew what Deacon was telling her to do. However, she didn''t get why should she stop Basil. Even if things got out of hands, they didn''t have to be worry about Basil. There were many Runes set to stop him.
Surely, she didn''t know yet.
"Upon thisnd I stand, spilling the blood of my nemesis." Basil took Kusanagi from his back, and cut his palm with it. The blood dripped to the ground, and a ck Magic Circle materialized on top of it.
Mana gathered around him, and he continued to speak, "Shall the blood I spill be the end of the grudge."
At this point, Iliana already knew what Basil was about to do. Therefore, she was frantic. "Basil, stop it!"
"[Blood Decree!]"
A sinister aura instantly descended upon the Training Field, and a red domepletely encapsted Basil and the bewildered Eugene.
[Blood Decree] was a Mage way to settle a long-time feud. It was a profound Spell that strangely any mage could learn.
Once activated, the Spell wouldst until one of the people encapsted in the dome lost their live.
Chapter 102 They Choose Their Path, He Creates His Path (End)
"What are you doing?!" Eugene eximed incredulously at Basil.
Basil didn''t give him any response, other than activating his Magic Circles.
Boom!
His three Magic Circles shone intensely, and the surrounding area was quickly overwhelmed by Mana.
"Tsk! Thisd has lost his sense!" Eugene couldn''t help but cursing inwardly.
The Battle would be life and death. Either he would lose his life, or he would kill Basil. Those were the only oue. Not even the Magic Institute''s countless of Runes could intervene their battle inside this ursed dome.
Eugene activated his Magic Circles.
Boom!
Four Magic Circles floated behind his back. Three of them were Grand Circle, while thest one was a Major Circle. Needless to say, Eugene was a rare talent amongstmoners.
"You have made a wrong decision, Basil Pacifer! Today will be yourst day!" Eugene extended his hand, and a Grimoire appeared.
Basil didn''t n to stay idle. He swung Kusanagi horizontally, and a big wind de was sent at Eugene. Not stopping there, he made a whirlwind with the help of Kusanagi, before setting it on fire.
Then, he spread it forward.
Boom!
The surrounding area was quickly engulfed with fire.
"Darn it! Does thisd have limitless Mana?!"
Eugene was frantically casting his Defense Spell. Befitting of a genius, he managed to cast it quickly. Surely, he didn''t stay idle either. He was moving here and there to avoid Basil''s attack. The Defense Spell was merely a precaution.
sh!
In the middle of the chaos, Basil sped through the ground like a sh. The fire carried by the whirlwind burned the ground, and decorated the area with a bright red light.
While Eugene was safe due to his Defense Spell, not a part of Basil was touched by the fire.
Screech!
Wind des surrounded Basil in a sphere shape. Eugene was already close to him, and he was also ready to attack Basil with his own Spell.
"[Lightning Spear]!" Eugene eximed.
Electricity sparkled in Eugene''s hand, before a lightning spear appeared. Quickly aiming it at Basil, he threw it to Basil.
Screech!
The wind des surrounding Basil moved even faster. Not long after, a sparkle of electricity could be seen frolicking around the wind sphere.
When Eugene''s lightning spear made a contact with the wind sphere, it was instantly dispersed by the sphere, much to Eugene''s bewilderment.
"What the?!"
"Air friction can produce electricity, imbecile." Basil muttered coldly.
Eugene was even more bewildered, when Basil suddenly appeared in front of him. Uncaring to him, Basil quickly swung Kusanagi, and it was quickly approaching Eugene''s neck. However, that was also when a surprising thing happened.
Rumble!
Basil could only hear a thunder, before Eugene disappeared from his view. In result, Kusanagi struck the air.
BOOM!
Surely, it didn''t mean nothing happened. The ground in front of Basil waspletely blown away. In result, a long and deep hole was created on the ground.
Basil turned his body to face the direction where Eugene had reappeared. He knew what Eugene was using. It was a Lightning Element Spell that allowed the user to move instantly, [Thunderp]. The only downside of it was the noise it left.
"You are indeed a fearsome opponent, Basil." Eugene said from afar. Countless of lightning spears were floating behind him. "But, you can''t even know your limit. Ipletely outss you, yet you dare to challenge me? Ridiculous!"
"Are you talking about the amount of Magic Circles?" Basil activated his Aura, and 40 weapons of all kinds floated behind him. "Unfortunately to you, I am a firm believer of quality over quantity."
Eugene snorted. "Die!" He sent the lightning spears forward.
Surely, Basil sent the weapons he was controlling forward too. In result, every lightning spears heading his way were hitting the weapons instead.
It is the rule of the world. Lighting is attracted to metal.
Dash!
Basil activated his Step Art and Movement Technique consequentially. He was speeding toward Eugene even faster than a bullet. Surely, Eugene didn''t n to stay idle either. He quickly casted [Thunderp], and moved away from Basil.
Rumble! Rumble! Rumble!
The area that was encapsted by the dome was sparkling. A loud explosion would ur almost constantly, and the ground would be excavated from time to time.
All of it was caused by the fight of two people.
A future betrayal, and his victim from the past.
...
Outside.
Iliana was concentrating on the dome that was encapsting Basil and Eugene.
Right after Basil had activated the Spell, she had quickly run to call Lawson and notify and the Council. In result, they were all there to break the Spell.
"Darn! What caused that boy to do a [Blood Decree]?" Lawson cursed audibly. Surrounding him were Iliana and five students from the Council. "Mr. Lawson, this is impossible to be broken. It''s tooplex!"
Lawson could only grunt as a response. He was also trying his best infusing his Mana to disintegrate the core form forming the Spell. Still, he couldn''t find it. It was as if the world was purposefully preventing him to find it.
"Master!" Iliana called. "Let''s break it!"
"No, we can''t! We will kill the caster if we do so. In other words, Basil will die!"
"He won''t!"
Lawson turned his gaze to Iliana, and the other students from the Council were too. The Council''s current President, Darius Ashbury stared at Iliana seriously.
"What are you talking about Iliana? You are risking the life of two people!"
"Trust me!" Iliana answered resolutely.
Darius kept staring at Iliana, while still trying his best to dissolve the dome. In the end, he sighed, and turned his head at Lawson.
"Master. Let''s try it."
"Darius, even you?" Lawson looked at Darius incredulously.
Still, in the end, he nodded his head helplessly. He couldn''t help it. Although he had said breaking [Blood Decree] forcefully would kill the caster, in truth, it wasn''t.
However, more often than not, the caster was dead after it was forcefully broken. That was his reason for saying it.
"Prepare your attack! We will pierce the dome with our concentrated Mana!" Lawson ordered.
Different from a Magic Barrier, they couldn''t destroy the dome with Spell. They had to condense their Mana, and pierced it in the same point. If they were to attack it with Spell, the unexpecting Basil and Eugene would be swept away in the attack, and met their demise.
"On my count! One, two, three. Infuse!"
Boom!
A ridiculous amount of Mana overwhelmed the area. It was to the point where everyone outside of the Training Field entered in curiosity. Surely enough, upon entering, they were bewildered with what they were seeing.
A red dome encapsted half of the Training Field, and everyone from the Council along with Lawson were surrounding it. Surely, they could instantly figure out what was happening. Someone was doing the forbidden [Blood Decree].
It was also at that moment, when the red dome bloated and shrinking, before eventually exploded.
Boom!
A wave of Mana swept over the onlookers. Many of the curious students were knocked on their butt, due to the wave. Surely, everyone from the Council remained rooted to the ground.
When they could finally see the scene inside the dome, their heart instantly sank to the bottom of their stomach.
Deep trenches, and holes decorated the charred ground. Signs of explosion could be even seen almost everywhere.
Quickly, they searched the people who had caused the scene. Eugene was sprawled on the ground with torn uniforms, and countless of open wounds. He was perfectly covered in blood.
In the other hand, Basil stood with Kusanagi as his support, nothing but some scratches on his skin. However, he was experiencing the bacsh of his [Blood Decree] forceful anntion. He was clutching his chest, while blood was dripping from his mouth
When everyone from the Council saw the two of them were still breathing, they heaved a sigh of relief. That was until Basil suddenly righted himself up ¡ª much to their utter bafflement ¡ª and swung Kusanagi at Eugene.
"Basil!"
Iliana teleported beside Basil, and intercepted Kusanagi.
nk!
Boom!
Even if she managed to intercept Kusanagi, it didn''t stop the ground below from getting destroyed. Luckily, Iliana had kicked Eugene far away from the ground impacted by Basil''s casual swing. Thus, he was safe.
"What are you doing?" Basil quirked an eyebrow.
"Stop it."
"Death is the part of life. One shall not deny it."
"Sil!" Iliana stared at Basil sternly.
Basil''s mouth turned into a thin line. He gazed at Iliana iprehensibly, and Iliana received that gaze unwaveringly. She thought Basil was angry with her, but she didn''t mind. Surely, shepletely misunderstood it.
Basil was just bitter inwardly. Here, he was trying to eliminate a future problem, and everyone was stopping him. Even Iliana who had been troubled the most in the past by the bastard he was about to kill was stopping him.
"Put down your sword." Iliana stored her Magic Sword, and slowly pushed down Basil''s hand that was holding Kusanagi.
Fortunately, Basil just let her did it. When Basil hadpletelyid his hand down, Iliana hugged him tightly. She didn''t want Basil to feel guilty over his action. Therefore, she hugged him to show she was on his side.
"Eugene is the representative youth of the Church. No matter how punchable his face is, you can not take his head in Randalvine. The consequence of provoking the Church is severe." Iliana looked up to Basil.
Basil faced down, and Iliana could see the scratch on his forehead slowly stitching itself back together. What a magnificent scene to watch, and yet her attention wasn''t on it. She was captivated by his shining golden eyes.
"Your eyes..."
"Once, a wise woman told me, ''Mortal choose, while a god creates. In life, be the god. Let others choose their path, and you create your own.'' Am I not allowed to do it?" Basil muttered softly.
"Of course you are allowed. However, the current you are not creating your own path. You are merely walking the path people avoid. I don''t know what is your grudge with him. But, everything has its time. You don''t need to rush."
"Time, huh?" Basil hummed. "I guess you are right."
Iliana didn''t say anything. She merely tightened her hug. Sadly, Basil was thinking of the opposite thing she had meant.
Time. Basil had no time. He merely had the perfect asion.
Eugene was currently saved by the circumstance. However, his luck would soon run out.
Obelisk of Dantalion''s outbreak was closing. When the time came, Basil would definitely use that asion to cut Eugene''s head.
When people weren''t giving him chance, he would make the chance.
People often only see the paths that are presented in front of them. Therefore, they can only choose. However, Basil was different.
When they choose their path, he creates his path.
Chapter 103 Wide Open
Lichtenberg, Grittenhein Kingdom, 2028 ACE (After Chaos Era).
Grittenhein was one of the biggest Kingdoms under the rule of the Human Empire, Arthean Empire. Lichtenberg was its capital.
In the room of one of the best hotels in Lichtenberg, two people were lying their bodies on the luxury bed. The man was staring at the ceiling as if admiring the elegance of the room design, while the woman was embracing the man.
"You are overthinking more than usual." The beautiful woman whose hair was as purple as Hyacinth looked up, and spoke to the brown haired man.
"It''s not overthinking when you worry about the hurdle about to pass you." The handsome man replied the woman.
"Thinking over the thing that will never happen is overthinking, in my opinion. Do you not agree to it, Sil?"
The man who was revealed to be Basil, looked down at the woman who was none other than Iliana. He sighed. He knew he was overthinking.
However, he couldn''t calm his heart down at the thought of the uing battle, despite having been on the battlefield for a decade already.
There was something wrong about tomorrow''s battle, and he couldn''t exin what. Thus, he was anxious.
"Overthinking is a sign of intelligence. People who overthink tend to be more careful than the others. When you are careful, your chance of surviving will be higher."
"You are talking as if one of the two of us will die tomorrow," Iliana retorted.
"Well, as a Knight, our mortality rate is higher than that of a Mage. I may not be able to see you after tomorrow''s battle," Basil replied calmly.
"It''s been 9 years since we are together, and I thought you have already get rid of your pessimism. Also, why are you smiling? Do you think talking about death is funny."
"There has never been fun in talking about death. However, death is not a risk. It is our fate. We are destined to die right after we are born. We can''t run from death. Therefore, it is better to embrace the fact."
"Now, you are saying you are not afraid of death."
"Yes, I''m not afraid of death. I''m afraid of the time when ites."
Basil caressed Iliana''s purple hair tenderly, while looking at her warmly. Iliana clicked her tongue at Basil''s thought, but couldn''t help toy her head on his chest.
"You have already reached the Purple Core Stage, the highest stage in Body Forging. You are one of the strongest Knights if not the strongest in Arthean Empire. Someone of your caliber is not supposed to be afraid of a mere subjugation mission."
Basil hummed at Iliana''s answer. "I''m not afraid of my demise. What I''m afraid is..." Basil didn''t continue his word as Iliana was already looking at him intently.
"Hoh, now you are looking down on me?" Basil tried to retort, but Iliana didn''t give him the chance. "In case you have forgotten, I am a Seventh Circle Mage. Although you have outssed me currently, when I Carve my Eighth Circle, you will be far below me."
Basil smiled wryly at Iliana''s rather aggressive answer. They had been together for too long, he had forgotten she had been his former mentor, and was a prideful woman.
"I''m not looking down on you or whatsoever. Your prideful nature makes me worry. I''m pretty sure you will still force yourself to fight, even after you arepletely spent."
"I''m prideful, not stupid."
Once again, Basil chuckled and embraced her tighter. He couldn''t say it. He couldn''t say about his anxiousness. He knew his anxiousness was baseless, and Iliana hated baseless anxiousness. Therefore, he didn''t say the truth.
"You are hugging me too tight. Just tell me if you want to have another round. I am still in the mood." Iliana smirked at Basil.
Basil shook his head faintly, then brought her on top of his body. Without saying anything, he hugged her tightly. Although Iliana liked it, she was puzzled by his action. He was being exceptionally cuddly right now. Therefore, she gazed at him curiously.
"I just want to hug you for the rest of the night."
Iliana merely smiled, and buried her face in Basil''s chest. They remained that way, until the morning came.
Little did they know, it was theirst time to be able to do it.
...
BA-22, 25 Miles from Lichtenberg.
BA-22 was the area where the 22nd Obelisk, the Obelisk of Astaroth was located. The area was a in infested with Demons. The soil was as ck as an ink, and the air was pungent. One look at it was enough to make one dub it as the cursednd.
This was the battlefield between the Demons and the Five Empires. Human, Elves, Dwarves, Fairies, and Demi-Human fought on this in to subjugate the area near the Obelisk of Astaroth.
Ten years ago, the first Outbreak had ured. As it had been really unexpected, countless of people had died, and many areas had been seized by the Demons for a few days.
Since then, rather than waiting to be attacked, the Five Empire had decided to actively clear the Obelisks. After ten years of the first Obelisk Clearing, they had cleared ten Obelisks so far. Surely, it hadn''t been without cost.
"Iliana will join the north side, and assume the role as the leader of the Mage team. Basil will join the West side, andmand the Knights." A blue haired man with a handsome face, and muscr body spoke to Basil and Iliana.
"North side? That is the closest ce to the Obelisk. Sending Mages to the closest ce to the Obelisk is the same as sending them to Death," Basil responded harshly.
"Calm down, Commander Basil. I''m not sending your lover to death. The north side is the area with the least Monster. She will be safe there. Furthermore, I will be there too. I will assure your lover''s safety." The blue haired man smiled.
,m "I believe in Iliana more than I believe in you, Eugene. I remember all the kinds of trouble you have caused ever since I know you."
"That''s hurt, really. You knew I was just messing around." Eugene put his hand on his chest dramatically. "Don''t worry! I will never mess around with someone''s life." He smiled brightly.
Basil deemed Eugene''s word as insincere. Therefore, he wanted to retort him once again. However, at that moment, Iliana held him back.
"Didn''t you say you believe in me? Why are you so afraid of letting me fight alone."
Basil couldn''t answer. He merely looked at Iliana''s eyes deeply, before eventually sighing to himself. Then, he tugged the pendant on his neck.
Tak!
He presented the pendant that was now off his neck to Iliana.
"Why are you taking off the pendant I have given you?" Iliana asked curiously. She couldn''t help it. They had the same pendant, and it was symbolic to them.
"Bring it back to me." Basil said calmly.
"Okay." Iliana merely nodded, and took the pendant. She knew what Basil meant. Come back safely.
No words were exchanged. Basil merely encased her with his embrace, and kissed her forehead. Then, he turned to Eugene.
"I will have your head, if anything happens to her, Eugene."
Eugene merely nodded his head, and smiled amiably. Basil let go of his hug, and went to the post he was designated too. Surely, at that time, he didn''t think that would be hisst day to be with Iliana.
The subjugation started, and an unexpected Outbreak ured in the middle of the Subjugation. Everyone was startled, especially Basil, who was leading an entire army of Knights.
Iliana sacrificed herself to save the extremely injured Basil.
...
Present time.
A memory of the past passed through Basil''s head. Looking down at Iliana who was embracing him, he couldn''t help but clicking his tongue in distaste.
If he had managed to kill Eugene before Iliana and the others had managed to break [Blood Decree], Eugene''s death would be considered as an "ident". Now that he had been stopped by everyone, he couldn''t forcefully kill Eugene.
If he did so, the Church would be hot on his arse. He knew Eugene was sponsored by the Church. Therefore, he became even more eager to y Eugene. Even in his past life, he had never had a good rtionship with the Church.
He hated them for their hypocrisy, and they hated him for his "unfaithfulness".
"Have you calmed yourself down?"
"I am always calm, and have always been."
"No calm person will go on a killing spree."
"It''s a fair and just Battle, not a killing spree."
Iliana looked up to Basil. She frowned her forehead. No matter how much she talked to him, Basil didn''t seem to be willing to let go of the matter. She was curious as to what kind of feud he had with Eugene.
Still, it didn''t matter now. Basil needed to go to the Medical Room to be treated.
Woof!
Deacon who had arrived beside Basil, tugged on his pants. He was looking at Basil worriedly. Iliana and Basil looked down at Deacon. While Iliana was curious, Basil developed a small smile.
"Come here, Buddy. I am okay."
Deacon swiftlytched onto Basil''s shoulder, and rubbed his head to Basil''s cheek. Iliana let go of her hug, and merely watched the two in interest. A Mage having a Beast Companion was as weird as a Knight having a staff.
However, since it was Basil, she couldn''t think it was weird any longer.
"You will need to exin yourself after this, Sil."
"I know."
Right after that was said, Lawson came at Basil, along with the other Council members. While Lawson was looking at him in an extreme puzzlement, the Council members were frowning.
Although they had managed to stop a tragedy from happening, they couldn''t be happy. They couldn''t tolerate a rule breaker.
Surely, Basil faced them unwaveringly as usual.
"We will have a talk over thister," Lawson said.
And, talk they did.
Chapter 104 Wide Open (End)
A new rumour was circting in the entire Institute. The newly admitted freshman, the Regional Tournament winner, the boyfriend of Randalvine Magic Institute''s Ice Queen, Iliana, was a lunatic.
At first, they dubbed Basil as someone who wasn''t meant to be poked. However, upon hearing the story of his fierceness, everyone agreed he was a lunatic. On top of breaking the rule to never dere a [Blood Decree], he had also almost killed his senior.
What was even scarier was the fact he had survived the bacsh of the forcefully broken [Blood Decree]. Only a lucky person, or aplete monster could do that. Judging by what he had done, they considered Basil was thetter.
Surely, the one in the center of attention was currently unaware of the currently circting rumour about him ¡ª even if he knew, he wouldn''t care. He was sitting in Lawson''s office, while surrounded by everyone from the Student Council.
A ck haired young man with lean body, and a moderately attractive appearance looked down at Basil sternly. Although he was only 181 cm tall ¡ª considerably shorter than Basil ¡ª it didn''t affect the might he was exuding.
He was Darius Ashbury, the President of Randalvine Magic Institute''s Student Council.
"You are obligated to provide us a believable reason on why you just did your act, Mr. Pacifer."
Basil, whose gaze remained on Lawson since he had entered the room, looked up at Darius. He faced Darius'' stern gaze unwaveringly.
"I have exined this to your Vice, Iliana, before. It was a fair and square Battle."
"A fair and square Battle doesn''t risk one''s life, Mr. Pacifer."
"It is not in my responsibility that youck the knowledge about the outside world, Ashbury."
"I am aware about what you are talking. However, once you step your foot inside our institute, you are obligated to follow our rules, not the outside world''s."
Basil quirked his eyebrow, and looked at Darius in faint amusement. "An idealist has always been the first one to die in battlefield, Ashbury." He said that sincerely, because he had been also almost dead due to his idealism in his past life.
Unfortunately, Darius didn''t know. He thought Basil had just sent him a jab. "I stand true to my principal. Attempting to kill someone in our Institute is an unforgivable act." Fortunately, he was a cool headed person.
"There you go, President. You have understood the situation." Basil smiled faintly.
"Excuse me? What are you...?"
"I have just ''attempted'' to kill someone in our Institute. Everyone also does the same thing in every Battle. In my case, the only differenceys in our Institute''ste intervention."
Darius'' eyes widened. Basil had just basically said he didn''t do anything wrong at all, because he hadn''t killed anyone. If the Institute insisted he was in the wrong, he could basically point it had been the Institute''s inability to intervene in the right time.
That way, Basil would be free of charge, and Randalvine Magic Institute would receive harsh criticism. The case would also be the same if Basil had managed to kill Eugene. It would be counted as an ident, and the me would still be on Randalvine Magic Institute.
"Enough the two of you. We are here to discuss, not to debate," Lawson interjected Darius who was about to speak.
Iliana smirked. She had thought Basil didn''t think it through when he had decided to dere a [Blood Decree]. It seemed she was wrong. Still, she hadn''t expected Basil would dare to throw all the me on Randalvine Magic Institute.
"I will have to ask you about your reason of dering a [Blood Decree], Basil."
"I did it to prevent a future problem, Mr. Lawson."
"What do you mean?"
"A rumour about me going out with Iliana has sparked the fire of jealousy of every man in this Institute, apparently. I have just wanted to make an example out of him." Basil stated casually.
"By killing your senior? Are you high?" Darius asked in disbelief.
Basil quirked his eyebrow, and turned to Darius. "Myte adoptive father was problematic. He managed to perform a sickening atrocity, before he died. That''s what happens when you let a possible problem to bud."
"And, killing your senior is your way to remove this ''possible problem''?" Dariusughed in disbelief.
"You have seemed to forget I have killed my own adoptive father, who had known me since I was a child. Do you think I will have an emotional attachment to the senior I don''t even know?"
The room instantly went quiet.
The students of Randalvine Magic Institute always saw someone by their achievement, not their status. It was the reason why they forgot who Basil was.
He had been the one who had ended Cobham Internal Strife, he had rejected his father''s legacy because he wanted to achieve rather than receiving. Such a decisive person wouldn''t have any doubt about the decision he made.
"Kuhum! As I have said before, we are here to discuss not to debate among ourselves." Lawson reminded Basil and Darius once again. "Fu-fu. It is not a debate if there are only two people speaking," Iliana added.
Ignoring Iliana''sment, Lawson continued, "I''m not going to pursue this matter, nor will I punish you for this¡ª"
"Mr. Lawson, you can''t just do that. Mr. Pacifer here has tried to kill his fellow students. He shouldn''t be left unpunished!" Darius sternly eximed. "Then, should I also demand a punishment on you for trying to kill me?" Basil casually replied.
Darius wanted to retort, but he soon reminded of the forcefully broken [Blood Decree]. Instantly, he turned quiet.
Ilianaughed. "Fu-fu-fu. It seems Darius has met his opponent."
"Kuhum. I think it is better to rebuke me after Iplete my sentence, Darius." Lawson turned his eyes to Darius, and Darius merely bowed his head in shame.
Lawson turned his head back to Basil, and resumed, "I will rest this case if you promise me to not actively sought Eugene right after this."
"You should be telling that to Eugene, instead of me, Mr. Lawson."
"Very well." Lawson nodded his head.
Lawson took that as a confirmation. He had heard enough from ke, Basil had never actively sought problem. Therefore, as long as he managed to stop the other party, he believed Basil wouldn''t cause any problem in the near future.
When Basil was about to leave Lawson''s office, Darius stopped him. "Wait! I am sorry for my words earlier." He bowed to Basil. Quirking his eyebrow, Basil merely replied, "Sticking to one''s principal is not a bad thing. However, one must still think practically."
He didn''t have any grudge against Darius. He was just righteous by nature, and Basil didn''t actually hate that. Therefore, he gave him an advice that would absolutely prolong the kid''s life.
Of course, Basil wouldn''t say he liked Darius either.
Darius raised his head, and looked curiously to Basil. However, Basil didn''t have any intention to exin himself. He merely turned his back, and exit Lawson''s office.
"I will apany him to the dorm!" Iliana said, before storming toward the door.
The secretary of the Council, Annabeth looked to Lawson, "Shouldn''t we, at the very least, give him a p in the wrist, Mr. Lawson?"
Lawson turned to the petite young woman with red hair. "Having to deal with Iliana is already more than a punishment to him, Anna." Lawson shook his head.
"Huh, what do you...?" It was also at this moment, Annabeth understood what Lawson meant.
Silently, the other people in the room nodded their head. Basil would surely have a rough time dealing with Iliana. They were sure about it.
...
"Are you really sure you don''t need to go to an infirmary?"
"Yes."
"Really?"
Basil stopped his footstep, and looked at Iliana deep in her eyes. He conjured a wind de, then shed his forehead until it was bleeding.
"Do you think I will need it?" Basil showed her his rapidly healing forehead. "Hoh, fascinating. Will that be also the case if I cut your neck?" Iliana took out her sword from her Spatial Bracelet.
"Rather than minding about that, why don''t we make sure whose head will fall first?" Basil replied with a smirk. Iliana smiled, and eximed, "I like your guts. You have be the first man I met in this Magic Institute."
Basil smiled softly, before turning his back on her. Contrary to Lawson and the others'' expectation, Basil knew how to deal with Iliana''s antics. He had spent a decade to learn how to deal with them.
They proceed to walk back to the dorm. No words were exchanged in the way, but the silence wasn''t ufortable.
By the time they reached the dorm, Basil was greeted by the waiting Deacon, and the curious gaze of the people. As they wanted to make sure whether the rumour was true or not, they had waited for Basil''s return.
Lo and behold, true to the rumour, Basil was indeed Iliana''s boyfriend. Surely, Basil and Iliana, who didn''t even care about what the people said, didn''t feel any obligation to exin themselves.
"Although not the best, today''s date was surprisingly fine." Iliana smirked with a wink. Basil quirked his eyebrow, before smiling softly. "You can expect better tomorrow." He kissed two of his right hand''s fingers, before putting them on Iliana''s lips.
Gasp!
The crowd went crazy, and Iliana faltered slightly. Basil kept his soft smile. A girl wanted to tease him, an ''experienced'' man? That was one of the things that could actually make himugh.
"Well, see you tomorrow."
Iliana also didn''t want to lose. She stood on her toes, and kissed Basil''s cheek, before swiftly leaving the vicinity. Unfortunately though, Basil wasn''t flustered or anything. He had expected Iliana would resort to that thing.
Just like that, Basil''s second day at Randalvine Magic Institute ended.
Basil and Iliana met again the next day, and they had a tour around the Magic Institute for the whole day. Surely, Deacon also joined their "date".
Another day passed, and it was already time for the start of the new term. Every newly admitted student had just received the notice to gather in the hall in this morning.
Uponing to the hall, all of them without exception, admired the grandeur of the hall. It was so big, it could easily house 10,000 people, and there was still many space left.
The 300 newly admitted students were gathered in the middle of the hall, creating a quite awkward scene in the incredibly big hall. Some students kept themselves away from others, while some had formed their group.
Surprisingly, Basil didn''t belong to the former category. He had Xiu Li, and also the unexpected Kimberley with him.
"Brother, why can''t I see our professor and our senior?"
Instead of Basil, Kimberley was the one who responded Xiu Li. "We are all in the same status, a new student. How can Mr. Pacifer here know about it?" She shot Basil a stinging gaze. She still resented him for the "humiliation" he had inflicted upon her in the tournament.
"Just wait and see. You are familiar with it," Basil replied casually.
Xiu Li was puzzled, and he wanted to ask Basil what he meant. However, right before he spoke, a familiar sound entered his ears.
[Ding-dong!]
[Attention to all of our freshmen!]
Basil opened his eyes. Today, everyone would be taught the harshness of the world. Today, the inexperienced would be given the experience. Today, the dreaming children would be awaken.
Today, they would have their eyes wide open.
Chapter 105 Surviving Is Winning
[Ding-dong!]
[Attention to all of our freshmen!]
[Today is your judgement day. Today, you will be judged of your worthiness to be epted in our Magic Institute.]
Right after that was said, amotion ensued.
"What?! After all of those tests, and I have to pass yet another one?!"
"Bollocks!"
"Are they joking with us?!"
To be admitted into Randalvine Magic Institute, one had to either be in the top 5 of the Regional Tournament, or pass the tests given by the Institute. While the former tested one''s ability to survive, thetter tested one''s mastery over Magic.
None of the way was easier than the other. Therefore, they couldn''t help cursing, when it was announced they had to pass another test to be really admitted into Randalvine Magic Institute.
How could they not? They had passed those hurdles in vain, after all!
[Only the people who managed to survive will be admitted into our Institute.]
"Huh?! Are they saying we have to kill each other?"
"Is this what our senior call the first test?"
"How many people do we have to kill to be dered as the survivor?!"
The freshmen were quick to assume. The announcement hadn''t even finished yet. However, they had already formted the meaning of the iplete announcement.
[Hint: there are Doppelgangers between you. Do your best to survive!]
Right after that, the announcement stopped.
Aplete silence descended upon the room. The 300 people were instantly looking at each other. Wariness and suspicion filled their eyes.
They knew what Doppelganger was. It was one of the most troublesome Magical Beast to deal with. Not only could they imitate one''s appearance, but also one''s Mana signature. Therefore, it was hard to tell them apart from people.
As expected of the youths who had managed to be admitted to Randalvine Magic Institute, they quickly dispersed themselves. They didn''t want to crowd themselves, in fright of mixing themselves with Doppelgangers.
In result, two groups were made ¡ª the people who distanced themselves from the crowd, and the people who stayed in the crowd. The people who had separated themselves from the crowd ended up circling the people who stayed in the crowd.
"Brother, something doesn''t feel right, here." Xiu Li whispered to Basil.
Surprisingly, all of them stayed in the crowd.
Kimberley was the one who responded Xiu Li. "They are forcing us to develop a prejudice against each other." She frowned. "I''m afraid the thing that has happened at the Selection Stage will be repeated here."
Kimberley turned her head to Basil. She was a little bit taken aback at Basil, who was still standing uprightly with crossed hands and closed eyes. He looked nonchnt, even though a possible blood bath could happen in no time.
"It''s good being strong, huh?" Kimberley remarked sarcastically at Basil.
"Sister Kimberley, my Grandma once told me, ''Hate is the beginning of love.'' You can''t hate Brother Basil too much, lest you risk loving him. Brother has Vice President Iliana already." Xiu Li looked to Kimberley innocently.
"W-what are you talking about?!" Surely, she was flustered by the sincerity in Xiu Li''s words.
"Hush. They are debating."
Kimberley and Xiu Li instantly turned their head at Basil. He had opened his eyes, and was now looking at the debating crowd in amusement.
"It''s already decided who are the Doppelgangers! They, who stay in their ce, are the Doppelgangers!" One of the people who had separated themselves from the crowd looked at the crowd fiercely.
"Hmph! Such a ridiculous thing to say. You can not even prove yourself not a Doppelganger either!" One of the crowds replied coldly.
"Birds of a same feather flock together. Only Doppelgangers can befortable with another Doppelgangers!"
"Nonsense! Everyone knows how stupid a Doppelganger is. They will never know another Doppelgangers in disguise!"
The argument went back and forth. While some of the people decided to voice their argument, the others decided to keep silent and watch. They didn''t want to side with any group yet. They would only choose their group, when they knew which one was right.
Xiu looked to Basil. "Brother, should we also go join the other side? I think all of them are human." He couldn''t help but thinking that way. The other side provided them with more logical reason.
"Who is right, who is wrong? What determines them?" Basil unfolded his hands.
Kimberley looked to Basil seriously. "Human emit emotions. That''s what determines them."
"Not necessarily." Basil took out Kusanagi from his Spatial Bracelet, and brandished it lightly. "What determines whether they are human or not is yourself."
"Huh? What are you¡ª"
sh!
Kimberley was too shocked toplete her sentence. How could she not? Basil had just cut someone''s head nonchntly!
"Kyaaaa!!! He is a Doppelganger!"
When the girl who had just screamed pointed her finger to Basil, everyone''s eyes from both sides turned to him. All of their eyes widened in disbelief.
They wanted to immediately attack him at first. However, upon seeing the body whose head Basil had just cut, they held themselves back.
The previously human body began to change. The skin turned grey, the limbs got longer, and the torso got thinner. Not long after, a beheaded corpse of a Doppelganger could be seen lying on the ground.
"Disperse!"
No one knew who had said it, but all of the people instantly scattered in fright. What they had seen earlier had proven the existence of the Doppelgangers amongst them.
Due to the size of the hall, there was enough space for everyone to distance themselves from each other.
In result though, everyone became even more wary. "Are the three of you Doppelgangers?!" All of the people looked at Basil''s direction.
"Shameless people! Haven''t you seen what he did earlier?!" Kimberley red at the speaker in despise.
"Who knows? Maybe, that was just an act! We know Doppelgangers can''t differentiate their kind after transformation!"
Kimberley clicked her tongue in annoyance. Everyone was too wary, they couldn''t think straight. Although she, Basil, and Xiu Li didn''t move from their ce, Basil''s action earlier should have been an enough proof of him not being a Doppelganger.
"They are too loud." At Basil''s word, Kimberley turned to him. "You managed to kill a Doppelganger earlier. How did you differentiate them?"
"I didn''t differentiate them." Basil''s answer puzzled Kimberley even further. "I decide who is a Doppelganger."
Basil looked ahead, before charging at the closest person to him.
sh!
The head of the person Basil charged at fell to the ground. Everyone became even more bewildered. Surely, the people who had lost their mind to their paranoia quickly charged at Basil.
"He is a Doppelganger!"
They didn''t even recall the fact Doppelganger always revealed their true form when they decided to attack. Unfortunately for them, Basil didn''t care whether they were human or not.
He swung Kusanagi horizontally, producing a high pressured wind de. Some of the people who were in the way managed to dodge it, while some didn''t. In result, there were a couple of bisected bodies littered on the ground.
"That guy! Is he a lunatic?!" Kimberley shouted loudly. She was about to charge forward to stop Basil, when Xiu Li eximed, "Sister, Look at the corpse!"
"What do you mean?!"
"The corpse! Brother Basil is killing Doppelgangers!"
Kimberley quickly turned to look at the corpse of the "people" Basil had just cut. True to Xiu Li''s words, all of them were Doppelgangers. Needless to say, she became even more bewildered.
"What... what is happening?"
"The one who determines whether they are Doppelgangers or not is yourself..."
"What are you talking about?"
"Everyone can be a Doppelganger. The only way to know who the Doppelganger is..."
"Tell me what you know already!" Kimberley red at Xiu Li impatiently.
Xiu Li gulped. "I know it sounds weird, but the only way to know whether someone is a Doppelganger or not is to make sure by ourselves."
Kimberley red at Xiu Li emotionlessly, but it was enough to chill his spine. Therefore, he quickly exined himself.
"The only way to make sure whether someone is Doppelganger or not is to attack them!"
"What nonsense are you talking about?"
"Doppelgangers can imitate one''s appearance, and Mana signature. However, it is not the case with Magic Circles!"
Instantly, Kimberley''s eyes widened. Xiu Li was right. Although it was hard to distinguish Doppelgangers between people, they had been given the hint there were Doppelgangers between them.
Therefore, they could just attack anyone, until it was proven they were a Doppelganger. No matter how reckless it sounded, it was the only way to get out of this predicament.
"Very well, let''s do th¡ª !!!"
Kimberley couldn''t finish her words, as she was forced to dodge an attack that was heading her way. When she looked at the one attacking her, her eyes widened in surprise. It was no other than a Doppelganger.
"Sister, Brother Basil has killed too many of them, they have revealed themselves! Don''t stare at their eyes!"
She knew what Xiu Li was referring. The [Stare of Death] was the strongest trait of Doppelgangers. They could paralyze anyone who looked into their eyes in fear.
Sadly, Kimberley couldn''t mull over it any longer, as another long arm with equally long fingers and nails tried to snatch her from behind.
"Tsk! This is troublesome."
She swiftly distanced herself from the two Doppelgangers trying to kill her. She took a quick look at the surrounding. Out of the 300 people entering the room, half of them were Doppelgangers. In other words, the hall was full of them.
She couldn''t even understand what was going on.
Exhaling softly to herself, she contacted her Summon, Acacia. Her blood was spilled, and a Magic Circle appeared on the ground below her. It spun and expanding, before shining brightly. When it disappeared, Acacia the Unicorn was revealed in her full glory.
sh!
With hernce in her hand, Kimberley mounted Acacia.
Chapter 106 Surviving Is Winning (2)
Prior to entering the hall, Deacon had received onemand from Basil through their [Link].
¡ªHide yourself from the others.
Deacon had done it perfectly, to the point that not even Xiu Li, who hade together with Basil from the dorm, could notice Deacon''s disappearance.
Currently, Deacon was observing the chaos happening in the hall from the most neglected part of the hall, the entranceway. Everyone had been too focused on lining themselves up, they had instantly ignored the ce they had passed.
Here, Chibi Deacon, who was keeping his Mana from leaking, was pretty unspottable. Thanks to his dark grey fur, he could blend well with the dimly lit entranceway.
Surely, simply waiting couldn''t satisfy Deacon. He was waiting for his chance to be called by Basil. He was so eager to fight, he couldn''t help envying Acacia who was fighting together with Kimberley.
Luckily, he didn''t have to wait for long. Right after Basil cut the head of the Doppelganger that had been trying to attack him, Deacon was notified.
[Barge in.]
Deacon''s eyes lit up, and he quickly charged forward. Upon stepping his foot in the hall, he sped through the grand hall with his agile feet without any hitch.
His small body still went unnoticeable by the people who were busy dealing with Doppelgangers. Not even the Doppelgangers could notice him.
Screech!
"AHHHHHhhh!"
Along the way to reach Basil, Deacon was met with many scenes. Some of the students were frozen in fear due to the [Stare of Death]. They could only scream in horror, while watching the Doppelganger piercing their stomach.
Some of the students managed to fight their fear, and went against the Doppelganger together. There were also students who didn''t even feel any fear, and kept fighting the Doppelgangers by themselves.
Deacon was sure of one thing. The Doppelgangers in the hall were stronger than the one he and Basil had met in Lone Mountain. Furthermore, he could even feel the faint intimidation of the Doppelgangers, despite not being its focus.
There was something wrong was going in the hall.
When Deacon was already a few meters away from Basil, he received another order.
[Go wild.]
Needless to say, Deacon had no intention to question the meaning behind themand. Complying to Basil''smand, the closer he got to Basil, the bigger his body, and the fiercer his appearance became.
When he was already a few steps away from Basil, everyone, without any exception, was finally made aware of the 5 meters tall Deacon among the crowd.
Howl!
Surely, Deacon didn''t just join the fight without announcing himself.
"Huh? That guy also has his Summon with him?" Kimberley looked to Basil''s direction.
Acacia snorted once, before reminding Kimberley to focus on the fight. Kimberley moved her gaze away from Basil, who was already ughtering Doppelgangers and people like, and looked to her front.
Although she didn''t like Basil''s action, she needed to focus on her fight first.
"Huuh... Let''s finish this as soon as possible." Kimberley charged forward with Acacia.
Fighting with a Doppelganger was pretty much a battle of nerve. Doppelganger didn''t have an exceptional power. However, the aura they emitted was not something one could joke at.
Simply being a few meters away from them was enough to make one''s stomach churn. That was the extent of the terror a Doppelganger could give to oneself.
Therefore, whenever one fought a Doppelganger, one would be filled with hesitation. Should I attack? Should I not? Is it safe? Is it not? These hesitations would then cause a self doubt, which in turn giving the Doppelganger a chance to attack.
This was the reason why many people died in the hands of Doppelgangers.
Boom!
Kimberley''snce pierced the chest of the Doppelganger who had been trying to snatch her head of her neck. ring at her surrounding, she could already see some people had stopped fighting.
They are isting themselves in the farthest ce from the crowd who were still fighting the remaining Doppelgangers. Looking at the ground, she could see the corpse of Doppelgangers decorating it.
Surely, the corpse of Doppelgangers weren''t the only thing she could see on the ground. There were also many injured students, either with pierced limbs or pierced stomach, lying motionlessly on the ground, while staring emptily at the ceiling.
"Tsk! There are many injured students!" Kimberley didn''t like the situation.
Screech!
Howl!
Kimberley''s head turned to the direction where the sounds had juste. She was extremely familiar with the sounds she had just heard. The first one belonged to Basil''s wind des, and thest one belonged to Deacon.
Surely enough, upon seeing what Basil was doing with Deacon, Kimberley instantly scrunched up her nose.
"That lunatic of a guy!"
Instead of chasing Doppelgangers, Basil was actively killing the other students. Due to the panic, those pitiful students could only run away from Basil in fright.
Kimberley clenched her fist. She couldn''t hold her rage any longer. Her righteous nature couldn''t let Basil do whatever he liked. Therefore, she was going to stop him.
That was, until she saw what Xiu Li was doing.
"Xiu Li! What are you doing?!"
He was doing the same thing Basil did. He was killing the students, instead of the Doppelgangers.
"Sister, open your eyes wide! These guys are not real!" Xiu Li shouted loudly.
"Are you telling me we are bewitched?!"
"No!" Xiu controlled his iron to bisect a Doppelganger who was about to attack him, sessfully killing it. He continued, "We are not bewitched! Everything is real, but these guys are fake!"
Kimberley scrunched up her nose, she couldn''t understand what Xiu Li was saying. How could she not? He was spouting contradictory nonsense, after all!
Kimberley clicked her tongue, and decided to proceed what she had intended to do. That was, stopping Basil from doing his atrocity.
However, even before she could charge toward Basil with Acacia, something stopped her.
"Ahh... Ah.. ahh..." Kimberley looked to the back, at the softly grunting student lying on the ground. "I.. I can finally remember it. T-t-those guuuyyyyssss..." Right after that was nothing more than a gibberish.
Kimberley blinked her eyes at the student who was speaking worse nonsense than the one Xiu Li had just said.
"Hey, are you okay?"
"Haaakkhhh... Sssshhhkuu.. wreghhhhhttt..."
"I am sorry, I am afraid you are talking weird."
Sadly, the student who was speaking gibberish didn''t seem to hear her. He kept spouting unintelligible words.
When Kimberley couldn''t hold herself back any longer, she decided to step down from Acacia, and check the condition of the student.
However, before she even managed to get down from Acacia, a sense of foreboding washed over her. Soon enough, an aura of terror descended upon her.
Screech!
Her eyes widened. The student, who had been speaking gibberish and lying on the ground earlier, had his jaw unhinged. His mouth was opening so wide, an entire head could fit in it.
His eyes started to rotate, beforepletely turning ck. Then, his skin turned grey along with the elongating limbs. Needless to say, Kimberley was shocked to her core.
The student she had seen lying on the ground was revealed to be a Doppelganger. Not only one, but every students she had seen lying motionlessly on the ground, who had been attacked by Doppelgangers, were in fact, Doppelgangers.
She couldn''t wrap her mind around what was happening. How could a Doppelganger still pretend to be a human, even after being attacked by another Doppelganger?
Suddenly, her mind recalled what Xiu Li had said earlier.
¡ªEverything is real, but these guys are fake!
Understanding dawned upon her. They were not bewitched. Everything was indeed happening. However, none of the people they had met earlier were human. All of them were Doppelgangers.
Kimberley gulped dryly, and held hernce tightly. Looking at the six Doppelgangers in front of her, her heart started to beat faster. Only now did she remember the fact none of the students Basil had been chasing earlier had utilized their Magic Circles.
¡ªDoppelgangers can imitate one''s appearance, and Mana signature. However, it is not the case with Magic Circles.
Although she hated to admit it, she was indeed inferiorpared to Basil. She couldn''t evenpete with Xiu Li''s analyzing capability.
Screech!
She sighed. A sickening terror inducing pressure descended upon her. Her entire body trembled due to the soul-shaking aura.
Despite so, she was still calm. She patted Acacia''s back once, before a blinding white light briefly covered her.
[Pure Mind] was activated. It was the Blessing she got from contracting herself with Acacia. With this, she would be immune from any mental attack, as long as it was still activated. Thus, she would be free from any terror.
p ring at the eyes of the six Doppelgangers in front of her unwaveringly, she pointed hernce at them.
"[Annihtion Thrust]!"
Kimberley, along with Acacia, dashed at the six Doppelgangers as fast a bullet. With a movement that was even faster from her dash, she thrust hernce at the Doppelganger in front of her.
Boom!
Instead of killing one, she killed all the six of them. The previously distinguishable body of the six Doppelgangers turned to mush. They only left behind traces of ck blood, and some patches of grey skin on the ground.
Kimberley didn''t even stop to heave a sigh of relief. Just like Basil, she also started to chase the other students.
Chapter 107 Surviving Is Winning (End)
While Basil, Xiu Li, and Kimberley were chasing every students in their vicinity, ten people were watching the scene from afar. They were the people who had separated themselves from the crowd, and no longer fighting.
"What in the bloody hell is happening?"
At the muttering of the person, the other watching people looked at his direction.
"What do you mean? Can''t you even see what is happening?" A blond haired young man asked the green haired young man who had just muttered to himself. "Why don''t you enlighten me, if you havepletely grasped the situation, then?" He replied.
"Hmph! This is the reason why you shall never eat too much vegetables. You get stupid when it goes to your head."
"Do you even have the right to call me stupid, if you think my green haires from eating too much vegetables?"
"That doesn''t matter, Green."
"Hoh? What matters now, Blonde?"
Both of them looked at each other''s eyes fiercely. They seemed ready to rip each other''s throats in no time. When the heat became unbearable, there was finally someone stepping up to diffuse the situation.
"Kuhum!" He cleared his throat. "I believe quarrelling amongst ourselves will not solve anything at all." He gazed at the two young men alternatingly. "Therefore, let''s share the information each of us has grasped civilly."
The two young men, who had been staring at each other''s eyes fiercely earlier, turned their head to the direction of the speaker. The speaker was a light blue haired young man.
"We both are sharing information civilly." Green nodded his head. "You were just shouting at each other." Blue looked at Blonde in confusion. "A good discussion exchanges words and blows," Blonde replied.
At Blonde''s word, even Green couldn''t help himself from blushing. The thing Blonde had said was too far fetched to be called a logical reasoning.
"Kuhum! Anyway, we were really discussing earlier," Green said. "Very well. May I know the content of the discussion?" Blue asked. "Of course, mate. The content of our discussion is simple." He stopped, then looked at Blue seriously. "Everyone is a Doppelganger."
At Blonde''s word, the other eight people looked at him in confusion. He and Green had done nothing more than just quarreling. No information was exchanged between them. Therefore, when that word came out, they were instantly bewildered.
"What do you mean?"
"It is simple actually." Green looked at Blue. "Randalvine Magic Institute has done something to the Doppelgangers, they don''t even know they are one. Therefore, there will surely be a Doppelganger or two amongst us."
Blue widened his eyes. Quickly turning his head to the crowd''s direction, he could finally get what Basil, Xiu Li, and Kimberley were doing.
"Do you mean...?"
"Yes, we are going to kill each other until we are sure who the Doppelganger is."
Right after Green spoke, he materialized his Grimoire and sent a ball of light with destructive aura at him. Blue widened his eyes in disbelief.
p Boom!
Surely, Blue didn''t have any n to stay idle. He quickly utilized his Magic Circles. Three Major Circles floated behind him. With a quick movement, he swung his sword he had just pulled out at the iing attack.
Boom!
The attack was fended, and surprisingly, it wasn''t as lethal as Blue had thought. It did cover his vision briefly. However, it didn''t diminish his fighting capability in the least.
When the light died down, Green stood in front of him with a smile. "Wee to the gang, Blue." Green extended his hand. "Huh? What do you mean? Also, I am Cloud, not Blue." At that, Greenughed merrily.
"Timothy! This one is human." Green looked to Blonde.
"I know. I can see it inly, Green." Timothy waved his hand dismissively.
Cloud had his eyes widened. "You are really Green?!" Green was taken aback by the question. "Yeah, I am. Is that something to be surprised about?"
Yes it is. However, Cloud didn''t say that.
"Anyway, help us determining who are the Doppelgangers."
"What do you want me to do?"
Instead of Green, Timothy was the one who answered Cloud. "Look at those people." Timothy motioned to the seven people scurrying away from them. "If they utilize their Magic Circles when you attack them, they are human."
"Wait, how can you be..." Cloud couldn''t finish his word, as Timothy already on his way to attack the seven people. "Don''t worry, Cloud. Even if you identally kill someone, you are not to be med. It is done for the purpose of surviving." Green patted his back.
Followed by that, Green prepared his attack. Cloud was left befuddled. He didn''t like what was going on. However, he wanted to secure his ce in Randalvine Magic Institute. Therefore, he sighed helplessly.
Cupping his hand, he bowed his head and closed his eyes. "Bless your soul, the innocent people who will unfortunately die by my hands." Then, he set forward.
...
Howl!
A high pressured winding out of Deacon''s mouth was sent at the Doppelgangersing at him. Basil, who was mounting on Deacon, observed the entire hall calmly.
Out of the 300 students entering the hall, 198 of them had been proven to be Doppelgangers. The situation was quite awkward, as the "students" that had been attacked by the Doppelgangers were actually Doppelgangers.
Randalvine Magic Institute had captured a lot of Doppelgangers, bewitched them, and sent them here to pretend to be the students. The Spell they had used to bewitch them was so effective, even the Doppelgangers were confused by their identity.
Luckily, because of this, a huge amount of Doppelgangers didn''t expose themselves at the same time. If they did, a massacre would actually happen.
Basil was sure none of the people in the hall could withstand the mental pressure exuded by hundreds of Doppelgangers. Even Kimberley, who had [Pure Mind] on her, would start to struggle withstanding the pressure.
''Darling, won''t you do something?'' Vagus asked Basil curiously.
"Why would I?"
''I mean, you often help peopletely. So, why don''t you also help these kids?''
Basil snorted softly.
Now that Vagus reminded him. He did have helped many peopletely. When he had seen his ssmates had struggled in something, he had taken the initiative to teach them the thing they didn''t understand in Magic Battle.
Of course, he hadn''t been the one who had challenged them. He had always made sure to influence them to challenge him in some way, either by mildly provoking them, or insulting their pride.
He had been confused by this action of him for a quite long time. He didn''t do any of that out of kindness. He did all of that because something in himself had encouraged him. It had always felt like he was obliged to do that.
He had never had any of this feeling in his past life. It all started only after his return to the past.
He was reminded of the tablet he had found on the altar of the secret chamber in the Obelisk of Bael that had just disappeared after he had touched it.
It had the most probability to be the thing that had made him escape the Circle of Reincarnation, before sending him back to the past. With that being said, the change in himself might be attributed to it.
''Darling?''
"Hm?"
''You are dazing.''
"Hm. I got some thinking to do."
Vagus quirked her eyebrow in wonderment. She was sitting on the porch of the wooden house in Basil''s Mindscape, and she couldn''t help the eagerness to get outside.
She really wanted to shower him with her love, so Basil didn''t have to think about unnecessary things.
"Vagus."
''Yes, Darling?''
"Keep your dirty thought to yourself."
Vagus awkwardly smiled. She forgot she was actually residing in Basil''s Mindscape, therefore Basil could know what she was thinking.
Basil always cut his connection with her whenever he wanted some privacy ¡ª which was almost everytime. However, she had often forgotten doing so. Luckily, Basil was a very understanding person.
Surely, it was merely her thought. Basil had been seriously thinking about when he should get rid of Vagus from his Mindscape. However, he had always dismissed it as he deemed Vagus was too useful to be cast away.
''Are you thinking of something bad about me, Darling?''
"You know I will never do that."
''Hm. Must be my imagination.''
Vagus was a little bit unsure of Basil''s answer. However, Basil didn''t care about it. He merely looked to his front, and found every Doppelgangers had revealed themselves. Out of the 300 students entering the hall, only 10 of them were human.
There were around 76 living Doppelgangers, and the 9 students, who had been fighting the Doppelgangers far away from him, were inching closer toward him.
They were making a great decision. Basil was the only person who was rarely approached by the Doppelgangers, thanks to Deacon. Not only was Deacon intimidating the Doppelgangers, but he also wasn''t affected by their intimidation.
Surely, it all happened because Deacon''s [Link] with Basil. Basil, whose mental wasn''t affected by the intimidation, protected Deacon''s from experiencing any fear.
Although a King Saberwolf like Deacon had a higher ss than a Doppelganger, facing tens of them would be a struggle too. They didn''t have any Mental Protection Spell on them, after all.
When all of the nine people heading toward Basil''s way had arrived by his side, Deacon asked Basil something.
[Master, should I exterminate them too?] He was referring to the people other than Xiu Li and Kimberley. He had deemed the two as Basil''s ally.
Instead of answering, Basil looked down at the nine people.
"Are you not ashamed oftching onto someone''s tail to get out of your predicament?" Basil asked in faint amusement.
Green looked up to Basil. "Surviving is winning, Sire. As long as I win, I do not care of the method I have to use."
"A very human like answer." Basil snorted in amusement.
Pointing Kusanagi to the front, wind quickly gathered around him. The wind was so strong, all of the people had to use a Spell to keep themselves attached on the ground. Even Kimberley, who was on top of Acacia, had to grasp Acacia tightly to not fall off.
Basil stared at the iing horde of Doppelgangers in disdain. He twisted Kusanagi, and a powerful whirlwind was sent at them horizontally. Not stopping there, he flicked his finger lightly, and fire was sparked.
Then, the whirlwind was ignited.
Chapter 108 Admittance
[Firestorm].
Whenever one heard of that word, one would always think of a small whirlwind with a little bit of fire, spinning vertically while chasing its target.
One would never think of a horizontally spinning fire, burning everything on its way to crisp. Surely enough, one could never think it was the work of a Third Circle Mage.
The nine people, who were standing on both sides of Deacon, looked up at Basil in silent amazement and utter bafflement.
I thought he was a Third Circle Mage?
That thought filled everyone''s mind. It was only when they saw the Magic Circles floating behind Basil did they understand what was happening.
Basil had a Solid Realm, which meant he had three Grand Circles.
Surely, none of the people knew Basil, in fact, had three Ultimate Circles which were of a higher qualitypared to Grand Circles.
"He did it... Alone."
When the fire died down, all they could see was the charred bodies of Doppelgangers. They gulped dryly. Such a showcase of power from a Battle Mage was shocking to say the least.
It was amon knowledge Battle Mages were people who failed to be a Spellcaster. Therefore, they couldn''t believe Basil could cast a Spell better than any Spellcaster of the same stage.
Needless to say, it was only their thought.
Basil didn''t need to cast a Spell to produce that result. He had merely controlled the wind with the help Kusanagi, and ignited it. Only a sufficient amount of Mana, and a good control over it were needed to do that.
"Now, what are we going to do?" Green looked at Timothy. "We will wait." Timothy wiped his sweat.
All of them had a pale face. It wasn''t because of Basil''s attack earlier, but the mental stress they had gotten from facing the now dead Doppelgangers.
The terror hadn''t been as much when they had faced the Doppelgangers separately. However, when the Doppelgangers had started to gather themselves, the intimidation had be unbearable.
It was the reason why they had run to Basil''s side. They were simply terrified by the [Stare of Death]. They had been constantly seeing themselves right in front of the hell''s gate.
Snort!
Deacon''s audible snort woke the people from their daze. They stepped away from Deacon, giving him way to pass them. Basil, who was mounting Deacon, had ordered him to move toward somewhere.
"Where is he going?"
"The gate."
"Huh? What are you talking about? A gate?"
"Yes, see for yourself." Kimberley motioned Cloud to see the direction she was pointing to.
Basil was indeed going to the gate. To say they were surprised would be an understatement. They were utterly baffled.
The gate hadn''t been there when they had first entered the hall!
However, instead of raging at the unfairness, they followed Basil instead. As expected of Randalvine Magic Institute''s freshmen. They crossed the room, until they finally stopped right in front of the gate.
Basil got down from Deacon, and Xiu Li stepped forward. Both of their eyes were instantly nted on the symbols carved on the gate.
"Brother, this is..."
"Hm. It''s Rune."
The Rune was shining in orange light. Every symbols carved on the gate seemed to move everytime they saw it. Needless to say, none of them understood what was the purpose of the Rune.
Of course, that was excluding Basil. He was too ''experienced'' to not know the purpose of the Rune in front of him.
Kimberley stepped forward, and stood beside Basil. "I bet you know something?"
"I do."
"What is it?" Timothy also stepped forward. "It must be a Sealing Rune," Green answered instead.
Kimberley frowned. "Sealing Rune is useless in this case. I have checked our entrance gate, and it is already covered with a Vanadium wall. If they really want to keep us here, they can just do the same thing rather than setting up this Rune."
"Well, maybe they don''t want to keep us here, after all." Green touched the gate. "It is made to be destroyed, don''t you think?" He looked at Basil.
Basil smirked faintly. "It is a two-way Sealing Rune." Puzzled, Green asked, "And, what do you mean by that, sire?"
Instead of Basil, Xiu Li was the one who answered Green. "It means, this gate will not open even if we managed to deactivate the Rune. It will only open when the Rune on the other side is also deactivated."
"Huh? Does that mean we will be forever entrapped here?" Green scrunched up his nose. "This is ludicrous."
"No, we have to see it from another perspective. What if after we deactivated this Rune, there is someone behind this gate deactivating the Rune too?" Timothy exined himself.
One of the four people, who hadn''t spoken even once, chimed in. "Why will someone stay behind the gate? To greet us? That is highly suspicious." Everyone looked to the girl who had just spoken.
"You got some point there,dy. That is why I''m befuddled. It is highly doubtful that behind this gate, stands our professors or seniors to greet us. They are just tiring themselves by carving a two-way Sealing Rune on the gate to do that."
The girl who had just spoken nodded her head at Timothy''s word. Then, as if on cue, everyone turned their head to Basil.
"Well, Mr. Basil. Why don''t you enlighten us on this matter," Kimberley stated.
Basil started exining instead. "A two-way Sealing Rune is often used by a secretive organization on their base to make sure whether someone is disguising themself as a member. Only members can deactivate the Rune in one try."
Everyone frowned at that. They couldn''t grasp what Basil was telling them.
"Once there is someone in disguise trying to deactivate the Rune, they will only manage to deactivate the front Rune. Because, they are not listed on the list of the people who can deactivate the back Rune." Basil waved his hand at the door.
"The back Rune of this two-way Rune is already deactivated."
"Huh?"
They didn''t quite understand what Basil meant with that. However, a realization soon dawned upon them.
If the back Rune had been deactivated by the member of Randalvine Magic Institute, the front Rune should have been also deactivated. However, the front Rune was still active. That means, the one who had deactivated the back Rune wasn''t someone from the Institute.
"Who is waiting for us behind this gate?" Green gulped. "It should be ''who are'' instead of ''who is''," Basil replied, before touching the gate.
Basil infused his Mana into the rune, and started decoding it.
"Anxiousness bears suspicion. Suspicion bears fear. Fear bears hatred. Hatred brings chaos." Everyone looked at Basil weirdly. It wasn''t a really good time to be philosophical. "Standing behind this gate are students."
The Rune shone intensely, before calming down. Realization dawned upon the people. Suddenly, what Basil had said made sense.
If behind this gate were their fellow students, they must have experienced the same thing. Therefore, they would be highly suspicious of the other people.
If they just suddenly opened the gate, there was a risk of being attacked. Then, they would be forced to defend themselves. In the end, what would happen was a chaos. They would kill each other for real this time.
Hum!
The gate trembled, before slowly opening itself. The nine people instantly had their heart sunk to the bottom of their stomach. They were worried about the thing they would face soon.
"Surviving is winning. Surviving is winning," Green chanted to himself.
He was already preparing himself to kill. Although he would definitely feel guiltyter, he wouldn''t hesitate to kill, if it was necessary to ensure his ce in Randalvine Magic Institute.
The gate waspletely opened, and they could finally witness the scene in front of them.
Another hall with the same size was revealed behind the gate. In the middle of it, stacked ten bodies of Doppelgangers.
Compared to the condition of their hall, this hall was pretty much tidy. However, if theypared their condition to the students inside, theirs would be way better.
"What in the bloody hell has happened here?"
Most of the students were covered in bandage. Even some of them could onlyy motionlessly on the ground with pierced stomach. The students who could stand on their feet had a paleplexion. Bloodstains decorated their uniform, and they lost one of their ears.
With Deacon in tow, Basil stepped forward. One of the students from the other side, who was watching him, also stepped forward. As the distance between them was quite far, it took some time before they met.
Still, one of them used Spell to elerate their movement to show they had no intention to attack each other.
When they finally met, the student in front of Basil extended his hand. "Hello, I am Karan Cayneford. You must be Basil Pacifer."
Instead of grabbing Karan''s hand, Basil quirked his eyebrow instead.
"You know me?"
"Yes, I do know you. You are a hot topic amongst us, freshmen."
Basil didn''t bother to ask why. He merely asked the thing he wanted to make sure.
"You are the one who deactivated the Rune?"
"Yes I am." Karan smiled.
"What happened to your ear?" Basil motioned to Karan''s missing ear.
"Oh, this? I cut it to show I am not a Doppelganger. It is better to lose my ear, rather than my integrity."
Basil snorted softly in amusement. Doppelgangers didn''t have ear. Therefore, whenever a disguising Doppelganger had its ears cut, they wouldn''t bleed. Karan had done that to prove his identity as a human.
Basil liked his decisiveness. Those students who had their limbs cut must be the people who had rejected to cut their ear, and instead became the victim of the Doppelganger.
Little did they know, cutting one''s ear didn''t necessarily mean losing it forever. A Priest could easily reattach it. It would be harder to reattach limbs though.
"It must have been rough for you." At Basil''s word, Karan quickly waved his hand. "No, no, no. You and your friends must have had it rougher. Facing 290 Doppelgangers aren''t easy after all."
Basil smirked faintly, and looked at his palm. A symbol was written on it. This symbol was an iplete activation Rune. Thepletion of the symbol was on Karan''s palm.
"Let us seal the deal. I have figured only the one who has deactivated the Rune can end this ''test''." Karan once again extended his hand. "Very well." Basil grasped Karan''s hand.
Their hand shone briefly, before they heard a familiar sound.
[Ding-dong!]
[Congrattions on your admittance!]
Chapter 109 Rehearsal
[Ding-dong!]
[Congrattions for your admission!]
Every eyes turned to the frontmost part of the hall. There was a niche in the wall, and in the middle of it was a stand made of stone, supporting a glowing orb on it. The voice wasing from the orb.
Everyone frowned. The announcer''s tone was too cheerful for their taste. They had just experienced an unpleasant event, and it didn''t suit the mood at all. Still, no one dare to utter their satisfaction.
[Every one of you, who managed to survive the hurdle, is now officially our Randalvine Magic Institute''s student. You shall not worry of your injury, for we will take full responsibility of the injury you have sustained.]
[With that being said, the hall will be cleaned in five minutes. Therefore, you have to get out of the hall before the time runs out, lest you wanted to get cleaned too.]
[Do your best, students!]
Except Basil, everyone''s eyes darkened. They knew what "cleaning" was. "Cleaning" was a term used to neutralize any possible threat ¡ª mainly intruder ¡ª inside a building by utilizing the set Rune.
Needless to say, people who got swept in the "Cleaning" process had never end well.
Out of 290 students from Karan''s batch, only 170 of them could stand on their feet. The others had either lost the ability to or were too shocked by the [Stare of Death] they had received from the ten High Doppelgangers.
Luckily though, they still had enough sanity to get the meaning of the announcement. Therefore, they were looking up at the still standing people.
"Hmph! You reap what you sow. If you hadn''t acted so selfish earlier, you wouldn''t have ended like this."
The students who had lost their ability to stand had their face contorted by that word. The person who had said that wasn''t wrong.
Before the ten High Doppelgangers had been killed, they had been given a simple instruction. Cut their ear to prove they weren''t Doppelgangers, and join the other human.
But, no. They had refused to do that. They had chosen to separate themselves from the people who had cut their ear instead. In result, the ten High Doppelgangers had almost wiped every one of them.
They had been too shocked to properly react. Furthermore, the mental attack of the ten High Doppelgangers had been too much for their weak mind to bear. They had been lucky the people who had cut their ear had helped them to defeat the High Doppelgangers.
"Abandon or not to abandon, huh? I don''t like selfish people to be honest," Green muttered audibly, everyone could hear him.
"You are contradicting your own word. Surviving is winning, no? They were just being selfish to survive," Kimberley chimed in.
Green stared at Kimberley from the corner of his eyes. "When you are being selfish, you have to be prepared to die alone. Begging the people you have betrayed for your survival is not being selfish anymore. It is being shameless,dy."
"That is very hypocritic of you."
"Haha! You are willing to rescue the people who have betrayed you, despite how much they have damaged you? That is what I call hypocritic,dy."
Kimberley snorted, before stepping forward with Acacia. The time was running, and she didn''t want to leave behind her fellow students.
"Well, I am going to take my leave. I don''t have any pity towards losers." Green went out of the hall.
Timothy, who had merely observed the scene silently, followed Green with Cloud in tow. Xiu Li, who had a soft heart, decided to also help his fellow students.
In the other hand, Basil was just being himself. He didn''t care about them at all. Therefore, he left the room with Deacon without any care.
One of the students who was lifted from the ground by Kimberley looked up at her. "T-thank you." He was so touched by the kindness, Kimberley looked like an angel to him right now. "Human are meant to help each other," Kimberley said righteously.
Once again, everyone could hear her.
While some of the people decided to help the students lying on the ground after hearing Kimberley''s word, some were still looking at the students lying on the ground coldly.
Whoosh!
Kimberley took off with Acacia, while carrying three students behind her. The people''s eyes were focused on the flying Acacia, who was mounted by Kimberley. It didn''t take long until Kimberleypletely vanished from their view.
The students lying on the ground could only stare at the scene emptily, while cursing themselves inwardly. They hated the decision they had made. If only the hadn''t been so selfish, things wouldn''t have escted this way.
When they were drown in their depressing thought, Karan stepped forward, and extended his hand to one of the students lying on the ground.
"Grab my hand." He looked at the student sternly. "Although you have disappointed me, we are still ssmate. We have been disintegrated once, and we cannot afford to repeat the same thing." Karan smiled faintly.
"I won''t forgive you. Therefore, live with the guilt, and pay me back someday." With tears, the student grabbed his hand, and Karan lifted him up.
As Karan had said all of that audibly, every remaining students in the hall could hear it. Although they didn''t like it, what Karan had said was right. If they left the people behind, they would be no different than them. They didn''t want to be like them.
Therefore, they pushed their enmity down, and extended their hand. Everyone deserves a second chance.
"Tsk. Darn it! Grab my hand, bastard!"
"Hmph! You better remember this day!"
"Take my hand, and pay your debtter!"
That way, all of the students got out of the hall. None of them realized five minutes had already passed, and not even the "Cleaning" started. Karan was the only one who realized about this fact. However, he kept his silence.
He knew it was another test from Randalvine Magic Institute. Therefore, he didn''t want to tell his fellow students about it. If they realized nothing happened despite the time was already exceeded, they would surely left the injured behind.
If that happened, there might be a possibility all of them would fail the test.
When they got out of the hall, they were greeted by two things. One, a clear sky and warm sunlight. Two, Priests treating the injured students.
All of the people, who had their limbs cut, heaved a sigh of relief. Even if they had their limbs cut, they had made sure to keep their cut limbs in their Spatial Bracelet. Therefore, their cut limbs could be reattached by the Priest.
"Hello, can you treat my friend here, Miss?" Karan approached one of the female Priests. "Of course, I can. With the help of God, not an injury cannot be healed." The female Priest smiled benevolently.
Karanid down the student he was carrying, and let the female Priest take care of him. The student took out his cut foot, and positioned it right below the cut part.
The female Priest sped her hands together, and chanted something. A soothing yet mighty aura was radiated out of her entire existence. She extended her hand, and a golden light came out of her palm, basking the injury in its grace.
Karan looked at the scene in amazement. No matter how many times he had seen it, he was always amazed. The Miracle a Priest could perform was worthy of something to be amazed at.
It was the reason why there were still many Mages believed in God, despite their love to logic. They simply couldn''tprehend the way Miracle worked. Thus, they epted God existed.
The cut foot was slowly reattached. The muscles of the cut body part grew, and entwined themselves, creating a gruesome yet magnificent scene to watch.
It didn''t take long until the cut foot waspletely reattached as if it hadn''t been cut in the first ce.
"Amazing," Karan eximed. He bowed to the female Priest. "Thank you for your work, Miss." The female Priest waved her hand graciously. "Thank our God, not me." Karan merely nodded out of courtesy.
Even though there were many Mages believed about God, he wasn''t one of them. Therefore, Karan merely nodded his head to indicate he wasn''t a believer, but he respected the female Priest.
"You should not move too much yet. Although your foot has been reattached, you can not give too much burden to it." The female Priest looked at the student sternly.
The student merely nodded at that. He didn''t actually need to be told that. In terms of human anatomy, he knew better than the female Priest. However, he couldn''t act disrespectful. Even the Human Emperor himself believed in God.
"Excuse me, do you have any injury for me to treat?" Everyone''s attention was attracted by the rather loudly said sentence.
Looking to the direction where the voice came, they could see a female Priest holding onto a student''s sleeve.
The student, who was facing his back to the female Priest, turned his head to her. "I didn''t know Priest is hoping for people getting injured nowadays."
"What? No, we have never wished for someone''s misfortune!" The female Priest looked at the student in bafflement.
"Hoh? Why are you insisting I have an injury, then?"
"I was merely asking, student."
"Being ignored is a solid rejection, Priest."
The student, and the female Priest looked at each other. While the student was looking at the female Priest neutrally, the female Priest was looking at him incredulously.
"Huuh... He could have just said he didn''t need it." Kimberley facepalmed, and Xiu Li nodded in agreement.
The identity of the student was no other than Basil, apparently.
Chapter 110 Rehearsal (2)
Basil and the female Priest kept staring at each other, until someone interrupted them.
"Do we have a problem here?"
The female Priest threw her gaze to the direction of the voice. She was met with a grey haired and fit old man wearing the Randalvine Magic Institute''s Vice Headmaster robe. It was none other than Lawson Lansdowne.
He came with some of the professors as his entourage.
"No, Mr. Lawson. There is just a slight misunderstanding between us." The female Priest bowed her head politely. "May I know the root of the misunderstanding?" Lawson asked.
"I was merely asking this student about his injury. However, instead of answering me, he ignored me instead." At that, Lawson mildly nced at Basil, who was brushing the Chibi Deacon''s fur. "Well... he has never needed the help of a Priest to heal his injury."
Lawson was referring to Basil''s ridiculous regeneration, and his healing ability. However, the female Priest could never know it.
Therefore, the female Priest was bewildered. However, she didn''t pursue the matter any further. She merely bowed her head, and left to treat the other student while carrying her staff.
"Ho-ho-ho. Is this the student you were talking about, Vice Headmaster?"
One of the professorsing with Lawson, the one wearing sses with a bushy white beard, turned his head to Lawson.
"Yes, he is, Professor Alcott. He is Basil Pacifer." Lawson nodded his head. "Hoh? I have never heard of his family name yet." Alcott went to inspect the tall young man in front of him.
Every renowned Mages rarely stayed update with the news. They were too busy with their research to advance their mastery, they couldn''t care less with what was happening with the world. Therefore, Alcott didn''t know anything about Basil.
It was also the same for his colleagues, as they were also inspecting Basil in interest.
Suddenly, Basil looked into the eyes of one of the professors. It was the youngest professor with long reddish brown hair and a nonchnt expression. "I believe [Appraisal] is something taboo between Mages." At this, the professor who had been staring at Basilughed.
"Oh my. He is quite something. Not even his senior managed to detect whenever I am using [Appraisal] on them yet. But, he could deduce it in a nce! Bravo!" The professor pped his hand in delight. "Still, I have to apologize." He bowed his head lightly.
Everyone who was watching the scene gasped in shock. They couldn''t imagine a professor bowing his head at Basil, a mere student. However, not even the other professors or Lawson frowned at the disy. They knew about the rule already.
[Appraisal] was used to deduct a value of something. If one used [Appraisal] on a Mage, it was the same asparing their value to a thing. It was an insult to a Mage, who prided in themself in their worth. Therefore, [Appraisal] became a taboo between Mages.
Surely, there was actually no problem if one did that discreetly, so the one being Appraised was unaware. However, if one was caught doing that, apologizing was the best way to diffuse the "misunderstanding".
"Well. I like you already, so let us know each other." The professor extended his hand. "I am Brayden." Basil looked at the extended hand briefly, before grasping it. "Basil Pacifer at your service." Brayden smiled.
Deacon, who wastched onto Basil''s shoulder, felt a bad premonition. Therefore, he quickly got down from Basil''s shoulder.
As if proving his premonition right, a shocking scene that attracted everyone''s eyes unfolded right after.
Hum.
Spark!
A blue electricity came out of the two people''s sped hand, and it was frolicking wildly in the air. The sound produced by the electricity was audible enough to grate one''s ears.
"Hah! Eugene is right. You have a Lightning affinity." Brayden chuckled merrily. "I thought he could only speak nonsense. He is surprisingly observant towards his surrounding," Basil replied disinterestedly.
Brayden chuckled awkwardly at that. "He is right about your attitude too." Basil quirked his eyebrow. However, he didn''t have any intention to pursue the matter any further.
His attention was focused on the electricity coursing through his hand. It was getting stronger in each second. He knew Brayden was pranking him. However, he couldn''t let himself being tested like a kid.
Therefore, he decided to surprise Brayden a little. "[Electric Shock]!" He muttered softly.
Brayden suddenly felt the rm in his head goes off. However, he discarded it, due to his carefree nature. Sadly, he had made a wrong decision this time.
Basil tightened his grip, and a ridiculous amount of electricity was expelled out of his hand. This time, the sound it produced was enough to hurt one''s ear.
Screech!
Brayden widened his eyes. However, Basil didn''t give him any time to escape. The electricity was transmitted directly to Brayden''s body.
Boom!
Luckily, Brayden was experienced enough to redirect the electricity transmitted to him to his surrounding. Therefore, the electricity hit the ground instead. As the aftermath, the ground was dug out and charred.
"Kuhum!" Brayden turned his head slowly at the direction of sound, and looked at Lawson. "I hope you are aware you will be hold ountable for this mess, Professor Brayden." With bitter smile, he nodded his head. "I do, Vice Headmaster."
Lawson merely nodded, before looking at Basil. "You won''t hold any responsibility regarding this matter, Basil. Therefore, you can rest assured." Basil merely nodded his head as a response, while Deacon returned to his Master''s shoulder.
Lawson, along with his entourage moved to inspect the other students. While Lawson was assuming his Vice Headmaster mode, his entourage was snickering at Brayden. They were simply d Brayden had finally had a taste of his own medicine.
"Darn, those old bastards!" Brayden cursed at them. He looked to Basil, and sighed. "Huuh... You are really something, my friend. But, can''t you loose yourself a little bit? Don''t ever prank the one who is pranking you!"
At the absurdity of the word, not even Brayden could keep a straight face.
"Anyway, you are really good." He shook his head.
Then, Brayden motioned Basil to lower his head. He wanted to whisper something to Basil. As Basil was taller than him, he wouldn''t be able to do so, if Basil didn''t lower his head.
When Basil lowered his head, Brayden quickly inched closer. "Listen, I am 38 and I already have 6 Magic Circles. That means, I am a genius. Those old farts will die soon, they won''t be able to teach you anything," he whispered conspiratorially.
He pulled his head back, and grabbed Basil''s cor instead. Staring deeply into his eyes, Brayden said, "If you want to learn something, be my disciple! I will guarantee you will not be disappointed."
He let go of Basil''s cor, and straightened Basil''s uniform once again. With a nod, he returned to be Lawson''s entourage. Of course, he also felt the need to wink at Basil, and giving him a thumb up as if they had made a deal.
Basil merely shook his head faintly. Brayden was as entric as he had been in Basil''s past life. Brayden had been Chester''s mentor in Randalvine Magic Institute. Basil had met Brayden when he had attended Chester''s funeral in his past life.
Brayden had never believed Chester''s assassination hadn''t been premeditated. Therefore, he had desperately sought the truth behind Chester''s death. Unsurprisingly, Brayden had met the same fate as Chester too in the end. He had been also assassinated.
Basil frowned. He was instantly reminded of the fact that his enemies weren''t just the Demons, but also his fellow human.
The Kingdoms and the Empires might look peaceful currently. However, they had been long corrupted. Even while he was preparing himself to face the uing predicament, there was something going on up there.
Basil sighed to himself. The more he thought about it, the more urgent the situation became. He shook his head faintly to clear the unnecessary thought.
Thinking about the future too much wouldn''t give him anything other than the feeling of being overwhelmed. Rather than focusing too much on the future, he should focus on the present instead. Therefore, he moved his feet toward his dorm room.
The day hadn''t ended yet, and he had plenty of time to train himself harder. He would finish Carving his fourth Magic Circle as soon as possible.
"Brother Basil! Where are you...?" Xiu Li looked at Basil in puzzlement, before nodding his head in realization.
Basil had ignored him. He was sure Basil had something important to do ¡ª training. Therefore, he didn''t bother calling Basil for the second time.
Today''s event had once again opened his eyes. He had thought having an amazing fighting capability was already enough to get stronger. However, the Doppelgangers he had faced today had made him realize something.
To be a strong Mage, a strong mind was needed.
Basil could face tens of Doppelgangers at once, and not even once he had blinked his eyes in fright. Xiu Li had been amazed by Basil''s disy of fearlessness. Therefore, he would train his mind from now on.
With determination, Xiu Li also returned to his dorm room.
"What is wrong with those two?"
Kimberley, who was watching the two from afar, was flustered.
Chapter 111 Rehearsal (3)
There were seven stages of Body Forging mastery in Knight Principal. They were Red Core, Orange Core, Yellow Core, Green Core, Blue Core, Violet Core, and Purple Core.
In each Core, there were three stages oftency, which were Early Stage, Middle Stage, and Late Stage.
Knight would undergo an astronomical power growth once they reached Yellow Core Stage. Because, they would be able to use Aura by then. Aura was Knight''s specialty. It was aw defying ability unique only to Knight.
As the knowledge regarding Knight Principal was not very advanced, there were still many mysteries regarding the real identity of Aura. However, there was a suspicion that Knight Principal was a derivation of Daoism. Still, no one could confirm it.
In the other hand, Mage had nine levels of mastery. Starting from the First Circle to the Ninth Circle.
Every three Magic Circles attained were attributed to one Realm. There were three Realms in total. Starting from the lowest, they were Lower Realm, Middle Realm, and Upper Realm.
If Knight had three stages oftency, Mage had three levels of Magic Circle''s quality. Starting from the lowest, they were Minor Circle, Major Circle, and Grand Circle. Surely, there was an exception for Basil, who had achieved Ultimate Circles.
Ultimate Circle was the perfection of Grand Circle. It had a higher quality and potencypared to Grand Circle. With it, not only could one control Mana better, but also arger amount of it.
As a Knight, Basil was in the Late Stage Yellow Core. Meanwhile, as a Mage, he was on his way to finish his fourth Circle.
As a Mage, breaking through a Realm was no easy feat. One''s talent was determined by one''s ability to breakthrough a Realm. Each time one advanced to the next Realm, theposition and the principal behind the Magic Circle changed.
For this reason, one''s Magic Circle''s quality was often degrading the higher the realm one attained. It was getting harder and harder toprehend the Magic Circle.
Withoutprehension, one wouldn''t be able to Carve any Magic Circle. Therefore, many Mages conducted a research to solve this problem.
Surely, it was only the concern of the other Mages. Someone like Basil, who had the Guide on him, didn''t need to care about such things. Basil could advance to the next Realm without a hitch. He wouldn''t even face a bottleneck once.
For him, what mattered was time. Although he could finish his fourth Magic Circle way faster than anyone, the time given to him wasn''t much. Therefore, he always trained crazily, like there is no tomorrow.
"Huuh... I can''t seem to breakthrough to Green Core yet." Basil frowned lightly. "I need something to stimte my Core. Furthermore, I have to finally improve my Mana Heart. That is the only way to elerate the process of my Circle Carving."
Mana Heart was one of the things that made him different than any Mages. While the others utilized their Magic Circle to gather Mana before using it, Basil didn''t have a need to do it.
His Heart was constantly producing Mana, pumping it to his blood, and circted it through his body. Therefore, he had a stronger body, and he could cast a Spell faster than anyone.
Currently, his Mana Heart was in its first stage of Cultivation, Crimson Heart. The next stage of Mana Heart Cultivation he had to achieve was Amethyst Heart.
Basil had asked about this to the Guide, and he was guaranteed to experience an excruciating pain to advance. Surely, Basil didn''t have any concern about it. Practicing [Heart Clenching] everyday was pretty much a torture already.
Basil threw his gaze to the the window. He could see the sunlight pass through the ss of the window, shining the curtain.
He got down from his bed, drew the curtain, and opened the window. Sunshine greeted his skin directly, highlighting his incredibly attractive face.
Basil inhaled the Mana rich air, and it quickly filled his lungs. Just an intake of breath made his body and soul alike felt cleansed. He felt refreshed. When he exhaled the breath, he felt all of the impurity clogging in his body were expelled.
"I need to shower for once in awhile."
Basil was speaking the truth. For the past eight months, he had only literally taken a shower for three times. Surely, it doesn''t mean he didn''t clean himself. He was a clean freak, he couldn''t let his body dirty. He had always used Elemental Magic to clean himself.
It was all done because he had invested most of his time in training. For him, taking a shower was something one would do to not only clean oneself, but also to rx. He had so little time to rx. Therefore, he had rarely taken a shower.
Upon opening his door, Basil was met with the face of someone he knew. It was a young man with light red hair, an amiable expression, and thin but healthy build. He looked at Basil with a small smile, before greeting him.
"Good Morning, Basil."
Basil nodded faintly. "Karan."
Surprisingly, it was Karan, whose room was not that far from Basil''s. Karan had been given an admission to Randalvine Magic Institute through test. He had scored the highest in it. Therefore, his room was right next to Xiu Li''s that was next to Basil''s.
"Good morning, Brother!"
Basil smiled faintly at the familiar voice. "Good morning, Xiu Li." Xiu Li came to Basil''s side and took a look at Karan. "Ah, you are the one from yesterday. Hello, I am Wei Xiu Li! It''s a pleasure to meet you." Xiu Li extended his hand.
Karan smiled, then replied, "Hi, I am Karan Cayneford. It''s also a pleasure to meet you." He took Xiu Li''s hand and shook it.
Xiu Li looked at Basil, after letting go of Karan''s hand. "Brother, your disy of courage really inspired me yesterday. You made me realize to be a strong Mage, I need to have a strong mind. Therefore, I spent a sleepless night to face the thing I fear!"
Basil looked at the slightly pale Xiu Li. "No wonder yourplexion is not good. What do you fear anyway?" Xiu looked seriously at Basil, and stated, "Bugs. Every kinds of bug."
Basil chuckled softly in amusement. "Facing your phobia doesn''t necessarily improve your mental fortitude. To be immune to any mental attack, you should learn a Mental Protection Spell."
Xiu Li scrunched up his nose, then looked at Basil awkwardly. "I-is that so?" Basil nodded. "D-did I spend my sleepless night in vain?" At this, Basil didn''t say anything. However, it didn''t stop Karan fromughing softly.
Basil nced at the disappointed Xiu Li from the corner of his eyes. "Don''t worry, I can teach you er." Xiu Li swiftly turned his head to Basil. His eyes lit up in delight.
The walk was silent until they arrived at the bathroom.
...
Right after they had done their shower, Basil, Xiu Li, and Karan took off to the cafeteria. They were going to have a breakfast. As it was still 7 in the morning, the ss would only start in 30 minutes.
Upon arriving at the cafeteria, Karan was surprised by the scene. "Hmm... It is less crowdy than I thought."
True to his word, considering the amount of the students of Randalvine Magic Institute, the medium sized cafeteria was considered empty.
"Well, you guys are in your first year, so you don''t know yet." Everyone turned to the voice, and found it was Clovis.
Xiu Li quickly greeted him, "Good morning, senior!" Clovis smiled, and nodded his head.
"A pleasure to meet you, senior. My name is Karan Cayneford." Karan extended his hand. "Pleasure to meet you too, Karan. I am Clovis Woster." Clovis shook Karan''s hand briefly.
Basil stepped forward to line up, and the others followed suit. While waiting for their turn, all of them, except from Basil talked among themselves.
"If I may know, what do you mean by your words earlier, senior?" Karan looked at Clovis seriously. "Oh, about why the cafeteria is empty?" Karan nodded at Clovis'' question.
"Well... You may have already known it. Our Magic Institute has a veryrge area not because it has many students, but many facilities. Our Magic Institute has a very low passing rate, and even lower graduation rate."
"Wow..." Xiu Li was slightly overwhelmed by that.
"While most of the failed students quit before graduating due to the pressure, most of them didn''t manage to graduate."
"Eh? What do you mean by that, senior?"
Instead of Clovis, Basil was the one who answered Xiu Li''s question. "All of them were dead before graduating." Xiu Li gasped in disbelief. "How? Are we going to kill each other again?!"
Clovis shook his shook his head faintly. "No. You will be taught about camaraderie for the entire four years you will spend learning here." Xiu Li became even more puzzled. "I know you are puzzled, but I won''t say anything about what caused those students'' death."
Clovis turned to Basil. "However, considering how much you have known, I believe you already know about it. Right, Basil?" Basil merely hummed softly at that.
Karan looked to Clovis. "In conclusion, the cafeteria is rather empty because the students are too busy doing their research, and there are many of them have fallen. Is it about right, senior?" Clovis merely nodded at that.
"So, what are you doing here, senior? Aren''t you busy?" Xiu looked at Clovis silently. With a constipated smile, Clovis replied, "You don''t have to remind me anything about it, my dear Junior. I''m here to get some fresh air."
"O-oh..." Xiu Li scratched his head awkwardly.
It turns out, Clovis was pressured too.
They didn''t talk, until they found themselves a table to have breakfast. That way, everyone''s morning was started.
Chapter 112 Rehearsal (4)
While everyone was still eating, Basil had finished his breakfast. Karan was so baffled by Basil''s eating speed, he had to stop eating. Imagine his surprise when he saw the reaction of the people around him.
"We''ve had our fair share," Clovis said nonchntly.
Karan was puzzled at first. However, upon remembering what had happened yesterday between Basil and Professor Brayden, he nodded his head in understanding. Basil was indeed different.
By the time everyone finished their breakfast, there was only 15 minutes left until the ss started.
"So, what sses do you guys take?" Clovis looked at his juniors. "I will be taking Spellcasting, Rune Mastery, Philosophy, and Ancient Language." At Karan''s answer, Clovis quirked his eyebrow in interest. "Ancient Language, huh?"
Ancient Language was thenguage used to form an incantation. It originated from the Age of Chaos, and the history behind it was lost in the disaster. No one could fine any written record regarding it, it was named as simple as it was, Ancient Language.
"Hmm... I have taken that ss once in the past, and I got bored of it quickly." Clovis caressed his chin. "In my opinion, it is fairly useless. What is the need to understand the meaning of the incantation, when you know the result of the Spell?"
Clovis was right. Although understanding Ancient Language could help one understand an incantation better, one couldn''t actually make a Spell out of the random word one created. Even if one spoke in Ancient Language, our words wouldn''t be a Spell.
To create a Spell, one needed to learn Spellcasting.
"I am not learning Ancient Language because I want to make a Spell. I am just fascinated by the mysteriousnguage." Karan smiled. "Oh, is that why you also take Philosophy ss?" Karan merely nodded at Clovis'' question.
Taking Philosophy ss in Magic Institute let one learn the deeper meaning behind an incantation one chanted. Although it didn''t affect anything to one''s Spellcasting, many people imed their Spell became stronger after learning the Philosophy behind it.
Therefore, Clovis was curious. "Are you hoping for ''that'' result?" Karan faintly shook his head. "No, Senior. Incantation is nothing more than a suggestivemand to ourself to produce the result we wanted with our Spell."
Smiling at Clovis, he said, "If someone experiences a boost in their Spell after learning the philosophy behind the incantation, it means they don''t master the Spell in the very first ce."
"Indeed." Clovis instantly agreed with that.
Clovis turned his gaze to Xiu Li and Basil alternatingly. He wondered what ss they were taking.
"So, Xiu Li, Basil, what ss do¡ª"
[Ding-dong!]
[Attention to all of our students! ss will be started in 5 minutes. Please, head to your lecture room immediately.]
Clovis sighed. He had been cut by the announcement! He had talked with Karan too long, he didn''t have the chance to ask for Xiu Li''s and Basil''s.
"Well, I guess it''s time." Clovis looked at his juniors, and preparing himself to stand. Looking at Xiu Li''s face, Clovis couldn''t help asking. "What''s wrong with you, Xiu Li? Did you eat something wrong?"
Xiu Li blinked, before turning his gaze to Clovis. "Well... The announcement just reminded me of a not so pleasant memory."
Clovis quirked his eyebrow in genuine confusion, before nodding his head in realization. He knew what had happened in the Selection Stage of the Regional Tournament. He had been one themittee of the event, after all.
"Well, see you guys next time. I hope you enjoy your first day at our Magic Institute." Clovis waved his hand, and left the vicinity.
Basil opened his eyes, and stood up. He had been concentrating on his Cultivation since he had finished his breakfast. In the process, he had found the fastest way to breakthrough to the next stage of his Mana Heart Cultivation.
He would build an array in an area with high Mana density. It would attract every Natural Mana from his surrounding, and he would absorb it with his Heart. With that, he would push his Heart to breakthrough to the next stage of Cultivation.
It was the fastest and the most painful way he could think of to breakthrough.
With a light exhale, Basil cleared his mind from any unnecessary thought for the current situation.
With Xiu Li and Karan in tow, he headed to his ss.
...
Brayden nodded his head at his ss in satisfaction. There were 50 brilliant students who had wisely chosen to attend his ss first.
As the youngest professor at Randalvine Magic Institute, Brayden didn''t teach a deeper aspect of being a Mage. His age didn''t qualify him enough to teach about Spellcasting, philosophy, and anything that took a long time to learn.
However, it didn''t mean the thing he taught was not important. Although in terms of experience he was nothingpared to the old professors, his knowledge regarding the thing he was good at was very advanced.
To be a good Mage, one had even mastered the knowledge Brayden taught about. Yes, it was no other than Circle Carving. Brayden''s knowledge regarding it was so advanced, he had be a Sixth Circle Mage in the age of 38.
Althoughpared to Iliana, who had reached higher while being ten years younger than him in the past, he was nothing, he was currently one of the youngest Sixth Circle Mage in Braxtein Kingdom.
"Kuhum! Good morning, everyone." The ss replied to his greeting. "As you may have already noticed, our Magic Institute has no tradition like any other Magic Institutes have, such as an opening ceremony." The ss nodded at that.
"It is because we appreciate hardwork and talent more than formality. Therefore, even if some of you are still injured, we don''t give you any time recuperate. Time is priceless. We cannot waste it on waiting for a failure like you to recuperate."
Brayden smirked, and the students squirmed. Well, some of them. Basil, Xiu Li, and Karan were pretty nonchnt. Even Karan was smiling the entire time, like usual.
"Don''t be afraid to be called a failure. It''s my job to turn you into a sessful Mage from a failure." The students sighed in relief. "Then again, it''s not in my responsibility if you fail in the process." The students despaired once again.
Brayden was silentlyughing in his head. His prankster side very much enjoyed ying mind games with these pitiful students.
"Kuhum!" He cleared his throat at that thought. "Anyway, with the reasons I mentioned above, we won''t be having an introduction session. You only need to know my name, and I will ask your name, if you managed to attract my attention."
Arrogant? Yes. However, he had the right to do so. He had guided many sessful young Mages.
"With that being said, you can''t attract my attention in a weird way, youngdies. Thest time my student did that, I sent her to the Beyond." At that, surprisingly, some of the female students sighed in disappointment.
''These ursed brats!'' Brayden couldn''t help cursing. He didn''t like people who didn''t want to work. Snorting coldly, he said, "I am Professor Brayden, amoner, and a Sixth Circle Mage. I will teach you about Circle Carving."
"It''s a pleasure to meet you, Sir!" The ss greeted him in unison, except from Basil.
"Very well. Before I shower you with my advanced knowledge, I will have to ask you one thing. What is Magic Circle?" Brayden gazed at all of the students.
He had expected Basil to raise his hand. However, a student he didn''t know was the one who raised his hand instead. It was a ck haired young man with sses. Brayden pointed his finger to the student, and allowed him to speak.
"Magic Circle is a concentrated array carved on one''s heart using Mana. With the help of Magic Circle, one could utilize Magic with Mana as its fuel." The student sat back, and Brayden nodded his head.
"That was a very textbook-like exnation. What is your name?" Brayden motioned with his chin. "I am rence, Sir." Brayden nodded his head once again. One student had managed to attract his attention.
"Your friend has exined about Magic Circle like what you have read, and maybe you have forgotten. However, there is still something unexined in his exnation." The other students tilted their head in confusion, but rence nodded in recognition.
"Concentrated array," rence muttered.
"That''s right! Magic Circle is built withyers of arrays stacked on top of each other. This is what we call concentrated array. Now, what is an array?" Brayden asked once again.
rence raised his hand once again, and Brayden motioned him to answer. "Array is a chain ofmand written with Mana on top of a surface of something. Array is used solely to gather Mana before processing it ording to the writtenmand."
rence sat back, and Brayden nodded his head once again.
"Another textbook-like exnation from you, rence." Brayden gazed at the students. "I can see many of you are puzzled already. Therefore, I will give you a simpler exnation regarding what Magic Circle actually is."
Brayden turned his back on the students, and started writing on the ckboard. He was drawing a Magic Circle, or to be exact, his Magic Circle.
"This is my first Magic Circle. It is a Grand Circle, which many of you don''t have." He turned around. Pointing to the outskirts of the Circle, he asked, "Now, can you see these strange symbols?" The students nodded.
Brayden continued, "These symbols are actually used in Rune. However, instead of using Rune Carving Manual, we use Array Carving Manual to carve this on our heart instead. This is what makes Magic Circle different from Rune."
Brayden pointed to theyers of Circles. "These are called Sub-circles. These guys are the indicator of a Magic Circle''s quality. The more you have, the higher the quality." He stopped, then looked at his students one by one.
Brayden suddenly smiled deviously. "Did you know you can improve your Magic Circle''s quality?"
Silence descended upon the room, before a gasp full of disbelief was heard.
Chapter 113 Rehearsal (End)
The silence continued, until Brayden broke it by clearing his throat.
"Kuhum! Anyway, let''s talk about itter."
The students looked at Brayden incredulously. He was making them extremely curious! They wanted to know what he had meant by his word.
Still, without a care to anyone, Brayden continued his lecture.
"Magic Circle works like a machine. It is built with parts, and each of them help us using Mana better. We can actually use Magic even without the help of Magic Circle, and I believe you have already realized by now, even a non-Mage can use Magic."
The students nodded. They had seen many civilians utilized Mana without the help of Magic Circle, despite how unrefined it was. Furthermore, they had also done the same thing in the Academy.
"It happens because we can naturally utilize Mana with our heart. How good you can control is up to your talent though. This is the reason why some people can never be a Mage. They have a defective heart."
At that, Basil quirked his eyebrow in interest.
"Of course, using your heart to utilize Mana can only get you that far. You need something to help you to really control Mana. That is Magic Circle. By carving it on your heart, you will be able to use the real Magic."
Brayden materialized his Magic Circle, and put it in front of him. "Now, what you see currently is a perfectly carved Magic Circle from my heart. As you can see, it has 7 sevenyers of Sub-circle, which is making it a Grand Circle."
The students paid close attention to his Circle, and admired it.
"However, that is not the focus of my exnation today. Materialize your Circle, and make sure not to emit any Mana! It will be annoying."
Just right after he said that, the very thing he didn''t want to happen, happened.
Boom!
Brayden''s mouth turned into a thin line. These ursed students had managed to irk him on the first day. Luckily, there were some students like Basil who knew how to control their Mana.
"Now, inspect all of the symbols written on your Circle, andpare it to mine. If you have a Major Circle,pare it to the first five Sub-circles of my Magic Circle."
He didn''t bother to mention anything about the one who had a Minor Circle. He knew there was no such people like that in Randalvine Magic Institute.
"Now, can you spot the difference?" The students nodded. They could spot many differences between the symbols carved on theirs and Brayden''s. "It happens because the different Carving Manual you use, and your heart''s suitability with it."
Brayden turned his gaze to Basil. "As the winner of the Regional Tournament, may you step forward to give us a demonstration, Mr. Pacifer?"
Basil quirked his eyebrow faintly, before standing up from his seat. Walking to the front of the ss, his first Magic Circle followed behind his back.
"Now, this friend of yours has the same quality of Magic Circle as me." Brayden motioned to Basil''s Circle. "Despite having the same quality, our Magic Circle is actually different." Brayden inspected Basil''s Circle. "For example..."
Brayden blinked his eyes in confusion. He took a double take, and inspected Basil''s Circle once again. He went silent, inspected the Circle once more, and went silent again.
Raising his head, he looked at Basil in bewilderment. "What in the bloody hell are you?" He muttered lowly. "A skilled Mage," Basil answered simply.
Brayden became even more bewildered. "''A skilled Mage,'' he said? A skilled Mage? A skilled Mage my arse! I can''t even understand what is written on his Circle!" Of course, it was said mentally.
Inspecting Basil instead, he looked deep into Basil''s eyes. Then, he also noticed Basil had his two other Magic Circles in his eyes.
"Y-you... A-are you a monster?" He had said this exact same thing to Iliana in the past. "I am just a skilled Mage." And, her answer had been the same too.
Looking back to Basil''s Magic Circle, he could see Basil was controlling his Sub-circles as if his own hand. As someone who prided himself in his knowledge in Magic Circle, Brayden was left in a state of disbelief.
However, he was professional enough to not let his emotion get the best of him. Therefore, he quickly regained hisposure.
"Kuhum! You have a very interesting Carving Manual indeed, Mr. Pacifer. Now, you can get back to your seat."
Basil didn''t even give a nod at Brayden. He merely walked back to his seat, while positioning his Magic Circle to his back. Then, he revealed the extra twoyers of Sub-circles he had hidden. His Ultimate Circle was finally on full disy.
Needless to say, Brayden''s eyes widened once again. When he was about to call Basil out, Basil swiftly retracted back the two Sub-circles. He had done it so swift, Brayden thought what he had seen was merely his imagination.
Brayden thought hard. He was debating whether what he had seen earlier was his imagination. In the end though, he decided to postpone thinking about it. He still had a job to do.
"Very well. I will talk about how to improve your Magic Circle''s quality. But first of all, let''s learn how to configurate your Magic Circles."
The ss continued , and no one asked what had just happened. However, they were sure the lunatic freshman, Basil Pacifer, must have done something.
...
When the ss ended, Basil quickly separated himself from his peers. He had messed with Brayden merely out of amusement. He didn''t want to get questioned by Brayden. Although he could easily dodge his way out, like usual, he didn''t want to waste his time.
Therefore, he was heading to the most unpopr yet the most productive ss. It was no other than Rehearsal ss.
Although it was named Rehearsal, it wasn''t meant for students to practice something they wanted to perform. It was named Rehearsal due to the purpose of the ss.
Life is a y, where everyone is an actor, and world is the stage. Before getting on stage, one needs to do a rehearsal. This was the origin of the ss'' name.
Rehearsal ss prepared every students to face the world, by letting them to experience it firsthand. They would be sent to an Exploration, Expedition, and even Subjugation.
By doing those mentioned above, not only did they get paid, but also the experience. Surely, every bright side has a dark side. Rehearsal ss taught students how to survive the harsh environment. However, the Magic Institute wouldn''t guarantee their life.
Therefore, the mortality rate was quite high. It was the reason why very few people dare to take this ss despite of the benefits. Furthermore, every students were bound to experience the same thing in Field Practice at the end of the day.
The only differenceid in the mortality rate. Randalvine Magic Institute guaranteed the student''s life in thetter. Aside from getting money and a headstart in field practice, what would they get? In their opinion, it was wiser to not take Rehearsal ss.
Surely, there were skilled people like Basil, who didn''t even care about the risks. He didn''t care about those small risks that were always reminded in Rehearsal ss. He had faced many far more life-threatening events in his past life.
Upon arriving at the lecture room, Basil was met with someone he was familiar with. As the room was still empty, there were only two of them inside.
"Hoh? You are finally here, Sil?" It was Iliana.
Rehearsal ss was known as the habitat for mad students. All of them were either a genius whose prowess was irrefutable or just a in suicidal person. No one would normally risk their life in such a young age, after all.
Needless to say, Iliana was one of those mad students. She had caught up to every curriculum the Magic Institute taught, she was left bored. Therefore, she did something that could stimte her adrenaline for her own amusement.
"Hm. I want to see how good Brayden teaches his student." At Basil''s word, Iliana chuckled. "Seeing such insolence from a freshman was my first. Aren''t you afraid I''m going to tell Brayden?" She looked curiously at Basil.
Even if she was implicitly reprimanding Basil, she was doing the very act herself. Still, she didn''t even blush at the shamelessness.
"I have pranked him in my first day. What is there for me to be afraid of him?"
Again, Iliana chuckled softly. "Yeah, I have heard that. Master alwaysughs whenever he recounts that. He still couldn''t imagine Brayden got a taste of his own medicine."
Suddenly, both of the people''s attention were attracted to the door. Someone was approaching them silently.
"You are busted, Cray." Iliana motioned with her chin to her front. "Aww... I thought I could fool you this time!" A young man with a fairly short stature came out of the wall.
Cray sighed in disappointment, before looking at Basil. "You! How could you notice me too?" He scurried over to Basil, and looked up to him. "I am very sensitive with Mana. You can never hide from me," Basil answered simply.
Cray clutched his head in frustration. "Kuuhhh! What''s wrong with you guys? Are you siblings? Why did you give me the same answer?!" Basil blinked at that.
To be honest, the kid was good. It was just too bad he had tried to sneak on monsters like Basil and Iliana.
"Yo! Failing at your specialty again, Cray?" A young man with tall and fit stature entered the room with the three people behind him. "Shut it, Whitney! Go kill yourself with a spoon!" Cray shouted at Whitney.
Whitneyughed it off, then looked at Basil instead. He was a little bit surprised at Basil''s stature. Seeing a tall Mage was very rare. He, being 188 centimeters tall, had been the tallest person in this ss, and now Basil had beaten him.
Even the tallest person in the entire Randalvine Magic Institute was professor Alcott, who was as tall as Basil ¡ª 192 centimeters tall.
"Woah, you have a great build, mate. I''m sure you have trained a lot." Whitney smiled, and extended his hand. "I am Whitney, amoner, a Fourth Circle Mage." Basil took Whitney''s hand, and shook it. "Basil Pacifer."
When Whitney was about to ask another thing to Basil, Iliana shushed every one of them. "Silence! Professor Alcott hase!" Iliana sat herself, and the other five people followed suit, even Basil was no exception.
"Hello, everyone."
An elderly man with bushy white beard and a big stature came in. He was wearing a sses to help him see better. It was no other than Professor Alcott, the one who was responsible with Rehearsal ss.
Upon sitting himself, Alcott looked at his students. "I have a bad news and a good news. Which one do you want to hear?" In unison, they instantly answered. "The bad news!" True to their reputation, they were indeed different.
"The bad news is, Carter died in this month''s expedition." His students sighed, albeit briefly. "What is the good news, then?" Cray was curious. "The good news is, we get to retrieve his body." Once again, his students sighed in relief.
"That''s good! Last time, when Dalton died, we can''t even retrieve his body. That idiot died in a Devouring Swamp. His body was swallowedpletely!" Crayughed, and followed by the others.
Alcott shook his head, and looked at Basil. "Wee to Rehearsal ss, Basil. As you have already seen, we are a bunch of crazy people."
Basil nodded faintly. Rehearsal ss was different, indeed.
Chapter 114 Epilogue: A Time Where One Will Rejoice At The Return Of A Lifeless Body
Rehearsal ss also had another name other than the ss of lunatics. It was the ss ofmoners. It was named that way, because everyone attending the ss was amoner.
However, "The ss ofmoners" also had a negative connotation amongst the Nobles.
Commoners had no titles, which means they had nothing on themselves other than their life. Nobles, in the other hand, had titles, prestige, territory, assets, and many things on them.
If they died, they would leave so many things behind, unlikemoners. Due to this, in their opinion,moners equals to lunatics. Because they had nothing on them, they weren''t afraid of death.
While the students of Rehearsal ss were indeed not afraid of death, all of them were irrefutably talented. Talented Mages could easily flourish. Therefore, all of them had wealth that exceeded a Baron''s. The only thing they didn''t have was a title.
"Since we got a new student today, let''s introduce ourself one by one. Also, I want to add another thing to you, Basil." Alcott looked at Basil. "Our ss is opened for all years." Alcott paused to see Basil''s reaction.
When Alcott saw none, he was about to open his mouth. However, Cray beat him to it. "Therefore, all of us are your seniors. But, you don''t have to worry about that! We don''t care about seniority in this ss." Cray smiled brightly while looking at Basil.
"Kuhum!" Cray flinched, then turned his head to Alcott. "This is the twenty third time I warn you to not interrupt me when I am about to speak for thest three months, Cray." Alcott looked at Cray neutrally, and Cray could only scratch his head awkwardly.
Alcott turned his gaze to Basil. "You may have noticed by now, there is no first year student other than you, Basil. However, like what Cray said, you don''t need to worry about seniority. We don''t care about such a thing here." Basil nodded faintly.
"Very well, introduce yourself to the new student."
Alcott motioned the frontmost student to stand. It was a 19 year old girl with long dark blue hair tied in a ponytail. She had a sharp jaw, unblemished bright skin, and a height of 171 centimeters.
Turning her body toward Basil, she faced him stoically. "I am Monica, amoner, and a Fourth Circle Mage. A pleasure to meet you." Then, she sat back down.
"Monica doesn''t like to talk very much," Iliana whispered to Basil.
The student beside Monica stood up, and faced Basil''s direction. It was a 20 year old girl with long dark grey hair tied in a twin tail. She stood at 160 centimeters tall ¡ª a fairly dainty stature ¡ª and a quite childish facial features.
She smiled brightly at Basil. "Hello, I am Missy, amoner, and a Fourth Circle Mage. I love cookies and choctes! You can invite me anytime to eat them, and I will definitelye! Oh, also a pleasure to meet you, Basil!" She eximed in hype.
"Missy is theplete opposite of Monica. She is very talkative and bright," Iliana whispered to Basil.
Basil merely hummed faintly, and focused his attention to the next student. It was a 21 year old young man with light green hair. He had an attractive face, but a neutral expression. Standing at 178 centimeters tall, he had a lithe stature.
Facing Basil, he looked at him neutrally. "My name is Litton. It''s a pleasure to meet you." He said it in an emotionless voice. Then, without care, he sat back down.
"Litton is the male version of Monica," Iliana whispered to Basil.
"He didn''t say his level of mastery."
"Well, it''s notpulsory in the first ce. Manymoners say that just so they could be respected." Iliana shrugged.
Like what Iliana said, amoner essentially had a lower status than Nobles. Even if one was a Mage, as long as one didn''t have any title of Nobility, one wouldn''t get recognized.
Therefore,moners often stated their level of mastery to tell everyone how superior they werepared to others, whenever they introduced themselves. It was all for the sake of being recognized.
Upon seeing Litton sat himself back, Cray was eager to introduce himself. However, even before he managed to stand himself up, Alcott beat him to it.
"Very well. The introduction is done."
"What?! I haven''t introduced myself yet, Professor Alcott!"
"Shut your hole, Cray! You have done it 15 minutes ago." Alcott was referring to the time before he had entered the lecture room.
"What?! Does that even count?! This is ludicrous!"
While Cray was whining about how unfair the situation was, Iliana was once again whispering to Basil. "You may have already noticed it. But, Cray is the male version of Missy. He doesn''t like cookies and choctes though."
Basil nced at Iliana from the corner of his eyes. He could see her smiling. Unconsciously, a faint smile adorned Basil''s face. He had heard many things about this bunch of students a lot from Iliana in his past life. Iliana liked them a lot.
Unfortunately, not even one of them could live past 25. An expedition had been conducted right before graduation, and an unexpected thing had happened. None of them had survived, beside Iliana.
She had hold onto the guilt for a quite long time in his past life. Basil didn''t actually know the unexpected thing that had caused their death in the past. However, he was sure this time would be different.
With that being said, he didn''t take Rehearsal ss to save these kids. He needed a reason to go to a secluded ce, far away from the Magic Institute. He needed that to improve his Cultivation.
By taking Rehearsal ss, he would be assigned to an Expedition or a Subjugation, which required him to go far away from the Magic Institute. That way, he would have the chance to improve his Cultivation without attracting unnecessary attention.
"There will be an Exploration in three days. Three people are needed. Who wants to jump in?" Alcott gazed at his students.
Whitney raised his hand. "Where is it, Professor Alcott?"
"It''s thirty kilometers away from BA-32. There is a recently found unexplored Dungeon there."
"BA-32? Is it the one close to Lone Mountain?" At Basil''s question, everyone turned to him. "How did you know?" Alcott was surprised.
The news of the Dungeon''s emergence wasn''t even released yet. There should be only few people know about.
"My family owns a hotel in Raneil Barony." Basil was referring to Danzel.
Alcott nodded his head. "I see. Rumour spreads faster than happiness indeed."
Basil frowned lightly, before raising his hand. "I will take part in the Exploration." Once again, everyone''s eyes turned to him. "You got the spirit, Basil!" Cray loudly eximed. "Very well. I will be joining too, Professor Alcott!"
Alcott sighed in exasperation. Compared to Subjugation and Expedition, Exploration was pretty much harmless. However, considering Cray''s personality, anything could be life-threatening. Therefore, he couldn''t let Cray go without any supervision.
Iliana, who understood Alcott''s dilemma, was about to raise her hand. However, Whitney beat her to it.
"I will join them too, Professor."
"Very well." Alcott sighed in relief. "I hope you can guide Basil well, Whitney."
"Leave him to me, Professor. I won''t let him die on me!" Whitney beat his chest confidently.
"Hey, what about me? You guys have me too, you know?" Cray stared at Alcott brightly.
Whitney opened his mouth instead. "Well..." Motioning with his hand, he said, "You are a little... You know...?"
"A little what?"
"... Unstable?"
Cray blinked his eyes, before frowning. Whitney was watching Cray''s reaction carefully. Contrary to his expectation, Cray didn''t explode like usual.
"I guess I am..." Cray scratched his head. Looking at Basil, he said, "I can''t risk your life after all. It''s been a long time since we get a new friend!"
Everyone sighed in relief. They were d Cray was self-conscious. Still, if he was aware of his recklessness, why didn''t he act more careful?!
With that, the ss started.
...
Dungeon was originally a jail for Kinyers in the Age of Chaos. As the name suggested, Kinyers were people who killed another human, while the poption was at all time low.
Dungeon was made to imprison and torture them to inflict the same suffering those people they had killed had felt.
Unfortunately, as it was still in the Age of Chaos, the world was still infested with Demons from the Obelisks. Once the Demons found about the underground Dungeon, they made it as their base, and worked together with the people entrapped inside.
Being full of vengeance after being captured, the Kinyers became even more eager to hunt people. Due to this reason, many Dungeons were destroyed in the past, and the undestroyed ones were hidden from the world.
Starting from a hundred years ago, people started to find the lost Dungeons, either out of coincidence or natural phenomenon. Being the curious people they were, Mages and Knights alike were crazy about exploring it.
Thus, the term of Exploration was born.
"Woohoo! We are finally departing!" Cray shouted enthusiastically.
Whitney chuckled. "You are being loud Cray. Can''t you be like Basil?" Whitney motioned his eyes to Basil.
Basil was leaning his body on a wall, with Deacon on his shoulder.
"No way! He is too steady. He didn''t even cry when Carter''s parents retrieve his body!" Cray shook his hand frantically.
"Well... I guess he is better than you, who was faking your cry." Whitney smiled wryly.
"Hey, that was a genuine tears!"
While Whitney and Cray went back and forth with their bantering, Basil was focusing on his thought. It had been three days since he had epted the offer to go to an Exploration, and he had used those three days to prepare everything he would need.
He was thinking about the Dungeon he was about to go to.
Death Howl Dungeon.
It was located not far from Lone Mountain, the ce where the dying Yamata no Orochi had lived. Death Howl wasn''t actually a Dungeon.
It was a connector to the Obelisk of Goap, the one that would experience an Outbreak soon.
His mind instantly replied the scene where Carter''s father cried at his son''s lifeless body. War was already close, and the simr scene would happen everywhere.
War is such a cruel and unique thing. In times of normal a son bury their father, while in times of war, a father bury their son.
The uing war would be worse. There was no guarantee a father could even have their son''s body to bury.
The uing war would be a time where one would rejoice at the return of a lifeless body.
Chapter 115 Again
A huffing sound of two Hexapod Horses was reverberated through the in. A mighty cking sounds were produced by their feet, whenever their horseshoes tapped the ground.
On their back was a luxurious carriage filled with many hidden Runes carved on the surface.
Aside from the driver, the carriage carried three young man. The first person was a brown haired young man with an equally handsome and beautiful face. He was sitting silently with closed eyes, while brushing the fur of a mini Saberwolf.
The second person was a blond haired young man with a delicate stature and a semi-childish appearance. He was talking to the young man beside him.
The second person was the young man, who the second young man was speaking with. He had a pale blond hair and a fairly muscr stature. In this carriage, he was the only who got a manly face.
Sequentially, they were Basil, Cray, and Whitney. They were on their way to Raneil Barony, or to be exact, Familia Hotel.
"Basil, I can''t wait to see your family''s hotel!"
"Hey, can''t you see he is training? Stop bothering him with unnecessary remark!"
"Huh? I''m just a good friend trying to socialize. What''s wrong with that?"
"Pick the right time, idiot!"
That way, Cray and Whitney''s daily banter started once again. The silence within the carriage had been maintained for 20 minutes after leaving Randalvine Magic Institute. When the 20 minutes had passed, Cray the chatterbox couldn''t hold himself any longer.
Of course, Whitney, who was trying to shut him up from time to time, only ended up joining Cray in creating sound pollution.
Suddenly, everyone felt like they were passing through a film of spider silk. Although their body felt no physical resistance, their soul was a different story. They felt their soul was slowly pulled slowly pulled out of their body, only to be thrown back inside.
Then, a sense of dysphoria assaulted them. It felt like they were residing in someone else''s body, instead of theirs.
"Blergh! For the love of heaven, I am feeling sick!" Cray clutched on his stomach.
"Darn! Can never get used to it." Whitney clutched his head.
They had just passed a Teleportation Gate. It was a normal reaction anyone would feel, whenever one passed through space.
Whitney raised his head to look at Basil. It turns out, he was alright. Basil didn''t budge even a single inch from his ce. He was amazed.
"Wow! Were you a carriage driver before?" Cray looked at Basil in amazement. "Why are you thinking of a carriage driver?" Whitney looked weirdly at Cray.
"It''s simple, silly. Look at our carriage driver! Did you see him bothered? No! He has passed Teleportation Gate so often, he doesn''t feel any of the aftereffect."
Whitney pped his forehead helplessly. "You reached a wrong conclusion, idiot. Carriage drivers are not the only one who often pass Teleportation Gate."
"Oh! Are you saying he also masters [Teleportation]?"
"No. A Mage who often passes Teleportation Gate is the one who often joins an Expedition. Right, Basil?" Whitney looked at Basil expectantly.
Basil opened one of his eyes, and answered simply. "No."
Whitney''s face contorted, and Cray had a goodugh out of it. "Hahahaha! I told you he was a carriage driver!"
Whitney grumbled silently, then closed his eyes. Cray was perfectly ignored throughout the trip. Thanks to that, the trip was silent and peaceful. Needless to say, cray was suffering, due to the silence.
...
[Familia Hotel]
Familia Hotel had a bakery store, and a cake store in its building. In the cake store''s kitchen, stood a young woman. She had a long brown hair, unblemished white skin, a youthful and attractive face, and a well developed figure.
Standing at 168 centimeters tall, the young woman had a very feminine posture. The young woman was no other than rissa.
rissa looked at the cake she had recently made. It was a threeyered cake with strawberry jam filling the middle of the cake.
"Hmm... Should I cover this with chocte or not?" rissa scratched her head. "Ah! It''s frustrating! Is chocte and strawberry a goodbination? Well, time to find out!"
rissa pulled her sleeves and started to work on her cake. Just half a year ago, she had barely managed to organize her bakery store.
However, with everyone''s guidance and her sheer tenacity, not only could she finally manage to organize her bakery store, but she had also opened a cake store. Everyone liked the cake she baked, and the business ran smoothly.
"rissa! Are you still working on that cake?"
"Huh? Yeah, I am."
The person who had just called rissa sighed in exasperation. rissa had been focusing on creating a new cake for three days already. She didn''t know what was the point of it. rissa had already many variations of cake, after all!
rissa turned around, then took a good look at the girl who had just called her. She was an attractive violet haired 18 year old girl with lean body. She stood at the same height as rissa.
This girl was rissa''s friend and helper, Poppy. She was the one who had coincidentally met rissa at the market in the past, while buying groceries. When rissa noticed Poppy hade to her store, she had quickly hired her.
Poppy, who was also struggling financially, had epted the job without any hesitation. She had two little siblings at home, and she needed money to raise them up.
"Hm. You are looking better and better each day." rissa nodded cheerfully. "Huh? What do you mean by that?" Poppy was puzzled.
"Compared to a month ago, you are way less cynical."
"Howe?"
"You snort less." Right after rissa said it, Poppy snorted.
rissaughed softly. "Do you see what I mean?" Poppy smiled in embarrassment, and scratched her head. "Y-yeah, I guess."
"Anyway, what do you need of me, Poppy?"
"Oh, that? Mr. Danzel told me to get you."
"Father did? Why?"
"I don''t know. I only received the order. I didn''t question it."
rissa pondered for awhile, before shrugging. With Poppy in tow, she went to meet Danzel.
"Where is father anyway?"
"He is in the guest room."
rissa nodded her head. As the distance between her cake store and the guest room was four floors apart, it took them some time to get there. Even so, they didn''t need to exert much energy to climb the stairs.
Thanks to Basil''s mastery in Rune Carving, all of the stairs that connected each floor were autonomous. Therefore, they merely had to step their foot on it, and the stairs would carry them to next floor.
Upon arriving in front of the guest room, rissa knocked the sturdy wooden door.
Knock. Knock.
"Father, it''s me."
"You can get in!" Danzel''s muffled voice of Danzel was heard.
Turning the knob, the door opened with a ''click'', and rissa stepped her foot inside. Hearing no footstep behind her, rissa frowned lightly. She turned her head to Poppy.
"Are you noting?"
"No. I believe it''s a family matter."
Turning her head to the room once again, rissa shouted, "Father, can I bring Poppy too?"
"Of course," Danzel shouted back.
rissa turned around her head. "See?" Poppy nodded, and followed behind rissa.
Poppy looked around the guest room. A luxurious chandelier decorated with crystals was hanging on the ceiling. The room was spacious, and it was decorated with many expensive furnitures. No matter how many times she saw it, she was always astounded.
rissa looked to the front, then squinted her eyes. She could see four figures sitting in the sofa in the corner of the room. While she could see Danzel in her point of view, the other three figures were only showing the back of their head.
Upon noticing rissa''s arrival, Danzel quickly stood up.
? "rissa, I bet you won''t believe what is happening!"
"Eh? What is happening, Father?"
Danzel merely smiled, and motioned her toe closer. Upon standing beside Danzel, rissa could finally see who the three figures were.
All of them wore a white shirt underneath a red robe, and a ck pants that fit them perfectly. On their shoulder, a symbol consisted of a book on top of a white tiger''s head, and two swords crossing each other behind the tiger''s head was embroidered.
Below the symbol were three words. Randalvine Magic Institute.
rissa was knowledgeable enough to know that was the most prestigious Magic Institute in the entire Braxtein Kingdom. However, it wasn''t the reason she widened her eyes.
From the three people sitting in the sofa, one particr person attracted her attention the most. It was the attractive brown haired young man who was sipping his tea calmly with closed eyes.
ck.
He put his teacup down, opened his eyes, then looked at rissa. A faint smile adorned his face.
"It has been two weeks since Ist saw you, rissa."
"Brother...?"
The brown haired young man, Basil, stood from the sofa. He inched closer toward rissa, before opening his hands.
"Brother!" rissa jumped at Basil, and tightly hugged him.
Basil hugged her warmly, and patted her back tenderly. He hadn''t talked much to them ever since Irene''s death. They had some things to catch up. Although he could only stay for a day in the hotel, it was an enough time to have a talk.
Cray was gaping at Basil and rissa. With a trembling finger, he pointed it at them. "H-he could smile!" He was surprised the steady Basil could smile, albeit faintly.
Whitney looked at Cray weirdly. "What do you think he is? A Golem?" Whitney shook his head faintly.
"I hope you will enjoy your stay at this humble hotel of mine." Danzel smiled.
Whitney slightly bowed his head. He was actually enjoying himself in the hotel. He liked the homey, and the calm feeling the hotel was giving.
"Can I get something to eat?!"
At Cray''s exmation, Whitney pped his forehead. Of course, there was also Cray who ruined his peace.
Chapter 116 Again (2)
While having a lunch together, rissa asked Basil where Deacon was, as she couldn''t see him. He exined that he couldn''t bring Deacon with him, so he had left Deacon with Iliana.
After they finished their lunch, Basil, Whitney, and Cray gathered themselves inside the guest room. They were going to discuss about the uing Exploration.
Of course, Danzel and rissa were understanding enough to leave them alone.
"Although you have heard it, I will exin it once again, Basil." Whitney looked at Basil. "This exploration is a coboration with a couple of Knights. There are six people in total, and we will be the only Mage in the party."
Basil hummed in acknowledgement.
"They are our clients. Therefore, we have to respect them the way they respect us."
Cray suddenly felt the need to chime in. "That means, if they are being a prick, you can kick their arse!" Whitney sighed at Cray''s word.
"For once, I can''t refute you, Cray. What you said is absolutely true. Although we call them ''clients'', they haven''t paid us yet. The pay will be given once we have fully explored the Dungeon. Therefore, if they are being a prick, we can also act like one."
Exploration was done to discover some valuable things inside the Dungeon. Therefore, anything found inside the Dungeon would be split among the party, ording to their role.
"I think Basil already understands that part already. Why don''t we go to the next topic?" Cray suggested.
"Right. I will talk about what to do and not to do in a Dungeon." Whitney paused to look at Basil''s response.
Basil nodded his head lightly as a sign of agreement. "First thing first, you need to remember Exploration is a party thing. That means¡ª"
"Going alone is a big no!" finished Cray.
Whitney''s mouth turned into a thin line. "Why don''t you just exin it in my stead?" He said that while smiling "amiably".
"O-oh, no, I''m good. You can assume your role, leader!" Cray gave Whitney a respectful salute nervously.
"Huuh... This guy is getting on my nerves," Whitney muttered lowly. "Kuhum! Second thing second, don''t just touch anything inside the Dungeon, not even the wall. We don''t know what kind of Trap Rune carved on it."
Basil already knew all of these things. However, he still gave Whitney the chance to exin. He wasn''t actually listening, anyway. He was busy carving his fourth Circle on his heart.
"Last but not least, if you find a Monster inside the Dungeon, notify the others. Don''t fight it by yourself! Dungeon Monsters don''t live in solitude."
That means, Dungeon Monsters always traveled in group. They had a habit of luring people into their colony, before ughtering them.
Basil looked at Whitney silently. At this point, none of them, aside from him, knew about another rule that needed to be remembered whenever one entered a Dungeon.
Be careful of Kinyers!
Many people thought they had beenpletely exterminated by the time the Age of Chaos had ended. However, there was a truth that was hidden from the public.
At the start of year 1 ACE, some Dungeons had been reopened. The reason was simple. There was another batch of Kinyers.
What is worse, all of them were either a Ninth Circle Mage or a Peak Stage Purple Knight. All of them had one thing inmon. Their lifespan was extremely long.
Therefore, Kinyers could survive in the Dungeon, despite living for a long time already.
In his past life, Basil had met two Kinyers. Both of them were irrefutably a highly skilled Nine Circle Mage. Fighting them both at once had been pretty hard for him. Still, he had managed to y them.
However, what made Basil categorize them as one of his important memories was not their skills, but the thing one of them had said in the brink of his death.
¡ªWe are eternal. None of us is dead!
Not long after their death, the other Kinyers had emerged, evoking chaos in the world. Humanity had been baffled. Hundreds of high caliber Mages and Knights alike had taken the world by storm, and it hadn''t been in a good meaning.
Needless to say, countless of lives had fallen victim.
"Why don''t we talk about Death Howl Dungeon instead?" Basil suddenly said.
"Hm? Oh that?" Whitney nodded his head faintly. "Actually, other than a photograph, we have nothing to show you." Whitney took out his Photograph Talisman, and put it on the table.
He inserted Mana inside the Photograph Talisman, and Death Howl Dungeon was projected.
It looked like a cave made out of hardened red soil. The were a few stctites hanging on the mouth of the cave, making it truly looked like a mouth of a monster.
Cray looked at the projection intently. "Hmm... I can''t see anything, other than the mouth of the cave, I mean."
"Of course, you can''t. The inside is totally dark, and the outside is too bright. Is this your first time doing an Exploration?"
Cray nodded his head. "Yup! All I ever go is Expedition and small-scale Subjugation."
Whitney scratched his head. "So, it means, there are two inexperienced guys I have to look for." Whitney sighed. "Ah, whatever. Just follow my leadter."
"I have an input for both of you." At Basil''s word, everyone turned to him in surprise. "W-what? Are you experienced in this matter?" Cray asked.
"You can say so." Both of the two people nodded. They couldn''t confirm whether Basil was lying or not. However, they would give him the chance to exin himself. "I will only suggest you one thing. Ignore the ''weird'' feeling you got."
"The ''weird'' feeling? What do you mean by that?" Cray was puzzled.
Whitney hummed to himself, before opening his mouth. "Are you referring to the feeling we got whenever we step inside a Dungeon?" Basil nodded in confirmation.
"Wait. What is this feeling?"
Whitney turned his attention to Cray. "Once you enter a Dungeon, you will definitely get goosebumps. You will feel your entire self being watched, scrutinized, and dissected."
"Huh? That doesn''t sound fun."
"Indeed. But, you don''t have to worry. It''s normal. People attribute it to the tragedy that had happened inside every Dungeon."
"What tragedy, though?"
"Thousands of Kinyers had been tortured and killed inside Dungeon. All of them were people whose prowess wasparable to our Emperor. Therefore, the remnants of their power affected by the suffering they had experienced remains in the Dungeon."
"Is that what makes our skin crawl?" Cray asked doubtfully.
Whitney nodded his head, then looked at Basil''s direction. He was amazed once again by Basil''s insight. Basil did know quite many things.
When he was about to say his thanks to Basil for reminding him about the thing earlier, he noticed Basil was lightly frowning.
"I didn''t mean to say anything about that. You can leave behind a Mana signature. However, the soul of a Mage can''t haunt people. The thing you have said earlier is nothing more than a myth."
Basil was speaking through his experience. He had died once. Therefore, he knew what ordinary people shouldn''t know. Once one was dead, their soul would be sent to the Cycle of Reincarnation.
Therefore, the theory behind the Kinyer''s souls haunting Dungeons was false. He believed all of the high ranking people from the Empire already knew of it, and they were in a state of denial.
Whenever one entered a Dungeon, one would alert the Kinyer staying inside. They would scan the intruder, and determined whether they were dangerous or not. It was the cause of the goosebumps one got.
Being scrutinized by someone with absolute power was a terrifying experience.
"You will get a stare once you step inside a Dungeon. Sometimes, you will meet or feel the one that gives you the stare." Basil looked at the two stoically. "If it happens to you, pretend you see or feel nothing."
Gulp.
The way Basil had said that truly made the two people gulp. Whitney, who had experienced it once, was sweating.
"Have you seen ''it'' too?" He looked at Basil uncertainly. "I have," Basil answered simply.
Whitney''s face darkened. "Do you also think that maybe they are...?"
"I will give you the benefit of the doubt." Basil stood up, and left the guest room.
Silence descended upon the room.
"Hey... He was messing with us, right? If he is not, it''s not funny. There is only one thing I am afraid of, and that is ghost!" Cray shouted loudly.
Whitney shook his head. "Ghost is not real. What I am afraid of is the other ''ghost''. If they are real, I can''t even think what will happen to the world."
Realization dawned upon Cray. His face quickly darkened. Basil had just basically implied Kinyers still exist. He shook his head, before smiling brightly.
"Nah, he''s just messing with us, right?"
Weirdly this time, Whitney didn''t confirm him. The two of them looked into each other''s eyes, then squirmed in their seat.
''Darn it, Basil! Now you are making us ufortable about entering Dungeon!'' Both of them cursed in their mind.
However, as quick as it came, it went even quicker.
So what if that was real? They got to meet a Kinyer anyway. They didn''t mind dying after seeing a legendary figure. It would be worth it.
With that thought in mind, they renewed their resolve. As expected of the students from Rehearsal ss, they were indeed different.
....
As the word goes, the waited timees slowly, and the cherished time passes quickly. That way, the day where Basil spent his time with Danzel and rissa had quickly past.
It was 7 in the morning, and everyone was already in front of the hotel. They were ready to depart.
Surely, Danzel and rissa were also there to see Basil off.
"Young people really do love risking their lives, huh?" Danzel looked at Basil with a wry smile. "Life is full of risk. Deciding to not take any will give us nothing," Basil replied simply.
"Indeed." Danzel sighed. "So, you are going to that ce... again. I don''t know what kind of strange fate my sons have with that ursed ce. But, I don''t like it." Danzel went to hug Basil.
"Gosh, you are so big already." Danzel chuckled. Basil smiled faintly, and rubbed Danzel''s back. Danzel let go of his hug, then patted Basil''s shoulder. "May the fortune be with you. Come back safely, Basil."
Basil nodded, before turning to rissa. Without saying anything, rissa hugged him tightly. "I believe in you, so I won''t say much. Be safe!" She let go of her hug, then smiled brightly at him.
Basil smiled faintly, and patted rissa''s head.
"Mr. Danzel, thank you for hosting us. We enjoyed our stay very much." Whitney bowed at Danzel.
Danzelughed amiably. "Hahaha. If you really enjoyed staying here, do visit us in the future." Whitney gave Danzel a small smile. "Of course, we will. As long as Basil allows us." Both of them chuckled.
"Miss rissa! I have fallen in love with your cake! Right after this Exploration is done, I wille back here to buy all of those cakes!" Cray shouted heatedly.
rissaughed softly. "I will prepare many cakes for you to buy." Cray nodded enthusiastically.
With onest goodbye, Basil and his party got on the carriage. The two Hexapod Horses neighed, before leaving the vicinity.
Chapter 117 Again (End)
While Basil and the others were on their way to Death Howl Dungeon, Iliana was sitting on her bed while looking at Deacon who was staring at her curiously on the ground.
"Do you eat meat, little guy?"
Woof!
"I will take that as a yes."
Iliana stood up from her bed, then went to open the window. She drew the curtain covering it, before lifting it up to open it.
Sunshine entered her room, and it highlighted everything in it. Countless of Purple Hyacinths decorated the rack she set on the wall. Her room size was three times of Basil''s, and she also had a bathroom in it.
Iliana inhaled the Mana filled air, before exhaling softly. She turned her back from the window, and faced Deacon. He was still sitting on the ground, while staring curiously at her.
"I will take a bath. Be a good boy, and wait for me. It won''t take long."
Woof!
Iliana took that as a sign of confirmation. She quickly entered the bathroom right after that.
Deacon stared at the bathroom door curiously. His master had told him to stay here, with the purple haired woman, as an indicator. He couldn''t figure out the meaning behind his master''s word, even up till now.
Still, he wasn''t defiant. He had never defied his master''s order even once! Therefore, he hadplied quickly.
The person he was staying with, Iliana, was unique in his opinion. After being a day with her, he could confidently say she resembled his master so much. She was confident, calm, and nonchnt toward people.
She never cared toward the people around her, except the very few that attracted her attention. Just like his master. The only difference between themid in the amount of friends. Iliana had friends, while Basil didn''t.
Yes. His master was a loner.
Click!
After a few minutes, the door of the bathroom opened, and Iliana came out. Her hair was still damp due to the shower, and her skin glistened under the bright light shining the room. She was wearing a tight short, and an equally tight t-shirt.
In other words, she was wearing her sleeping attire. They weren''t the same clothes she had worest night, though.
"Do you prefer the meat raw or cooked?"
Woof!
"I will take that as both." Iliana nodded her head. "I will cook us a mutton, then."
sh!
Her Magical Bracelet shone briefly, before a muttonid on her hand. She took the pot hanging on the firece, and put the mutton inside.
"A quick warning to you, I am not a great cook. So, bear with me."
Woof!
"Good boy."
Although Deacon was used to eat his master''s heavenly dishes, he didn''t mind eating eating another food. He also didn''t mind even though Iliana was bad at cooking. He still ate raw meat sometimes. How could a cooking be worse than a raw meat?
Deacon carefully observed Iliana. She was throwing every ingredients she had on her cupboard inside the pot. Deacon didn''t know what the taste of the meat would be. However, he was sure it wouldn''t be good.
Right after all of the ingredients were put inside, Iliana put the pot on the firece. Then, she set the firece on fire. Well, a blue fire.
Deacon widened his eyes in bewilderment. Iliana had just casted a high grade Fire Magic for cooking! It would definitely burn the meat to crisp!
Woof!
"Hm? What is it, little guy?" Iliana turned her head to Deacon.
Woof!
"Oh, you want me to take the pot immediately?"
Woof!
Iliana shrugged, before extinguishing the fire. She took the pot from the firece, and put it on her marble table.
Sizzle.
The mutton inside was perfectly roasted, surprisingly. The aroma of butter wafted through the whole room, and it was good to smell.
"Wow. Never have I thought I could cook this thing." Iliana snickered to herself.
She took the mutton out from the pot, and put it on the te. She cut the big b of mutton in two, then put the other half on another te.
"Here is your part, little guy." Iliana gave one of the tes to Deacon, and he silently took it.
Iliana nced at the silently eating Deacon. A small smile slowly adorned her face.
She wasn''t very good with taking care of living beings. She had thought agreeing to Basil on taking care of Deacon would be her greatest mistake. It turns out, she was wrong.
Taking care of a living being wasn''t as bad as she thought, apparently.
...
Death Howl Dungeon was located thirty meters away from BA-32. One might ask what does BA stand for? The answer is simple. BA stands for Beyond Area. It was used to call unconquered area that was upied by the Demon from Obelisk.
The number attached behind is the same as the sequence of the Obelisk near it. That means, BA-32 was an unconquered area that was upied by the Demon from the 32nd Obelisk, which belonged to Goap.
With that being said, Death Howl Dungeon wasn''t exactly located at BA-32. The exact location of Death Howl Dungeon was Lone in. It was a kilometer away from Lone Mountain.
Basil and his party had to pass it before reaching Death Howl Dungeon. Therefore, Basil could see Lone Mountain again, albeit from a kilometer away.
"Oh! Is that Lone Mountain? It''s as big and lonely as what the rumour said!" Cray eximed loudly.
They were still in the carriage, and Cray was looking at Lone Mountain through the window.
Whitney turned his head to Cray. "You are acting as if it is your first time seeing it."
"Indeed, it''s my first time!"
"Huh? Where have you been for these two years?" Whitney looked at Cray weirdly.
"My area of journey has always been around Carlenze Dukedom. Visiting a County is first time for me. Let alone a County of the likes of Fortescher County."
Cray was basically saying he had never been to a remote area, such as Fortescher County which was on the outskirts of Braxtein Kingdom.
"Ah, I see. You have never been to an Exploration." Whitney nodded his head. Only Exploration that required people to go to a remote area.
Huff. Huff. Huff.
The Hexapod Horses kept running ceaselessly. As there was no Teleportation Gate that connected Raneil Barony and Lone in, they had run for two days straight with merely three hours of rest.
ck. ck. ck.
The footsteps of the Hexapod Horses gradually slowed down, before eventually stopping. The horses breathed heavily, and the driver patted their back as ifforting them.
The driver turned his head to back. "Sires, we have already arrived at our destination."
"Thank you for your work." Whitney nodded his head.
Basil opened his eyes, then opened the carriage door that was close to him. Without waiting the others, he got out of the carriage first.
Whoosh!
A wind blow hit him, carrying a strong smell of soil with it. As it was a in, there was nothing obstructing the wind. Therefore, the wind blow was rather strong.
Upon getting out of the carriage, Cray eximed, "Uwahh! This ce smells like... well, soil." He sniffed the air.
"For Arthur''s sheath, stop sniffing the air. It''s disgusting!"
Cray turned his head to Whitney. "Really? Are you going to say dog is a disgusting animal just because they like to sniff?!"
"No, because they are dogs, not human!"
Just as Cray was about to counter Whitney, Basil put his finger on his lips, and hushed them.
"Shush! Listen the sound."
"Eh? Sound? I don''t hear¡ª"
Woong!
Cray instantly shut his mouth. Just like Basil had said, there was indeed a sound. It sounded exactly the same as the sound an empty bottle produced, when one was blowing air into it.
"This is not right. A in shouldn''t be able to make this sound. Let alone a parched in like this," Whitney muttered.
"It would be possible, if there was cavity on the ground," Basil replied.
"We don''t see any, though."
Everyone turned to Cray. "That''s why we will look for it," Basil said.
Cray nodded wordlessly, and followed Basil''s lead. He didn''t even question why Basil was leading the way, as Whitney didn''t either. Being led by Basil felt weirdly natural for them. Whenever they looked at his wide back, they felt weirdlyforted.
''D-did I just fall for Basil? What in the bloody hell is happening?!'' Both of them thought of the same thing. Surely enough, as soon as the thought came, it quickly disappeared.
After a few minutes of walking while following the sound, Basil raised his hand. The two people following behind him saw that, and stopped their feet.
"What is it?" Whitney asked, without stepping forward. "You should look for yourself."
"Okay!" Cray was the one who answered Basil instead.
Whitney sighed, and wordlessly moved beside Basil. He stood shoulder to shoulder with Basil on his right, and Cray on his left.
Whitney looked to his front. "What is that?" He was genuinely puzzled.
"It is our entrance."
"To what? Hell?" Cray turned his head to Basil.
"No, it is Death Howl Dungeon."
Basil''s word surprised Whitney. "No, it''s not. Death Howl Dungeon is not located here. It is on the east of this ce."
Basil nced at Whitney from the corner of his eyes. "Trust me," he said simply.
Whitney smiled awkwardly. Basil''s attitude eerily resembled Iliana''s.
Tap. Tap.
Everyone''s head turned to the right, the direction where the sound was heard. They could see six people were heading their way. Judging by their attire alone, all of them were definitely a Knight.
The three people instantly turned their body that way.
Whitney blinked his eyes in surprise. He knew who the six people were.
"You guys are Hauler, am I correct?"
One of the six people, a man in his early thirties with a tall stature, ck hair, muscr body, and a fairly attractive face, looked at Whitney in surprise.
"Yeah. I''m the party leader of Hauler, Thompson. Are you Whitney from Randalvine Magic Institute?"
"Yes. Yes, I am."
The man in his early thirties, Thompson, stopped in front of Whitney before extending his hand. Whitney took it instantly, and shook it firmly.
"Wow. You have a good grip for a Mage."
"It''s the reason why a lot of people told me to be a Knight instead."
The twoughed at the pleasantries, before letting go of each other''s hand. When they were about to say something, they were interrupted by someone''s shout.
"Ah, it''s you!"
Whitney turned his head, and looked at the person who had just shouted. It was a girl of the same age as Iliana. She had a long ck wavy hair, thin but healthy build, small face, and not so endowed chest. She stood at 173 centimeters tall.
This girl was pointing her finger toward Basil.
"Basil, do you know her?" Whitney asked. "I do not."
"Hey! You know me! We met at Lone Mountain more than half a year ago!" She red at Basil.
This girl was Sylvia, one of the women Basil had saved out of his suddenpulsion at Lone Mountain.
Basil lightly sighed, before nodding his head faintly. Sylvia lost her re, then looked at Basil brightly.
"We meet again!"
"Indeed... Unfortunately."
Chapter 118 Eyes Without Vision
Thompson looked at Sylvia in surprise. "Is this the man that you talked about? The one that saved you?"
"Yes. Yes, he is." Sylvia nodded his head vigorously.
Thompson approached Basil, then bowed at him. "Thank you for saving my sister." He righted himself back up, then extended his hand. "I am Sylvia''s foster brother, Thompson. It''s a pleasure to meet you."
Basil grabbed Thompson''s hand, and replied simply, "Basil Pacifer."
"Woah! Another one with insane grip. Do you have any thought on bing a Knight?" Thompson chuckled, then released Basil''s hand.
"You will never know," Basil replied neutrally.
The answer was a little bit off. However, Thompson decided to not pursue it any further.
"If the information given to me was not wrong, Death Howl Dungeon should be that way." Whitney pointed to the east. "Why are you guys here?" He was confused, since they were currently in the west.
Thompson turned to Whitney. "About that, the entrance ispletely sealed off."
"What do you mean?"
"The cave copsed, and the rubblespletely shut the entrance. So, we were looking for another entrance, before meeting you guys here."
Whitney frowned his forehead. "Copsed? Another entrance? I''ve never heard of this before."
"Oh, it''s normal for Mage to not know it. Exploration is mostly done by Knight, after all." Thompson nodded his head in understanding. "Since Dungeon are located in the underground, their entrance is not definite."
"How is that even possible?" Cray asked in puzzlement.
"The same reason as how we can find Dungeon¡ª"
"Natural phenomenon," finished Whitney.
Thompson nodded his head in confirmation.
The building technique used to create Dungeon was still unknown up till this day. They had been built intricately and hidden so well, it was hard to find its entrance.
Furthermore, there was no guarantee a Dungeon could keep its entrance open. Once the entrance was closed, one might never get out of it. Therefore, a research on the structure of a Dungeon, that took a long time, could never be conducted.
Thus, Exploration was the farthest everyone could do to Dungeon.
"Anyway, we haven''t introduced ourselves yet," Thompson suddenly said. "I will introduce you my party members one by one."
Thompson pointed his hand to a 198 centimeters tall man with muscr build, bald head, and bushy reddish brown beard.
"This is Jake. Although he looks intimidating, he is a good man."
True to Thompson''s word, Jake smiled, then waved his hand amiably. "Hello, everyone!" His voice was as heavy as his body.
Thompson moved his hand toward a figure covered in ck robe. Judging by their stature, they were ultimately a woman. She was 170 centimeters tall, and that was all that could be described about her.
"This is Effie. She is very introverted. So, she doesn''t talk much."
Effie nodded her head, and muttered, "Nice to meet you, everyone." Her voice was as faint as her presence.
Thompson moved his hand once again. He pointed it toward a skinny man with a blond hair, and a height of 183 centimeters tall. He had a sharp gaze, and a scowl etched on his face.
"This is Norman. He grumbles all day, but he is actually just too happy socializing."
"Shut your bloody hole, Thompson! Do you think I''m having fun? Dream on!" Norman''s scowl turned deeper.
Thompsonpletely tuned Norman out, then moved his hand toward the next person. It was an average looking young man, whose face didn''t suit to be a Knight. Although he was 181 centimeters tall, it was considered average amongst Knight.
"This guy is Steven. Though he doesn''t look like it, he is the ace of our party."
"Hello, everyone. I am Steven! You can call me Steve or Stevie. Nice to meet you!" Steven smiled brightly.
Cray''s eyes lit up. He felt like he had just met his kind. "Can I call you Stevie?! I am Cray, by the way!" Steven turned to Cray, then scurried over him. "Of course, Cray!" He quickly took hold of Cray''s hands and shook them vigorously.
Whitney pped his forehead, then sighed. "Ahh... There will be no peace after this."
"Aha-ha-ha. I understand that feeling well." Thompson smiled rather awkwardly.
p "Thompson! What about me?" Sylvia pointed herself. Thompson nodded his, and introduced her simply. "This is Sylvia."
"That''s all?" Sylvia frowned.
"Yeah."
"What about my distinct trait or something?"
Thompson nodded his head in realization. "Right! Everyone, Sylvia is a crybaby!"
"Thompson!"
While Sylvia was angrily looking at Thompson, everyone wasughing. Even Norman lost his scowl for a moment, due to the smile forming on his face.
Surely, Basil wasn''t included in "everyone". He had never paid attention to the people''s introduction since the beginning. He was focusing on the 5 meters in wide pit, that was the entrance of Death Howl Dungeon.
He could feel the "stare". Although he was ashamed to admit it, his skin had crawled briefly upon being exposed to it.
Whitney and Cray had just introduced themselves, and it was time for Basil to introduce himself. However, when they looked to the side, Basil wasn''t with them anymore.
None of them had noticed when had Basil scurried over to the 5 meters wide pit on the ground.
"I am sorry about him. He is not very sociable with people." Whitney smiled apologetically at Thompson.
"Who cares? At least, we already know his name." Thompson turned his head to his party members. "Right?" All of them nodded their head.
Well, all of them, except Norman. "Tsk! We have another weirdo on board." He stayed in character, and kept grumbling.
Sylvia turned her head at Norman, andughed in disbelief. "Considering it came from you, I don''t know who is weirder. You or him?" Norman didn''t reply, and merely grumbled.
Woong!
Upon hearing the sound, everyone''s eyes turned to the pit. Wind had just passed through it, and it produced a sound that was loud enough to be heard for as far as 2 kilometers radius.
"That is creepy." Sylvia shuddered slightly.
"Indeed. But, don''t worry. You guys have me and Steven. We will pass through it together!" Thompson said optimistically.
Cray''s eyes lit up. "Woah... Whitney! Can you do that for us too?!"
"Shut it, Cray!"
Whitney was reluctant to admit it. But, he was indeed less charismatic than Thompson. He didn''t know how to motivate people. All he knew was the correct way to finish a fight quickly.
"It has moved."
"Huh?"
"Moved? What has moved?"
"Wait, what?"
Everyone''s attention turned to Basil once again. He had managed to attract their attention by just saying three words. Everyone approached him, then circled around the pit.
They looked down at the pit to see what Basil meant. Surely enough, they could see nothing but darkness.
"What is it, Basil?" Whitney looked at Basil.
"The habitant of this Dungeon."
"Do you mean the monster?"
At Sylvia''s question, Basil merely nced at her briefly, before returning his eyes back to the entrance. He didn''t have any intention to cause unnecessary panic.
Pointing his finger to the pit, he drew his Mana to it.
"[Lumen]!" A Spell was uttered.
Basil''s tip of finger slowly lighting up, before a blinding lightpletely condensed on the tip of his finger. Then, it shot forward like a bullet.
The tunnel of the pit, that connected the outside world with the Dungeon was lit by the light, and everyone could finally see it clearly. The bullet of light kept shooting forward, before eventually touching the ground, stuck on it, and became the source of light.
Cray looked at Basil with gaping mouth, and Whitney looked at Basil in disbelief.
"You... You have light affinity?" Whitney was flustered.
Not just anyone could possess light affinity. Normally, only people associated with Church could have light affinity. After all, light was considered Miracle, rather than Magic.
"It doesn''t matter. The depth of this tunnel is 250 meters, and the light will die down in 3 minutes." Basil paused, then looked at the bewildered people.
"We have to reach inside before we lose our vision. The Dungeon has a [Shadow Entrapment] Rune set on the entire entrance. We can''t see anything with normal eyes, until wepletely enter the Dungeon."
Right after he said that, without a care, he jumped inside.
"Wait, Basil! No moving alone, remember?!" Whitney was beyond bewildered.
Basil had just jumped without any care of his safety. Considering the depth of the tunnel, as a Mage, he would definitely die!
Surely, he quickly changed his thought upon seeing what Basil did next.
Drawing Kusanagi out, Basil stabbed it to the wall of the tunnel, slowly stopping his fall. Right after seeing that, Whitney was reminded of one fact.
Basil was a Battle Mage, and an excellent one at that.
"Well. Your friend is good. Do we need to carry you with us?" Thompson looked at Whitney.
Whitney sighed, and shook his head. "No. We are fine by ourselves." He looked to Thompson, and said, "We''ll be going first then. We can''t let our friend alone down there."
Thompson looked at Whitney doubtfully. He wasn''t sure how Whitney and Cray would go down there without their help, a Knight, whose body was far stronger than any Mage.
Still, he didn''t have any right to stop them.
Whitney muttered something under his breath, and the earth below him covered his feet. Then, the earth moved, while carrying his body sliding down the tunnel horizontally, defying the gravity.
Cray smirked to himself, before also jumping in the pit. He shot through the tunnel like a bullet, due to the set of wings made from wind on his back.
The six Knights on the surface looked at each other, before eximing in bewilderment. "What the heck just happened?"
A Mage? Are they even a Mage with that insane stunt? Shouldn''t Mage be an extremely careful individual?!
They couldn''t believe what they had just seen.
Chapter 119 Eyes Without Vision (2)
Thud!
By the time everyone from Haulernded on the ground, Basil, Whitney, and Cray were already looking around the vicinity. The three students had jumped in earlier than them, so they had arrived on the ground earlier.
They were currently in a room that was around 240 m2. The light Basil had shot through his finger had died down, and the ce became dark once again.
Surely, it posed no problem to them. While the Knights of Hauler had eyes that had long surpassed the realm of human, the students had their Magic. Therefore, all of them could see just fine.
"This is worse than what you guys have said." Cray shuddered. "I feel something crawling on my skin!"
Steven stepped up, then patted Cray''s shoulder. "Hahahaha. Is it your first time visiting a Dungeon? Don''t worry Dungeon Bump won''tst long."
"Eh? Dungeon Bump?"
"That''s the feeling you got whenever you enter a Dungeon," Thompson chimed in. He also looked around, before looking at Whitney. "Well, how do you think we should proceed?"
Whitney hummed. "We are nothing more than your aid. As the party leader, the decision is yours."
Thompson nodded his head, then looked around once again. There were four tunnels in four different direction. He didn''t know which one they should walk. Considering how Dungeon was built, there was a quite high possibility one of them was a trap.
"Steve. Which one do you think we should walk?" Thompson threw his eyes to Steven, who was stillforting Cray.
"Hm? Well, we can just go like always." Steven shrugged. "Like always?" Cray asked.
"Yup! We can choose randomly, and expect the chaos!" Steven dered brightly. "Oh! I like the way you think!" Cray became enthusiastic.
While Thompson sighed helplessly, Norman clicked his tongue. "Tsk! There are too many lunatics here. I hope we''ll make it out this time."
Sylvia turned to Norman. "Hey! Don''t curse us with that word! Thest time you said that, we were almost dead!"
Whitney shared a look with Thompson. They realized they were not so different after all. Both had a chaotic team, after all.
When the two of them wanted to calm the situation down, two people opened their mouth in unison.
"We''ll be going this way."
Everyone turned their head at the two people, and found they were none other than Basil and Effie. Soon, everyone''s face turned awkward. Basil and Effie were pointing toward a different direction. They didn''t know which one to choose.
Bias was quickly forming. While the students from Randalvine Magic Institute were leaning toward Basil, the Knights of Hauler were leaning toward Effie.
Thompson noticed this, and frowned. The voting would be unfair as they clearly outnumbered the students. Therefore, he needed to diffuse the situation. Splitting even before the Exploration started would be thest thing he wanted to happen.
Thompson cleared his throat to gain everyone''s attention. "Kuhum! Let us check the safety of both tunnels first, before deciding."
Everyone turned to him, and nodded their head. It was better than debating on whether who was right.
"None of theses tunnels are safe. There has never been a safe Dungeon." Effie frowned. "Therefore, I am choosing the less dangerous path for us to walk." She gestured toward the tunnel in front of her.
Basil snorted. "In a dangerous ce, there is no less dangerous spot. Anything dangerous risks your life. The direction you are pointing to is indeed ''safer'' than the others. However, the path is tooplicated."
Basil turned to the left, and Effie turned to the right. They were facing each other, and the other people looked at the two in confusion.
''How did they know which is safer, and which isplicated?!'' They were bewildered by the two''s stunt.
"I am surprised you can analyze the structure of this Dungeon," Effie said neutrally.
''Yes, we are surprised too!'' the others eximed in their mind..
"Any Mage with a good control over Earth will be able to do it." Basil pointed toward his eyes, then said, "You, in the other hand, have discerning eyes. Having such an ability as a human is quite rare."
''She does?!'' Once again, the others were surprised. They didn''t know that tidbit of information.
Effie slightly squirmed in her ce, before pointing her hand once again to the left, toward the tunnel she had chosen.
"We should go this way. We can''t risk everyone''s life for a mere shortcut."
Basil faintly quirked his eyebrow in amusement. All of the tunnels were connected with each other. He had chosen the tunnel on his right because he knew it was where all the tunnels were connected.
The "danger" which Effie had mentioned earlier was the traps. Each tunnels led to one trap, and all of the trap was concentrated on the tunnel he chose. Judging by this alone, the tunnel he chose was indeed dangerous.
However, the tunnel he chose had a straight way. Therefore, the distance they had to walk would be shorter,pared to the roundabout way the tunnel Effie was pointing to had.
Basil faintly smirked. "The greater the danger, the better the reward."
Upon hearing that, everyone''s eyes lit up. They got what Basil was referring to.
Human are beings living on profit. They don''t care about the risk, as long as the profit worth the risk. With a definite profitys in front of their eyes, one will risk everything they have to reach that.
Mage and Knight were no different. Although they weren''t normal, they were still human. Therefore, their greed of profit was maintained.
"Let''s go Basil''s way," Steven dered surely. "Life is full of danger. Backing down just because of it will make the life meaningless! Let us go Basil''s way." Cray nodded his head seriously.
Steven turned to Cray, and Cray turned to Steven. Their eyes lit up, and they soon held each other''s hand.
"Cray!"
"Steven!"
They smiled brightly, before eximing in unison, "My mate!"
Whitney turned to Thompson. "Which way should we walk? The decision is yours."
He had seen most of Thompson''s party members started changing their mind. Even if Basil would be the one who would lead themter ¡ª if they decided to go Basil''s way ¡ª he needed to stay neutral.
Thompson sighed, then turned to Norman. "Which way do you prefer?" Norman was the most rational member in their party, and Thompson believed in his choice.
"Tsk! It''s not our first time facing a danger." Norman gestured his head at Basil. "He will be the one who leads us. So, he will face the danger we will face firsthand."
Thompson nodded, and pped his hand once to gather everyone''s attention. Everyone turned to him, then looked at him in curiosity.
"We will go Basil''s way, and he will take the lead." Everyone nodded without a fuss. Thompson turned to Basil. "Can you do it?" Basil merely hummed in confirmation.
Everyone gathered behind Basil. They split themselves in two groups, before lining up. No fuss was made in the process.
"Be careful," Effie muttered.
No one responded, because they knew it wasn''t directed at them. Everyone looked to Basil, and waited for his response.
He got none. He merely walked forward as if he didn''t even hear Effie in the first ce.
Whitney and Thompson were right behind Basil. Although Basil had hinted he had gone to an Exploration before, Whitney couldn''t just let Basil lead them without supervision. He was sane enough to not endanger another people''s life.
"Be careful where you step," Whitney whispered.
He got no response, but he was sure Basil had heard him. Therefore, he didn''t repeat his word.
They kept walking without conversing with each other. They couldn''t bother Basil by dispersing his concentration. Pathfinding wasn''t an easy task.
Around ten minutes of silent walk, Basil raised his hand. Upon seeing that, Whitney and Thompson quickly instructed the other to stop.
"Halt!"
Whitney approached Basil. "What is it?"
Basil pointed his chin forward, and Whitney looked at the pointed area. There was a 100 meters long trench, which filled with countless of tall and pointy metal spikes.
Luckily, they still had a way to cross it. There were 50 wooden pirs erected in the trench they could step on.
Thompson hummed to himself. At most, there could be only two people crossing the trench in the same time. Furthermore, the surface of the pirs was only enough for one foot to step on.
He turned his head to Whitney. "Do you need our help this time?" Whitney turned to Thompson, and shook his head. "No. We will be fine."
Thompson nodded his head. "Very well. We will go first in case there is a danger ahead." Thompson stepped forward, but Basil stopped him.
"Yes?" He asked in confusion
"I will go first," Basil replied simply.
Before Thompson could open his mouth, Basil shot forward. The wind caused by hisunch pped everyone right in the face, surprising each one of them. None of them had expected Basil going first.
Basilnded on the fifth wooden pir, then jumped to the right wall of the tunnel. Everyone was panicking as they thought Basil did that because he had lost his bnce.
However, they soon changed their mind as steppingstone appeared on the wall. Then, the wall on the left shot needless to the ce where Basil had been previously. Undoubtedly, Basil, who was dashing through the steppingstone was unharmed.
Basil jumped down from the steppingstone on the wall to the twenty seventh wooden pir. He hopped on to seven more, before jumping to the left wall.
The same scene, where steppingstone suddenly appeared, was repeated. Needles were also shot from the right wall to Basil''s previous position.
Basil dashed through the steppingstone on the left wall, and he was already close to the other side of the trench. However, he didn''t jump there. He jumped above it instead, bewildering the others.
Right before they wanted to shout their worry, Basil miraculouslynded on the air. Then, the "other side" they had seen faded, and the "air" they had seen Basilnded on turned to a ground.
Only then did they realize the other side wasn''t right in front of their eyes, but three meters above. They had been bewitched, before the knew. Needless to say, they were utterly baffled.
Unaware of the people''s feelings, Basil turned his head without turning his back, and nced at the people from the corner of his eyes.
"Follow my step."
The people, who were looking at him with gaping mouth, could only blink their eyes.
Chapter 120 Eyes Without Vision (3)
Cray was the first person who regained hisposure. He cackled, before pping his hand in amazement at Basil.
"That was amazing! But, I won''t do it your way!" He grinned.
Cray, who was thest person in the row, kneeled, before thrusting himself forward. He chanted a Spell, and wind gathered behind his back, creating a pair of wings. He flew, and passed the trench like a bullet.
He was so fast, not even the needles shot by the wall could hit him. With a speed even faster than Basil, he arrived at the other side of the tunnel.
He stood beside Basil, then waved at the others.
"I''m safe!"
Whitney clicked his tongue. He was slightly irritated. He brought only two guys with him, and none of them had heard his instruction so far!
He chanted something under his breath, and the earth below his feet shuddered. Then, it shot forward to the other side of the tunnel, while carrying him in the process. Soon enough, he arrived beside Basil. Just like the other two, he was harmless.
Whitney turned to Cray. "Haven''t I told you to follow my instructions?!" Whitney sped Cray''s head, lifted him by his head, then shook him vigorously.
"Ah! You muscle freak! Let go of my head!" Cray tried his best to peel Whitney''s hands of his head.
Steven stepped forward, then stood beside Thompson. He had been looking at the entire scene in interest.
Rubbing his chin, he said, "What a unique bunch they are. All of them have the guts of a Knight. Especially that kid." He pointed his finger to Basil. "If not for the uniform, I would have thought he was a Knight."
Thompson turned to Steven, and smiled wryly. "Despite how chaotic they are, they managed to lighten up the mood." Steven shrugged at his word.
Steven touched his sheathed sword on his right side. Drawing it slowly, the sword hum in a high pitch the more he drew it. When the sound stopped, a shiny double-edged sword was revealed.
He pointed the sword forward, before drawing his Qi. The de instantly shone in Green light, showing his level of Body Forging. With one sentence, he activated his Aura Ability.
"[Gravity Center: Inversion]!"
Then, Steven shot forward like a bullet, as if there was something pulling him. He literally defied gravity. Or to be exact, he controlled the gravity around him.
When he was already close to the other side of the tunnel, he deactivated his Aura Ability, conveniently stopping hisunch on the right ce. He looked at Cray, and Cray looked at him back.
"Awesome, mate!" Cray''s eyes lit up.
Steven made a v-sign, and smiled brightly. "I am, aren''t I?"
Thompson swiftly turned his head to his other members. "Don''t show anything off. Understand?" His gaze was frightening enough to make them instantly nodded their head.
As a leader, Thompson went first. Although technically he wasn''t the first, he would be the first person who passed through the trench normally. After he had passed through the trench, the remaining people followed suit.
Soon enough, everyone had finally reached the other side of the tunnel. Looking back to their previous position, a low gasp came out from their mouth.
The scene they were seeing currently was very different from the scene they had seen before.
The 50 wooden pirs they had seen earlier were actually only two. The steppingstone on the wall were gone, and they were reced with metal spikes.
The only part of the wall left uncovered without metal spikes was the vertical line of holes that shot needles through it.
"Hmm... The obstacles are pretty easy. But, this level of Bewitchment is..." Whitney trailed off.
He was mind-blown. This Dungeon had existed for at least two thousand years. However, the [Illusionary] Rune set on it was still working good enough to fool his eyes, a Fourth Circle Mage.
"As expected of Dungeon, it is as fearsome as the history portrayed. I wonder how fearsome it was in the past," Thompson muttered.
"It''s the same." At Basil''s word, everyone turned to him.
"What do you mean?"
Thompson was genuinely curious. Not many things known about Dungeon, and every tidbit of information was worthy of a curiosity.
"Every Kinyer trapped in Dungeon had their power stripped off. Knight had their Core destroyed, while Mage had their Circle crippled. This level of obstacles were enough to slow their movement."
At the new information, everyone, without exception, nodded their head. They had thought every Kinyer had been sent to Dungeon with their power kept.
All they knew about the function of a Dungeon was the ce of punishment. They didn''t know the real function of Dungeon was a literal ce of torture. Every Kinyer sent to Dungeon had died of either physical torture or mental torture.
The obstacles they had passed, and the Dungeon entrance that randomly popped out of nowhere were all an attempt to give the Kinyers entrapped inside a "hope". Seeing a chance of getting out of the hellhole, they would definitely grasp on to it.
Surely, none of them had managed to get out. The obstacles set in Dungeon had been enough topletely stopped the crippled Kinyers'' advance. The "hope" given to them was nothing more than a twisted mind game.
"Let''s move. There are another three traps for you to admire." Basil''s word woke the people from their daze. Without waiting for the others, Basil resumed his walk.
Ever since he had arrived here, he had never once paid any attention to the people. He had been focused on scanning the structure of the Dungeon. Despite of his experience, figuring out the trap was rather tricky.
He had visited Death Howl in his past life. However, the structure had been different than the current one. Therefore, he was as clueless as the people behind him.
The people should be grateful to him, as he was the one leading the way. If it hadn''t been because of him, they would have long lost their life in the first obstacles.
With Basil''s lead, everyone followed behind silently. The walk was smooth, and not a single trap was triggered. Basil was so meticulous in his action, any Rune set for trap was instantly deactivated by the time he saw it.
That was until someone decided to ruin it.
ck!
At this sound, Basil silently clicked his tongue. An idiot had just triggered a trap. He knew what kind of trap was triggered. Therefore, he instantly dashed forward faster than a bullet.
Rumble!
"A boulder is approaching. You will lose your life in 10 seconds."
Of course, he didn''t forget to inform his fellow students.
Upon hearing that, everyone used every Spell and Technique they had to elerate their speed and catch up to Basil. They didn''t register anything in mind, beside catching up to him.
Basil suddenly turned left, and they followed suit. The tunnel had a branch, and they had just turned to it. It took them four seconds to reach there. However, it felt like a lifetime for them.
The moment had slowed down, when they had heard they would lose their life.
The vibration of the ground continued, and very soon, a big boulder passed through the ce they had just passed. It was 15 meters in diameters, almost as tall as the tunnel. However, the size wasn''t their focus of attention.
"What in the bloody hell is that?!" Cray eximed incredulously.
The boulder was filled with countless of [Negation] Runes!
If they had decided to destroy it instead, they would be already dead by now. Their Magic and Technique alike wouldn''t have worked due to that particr Rune.
"How could those Kinyers think they could survive this kind of obstacle?" Thompson wondered.
"They didn''t think. Show a thirsty man a bottle of water, and they will do their absolute best to get it," Basil replied simply.
Thompson shook his head bitterly. Kinyers had been a bunch of immoral people, who had killed their own brethren. However, their fate once they were captured was worse than being killed.
They had been tortured and yed for so long, they would do everything to get out of Dungeon.
"Now that the boulder has passed, let us move once again." Thompson wanted to step forward, but Basil held him back.
Looking at Basil in puzzlement, he couldn''t help asking, "What is it this time?" It was already the second time Basil had stopped him.
"Wait until the boulder returns."
"Return? What do you¡ª"
Rumble!
At the sound, Thompson''s eyes moved to the front. Then, he saw what Basil meant. The boulder was rolling backward. It really returned.
"Th-this is?"
"[Rotation Reversal] Rune. Anything with it can exert the same rotation power it has produced in reversed way. A rolling down stone can return back to the top where it came from with it."
The Knights of Hauler nodded their head dumbly at Basil''s short exnation. However, Basil himself wasn''t even looking at them, he was still focusing on the way they hade from.
Without even turning his head, Basil warned, "Don''t step carelessly this time. I was surprised when I realized there is actually an idiot in this group."
"S-sorry." Sylvia hid her face in shame.
She was the idiot who had triggered the trap. Without any care about her feelings, Basil led them once again.
After seeing the tunnel''s branch, Effie frowned by the time she realized every tunnels were actually connected. She gazed at Basil with her eyes that were hidden under her hood, and hummed in amazement.
She had never expected to see someone that good at such a young age. Even Whitney, who had Earth Affinity, couldn''t do the same feat. That means, Basil''s mastery over Earth Element was off the charts.
The walk kept proceeding. They were met with two other obstacles, and some branches that connected the tunnel they were walking to the other tunnel. Basil was leading them meticulously, and they remained harmless up till now.
Sadly, Sylvia kept triggering traps here and there as if she was intentionally doing it. She had to break down in tears to prove her apology was sincere.
''Ckckck. Poor girl. Forgive my darling, he is wicked in nature.'' Vagus shook her head.
Basil lightly frowned. ''I am just messing around. It is not worth to make a fuss with.''
''That is what makes you wicked, darling.''
Basil shrugged inwardly. He was true to his word. He was just slightly annoyed by Sylvia''s clumsiness. He had been nearly caught off guard at the boulder incident, because of her.
Therefore, he decided to mess with her a little bit as a payback.
Chapter 121 Eyes Without Vision (4)
After sessfully passing three obstacles, the nine people finally arrived at thest obstacle. It was the exact opposite of the first obstacle.
If the first obstacle required them to cross the trench by using wooden poles and steppingstone, thest one required them to cross the trench with the ropes dangling from the ceiling of the tunnel.
At a casual nce, one could easily deduce it would be abor to Mages. However, the three Magesing with the Knights of Hauler were different. They could just repeat the stunt they had performed earlier.
However this time, none of them dare to move forward. The reason was simple. Basil hadn''t moved a single step from his position.
"What do you see?" Thompson asked. "What kind of Bewitchment this obstacle has?" Whitney added.
Basil frowned lightly. The closer he got to the Dungeon, the harder it got for him to use his Mana Sense. In result, determining the truth behind the Bewitchment was getting trickier.
Something was disturbing the work of his Mana Sense, or to be exact, it was another person''s Mana Sense.
It didn''t take a genius to deduce who was disturbing his Mana Sense. Only rookies couldn''t notice it. A Sixth Circle Mage and above would be able to tell it easily. Sadly, none of them went to an Exploration.
It was like a silent agreement that no Six Circle Mage and above went to Dungeon anymore. It was as if they were afraid to find the ghost from the past was still human all along.
They were still denying Kinyers were, in fact, still alive.
Basil cleared his mind from any unnecessary thought for the current situation. He needed to enter the Dungeon first.
''Guide, what is the truth behind the Bewitchment the Rune is showing me?''
[Ding!]
[Clearing the Host''s ignorance...]
[Initiating Visualization!]
That was thest thing Basil heard, before the real scenery of the obstacle was projected in his mind.
Basil had pretty much figured out the best way to utilize the Guide, after spending eight months with it.
First, he figured that everytime the question he asked couldn''t be answered literally, the Guide would provide him a visual answer. Second, he could literally ask everything. Even something as trivial as what his mood was.
Therefore, he had to be witty on his question.
By the time Basil finished seeing the visualization of the obstacle''s real look, he clicked his tongue inaudibly. He prided himself in his knowledge. It always left a bitter taste in his mouth, whenever he was required to ask something to the Guide.
Still, he was quick to get over it. He reminded himself everytime, the Guide was a part of him. Therefore, he wasn''t depending on anyone but himself.
Basil stepped forward, and he alerted everyone by his action. No one bothered him by asking him a question. Whenever they asked a question, he always ignored them. He had led them safely so far, and all they did was following him.
Therefore, they were just watching Basil''s every action carefully like usual.
The closer Basil got to the trench, the weirder their expression became. They had expected Basil to go on a beast mode like what he had done previously. However, he didn''t do anything of the sort currently.
He was so rx in his action, he didn''t even have any thought to grab any of the dangling ropes!
Whitney couldn''t believe what he was seeing. He had expected Basil to fly through the trench or just crossed it swiftly the Knight way. However, he didn''t. Hepletely ignored the rope, and kept walking to the trench as if he wanted tomit a suicide.
"Basil, what are you do¡ª eh?"
? The next scene he saw was even more bewildering. Logically, Basil should fall when he stepped on to the hollow ground without grasping the rope. However, he didn''t.
He was now walking on the air like what he had done in the first obstacles instead.
This time however, the air didn''t turn to ground. It kept being air. Thus, the bewilderment was amplified.
Hearing no footstep behind him, Basil turned his head to the people. "What are you waiting for? Follow me."
Upon hearing that, Cray quickly prepared himself to fly over the trench. "Don''t fly through it. You do not know which rope will trigger a trap." Basil''s wordpletely crushed Cray''s intention. He was bold, not suicidal.
The right people lined themselves up in one row, and closely followed behind Basil. Along the way, they did everything their best to not touch the dangling ropes. They didn''t want something bad happening to them.
Especially, Sylvia, who had triggered so many traps herself. Walking on baseless ground was enough to creep her. She didn''t want to trigger another life endangering trap.
Upon arriving to the other end of the trench, everyone sighed in relief. Even Whitney was no exception. He didn''t expect the Exploration would be this hard. He also didn''t expect Basil, his junior, would be more useful than him!
Everyone had the same urge to turn themselves toward the obstacle they had just passed. It was instinctual. However, when they did, they hummed in unison.
The scene they were seeing currently was different than the scene they had seen previously. There was no trench in front of them. It was a 100 meters long white floor instead. The dangling ropes they had seen also didn''t exist.
Cray decided to be crazy and stepped on the white floor he was seeing. Upon stepping on it, he didn''t fall. It turned out to be real. He waved his hand wildly in the air, and he felt nothing obstructed it. So, there were no dangling ropes either.
Instantly, everyone concluded the scene they were seeing was the real look of the obstacle.
Everyone turned to Basil. They felt betrayed.
''D-did we just get tricked by him?''
''THAT Basil, who is as expressionless as a Golem, has just pranked us?''
''We were lied to... Unbelievable!''
Still, no one said their thought out loud. Basil was messing with them a little, and they were sensible enough to not rage over a prank.
Basil turned to the people. "This door is the only thing that separates us with the Main Dungeon." Basil gestured toward the big door in front of him. "There are Dungeon Monsters behind this door. What will you do next?"
Thompson was slightly taken aback. Not even a minute had passed, yet Basil had grasped the situation behind the door.
"We will advance, of course." Thompson nodded his head. Turning his head to his party members, "Everyone, get into formation!"
The Knights of Hauler quickly assumed their position. Thompson and Steven were in the front. Jake was alone in the back. Sequentially from the right to the left, Norman, Sylvia, and Effie were in the middle of the formation.
Cray whistled in amazement. Although it wasn''t his first time seeing Knights assuming their formation, he couldn''t help but admiring it.
As a Mage, he always fought individually. Seeing a group of people being so organized was a unique phenomenon to him. He still couldn''t believe people could get so organized.
Cray turned to Whitney. "Should we organize ourselves too?" Of course, he knew the answer would be no. He had said that jokingly.
However, he had never expected Basil''s response. "Yes. We should get into a formation too."
"Huh? Seriously?"
Basil merely nodded at Cray''s question. Whitney gazed at Basil for a moment, before nodding his head in confirmation.
"Let us do an Istion. With your control over Earth Element, it should be easy for you," Basil said to Whitney.
Whitney merely nodded his head. He didn''t have any problem to that. He was actually d for it. He could finally fulfil his task, which was looking over his fellow students.
"What about me?" Cray asked enthusiastically.
"You will be the yer."
"Oh, that is cool! I like the name! So, what do I do?"
Basil turned to Whitney, and quirked his eyebrow. Whitney coughed in embarrassment, before saying, "Formal education is not our main focus. So, he is not very well educated on that aspect."
Basil nodded his head. He was just slightly surprised Cray didn''t know something as basic as the roles in Mage formation.
"As the yer, you will go around the area killing every enemies you see. The Overseer will protect you, so you don''t have to be afraid of any unexpected attack from the enemies. Your job is only one. Kill."
Cray''s eyes lit up. "Oh! I like that role! It suits me perfectly!" Basil nodded his head at Cray''s enthusiasm. When he was about to turn his head to notify the others their team was ready, Cray asked him something. "What is your role?"
Basil''s answer was instant. "I will be the Madman."
"Eh? You won''t be the Guardian?" Whitney was seriously taken aback.
Guardian had one role, and that was to protect the Overseer. However, Madman did nothing but rampaging in the battlefield. It was a very dangerous role, as Madman had no one to cover them. Only people who were sure of their ability dare to take the role.
Seeing no response from Basil, Whitney decided to drop the matter. If something unwanted were to happen, he would be there to save Basil.
"Very well... I guess it suits you more." Whitney nodded in eptance. This time, instead of Basil, Whitney was the one who notified the others. "We are ready!"
Thompson and his party nodded. As a Knight, they had to be the one in the lead. Therefore, all of them quickly positioned themselves in front of the door, while maintaining the formation.
Thompson exhaled lightly, and faced his party. "Are you ready, everyone?"
"Yes!"
"Okay." He turned his body to the door once again. "Here we go." He infused his Qi to the door, and it opened slowly by itself.
Rumble!
The ground trembled, before the door waspletely opened, revealing the hideous creatures inside.
They were as short as a five year old toddler. They had a long and sharp nose, and a greyish green skin. Theymunicated among themselves by shrieking.
Upon noticing the door opened, they turned their head toward it. With their eerie eyes shining in red, they looked at Thompson and his party.
Then, all hell broke loose.
Chapter 122 Eyes Without Vision (End)
Goblin.
Demon of the lowest rank.
They had a small body, and agile feet. They were the weakest species of the lowest Demon ss. However, they were the hardest to deal with.
Moving in group, Goblin finished their opponent by ganging upon them. The fertility of this species was so extraordinary, their number was insurmountable. No matter where one went, one would be able to meet them.
This is what made them hard to deal with. They seemed endless.
"Advance!"
Thompson shouted once, and all of the Knights of Hauler moved inside the Dungeon, while maintaining their formation, of course. Thompson arched his sword widely, bisecting the swarm of Goblinsing at him.
Steven utilized his Aura Ability and slowed down every Goblinsing at him by increasing the gravity around him. The goblins could only watch, while he beheaded each one of them.
Norman and Effie did a good job on backing up Sylvia, the weakest and the youngest member in their party.
While Effie used her bow and arrows to kill every Goblins in her vicinity, Norman used his Scythe to reap the life of the lowly creaturesing at him.
Sylvia was in the middle of them, eliminating any Goblin that could pass through their guard. Jake smashed the ground ever so slightly, killing the goblinsing at him with the wave his gigantic hammer produced.
The scene could be described with two words. Well coordinated.
Cray''s eyes lit up even brighter at the scene he was seeing. He was exceptionally pumped seeing the well coordinated party ying every Goblins like washing dishes.
"Whitney! When are we going to enter?!"
"Hold your horses, Cray. There is a reason why we don''t directly jump in." Whitney looked at Cray seriously. "What is it?" Cray asked impatiently.
"Field observation," Basil answered. "Whenever Knight and Magebine their power to defeat an enemy, Knight have always be the bait. They will buy the time for Mage to observe the ce they are battling in, before forming a strategy."
Cray frowned. "Exploration sucks! Subjugation doesn''t need any of it."
"That''s because Subjugation for a Mage is an individual battle. If you die, you will die alone. It''s different from Exploration, which is counting on teamwork," Whitney rebuked Cray.
While the two were conversing among themselves, Basil was quick in his action. He observed every nook and cranny the Dungeon room had.
The room was a big empty hall filled with Goblins. It was 80 meters in length, and 50 meters in width. The room was 40 meters in height, making it unnecessarily tall.
At the end of the room, Basil could see two opened big gates on each side of it. The Goblins were ceaselesslying out of these two gates.
A strategy was formed in his mind, and he turned to Whitney.
"I got it." Whitney nodded his head. "Let''s do it your way." He had understood what Basil was intending to do, even without Basil saying it.
Basil turned his head to Cray. "Let us break through the horde of this lowly creature." When Cray was about to open his mouth, Basil quickly cut him. "Follow everymand of Whitney."
Cray closed his mouth, and Basil turned his body toward the room of the Dungeon.
"I will clear the path. Cray will be Whitney''s protector, and Whitney shall prepare the Field."
The two people merely nodded at Basil''s word. They seemed to forget Basil was actually their junior, and had a fewer Magic Circlespared to them.
His voice sounded so convincing, and his wide back made them feel safe. At that moment, he looked like a great general leading a battlefield.
Well, they weren''t wrong.
sh!
Kusanagi appeared in Basil''s hand. He utilized his Qi, and Kusanagi shone in bright yellow light. An ethereal bright yellow light also covered his entire existence.
His Aura Ability, [Master Of Weapons], was activated. Basil felt like he was using [Synchronization]. He felt one with Kusanagi, it felt no different than his own hand.
The two Mages behind him were gaping their mouth in disbelief. All of them were too bewildered, their fellow Mage turned out to be also a Knight!
Surely, their bewilderment didn''t end there.
Basil utilized his Mana, and converted it to electricity. Mixed with his Qi, the supposed to be blue electricity turned bright yellow. With a softly spoken word, an Art was activated.
"[Thunderp]!"
sh!
Basil became a streak of yellow lightning traveling to the middle of the Dungeon room. Followed by that was a thunder.
Boom!
It attracted everyone''s attention, as hearing a thunder in this enclosed space was as weird as seeing a woman with a beard. Possible, but not without a certain circumstance.
When they turned their eyes toward the one who had produced the sound, a rain of blood poured down the path he had passed.
Basil had cut every Goblins standing in his way to pieces in the split second he crossed the room. In result, a brief rain of blood caused by the spurting blood ured.
When the rain ended, a stream of blood was made in ce of his track.
Before the entrance of the Dungeon hall, Cray was ready to cheer enthusiastically about how cool Basil''s stunt was. However, Whitney quickly gave him amand. Thus, preventing him to do so.
"Let''s catch up to him."
Cray went behind Whitney, and hugged him from the back. "Hold your breath!"
Whitney did as what he had been instructed, and Cray muttered a Spell. Wind quickly gathered behind him, forming a pair of wings on his back. Then, they shot forward.
Whoosh!
Although they didn''t cross the room as fast as Basil, they caught up to Basil quickly. It only took them two seconds to cover the distance.
When they caught up to Basil, electricity coiled around his body once again, before he vanished to the end of the hall.
sh!
Boom!
The attention of the Knights of Hauler was attracted once again. Although it wasn''t their first time seeing a Mage fighting, they were still amazed by how shy it was.
"We have our own battle! Focus on your fight!"
"Yes!"
The Knights refocused their attention on their fight, and countless of Goblins fell in every second. It was an easy fight. However, the Goblin''s wave was as endless as many people said.
At the end of the room, the three students stood, facing one of the opened gates. Whitney materialized his Grimoire, then quickly chanted a Spell under his breath, before shouting, "[Earth Boundary]!"
A thick and sturdy wall of earth surged form the ground, isting the vicinity of the opened gate they were currently facing. Goblins kept pouring out of the gate, and quickly filled the isted space.
"Assume your role!" Whitney shouted.
Whitney stood close to the earthen wall he had built, and overlooked the entire battlefield. He would support Cray, while Cray was exterminating every Goblins in the space.
"Speed is power!"
While being watched by Whitney, Cray was passionately killing every Goblins his eyesid upon. He moved agilely through the field, plucking every head of the Goblins, quite literally.
Like Basil, Cray was a Battle Mage. He had casted [Reinforcement] on his entire body, even his hands were as hard as a rock. Coupled with his Step Art that crazily amplified the speed of his move, his hands became a dangerous weapon.
Thest person of the group, Basil stood right in front of the gateway. Countless of wind des encapsted his entire existence in sphere. The air screeched due to the friction of the wind des caused to each other.
Due to that, every Goblinsing at him were shredded, whenever they were too close to him. Despite so, the Goblins didn''t fret, and kepting at him.
Pointing Kusanagi toward the gateway, wind gathered on the tip of its de. Two fireballs were conjured on each sides of the tip of the de.
The wind gathered on the tip of the de started spinning in spiral. The fire sparked, before setting the wind aze.
With a twist, the wind, that was already caught in fire, was sent forward, at the room behind the gate and the seemingly endless swarm of Goblins.
At that moment, Kusanagi looked like a methrower.
Burst!
The enclosed space lit up brightly.
The Goblins were blinded by the light, stopping them in their advance. While their red small orbs were captivated by the bright light produced by the fire, their skin was honest. It started burning and melting.
The Goblins were too bewildered to react. Therefore, they could only stand there as if a moth entranced by the light, while their body were slowly reduced to ashes.
Basil focused his attention solely to the gate. He wasn''t afraid of any Goblins attacking him, as his body was still encapsted by the sphere of wind des. His body was as safe as a baby in its mother''s embrace.
Whitney sighed in amazement from afar. Basil''s Magic Circles were on full disy, and he could see them shining intensely. He didn''t need to be a genius to conclude Basil had a monstrous Mana capacity.
He could''ve done the same as Basil. However, it would be poisonous to him in the long run.
Even if he was already a Fourth Circle Mage, his Circles couldn''t contain that much of Mana. He wasn''t gifted enough to have that kind of luxury.
Furthermore, the rate of his recovery wasn''t fast enough. Therefore, he always prevented himself from using a wide range Spell, unless it was necessary.
Basil stopped shooting fire, and the light shining the room slowly died down. Countless of indistinguishably burned Goblin''s corpses littered the ground, and the aroma of a burnt meat wafted through the whole isted space.
The culprit stood silently in front of the gate, expecting the rest of the horde that hadn''te yet.
Silence descended upon the isted space.
Out of the seemingly endless horde of Goblins, only one remained alive. It was the one who had yed dead, when Cray had failed to kill it by striking its chest.
It wasing slowly toward Whitney, whom it deemed as the weakest person out of the three people. Its caved chest faintly heaved up and down, while blood constantlying out of his mouth.
Whitney looked silently at the Goblin. "Having hands, yet only wield defected weapons. Having feet, yet only know how to run mindlessly. Having eyes, yet without vision. A pitiful creature, indeed."
There was only one step until the Goblin could swing its sloppily crafted sword at Whitney. However, it never had the chance to. An earth spike surged from the ground, piercing the Goblin right in its chest.
Stab!
Slowly, the eyes of the Goblin lost their light. Just like Whitney had said, the eyes were there, however they could see nothing.
They had literally be eyes without vision.
Chapter 123 Haunted
While the situation inside the isted ce had calmed down due to Basil''s crazy stunt, the situation outside of the isted ce hadn''t yet.
Apparently, Basil was so meticulous, he had chosen the gate that spewed less Goblins out. Therefore, the Knights of Hauler were left to y therger amount of Goblin.
"Can''t we just go nuts like those three?!" Sylvia was frustrated.
She had been fighting properly like a Knight, and applying everything she had learned at the Knight School¡ªwhich she had enrolled herself in, because of her promise to Basil¡ªshe had just graduated from not long ago. However, the Goblin wave was endless.
Although she hadn''t attained her Aura Ability yet, she wasn''t so weak to the point she couldn''t fight a couple of Goblins at once. She was a proud Peak Stage Orange Core Knight!
She didn''t go frenzy, because Thompson forbade her to do so.
"No, you can''t! Our Qi is not infinite. We have to use it wisely!" It was the same answer he had given her, each time she asked him.
Stevenughed. "Hahaha! Our young Sylvia is frustrated, it seems. Why don''t you help her, Jake?" While saying this, he was constantly ying every unfortunate Goblinsing his way.
"I will be d helping her. But, she won''t ept my help."
"Yes, that''s right! I won''t ept your help. Let me cope with this by myself!"
Steven nced at Thompson, and thetter nced back. Thompson coughed awkwardly, and Stevenughed in amusement.
"Puberty does that to girls," reasoned Thompson. "Of course, dude. Of course," Stevenughed it off. That was the most ridiculous, yet somehow logical reason he had heard. Sylvia was 19. She had long passed that phase.
"Should we do that?" Steven asked. "Hm? Sure. Let''s lighten their job a little bit," Thompson agreed.
Both Knights utilized their Aura, and an ethereal green light covered their body. Thompson''s sword glowed intensely in green, and his Aura Ability was activated.
"[Matter Augmentation]!" Right after he said that, Thompson''s sword started expanding. "Steve!" At his call, Steven quickly activated his Aura Ability, and directed it at his sword. "[Gravity Center: Alleviation]!"
Thompson''s expanding sword¡ªwhich was getting heavier¡ªimmediately got lighter in each second. Because of this, Thompson could swing it freely without feeling burdened.
"Go wild, dude!" Steven shouted. Thompson swung his gigantic sword¡ªwhich had already expanded ten times than the original size¡ªhorizontally. "HOOO!!!" Thompson shouted.
Steven didn''t stop there; he aided Thompson once again. "[Inversion]!" Thompson felt a pull on his sword, and his swing got easier. In result, the power behind it was dramatically increased.
Boom!
While some of the Goblins were directly obliterated by his sword, the power behind his swingpletely swiped the remaining horde. As expected of abination attack of two Green Core Knights.
Thompson deactivated his Aura Ability, and Steven did too. Thompson''s gigantic sword was getting smaller, before returning to its original size.
The room got quieter than before. Thompson had just swiped three fourth of the horde with that one attack. Although there were still some Goblinsing at them, it didn''t take long until they werepletely wiped out.
"Huuh..." Sylvia wiped her forehead. "It has finally ended!" She was d the annoying, yet terrifying creatures were no longering at them. Then, she turned her head to Thompson. "No matter how many times I see it, I am still amazed!"
"Kuhahaha! We''re awesome, aren''t we?" Steven puffed his chest. "Nope. We''re ordinary. There are still many people more amazing than us."
Jakeughed. "Ha-ha-ha! You both are amazing to us. Just take thepliment, Thompson!"
Thompson shook his head in amusement, and smiled faintly. Then, he turned his head to the big wall separating them and the other gate.
"I wonder whether they are be alright. Taking all of those Goblins with the people are rather difficult. Moreover, they are Mage to begin with."
Steven quickly responded him. "Nah, they''ll be alright. We have seen enough of their crazy stunt." He was referring to the thing Basil had done. "Furthermore, that Whitney dude is no joke either," he continued.
Steven pointed to the earthen wall Whitney had made. "Look at that 20 meters tall wall. Whitney erected it in a matter of second. That kind of guy won''t be overwhelmed with a mere horde of Goblin."
"Indeed." Thompson nodded in agreement.
p Right after they shut their mouth, the earthen wall separating them from the other gate trembled. It was slowly submerging to the ground, beforepletely vanished from their view.
When the scene behind the wall was finally revealed, the Knights of Hauler hummed to themselves. Compared to the rest of the hall, the square area¡ªthat had been isted by the wall¡ªmade a clear contrast.
The area right in front of the gate of the previously isted area¡ªaround two fifth of the entire area¡ª was charred, and countless ofpletely burnt corpses of Goblin littered the ground. This area belonged to Basil.
In Whitney''s area, earth spikes decorated the ground. Around a hundred of Goblins were skewered by the spikes. It took around a fifth of the previously isted area.
Cray got the remaining are. A third of his area was upied by a mountain of Goblin''s heads, while the rest of it was decorated with the bodies of the Goblin he had in.
"They are orderly, I guess?" Steven looked around.
Their area was littered with corpses, and decorated with a river of blood. There was also some blood sttered on the wall that had been caused by Thompson and Steven''sbined attack.
Compared to the area of the Mage, their area was indeed unruly.
Thompson moved his feet toward the three students, and his party followed suit. Whitney turned his head to Thompson, and they both nodded their head as a greeting.
"There are two gates that we can pass. Let''s discuss which one we should choose."
At Thompson''s word, Whitney turned his head to Basil. "Actually, Basil has scanned both of the passageway." He turned his head back to Thompson. "Both of them are connected. So¡ª"
"We should split our way, before reuniting once again?" Steven asked.
Whitney nodded his head. However, Thompson was frowning. He didn''t like the idea of splitting themselves much.
"If they both are connected, why should we split our way?" Thompson looked to Basil. Thetter answered simply, "There are different opportunities in both way."
Effie frowned, albeit no one could notice it. Looking at Basil iprehensibly, she said, "You have said the exact same thing before. However, I didn''t see us encounter any opportunity in the way." At that, everyone frowned too.
Now that they were reminded, they didn''t encounter any opportunity from all of the obstacles they had passed.
"I didn''t say anything about opportunity before. I said: ''The greater the danger, the better the reward.'' The short time we have spent to arrive in this hall is the reward¡ªdon''t you think so?"
At that, everyone nodded their head. They could ept what Basil had said.
Effie couldn''t retort Basil. She could find no fault in Basil''s word. If she were to insist on her opinion, everyone would think she had a grudge against Basil. Therefore, she opted to stay silent.
Basil continued, "This is an Exploration for a reason. We don''t only profit from the things we find in this dungeon, but also the map we draw. Mapping is one of the important things we do in Exploration."
Thompson hummed to himself. Once again, Basil provided them with a logical reasoning. Thompson nced at Norman¡ªthe most logical person in the party¡ªand he even agreed with Basil''s word.
In the end, Thompson nodded his head in agreement. "Very well. Let''s split the team, then." He pointed his finger to Norman, and Sylvia. "You both are going with me, and Basil." He turned his head to Whitney. "Are you fine with that?"
Whitney nodded his head wordlessly. Steven came closer, then patted his back. "Let''s work together, kid!" Whitney smiled, then nodded his head.
The team was split in two. The first team consisted of Basil, as the Pathfinder; Thompson; Norman, as the Mapper; and Sylvia. The second team consisted of Effie, as the Pathfinder and the Mapper; Steven, Whitney, Cray, and Jake.
Steven looked to Thompson. "Are you sure you''ll be fine? Don''t you want Jake with you?" In his opinion, Thompson''s team proportion was a little bit imbnce.
"Are you underestimating me now?" Thompsonughed. Norman scoffed. "Hmph! We won''t die easily."
Steven chuckled. "Well, I guess you will be fine." Facing his body to the left gate, he waved his hand. "We are going. See you on the other side!" Effie stepped inside the gateway, and the others followed suit.
"Hey! You could have worded it better!" Sylvia protested. Steven didn''t say anything, as he merelyughed. Hisugh echoed through the passageway.
Thompson smiled, before turning his head to Basil. "We should move." Basil nodded wordlessly. He turned his body to the gateway, and stepped inside.
Whoosh!
As if a storm wind, an aura full of malice assaulted his entire existence. He froze for a second, before moving his feet again.
He knew the "ghost" had noticed he noticed them. Therefore, he was tested from time to time. However, he wasn''t afraid. He knew at this point the "ghost" wouldn''t dare to do much.
Despite how carefree the Empire managing Dungeon seemed, they had set safety measures around every discovered Dungeons.
It was to prevent the "ghost" from haunting the world once again. This was the reason Exploration was allowed. They weren''t afraid of angering the "ghost" inside, but hoping it to happen instead.
That way, they could properly exterminate the "ghost", for real this time. Still, it was not really important in the current situation.
With Basil in lead, the others delved the passageway deeper.
Chapter 124 Haunted (2)
It had been 20 minutes of walking through the passageway with normal speed, and Sylvia couldn''t shake the skin crawling aura she was feeling off.
The passageway was slightly brighter than the hall they had been before. However, it was iparably spookier than the hall.
"Huuh... Am I the only one feeling this?" She turned her head to Norman. Without ncing at her, Norman replied, "No. The closer we get, the stronger the aura is." He even had an unusually normal face¡ªwhich means, he had no scowl on his face.
Sylvia turned her head to Basil. He was still leading them in the front,pletely unfazed by the aura the passage was exuding.
Surely, she knew not topare herself with him. The stunts Basil had disyed were enough indication they were in a whole different level.
Suddenly, Basil raised his hand. As everyone saw that, Thompson didn''t bother to shout it out.
Stepping forward to Basil''s side, Thompson asked, "What is it?"
"Secret Chamber," he answered without turning his back
"Secret Chamber?" Norman frowned. "Do you think this is an Obelisk?" He sneered.
Thompson was about to reprimand Norman for his rather aggressive tone. There was also indeed a Secret Chamber in every Dungeon. However, even before he reprimanded Norman, Basil did something that stopped him from doing so.
Bam!
Basil briefly smashed the wall in his left with his hand. The sound was reverberated through the whole empty passageway, before the wall trembled and a rumbling sound was heard.
Click.
A rectangr shape appeared on the part of the wall which Basil had just smashed, then it submerged itself to the ground.
The whole process was clearly observed by the three Knights. Their mouth turned into a thin line. Then, they turned their head to Basil''s direction, and hummed to themselves.
''Was he born in this Dungeon?! He seems familiar with this Dungeon. Not even Effie can do that easily.'' All of them had the same thought.
At this point, their attention was still focused on Basil''s back. Therefore, they hadn''t noticed there were also another three doors opened beside the door on Basil''s left.
Hearing no sound of movement behind him, Basil lightly frowned. Turning his body toward the opened door, he nced at the people. "Well, have you chosen your room?"
"Huh? Room?" Upon looking around, Thompson found there were four doors opened in a row. He nodded his head, before turning it to Basil. "I will check two rooms by myself. Can you bring Sylvia with you?"
"Fine," Basil replied simply.
Sylvia quickly scurried over to Basil, while the other two entered the room they had chosen. She didn''t want to be suddenly left behind by him. Basil was that type of a man, after all.
Thompson entered the second room, and Norman entered thest room.
Sylvia turned her head to Basil. "Umm... Should we go?" Basil quirked his brow faintly, before gesturing his hand toward the room. "Ladies first."
Sylvia bowed her head gracefully, before replying, "As a gentlewoman, I will dly let you to have the opportunity to be the first." She ended it with a small smile.
With apletely unamused face, Basil pushed her in with his left hand. Due to her bewilderment, she fell on the ground like a clueless toddler.
"Kyaa!!! Ghost! Ghost! Help!" Her loud scream was reverberated through the room. Even Thompson and Norman, who had delved quite far, could faintly hear her.
...
In the other room, Thompson facepalmed. "That girl really doesn''t suit to be a Knight."
The room he was in was vast and empty so far. He didn''t see anything aside from darkness, and the wall on each sides of the room.
When the darkness was getting unbearable, he took a Light Jade out from his Spatial Ring, and infused his Qi in it.
Although his eyes had long transcended the realm of human, the room was increasingly getting darker. Apparently, the room had [Shadow Entrapment] Rune set in it. Therefore, the darkness started to overwhelm his eyes.
By the time the Light Jade was lit, he could finally see his surrounding clearly. Only then, could he notice the wall was getting closer to him.
It doesn''t mean the wall was moving closer to him. It''s the room that was getting narrower.
"Interesting. I''m curious to whatys in the end of this room." Thompson attached the Light Jade on his chest, before moving forward with it lighting his path.
A few minutes passed, and the wall was closer than ever. There was not much space left between his shoulders and the wall.
Thompson frowned. "If I am forced to tten my body to move forward, I will call it a quit."
His shoulders were close to touching the wall. The probability of this room being a trap was quite high. If he were to insist to move forward, even after he was forced to tten his body, he would definitely be dead if something decided to attack him
He wouldn''t be able to properly defend himself, if the wallpletely sandwiched him from each side.
Luckily, by the time the wall touched his shoulders, he had reached the end of the room. There was a small chest right in front of him. However, he was hesitant to open it.
"Dungeon is a ce used to entrap Kinyers. It is the only jail in this world which guarantees suffering and death. At ce like this, will there be a treasure?" Thompson tapped his chin. "Yes, surprisingly, there is."
He bent his body down slightly, before extending his hand toward the chest. "I will keep it first, before opening it." His Spatial Ring shed, before nothing happened. The thing he had expected didn''t happen.
Normally, any objects shed by the light of a Spatial Ring would be stored inside; unless the Spatial Ring''s capacity couldn''t amodate it.
Logically speaking, the chest was too small for his Spatial Ring to be full with it. Therefore, a conclusion formed in his mind.
"There is a Seal put on it." He clicked his tongue. "Should I open it here?" He was genuinely worried. What if he triggered a trap when he opened the chest?
He was considering every advantages and disadvantages of his decision. When he found out it was fifty-fifty, he decided to take another thing into consideration.
It was the escape route.
"There is only around 80 meters to reach the area where I can move freely. I think I can manage, if things turn south." Nodding his head, determination filled his entire existence.
He would open the chest for sure. This time however, he didn''t bend his body down to open the chest. He didn''t want to use his hands to open it. Instead, he used his foot.
Nudging the chest with the tip of his shoe, he made sure the chest was actually there; not an illusion. When he found it was an actual chest, he slowly opened the chest with the tip of his shoe.
Creak.
The chest was so old, the sound its hinge produced grated one''s ears. However, Thompson didn''t mind that in the slightest. He was anticipating the content of the chest instead.
Badump. Badump.
The lid was almostpletely lifted. However, Thompson didn''t dare to look yet. He even did as far as holding the lid in the air with his foot.
"Pheww... That made me nervous. It''s time to check the content." Even at this point, his foot was still holding the lid.
Thompson leaned his body forward, and tried peeking in. However, even before he managed to see the content inside, something made his heart jump.
"What are you doing?"
"Ahhh!!! Ghost!" Thompson crouched down, and covered his head in fright.
Norman, who had greeted Thompson, looked at him weirdly. He had thought Thompson was Sylvia''s foster brother. It seems, the trait of fearing ghost ran in their blood, despite not being rted by blood.
Sensing no malice from the ghost, Thompson uncovered his head, before raising it. He was directly met with Norman''s unamused face.
"Bloody hell, Norman! Did you really need to scare me like that?!"
"Tch! It wasn''t my fault you are a coward."
"How dare you say I''m a coward!" He looked deeply into Norman''s eyes. "You haven''t experienced the horror of meeting a ghost yet! Believe me, they are real!" He said conspiratorially.
"Yeah," Norman replied half-heartedly. "Anyway, what are you doing?"
"Oh, that? I was trying to open the chest right there." Thompson pointed his thumb toward the small chest behind him.
Norman quirked his eyebrow, before motioning Thompson to give him way. Thetter ttened his body, and dly gave Norman a way. He was still "shocked" by the earlier event. He didn''t even ask why Norman was there.
Norman crouched, then put his hand on the chest. Thompson was intently looking at Norman from the back.
Creak.
Norman slowly pulled the lid up, and the content of the chest was revealed to the people.
"What in the bloody hell is that?" Thompson scrunched his nose up. "They really are called Monster for a reason." Norman clicked his tongue.
Inside the chest was human innards. They didn''t know how many people they had belonged to. However, they were sure they had belonged to many people.
"Let''s leave," Thompson said to Norman. "This is a Monster''sir. Now I know why I couldn''t keep this chest inside my Spatial ring."
"Why?"
"The chest might be small in size. But, it was nted deeply in the floor. Which means¡ª"
"The chest is connected to another room," Norman finished. Thompson merely nodded in confirmation.
In other words, the chest was merely a gimmick. It wasn''t a chest but a door to another room. No matter what room it was, they didn''t care.
They could see clearly the innards in the chest. That means, the room the chest was connected to was full of them. They didn''t want to visit that kind of room.
The two people turned their body around, and was about to move toward the exit. However, a particr sound behind them attracted their attention.
Scratch. Scratch.
Something came out of the opened chest. It was a tall and scrawny figure whose ck hair was so long, it touched the ground. Innards covered his entire existence, and they fell to the ground one by one.
None of the people turned their head to the back, but their Qi was quickly drawn to utilize their Technique.
Tap. Tap.
When they heard the sound of footsteps wasing closer, both of them utilized their Movement Technique, and dashed like there is no tomorrow.
Roar!
A roar that sounded like the scream belonged to a torture soul resounded in the room. However, the two running people didn''t pay any attention to it. They wanted to get to the area where they could fight properly as soon as possible.
Surely, the Monster didn''t stay idle either. Kicking the ground, it chased the two running Knights.
Chapter 125 Haunted (3)
Getting from the narrow part of the room to the part where Thompson and Norman could move freely took them three seconds. In that three seconds, they had covered 180 meters, thanks to their Movement Technique.
As they had perfectly observed the path was safe beforehand, they didn''t need to pass it carefully anymore. Therefore, they could fully utilize their Qi to use their Movement Technique. In result, they werebat ready in no time.
Upon arriving to the part of the room where they could fight properly, they quickly turned their body toward the Monster chasing them. The monster wasing at them with a speedparable to their to their earlier speed.
What made it amazing was theck usage of Miasma¡ªthe type of energy that Monster used. Meanings, the Monster had chased them by utilizing its physical prowess only.
"Darn, this guy won''t be alone!" Thompson cursed under his breath.
The Monster had stopped moving, and was now ring at them with its menacing three eyes. Its mouth was opened, showing two rows of countless chainsaw like teeth.
"Let''s do it quickly." Thompson took out his sword.
Drawing his Qi once again, he coursed it through his body. An ethereal film of green light soon covered his entire existence.
The Monster was rmed, and it also prepared its attack. It closed its fingers up, making all those sharp and pointy nails on them even more prominent. It was fully intending to gut Thompson out. Growling once, it dashed at Thompson.
Thompson stayed in his ce. Despite the Monster dashing at him with an insane speed, he could see its move slowly. Thompson''s sword quickly glowed brightly in green, and his Aura Ability was activated.
[Matter Augmentation]!
When the Monster was already two steps away from his extended sword, it suddenly elongated and shot forward. In result, the unexpecting Monster had its chest pierced.
Stab!
With an incredible might, it stopped its advance to prevent itself from getting skewered any further. However, Thompson didn''t mean to stay idle.
His sword was already half submerged in its chest. Thus, piercing its heart. Unfortunately though, It was not fatal enough for it.
However, Thompson could do another thing to end its life. He quickly swung his sword upward, cutting open its chest, and split its head in two.
Spurt!
Blood sprayed, and Thompson made a quick decision to fall back. Despite so, Thompson didn''t have any intention to watch it die slowly. He knew the Monster had another trick up its sleeves¡ªdespite not wearing anything.
Screech!
Its roar became a high pitch scream due to its torn vocal cords. Despite so, it didn''t show any sign of dying. Two of its undamaged eyes on its split head looked at the charging Thompson in rm and rage.
Pointing its hands at Thompson, it was nning to torn Thompson apart with its sharp and pointy nails.
Then, a surprising thing happened. Its nails elongated and shot forward, at the charging Thompson.
Sadly, they didn''t pose any danger toward Thompson. With a quick swing of his glowing sword, the elongated nails charging at him were cut like a wood.
Ding!
The sound it produced was the same as what one would expect when one hit metal against metal.
Bewildered, the Monster could do nothing but epting its fate. Surely, it didn''t n to die alone. It would bring Thompson to die with it.
Its stomach was quickly bloating. Its innards shone in red, making them slightly visible from the outside. It was intending to explode its stomach and kill Thompson with the poisonous gas its innards produced.
Surely, Thompson had known it firsthand. Therefore, he didn''t have any intention to let the Monster do what it was intending.
His Spatial Ring shone briefly, before a short staff appeared in his hand. Pointing it to the Monster, he activated his Aura Ability once again.
[Matter Augmentation]!
The staff elongated, and it hit the Monster right in its stomach. The staff kept elongating and pushing the Monster further away from Thompson.
Boom!
By the time its stomach exploded, it was already thrown away far from Thompson. Therefore, the explosion didn''t affect him in the least. Still, he couldn''t stop the pungent smell from wafting through the room.
"Gah! This smell! I hope my staff is alright."
Thompson hadn''t returned his staff back to normal yet; he was still supporting his elongated staff with one of his hand.
He shortened his staff once again, and sighed in relief when the Qi barrier he had messily created was working. Meanings, his staff was free from any of the Monster''s blood, and bits of innards.
sh!
With a swift movement, his staff was stored inside his Spatial Ring. He turned his head to the back, and saw Norman was already crouching in front of the corpse of the same Monster he had faced. Norman was carefully nudging its stomach with his rapier.
"I knew there were two of them," Thompson muttered softly.
He approached Norman, and touched Norman''s shoulder by the time he was right beside Norman. "Don''t poke it too much. If you''re not careful, you will cut it open. If it''s opened, a nasty smell that will haunt you in your sleep wille out."
Norman raised his head up, and looked at Thompson with unamused eyes. "Says the man who literally made this thing explode its stomach."
"Kuhum! It''s a natural cause." Luckily, Thompson still had the decency to blush. "Anyway, where did ite from?" He asked curiously.
"It had been on the ceiling, beforeing down."
"These guys have an amazing stealth. I didn''t notice this one."
Norman nodded in agreement. If Thompson hadn''t attacked the Monster he had killed, Norman wouldn''t be able to spot the second one, who had been trying to save its friend. The room was too dark, and its sneakiness was worthy enough of praise.
Thompson looked at the stab wounds littering the chest of the Monster Norman had killed, and sighed in amazement. "You are an awesome Knight too, Norman. If you had no scowl on your face, you would be popr with the girls!"
"Tsk! I don''t need them to live my life." He said it softly, because he didn''t actually mean it.
"Hahaha! You are never honest, aren''t you?"
Norman merely clicked his tongue at Thompson''s teasing. Then, he proceed to look at the Monster once again.
It was a Gutter. They were named after their habit of killing their prey by gutting their prey out. They had sharp and pointy nails on their long fingers for this reason.
Aside from their insane speed, Gutter were also known for their explosive stomach. In times of danger, their innards could secrete a certain gas that was equally poisonous as all of their organs. This was theirst resort to kill their enemies.
As they were born suicidal, whenever they sensed an imminent danger, they would explode their stomach, thus taking their opponent to die with them.
Norman was lucky since he was a speed-type Knight. Therefore, he could deal with any Gutter quickly.
"Let''s get out of this room. We don''t know when these guys will pop up again." Thompson turned his head to the back, before returning his head back to Norman. "The smell is getting unbearable too. I''m afraid another Gutter have smelled it already."
Norman nodded his head at Thompson''s instruction, and stood from the ground. The exit was 100 meters away, and they could cover it in an instance¡ªas they had no need to inspect their path carefully anymore. However, Thompson had a different thought.
"Wait a minute!" Thompson held him back. "How could I know you are really Norman, not an Imposter?"
Turning his head at Thompson, Norman gazed at Thompson with bored eyes. "At five years old, you were still sucking¡ª"
"Okay! You''re Norman!" Hitting Norman''s back many times, he continued, "Nothing can beat you in snarky remarks, after all. Ha-ha. Ha-ha." Clearing his throat once, he asked once again. "Why are you here though?"
"I have finished my search. The room was empty." When he saw Thompson was ready to speak again, he quickly cut Thompson. "Why are you so loud when you are with me?"
Thompson merelyughed, and encircled his hand around Norman''s shoulder. "You are my childhood friend. With you, I am Thompson the carefree Knight, not Thompson the leader of Hauler!"
Norman grunted, but a small smile formed on his face.
With that, the two Knights got out of the room, then entered another room.
...
In the other room, Sylvia was tightly hugging Basil''s arm. The room was so dark, her enhanced vision couldn''t even see anything. Surely, it was also attributed to hercking Body Forging mastery.
"Hey, Basil. Can''t you do the finger thing you did before we jumped into the pit?"
"Let go of my hand, and I will do it."
"I won''t fall for your trick again! You have said that a few minutes ago, and left me behind!"
Basil softly sighed. "You can''t me me for your dumbness. It wasn''t my fault you tripped over your own feet, and identally let go of my hand."
"Kuhum! It''s a natural cause." Although no one saw it, Sylvia blushed after that. "Still, I can''t believe you can still see just normally even in this situation. I believe not even Thompson can do that."
"Indeed."
"Aren''t you full of yourself?"
"Don''t you think your mouth opens too often?"
"I''m scared! I have no choice! It''s my way to cope with the fear."
"You haven''t wet yourself, have you?"
"S-shut up!" Sylvia lightly shook Basil''s arm she was hugging. "There was no toilet back then in Lone Mountain. I can''t help it!"
Basil didn''t show any reaction to her word. However, Sylvia could strangely feel Basil was unamused. Therefore, she felt the need to retort. However, even before she opened her mouth, Basil stopped in his track.
"Hey! What are you¡ª"
Scratch. Scratch.
At the sound, Sylvia got tense. Hugging Basil''s hand even tighter, she was hoping Basil would save her, if an unexpected thing ured.
"Draw your Qi."
She followed Basil''s instruction wordlessly. Although no one in her party talked about it, all of them had realized Basil was also a Knight. They had witnessed the meticulous Qi utilization Basil had showcased, after all.
Therefore, Sylvia didn''t say anything at Basil''s instruction. In the perspective of Knight, he was her senior, after all.
"Let go of my arm." At that though, Sylvia didn''t want to obey it. Sighing softly in exasperation, Basil said, "Let go or I''ll feed you directly to the thing."
Slowly, Sylvia let go of Basil''s arm. When she hadpletely let go of it, she quickly hid behind Basil''s back, and grabbed his waist.
Basil ignored it, and merely raised his right hand. Pointing his pointer finger to the ceiling, light slowly gathered on top of it, before a marble size of light sphere was created.
"[Eyes of Truth]!"
The light sphere was shot to the ceiling, while expanding three times of its initial size. Ittched on to the ceiling, and a slit appeared on its surface. Then, the slit opened, revealing a brightly shining eye.
The light became more intense, and the whole room waspletely illuminated.
The light [Eyes of Truth] produced supposed to be blinding. However, due to the [Shadow Entrapment] Rune, the light produced was only enough to illuminate the room.
Sylvia looked around in wonderment, before peeking from Basil''s back. Then, she immediately regret her decision.
She saw it.
It was a creature with eight long legs, and countless of eyes. She couldn''t describe much about its terrifying look. However, it looked exactly like a gigantic spider. Except, there was a human body sticking out of its head.
What made it creepy though, the body was living and moving.
Chapter 126 Haunted (4)
The humanoid figure sticking out of the giant spider''s head gazed at the two people. It was a hairless and pale body of a man. It perfectly portrayed the appearance of a dying person.
This creature was an Upper-Low ss Demon named Threader. It was the only Low ss Demon that somehow had a feature simr to human, albeit only half of it.
"In..tru...der..." It also could speak.
Sylvia widened her eyes, and looked at the Threader in horror. "It can speak!" Surely, she knew how to tone her voice down.
Basil gazed at the Threader calmly. "I wonder where you keep your treasure." The Threader focused its gaze at Basil, then replied, "No trea..su...re for hu..man."
Basil had a thought to try something out, and he was fully intending to do it.
''Guide, what is Low ss Demonnguage?''
[Ding!]
[Clearing the Host''s ignorance...]
[Low ss Demon speaks with a hiss infused with varied Mana proportion. Each proportion will produce different hiss, which also means a different thing. The kinds of hiss Low ss Demon use tomunicate are...]
Countless of words, or rather hisses, quickly filled Basil''s brain. The process took only 5 seconds. However, in that 5 seconds, Basil had mastered the way tomunicate with a Low ss Demon.
Surely, he didn''t just learn it conveniently. He had to experience a minor headache, and a brief moment of confusion due to the overwhelming amount of knowledge, which was suddenly engraved in his brain.
Still, it was nothingpared to the knowledge he got. He didn''t even consider that as a side effect.
Basil quirked his eyebrow slightly, before faintly smirking. He decided to apply the knowledge he had learnt. He infused his Mana to his vocal cords, and hissed in different frequencies.
Hiss!
The Threader was puzzled at first. However, the more it listened to Basil''s hiss, the more it widened its humanoid eyes.
"Hu...man! Ho..w ca..n you spe..ak li...ke us?!"
At that, Basil merely replied it with another hiss. Then, a battle of hiss ured between the two.
Sylvia looked at Basil and the Threader back and forth. She didn''t understand what was happening. All she could hear was hissing sound and nothing else!
Although it sounded meaningless, Basil''s conversation with the Threader was rather not-so-civil.
¡ªHow can you speak ournguage, lowly Human?!
¡ªHow funny hearing that from a mere ve.
¡ªInsolence!
¡ªWhere do you keep the treasure?
¡ªPass over my dead body first!
¡ªSure.
Basil''s Magical Bracelet shed briefly, before Kusanagi appeared in his hand. Lightly swinging it to the side, he infused his Mana into it. Kusanagi hummed, and wind gathered around him.
"A-are we going to fight it?" At Sylvia''s question, Basil replied simply, "You are on your own."
As expected, Basil didn''t want to aid her at all. Therefore, she decided to do a smart thing. That was, of course, escaping from this ce!
She turned her body toward the exit. Utilizing her Qi to her best, her body was quickly covered with an ethereal film of bright orange light. She quickly used her Movement Technique, and dashed forward.
She moved so fast, she left a trail of bright orange light in the air. Sadly though, she didn''t make it that far.
Shoot!
The Threader was quicker than her. Five meters away from Basil, her foot was caught by the extremely sticky web the Threader had shot earlier. In result, she tripped, and bumped her her forehead against the ground.
Thud!
"Gah! My head!"
Sylvia covered her forehead, while whining on the ground. Although she was a Knight, tripping herself while activating a Movement Technique would definitely hurt. Especially, if she bumped her forehead to something.
With that being said, it did nothing more than hurt her. It wouldn''t swell or getting bruised.
Turning her body toward Basil''s direction, she was caught off guard when she could only find the Threader growling at her menacingly.
"W-where is that guy?!" She was panicking. She had thought Basil would fight that abomination. She had never expected Basil would also run!
"Darn it! This ursed web is so sticky!" She was trying her best to remove the web that tied her to the ground.
Tap. Tap. Tap.
Her heart sunk to the bottom of her stomach. The Threader was getting closer to her, and she could do nothing about it. Sighing in defeat, she faced the iing Threader, while crying soundlessly.
"Ah... I haven''t married yet." She continued heatedly, "I wish I can be that guy''s wife just to irk him everyday!" She was referring to Basil.
Her mouth trembled, and she closed her eyes upon her imminent death. However, a fleeting thought ured to her.
Why am I so weak? Why do I think I am weak? Why do I have to ept my death? Why can''t I do anything? Do I really can''t do anything?!
The answer she found to all of her questions was one.
No.
She was helpless for sure. However, it didn''t mean she could do nothing. If she were to die anyway, it was better to retaliate before dying.
She drew every Qi from her Core, and coursed it through her body. Due to the adrenaline rush, she didn''t realize she was circting it too fast, it was starting to damage her body.
Mightily, she pulled her foot that was caught by the web.
Crack!
Her ankle broke, but she didn''t realize it. She stood from the ground, took out her sword, and pointed it at the Threader. Her body steamed, and an ethereal film of bright orange light covered her entire existence.
"I won''t die without a fight!"
The Sylvia from nine months ago wouldn''t be able to say this. However, after graduating from the School Knight she had enrolled due to her promise with Basil, and joining the Hauler, she had finally found her courage.
Crack!
Her broken ankle mend itself, but she didn''t register it. Her eyes were burning with fighting spirit, and they were focused on the Threader.
"HAAH!" With a shout she shot herself forward. "Die, you creepy bastard!"
She was airborne, aiming to cut the humanoid figure on top of the giant spider head. The Threader was unperturbed. It merely raised its humanoid hand, and one of its pointy feet raised upward.
It was so fast, Sylvia couldn''t dodge it.
Stab!
"Kuhuk! Bastard... How dare you raise your foot on me?!"
Sylvia was held midair by the Threader''s foot. Her stomach was pierced, and she was constantly puking blood.
The Threader gazed at Sylvia disinterestedly. "Low...ly hu...man." Then, it threw her away by its foot.
Sylvia fell to the ground, and grunted painfully. Her viscera was ruined, and it was painful whenever her abdomen was contracting.
Still, she didn''t want to give up. Circting her Qi through her body once again, she stood defiantly against the iing Threader. She grinned, then charged once again.
Spit!
A mouthful of corrosive liquid was spit at the approaching Sylvia. As she was running in a straight line, the liquid hit her. Luckily, she managed to dodge at thest second. Still, her right thigh was melting due to this.
"Gah! It hurts!" Tears was building up in the corner of her eyes. Her flesh was quickly melting, and she could already see some part of her thighbone. She gritted her teeth, "I will... KILL YOU!"
"That.. is.. my li...ne." The Threader was already a few steps away from Sylvia.
It was ready to shoot his web from its spinneret, trap Sylvia in it, and dissolve her before consuming her. However, a mind boggling thing happened right before it did it.
Sylvia''s body suddenly glowed in dark yellow light, and all of the injuries she had sustained were healed. Even her punctured abdomen didn''t have any scar.
Due to her urgency, fear, desperateness, and will to live, Sylvia experienced a breakthrough. Her Core had advanced to the next stage, and she could finally use her Aura Ability.
She stood up from the ground, and shouted, "[Anesthesia]!" Then, her Aura Ability was activated.
As its name suggested, it allowed her to not feel any pain. Not stopping there, it also dramatically increased her regeneration speed.
Although it wasn''t an offensive type, it could definitely help her in battle. She was basically an immortal soldier as long as she could keep her Aura Ability activated.
"DIE!"
Sylvia dashed at the Threader. This time, she managed to dodge any attack sent at her.
The Threader was bewildered the puny human it had thrashed around suddenly had an increase of power. By the time Sylvia was close enough to it, it raised its body, so it could catch Sylvia with its feet.
Unfortunately though, she used it as a chance to sh its spider chest instead.
Screech!
The shout didn''te out of the humanoid figure, but the spider mouth. Sylvia dropped her body to the ground, jumped sideways, before propelling herself to the humanoid figure attached on the giant spider head.
She swiftlynded on the spider head, and swung her sword at the neck of the humanoid figure.
Suddenly, right before her sword touched the neck of the humanoid figure, her body lost all of the power to move. Her Qi had beenpletely exhausted.
In result, she fell from the spider head limply. As the Threader was still standing, she was roughly 10 meters apart from the ground. Meanings, it would hurt quite a bit.
"Ah... I thought I could kill it. Too bad." She sighed, before closing her eyes, and waiting for the impact toe. However, it never came. She felt two hands supporting her back instead.
Puzzled, she opened her eyes, and saw a pair of glowing golden orbs. "You!"
Thud!
By the time she realized the identity of the owner of those captivating eyes, they alreadynded on the ground.
The owner of the eyes, Basil, nodded his head. "You did a good job distracting it while I was hoarding all of th treasure."
"You left me, because of that?!" Sylvia shouted indignantly.
Basil lightly shrugged. "I can live without you, but I can''t live without money." Of course, he could still live without money. He had said that just to annoy Sylvia.
"Kuuhh... Shameless!" Sylvia hit Basil''s chest lightly, because she had little to no energy left. "I will... pay.. you back." In the end, she lost her consciousness. The fatigue was too much for her to bear.
Threader was actually an easy opponent. It was the reason he had given Sylvia the opportunity to fight it, while he was scourging the Threader''s treasure.
True to his expectation, Sylvia had managed to undergo a breakthrough, despite having failed to y it. As she had done her best, he decided to lend her a hand, and y the Threader.
Spurt!
The standing gigantic spider body of the Threader was split apart, creating a rain of disgusting yet artistic ck blood.
Under the rain was Basil with Sylvia in his hands. Both of them weren''t touched by the blood in the slightest, due to the Qi barrier Basil used to cover themselves.
"Kuhum! Am I interrupting something?" Thompson who had just appeared looked at Basil, who was carrying Sylvia, awkwardly. Norman, who was also with him; facepalmed, and sighed in exasperation.
Pointing his thumb to the back, Thompson said, "We have just done our search in the other three rooms, and we found nothing. We can go back, in case we missed something though." He finished it with a wink.
"There is no need to do it. Inexistence can''t be sought." Basil gestured his head toward his left¡ªThompson and Norman''s front in their perspective. "There is a passage over there, and we will pass it to advance further."
"Oh, okay." Thompson nodded. Basil approached him, and gave Sylvia to him. "Your luggage." Blinking his eyes in surprise, Thompson took Sylvia in his hands wordlessly.
"What happened to her?"
"Qi exhaustion." Basil took out one of his Crystal Clear pills, and threw it at Thompson. He swiftly caught it with his hand, then looked at Basil in surprise. "It''s rare to see someone giving out a Catalyst easily."
"You can give it back if you don''t want it."
"No. I will keep it."
When everything was settled, they moved once again, with Basil in lead. To their surprise, they met another shocking thing at the end of the passageway.
Chapter 127 Haunted (5)
When Basil said there was a passageway at the end of the room, he was referring to the one he had found in the Threader''s treasure chamber, which was located at the end of the room everyone was in.
Thompson wanted to ask further about it, but Basil just stormed off wordlessly, leaving him with no choice but to follow Basil.
Whenever one hears "Treasure," one will always think about gold, precious stones, and any other luxurious things. However, the treasure people found in Demon''s treasure chamber was none of the mentioned above.
Demon, unlike human, lived without any need to pay. Whenever they needed something, they would steal, kill, and do everything to achieve what they needed. Therefore, they didn''t need any use of gold, and any other things human thought "precious."
What they kept in their treasure chamber were things that helped them in increasing their power.
They were no other than Beast Core and Mana Crystal.
Every Demon staying inside Dungeon would go to the outside world once in a while to hunt for Magical Beast. Every Magical Beast contained a Core simr to Knight inside them.
The Core extracted from them could be used for many things: powering a Rune, making a potion, and powering spell. However, the reason why Beast Core was highly sought was the pure Mana it contained.
Different than Mana Crystal, which required one to process the Mana after absorbing it, Beast Core didn''t require one to do that. One could absorb every Mana inside the Core, and it could be used to aid one''s Circle Carving directly.
Of course, not all of Magical Beast had Core. Only Fourth Grade Beast and above had one. Unfortunately though, these Magical Beasts rarely showed themselves. They were intelligent enough to stay far away from human.
With that being said, Basil had found three White Beast Cores, and three kilograms worth of Mana Crystal. While the little amount of Beast Core was understandable, it wasn''t the case with the Mana Crystal.
After the long time had passed since it had been built, Dungeon became a mine of Mana Crystal. Due to the Arrays¡ªwhich gathered Mana to seal the Dungeon¡ªset inside, many Mana Crystal was formed.
Therefore, any Demon staying inside a Dungeon could easily mine them.
While Basil didn''t know how much this Dungeon contained Mana Crystal, he could surely say the Threader he had killed had been azy bastard. Three kilograms of Mana Crystal was just as big as a fist. Even Goblin could mine more than that.
Still, Basil wasn''t someone who judged. A loot was still a loot, after all.
"Hey. I know we''ve been walking this passage for some minutes already. But, I can''t help asking. Why didn''t we thread the previous passage?"
As Thompson said, they had threaded the path silently for a quite some time. Sylvia was still asleep due to her fatigue, and Norman was not a very talkative person. Therefore, Thompson couldn''t hold the silence anymore.
Without turning his back, Basil answered, "That passageway is not there anymore. You have visited two rooms; you should have noticed it already. The end of that passageway was blocked the moment I opened the secret chambers."
Norman clicked his tongue. "Tsk. I knew it."
Then, the silence continued once again. Thompson sighed, and decided to look at his surrounding instead. The wall of the passageway was made of ck stone, which kind he couldn''t tell.
He couldn''t see the Rune carved on it. However, he was sure there were many Runes carved there, especially [Shadow Entrapment] Rune.
It was because how dark the ce was. He could only see his surrounding thanks to the Light Jade he had attached on his chest. Or else, he wouldn''t be able to see anything.
He gazed at Basil''s back silently and thought, ''How can he still see without any light support?''
Even Norman was also slightly bewildered. Like Thompson, he also had a Light Jade on him to help him see his surrounding.
"There is a door in front of us. Be careful," Basil suddenly said. "Huh, what?" Thompson asked. "In Dungeon, door is equivalent to the cue of danger," Basil replied.
,m Thompson was about to retort. However, upon recalling the things they had experienced up till now, he closed his mouth immediately.
Whoosh!
With Basil in exception, everyone tensed. Even the sleeping Sylvia''s eyes fluttered. The wind they had felt earlier didn''t only carry coldness, but also a vile aura with it. Every hair on their skin had stood in that split second the wind passed them.
"We''re here," Basil muttered.
The other two people gulped dryly. The door they were seeing was extremely familiar. The door was no different than the door in front of the Dungeon hall they had encountered not long ago.
At that time, even though they didn''t feel any vile aura they had felt earlier, they had been faced with Goblins. This time, they were nervous of what kind of abomination they would meet behind the door¡ªafter feeling that kind of aura.
Thompson looked at Basil. Although Basil seemed reckless, he was so meticulous, he had never had any difficulty in the Dungeon. This leads to Thompson believing Basil had been born bathed in fortune.
Therefore, he decided to do something that could ensure everyone''s safety. "Opening a door is symbolic. Since you have guided us safely for all of this time, I will give you the opportunity to open this one." He ended his word with a benevolent smile.
As he had said, opening a door is symbolic. Therefore, he believed that by giving Basil¡ªthe kid bathed in fortune¡ªthe "opportunity" to open the door, there would be also a fortuneid behind the door.
Basil stepped forward, and casually infused his Qi to the door. Basil''s nonchnce terrified Thompson. He was seriously afraid Basil''s luck wouldn''t work this time.
He didn''t want to be surprised with untimely death!
Tremble!
The ground shook slightly, before the door was opened. The process was so fast it bewildered Thompson even more. He was absolutely sure the door of the Dungeon hall he had opened didn''t open this fast!
True to his another prediction, by the time he saw what was behind the door, he was surprised. Luckily though, he was surprised with a rather good thing this time.
"Steve?!"
"Thompson?!"
Whatid behind the door were Steven and his team. All of them had a surprised expression. Even Effie, the calmest person in Hauler, recoiled slightly.
"Steve?!"
"Thompson?!"
Norman clicked his tongue in annoyance, and shouted, "Shut your bloody hole!"
At Norman''s shout, the party leader and the vice party leader cleared their throat awkwardly.
"What a surprise meeting you guys here," Thompson said. "That''s my line, dude. That''s my line," Steven replied.
Whitney silently gazed at Basil; who was standing right in front Effie, the Pathfinder. As he had expected, Basil didn''t need any aid to support his vision.
The passage Basil was in was fully decorated with [Shadow Entrapment] Rune. To be able to see the surrounding clearly in that situation was an amazing feat.
Even him, a Fourth Circle Mage, had to utilize a Spell to see his surrounding better; despite it was not as dark as the ce Basil was in. Even so, he could only see three meters in front of him.
"How can you guys ended up here?" Steven asked curiously. "That should be my line," Thompson replied simply.
When Effie sensed the useless conversation was about to start again, she quickly interjected. "The passageway is connected. It''s as simple as that."
Steven and Thompson nodded their head in agreement. Then, in unison, they asked, "Where should we go next?"
Wordlessly, Effie pointed to her right. The people sighed softly once again. Puzzled, Effie looked at her surrounding. When she found why the people sighed, she clicked her tongue in annoyance.
Basil was also pointing his hand, albeit to the exact opposite direction she was pointing to.
"We will go MY way this time," Effie said sternly to Basil.
The others gasped silently. Effie had never been that assertive. Basil was the first person who managed to make her behave that way.
Effie was ready to confront Basil by spewing some of her well constructed arguments this time. However, Basil reacted the exact opposite of what she had expected he would.
"Sure." Basil lightly shrugged.
She was so dumbfounded, she didn''t know how to react. Luckily, she was quick to recover. "Hmph!" She turned her back with a snort.
''Effie just snorted!'' the Knights of Hauler eximed in their mind.
With Effie in lead, they walked the passageway she had chosen. This time, the people lined themselves the exact same way they had lined themselves in their journey of passing the obstacles.
However this time, Whitney was right beside Basil, and Thompson was right beside Steven.
"What have you guys encountered?" Steven turned his head to Thompson.
"Well... aside from some weird-ass Monsters, we found none. Visiting secret chambers was a novel experience though," Thompson replied.
"You got to enter a secret chamber? That''s dope!"
"It''s thanks to Basil."
Steven sighed. "Too bad we didn''t encounter anything. How lucky you guys are!"
Effie''s ears twitched, but she decided to ignore the two conversing Knights. She had been in the party long enough to know how insensitive they could be.
What kind of party leader would praise someone other than his party member so openly?! Thompson, and many others.
Still, despite knowing that, she couldn''t just ept it. Therefore, she would show the two why she was more amazing than Basil.
After a few minutes of walking with a normal speed, Effie raised her hand. "Halt!" Thompson shouted out. Stepping forward, Thompson stood beside Effie. "What is the matter?" Effie merely pointed her hand to the front wordlessly.
Curious, Thompson quickly look ahead. Squinting his eyes to get a better view, he could finally see what Effie was pointing to.
"Mana Crystals!" Thompson shouted enthusiastically. "We''re going to mine them empty!"
Hearing that, the other''s eyes lit up. Although not as precious as Beast Core, Mana Crystal was still highly sought; after all.
Effie nodded her head in satisfaction at the reaction of the people. Turning her head to Basil, she saw that he had no particr reaction¡ªas expected. He seemed bored even.
However, knowing that Basil wasn''t a normal human, she shrugged, before stepping forward.
With her in lead, everyone head to Mana Crystal filled wall. Then, they mined them passionately¡ªBasil mined them casually though¡ªand storing every piece they got in their Spatial Ring or Spatial Bracelet.
It was fun and joyous, until another surprising thing happened.
Chapter 128 Haunted (End)
While everyone was mining Mana Crystal, Sylvia who was still unconscious was left on the ground, on top of a sleeping bag, where everyone could see her.
Thompson had exined what had happened to her. Therefore, no one worried too much about her.
Steven turned his head to Thompson. "Hey, I can''t see anymore passage after this. Does this mean this is the end of the Exploration." Thompson turned his head to Steven, then frowned slightly. "I don''t think so. We haven''t found the cells yet."
Cell was another term for torture chamber. It was the room every Kinyer spent the rest of their life in. They ate, slept, getting tortured, and died there.
Of course, right now, the cell was empty. While most of the Kinyer entrapped in Dungeon had died, the surviving Kinyer could already roam the Dungeon freely. It was because Dungeon was left unmanaged nowadays.
"Does this mean we have to go back to the way Basil has pointed earlier?"
"That''s the only option, I guess." Thompson shrugged.
Effie was not far away from Steven and Thompson. Therefore, she could hear what they were talking about. Although she didn''t want to admit it, what Steven had said was true.
She didn''t see anymore way to advance. Therefore, they had to go back to the way Basil had pointed earlier. An Exploration couldn''t be finished until the cells were found.
Effie focused her attention back to the Mana Crystal in the wall. Although she didn''t really need them, she didn''t mind to mine them. She could increase her wealth with them, after all.
Infusing her energy to her hand, she closed her fingers up to each other, and stabbed the wall.
Puk!
Her hand was deeply embedded to the wall. Upon feeling the Mana Crystal with her palm, she quickly grasped it within her hand. The structure of the wall didn''t obstruct her in the slightest. Her Reinforced hand was too strong for the wall to obstruct her.
This was the method every Knights of Hauler used to mine the Mana Crystal from the wall. Their absurd physical prowess allowed them to do it.
In the other side, the Mages used their Spell to extract the Mana Crystal from the wall. They came out if the wall, and flew straight to their hand. Although it took a little bit some time to happen, their method was more orderly than the Knight''s.
In Basil''s case, he used both methods to mine the Mana Crystal. He detected the Mana Crystal with his Mana Sense, punched the wall with his Reinforced hand¡ªfreeing them with his punch¡ªbefore putting them inside his Spatial Bracelet
Weirdly though, no one could hear the sound of Basil punching the wall. No one questioned it, as it wasmon for Mage to make a Barrier around them. They were naturally individualistic, after all.
On the ground, Sylvia''s hand twitched, and her eyes fluttered ever so slightly. It didn''t take long until shepletely opened her eyes. Squinting her eyes right after she opened them, she took a moment to realize what happened to her.
Upon understanding her situation, she quickly sat herself up. Looking down, she noticed herself had been lying on a sleeping bag. Yes, she was on top of it; not inside it.
Blinking her eyes once, she tuned her head to her right, toward the direction of the sound she was hearing. She found every Knights of Hauler were looking at her, while still mining the Mana Crystal from the wall.
"You are finally awake! Took you long enough!" Thompson eximed.
Jakeughed with his heavy voice. "Ha-ha-ha. She can''t help it, can she? She has just advanced to Yellow Core, after all." He ended his sentence with a wink.
"Congrattions!" The Knights of Hauler said in unison.
Sylvia was momentarily confused. However, upon checking her Core, she finally remembered she had advanced to Yellow Core in the critical moment. She had even used her Aura Ability right away.
It had been a novel experience to her. She didn''t know anything about Aura at all, prior to her advancement. However, upon stepping her foot on the realm of Aura User, she instinctively knew what to do with Aura, and anything rted to it.
A small smile adorned her face. Although she was still the weakest member in her party, she wasn''t that weak anymore. She could already protect herself without any help from the other members.
Aura had drastically changed the game for her.
As she was also reminded about another thing, she turned her head toward the person who was distancing himself from everyone including his friends, Basil.
Although Basil had saved her life in thest moment, she slightly resented him for leaving her alone. She believed checking the treasure chamber had been only his excuse.
Still, she could do nothing about it. Being weak was her problem. Furthermore, she had reaped an unexpected boon from the ordeal.
She had advanced to Yellow Core! Therefore, she let the matter slide this time.
"Although I won''t mind to share with you, I won''t share that much," Thompson shouted at Sylvia. "So, get on your feet, and mine your part!"
Sylvia stood on her feet, and head toward the wall that contained Mana Crystal in it. Inhaling the air deeply, she exhaled it softly. Then, she drew her Qi.
Her Yellow Core was utilized.
...
The mining process didn''t take that long. At most, it was half an hour.
They concluded the mining simply because three fourth of their Spatial Storage, that was allocated to store Mana Crystal, had been filled with them.
They couldn''t fill it anymore, lest they wanted to break their Spatial Storage. It couldn''t store too much Mana containing things, after all.
In Spatial Bracelet''s case, the Mana exuded by the thing it contained would be suppressed. This leads to the increase of Mana pressure. When it became too high, the Rune carved on the Spatial Bracelet would break, thus destroying the thing stored inside.
In Spatial Ring''s case, the reason was much simpler. It was forged with a special ore that had its own energy, which somehow only Knight could use.
Therefore, exposing it too much to Mana would cause an energy sh that would eventually leads to the destruction of the Spatial Ring, thus also destroying the thing stored inside.
Three fourth of the existing space was the limit for storing Mana containing things.
"Kuhum!" Thompson cleared his throat. Looking at all of the gathered people, he continued, "Since we have filled our storage to the brim, it is time to explore this ce further. We will search for the cells."
Everyone epted it without a fuss. Thompson turned his head to Basil, and said, "You''ll be our Pathfinder this time." Basil nodded lightly. "We''ll be in your care," Thompson continued.
Everyone lined themselves up wordlessly, and Basil took the lead once again. This time, they returned to their initial position. Thompson and Whitney were side by side, right behind Basil.
They walked to the ce where they previously met each other, and threaded the path Basil had pointed before. Light Jade was activated once again, as the ce was too dark for them to see.
As expected, Basil also didn''t need anything to support his vision this time.
The walk was silent, as nothing ured in the way. The only sound they could hear were their footstep, and their suppressed chattering. They couldn''t bother the Pathfinder''s concentration by talking too much, after all.
20 minutes into walking the path, something finally ured.
Whoosh!
However, it wasn''t a pleasant urrence. Thompson and Norman were really familiar with the wind. It was the same wind they had felt in front of the door that had separated them from Steven and his team.
Gulp.
This time however, the aura was much worse.
"Are we still going to advance?" Basil turned to Thompson.
At Basil''s question, everyone turned their widened eyes to him. They were exceptionally surprised someone as quiet as Basil would ask them that question.
He had never hesitated in front of all of the dangerous things they had encountered before, after all.
Everyone turned to Thompson, the decision maker. However, they found he was silently looking at Basil.
Thompson felt something strange about Basil''s question. Therefore, he couldn''t help but asking. "You... What if I said we would stop the advance here?"
"I will still keep going."
"..."
Thompson sighed. He knew Basil was up to something. As he had expected, Basil had been asking for confirmation whether he should travel by himself earlier.
Thompson turned to Whitney, but Whitney immediately nodded his head. As Basil''s senior, he and Cray would still apany Basil. He also believed Cray was excited about it. Therefore, he didn''t bother to convince Basil otherwise.
Thompson nodded back, then turned his body toward his party members. "I am not sure about you guys. But, I am curious to whatys there." He pointed his thumb behind him.
"I am not going to influence you or force you to advance. Be honest to yourself, and we will do what the majority of you agreed."
His members looked at each other, before nodding their head resolutely.
"Let''s advance!"
Thompson faintly shook his head. "Are you sure?" This time, Jakeughed loudly, and represented everyone. "Ha-ha-ha! We have promised we will go everywhere you go, Thompson! Well, everywhere except the toilet."
The Knights of Haulerughed, and Thompson sighed helplessly. However, a small smile decorated his face. Straightening his body up, he turned to Basil.
"I believe you. Lead us!"
Basil squinted his eyes slightly, before turning his body to the front. He didn''t want to convince the people otherwise. Once again, he led them wordlessly.
Although Thompson looked sure, he was slightly anxious inside. He was betting on Basil''s luck and intuition in making the decision. He strongly hoped he didn''t make a wrong one.
It didn''t take long until they met another gate. It was twice bigger than any gate they had encountered inside the Dungeon, and the aura the gate exuded was second only to the aura the wind they had felt not long ago carried.
Basil took Kusanagi out, and buried the tip in the slight gap between the gate. Without turning his head, he said, "I hold no responsibility over the decision you made. This is yourst chance." It was audible enough for everyone to hear them.
He waited for a few seconds. Detecting no reaction from the people, he infused his Qi inside Kusanagi, then exploded it.
Boom!
The gate trembled, before each side retracted themselves into the wall. Soon enough, the scenery behind the gate was full on disy.
It was a vast room that had many niche in the wall with door. It was dimly lit, and bigger thrice of the Dungeon Hall. However, this wasn''t the thing that caught their attention.
It was the person with long hair, and ragged appearance; who was standing in the middle of six bodies dressed in white tunic that attracted their attention.
All of the bodies were drenched in blood, and all of them had been undoubtedly a Priest.
The person standing in the middle of the bodies turned his head toward the nine people. His menacing eyes shone in the dimly lit room, and they seemed to prate the people''s soul.
"Well, well, well. Look what we have here."
A raspy but strong voice was heard from the man. Everyone instinctively tensed their body, and Thompson started regretting his decision.
He didn''t need to think twice. Someone of the man''s caliber would never visit a Dungeon. If this was the "Ghost" everyone had mentioned, then this Dungeon was definitely haunted.
Chapter 129 Withdrawal
"Let''s get out of here," Thompson whispered to everyone.
None of his party member answered him verbally. However, they were already drawing their Qi. They were ready to leave this ce.
"Now, now, now. Mage''s inability to detect Qi is a stereotype, you know?"
The Knights of Hauler felt like a thunder had just struck their head. They knew the man was a Mage by theck trace of Qi in his body. This was the reason they didn''t try so much in hiding the utilization of their Qi.
Nheless, if the man was saying the truth, the oue would be the same either way.
The already quiet room, became even quieter than before. The only sound everyone could hear was the man''s raspy chuckle. However, the silence didn''tst long. Someone finally broke the silence.
"For a mole, you are quite daring to meet the people from above."
Everyone turned their widened eyes to the speaker, Basil. They werepletely horrified by his word. The aura the man was exuding was terrifying enough already. However, Basil still decided to provoke the man.
''Has he lost his mind?!'' They shouted in their mind.
The man turned his eyes to Basil, beforeughing. "Hahahaha! There is always a gold nugget in a lump of dirt, indeed."
Contrary to their expectation, instead of being offended, the man wasughing in glee. Still, they couldn''t determine the meaning of hisugh.
"I am aware of my identity as a mole." The man caressed his long white beard. "However, this is my home; you are intruding my home. So, meeting me is not that surprising."
He pointed his finger toward Basil. "But! I am a good host." The man smiled eerily. "So, I wee you to my humble abode."
The man bowed dramatically, before raising his head, then looked at the people. "Well, what are you waiting for? Come in!"
Of course, no one moved forward. They were stepping backward, instead. The man''s word was enough of a red g already.
While the Knights weren''t too aware of what was going on, the Mages knew the situation well. The man had a terrifying amount of Mana surrounding him. He was a fearsome opponent that they could never beat.
Whitney gulped, then turn to Basil. Seeing that Basil remained motionless, he lowly eximed, "Basil! What are you doing?! Let''s go!" Basil gave no particr reaction to it. However, he did answer. "It''s useless. He had us already."
When Whitney was about to ask what Basil meant by his word, the mysterious man smirked, then flicked his finger.
Flick!
Nothing happened for a few seconds. However, everyone soon felt a pulling force on their body. It didn''t take long, until they were lifted from the ground, and flew right at the man.
"Ahhh! What is this?!"
"Kyaa! I''m flying!"
"Gahhh! I am being pulled!"
The reaction was varied. While there were some people like Basil, who kept calm; most of them were bewildered by the development of the situation.
By the time they were a few steps away from the man, the pulling force disappeared, and they were sent rolling on the ground. Of course, there were also some people like Basil who kept his ground.
Everyone was in a state of high alertness. Therefore, they quickly stood in their ground, and distanced themselves away from the man.
However, before they even managed to look back at the exit gate, the ground trembled.
Rumble!
Then, they heard they heard something that sealed their fate entirely.
Bam!
The opened gate was nowpletely closed. Their heart sunk to the bottom of their stomach. The fight hadn''t started yet. However, they were already sweating. Many things caused it: the man''s heavy pressure, despair, and fright.
Luckily, their wild thought was put in an abrupt stop, by the time they heard Thompson''s shout.
"Assemble!"
They were too familiar with his instruction; their body moved unconsciously, forgetting its previous inability to move. Quickly enough, the Knights of Hauler got in their usual formation; their weapons were on full disy.
Thompson turned his head to Basil, and hummed to himself. Basil, followed by Whitney and Cray, were the closest people to the mysterious man. While Whitney and Cray were calm but tense, Basil was bordering nonchnt.
Thompson couldn''t understand Basil. At this point, everyone should be aware already who the mysterious man was: a Kinyer. Crippled or not, the man was undoubtedly a Ninth Circle Mage. He was too strong for them to stay nonchnt.
"I get what you think about: ''Even if he is a Ninth Circle Mage, he is crippled.'' Right?" While Thompson and the others got even more tense, the Kinyerughed in glee. "Ku-ku-ku. So many misconceptions happening in the outside world, indeed."
The man moved his gaze to Basil. "You have attracted my attention, boy. You have been fending off my Mana Wave ever since entering this ce. I wonder what kind of secret you are trying to hide." The man smiled faintly.
"Two thousand years don''t make you turn stupid. I was merely protecting my privacy."
Thompson lost the color of his face; no, everyone did. Basil had been testing the patience of the Kinyer ever since the beginning!
"Hahaha! You are saying the right thing." Luckily, the man reacted the same way as before. "But, the weak has no right to behave in front of the strong; don''t you think so?" The Kinyer caressed his beard.
Basil replied, "He, who fears, hasn''t." Pointing Kusanagi at the Kinyer, he continued, "Do I look like one?" The Kinyer merely smiled. "No, you don''t."
Then, a sh ured.
sh!
Basil and the man disappeared, before reappearing in the middle. Basil swung Kusanagi at the man, and the man swung his hand to fend it off.
Boom!
Two opposing Mana signature shed in the air. One of them belonged to Basil, while the other one belonged to the Kinyer.
Basil''s three Magic Circles were on full disy. They were shining intensely; exuding a crazy amount of Mana, that shouldn''t belong to a Third Circle Mage.
His Mana Heart was aiding him in this endeavor: pumping Mana quickly, and coursing it through his whole body. His already strong body was also Reinforced, strengthening it even further.
The Kinyer was fending Kusanagi off with his bare hand. However, he looked nonchnt. "Why do you fight, boy?" Basil looked at the man with his now golden eyes. "The same reason as yours."
"ying around?"
"A y."
The man smirked, then pushed Basil back with a thrust of his hand.
Skid!
Basil wasn''t thrown off ground. He stayed in the ground, and embedded his feet to the ground to prevent his body from skidding backward even further.
"Basil!" Whitney shouted. Quickly running to his side, Whitney asked, "Are you okay?" He didn''t wait for Basil''s response. He quickly inspected Basil.
? Albeit faintly, Basil''s hand was trembling. It wasn''t a good sign, considering how absurd Basil''s physical strength was.
Whitney put his hand on Basil''s shoulder. "Retreat. I''ll cover for you."
Basil slightly nced at Whitney. "We should tire him out, while finding the escape. It won''t be that hard. He hasn''t fought for two thousand years; he will be easily overwhelmed."
Basil didn''t really mean his word. He had something to achieve, and he didn''t have any n to tell the people what it was.
At Basil''s word, Whitney looked at him in bewilderment. "What are you talking about? There is an escape way there!" He pointed toward the gate. "Why should we fight that abomination, if we could get out of here?"
"Do you think he will let us?" Whitney couldn''t answer. Basil quickly continued, "Let''s get in formation. We will be resuming our role."
Whitney was about to stop Basil, when he disappeared, and shed against the Kinyer once again.
Boom!
"Ah, darn it!" Whitney was frustrated. "I bring only two guys with me, but none of them listens to what I say!" When he was about to join the fray, he felt a pull on his sleeve. Turning around, he was met with Cray''s determined gaze.
"Let''s go." It was a simple word.
However, Cray''s gaze and his sure tone managed to spark something inside Whitney.
Am I weak? Not so much. Am I afraid of death? Yes. Am I coward? No. Will I let fear control my action? Absolutely not.
Whitney sighed to himself, before turning his gaze back to Basil. Without looking at Cray, he said, "Don''t die on me. Rehearsal ss will be too empty without you." Cray grinned widely, then jokingly replied, "Your wish is mymand, Sire!"
Then, Cray dashed toward the man, and joined the fray.
sh!
Whitney didn''t stay idle. He quickly materialized his Grimoire and casted the strongest wide scale Spell he had currently.
"[Field of Shackle]!"
A big Magic Circle appeared on the ground, and it covered the ground below the three fighting people; including the ground below him. It shone intensely, before a film of golden barrier shot out from the ground, and isted them.
While Basil and Cray felt nothing was happening to them, the Kinyer felt roughly ten percent of his power was cut off.
"Kuhahaha! What bunch of talented babies!"
Boom!
Still, it didn''t affect his power much. His attack was as vicious as before.
"Be careful, boy!" He pointed his finger toward Cray.
"Holy crap, old man! Why is your finger shining?!"
"I just stuck my finger in my arse!" The man replied in humor.
"That is freaking disgusting!"
Despite how humorous the situation looked, what happened next wasn''t. A light shot out of the man''s finger, and it almost struck Cray in his groin. It hit the ground instead, creating a 20 centimeters deep hole.
"Hey! You can''t attack a forbidden area!"
"Hahaha! You are funny, boy!"
The man was given no chance to stay idle. Basil and Whitney had conjoined their attack in that split second he was "fooling around" with Cray. In result, countless of extremely dense earthen bullets powered with high pressure wind were sent at the man.
Boom!
The man merely stomped the ground, and a thick earthen wall quickly surrounded him.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
Despite how loud the sound the sh produced, none of the earthen bullets passed through his defense.
When the attack ended, the earthen wall submerged to the ground. The man took a moment to locate Basil, before dashing toward him once again.
Surely, Cray and Whitney didn''t mean to stay idle. They did their best to aid Basil.
In the other side, Thompson and his party looked at the Mages'' disy silently. They were simply overwhelmed by their decisiveness.
Here they are, a Knight, who were known by their bravery and boldness; hesitating, despite being already in formation.
Thompson turned his gaze to his party members. "Let''s assist them." All of them nodded determinedly. "Sylvia and Effie will try to find the escape, while we are fighting. I hope you can find it as quick as possible."
Gazing them intensely, Thompson continued, "My order is one. Don''t die on me!"
He turned his back, then dashed forward with Steven in tow. Soon enough, all of the Knights entered the golden barrier, and joined the fray ording to their given role.
Chapter 130 Withdrawal (2)
When Basil was unupied, he took a distance away from the Kinyer, and observed the surrounding calmly. Everyone was upied by the Kinyer.
Thompson, with the help of Steven''s [Gravity Center], was constantly attacking the Kinyer by changing his sword''s size from time to time.
The Kinyer was forced to dodge his attack, while also dodging the attack he was receiving from the other. However, the Kinyer was enjoying himself instead.
Jake, the biggest person in the Exploration team, hit the ground with his giant axe. A wave of Mana Explosion was sent toward the Kinyer, and the ground surged like a tide.
Everyone had gotten out of the way earlier. Therefore, the only one affected by Jake''s attack was the Kinyer. However, like always, the Kinyer wasn''t affected in the slightest. With augh, he casually thwarted Jake''s attack.
"Hahaha! You are uselessly ying with me. Come on, be serious!" The Kinyer dashed toward Effie and Sylvia.
Thompson cursed under his breath. "Darn it! Everyone, keep him busy!" Then, he too dashed toward the two.
Sylvia and Effie hadn''t found the escape way yet. Each time they wanted to properly check every corner of the room, the Kinyer was always there to stop them.
The Kinyer was too agile, he seemed to be everywhere. The Kinyer made them look like a joke.
As Norman was the fastest person in his party, he was the first person who reached Effie and Sylvia.
Boom!
Therefore, he took the brunt of the Kinyer''s attack by himself.
"Gah!"
"Norman!"
Thompson swiftly dashed toward Norman, who was thrown away by the Kinyer. Upon catching him, Thompson quickly asked, "Are you okay?!"
Norman coughed once. Blood was pouring out of his mouth. "I am okay." He raised his head, then red at the Kinyer. "That old fart is crazy. He is toying with us!"
Thompson frowned. While everyone managed to distract the Kinyer once again. Effie and Sylvia still couldn''t do much. They couldn''t stay in one ce, lest they wanted to be swiped in everyone''s fight with the Kinyer.
Luckily, they had Whitney. He was contributing to the fight greatly. Whenever someone was about to get done, he was always there to make a chance for them to escape by distracting the Kinyer with his wide scale Spell.
Cray, whose speed rivalled Norman''s, was also helping them by dealing the most blow to the Kinyer. He was the boldest out of them, since he was always the closest person to the Kinyer.
Basil, in the other hand, was surprisingly passive. He would only fight the Kinyer when the Kinyer particrly targeted him. Most of the time, he was observing the entire fight; or rather, the entire room.
Thompson didn''t know what he was up to. However, he was sure Basil was searching for something.
"Are we not going to take those corpses back with us?" Norman was referring to the six dead priest bodies. Thompson quickly shook his head, and pointed his finger toward his right. "Can you still see them as a human body?"
Norman nced once at the scattered corpses, and kept quiet. Their fight with the Kinyer had damaged the the six bodies greatly. None of the bodies was intact anymore. Some even close to turn into a mush.
Norman clicked his tongue. "Tsk! We won''t get any extra money, then." Church would give anyone who found the body of their dead member a reward.
Thompson chuckled. "I don''t care about extra money, as long as we can get out of here."
Norman sighed faintly, and grasped his rapier tighter. Thompson also tightened his grip on the sword. Then, an ethereal film of green light covered the two people''s body.
Their Aura was activated. Thompson had his [Matter Augmentation], and Norman had his [Motion Amplification].
In unison, they dashed toward the Kinyer once again.
Boom!
Upon arriving right in front of the Kinyer, Norman quickly attacked him.
"Hahaha! Now you lot are getting serious!" The Kinyer eximed. Norman clicked his tongue. "Tsk! We are serious since the beginning!" Then, he thrust his rapier at the man once again.
Stab! Stab! Stab!
His Aura Ability allowed him to move faster than anyone. Therefore, his hand left so many afterimages while he was thrusting his rapier at the Kinyer.
Then again, the Kinyer could stillugh it off. He didn''t even try dodging it. He just epted it with his body, and it was still left unscathed. Surely, he didn''t n to receive the attack silently.
He also retaliated by grabbing Norman. However, even before he managed to do it, Norman quickly retreated.
"Ah, too bad. You managed to tickle me. That actually felt good, you know?"
Norman kept his silence. When he had attacked the Kinyer, he had felt like he was shing against Adamantine. The Kinyer''s body was so sturdy, it had left him bewildered.
Still, he didn''t need to think much. What he needed to do was distracting the Kinyer to buy time for Effie and Sylvia.
Then, the battle resumed.
...
The Kinyer observed the surrounding area, while fending off every attack the infants inflicting on him. He was slightly amazed at their coordination, and individual talent.
However, it wasn''t enough to challenge him. He could still face them nonchntly.
The only reason he didn''t kill these infants immediately was because of his curiosity over one boy, who managed to attract his interest. It was the tall boy with brown hair, and shinning golden eyes, Basil.
The boy didn''t take the initiative to attack, unless someone asked him to.The boy would only fight actively, if he decided to attack the boy. Even up till now, he was still puzzled by the boy''s purpose.
Therefore, he decided to ask the person in question directly. With a swift movement, he dashed toward Basil.
Whoosh!
Upon reappearing in front of the boy, he looked at the boy''s reaction. As always, the boy remained unsurprised. He swung his hand, and the boy responded in kind.
Boom!
"What are you exactly looking for, boy?"
"Opportunity."
The Kinyerughed. The boy really knew how to answer, but not answering at the same time. He was also amazed by the boy''sposure. Even if he was constantly exuding his Mana to suppress the boy, the boy was unperturbed.
nk!
Another sh ured between the Kinyer''s hand and Kusanagi. Just like what Norman said, the man''s hand was as strong as Adamantine.
Basil quirked his eyebrow at the man in front of him. He was slightly puzzled why the man decided to show himself, and toyed with them. He could also have just killed them upon encountering them, but he didn''t.
Basil gave a brief nce at one of the lifeless bodies on the ground, before returning his gaze back to the man.
"What was their purposeing here?" He was referring to the priest corpses.
"Hoh? You worded it as if they came here purposely to meet me."
"Did they not?"
"Who knows?" The Kinyer shrugged.
nk!
Basil threw the man off bnce with a swing of his sword. Then, Whitney, who had been waiting for the opportunity to attack, casted a Spell on the ground. The ground below the man spiked upward, and close to skewer him.
Boom!
However, he managed to destroy it with a swing of his hand, even before it touched his body. The man did that while still losing his bnce. Meaning, he was in the process of falling to the ground.
While Basil was ready to strike the man once again, the man pointed his his pointer finger at him. A golden light gathered on the tip of his finger, and a destructive aura could be felt clearly.
Basil responded in kind. Also pointing his finger at the man, an Art that he rarely used was activated.
[Heaven Piercer]!
His three Ultimate Circles shone intensely. An absurd amount of Mana, that any Third Circle Mage could only dream of controlling, gathered around him. The tip of his finger shone in blue light.
Then, he and the man released their attack at the same time.
sh!
Two beams of light of two different colors met in the middle. The light was so bright, it briefly blinded everyone. Followed by that, an explosion ured.
Boom!
The ground below the meeting point of the attack was blown away, creating a hole deep enough for a pond.
While Basil kept his ground, the man, whose feet weren''t really touching the ground, was thrown away. Two seconds into the sh of the two attack, an ear piercing sound was heard.
Screech!
Everyone instinctively covered their ears, before shielding their ear drums either with Mana or Qi. They looked ahead, at the two perpetrator. However, the light was too blinding, they couldn''t properly see the two people.
When the light died down, the scene that they previously couldn''t see was revealed.
As they expected, the ground waspletely damaged. Not even the damage Jake had caused to the ground could rival the amount of damage Basil had caused to it. The ground waspletely dug out, creating a hole of at least two meters and a half deep.
Then, they looked at the condition of the two people. While the man was thrown far away to the other side of the room, Basil stayed in his ce. His right sleeve waspletely torn, his hand was steaming, and his pointer finger was bleeding slightly.
"Kuhahaha!" The manughed while still lying on the ground. "You are not a gold in a lump of dirt; you are a Mithril in a lump of dirt!" He stood from the ground, then looked at Basil seriously. "Now, I know what you are aiming for, boy!"
Basil snorted faintly, the replied, "A fossil like you will never know what I am aiming." The man merely grinned, and kicked the ground.
Boom!
He disappeared like a sh, before reappearing in front of Basil. His long hair was raised to the air, and an absurd amount of Mana gathered around him. His nails elongated, and turned into sharp ws.
While still grinning, he swung his wed hand at Basil.
Boom!
The ground below Basil cratered. He was using his full strength to block the man''s attack with Kusanagi. Even if his hands were shaking, his gaze remained unwavering.
He quickly transfered a part of Vagus'' soul inside Kusanagi, and it immediately shone in faint blue light.
[Synchronization]!
Then, he swung Kusanagi at the man.
Sling!
Nothing happened for a few seconds. However, it didn''tst long. A heavy pressure immediately swiped the man''s entire existence.
Boom!
The man was forced to cast his Defense Spell to block Basil''s attack, and he was thrown away from Basil.
In the midst of Basil and the Kinyer''s fight, Sylvia and Effie were utilizing the time efficiently to do their job. In result, they managed to aplish the task given to them.
"We have found the escape way!" Sylvia shouted.
Everyone''s attention turned to the two people. By everyone, even the Kinyer was included.
"Do you think I will let you go?!" The Kinyerughed like a devil thirsty of blood. And judging by how he looked currently, he wasn''t that far from a devil.
Everyone tensed, and quickly head toward Effie and Sylvia. The escape way was on the other side of the room. It was one of the niches with an already opened door in the wall.
Although they didn''t know where it led to, as long as it was an escape way, it was already enough for them.
However, upon arriving beside Effie and Sylvia, the people noticed two things.
First, the Kinyer wasn''t chasing them. Second, Basil was heading toward a different way, with the Kinyer hot on his tail.
"I won''t give you the control!" The Kinyer shouted.
Needless to say, they didn''t know what was exactly going on.
Chapter 131 Withdrawal (End)
Basil was heading toward the array carved on one of the stone poles in the room. There was a lever there, but ke knew more than anyone it wasn''t a lever. It was a sealing sword.
The Kinyer was rapidly closing in, and it wouldn''t take long until he caught up to Basil. Luckily, Basil had the others to aid him.
"[Matter Augmentation]!"
Whistle!
Thompson''s sword was rapidly elongating. It split the air, heading toward the Kinyer, blocking his way to Basil. However, the Kinyer punched through it, and it was broken into pieces.
Scatter.
Surely, the other didn''t have any n to stay idle. Cray was already closing in, and Whitney had shot a gigantic earthen ball toward the Kinyer. Although it couldn''t hurt him, it definitely stopped him in his track.
Boom!
The earthen ball was broken to pieces. Then, Cray quickly appeared amidst the scattering pieces of earth.
"Killing Art: [Head Chopper]!"
Cray spun his body, then gave the Kinyer a powerful and precise axe kick. Even the air was split apart due to the speed the kick was delivered.
Boom!
Of course, the Kinyer managed to block it. Cray gritted his teeth, then added more power to his feet.
Crack!
The ground below the Kinyer cratered, but the Kinyer was still as healthy as a horse. Even before Cray managed to retract his foot, the man grasped it in his hand.
Crack!
This time, the sound didn''t belong to the cratered ground.
"Gah! My foot!"
"Stay out of my way, boy!" Then, the Kinyer threw Cray at Whitney. "Cray!" Whitney was quick in his action, and prevented Cray from hitting the wall.
While Whitney was taking Cray away from the battlefield, the others were already surrounding the Kinyer once again. Thompson took out his staff, and constantly annoyed the Kinyer with it.
Jake''s Aura Ability, [Unfathomable Strength], allowed him to get more physical strength the heavier the thing he was lifting. Therefore, Steven was dly aiding him in his endeavor.
Boom!
He mmed the ground, and it did more than just annoying the Kinyer. Sadly, Jake wasn''t as agile as everyone. Therefore, he was an easy target for the Kinyer.
"Stay out of my way!" The Kinyer punched Jake right in his chest.
Boom!
Crack!
His chest caved in, and he puked a mouthful of blood. "Uaaakkk!" He was thrown across the room with a high speed, and hit the wall.
Everyone was worried. However, no one could turn their attention to him, lest they wanted to let the Kinyer catch Basil.
Looking at that, the Kinyer was annoyed. Clicking his tongue in dissatisfaction, he activated the Magic Circles he didn''t use since the beginning of the fight.
Boom!
The air exploded due to the sudden fluctuation of Mana. Nine Magic Circles floated behind the Kinyer''s back, and all of them were Grand Circles.
Everyone''s eyes widened in terror. The aura the Kinyer was exuding was terrifying.
It didn''t take the Knights to be a Mage to understand how absurd the Mana the Kinyer was exuding. The hair on their body stood on end, and the atmosphere was getting thicker; one can even cut through it with a knife.
"My Magic Circle is crippled indeed. But, it is only my ninth. I have eight more, and they are enough to y you!"
The Kinyer''s hand glowed in bright golden light. An overwhelming amount of Mana gathered on his palm. Then, even before anyone could even move, he mmed his hand to the ground.
BOOM!
The reaction was instantaneous. The ground surged upward, as if a sea getting struck by a meteor. The amount of Mana was so terrifying, everyone froze in their ce. In result, they could only helplessly ept their fate.
Or so they thought.
A thin film of golden light rose from the ground, separating everyone from the attack of the Kinyer. Although they could still feel the overwhelming aura, they were safe from the attack.
Looking up at the person who was responsible for the endeavor, all of them widened their eyes in utter bafflement.
It belonged to a beautiful blonde haireddy with an unblemished yellowish white skin. She had long eyshes, a sharp nose, and a sharp jaw. She was wearing a ck robe that covered everything but her head.
She looked so stunning. However, that wasn''t the main focus of the people''s attention. It was her long and pointy ears.
She was an Elf.
"Are you okay?" The people could only nod dumbly. "You should move. I can''t hold it any longer." Her hands trembled.
The people were woken up from their daze. They turned their head toward the trembling golden barrier, before turning their head back at the Elf. They quickly stood from the ground, and put their hands on the barrier.
Then, they infused their Qi into it. The barrier was stabilized. While doing that, none of them spoke a thing toward the Elf.
"We finally know each other, Effie," Thompson said. The Elf''s eyshes fluttered slightly. "Nice to meet you, Thompson," the Elf muttered lowly.
"Nice to meet you, Effie!" The other Knights of Hauler eximed in unison.
The most mysterious member of Hauler, Effie, who turned out to be an Elf, smiled softly. She was d herrades still could ept her, even if she was of a different race.
The attack died down, and the slowly barrier disappeared. Everyone was panting heavily, due to the amount of Qi they had spent to maintain the barrier earlier.
Steven nced at the left side of the vast room, and found that Jake was safe with Whitney and Cray. Since they were the farthest from the Kinyer, Whitney had managed to defend Cray and Jake by himself.
Then, he turned his attention to the Kinyer. The Kinyer''s hair was no longer floating in the air, and his back was turned on them. Although he was no longer exuding the absurd amount of Mana from earlier, the aura around him was still terrifying.
He red intently at Basil. "You know I have your friends already. Release that seal, and I will spare their life." The Kinyer held out his hand, before clenching it abruptly.
Immediately, a golden chain appeared from below his feet. They swiftly head toward the people, and slithered around their body. The process took only two seconds, and no one could react properly.
By the time they realized it, the golden chain was already wrapping around their neck. It was suffocating, and their strength was leaving their body in each second.
It was absorbing their Qi and Mana alike.
"This is... This is the lost Art, [Bind of Suppressor]!" Whitney mutteredboriously.
Since he was a Mage, the effect was stronger on him. His Mana was sucked up almostpletely. On his side, Cray had lost his consciousness. Even Jake, a Knight, could only breathe faintly.
The Kinyer turned his head to Whitney.
"That is true, smart boy. [Bind of Suppressor] is a powerful Art. It can suppress one''s power orpletely suck them dry. Due to its nature however, it is forbidden by your ''Empire.'' Aren''t you excited to see it in front of your eyes?"
Kinsey kept his mouth shut.
The Kinyer turned his head back to Basil. "Now, choose. The control of this Dungeon or your friend?"
Basil answered in a heartbeat. "Why do you even ask?" He waved the sword he had pulled out of the stone pole, and said, "I choose the seal."
Everyone''s eyes widened in shock. They couldn''t imagine Basil could nonchntly make that choice, without even feeling any guilt.
"Very well. It is your choice, boy."
"I don''t regret it."
The Kinyer tightened the chain hold on everyone''s body, and they could slowly feel their body was crushed in each second. All along, their mind was still upied by the disbelief form Basil''s betrayal.
Effie looked at Basil in contempt. "What a lowly person." ncing at her briefly, Basil said, "This is the nature of human." Basil fiddled the sword in his hand, then stabbed it to the ground. "We are naturally opportunistic."
Crackle!
Red electricity ran through the sword Basil had stabbed in the ground. The Kinyer''s eyes widened, and he swiftly dashed toward Basil.
The people could see the process slowly. Their body was pushed back due to the wind caused by theunch of the Kinyer, and the chain hold on them was getting weaker. Then magically, they were gathered in one ce.
With his right hand wielding Kusanagi, Basil pointed his left hand at the gathered people. "Tell my family I''ll be back." Then, the people felt a pull on their body.
All of that happened in seconds, but it felt like an eternity. They could see the moment Basil activated [Synchronization]. Kusanagi shone brightly, and he swung it toward the Kinyering at him.
Boom!
The explosion was thest thing they heard, before they eventually found themselves back to the surface. They had been expelled from the Dungeon.
Their mind was overwhelmed with the development of the situation. Basil didn''t betray them. He took the control of the Dungeon to save them.
Once again, their mind was upied.
...
Inside the Dungeon, a mad sh between two different energies was happening, and the already ruined ground was damaged even further. The air exploded, and an absurdly powerful wind was blowing in the room.
The perpetrators of the phenomenon, Basil and the Kinyer, were grinning as if having the time of their life.
BOOM!
An explosion ured, and a blinding light covered the whole vast room. The ground was dug out, creating a 14 meters deep hole. When the light died down, the two people were revealed. They were standing face to face in the middle of the hole.
Basil had lost his upper clothes, and his body was steaming madly. Kusanagi slowly lost its light, before the de eventually disintegrating, leaving the hilt behind.
Basil looked at it, before smiling bitterly. He didn''t regret destroying it due to his stunt. He was dissatisfied by hisck of control toward the Qi fluctuation caused by [Synchronization].
He turned his head to the man in front of him. The man didn''t have that much change in appearance. Even if he had became bare-chested, he was still as ragged as before.
"Did you use six Circles?" Basil asked. "Yup." The man nodded. "I see." Basil shook his head.
The Kinyer hummed in wonder. He was genuinely puzzled by the boy''s motive.
Uponying his hand on the sealing sword, with his weird Art, the boy had asked him to let him stay inside the Dungeon for a while. He had agreed, but asked the boy to spar with him as the payment
The spar wasn''t disappointing. It was more than he had expected. However¡ª
"Why do you want to stay here?"
¡ªhe was still puzzled.
"The same reason yours."
He wasn''t afraid of staying in the Dungeon. On top of holding the seal of the dungeon, there was an rm put in the Dungeon that would notify the Empire if the man killed a Mage.
Yes, it was only for a Mage. This was the reason why the Mana could kill the Priests. Therefore, Basil didn''t have to worry.
The man had engaged in a fight with them merely out of boredom. He had been toying with them, and acting like a viin to ease his boredom. He didn''t have any intention to kill them since the beginning.
"You''re punished by the Empire?"
"No, it''s a withdrawal from the world."
The man was puzzled. However, Basil didn''t have any intention to exin himself.
There were already many eyes scrutinizing him, and he couldn''t advance to the next Realm peacefully with that. Furthermore, the people of the Church had also developed a grudge with him due to his "ident" with Eugene.
Different than the outside world, if the people of the Church decided to chase him, he could freely y them without any consequences, since death inside Dungeon was considered normal.
Staying here was the best choice for him.
"Let''s not bother each other." Basil extended his hand at the man, and the man grabbed it instantly. "Let''s be a good neighbor." The man smiled.
With that, Basil''s withdrawal from the world started¡ªwith a Kinyer as his neighbor.
Chapter 132 Indicator
The rest of the Exploration team, who had been expelled from the dungeon earlier, were looking emptily at the vast in they were currently at. The earlier event had escted too quickly, their mind couldn''t keep up.
How did Basil know the position of the control of the Dungeon? Why didn''t Basil discuss things first, before deciding to pull his stunt? What would happen to Basil?!
There were so many things in their mind, they couldn''t think of a single thing. However, they were sure of what they were currently feeling¡ªsurvivor''s guilt.
It wouldn''t be this way if Basil hadn''t saved them all; they were used to the death of arade. However, knowing theirrade died to save them, made it all different. They just couldn''t shrug off the feeling.
Of course, that was just their fantasy. Basil had never decided to save them in the very first ce. He didn''t feel the moral obligation to save strangers.
He had expelled them, because he didn''t want them to stay any longer in the Dungeon; he wanted to train himself as soon as possible.
However, none of them knew Basil''s motive. In result, they could only nkly stare at the vast in, and let the wind passed their body.
Silence ensued. Of course, it didn''tst long.
"DARN IT!" Whitney shouted.
Bam!
He struck the ground, then gritted his teeth. He was simply pissed. He had thought he could easily carry the task given to him¡ªtaking care of his juniors. Who knows there would be a damnable Ancient Monster residing inside the Dungeon?!
He was mad: at his carelessness, at his naivety, at his powerlessness. He was ashamed. His junior had sacrificed himself for the entire team; there he was staying alive without being able to do anything.
He didn''t even receive any injury. He had fought from afar, and yed the role as an Overseer, the protector of everyone. Even so, he had failed. Did he have an excuse to defend himself? Yes, he did. But, would he use it? No, he wouldn''t.
Excuses will never be a justification for one''s ipetence.
Whitney sighed. What happened, happened. He couldn''t rewind the time. A death person will never be alive again. Now, he had only one task to carry out¡ªtaking responsibility of his failure.
¡ªTell my family I will be back.
Basil''s word was ringing in his mind. He was instantly reminded of Basil''s interaction with Danzel and rissa. He was reminded of the father and daughter''s treatment over Cray and him.
He would have to tell the two nice people that their family member had died. It wasn''t this hard normally¡ªconveying the death of hisrade to their family. However, it hit different knowing that hisrade had died to save him.
His lips trembled, but not for long. His face quickly became emotionless; his eyes became cold. He had determined himself¡ªhe would carry the task.
He would definitely aplish this task. He would take the me, he would take the hate, he would take the mockery, and he would carry the guilt.
Whitney stood up, then looked at the other people. All of them were looking at him, and he could properly see their condition. None of them was free of any injury.
Their appearance was an enough indication: torn clothes, gashes, bleeding head, and probably broken ribs. Amongst the people, he was the only who remained uninjured. However, he had steeled himself; he showed no particr reaction.
"We will take our part, before leaving. ording to the contract, we will have 40% of the entire findings, and you can keep the map. I will¡ª"
Sylvia interrupted Whitney. "Wait! Are just going to leave like that?! What about Basil?! He¡ªhe has sacrificed himself for you. How can you¡ª"
"So what?" Whitney quirked his eyebrow. "Basil sacrificed himself to save ALL of us. His fate is pretty much sealed. What do you want me to do? Going back inside again just to waste his sacrifice? I know how to honor arade''s sacrifice more than you do."
Sylvia couldn''t response Whitney. She knew she was being unreasonable. However, for Whitney to act that cold, she couldn''t just ept it. Something unpleasant was filling her chest, and she didn''t know how to get rid of it.
Her eyes watered. She bit her lower lip to stifle her sob. Then, she felt a hand on her shoulder. She turned around, and found it was Thompson. He was looking at Whitney with an understanding gaze.
"Very well. We will split the findings. I will let you guys take the 60%." Thompson turned his head to his conscious party members. "You wouldn''t mind, would you?" They nodded their head in agreement.
Whitney quickly interjected, "You don''t have to do that. We, Mage, always uphold our contract. You don''t have to feel the obligation topensate the family of our deathrade. I, as the person in charge, will take care of it."
Thompson hesitated for awhile, before eventually nodding his head reluctantly. "Very well." He told everyone to take out their findings, and gave 40% of it to Whitney.
There was a total of 360 kilograms of Mana Crystals, and Whitney brought 144 kilograms with him. He also took a few kilograms of three kinds of ore, 15,000 worth of gold coins, and a few weapons.
Although not much, they had found more than they had expected. When the matter was concluded, Whitney carried the unconscious Cray with him, then got in the carriage he had called a few moments prior.
The carriage took off, and it soon disappeared from the Knights of Hauler''s view.
"Mage is still a Mage, huh?" Thompsonmented. "Although I have seen many deaths before, never did I act as casual as Whitney. I don''t know whether I should feel amazed or scared. How can they live like that?"
No one answered him. Although Knight and Mage were coexisting, none of the parties understood each each other well. Anything they heard of each other was based on rumour.
To Mage, Knight was a bunch of muscle freak who knew nothing of logical thinking. In reality however, while they were not as intellectual as Mage, they were not stupid. However, Mage would never recognize it, since Knight never dwell in research.
In the other hand, Knight saw Mage as a bunch of highly sophisticated golem. They were cold, immoral, logical, and decisive. They believed out of 100 things a Mage could do, 101 of them were atrocities.
,m Thompson had believed it was nothing more than an exaggeration. However, upon seeing how Whitney handled the matter, he wasn''t so sure about his belief anymore.
Sure, Whitney was a responsible person. However, he believed Whitney was carrying it out of duty¡ªa sense of obligation. Anything Whitney had citatted was ording to the procedure, after all.
Thompson shook his head, then turned it to the cavity in the ground¡ªthe entrance to the Dungeon. They had been expelled from there. Since the process had happened too quick, they couldn''t actually know what had happened.
Gulp.
"I hate this feeling." He thumped his chest.
He hadn''t felt any repulsion toward the entrance prior to entering the Dungeon. However, after what they had been through, he felt an unpleasant feeling whenever he looked at it. He believed the others were also the same; they didn''t even nce at it.
Rumble!
Suddenly, the ground trembled. The soil around the cavity copsed, slowly blocking it in the process. It didn''t take long until the thing that had happened to the cave that should have been the Dungeon''s entrance was repeated¡ªthe entrance was blocked.
Thompson approached the now blocked cavity, then stood right in front of it.
"Basil, I am sorry for doubting you for the entire time." He bowed.
Due to Basil''s reclusive nature, he had doubted every course of actions Basil had taken. Although it had been proven wrong from time to time, he still couldn''t get rid of the doubt.
"I thank you from the bottom of my heart for saving us. I am sorry I can not take your body to bury it." Thompson right himself up, then stared at the blocked cavity intently.
He felt conflicted. The world seemed to do Basil a favor, and cursed him at the same time. No one could retrieve his body, but he was buried naturally. However, due to that, no one would be able to visit his grave.
"Basil Pacifer. What an unusual young man, indeed."
Thompson turned his head to his party members. All of them were injured, and exhausted. They needed a the help of a Healer as soon as possible; especially, Jake.
Thus, their journey to home was started.
No one spoke in the way. However, they were sure they would absolutely report their encounter with the Ancient Monster residing in the Dungeon¡ªthe Kinyer.
...
While the people of the Exploration team were on their way back, Basil was recuperating the Qi and Mana he had exhausted. The Kinyer was looking at him from afar, as if looking at an exotic animal.
"Hey. I know it''ste, but how can you train in both Principals?"
"..."
"Tsk! You have been ignoring me for hours. Come on, it won''t hurt talking to this old man!"
Basil opened one of his eyes. "Yes, it won''t hurt talking to you. But, I don''t want to waste my time."
"It''s your first time of replying me, and that''s what you said? Youngster these days." The Kinyer shook his head in disappointment.
"That is a flowed logic. How can you know how youngsters behave these days? You haven''t even interacted with the outside world for a long time."
The Kinyer nodded his head. "That is a valid point." Basil closed his eye, and the Kinyer looked at him in curiosity again. "Why are you so calm? Don''t you know who I am?"
"A lonely old man," Basil answered without opening his eyes.
"Gahak!" The Kinyer held his chest in mock pain. "How dare you attacking this old man''s insecurity!" Seeing that Basil had no particr reaction, the old man continued, "Seriously though, I don''t know whether you are just brave or dumb."
At that, Basil fully opened his eyes. "You are a Mage, and that is all to it. I have no reason to fear you." Then, he closed his eyes.
"Ah, yes. Kinyer. Such a nostalgic name," the old man reminisced. Basil ignored it, since he didn''t mention anything about. The man turned his eyes to Basil, and said, "I will tell you about it."
He approached Basil, and sat beside him. Then, he circled his right hand around Basil''s shoulder, forcing Basil to open his eyes. Seeing that he had gotten Basil''s attention, the old man gestured with his with his left hand, and started his story.
"Listen, boy. This story is from the long past that any of your history books never mention. It is the history of Kinyer."
[Ding!]
[Factual information detected. Initiating Full Immersion!]
Basil''s eyes slightly widened in surprise. Right after the Guide''s announcement, he couldn''t hear anything in his surrounding. His attention was focused solely on the old man''s voice.
He turned his head to the old man, and the old man looked at him square in the eyes. "What I am about to tell you is a secret that will make your ''Empire'' hate your existence. Will you still hear about it?" The answer was instantaneous. "Tell me."
Then, the story began.
Chapter 133 Indicator (2)
Kinyer.
A term the people from the Age of Chaos had used to call a group of people who hadmitted the greatest sin a human couldmit at that time¡ªkilling their fellow kinsmen.
They were a bunch of savage: ill-tempered, immoral, atrocious, and remorseless of their action. They were the worst group of people in the age where human poption was on its all time low.
They killed; not to steal, but for pleasure. No one knew what was going on in their head. They were born as a human, yet they hated human to their very core.
Before human were united, there had been no rule prohibiting them to kill another human. They had done their act discreetly. However, when all human were united, the rule to not kill human was born.
Therefore, people started hunting them, and they did their act openly since then. That was the first time Kinyer was used as a term.
Due to the intensity of the hunt, they even joined the Monster''s side by serving Obelisk Masters, the atrocious Monsters who killed human the most.
...
"Hmmm... It''s ufortable calling them Monster." The old man caressed his long beard. "I will call them the way we, old people, call them. They are¡ª"
"Demon," Basil finished.
Turning a surprised eyes at Basil, the old man said, "Yes. They are, quite literally. How did you know?" Basil lightly shrugged. "That is not important. Let me hear the rest of your story."
The old man hummed, before shrugging; he resumed his story.
...
Since Demon also had the same purpose¡ªexterminating human, albeit for a different reason¡ªthey dly epted Kinyers. However, upon the construction of Dungeon, many Kinyers were captured.
While their fate was pretty much sealed, they weren''t killed immediately, due to the purpose of Dungeon creation¡ªinflicting the same suffering Kinyers had inflicted upon their victim to them.
They were tortured, and it took a quite some time before they died. Therefore, out of luck, some of them managed to escape the Dungeon they had been jailed at.
Upon returning to the ce where they belonged to, the home of Demon; they leaked its location to the Obelisk Master they were serving.
In result, many Dungeons were attacked, and many captured Kinyers were freed due to that. The chaos turned worse thanks to it. The freed Kinyers were full of vengeance; they became even more vigorous in their "endeavor."
Upon the happening, a new rule was set. The status of Kinyer changed from "Capture on Sight" to "Kill on Sight." Although things got better right after this, many had fallen due to them.
Of course, things got better means the situation had calmed down slightly. The poption of Kinyers was greatly reduced. However, Demon still exist; their poption hadn''t decreased even slightly.
In the other hand however, human had lost a fifth of their already inadequate poption. This became a problem. However, no one felt the need to be scared.
They had the Four Heroes on their side, and many other powerful individuals. They believed they were strong enough to fight the Demons.
...
"There is no detailed story about the Four Heroes. However, I have my suspicion," Basil said suddenly. The old man looked to him, then motioned him to speak. "Are they Gregory, Land, Justina, and Lindy?"
The old man quirked his eyebrow. "Yes, they are. I thought they would be mentioned in your history books."
Basil hummed to himself. "They are mentioned, but for a different story."
"Hoh? What kind of story?"
"The four names I have mentioned earlier are the names of the Four Great Gods. Gregory, the god of knowledge; Land, the god of peace; Justina, the goddess of justice; and Lindy, the goddess of love."
Upon hearing that, the Kinyerughed, "Pfft! Buhahaha!!! Four Great Gods you said? Pfft! What a joke! Buhahaha!" The old manughed so hard, he was rolling on the ground.
Although Basil also thought the entire thing about these Four Great Gods were ridiculous, it never made himugh. Therefore, he was slightly puzzled what tickled the old man so much after hearing it.
"Kuhaha! Kuhaha...!" The man got up from the ground, then wiped the tears in the corner of his eyes. "Haah... Darn it! I have neverughed that hard since two thousand years ago." He met Basil''s rather annoyed gaze, thenughed once again.
"Kuhum! I''m sorry. That was unsightly of me." He waved his hand in half-hearted apology. "Huuh... Four Great Gods, huh? Did they name their little group by themselves? I acknowledge their prowess was amazing. But to name themselves like that..."
The old man clicked his tongue in disappointment. "The peanuts have forgotten their skin, huh? Laughable!" Curious, Basil couldn''t help asking, "What do you¡ª"
However, he was cut by the old man. "Hush! That is not important now. Hear the rest of my story, and you will naturally understand what I mean."
Basil stared at the man, before eventually nodding his head.
The story continued.
...
The Four Heroes were the leading figure of the war between Human and Demon. They were a group of unnaturally talented people. They were also known as the Pioneer of Magic, since they were the first Human that mastered Magic.
They dly shared the knowledge they had to their fellow kinsmen, and taught them how to use Magic. Five years in teaching their fellow human how to use Magic, another Ninth Circle Mage was born.
His name was Solomon, the pioneer of advanced Magic. He was the newly rising star whose fame was no inferior to the Four Heroes. Some of the people even called him, the Father of Magic.
With Solomon and the Four Heroes, humanity gradually gained the upperhand. Along the way, many people became a Ninth Circle Mage, and almost every Knights had reached the Purple Core Stage.
It was the point where human power was on its peak.
Fourty years passed, and the Obelisk Masters, along with their army were forced to retreat to the Obelisk. Fortunately, out of the existing 72 Obelisks, 36 of them had been destroyed.
After hundreds of years of staying in the bottom of the food chain, humanity finally climbed the stairs, and came out as the winner. That day, humanity became the ruling race of the world.
Of course, human weren''t the only existing race. There were Elves, Dwarves, Fairies, and Demi-Human. Due to this, after 40 years of war with Demon, interracial war was started.
No one knew who had started it. However, everyone had suddenly felt the urge to "secure" their territory from the other race, despite knowing how much they had helped each other in the war against Demon.
Thus, the first year after the Age of Chaos was started with another chaos.
When the people needed them the most, the Four Heroes and Solomon went missing, right after the interracial broke. They were the people that united all of the race, and their existence was needed to unite them once again.
However, they had never showed themselves right after. Many people questioned their whereabouts, but no one could answer their question.
Some theorized they had exhausted their power in the war against Demon, and had finally rest in piece. However, some spected their power was too much for the world to bear, thus they were forced to move to the higher ne.
While people believed that was exactly what had happened to the Four Heroes, they soon found out what had happened to Solomon.
One day, someone found one of his belongings. There was also a message stating he had left behind his legacies, and therefore people should find them to know the truth.
It instantly became a hot topic, and once again Human fought amongst themselves for Solomon''s legacies.
Of course, upon finding many of his legacies, none of it contained the truth. In the very first ce, they didn''t even know the truth Solomon had referred to.
Is it the truth behind his death or is it the truth behind Magic mastery?
No one knew. However, they were sure anything came from Solomon would give them a boost in power.
Thus, the search of Solomon''s legacies and the interracial war continued. While thetter ended after twenty years long of war, the former continued up till now.
In the way, they found out the legacy Solomon had mentioned¡ªthe one that contained the truth¡ªwere his 9 Seals, which was pretty much impossible to find.
9 Seals of Solomon referred to the 9 rings he had always worn. However, no one even knew where his body was. How could they know where the rings were?
Therefore, the truth behind Solomon''s death, and the disappearance of the Four Heroes remained a mystery.
Of course, the Second Generation Kinyer knew it better than them.
...
The old man nodded his head in satisfaction. "Fumu. It feels good reciting a genuine history. Ho-ho-ho!" Caressing his beard, he turned his head to Basil. "How about it? Can you figure the meaning of my word already?"
Basil lightly frowned. "I thought you were talking about Kinyer AND the Four Heroes. I don''t recall you said anything about them."
The old manughed. "Ho-ho-ho! You look bright, but it seems your look doesn''t define you as a person."
"Hoh? Are you doubting my analyzing ability?" The old man merely smirked at Basil''s word. Basil continued, "The Second Generation Kinyer refers to the people who kill their kinsmen over the hunt of Solomon''s legacies."
The old man nodded his head wordlessly at Basil''s statement.
"However, it still confuses me. Killing in apetition is not a crime. We have lived that way for so long. Why are they, who kill the others to seize Solomon''s legacies, are deemed as the Second Generation Kinyer?"
The old man hummed. "Don''t you think you missed something? What do Solomon''s 9 Seals contain?"
Basil pondered for a while, before turning his gaze to the old man.
[Ding!]
[Congrattions! A conclusion has been made from the given information!]
Ignoring the announcement from the Guide, Basil said, "The truth. It is not the truth behind Solomon''s death or the truth behind the Four Heroes'' disappearance. It is the truth behind the war against the Demon, which had something to do with the Four Heroes."
The old man smiled.
"Some people were aware of it, and they didn''t want people to find out about it. Therefore, they sent their people to also look for these legacies to ''cover the truth.'' However, most of them were killed in the way."
"Then?" The old man asked expectantly.
"The people who know of Solomon''s legacies must have been the people who were close to him: his disciples, friends, or followers. These people were desperate of the truth, and held suspicion to the unfolding event at that time."
Basil cupped his chin, then said, "To stop these people from their activity, the people in power sent them to Dungeon, and deemed them as Kinyer."
The old man pped his hand in satisfaction, then eximed, "Exactly! Now, can you tell me who are these people in power?"
Basil sighed lightly. "They are the people who worshipped the Four Heroes as gods: the Church."
"Now, you should also know why there were six dead priests under my feet when we first met." The old man grinned.
"They were here to test the water."
"True, but not exactly correct. They are here to make a deal. ''Be the God''s servant, and we will let you live,'' they said." The old man chuckled. "My job is easy. Kill the ''heretics,'' which means people like you, who don''t believe in God."
Basil snorted lightly. He knew the Church was up to something. However, he was still puzzled by one thing.
Why did the old man address the ungratefulness of the Four Heroes?
"Whom had the Four Heroes betrayed?"
The man quirked his eyebrow, then opened his mouth. "He was ¡ª¡¤¡ª¡ª¡¤"
Basil blinked his eyes, and the old man''s eyes widened. He couldn''t hear a single thing the old man had said. He didn''t even register the fact the old man was shaking his body.
However, he knew he was losing consciousness.
Chapter 134 Indicator (3)
The old man was looking at Basil with widened eyes. He was so shocked, he forgot how to move.
Basil stayed in his sitting position¡ªlotus position¡ªbut he was no longer conscious. He sat uprightly, but one could tell he wasn''t there.
His eyes were wide opened, and they were shining in white light like a shlight. His entire existence was exuding a gentle yet profoundly oppressive aura.
In the middle of his forehead, there was a points ofpass like symbol shining in blue light; the old man''s eyes were nted on this strange symbol. He couldn''t stop his mouth from gaping in disbelief.
Of course, it didn''t take long. He had lived long enough to know how to handle a shocking event. Upon regaining hisposure back, the old man''s eyes lit up in excitement.
"A Pacifer! He is a Pacifer! They are still alive!" The old manughed heartily. "Our Lord''s most fateful servants are still alive." His eyes watered. "We haven''t lost yet!"
The man looked at Basil emotionally. He clenched his hand tightly. "That symbol''s appearance signifies a Descent. We are still not abandoned yet." He put his clenched hand on his chest, then said, "What a fate meeting here, indeed."
The old man heaved a deep sigh, and stared at Basil silently. Then, he noticed the green jade on the pendant Basil was wearing was glowing.
He frowned. "Jade of Soul Memoir?"
He was puzzled why that thing was shining. It was normal for him to get confused. After all, unless the Jade was activated manually or the Soul Imprint residing inside it decided to get out, it would never shine.
Luckily, his puzzlement didn''tst long. Jade of Soul Memoir soon showed its prowess. The Soul Imprint residing inside it was projected.
No. To be exact, a literal soul came out of it.
It was the soul of an extremely beautiful woman with azure hair, and silky white clothing.
The woman was standing at 178 centimeters tall. Although her soul bore no pressure toward the surrounding, her bearing was enough to make anyone seeing her bow in reverence.
The old man''s eyes widened even further. He knew the woman in front of him, and therefore he became even more bewildered.
"Y¡ªYou are! My esteemed Lady¡ª"
"Shush! My name is Vagus." She red at the man sternly.
Surprisingly, this full of dignity woman was Vagus. She totally looked like a different person; even Basil wouldn''t believe his eyes, if he were to see her currently.
The man widened his eyes in surprise, before nodding his head in understanding. "H¡ªHow can my esteemed Lady is here? Wasn''t my esteemed Lady supposed to be..." The man trailed off his word.
Since he knew what had happened to his esteemed Lady¡ªVagus¡ªhe didn''t want to carelessly bring it up.
"Fate brings me here. That is all you need to know."
The old man kneeled, then bowed respectfully. "As you wish, my esteemed Lady."
Vagus smiled graciously. "You aged quite well, Caesar. Though you lost your youthful appearance, at least you get to keep your long hair."
Surprisingly, they knew each other too. Caesar smiled wryly, then said, "Pardon me from the teasing. The heart of this old me can longer bear that kind of teasing."
Vagus approached Caesar, then put her palm on his head. "My blessing shall apany you."
Caesar closed his eyes infort, as if a child in their mother''s embrace. Tears silently came out of his eyes. He clenched his fist tightly, and gritted his teeth to stifle the indignation he was feeling on his esteemed Lady''s behalf.
He was reminded of the past event. In the past, whenever his esteemed Lady touched his head, an otherworldly energy would course through his body, cleansing his entire existence.
However, his esteemed Lady couldn''t do that miraculous things anymore; she was currently as frail as a mortal. He didn''t like it. If only he and hisrades could prevent ''that'' event from happening, his esteemed Lady wouldn''t have ended up like this.
"We are sorry we couldn''t do anything. We are sorry we couldn''t avenge our Lord," Caesar said in a forlorn tone.
Vagus looked at Caesar calmly, before sighing bitterly. She was reminded of the past that she had thought she had already let go. Remembering the event, displeasure started rising. However, it all died down when she saw Basil.
A small smile adorned her face once again. She took her palm off Caesar''s head, and said, "Raise your head." Caesar raised his head, then looked at her. "Wipe your tears; it is unsightly of you." He did as what he wasmanded.
"Feel not the need to mourn for the mistake you didn''tmit. Your Lord doesn''t want you to avenge him." She looked at Caesar solemnly. "For he will do it by himself."
Caesar widened his eyes, Basil suddenly appeared in his mind. "Is he perhaps?" Vagus turned her head to Basil, and Caesar followed suit. "Yes. He is the Fated Child¡ªThe Fragment Bearer."
...
Basil was experiencing the same thing he had experienced after his visit to Dreand¡ªright before waking up as his younger self. He was floating in the void as if a formless substance.
He couldn''t identify the direction: what was up and down or right and left. He knew he was floating, yet he couldn''t feel his body. It was not really a good thing to experience. However, it was strangelyforting for him.
Not long after, he could feel his body once again. Then, he felt a pull on his existence. He was falling, until his bodynded on the ground softly. Only then could he open his eyes.
He quickly took a look at his surrounding. He was currently in a seemingly infinite white room. There was actually no roof or ground. However, he could stand in the vast and empty white room.
No. Judging by the criteria, this was a space rather than a room.
For a Mage, this experience should be worrying. Because, this was the sign of being Bewitched.
The name of the Bewitchment was [White Room]. It was a Spell used to torture someone mentally. It would show the exact same scene as the one Basil was currently seeing.
The Spell was practically unbreakable. Unless the caster theirself broke the spell, one had to be trapped in their mind¡ªin the white space¡ªfor a thousand years and still kept their sanity to survive this type of Bewitchment.
However, Basil was as calm as ever. He knew he wasn''t Bewitched. He had experienced [White Room] and survived it. He knew how to break the Spell. Therefore, he knew what he was currently experiencing was another thing.
"Guide, what is happening to me?" He waited, but there was no immediate response.
Basil frowned. The Guide was silent. He couldn''t even feel the existence of the Guide in his body. He felt like he was "disconnected" from it.
Not only that, he didn''t also think he was residing in his body; it felt familiar and foreign at the same time.
"You don''t have to worry about anything, child. You are safe here."
Upon hearing that voice, Basil swiftly turned his body to the voice. He immediately channeled his Mana to his Spatial Bracelet to take out his usable Magic Sword. However, he soon found out he couldn''t even utilize Mana or Qi.
His eyes widened in surprise. Thinking he would be in danger if he were to stay idle, he nned to run away and thinking of the solution of his problem in the way. However, the person who had just spoken not long ago spoke once again.
"Hahaha! You don''t need to run, Basil. You are safe here. This is your Mindscape."
Basil stopped in his track, then properly looked at the man. He was an otherworldly handsome man with manly chiseled jaw, sharp nose, and golden eyes. He was a tall man: he stood exactly at 2 meters tall.
"How can this empty space be my Mindscape?"
? "Your Mindscape isn''t determined, my child. The Mindscape you have seen is not your whole Mindscape. There are still some ces you haven''t explored yet, and this space is one of them."
The man smiled kindly, and gazed at Basil warmly. Motioning with his hand, he said, "Come. I won''t bite." Basil quirked his eyebrow. "Do I look like a toddler to you?"
The manughed kindly. "Hahaha! If you are talking about age, of course, you are a toddler to me." Basil snorted faintly. "Then who are you, old man?"
"Me? Hmmm... I wonder." The man made a pondering look. However, it seems like he was teasing Basil. He grinned yfully, then said, "Why don''t you try guessing?"
"Child molester."
"Gahak! What are you talking, child?! I am no such being!" The man was flustered.
"Then, return me back."
"You said it as if I am kidnapping you."
"Aren''t you?"
The man smiled wryly at Basil. He had never thought there was a child like Basil, who was so witty in his remark. The man sighed, then smiled at Basil softly.
"You have never rest your mind, don''t you? I can see you are thinking about the possibility of who I am. You shouldn''t overwork your brain, lest you want to destroy it."
The man waved his hand. "Now, that is not important. I will introduce you about myself. I am¡ª"
"The lingering soul of the Fragment," Basil interjected.
The man''s mouth turned into a thin line. He gazed at Basil helplessly, then asked, "How did you know about the Fragment?" Basil lightly shrugged. "One of The Seven Princes shouted that out, before I died."
"How did you know about The Seven Princes?" Basil weirdly looked at the man, then said, "Anyone with a great mind will be able to reach that conclusion upon receiving a sufficient amount of information."
"Oh, so it''s the Guide, I see." The man nodded in understanding. He continued, "While I am indeed the lingering soul of the Fragment, it is just the icing on the cake."
The man smiled, then spread his hand widely, while gleefully smiling at Basil. "I am the previous Fragment Bearer, and the ancestor of Pacifer n!"
The bomb was dropped, and it actually managed to catch Basil off guard.
Chapter 135 Indicator (4)
Basil silently looked at the otherworldly handsome man in front of him. He was slightly confused by the development of the situation.
The man in front of him had said he was the ancestor of Pacifer n, his n, that he had thought was a mere small family. That means, the man in front of him was the first patriarch of his n.
Should he feel happy meeting someone from his n? Should he feel honored being in the presence of his ancestor? The answer he got was pretty much obvious.
No!
Why should he be happy of meeting someone from his n? He didn''t even know the man personally. Why should he feel honored being in the presence of his ancestor? The man was as a dead person; the dead has no longer honor to bear.
Therefore, at the shocking reveal, Basil reacted simply.
"I see." He nodded lightly.
"Huh? That''s it?" Undoubtedly, the man was bewildered. He had thought he could actually pull a dramatic reaction out of Basil. "There is something wrong with you, child. What can surprise you?" He looked helplessly at Basil.
"Do you really want to hear it?"
"No! That was rhetorical!" At that, Basil shook his head in disappointment. The man picked that up, and quickly asked, "Why are you shaking your head as if I said something wrong?"
Basil uprightly answered, "That was not a rhetorical question. You were clearly asking for an answer you do not know," he sighed, "I am d I am not the first generation of Pacifer. Being as dumb as the ancestor will be an embarrassment."
"..."
The man was hurt; he didn''t know how to react. He was excited meeting such a bright child. However, the child was so bright, he looked like an imbecile in front of the child.
Of course, he was experienced enough to quickly recover. "Kuhum! I am not as dumb as you think I am." When he saw Basil was about to open his mouth, he quickly continued, "However! That doesn''t matter. I have summoned you here for a reason."
Basil nodded his head wordlessly. The man looked at Basil seriously, before saying, "I will tell you about Fragment and your duty as a Fragment Bearer." Sensing a questioning from Basil, the man asked, "Do you have anything to ask?"
Basil didn''t dilly-dally as he addressed the matter directly. "First, let me know how I got here. Second, what is your name?"
"Why do you need my name?"
"If you want to be called Molester, you can keep your name to yourself."
"Aren''t you too rude, child?!"
The man was simply bewildered at Basil''s nonchnce in saying everything. Still, he was experienced enough to not get worked up by a child''s word.
"Huuh... Alright, let''s address the first matter." He nodded his head. "It has something to do with the Guide¡ªthe first Fragment. You have utilized it to the limit of its current function. Therefore, it awakened me to summon you."
"Do you mean I have asked it too many questions it couldn''t answer yet?"
The man shook his head. "Although that''s not wrong, in your case, you have acquired an information that the current you cannotprehend yet."
Basil instantly recalled thest thing Caesar had said to him. "I couldn''t hear the name of the person the Four Heroes had betrayed. Is that the thing I cannotprehend yet?" He looked at the man weirdly.
The man gave Basil a silent look, before saying, "What that information entails will. You don''t have to ask me; I am not allowed to answer you either."
Basil frowned. "That is bothersome. I thought the Guide and I supposed to have a symbiosis mutualism; I didn''t think it was a parasite."
He considered the Guide''s action of limiting things he should know and he shouldn''t know was considered a parasitic behavior.
The manughed faintly. "Don''t worry, child. The Guide is doing a favor to you. Knowing who the person the Four Heroes had betrayed will only distract your mind from advancing forward."
Basil didn''t quite understand what that meant, but he nodded nheless. Since the knowledge wouldn''t help him improving his power in anyway, he could overlook it.
"Can I assume the Guide will not obstruct me in my way?" He was referring to his power progress.
The man smiled and nodded his head. "Of course not, my child. You don''t have to worry." Seeing that Basil didn''t have anything to say anymore, the man continued, "About my name, you will eventually find out about it."
Basil frowned; the man quickly exined himself. "You can call me by my nickname though. I am Matheus. You can call me Elder Matheus."
"I will call you Matheus, then."
"I believe you missed¡ª"
"Matheus."
Matheus wanted to correct Basil again, but he gave up in the end. He knew he wouldn''t be able to convince Basil the otherwise. Luckily, he was such a tolerant elder. If he wasn''t, he wouldn''t provide Basil anything with information from now on.
Matheus cleared his throat. "Kuhum! Let''s move on to the main topic. I will exin about Fragment." He turned his body to the left, before sweeping the air with his hand. "This is what you called a Fragment."
Then, a 5 meters tall stone tablet appeared out of nowhere. Upon its appearance, the scenery in Basil''s Mindscape¡ªthe white space¡ªchanged.
The previously white and bright space turned ck and dark. Silence filled the space, and the only source of light in the entire space was the stone tablet.
Or to be exact, a fourth of the stone tablet. That was the only part that had shining writings on it.
Matheus looked at the stone tablet nostalgically and slightly forlorn gaze. Basil noticed that, but he didn''t say a thing.
"That shining part, the one with writings on it, is a Fragment. Fragment is simply a part of the Tablet of Truth," he gestured with his hand, "this giant stone tablet."
He turned his head to Basil. "There are four Fragments in total, and you have only gathered one."
"You are the previous Fragment Bearer." The man nodded. "Does that mean you hadpleted the Tablet of Truth?"
The man shook his head. "No, I hadn''tpleted the Tablet of Truth. However, I have gathered all of the four Fragments." Sensing a questionsing, the man quickly exined, "Too many people were after them; I scattered them again."
"I see..." Basil nodded in eptance. "So, you don''t know what the Tablet of Truth contains?"
The man smiled. "It is as its name suggested, child. It bears the truth of everything. I think the Guide has shown you a glimpse of it."
"Knowledge," Basil concluded. Realizing something, he asked, "Does this mean I have to gather Fragments to upgrade the Guide?"
"No, you don''t, child. You can simply increase the amount of your Magic Circles and improve the quality of your Core; the Guide will be upgraded by itself."
"So, my duty as a Fragment Bearer is toplete the Tablet of Truth by gathering the other Fragments, and protect them from any unwanted people?"
Matheus nodded.
"How can you be sure I am worthy of that task?"
"Because, you are a Pacifer. Furthermore, the Guide wouldn''t have integrated with you, if it had deemed you unworthy."
"As expected, the Guide is part of the Fragment," Basil mused to himself.
"Yes, it is thest part of the Fragment, the hardest Fragment to deal with. Only someone with an incredible strength can forcefully bond theirself with it."
Basil was reminded of how irritating the Guide could get sometimes. Thus, he was convinced that he had been too powerful in the past, he had forcefully bonded the Guide with him.
Don''t get him wrong. He had the right to think that way. No one was stronger than him other than The Seven Princes in the past, after all.
"Why are we called Fragment Bearer not Tablet of Truth''s Vessel?"
"Because, not just everyone canplete the Tablet of Truth. Even after gathering all of the Fragments, there is no guarantee you canplete the Tablet of Truth."
"What do you mean?"
"You need the approval of the Tablet of Truth toplete it. Until then, the Fragment will remain a remain a Fragment. They give you nothing, aside from some power boost. Thus, we are called a Fragment Bearer."
"What do the other Fragments contain?"
At this, Matheus smiled mischievously. "You can only expect, child. You can only expect."
Basil wasn''t satisfied with the exnation, but didn''t pursue the matter any longer. He still had onest thing to ask. "Where are the other Fragments located?"
At that, Matheus scratched his head awkwardly. Basil instantly got the feeling he would be irritated by what Matheus would say.
"That... I don''t know," Matheus said apologetically. "However! I have an excuse," he eximed.
"As what you have already heard, the Guide is thest Fragment. I have left my Soul Imprint in every Fragment with the knowledge of the other Fragment''s location sequentially."
Sensing a questioning, he quickly exined himself.
"That means, the Soul Imprint I have left in the first Fragment will know the location of the second Fragment and so on. Therefore, I, as thest Soul Imprint, don''t t know anything about the location of the other Fragments."
Basil frowned. "How is that even possible? Shouldn''t you, as a Soul Imprint, have every memory your former self had?"
"About that, the reason is simple. As you have already visited Dreand, you must have known about what happens to our soul when we die."
Basil nodded.
"My soul didn''t go there¡ªit was destroyed. Therefore, the Soul Imprints I left behind contained only a glimpse of my soul. So, of course, the memory I have is limited to what my former self had bestowed upon me."
"What caused your soul destruction?"
Matheus smiled bitterly. "I used the highest level of Magic to seal the Fragments. That required the destruction of my soul."
Basil was instantly reminded of the first time he found the first Fragment. It was merely set on the altar like a luxurious decoration. It was highly secured. However, no one seemed had ever hold it.
Now, he knew the reason why The Seven Princes didn''t make use of it: they couldn''t.
Basil nodded his head in appreciation. To be able to make the people of that caliber helpless means Matheus had been an exceptionally great Mage in the past.
"Do I need to worry about this seal?"
"No, you don''t have to. Since you are my descendant, you will get a free pass." Matheus winked.
After a little bit more of conversation regarding the Tablet of Truth, Matheus finally concluded his exnation.
"Since I have exined almost everything to you, it will be the end of it. I have said as much as I can."
Basil nodded wordlessly.
"Upon reaching the Middle Realm, the special trait of a Pacifer will be unlocked." Basil was slightly surprised; he didn''t know anything about that. "When that timees, you can find the rest of our n."
When Basil was about to ask something, Matheus raised his hand. "I won''t exin anything to you. But, I will give you something to help you in your endeavor." He approached Basil, then touched Basil''s forehead with his pointer finger.
Soon, the tip of his finger glowed, and information rushed to Basil''s brain. The amount was overwhelming enough for Basil to close his eyes, and tune the world out.
Now that Basil was immersed in the knowledge he was giving, Matheus looked at Basil forlornly.
"I am sorry I can''t tell you about everything yet. It is unnecessary for you now. You are filled with rage, Basil. I can''t tell you the truth, lest I wanted chaos to happen."
He sighed.
"You have to live not full of rage, but fulfillments. Make not the same mistake I have made, and live happily."
The light died down, and Basil once again opened his eyes. He was looking at Matheus in slight puzzlement.
Matheus understood of Basil''s puzzlement, and said, "You will understand the purpose of that Artter."
Basil blinked his eyes, before nodding his head in eptance. Matheus swept the air with his hand, and everything went back to normal¡ªthe white space returned.
"Right after my disappearance, you will get ahold of the Fragment fully. Remember, you are a Fragment Bearer. You have to keep them and your life to your utmost effort. Be the strongest existence!"
Basil smirked faintly. "I live by that principle." Matheus smiled faintly. "Then, off I go."
Matheus'' body started disappearing, and Basil slowly regained his connection with the Guide and the outside world. Of course, Matheus didn''t go without anyst word.
"Enjoy your life."
Basil didn''t have the time to react to that, as he was quickly pulled out of his Mindscape.
By the time he opened his eyes, he was already in the outside world; still with puzzlement to Matheus''st word.
Chapter 136 Indicator (5)
Basil slightly frowned his forehead. He didn''t understand the corrtion between Matheus''st word and his responsibility as a Fragment Bearer.
¡ªEnjoy yourself.
What is the meaning of that sentence? Should one dilly-dally to be considered enjoying oneself? Do I look like I am not enjoying myself? What should I do to enjoy myself?
Questions ran through his head. However, Basil was selective on what to think and what not to. Fully sure thinking of the matter wouldn''t bring him any benefit, he quickly tossed the matter to the back of his head.
"Are you alright, darling?"
Basil raised his head, and found Vagus was looking at him in worry. He wanted to casually nod his head like usual, but suddenly something weird happened to him.
When he looked at Vagus, he was assaulted with a sense of familiarity; he had never felt this before, despite having spent more than a decade with Vagus.
Too many bewildering things happened in one day, it confused him. In result, he could only nod his head rigidly to answer Vagus'' question.
"I can''t take that answer as a yes, if you answer it like that, you know?" Vagus touched Basil''s cheek, then looked at him warmly. "You seem overwhelmed. Are you really alright?"
Basil slightly recoiled in surprise. Something wrong was happening to him. His heart slightly tingled, and he didn''t know why. It was so foreign, he ended up touching Vagus'' hand, and looked at her silently.
"I am fine." Finally, he could give her an answer. "I think there is something going on inside me." Then, he took Vagus'' hand off his cheek.
"Is it a bad thing?"
"I believe it is."
"Does it hurt you or something?"
"No." Vagus blinked her eyes in puzzlement. Basil continued, "But, you look dignified right now; it doesn''t suit you. Something weird must be going on inside me," he frowned, "or maybe, there is something wrong with the world."
Vagus'' eyes gradually lost their previous brightness, beforepletely turning neutral. "What is wrong with me being dignified, darling?" She smiled, but her eyes remained neutral.
Basil squinted his eyes briefly, before answering, "As I expected, I can never think of you being a dignified person. You have lost the privilege to look that way in front of my eyes." He was being honest.
Vagus put her hands on Basil''s shoulder. "Why... just why..." Then, she shook Basil vigorously. "Why can''t you be nice to me?!"
Of course, she didn''t really have the power to shake Basil''s body. Therefore, her body ended up going back and forth instead.
Basil faintly sighed in exasperation. However, in the next moment, a small smile unconsciously crept on his face. Extending his hand forward, he put it on Vagus'' head, stopping her movement entirely.
He rubbed her head tenderly. "Although you have lost the privilege to look dignified in front of my eyes, you have secured the ce to look forever sweet in front of my eyes."
Vagus'' eyes widened in surprise, before a blush decorated both of her cheeks.
In the other hand, Basil''s eyes froze. He was shocked by what he had said. After everything he had experienced in this life, his word was the one that actually shocked him for the first time.
He couldn''t believe he had said something like that to Vagus!
Although he had been extremely popr in his past life, he hadn''t been a Casanova. He could praise women; literature was his hobby, he was well-versed in poem. However, he could never flirt, he would never do that.
Just now however, he had just flirted with Vagus. Vagus of all people! He was absolutely sure Matheus had done something weird to his head.
Caesar, who was ignored by the two lovey-dovey couple, looked at the scene in nostalgia and slight bitterness. He was d his esteemed Lady could still enjoy herself after what she had been through.
However, he was saddened by the two''s insensitivity.
He couldn''t help it. He hadn''t gotten out of the Dungeon for 2000 years. How could he not envy seeing the very scene he had missed out due to his entrapment?!
"Pardon this old me from seeing the very thing I have missed!"
Of course, he didn''t shout that out loud.
...
Whitney silently looked at Cray, who wasying on the bed in one of the Church chambers. Cray was currently being treated by the Priest of the only Church in Raneil Barony.
They had arrived there a few minutes ago, and Whitney had quickly taken Cray to the nearby Church to get treated.
The Priest, Abel, nced at Whitney from the corner of his eyes. He was curious of what had happened to Cray and Whitney. Seeing a heavily injured Mage was very rare, after all; they always yed safe.
"Why hasn''t he gained consciousness yet?" Whitney asked the Priest.
Abel calmly answered, "He is shocked. I believe it is his first time receiving an injury of this caliber."
"What do you mean by that?"
Abel pointed to Cray''s leg. "The bone is not fractured. It is ground to dust."
"Can it be healed?"
"Although it will take sometime, it can be healed. Nothing the God''s power can''t do."
Whitney bowed politely. "Thank you for your service."
"Thank our God, not me."
Whitney smiled professionally, then nodded his head faintly. That was the least courtesy he could show to God''s believer.
Abel''s palm kept shining in golden light, and Cray''s leg was slowly healing. The bruised skin slowly regained its color, and the bent leg was slowly mended. It was a fascinating process to watch.
However, Whitney still had one task. Since he had arrived at Raneil Barony, it was time to visit Familia Inn; the time where he had to tell the truth hade.
Whitney sighed, then looked at Abel. "Can I leave my friend here? I need to visit my friend''s family." Abel turned his head to Whitney, then smiled kindly. "Of course. You don''t have to worry. I will assign some nuns to look after your friendter."
Whitney bowed his head politely once again, before departing to Familia Hotel.
The journey from Lone in to Raneil Barony had roughly taken three days. Which means, Basil''s family hadn''t seen him for a week. They must be eager to hear the news about Basil.
Since Raneil Barony was a small part of Fortescher County, it didn''t take him long to arrive at Familia Hotel.
It was currently 8 in the evening, but the hotel was as bright as usual. People went in and out, and all of them had happy faces; whether they were male or female, it was the same.
This was Familia Hotel, the cheapest luxury hotel with the warmest atmosphere in the entire Raneil Barony, and possibly the entire Fortescher County.
Whitney bit his lower lip, before steeling himself. Stepping inside the hotel, he was greeted by the same warm and homey feeling he liked about the hotel. Some of the staffs saw him, and immediately bowed at him.
They recognized Whitney as they had seen their Young Master, the owner''s son whom he liked to brag about, had worn the same uniform uniform as him.
Not only that, the owner had made sure to engrave the face of their unsociable Young Master''s friends in their mind.
Yes, at this point, Basil being a loner was already amon knowledge amongst the staffs.
One of the female staffs approached Whitney, then politely asked, "Good evening, good sir. How may I help you?"
"Can I see Mr. Danzel, please?"
"Of course, sir." The female staff smiled. "I will call the owner, and you may wait in the lounge room for a moment."
Whitney nodded his head silently, then proceed to go to the lounge room. Upon arriving there, he could see all kinds of people¡ªKnight, Mage, and civilians¡ªchatting amongst themselves.
The scene was so peaceful, it calmed one''s mind.
Although his presence attracted everyone''s attention, he paid them no mind. He took a seat on the sofa, while everyone was focused on the uniform he was wearing.
No one dare to approach him as they were aware of how monstrous the students of Randalvine Magic Institute. Therefore, Whitney was given the time to ponder for the thing he should say.
However, time is a funny thing. When one waits for it toe, ites so slow; when one wants it to go slowly, it goes so fast. It felt like a few seconds, and Danzel was already there, smiling at him.
"Hello, Whitney! How did the Exploration go? You found many good things?"
Whitney could only smile politely at Danzel''s enthusiastic question. "About that, can we talk about it privately?" He was forcing his eyes to keep looking at Danzel.
Danzel grinned. "Of course, Whitney! Let''s go to the guest room!" Although he looked like that, he was hiding the uneasiness he was feeling inside.
Although Whitney didn''t show it, Danzel could faintly feel the guilt and the sorrow he was feeling. It was subtle. But, he was old enough to notice that subtle emotion. Furthermore, he had been training himself to read people better these days.
With his lead, they soon arrived in the guest room. They sat on the sofa, and the hotel staff prepared them a tea. When the tea was done, the staff exit the room, leaving them facing each other silently for a few minutes.
Sip.
Danzel sipped his tea calmly, while giving an assuring look at Whitney. Whitney didn''t give a particr reaction, but he was shaken inside. However, he soon resolved himself, and did the thing he had never done.
Without dilly-dallying, he dropped his knee to the ground and kowtowed in front of Danzel.
"My ipetence has brought your son to his untimely death. For the people he had only known for a few days, he sacrificed himself. I, being one of them, am very ashamed of my ipetence."
He paused, before continuing, "I beg not for mercy, nor sympathy. Tell me how I should repay your son''s kindness."
Danzel looked at the scene surprisingly calm. He put down his teacup, before also kneeling on the ground. He put his hand on Whitney''s head briefly, before helping him to get up.
Whitney looked at Danzel straightly. Tears didn''te out of his eyes, but guilt filled his gaze. Danzel smiled, then patted his shoulder tenderly.
"What did he say before his death?"
Whitney immediately answered, "He told me to tell you, his family, ''I will be back.''"
"Then, back he will." Danzel patted his chest, the ce where his heart was located.
Whitney inhaled a deep breath. Then, tears came out of his eyes. His guilt was amplified by Danzel''s way on facing the matter. He had thought he would receive insults, curses, hatred, and physical abuse.
However, he received none. Instead, he was treated in kind. Danzel merely smiled, as ifforting him; he became even more ashamed because of this.
Danzel hugged Whitney and patted his back. Then, he smiled bitterly without Whitney noticing.
Basil had given him his Life Orb long ago. He kept it in his room, and it was still shining brightly. Therefore, he knew Basil was still alive.
Looking at Whitney, he was d Basil had finally gained a good friend in his life. Still, he knew Basil was up to something. Therefore, he didn''t tell Whitney Basil was still alive.
He was sure Basil did it for a reason.
Chapter 137 Indicator (End)
Whitney went back to the Church in the same night after a few more minutes of talk with Danzel. He was astonished by Danzel''s patience in facing the ordeal. Danzel kept smiling and telling him he wasn''t wrong.
He thought he could eventually move on, but Danzel''s attitude toward him made him doubt his thought. The kind treatment Danzel had given him kept reminding him of his ipetence.
¡ªThis amazing person is the father whose son''s life you have taken.
That thought was ringing in his head. However, he was professional enough to not let emotion drive his action. Therefore, he soon assumed his role as the senior, and took care of Cray until he regained his consciousness.
"Ugh.. where is this?" Cray slowly opened his eyes. When they werepletely opened, they blinked once, before widening in realization. "Where is the Kinyer?!" He sat himself up in panic. "Where is everyone?!"
Whitney quickly stood up, and calmed Cray down. "Rx, Cray! It''s 1 in the morning. 4 days have passed since we got out of the Dungeon," Whitney said calmly.
Cray turned to Whitney, before calming down. Sighing in relief, he said, "I am d. Where is everyone, then?"
"The Knights of Hauler have returned to their home. Aside from Jake, none of them received any fatal injury."
Cray nodded his head slowly, before realizing something. "Where is... Basil?" He looked around the room.
Whitney didn''t immediately answer. He stared silently at Cray for a while, before answering, "Basil sacrificed himself for us. He took control over the Dungeon, expelled us, and entrapped the Kinyer with him."
Cray didn''t give any reaction, other than widening his eyes. He stayed that way for a moment, before returning back to normal.
"I see..."
Cray nodded his head, then looked down on his leg. It was still numb, and he didn''t think he could move it in any time. Still, it doesn''t mean he couldn''t move; he could still use Magic to support him.
"Where are we?"
"Raneil Barony''s Church."
"It''s close to Basil''s family''s hotel, then. Have you told them about him?"
"I have."
Cray nodded his head lightly, before raising it to look at Whitney. "Let''s visit Familia Hotel after sunrise. We will return to Randalvine right after."
"Why?"
"I have a promise to fulfil."
"What is that?"
"I have promised to buy Miss rissa''s entire cake stock." He patted his chest. "A man shall always fulfil his promise, no matter how trivial it is."
Whitney nodded his head silently in agreement. He could see Cray was still full of questions. However, he knew Cray was still coping with Basil''s unexpected death. Therefore, he left Cray to his own devices.
No matter how hard their life had tempered them, they still had a soft spot.
...
The sun had risen to the sky, and Cray was on his way to fulfil his promise. He was walking to Familia Hotel with Whitney in tow. Although his leg was still numb and immovable, with Magic it could move on its own.
Upon arriving at rissa''s bakery store, he was quickly greeted by rissa''s beautiful smile. "Good morning, Cray. Wanna buy some cakes today?" Cray nodded his head rigidly, and said, "I will take everything, as I have promised."
rissa nodded her head with a small smile, then proceed to pack every cakes she had made. She was doing her job with a smile eternally etched on her face. It was if she wasn''t mourning over Basil''s death.
Cray turned his head to Whitney, and Whitney quickly shook his head. Cray immediately nodded his head in understanding. rissa was mourning. However, she didn''t want to show it. Therefore, she covered it with a smile.
Of course, that was a misunderstanding on their part.
Danzel had talked about it with rissast night. Therefore, she acted like her usual self while looking like she was intentionally avoiding any mention about Basil.
It worked, and the two never realized it. When the packages of cake were stored, Cray gave rissa a pouch filled with 500 gold coins as a payment. Together with Whitney, he immediately left to prevent rissa from returning it.
Although 500 gold coins wasn''t really an exaggerated amount of money, it was too much for buying her cakes. She just needed 2 gold coins for all of her cakes; she didn''t want to be paid for what she didn''t make¡ªluxurious cakes.
rissa wanted to call the two people, but stopped in the way. She could just take 2 gold coins from the pouch, and kept the rest to return it when Basil returned. For now, she should keep her act.
Unaware of this, Cray and Whitney left on their journey back to Randalvine by carriage. The ride was unusual, as Cray could keep his voice to himself this time.
"How did Basil take control over the Dungeon?"
Of course, Cray couldn''t hold his curiosity for long.
"He pulled up a Sealing Sword from one of the stone poles in that ce. That sword allowed him to control the Dungeon."
"Wait... If the sword is already there, why didn''t the Kinyer take it and keep it for himself?"
Whitney hummed in contemtion. "Hmm... It is very likely he couldn''t. I believe that Sealing Sword can only be wielded by the Dungeon Administrator or, in this case, a non-Kinyer."
"If that is the case... Why didn''t Basil expell himself out too?"
Whitney looked to his hand, before clenching his fist tightly. "The Kinyer wasing after him, by the time he expelled us. If he had expelled himself too, he would have also brought the Kinyer with him."
Cray didn''t ask anything anymore right after that, and the ride was silent until they reached Randalvine, the capital city. The carriage quickly head to Randalvine Magic Institute, and it didn''t take long to arrive there.
Upon arriving at Randalvine Magic Institute, Whitney and Cray wordlessly headed to the office of the person responsible for Rehearsal ss, Professor Alcott.
Knock. Knock.
They knocked on the office''s door, and waited for a response. It didn''t take long until the door opened by itself. They were already familiar with Alcott, so they immediately entered the office.
The office was half as big as the ssroom, which means very big for an office. Alcott''s desk was located exactly in the middle of the room, surrounded by many Artefacts they didn''t know the name.
Alcott was sitting at his desk, busily writing something, while surrounded by Mana that was enough to overwhelm any First Circle Mage.
Whitney and Cray silently stood in front of his desk. They were waiting for him to stop what he was doing and address them; it didn''t take that long. After a couple of minutes, Alcott stopped writing and sighed to himself.
He took off his sses, put it down on the desk, before massaging his eyes lightly. He raised his head, then stared at Whitney''s eyes who were desperately hiding the guilt he was feeling.
"Tell me what happened."
Whitney stepped forward, and reported everything that had happened. Alcott listened to him silently, while nodding his head from time to time. He was astonished with Basil''s every course of action.
Now he finally understood why Lawson had dered Basil was even more talented than Iliana. Basil was observant, intelligent, quick-witted, and talented in both Principles. He was the type of Mage who would be received anywhere.
s, fate had decided the otherwise.
"Losing such a talented youngster is indeed a pity." Alcott shook his head. "But, he died by his own choice. Nothing needs to be regretted. Alright, you may leave."
"Professor?" Whitney''s response was immediate. "What do you mean we can leave?"
"I mean it as what it is, Whitney."
"About this matter, shouldn''t we report it to the Empire? We encountered a Kinyer, professor. Our friend was killed by a Kinyer!" Whitney almost lost his cool. However, he soon regained hisposure when Cray touched his shoulder.
Alcott silently looked at Whitney, while caressing his beard. "I know what you mean, Whitney. But, can you provide them the proof?"
"Cray and I are the proof. We are the living proof, and a direct witness to the Kinyer!"
Alcott shook his head bitterly. "That''s what I''m talking about, Whitney." He pointed to his finger to Whitney. "You have nothing but yourselves as the proof. A witness can''t be a proof in this kind of matter. We need a concrete and absolute truth."
He put his sses on again. Lowering his sses, he looked at Whitney. "Do you know what I mean by that?"
Whitney stayed silent, before answering, "To provide the absolute proof, [Soul Scourge] needs to be conducted to the said witness."
It was a process of memory extraction. The memory would be projected and recorded by the court this way. It would then be taken by the court as an absolute proof.
"Do you know what that means?"
Whitney gritted his teeth. "[Soul Scourge] damages one''s Magic Circles permanently. Therefore, if said witness is a Mage, they have to forfeit their status as a Mage for eternity."
Alcott lightly sighed. "I do believe you, Whitney; I believe all of my students. However, I don''t want you to ruin your future. Many have imed they encountered a Kinyer; [Soul Scourge] was conducted, and the court found none of it."
Whitney wanted to retort, but Alcott beat him to it. "I know the experience was so vivid, it can''t be a Bewitchment. However, you should know that Kinyers are a bunch of highly skilled people. They have their own way to cover their track."
Alcott stood up, then patted both of Cray and Whitney''s shoulder. "I know it is hard. But, you have to move on. If you feel guilty, live by that guilt, and prevent the same thing from happening. Don''t waste Basil''s sacrifice by throwing away your future."
Whitney turned his head to the side. He didn''t like the way Alcott handled the matter. However, he couldn''t find fault in Alcott''s word.
What if there was no memory of him encountering a Kinyer after [Soul Scourge] was conducted? He would lose his future, and achieve nothing in the end. Alcott was right: it would be better to focus on improving himself.
Knock. Knock.
At that sound, everyone turned their head to the door. Even before Alcott opened it with his Magic, the person barged into the office, and strode casually as if she didn''t do anything wrong.
"Iliana..." Alcott''s face darkened. "How many times have I told you to never forcefully enter my office even if you can?!"
"Good afternoon, professor!" Ilianapletely ignored the matter Alcott had just addressed.
Alcott sighed helplessly, before massaging his forehead. Iliana turned her head from Alcott to Whitney. She was sensing something wrong with the mood. True to her expectation, Whitney immediately dodged her gaze.
"What''s wrong with you, Whitney? Acting gloomy never suits you."
The room descended in silence. Alcott briefly nced at Iliana, before turning his head to Whitney. He wanted to witness how Whitney would handle the matter.
Whitney sighed, then properly looked at Iliana. "I am sorry." He bowed. "My ipetence has caused Basil''s death." He stared at her right in the eyes unwaveringly, waiting for her reaction.
He knew she was close with Basil. Therefore, he was expecting her violent reaction. However, Iliana merely looked down, before picking up Deacon from the ground, and presented him to Whitney.
"Do you see this guy?"
"Ah, Basil''s Beast Companion!" Whitney eximed in surprise. He had honestly forgotten about Deacon.
Then, Iliana faced Deacon toward her. "This guy''s [Link] with his Master is still maintained. That indicates one thing: Basil is still alive. Right, Deacon?"
Woof!
Deacon nodded in confirmation. Then, Iliana turned her head to Whitney. Thetter blinked his eyes, before gaping in disbelief.
Ilianaughed. "Fufufu. No wonder your Master called you an indicator. So, he left you to indicate his survival."
It was too much to digest, but Cray and Whitney eventually understood what Iliana meant. Then, a dumbfounded gasp filled the room.
Chapter 138 The True Beginning
"Are you saying the truth?!" Cray jumped at Iliana.
Iliana blinked once, then said, "Of course, I always say the truth."
Cray slumped his shoulders, and sighed. "Huuh... I am d we don''t lose our friend this soon." He turned to Whitney, then bumped Whitney''s chest lightly. "He''s still alive, Whitney. Loosen up a little bit."
Despite that, Whitney didn''t loosen up in the slightest; he knew the matter didn''t solve just with Basil staying alive.
"What happened to Basil, anyway?" Iliana asked.
"He''s trapped inside the Dungeon together with a Kinyer."
Iliana looked at Whitney sceptically. "Hoh? They are real?"
"We would''ve brought him home with us, if they are not."
Iliana hummed to herself, before looking at Alcott. "My Subjugation task with this guy," she raised Deacon up, "was sessful. Therefore, I will go on to the next task, in which I volunteer myself in."
Alcott quirked his eyebrow. "What do you mean by that, Iliana?"
"I will rescue Basil," Iliana answered firmly.
Alcott sighed, and shook his head helplessly. "Huuh... Take a seat first. We will talk about it once again." He turned his eyes to Whitney. "Can you tell us what happened once again."
Whitney nodded his head, and recounted what had happened once again. Iliana listened to him intently in her seat without giving any reaction.
"Can I assume no one knows about it, except the four of us¡ªfive including Deacon?"
Whitney shook his head. "No. I have only told professor Alcott about this."
"I see..." Iliana turned to Alcott. "How should we handle this matter, professor?"
"We will wait, and let him be for the time being."
Surprisingly, Iliana agreed with Alcott. "Indeed. That is the best course of action."
Whitney stood up from his seat once again. "We will wait? What about rescuing Basil instead? We know he is still alive!"
Alcott smiled bitterly, and Iliana was the one who answered Whitney''s question.
"You forgot that Basil also has the Dungeon in his control. I''m sure he will do many things to the Dungeon just to escape from the Kinyer''s chase. Going there in that kind of condition will risk our lives instead."
Whitney wanted to retort, but Iliana beat him to it. "He has food supplies in his Spatial Storages; I have made sure they were full of them before he left. With his meticulousness, he will be able to sustain his life for at least 2 months in the Dungeon."
"Are you telling me we have to wait until his food supplies run out, then he starves to death?"
Iliana frowned. "Stop being a whiny brat, Whitney!" Her stern voice managed to shut Whitney up. "You are currently driven by your guilt and frustration on your failure. Take a deep breath, and calm down."
Whitney did just that. When he was sure he had calmed down, he nodded his head at Iliana.
Iliana continued talking, "What Professor Alcott means by waiting is, we will prepare ourselves to save him in the mean time."
Iliana gestured at Deacon, who was sitting mightily on herp, then said, "We willmunicate with Basil through this little guy."
Whitney''s eyes lit up in realization; Alcott nodded his head in appreciation at the brilliance Iliana had shown.
"Alright, little guy. Contact your Master, and ask how he is," Iliana said to Deacon.
Woof!
Deacon nodded his head, then proceed to contact Basil through [Link]. It didn''t take him long to get connected to Basil.
Woof!
Deacon notified the others.
"Wait!" Alcott put his hand in front of Deacon. He quickly opened his drawer, then took out a a blue jade pendant. "Before you talk to your Master, wear this first." Then, he put it on to Deacon.
"What is that?" Cray asked.
Iliana answered, "That''s a Transmitter. It is created by Mentalist, the only item that is not created by a Craft Master; used mainly by a mute Mage to convey their thought. In this case however, it will transmit what Basil will say to us."
Cray nodded his head at the exnation. Then, Deacon asked how Basil was going on via his [Link]. No one heard what Deacon said, but Basil''s instantaneous answer could be vividly heard.
"I am fine. Tell those people crowding you not to mind me. This ce is a better ce to train myself than any Magic Institute in the entire Kingdom."
Just like that, the room descended in silence once again. They didn''t quite catch what Basil meant by his word.
...
Basil, who had just replied to Deacon''s question regarding his well-being, looked to his cell door; someone was knockimg on it, and it annoyed him.
Although it was called a cell, it looked nothing different than a normal room except it''s position; it was high on the big stone wall. The cell Basil was in was one of the many niches the Exploration team had seen in the wall.
This was his ce to gain some privacy. The main reason why he needed privacy was Caesar.
Ever since he had met Matheus in his Mindscape¡ªwhich is roughly a week ago¡ªCaesar seemed to follow him anywhere, giving him guidance he didn''t really need from time to time.
"Young Master, I know you are awake. It''s time to train!"
Caesar even went as far as to address Basil as a Young Master. Basil knew Caesar definitely knew something about the history of his n, Pacifer.
However, whenever he asked about that, Caesar had always brushed the question aside. Therefore, Basil also decided not to engage himself with Caesar, as he didn''t see any benefit out of it.
"Huuh... You know your act is unneeded, aren''t you Caesar?" Of course, the lonely old man, Caesar had told Basil his name. "Ku-ku-ku. If that is the case, you should get out of your room now, Young Master," Caesar replied.
He perfectly misunderstood what Basil meant by his word.
Basil sighed lightly, before opening the door. Since he was in the highest cell, he was 70 meters away from the ground. Therefore, all he could see from his cell was the other side of the wall.
To reach his cell, he needed to climb. Since the cells were meant for the captured Kinyers in the very first ce, there were no stairs provided.
Basil stood in the doorway, before looking down. As he had expected, Caesar was there,tched onto the wall like a lizard, while smirking at him.
"Good Day, Young Master! Let us train again today!"
Basil''s mouth turned into a thin line at the annoying old man; he curbed the urge to sigh, as he was afraid he would also breathe a part of his soul out this time.
Then, he jumped from his cell onto the ground.
? Whoosh!
While free falling, he gathered the wind, and slowly wrapped his body with it. Therefore, by the time he was a meter away from the ground, his body fully stopped in the air.
Thud.
His feet touched the ground lightly; he felt a breeze, and Caesar also appeared beside him. Cesar had just teleported beside him, showing his mastery over Space Magic.
"Alright! What do you want to learn today, Young Master?"
Basil nced at Caesar. "What about nothing? I am fully sure I have not the need to learn from you."
"Ku-ku-ku. You may never know, Young Master." Caesar caressed his beard. "I have many things that can surprise you."
"Very well." Surprisingly, Basil nodded his head in agreement. "Let''s have a meal together, and show me how you can surprise me."
Caesar slightly widened his eyes in surprise, but quickly epted Basil''s invitation. He was tired of eating tasteless Demon meat, after all. Also, it was a good chance to properly speak with Basil.
Basil tapped the ground once with his foot; a table, and two chairs made of earth structure emerged from the ground. He took out his tes, knives, forks, mugs, and napkins out of his Spatial Ring, before setting them on the table.
He sat on the chair, then also motioned Caesar to do the same. His Spatial Ring shed once again; the empty tes were filled with a b of an expensive steak, while the empty sses were filled with an equally good liquor.
"Wow... That is impressive." Caesar couldn''t help but be amazed at Basil''s thoroughness in preparing everything. "You care about manner as much as how you look."
"Mannerism is my least concern. However, I know how to treat someone with respect."
"Heh... I am d, I am respected." Caesar smirked.
Picking up his knife and fork, Caesar immediately cut the juicy and well-cooked meat. Stabbing it with his fork, he quickly brought it to his mouth. Then, he felt a sensation he hadn''t felt for a long time: the sensation of his taste buds screaming in glee.
"For Akasha''s knowledge, this is amazing! It''s easily the best food I''ve ever tasted in my life!"
Basil lightly smirked at thepliment Caesar had given to his cooking, and took a sip of the liquor in his mug.
"Let us talk about why you are not acting violent in front of a me, a citizen of the Empire you hate."
Caesar woke up from his daze, then turned to Basil. "Oh, about that... It''s actually pretty simple." He drank his liquor then continued, "As young Master has already known, I hate the Empire¡ªmy hatred is exactly on the Empire."
Basil quirked his eyebrow, prompting Caesar to borate.
"I mean, I hate those people in power, the people governing over the Empire; they know of the wrong thing they predecessors havemitted in the past. The citizens are innocent¡ªI have no grudge against them."
He cleared his throat once, then continued, "Furthermore, you are my Young Master¡ªI can''t hate you."
"I see..." Basil sipped his liquor. "Now to the next question, why are you calling me Young Master?"
"Because, you ARE my Young Master."
"I don''t like word games, Caesar," Basil said lightly, but seriously.
Caesar sighed. "Since you are so adamant about it, I will tell you a little bit about Pacifer n." Basil nodded his head, and Caesar continued, "To say it simply, I used to serve Pacifer n."
He shook his head. "No. All of us used to. Pacifer n was the only n trusted by our Lord; they were his direct servants, his strongest weapon¡ªhis army."
Caesar fiddled with his mug, then continued, "Being able to serve them is an honor to us, who can''t directly serve our Lord. When our Lord was betrayed, Pacifer n took most of the brunt by themselves." He gulped the liquor.
"Before I got jailed here, I witnessed the massacre of Pacifer n right in front of my eyes." He looked to Basil. "Therefore, meeting you, a descendant of a Pacifer is an honor to me."
Basil silently looked at Caesar, and took another sip of his liquor.
"Can you tell me more about Pacifer n?"
"I can, but not much." Caesar lied, and Basil knew it.
Still, the story continued.
Chapter 139 The True Beginning (2)
In the Age of Chaos, Pacifer n was filled with highly skilled people. Their prowess was well-known among the people, and everyone feared them. However, their skill wasn''t the reason why they were chosen as a direct servant of the Lord.
Despite their significantly higherpetencepared to others, they remained humble, and trustworthy. They treated everyone with kind, but never became apdog; they had pride to maintain, but never acted arrogant.
This quality was the reason why the Lord had chosen Pacifer n as his direct servant.
...
[Ding!]
[Factual information detected...]
[Initiating Full Immersion!]
The space warped in Basil''s vision. The vastness of the Dungeon was instantly overlooked; the only thing in his vision was Caesar. He could hear not a single thing, but Caesar''s voice.
Like the Guide had announced, he was fully immersed in the information Caesar was giving.
Basil stopped Caesar with his hand. "I am still befuddled by ''The Lord'' you have mentioned. Can you tell me more about him?"
Caesar didn''t immediately answer Basil. He stared at Basil silently, while pondering what he should tell. Vagus had discussed about this with him. She had told him not to tell much about the past to Basil.
Although he didn''t know the reason why, he had never disobeyed his esteemed Lady''smand.
"Our Lord was the Great Teacher. He was the first Magic teacher, the one who taught the Four Heroes Magic."
"I see..." Basil had somehow expected this. Therefore, this is not what he wanted to know. "What is your Lord?" Basil wasn''t asking the name.
Caesar once again turned silent. However this time, his hesitance was visible. He was looking to anywhere but Basil''s eyes. Because of this, Basil became even more curious to the information Caesar was hesitating to tell.
However, it was also at this point, someone intervened.
''Darling. I think you shouldn''t probe any further about it.''
It was Vagus.
''Vagus?'' Basil frowned lightly. ''Why should I not?''
''I think you better focus on your goal first, darling.''
Basil''s goal was simple: improve his Core quality to the Green Core Stage, breakthrough to Amethyst Heart Stage, and finish Carving his fourth Magic Circle.
Of course, it was only simple for Basil; he got the experience, knowledge, and the Guide with him. If others were to hear that, they would surely puke a mouthful of blood due to the unbearable indignation.
Basil had roughly two months to achieve all of this.
He had everything to achieve his goal: resource, ce, and peace. The only thing hecked was time. It was because of the Obelisk of Goap''s Outbreak was already close.
Realization suddenly dawned upon him.
''Guide, how much time left until the Obelisk of Goap''s Outbreak?''
[Ding!]
[Answering the Host''s ignorance...]
[Rough calction of the remaining time untill the Obelisk of Goap''s Outbreak: 1 month, 28 days, 14 hours, and 56 seconds.]
Basil''s expression hardened slightly. He was pretty sure thest time he checked, he still had around three months until the outbreak. He didn''t expect his course of action action had altered the timeline that much.
At the same moment however, Vagus'' word rang in his head.
¡ªI think you better focus on your goal first.
Then, Basil''s attention returned to Caesar once again.
"Tell me the name of your Lord." Caesar hesitated, but Basil quickly urged, "Try me this time."
Caesar raised his mug, before taking a gulp of his liquor.
Tak!
He mmed the mug on the table.
"Our Lord..."
At this moment, Basil was paying close attention to the countdown of the outbreak.
"His name is ¡ª¡ª?¡ª¡ª"
As expected, Basil couldn''t hear a single thing due to the Guide''s intervention. However, he could still earn something out of Caesar''s answer.
[Rough calction of the remaining time untill the Obelisk of Goap''s Outbreak: 1 month, 24 days, 15 hours, and 24 seconds.]
He could finally prove his deduction: knowing too much about the past, shortened the countdown.
He was once again reminded of Matheus'' word.
¡ªYou shouldn''t worry about things unrted to the current you. Focus on your goal, and mind the rest when you have reached it. Knowing too much in the early time is not healthy.
He had been slightly puzzled at that time. However, he could finally get the gist of the meaning of Matheus'' word now.
As expected of the previous Fragment Bearer, the Host of the highest grade Guide; Matheus had already known something like this would happen in advance.
Basil hummed. He felt like being yed. Now that he thought about it, everything felt premeditated. It was like everything had been nned, and he was the actor who put the n into action.
He didn''t like the feeling at all. He had thought he belonged to his own self; he had thought he had figured out the scheme the world had to offer. But, it seems he was wrong. He, like the other people, was no more than a pawn.
What made him different than them was his prowess¡ªhe was the stronger pawn. Still, it changed nothing.
Finally, he made his decision; all of this took him only three seconds.
"Thank you for the story. That is enough," he said to Caesar.
Caesar slightly widened his eyes at Basil''s word. He had seen Basil pondered about many things in thest three seconds, after all. He was sure the thing Basil had been pondering about wasplicated.
He just didn''t think Basil was that decisive at his considerably young age.
"I can tell a little bit more about Pacifer n, if you want to," offered Caesar.
Basil shook his head faintly. "No, that is enough. I will eventually find out about it."
Basil was saying the truth. He had the Guide with him. What was the Guide? It was the Guide to Omniscience!
Although it might sound exaggerated, Basil didn''t doubt it in the slightest bit. After perfectly being connected to the Fragment, he was sure about it; Tablet of Truth didn''t belong to this world.
He didn''t need to be told by Matheus. He knew by the time he had upgraded the Guide to the highest grade, he would only need toplete the Tablet of Truth to reach the state of omniscience; this was the function of Tablet of Truth.
Once he became omniscient, he would know about everything without exception. Therefore, until that time came, he needed to be patient. There was no need for him to inquire about too many things unrted to him yet.
The only thing he needed to focus himself at was improving himself.
...
"Hmm... What do you want to improve at first, Young Master?" Caesar looked to Basil.
Basil was Carving an Array on the ground¡ªa Mana gathering Array. It would aid him in gathering the Mana around him, so he could achieve a breakthrough in his Mana Heart Cultivation faster.
Of course, counting on the Mana the Dungeon''s air contained wouldn''t bear him any result; there was barely any Mana in the air.
However, he had a supply of close to unlimited Mana Crystal with him. Therefore, he didn''t need to worry about theck of Mana.
"I will improve my Mana Heart first. I can finish Carving my fourth Magic Circle along with improving the quality of my Coreter."
Basil had stopped ignoring Caesar after the meal they had together. Basil had figured out the only way to stop Caesar from annoying him was responding him.
True to his expectation, Caesar talked less because of it¡ªCaesar didn''t need to pester Basil, so he could get a response out of him anymore.
"Are you going to use Mana Crystal to fuel that Array?"
"Yes."
Caesar hummed. He was amazed by his Young Master''s ingenuity, and the knowledge he got at that young age.
He knew Basil was a Fragment Bearer. However, he didn''t actually know what a Fragment was. Therefore, he never associated Basil''s knowledge with his status as a Fragment Bearer; even if he did though, he would still be wrong.
Of course, he also didn''t know it all came from Basil''s experience. He had no idea this was Basil''s second time of living his life.
"Aren''t you curious of where those Mana Crystals came from, despite how little the Mana contained in the air?" Caesar asked.
Basil was still Carving the Array. Due to howplicated the Array was, he had spent a week to Carve it. With that being said though, it wasn''t the only reason it took him so long.
He also needed the time to Carve the fourth Magic Circle on his heart and trained his physique; he couldn''t just focus on Carving the Array.
Still, he could multitask. Therefore, Caesar''s question wasn''t left unanswered.
"It is the [Mana Absorbing] Rune on the wall. It has sucked every Mana of the people¡ªKinyer¡ªtrapped inside the Dungeon, exposed the Mana to the ordinary crystals, thus creating a Mana Crystal in the process."
Caesar hummed. "Hmm... To know that much just from an observation is amazing." Of course, he didn''t know it came from Basil''s experience. "But, I believe you don''t know the reason why it was there in the very first ce, Young Master."
"Hoh?" Basil quirked his eyebrow. "Mind to tell me?"
"Of course, I don''t mind!" Caesar cleared his throat. "Those stupid idiots thought they could still profit from us by sucking our Mana with it; not only could it slowly weaken us, but also make Mana Crystals out of us."
He chuckled lowly. "Of course, it was a miscalction on their part." Then, he took another gulp of his liquor.
"It worked, but not for long. In my case, although it took a long time, I managed to fix most of my crippled Magic Circles. I got to destroy the Rune right after." Heughed evilly this time. "Their attempt was all in vain!"
Basil slightly quirked his eyebrow at the enthusiasm Caesar was showing. "I believe a year of exposure is already enough to form a Mana Crystal. However from what I see, none of the Mana Crystals are mined yet."
Excluding the Mana Crystals Whitney and the others had mined, the amount of Mana Crystals the Dungeon contained was too many. It could only happen if none of the Mana Crystals were mined inrge scale in the past.
"Oh, what you are thinking is right." Caesar nodded his head. "None of those idiots mined the Mana Crystal." Sensing a questioning, Caesar unconsciously exined, "They were all dead, before they could even mine the Mana Crystals."
This time, Basil turned his head to Caesar; thetter was cursing inwardly at his slip.
"I believe you can''t say anything about it."
"Yes."
Basil nodded lightly, and resumed his work.
Although he was curious, he was bound to know about it someday. To make the time came faster, he needed to improve himself faster.
Chapter 140 The True Beginning (3)
Basil had finally finished the Array he was Carving. It was a Middle Grade Array with the highestplexity that can only be carved by a Rune Master who had learned Array Carving for, at least, 8 years.
Although Basil knew it from his experience, he was still amazing nheless. In his past life, he had mastered the highest grade Rune and Array after learning them for only 5 years, when it took everyone decades to achieve the same feat.
"Is this enough, Young Master?" Caesar gestured at the Mana Crystals he had set on the Array.
The Array Basil had carved had 16 long and narrow, sharp edged triangles pointing to 16 different directions with a small circle near their tip.
This small circle was the ce where the Mana Crystals were all put; each small circle had exactly 1 kilograms worth of Mana Crystals put on it.
"Yes, it is enough," answered Basil. He was in the middle of the Array, in lotus position. "Once the Mana from the Crystals is exhausted, I want you to¡ª"
"Rece them, right?" Basil nodded at Caesar''s word. "Although I''m not well versed in Array Carving, I know at least about that basic thing." Caesar smirked.
Basil nodded his head lightly, then closed his eyes. Infusing his Mana to the Array, it gradually shone, and the Mana from the Crystals were slowly absorbed by Basil¡ªthe Array was sessfully activated.
Caesar whistled lowly. "No mishaps ured. He seeds in the first try, marvelous!" He was once again amazed by Basil''s precision in Array Carving.
Array Carving was absolute. One had to copy the exact form of Array one was given for it to seed. Even if there was a slight, subtle difference, the Array one carved would give a different result from the original. Worse, it might just explode.
Therefore, precision was needed in Array Carving. Of course, a high concentration was too.
,m Basil started utilizing [Heart Clenching], the Cultivation Technique he had gotten from the Guide. His heart contracted and twisted itself to purge off any impurities it still contained.
Although the process wasparably less painful than before, it was still painful nheless; not just any normal person could endure the level of pain Basil was experiencing.
Still, Basil was different. He was used to pain already. Moreover, if the pain bore something¡ªit wasn''t useless¡ªhe wouldn''t even register the pain. He knew he would earn something out of the pain, so he wouldn''tin.
Basil''s concentration was put solely on Cultivating his Mana Heart. He would make sure himself reach the Amethyst Heart Stage in less than a week. That way, hepletely tuned out the world.
Right after Basilpletely tuned out the world, his Jade of soul shone, and Vagus materialized herself to the outside world.
Caesar quickly kneeled himself, and she quickly motioned him to stand back up. Then, she stood beside him silently, while looking at Basil.
A moment passed, before Vagus finally opened her mouth.
"The Chaos is closing, and so is our victory."
"I can see that, my esteemed Lady," Caesar replied politely.
"Knowing thy fate, shall thou stay idle?"
Caesar bowed his head politely. "I am nothing more than an old man. My time is close, my age is short. Even if I have the time of my life, will I be able to enjoy it for long?"
Caesar shook his head faintly. "I prefer ending my life for the greater good, rather than wasting it in vain."
Vagus nced at Caesar from the corner of her eyes. "Thy sacrifice shall not be in vain," Caesar nodded dly, "My blessing shall apany thee to the afterlife."
Then, Vagus turned her attention back to Basil. "Two lives, different fate, same suffering. I feel pain just by watching you, Basil."
...
[Stardust Academy, Woster County]
Shirley hadn''t had any contact with Basil for a month already. She didn''t even register that fact, as she was focusing herself in Carving her Circle. She was close to be 15, and she hadn''t finished her Circle yet; she was frustrated.
Basil''s teaching had brought her so far in her Magic Mastery. However, she simplycked the talent and time.
She had to be a Second Circle Mage before 16 to be epted in Randalvine Preparatory Academy; she wanted to be reunited with Basil as soon as possible!
Shirley sighed. "Huuh... It''s not as easy as I thought?" She scrutinized her note, before humming to herself. "Hmm... I should''ve followed Brother''s instruction as urate as possible. But, why this part strays even further the more I practice it?"
Shirley was looking at the Magic Circle Basil had drawn for her to follow. It was a Grand Circle, and Shirley didn''t dare to improvise because of that.
She had made sure to Carve the exact same way as the Magic Circle Basil had drawn. However, each time she followed it, there was always something different happened to her Carving process.
Surprisingly, it worked and she didn''t feel any difort despite the difference. Still, she was afraid to advance.
She was afraid she would end up getting a mediocre Magic Circle rather than the Grand Circle Basil had benevolently taught her how to Carve; she didn''t want to disappoint Basil by wasting his effort in teaching her.
"Gah! I''m frustrated! Why is Circle Carving soplicated?!" She tightly hugged the pillow Basil had always used to sleep, and buried her face in it. "I wish I was as smart as Brother. It would be cakewalk, if I was as smart as him."
Sighing helplessly, she muttered under her breath. "Brother said, ''Whenever you got stuck, back to the basic,'' didn''t he?" She hummed. "Circle Carving has so many basics, I don''t know which one to start with."
She sighed, then raised her head. She nced at her note, or to be specific one of Basil''s message to her, intently. Then, as if struck by lightning, realization dawned upon her.
"Magic Circle is never the same. Each Magic Circles are different from each other, even in the same quality. Because, one''s nature also affects the forming of one''s Circle."
She hummed, before knocking her head cutely. "Silly me! I have never been wrong! The difference is normal!" Her eyes lit up, and her face flushed in excitement.
Reassuming lotus position, she closed her eyes and Carved her Magic Circle ording to the Manual Basil had given her. Mana once again gathered around her entire existence, and once again, she tuned out the world.
Minutes past, and sweat started umting on her forehead. It didn''t take long until her entire body got wet with sweat. Still, she didn''t even move a single centimeters to wipe her forehead.
The Mana gathering around her was getting denser, until finally it exploded, throwing everything in her vicinity away.
Boom!
Shirley had sessfully created her first Magic Circle. It wasn''t a mere Magic Circle; it was a Grand Circle!
She opened her eyes, and one could see the stars in them. Her face flushed due to the excitement, and a seemingly eternal smile decorated her face.
"I have be a full fledged Mage!" She stood from the ground, and raised her hand. "Wait for me, Brother! I will being to Randalvine soon. Fu-fu-fu!" Sheughed like an arrogant nobledy.
Then, her eyes briefly glinted in glee; she was reminded of Julia. "Ku-ku-ku. I haven''t assumed my cocky brat persona for a long time already. I will definitely rub it in her face tomorrow."
Julia was also struggling like her in Carving her Circle. Therefore, they had made a bet on who could finish their Circle faster to motivate themselves. She was sure Julia hadn''t finished hers yet, so she would definitely brag about it in front of her.
Morning soon came, and Shirley was excited to go to the Academy. Even the maids and the personal carriage driver Basil had hired for her were weirded out by her unusual enthusiasm; none of them knew what made her excited.
Upon reaching the Academy, she encountered Chester in front of the gate. Thetter had also just arrived at the Academy, and was surprised at the enthusiasm his student was showing.
"Good morning, Mr. Chester!"
"Good morning, Shirley. Congrattions on your first Mag¡ª"
"Shush!" Shirley closed Chester''s mouth with her hands to stop him from speaking. "Don''t just announce it here. I want to surprise everyone." She looked at Chester in slight resentment.
Chester blinked in surprise, before nodding his head in confirmation. When Shirley took her hands off his mouth, he immediately smiled mischievously while looking at her.
"You have just exerted violence against your teacher. With this, I sentence you a permanent score deduction!"
Shirley jumped in surprise, before widening her eyes. "Mr. Chester! No, you can''t do that! You''ll ruin my n of going to Randalvine Preparatory Academy!" She pulled Chester''s cor and shook him back and forth.
Chester looked at her neutrally, and thought, ''As expected of Basil''s sister, I guess? She indeed has a different way to solve problem. This isn''t the right way, youngdy!''
"Alright, youngdy. Stop!" He held Shirley''s hands, sessfully stopping her. "I was just kidding. There is no need to treat it seriously." He sighed.
"Oh, really?!"
"Yes." Shirley smiled brightly, and Chester shook his head in amusement. "Anyway, you say you are going to attend Randalvine Preparatory Academy?"
"Ah yes, I am."
"You will have your best friend with you, then."
"Eh, do you mean Julia?"
"You didn''t know she also has the same n." Chester was slightly surprised.
Just before Shirley managed to answer Chester, someone announced her presence. "Mr. Chester, I am ready for ss advancement!"
The two people''s head turned toward the person, and the person smiled victoriously while looking at Shirley.
"I win, Shirley!" It was Julia.
Boom!
She materialized her Magic Circle, and the two people could see her Major Circle shining intensely.
"How about that, girl?" Julia smiled cheekily.
Shirley merely smiled calmly, before materializing hers.
Boom!
The air exploded once again, due to the sudden influx of Mana in it. This time however, the explosion was bigger, and the Mana was denser.
Shirley smiled graciously. "I have my Circle too, you know?"
"Bravo, another Grand Circle owner!" Chester pped his hands in excitement.
Julia sighed, before eximing indignantly. "That''s cheating! You have your brother to teach you!"
Shirley merelyughed, and Julia smiled in the end. Then, the two of them turned their head toward Chester once again.
"Mr. Chester, we are ready for ss advancement," they said in unison.
Chester smiled, and replied, "Very well. Let''s have some tea in my office. I will write the two of you my rmendation letter."
He felt like history was repeating itself. Looking at the sky, he was reminded of Basil; he wondered what Basil was doing currently.
Chapter 141 The True Beginning (4)
Time flies quickly; A week had passed ever since Basil started his attempt of breaking through to the next stage of his Mana Heart Cultivation.
Basil hadn''t broken through to the Amethyst Heart Stage, but he was close to it.
"Hmmm... I can''t imagine there is still someone suitable for cultivating Mana Heart," Caesar hummed in amazement.
Vagus, who was on Caesar''s side, merely nodded her head in acknowledgement. "Only those whose heart hasn''t been tainted has the qualification to Cultivate their Mana Heart."
"Who knows it is quite literal in its meaning." Caesar shook his head bitterly.
Everyone who wanted to be a Mana Heart Cultivator had to have a clean, untainted heart.
This however, doesn''t mean one had to be a saint to Cultivate one''s Mana Heart; it means, one''s heart had to be clean from any man-made Arrays¡ªfree from Magic Circles.
This doesn''t mean one couldn''t have Magic Circles after Cultivating one''s Mana Heart though. The condition of being clean hearted refers to one''s condition before Cultivating Mana Heart; having Mana Circles right after was alright.
Just like Basil''s case, he didn''t have any single Magic Circles prior to Cultivating his Mana Heart, thus he could Cultivate Mana Heart. In other words, to Cultivate one''s natural Mana Heart, one had to sacrifice the Magic Circles one had Carved¡ªif one had any.
Ironically, Mages who could implement the concept of Mana Heart Cultivation were all high ss Mages. Throwing away the Circles they had painfully Carved was not an easy thing to do; they didn''t want to start over.
Therefore, through the passage of time, the art of Mana Heart Cultivation was forgotten.
To say Basil was a lucky individual to be able to Cultivate Mana Heart would be an understatement; Basil was extremely lucky! He had his experience, and his unique condition that allowed him to Cultivate Mana Heart naturally.
Caesar whistled lowly in amazement. "Pheww... I can''t imagine how much pain Young Master is enduring right now." He slightly cringed in the end.
Still, in every gain, there is pain. Being able to Cultivate Mana Heart didn''t give one any advantage if one stayed idle.
Basil had to endure an extreme pain everytime he wanted to breakthrough to the next stage.
This pain was not an ordinary pain: Basil had to feel like his entire body got burned from the inside for eternity everytime he was attempting to breakthrough. Not only that, the amount of Mana his Heart could contain was also enormous.
Boom!
Therefore, controlling it would be a chore. If he failed though, he could end up exploding.
Basil''s entire body was drenched in sweat. However, the sweat wasn''t normal as it was ck in color, and had a very pungent smell. It was due to the substance mixed with his sweat.
The substance mixed with his sweat was his heart and meridian''s impurity.
This process of expelling impurity was the one that made breaking through to the next stage of Mana Heart Cultivation was difficult; different than the other race, human body contained too much impurity.
Clench!
Basil''s crystal like Heart was twisting and squeezing itself. It was shining intensely in crimson light; its beat was getting erratic.
Basil''s teeth was tightly clenched, and his eyebrows were slightly knitted together. However, his face remained neutral; no one would imagine Basil was enduring an extreme amount of pain just from seeing his face.
His concentration was put solely on the process of cleansing his Heart with the help of the Mana Crystals he was using to fuel the Array he had Carved.
He knew the pain was less than the first time he Cultivated his Mana Heart. However, the time it took for him to breakthrough despite the enormous amount of resources was significantly longer.
Therefore, it created the illusion of the pain he was enduring was way worse than the first pain he had endured. Still, he preserved; he was used to pain.
"Such tenacity... I don''t even sure whether I can keep going if I were him."
"This much of pain is nothing for him," Vagus muttered under her breath.
Caesar heard that, but opted to not ask. He knew his esteemed Lady didn''t direct it at him. Thus, he pretended he didn''t hear Vagus.
Minutes passed, and finally the awaited moment came. The erratic Mana surrounding Basil slowly calmed down, and Basil''s knitted eyebrows were slowly unknitting themselves.
Basil''s Heart stopped twisting itself, and its beat was slowly returning to normal. The previous intense crimson light his heart was exuding disappeared, reced with a tame amethyst light.
He had sessfully broken through to the next stage of Mana Heart Cultivation, Amethyst Heart Stage!
Basil slowly opened his eyes, as his sense slowly returned. A pungent and unpleasant smell quickly assaulted his nose. However, he didn''t register this fact at all. He was upied by the new world he was seeing; he was fascinated by it.
One could see Mana and its flow as long as one had a full control over one''s Magic Circle; one needed to move one''s Magic Circles to one''s eyes to be able to see Mana.
However, Basil could now see it even without doing that. It was simply a mind-boggling and envy-inducing ability everyone wanted.
Other than that, he felt his body was getting lighter and firmer. Mana incessantly coursed through his body, and he felt like he could punch any border''s gate to smithereens.
He clenched his fist, and swung it to the front.
Whoosh!
His fist moved so fast, it tore the air. Normally, without the support of Qi, this feat was unachievable. However, with his newly upgraded Mana Heart, it was possible.
He retracted his hand, and finally looked at the two people gazing at him curiously¡ªVagus and Caesar. He stood from the ground slowly, and noticed he had grown taller yet again. He was now exactly 198 centimeters.
Vagus wanted toe at him, but he quickly stopped her in her advance. He was still smelly, and he didn''t want to let anyone stand close to him when he was unclean.
Turning his back on them, he jumped toward one of the opened cells in the wall. Then, he closed the door of the cell, before proceeding to clean himself.
"Oh, my. My darling is cleaning himself." Vagus smiled evilly. "This one shall pe¡ªsupervise him to prevent unwanted things to happen."
Right before she wanted to return to Basil''s Mindscape and "supervise" him however, Caesar put his hand on Vagus'' shoulder.
"Pardon me, my esteemed Lady. Even if he''s your husband, you can''t just vite his right to privately take a bath."
Vagus slowly turned to Caesar with a sulking face. Caesar was taken aback as he had never seen his esteemed Lady showed that face in the past.
"I can''t help it. He never shows me his body willingly, after all!"
"Did you really vite his right?!"
Vagus clicked her tongue in annoyance, and knocked Caesar''s hand off. She snorted sulkily, before crossing her hands, and stayed far away from Caesar.
''Just what happened to my esteemed Lady in these past 2000 years?!''
To say Caesar was bewildered would be an understatement. He was utterly baffled!
Soon enough, the waited person, Basil got out of the cell he had used to bathe himself in. He was already clean from any impurities that had previously covered his entire body.
He had taken off his uniform, recing it with his favorite ck attire: a tight fitted white shirt underneath a ck magic vest; ck Magic robe; ck, tight, yet flexible pants; and a pair of ck shoes.
When he got down from the cell in the wall, Vagus quickly came at him, then hugged him tightly.
"Darling, you look even more handsome than before!"
Basil looked down at Vagus in his embrace in slight bewilderment. He didn''t even register when he had embraced her. His hand had moved by itself as if it was natural.
Still, he was quick to ept things. He had experienced much weirder things in the past few weeks, after all; meeting Matheus for example.
"Indeed. Impurities removal always causes some slight changes to oneself."
Basil looked to his hand. His eight months of work to slightly darken his skin tone by training vigorously with Knight''s method was wasted; his skin became even whiter and brighter than before.
The saving grace though, his face became slightly manly. His face was no longer sharp like a woman''s; his jaw was slightly entuated, giving him a manlier appearance.
Still, his face was attractive to both genders. Meanings, he still looked pretty.
"Congrattions on your advancement, Young Master." Caesar slightly bowed.
Basil nodded in acknowledgement, then patted Vagus'' back so she could let go of him. Although Vagus was slightly reluctant, she stillplied nheless.
"Can you stand far away from me, Vagus?"
"Eh? Me? Why?"
"I don''t want you to get hurt."
Again, Basil was bewildered. He didn''t believe he could actually care about Vagus'' well-being. Contrary to his reaction however, Vagus was ecstatic that Basil cared for her.
"O¡ªOh.. okay, darling!" She stayed far away from Basil, then hid behind Caesar.
Basil stood uprightly on the ground, then closed his eyes. He soon coursed his Mana through his body, before infusing it to his Magic Circles one by one.
Boom!
The first Magic Circle appeared. It was shining intensely, and the characters written on it spun hypnotically.
Boom!
The second Magic Circle appeared. Like the first one, it was also shining intensely.
Boom!
The third Magic Circle appeared. Upon its appearance, the surrounding air was overwhelmed with Mana unthinkable of belonging to a Third Circle Mage.
Then, with the third one in the center, the other Magic Circles were spinning in circle.
Hum!
The Magic Circles resonated with each other, before eventually stopped moving, and stacked themselves on each other.
BOOM!
The Mana gathering around Basil was getting denser. Even the air was getting heavier due to the overwhelming amount of Mana Basil was exuding.
Caesar hummed. "Hmm... Young Master is trying to form his fourth Magic Circle externally. That is incredibly hard and risky. One wrong move, and he will have to start it over again."
Vagus nodded her head silently. She was also a little bit anxious of the result.
After another amount of time passed. The result was finally out. It was the result everyone had expected, but couldn''t believe would happen.
Shatter!
Basil''s fourth Magic Circle shattered. Once again, Basil managed to shock Caesar, albeit for a different reason.
Chapter 142 The True Beginning (5)
External Carving is a process ofpleting one''s Magic Circle while materializing it to the world. This method requires the help of one''s other Magic Circles toplete the Magic Circle one wants to finish.
This method was the fastest method any Mage could choose to Carve their Magic Circles. However, if a Mage missed even one step, the Carving process would fail and they would be forced to forfeit the Magic Circle they had been Carving.
Due to this reason, Mage always opted to Carve their Magic Circle without projecting it. This method is called Internal Carving¡ªthe safest and mostmon way toplete one''s Magic Circle.
Of course, everything has their plus and minus. Although the sess rate of Internal Carving was higher than External Carving, it took a considerably longer time.
This is the reason why there were still some Mages who dare to attempt External Carving; they wanted to advance faster.
Such in Basil''s case, he simplycked the time to stay idle. Therefore, he had opted to use External Carving method.
One might ask why he didn''t do it since the beginning. The reason was simple: he didn''t dare to attempt it previously simply because of hiscking Mana Heart.
Therefore, upon experiencing a breakthrough¡ªafter having the qualified Heart¡ªhe had quickly attempted External Carving.
Unfortunately for him, the Magic Circle he had been trying to finish had been too overwhelmed with his enormous amount of Mana; the iplete Magic Circle shattered, and his three months of effort in Carving it was wasted just like that.
"Embarrassing. I shouldn''t have dismissed the potency of my Heart." Basil clicked his tongue.
He was simply ashamed at his negligence. He had thought the more stable the supply of Mana he had, the higher the possibility of the sess. Foolishly enough, he forgot to test how much Mana his iplete Magic Circle could contain.
Still, Basil didn''t rage nor whine like a brat. He merely sighed, and epted his mistake. Though his work would be doubled, he could still Recarve his fourth Magic Circle that he had lost.
"Are you okay, Young Master?"
At that call, Basil turned to Caesar.
Caesar was looking at Basil awkwardly, as he didn''t know how he should behave in front of Basil.
"Is that pity I am looking?" Basil quirked his eyebrow.
Caesar slightly recoiled in surprise, before waving his hand in denial. "No, no, no. I have never pitied those who fail. I was just conflicted about how I should react."
He was telling the truth. This is the reason why he had hesitated.
Basil was his Young Master¡ªsomeone he willingly treated with respect. As a servant, he should haveforted Basil the moment he saw Basil had failed in his endeavor.
However, Basil''s prideful nature made him ponder his action; he was torn between respecting Basil''s nature and doing his duty as a self proimed servant.
"It''s unnecessary, Caesar. You don''t have to show a particr reaction." Basil waved his hand slightly. "Failure is a dyed sess; it doesn''t deserve any pity."
Then, he casually withdrew his three Magic Circles as if the earlier event was nothing.
Since he had lost the fourth Magic Circle that had been close to itspletion, he would start to Carve it over again, along with improving the quality of his Core.
He would multitask like usual, but with a different difficulty this time.
Despite notining, Basil was still upset. Even if it wasn''t visible from the outside, Vagus, who had spent a long time with him, could see it. Furthermore, she had a Soul connection with Basil; she could feel his dissatisfaction.
This is the reason why she didn''t approach him and pester him like usual. She was understanding enough to give him some space. Basil turned around, and was about to head to his cell when Caesar stopped him.
"Wait, Young Master!" Basil stopped in his track. "Where are you going?"
,m Basil slightly turned his head to Caesar''s way, and quirked his eyebrow. "I am going to Recarve my destroyed Magic Circle." He didn''t ask anything, but Caesar understood Basil was asking him his motive.
"Let''s train together, Young Master."
Basil frowned lightly. "I do not need¡ª"
"I know a faster way to recover a destroyed Magic Circle."
"Hoh. Is that so?" Basil quirked his eyebrow in interest, and Caesar merely nodded his head. "Tell me the way, then."
Caesar answered instantly, "Ceaseless Battle."
Ceaseless Battle is a friendly Battle between Mage that requires the two party to Battle until one of them exhausted their Mana, then resume the Battle once again after the Mana is recovered. It is basically an unending Battle.
Basil was slightly puzzled by Caesar''s suggestion at first. However, he soon realized why Caesar had suggested Ceaseless Battle.
"ERE; Exhaust, refill, exhaust, and repeat. In the past, it was believed to be a method to improve the quality of one''s Magic Circle, and it is honestly stupid." Basil slightly smirked. "However, I have never thought of it that way."
ERE didn''t improve the quality of one''s Magic Circle. However, this method could strengthen the Circle''s foundation¡ªthe Array that built one''s Circle.
In Basil''s case, this would definitely help repair his destroyed Magic Circle. This way, he didn''t need to Carve it from the start. He just needed to infuse his Mana to the destroyed Circle and let the natural process slowly heal it.
It took less time.
"That is a good suggestion, Caesar." Basil nodded his head in appreciation. ''I will let him serve me for the time being,'' he thought in his mind.
As expected, no matter where he was, Basil was Basil.
...
Three days had passed since the day Basil destroyed his iplete Circle, and the process of his Circle Recarving was going well.
He and Caesar kept Battling everytime, only stopping once in a while to eat; none of them slept in the past three days. Since Basil had the body of a Knight, he could stay up for two weeks straight.
In Caesar''s case, although his ninth Magic Circle was already crippled, his Magic mastery was already enough to allow him not to sleep for years. Still, he needed to rest due to his age.
As there were only three days had passed, the Battle between the two was as fierce if not fiercer than the first day.
Basil really didn''t hold back. Since he practiced in two Principles, whenever his Mana ran out, he would switch to using Qi.
As a Mage, he utilized as many Art as he could at his meager level; as a Knight he utilized his Aura that considerably consumed more Qi to improve his control over his Qi.
Caesar, who was apparently a battle maniac, dly battled Basil with glee. He even used five of his Magic Circles to give Basil a hard time.
Of course, Basil didn''tin; he was also a battle maniac, despite of his constant denial.
Boom!
Caesar was blocking the swing of Basil''s sword with his bare hand. The ground below the two of them cratered, but Caesar wasn''t bothered in the least. He was grinning excitedly even.
"Your power decreased, Young Master!"
Basil smirked. "A sacrifice is needed for the greater good."
Caesar frowned his head at Basil''s cryptical sentence. Although he had heard it many times already, he couldn''t still get used to it. Still, he was a quick thinker. He immediately analyzed what Basil could possibly mean by his words.
Unfortunately for him, even before he managed to decrypt Basil''s words, Basil''s attack arrived right in front of his eyes¡ªwell, right below his feet.
A sword emerged from the ground, and was heading toward his sr plexus with an insane speed. As it was too sudden, he couldn''t dodge the attack; he casted [Reinforcement] on his body, and received the attack with his body
Boom!
The tip of Basil''s sword hit Caesar right in his sr plexus, and brought him off the ground with it.
The power behind the sword was simply unthinkable for a telekically controlled sword; it was slightly hard for him to get it off him.
Of course, it all happened for a reason. Earlier, Basil had divided his concentration just to control the sword that was currently thrashing Caesar. Due to this, the power In his swing decreased.
However, his control over his Aura Ability: [Master Of Weapons] had improved over the time. Coupled with the concentration he put in controlling the sword, the power behind it was amplified even further.
Of course, it didn''tst long against Caesar. He quickly snatched the sword that was stubbornly stabbing him, and threw it back at Basil.
Boom!
The power behind Caesar''s throw was even crazier than the power the sword contained previously. Still, it wasn''t fast enough to catch Basil off guard.
"I thought you were a Spellcaster." Basil motioned to the dent Caesar had created after throwing his sword.
Caesar chuckled. "Ku-ku-ku. Spellcaster, Battle Mage, Mentalist, Summoner¡ªall of them are nothing but the ssification those idiots made. Mage is Mage. We are no different to each other!" Then, he charged at Basil.
Boom!
Another sh between a hand and a sword ured. The sheer brute force the two were showing didn''t indicate anything about a Mage fight. Both were fighting unsuitable to their status.
"Although it doesn''t really matter, I wasn''t a Spellcaster, but a Grimoire Craftmaster. I am by no means well-versed in Spell."
Although every Spellcaster had been taught how to make their own Grimoire, most of them preferred using the one created by the more experienced Mage. These Mages, who created Grimoire for others, were called Grimoire Craftmaster.
They were gifted people who wasn''t really well-versed in Spell, but had an abnormal ability to create a good Grimoire that could dramatically improve their Spell potency.
Caesar grinned. "Despite that however, I know how to utilize a Spell better than most people." Caesar opened his palm, and it quickly shone in golden light. Facing it at Basil, he uttered, "[Mighty p]!"
Soon, Basil felt a crushing forceing at him.
What slightly bewildered him however wasn''t the force it contained, but the direction it was heading. It was heading everywhere, he couldn''t pinpoint which direction would have the least force.
Still, he was quick to decide. When the attack was close to him, earth rose from the ground, engulfing his entire existence, before dragging him underground. In result, Caesar''s attack hit the only wall behind him, that had no cells in it.
BOOM!
Caesar hummed to himself. "Hmm... That was a great decision, considering he could execute that in just two seconds." Caesar nodded his head in appreciation. "As expected of Young Master!"
Basil emerged from the ground, and got to the surface once again. Looking behind him, at the wall Caesar''s attack had just struck, he nodded his head in appreciation.
Despite how ridiculous its name was, it perfectly described what the Spell did to whatever it hit; there was a gigantic fingerprint carved on it.
Chapter 143 The True Beginning (6)
Mage; a term made to call a bunch of people who can use Magic. This term had been used so much in the Age of Chaos even a child who could utilize even an insignificant Magic had been called a Mage¡ªa full fledged Mage.
Of course, it would be a matter of time for the child to be an actual full fledged Mage; the situation in the Age of Chaos had been so dire everyone had no choice but to either be a Mage or a Knight.
Despite so, at that time, the term Mage had a simple meaning; it wasn''t asplicated as the current era of people had made it. Furthermore, at that time, Mage was one: they stood under the same banner, and no ssification made amongst them.
In the past, Mage had diverse upation. There had been a Craftmaster who made Grimoire, Artefacts, and Magic weapons. These Craftmasters were the predecessors of the current Rune Master and Alchemist.
Grimoire Craftmasters were so well-versed in Rune Carving, their Grimoire became their strongest weapon, instead of their Spell.
They were a bunch of a talented Spellcaster in Rune Carving, who without their Grimoire were nothing. Although this upation still existed even in the current era, there weren''t many of them.
The reason was simple: Grimoire was a private thing, and should remain private.
People had lost fate in others, and their ego got bigger the more the time passed. Due to these reasons, people stopped entrusting their Grimoire to Grimoire Craftmaster.
Artefact Craftmasters were Mage who were well-versed in Rune Carving and Forging, one of the things that Knight good at. These people implemented the two things they had learnt from both Principles to create their invention.
The current existing Artefacts such as Jade of Soul Memoir, Magic Amulet, Spatial Bracelet, and many others were their legacy. While some were still produced even up to the current era, the rest were not anymore.
None of the current Mage could figure out the method Artefact Craftmasters had used in the past to create the moreplex Artefacts.
The reason was simple, the current Mage only mastered Rune Carving; they didn''t master Forging, Knight''s speciality.
Their ego had bloated so much through time, they didn''t even consider anything rted to Knight was worth hearing, let alone learning. It dealt the final nail in the coffin, thus permanently stopping the development of Artefact creation.
Thest upation, Magic Weapon Craftmaster was the only upation that still existed untill now. There were still many people aiming to be a Magic Weapon Craftmaster simply because the amount of money it made.
Despite being one of the official job in current era however, the quality of the current Magic Weapon was not as good as in the past. The reason was simple: it was a matter of ego, again.
Magic Weapon Craftmasters had to be well-versed in Rune Carving and Metallurgy, which was another one of Knight''s specialty. The inted ego of Mage couldn''t allow this.
Therefore, they stopped learning Metallurgy, and reced it with their newly found field, Alchemy, instead. They changed the Ore processing method: no longer using the Knight''s way, but the Mage''s way.
This, of courses, resulted in a different oue: the metal in every Magic Weapon was not as durable and resilient as in the past.
It was to the point where Kusanagi, the sword shaped tail of Yamata no Orochi became a High Grade Weapon in front of the eyes of the current Mage.
Kusanagi hadn''t been even been created: there was no special Ore processing method was implemented, nor was there any Rune carved on it. Still, the current Mage never attributed this problem to their bloated ego.
The only saving grace was the improved quality of the Rune carved on every Magic Weapon.
"Mages of the past were generally superior than us. They had a country full of Ninth Circle Mages, while we have a Ninth Circle Mage as an Emperor who governs the entire humanity," was the argument they used everytime.
Although there is no fault can be found in their reasoning, it still sounds no more than an excuse.
...
"A Grimoire Craftmaster without a Grimoire seems a little bit ironic to me." Basil quirked his eyebrow at Caesar. "Furthermore, you are well-versed in Spell as much as any Spellcaster."
"Ku-ku-ku. Are you referring to that stereotype: Grimoire Craftmaster is nothing without their Grimoire?" Caesar chuckled, then gestured with his hand. "In everything, there is always exception." Pointing to himself, he continued, "I am an exception."
"I can see that," Basil said mildly before seeping his tea.
ck.
Once the tea was put, Basil asked Caesar, "What happened to your Grimoire?"
"Oh, about that..." Caesar made a pondering look. "I think it was snatched. No," he shook his head, "it was destroyed. Or... was it both? I think it''s both." He nodded his head.
"I believe you already know I already know about that."
Caesar scratched his head awkwardly. "Oh, yeah. Of course, Young Master. I know." He had just realized Basil was asking him why his Grimoire had been snatched and destroyed.
"Kuhum!" He cleared his throat. "To answer it simply, it was because the very stereotype surrounding us, Grimoire Craftmaster. They thought by taking my Grimoire, I would be nothing."
"Was it wrong though?" Basil smiled faintly.
"No, it wasn''t wrong." Caesar shook his head faintly. "They really hampered me in repairing my Magic Circles. If they hadn''t taken it, I would have been out by now!"
Caesar had written some of his strongest Spells inside his Grimoire, including the one that could help him fix his Magic Circles; he didn''t remember any of them, due to theirplexity.
Due to that reason, once his Grimoire was destroyed, he journey to repair his Magic Circles was hampered greatly.
Basil fiddled with his teacup that was on the earthen table he had made. Now he understood why there had been so many Kinyers getting out of the Dungeons in the past: they had finished repair all of their Magic Circles.
"How many of your Circles were crippled?"
"Seven out of nine. I basically turned to mortal when we lost our ninth Magic Circle." Caesar sighed.
Basil quirked his eyebrow. "Does being a Ninth Circle Mage make you immortal?"
"Yes, it does, Young Master. It is already proven." Caesar was Slightly surprised at Basil''s question.
"Then, where are the Ninth Circle Mages of the past?"
At that question, Caesar kept his mouth shut. He had promised to Vagus he would never talk anything about the past too much to Basil; he wouldn''t break his promise to Vagus.
In the end, he merely bowed his head apologetically.
"I see..."
Basil was an understanding person. He epted Caesar''s choice without a fuss; he also didn''t want to alter the timeline even further anyway.
Basil took a sip of his tea, then looked at Caesar once again. "What will you do once you got out of this Dungeon?"
Caesar hummed, and looked down on the table. "Hmmm... I think I will overthrow the Empire¡ªI mean, killing the Emperor. Revenge is a dish best served cold; it''s been two thousand years, and it is cold enough already." He gulped his liquor.
Basil pondered about the thing the Kinyers he had encountered in the past had done: once they had gotten out of the Dungeon, all of them, without exception had been causing chaos here and there.
Many innocents had been killed: civilians, especially children and women. They had massacred everyone indiscriminately, as if their goal had been solely to create chaos.
Caesar had said he didn''t hate the people of the Empire; it could be concluded the majority of the currently entrapped people in the Dungeon also had the same mindset.
However, the Kinyers he had met in the past had acted the exact opposite way; they had hated every "dogs" of the empire to their core.
If their purpose had been indeed overthrowing the Empire, they should have massacred every Empire officials instead of causing chaos here and there and gave the opportunity to the Empire to finish them separately.
"Caesar, is there any possibility the people entrapped in the Dungeon are not your Lord''s followers?"
Caesar''s answer was immediate and sure. "No, Young Master. All of them stand in our side. Those imbeciles would never put their ''kin'' inside a Dungeon." Caesar was spiteful in the end of his word.
¡ªWe will never die. We are forever exist!
Basil was recalling thest word of the very first Kinyer he had killed in the past. Now that he thought about it, the word had been a little bit puzzling as it sounded like the word of someone belonging to a cult.
"Caesar, how many times the Church sends you Priests to ''talk'' to you in a year?"
"It is three times a year for the past twenty years. Why is it, Young Master?"
Uncaring to Caesar''s question, Basil asked, "What do they always offer you?"
"I will be freed from this ce in change of bing their stupid God''s servant, and purge every heretics."
Immediately looking at Caesar intently, Basil used his newly attained ability, [Eyes of Mana Perception] to the fullest. Soon enough, he could see a foreign and strange Mana inside Caesar''s body.
Basil''s eyes soon hardened slightly. "You have been Bewitched, Caesar," he said bluntly.
Caesar looked at Basil''s humorously at first. However, upon realizing Basil''s serious look, he recoiled in surprise.
"R¡ªReally? I can''t feel something wrong though," he said in puzzlement.
"They cast [Reality Altercation] on you. No," Basil faintly shook his head, "they are in the process of casting it."
[Reality Altercation]; the highest level of Bewitchment with the highest potency and the longest activation time.
As its name suggested, it will alter the reality of the person who got Bewitched with it; not in the way the eyes see the world, but the way the mind perceives the world.
Once got bewitched with it, one will never get free from it.
The reason is simple: the long time one needs to activate it is used toy a firm foundation of the Bewitchment in the target''s mind. Therefore, once it is activated, there is no way out.
"Each of the Priests the Church has sent weren''t giving you an offer; they wereying the foundation of the Bewitchment."
At this point, Caesar already widened his eyes. He quickly scanned himself, but he still couldn''t get the sign of Bewitchment.
"Of course, you will never be able to detect it. It is very subtle for the person being casted to be able to detect it."
A conclusion was made in Basil''s mind.
The church''s resilience in sending their Priests to deliver the Kinyers their offer was nothing but to brainstorm the Kinyers.
They knew some of the Kinyers would eventually experience the moment where they were desperate and gave them the answer they wanted.
However, that very answer was the trigger for the Bewitchment to work. Once it happened, the Chaos that had happened in his past life would be repeated once again.
Again, the Church had been proven to be the main actor of another great chaos.
[Rough calction of the remaining time untill the Obelisk of Goap''s outbreak: 1 month, 20 days, 1 hours, and 24 seconds.]
Even the Guide confirmed his conclusion by shortening the time until the outbreak.
Chapter 144 The True Beginning (7)
Caesar stood up from his seat. "Those bastards! Even after all this time, they are still ying with me?!" He was angry.
His entire being was exuding Mana, thickening the air to the point one could through it.
Still, he was experienced enough to quickly regain hisposure. He was considerate enough to not rage in front of someone he had pledged to treat with respect.
"Huuh... I am sorry for my unsightly disy." Caesar bowed, before sitting back down.
Basil was still as calm as ever; he merely enjoyed his tea as if nothing had happened. He was just revelling in the fact that his meal with Caesar could actually deliver him a precious information.
ck.
Basil put down his tea.
"You shall not be worried as the Spell is notplete yet." Looking calmly at Caesar, he continued, "There is still a way topletely erase that Spell."
Caesar sighed. "I know ... But, I will need someone to do that for me!" Upon realizing something, Caesar''s eyes lit up in glee. "Young Master, can you... do it?"
Basil merely nodded his head lightly. "I need to get a better control over my Mana first though. Your ''treatment'' wille right after."
Caesar nodded his head in understanding, and gulped his liquor down. Since there was still some time before Basil''s training started, he would chill while enjoying the high quality liquor Basil had given him.
In the other side, Basil was in a deep contemtion. He was puzzled about The Day of Return; the day where every Kinyers got outside of the Dungeon, causing chaos upon their appearance.
Since Basil had figured out Kinyers had gone mad in the past due to [Reality Altercation] the Church had casted upon them, he could somehow predict when that would happen in this life.
Seeing the progress of the Spell however, Basil knew it would be finished in another 5 years. This is weird for so many reasons, since this event should be happen in another 15 years. That was the reason why he was puzzled.
He had thought he would only alter the timeline everytime he did something he didn''t do in the past. However, he was proven wrong. Even his existence alone had already altered the timeline that much.
Basil sighed lightly. "I got so many things to do, don''t I?" He stood from his seat, and motioned to Caesar.
He needed to advance as soon as possible. Thus, the training begun.
...
Azarthan, Arthean Empire.
Azarthan was the capital city of Arthean Empire. It was the city where the pce was located at, the most prosperous city in the entire Human Empire, Arthean.
Different from any other capital city, Azarthan was only filled with the Emperor''s descendants. The entire city consisted of one big family, and each of them had a strong bond with each other.
Of course, in everything there is always an exception. Amongst the royalties living in this city, there were people of the Church. They lived amongst the royalties, and got treated with as much respect as any other royalties received.
It happened because of the influence the Great Pontiff had over the people of Arthean Empire. As someone with the highest status in the Church, he held the greatest amount of Miracle in him.
It was to the point where it bewildered the Magemunity greatly. There was even a rumour circting around the world, the Great Pontiff had brought back a dead man to life.
Although it was nothing more than a rumour, the miracle he possessed was enough to make people believe he was really the right hand of God.
He was kind, benevolent, and passionate toward everyone. Thus, the people and even the Emperor himself honored him greatly.
Of course, the cover of a book cannot always determine its content. The Great Pontiff was not the saint for everyone. He was the saint of his people: people who lived in the same way as him.
No one but the people of the Church was considered a human in front of his eyes.
In one of the rooms of the greatest church¡ªthe holiest ce¡ªin the entire Arthean Empire, Azarthan Cathedral, an old but healthy man with a golden trim, white cassock was sitting in his majestic throne like chair.
He was gazing to his front, at the golden door, emptily. He looked like he was pondering over something. However, in truth, he wasmunicating with his subordinate through his mind.
This man was the Great Pontiff, Jaheim Abremson.
"I see ... Since you don''t find anything there, you can go back home, Adeth," Jaheim said to his subordinate.
He kept nodding his head as if confirming something, before dismissing the subordinate; the content of the talk was unknown to the world.
"Why are these heretics so resilient? How hard is it to just ept the Gods?" Jaheim shook his head. "Foolish people."
He stood up from his chair, and got down from the high ground where his chair was located. Upon reaching the lower ground, he looked down slightly.
There was a beautiful woman kneeling on the ground with tied hands and gagged mouth. She was ring at him with shining eyes that was filled with intense hatred.
"See me not as an enemy, my child. You are but one of the victims of the heresy your predecessors had passed down." Jaheim put his hand on top of the woman''s head. "I am the right hand of your Lord, your God; I am your ally."
Jaheim removed his hand from the head of the woman, and stared at the shining symbol in the middle of the woman''s head. It was exactly the same symbol Basil also had on his forehead.
"The cursed symbol. Your predecessor''s heresy is so wicked, it even cursed the whole generation." Jaheim made a sad expression. "What a pitiful child."
Jaheim caressed the woman''s cheek, before taking the gag off her mouth.
"Now, let us talk, my child."
"You sick bastard! You will never get what you wanted!"
Spit!
Although the saliva didn''t hit Jaheim, it was the greatest offence he had received from someone; no one in Arthean Empire ever dare to do it to him.
However, instead of getting angry, he merely smiled like a father looking at his beloved child.
"What do you think I want, my child?"
The woman snorted coldly. "Hmph! How should I know, Jaheim? It can be some ''toys'' to satisfy your urge."
"My child, I will never indulge myself in worldly pleasure. I am the God''s right hand: I shall be the best example of every mankind."
The woman spat in disgust. "Don''t be such a hypocrite, Jaheim. You wouldn''t know what I mean if you didn''t do any of that."
Jaheim shook his head faintly. "You will never understand, my child. What I have done all along is blessing those women. They shall be grateful, as I made them entirely holy with my seed. Therefore, you should be grateful too."
"Hahahaha ... Hahaha ... HAHAHAHAHA!!!" The woman cackled madly. "That was the funniest thing I have heard ever since hearing the name of your Gods!"
p!
The woman''s head was thrown to the side; she was slightly taken aback at Jaheim''s action. Turning her head back to him, she red at him with even more intense hatred than before.
"So, this is the so called holy man of the Church? The God''s right hand? Pfft! What a joke! He can''t even treat a woman respectfully."
Jaheim frowned. "I have treated you with respect, my child. However, I can''t let you mock our Gods, our saviour. I have no choice but to punish you, before the Gods take action."
"Such hypocrisy ... No wonder all of you are afraid of our Lord''s power. All of you are nothing but a self-absorbed bastard!"
Jaheim sighed briefly, before smiling once again. "My child, tell me where is your representative." His voice was as soothing as a luby, but still held authority.
"Guess what? We got none! You have killed our representative a long time ago!"
"Lying is not a good thing, my child. I know your representative has a sessor."
The woman smirked. "Good luck in finding the sessor then. I don''t know about this sessor either."
Jaheim sighed softly. "Very well, my child. I will cleanse you from any sin, so you can enter heaven after your death." Putting his hand to the woman''s head, he continued, "Therefore, you shall rejoice!"
The woman smirked, and the symbol on her forehead suddenly shone brightly.
"You and your Gods can go fuck yourselves!" Her eyes shone like a shlight, and the symbol on her forehead shone more intense.
It didn''t take long until a gruesome urrence ensued.
Boom!
The woman''s head exploded, sttering brain mush and every organs in the head at Jaheim.
Of course, he got his own self protection. A golden light barrier covered his entire existence, protecting him from getting hit by anything the exploded head produced.
When everything had settled down, Jaheim''s golden barrier got deactivated. He looked at the headless body of the woman, and shook his head in disappointment.
"It is already the sixth time. They really are resilient." He sighed. "I can''t let these heretics roam the world freely, spreading false teaching. They need to be eradicated as soon as possible."
Jaheim sped his hands, and pulled them close to his chest. "My Lord, forgive the soul of these pitiful people, and show me the way to figure out the heretics amongst your faithful sevants."
That day, the Cathedral sent another team of Pdins to hunt for the heretics. Their destination was the Beyond.
...
Two weeks had passed since Caesar figured out the Bewitchment casted upon him. His Battle with Basil was really ceaseless, and Basil really pushed himself to the breaking point. It had been a month, and Basil only got his first sleep today.
The sleep hadn''t even been voluntary. He had fallen asleep in the middle of their Battle as his body was too fatigued to bear the burden anymore.
Although Caesar was amazed at his Young Master''s tenacity. He was slightly afraid of his Young Master''s method to train himself.
Therefore, when Basil fell asleep for the first time, he let him sleep asfortable as possible: he stayed far away from his Basil''s resting ce to not bother him.
Of course, it was just a misunderstanding in Caesar''s part. Basil wasn''t sleeping; he needed a full concentration on what he was currently doing.
Basil was on the verge of breaking through to the Green Core Stage. He would have a higher quality of Qi, once he managed to breakthrough!
Chapter 145 The True Beginning (8)
Core Latency is divided in three stages; Early Stage, Middle Stage, and Peak Stage. The higher thetency of the Core, the brighter the color is.
Red Core for example; it has a dark red colour in the Early Stage, neutral red colour in the Middle Stage, and bright red colour in the Peak Stage.
It applies to every Core Stage.
Basil was already in the verge of breaking through to the Green Core. Therefore, his Core had a bright yellow color. It was currently shining intensely, and the ss-like, bright yellow sphere had fissures covering it.
This fissure signifies how close Basil was to breaking through to the next stage.
Once the sphere shattered, the Qi contained in it would form a new and better quality Core¡ªGreen Core. This was the reason Basil was trying his best to break the sphere.
Of course, "breaking the sphere" can''t be taken literally. One could easily break the sphere¡ªthe Core¡ªfrom the outside, as long as one knew the right position.
However, that would entirely end one''s career as a Knight. No one wants that to happen, and breakthrough is never about that.
"Breaking the sphere" in terms of breakthrough means purifying the Qi stored in one''s Core to the point of breaking the Core.
It can because Core is created to store Qi of a certain purity¡ªin dependence to its color. Once the purity of the Qi in one''s body surpassed a certain point, one''s Core will not be able to keep it any longer, and the Core will shatter naturally.
This, of course, doesn''t make one lose all of the effort one has done to cultivate it. The Qi, that is previously stored inside the shattered Core, will make a newyer of sphere shaped ss-like material of the same colour as the Qi.
This way, a new Core is born.
Crack. Crack. Crack.
With [Star Withering], Basil was ceaselessly purifying his Qi. The purification rate was honestly bewildering, considering how miniscule the Star Energy¡ªthat was the main fuel of his Body Forging Technique¡ªBasil could absorb in the Dungeon.
The fissures covering his Core was increasing, signifying the imminent breakthrough. Despite so, Basil didn''t let his guard down. He was fully aware this phase was the most important phase.
If he failed in this phase, he wouldn''t be able to achieve breakthrough. His Core would heal itself, and it would be harder for him to achieve breakthrough in the next time.
Crack!
The colour of his Qi was changing. The previously bright yellow colour was turning into dark green. The process wasn''t instant, but it didn''t take long until the Qipletely turned into dark green.
Basil''s Qi had reached another level of purity.
Shatter!
Finally, Basil''s Core also "shattered." It couldn''t handle Basil''s purified Qi anymore.
Even so, the Qi didn''t scatter, and roam around freely in his body. It stayed in its ce, looking like a dense gaseous green sphere.
Slowly, the Qi formed a newyer of sphere shaped ss-like material. The process was called Core Reforging. Basil had to do it carefully, lest he wanted to spoil his hardwork.
Although his Qi could stay in its ce despite the absence of Core, it wouldn''t be for long. Therefore, he had to Reforge the Core to contain the Qi.
Soon enough, a new and stronger Core was born. Basil had finally stepped his foot in the realm of Green Core.
His eyes opened, and his sense returned once again. He immediately looked at his surrounding to determine his situation.
He had immediately tuned out the world as soon as he felt he was about to have a breakthrough. Therefore, he didn''t quite know what happened right after.
He soon found himself lying on the ground of one of the cells made for Kinyers¡ªthe lowest cell.
He was there because Caesar had been afraid he would disturb Basil if he were to take Basil to his usual cell, which was located very high up in the wall.
Basil quickly sat himself up, and looked down to his body. He was drenched in sweat, and his clothes sticked close to his body. Luckily, he wasn''t smelly like the moment he had just broken through in his Mana Heart Cultivation.
Clenching his hand, he could feel every muscle in his body was denser than before; he could tell by the contraction they made. Standing up, he could instantly feel his body was lighter even more than before.
"As expected, breaking through to Green Core really changes my body," Basil muttered.
In Knight Principle, reaching the Green Core means having one''s physique literally transcending the realm of human.
In this stage, there is absolutely no one will be able topete with the Knight in terms of physical prowess.
Their pure physical prowess equals to the fully reinforced body of a Fourth Circle Battle Mage. Which means, they could fight with a Fourth Circle Battle Mage without utilizing their Qi.
Therefore, naturally, a Fourth Circle Battle Mage will never be able to fight a Green Core Knight in closebat, and it is very likely a Fourth Circle Battle Mage will never be able to beat a Green Core Knight.
Basil looked to the ground briefly, before stomping down casually.
Crack!
The dense ground instantly cratered, and dust rose up. It was all caused by his pure physical prowess; there wasn''t any Body Strengthening involved.
This was his new physical prowess after his breakthrough. At this point, a p from him could turn any ordinary people to mush.
Not stopping there, he made a Qi de, then cut his palm open with it. It quickly bled, but the bleeding stopped in seconds. Soon enough, the wound closed itself; no scar could be found.
Even his regeneration speed was off the charts without any Healing Technique.
This also signified how bad Caesar had done the Green Core Knights of Hauler to be able to create gashes their body couldn''t heal without the help of a Healer.
Basil nodded his head in satisfaction at his improvement. His body had finally transcended the realm of human, and would stop getting any stronger until he reached Violet Core Stage.
With that being said, it doesn''t mean his power would be limited until he reached Violet Core Stage. He could still use Body Strengthening to further empower his physical prowess.
Basil sighed to himself, "Huuh... I should clean myself."
He conjured water from the air, then poured it down on him. He didn''t take off his clothes, but he made sure to clean every part of his body with the water he was controlling.
Once he thought he was clean enough, he quickly gathered wind around him. It didn''t take long until he got his entire body dried, including his clothes; he purposefully left his hair slightly damp, so it would be easier to organize it.
Once everything was done, Basil opened the door of his cell; he was instantly face to face with Caesar.
Caesar had quicklye here upon hearing the sound of the cracking ground Basil had caused with his casual stomp; he had thought something wrong had been happening to Basil.
"Congrattions on your breakthrough, Young Master."
"Say that after my training is finished, Caesar." Basil was referring to his Fourth Circle Recarving.
Caesar smiled slightly. "An advancement is still an advancement."
"I am famished after the breakthrough. Let us have a meal."
Caesar merely bowed his head in eptance. Since he had been doing it for the past month, there was no way he would refuse Basil''s invitation.
Basil was quick to take action. Soon enough, everything was prepared; the meal could finally start.
"I wonder, Young Master. We have eaten the same amount of food for a month straight almost everyday. Do you still have enough supply?"
While slicing his steak, Basil answered, "You have not to worry about that. I have enough supply." Putting the slice of the steak in his mouth, it quickly disappeared like it was never even there before.
"Even if I am out of supply, there are still many consumable low ss Demons here," continued him.
Caesar gulped the steak he had just chewed, before nodding his head. "Yes, they are. However, I believe they will not taste good."
"It is all about the way one processes it, Caesar. Even a low quality ingredients can still taste great."
Caesar shrugs. "Well, it''s easy for people like you, Young Master; I''m not that skilled in cooking. My cooking sucks!" He shuddered in horror.
Basil blinked once. "Well, that is new." He had never seen someone admitted their cooking was bad, after all.
Basil raised his liquor filled mug, and gulped it; he had finished his meal.
It wasn''t Caesar''s first time seeing Basil''s godly eating skill, but he was still amazed everytime he saw. He had never thought such application of Magic would ever exist.
However, it wasn''t the only thing about Basil''s habit that intrigued him. He was also intrigued by Basil''s activity after the meal: pondering about something he would never know, just like now.
"Caesar, have you explored the entirety of this Dungeon?"
"I believe yes."
"Then, have you ever encountered a gate that connects this ce towards somewhere else?"
Basil was referring to the gate that connected the Dungeon to the Obelisk of Goap. He had been too focused in his training, he had forgotten about it momentarily.
Caesar shook his head. "No, Young Master. There is no such thing." He frowned, then was reminded about something else. "Or maybe ... Are you referring to the gate that connects this Dungeon to another Dungeon?"
"Does such thing exist?" Basil was slightly surprised. He hadn''t heard anything about it in his past life.
"Yes, Young Master. Dungeons were originally connected to each other. It was only after the end of the Age of Chaos was the connection between Dungeon destroyed."
Basil hummed in interest. He didn''t know that tidbit of information. "If the only thing being destroyed was the connection, does that mean the gate still exists?"
Caesar nodded wordlessly, and Basil became even more intrigued.
"Very well, Caesar. You shall bring me there right after you finish your food."
"That ce will be crowded with annoying Demons. It will take a quite some time to clean them. Is it not better to spend your time training instead, Young Master?"
"I will be training, Caesar. Cleaning them as fast as possible is the training."
"As you wish, Young Master." Since Basil was that insistent, Caesar didn''t want to stop him.
Soon, the meal finished, and the two immediately set on the journey to find the gate. Surely enough, no one had expected what they would encounter.
Chapter 146 The True Beginning (9)
Death Howl was the name of the Dungeon Basil and Caesar were currently in. This Dungeon had no specialty nor an exceptional danger to it.
Even in the past, death Howl had been considered one of the tame ones ... Untill one tragedy changed it all.
The 32nd Obelisk, the Obelisk of Goap had a sudden Outbreak that had taken people by ultimate surprise. The world had been too calm for more than 2000 years, no one had expected history would repeat itself.
Death Howl had been used as a connecting gate¡ªa shortcut¡ªbetween BA-32, the ce where the Obelisk of Goap was located at, and Fortescher County.
Raneil Barony, as the outermost part of Fortescher County, had been the very first ce to copse. Due to the sudden and bewildering development, the Kingdom had decided to sacrifice Fortescher County for the "greater good."
The people the Kingdom had sent had prioritized conquering the Obelisk over reiming the Demon infested County. In result, many innocent''s lives were forfeit.
All of this had happened due to the unexpected variable, that was, Death Howl Dungeon.
At that time, although Basil hadn''t been a renowned Knight yet, he had been strong enough to visit Death Howl alone. He had checked through it, purely out of curiosity.
He had thought he could figure out the part that connected Death Howl with BA-32. How wrong he was, he still couldn''t find it, even after visiting it for the second time in his past life.
At the very beginning of the Exploration, he had also thought the Exploration would run smoothly as he had already known most of the route.
However he was also proven wrong; even if he recognized the ce, the structure of the Dungeon waspletely differentpared to the one he had visited in his past life.
His puzzlement was answered only after heid his hand on the Sealing Sword that acted as the controller of the Dungeon. Death Howl Dungeon had no definite structure; it could be modified at will.
That means, in the past, Caesar had changed the structure of the Dungeon. That also means, Caesar had been the one who had let the Demons from BA-32 pass through it.
"Caesar, despite being able to control the Dungeon on your whim, why do you not do it?"
Basil and Caesar were already in the middle of their journey to find the connector gate. It had been twenty minutes of traveling in normal speed, and they hadn''t encountered a single low ss Demon yet.
"Hmmm ... You might not know it, but..." Caesar cupped his chin. "I have changed the Dungeon structure many times, Young Master. It was done to keep those annoying bastards away though."
He was referring to the low ss Demons.
"I see ..." Basil kept quiet for awhile, beforeing up with another question. "Upon our first encounter, why did you not keep the Sealing Sword away?"
Caesar didn''t answer immediately. He seemed to ponder whether he should tell or not. In the end though, he still decided to answer.
"It was much simpler than you thought, Young Master." With a small voice, he continued, "I was lonely. Meeting another human, that is not a Priest, soothes that loneliness a little bit."
"..."
Upon hearing the answer, Basil did him a favor by staying quiet. He understood Caesar a little bit. For someone as sociable as Caesar, 2000 years of staying alone must be hard for him.
Furthermore, he had been visited by the people he hated to his Core three times a year for the past 25 years. Anyone would be frustrated.
Basil touched the Sealing Sword that was hanging on his hip. It was a 1.3 meters long, bronze colored ornamental sword with countless of shining Runes directly Carved on the de. Overall, it looked like nothing but a decoration.
"I cannot locate the area we are heading with this ... What does this mean?"
Basil was referring to the location of the connector gate. He could feel every parts of the Dungeon with the Sealing Sword but one: the area Caesar had mentioned about. Which is the reason why he had asked Caesar to guide him.
"Oh, that is also simple, Young Master. Although you can change the structure of the Dungeon, some of the parts are immovable. That is why you can''t feel them through the Sealing Sword."
"No wonder," Basil mused.
He had asked the same thing to the Guide, but the answer it had given had been unsatisfactory.
¡ªYou have to upgrade the Guide to unlock the new function!
He didn''t even ask the guide to locate the area he had been asking about, he had merely asked how he couldn''t locate it.
However, upon hearing the answer from Caesar, he could quite understand why. The information was significant enough as it could determine the oue of the iing big event that was soon to happen.
"How long had it taken you to get a full control over this Dungeon?"
"Hmmm ... Thirty years, I guess?" Caesar caressed his long, white beard. "The only thing stopping me from getting the Sealing Sword was its position: I couldn''t locate it until I fixed my fourth Circle."
Repairing a Magic Circle is three times harder than Carving it. Thus, the long time.
Caesar nced at Basil. "Therefore, I was astonished when you could locate it in just a few minutes, Young Master."
,m The Sealing Sword had been stuck in one of the stone pirs in the cell chamber. Although the stone pirs could be seen inly, not a single eye could detect or notice the Sealing Sword.
The reason was simple: an Upper Middle Grade Barrier was put to hide the Sealing Sword. However, for Basil, who had created the strongest Magic Barrier in the past, it had been nothing.
Still ... That doesn''t mean Caesar was ipetent, despite of the experience he should have.
"There is nothing amazing with being able to notice it with a healthy Circle."
"Nheless, I am still amazed, Young Master," Caesar said with a slight smile. He was a little bit touched by the consideration.
Although it wasn''t to the point where it wasn''t amazing, what Basil had said was true: anyone with healthy Magic Circles, and an amazing talent would be able to do the same feat.
Magic Circles, even though fixable, after being crippled once, would never be the same again. Therefore, even after Caesar had fully fixed his ninth Magic Circle, he would only be slightly stronger than an ordinary Eighth Circle.
It had been also the case in the past; Basil had taken care of two Bewitched Kinyers with Nine Magic Circles on his own, despite of being a mere Eighth Circle Mage.
One could only imagine if none of them hadn''t had their Magic Circles crippled. A sudden emergence of hundreds of true Ninth Circle Mages was the least thing one would want to happen.
"We have arrived, Young Master," Caesar said rather awkwardly.
Basil blinked his eyes. "We have arrived?"
"Yes ... I guess?" Basil nced at Caesar, and Caesar cleared his throat at that. "Kuhum! At least, in my memory, we have arrived."
One might wonder where Basil and Caesar were. However, they weren''t far from the ce where they had started their journey. In fact, they were back to the ce where they started their journey¡ªthe cell chamber.
Silence descended amongst the two, and the situation turned even more awkward.
How could it not? Imagine if you were walking for an hour, only to end up going around in circles. It is frustrating!
"How¡ªwhat the heck is happening?" Caesar muttered in puzzlement.
Basil was slightly puzzled too. He was sure he and Caesar hadn''t been going around in circles. He had pictured the route in his mind, and there was no possibility they could return to the cell chamber.
Even the Sealing Sword considered this ce was different than the cell chamber, the ce that he had spent his time with Caesar training.
"I am sorry, Young Master ..." Caesar bowed his head. "I think it is a mistake on my part. I believe I have led us to the wrong way. In the very first ce, if the route had been right, we would have encountered many annoying Demons in our way."
Caesar was about to continue talking, when Basil raised his hand up. Caesar was about to ask what was the matter, but Basil quickly answered his question.
"You are not wrong; we are here. This is the ce."
"Huh? What do you ..." Caesar trailed off his word by the time he saw what Basil was doing.
Basil rose the Sealing Sword in his hand, and pointed it to the gateway of the cell chamber. Infusing his Mana into it, every Runes carved on its de shone, then moved around the de.
Basil thrust the Sealing sword slowly to the front. When the tip of the sword entered the area of the gateway, the air rippled slightly, and the tip immediately disappeared as if just entering another dimension.
Caesar widened his eyes. "Barrier? Who had set this thing here? It could''t just appear by itself!"
Then, his eyes went to the Sealing Sword that was already half submerged into the Barrier. He was sure it must had a hand in it.
"Young Master, I think we should¡ª"
Caesar shut his mouth entirely when he saw Basil''s expression. Saying it not good would be an understatement. He could surely exim, of all the facial expressions Basil had shown, this was his darkest.
"They are already here," Basil muttered.
"They? Who are they?"
There was so many things Caesar wanted to ask: how Basil knew everything, how he could notice the barrier, and how he could utilize the Sealing Sword that way.
However, Basil paid no mind to him. He merely twisted the Sealing Sword, spiraling the Barrier, before dispersing itpletely.
The scene changed; it didn''t look like the cell chamber anymore. A 7 meters tall, and 10 meters wide tunnel could be seen in front of the two Mages.
Caesar''s eyes looked at nothing but to his front; he didn''t feel the need to admire the tunnel. His eyes werepletely glued to the tunnel way¡ªto the approaching horde of hideous creatures.
"The exodus has started."
They were the Demons of BA-32.
Chapter 147 The True Beginning (10)
Exodus means a mass departure of people. In this case however, Exodus was not just a term. Exodus was a term used to call the event that unfolded before the Obelisk of Goap''s Outbreak.
Tens of thousands of Demons that resided in BA-22 mysteriously disappeared one day. Because of this, the Kingdom''s Royal Mages were sent to BA-22 to investigate; they were afraid an Outbreak would ur.
However, upon investigation, it was revealed that the Demons had massively moved to somewhere else, and no one knew where they headed. This bizarre and confusing event was called Exodus.
It was only after the Obelisk of Goap''s Outbreak did everyone know where the Demons had moved to: Death Howl Dungeon.
They had hidden themselves there for a few weeks, waiting for the opportunity to show themselves right when the Outbreak ured. Needless to say, they were sessful in their endeavor.
At that time, the army was still concentrated in BA-22¡ªwatching over the Obelisk of Astaroth, that was expected to have an Outbreak¡ªper the King''s order.
Due to this, many areas near BA-32 were upied by the Demons from Obelisk of Goap; thousands of ordinary people became a fodder for the Demons.
In the other hand, Fortescher County was destroyed by the Demons from BA-22 who had been hiding in Death Howl Dungeon prior to the Outbreak.
It was also to everyone''s bafflement that there was eventually a passageway that connected Obelisk of Goap and Death Howl Dungeon, making the process of solving the matter became even longer.
It wasn''t until the Kingdom decided to throw away Fortescher County to concentrate on conquering the Obelisk, did the Demons could be exterminated.
Tens of thousands of people were sacrificed in the process, but another Obelisk was conquered after 2000 years.
Despite so, no one could rejoice in their sess of conquering the Obelisk. Too many people had fallen, and it just not worth it.
...
Basil stopped reminiscing about the past, and frowned lightly. To say he was surprised by the development would be lying. However, he just didn''t expect the Exodus would happen this soon.
If he used the past event as his reference, the Outbreak would ur in two weeks, which was 9 days earlier than the Guide''s prediction.
Of course, Basil was a practical person. He prioritized himself in focusing on the things that are crucial first.
The iing horde of Demons, for example.
Basil silently looked at the horde. He could see, at least, four kinds of Demon with roughly the same amount in each kind. The Exodus had just started, so there weren''t many of them had arrived yet.
"Caesar."
"Yes, Young Master?"
"This dungeon has no mechanism to hold these creatures off from advancing."
Caesar turned to Basil with quirked eyebrow. "Yes?"
"I need you to build a strong Barrier to block them."
"Why?" Caesar was puzzled. "We can just let them in. As long as the control is in your hands, they will stay here forever."
They just needed to make the Demons stay away from from them, was what Caesar meant.
Basil turned his head slightly to Caesar. "That will be the case for the low ss Demons. However, can you guarantee the same thing will happen to the Middle ss Demons?"
At that, Caesar couldn''t confidently answer like before. A Middle ss Demon was normally stronger than an ordinary Fifth Circle Mage. That means, they were capable enough to get out of the Dungeon.
One might argue Basil still had the Dungeon''s control, which meant he could confuse them by changing the structure from time to time. However, that method would only work if Basil had enough Mana to do it in every hour, in which he didn''t.
Not even Caesar was willing to waste his Mana doing it. Furthermore, controlling the Dungeon also had limitation; like Caesar had said, some of the Dungeon parts were immovable.
Once the Demons reached those points, they just had to wait for the perfect moment to slowly slip away, since Basil could do nothing about it.
Then, one might think: "Would not letting them roam the Dungeon freely be the best choice? The only one would be getting away would be the Middle ss Demons and above, after all."
While there is nothing wrong with the idea, that would be an underestimation over the magnitude of the problem a Middle ss Demon could cause.
A Middle ss Demon had a high chance of being able to kill someone like Ansley Woster, a Fifth Circle Mage, a Count. Imagine what would happen if there were thousands of them.
A scene worst than nightmare would ur!
"I still have people I need to protect out there," he muttered softly.
Therefore, making a Barrier to hold them off until Basil finished Recarving his Fourth Circle was the smartest way.
"That will take me three hours to make, Young Master. I can''t be disturbed in that time, which means I can''t help you face those things, and you have to protect in that three hours." Caesar gestured at the horde of Demons. "Can you face them alone?"
Basil didn''t give a verbal answer to Caesar''s question. He merely stepped forward, and said, "I entrust the Barrier to you, Caesar."
Caesar only nodded his head. He didn''t need to question Basil for his choice. He was sure Basil, as someone who was chosen by his esteemed Lady, a Pacifer nheless, knew what he was doing.
He sighed. "Huuh... I need to get it done quickly. I can''t waste anymore time." Spreading his hand, his palms immediately shone in golden light. Mana gathered around him, and a Spell was shouted out.
"[Realm Separation]!" A Magic Barrier of the highest grade, which only a few Eight Circle Spellcasters could cast.
Nine Magic Circles materialized themselves behind Caesar''s back. All of them rotated in their ce while shining brightly, but one: the ninth Magic Circle.
It was there, but it was stagnant. It had a grey color, and it looked like it was dying: it was his ninth Magic Circle, thest crippled Magic Circle.
Although Caesar still had one of his Magic Circles crippled, he could still function properly as a Mage. Therefore, his Spell could work just fine.
Thin film of golden light immediately covered the mouth of the tunnel. Of course, this didn''t signify thepletion of the Barrier.
There were still many things he had to do with the Barrier. He needed to empower and stabilize it; he needed toplete it.
Before that, Basil had to stand his ground¡ªbasically staying alive. Needless to say, it wasn''t hard for Basil.
Currently, he was stronger as a Knight than he was as a Mage. The only thing he could do as a Mage was spamming Mana he couldn''t quite control with his three Magic Circles.
That being said, he was still powerful nheless. The current him could stand to toe with Ansley, and had a possibility to defeat him; he was more or less as strong if not slightly weaker than a Middle ss Demon.
However, it was only about raw power. With his experience and his effective way in utilizing his Arts and Techniques, he could be stronger than that.
Holding the Sealing Sword vertically in front of his chest, he drew his Qi and activated his Aura. His eyes shone in golden light, and a unique ck colored pattern was carved on his iris.
His [Eyes of Mana Perception] is activated.
With his Qi drawn, his Aura Ability: [Master of Weapons] was also activated. He became in tune with the sword in his hands, as if he had wielded it for hundreds of years.
Followed by that, 20 swords of different kinds floated behind his back. All of them were pointed at the iing horde of Demons, and the Demons, in turn, felt threatened by them.
rm went off in their head, and they naturally developed an urgency. With a roar, the first group of Demons ran straight at Basil.
They had a slender build, three eyes, wide mouth that was decorated with razor sharp teeth, and extremely long ws. These Demons were Gutter, and there were 20 of theming at him.
Basil, experienced enough to deal with the Lower Middle ss Demons, was still calm despite being merely 20 steps away from them. He merely sent his 20 swords forward, and assigned each one of them to different Gutters.
The Gutters let out an anguish filled like roar, and sent their ws forward to intercept Basil''s swords. Unfortunately for them, not only were Basil''s swords stronger, but also faster to skewer them.
Not stopping there, after they got their chest pierced, they were sent back to the horde that still had some distance away from them.
Of course, Basil did it for a reason.
What is the most fearsome trait of a Gutter? Its gut. Their gut can produce toxin when they feel endangered, and they can explode it anytime they want. Not only is the explosion big enough to injure its predator, but also brings them down.
Basil used their trait against their fellow Demons. Therefore, upon reaching the horde of Demons, the 20 Gutters who were intent on exploding their stomach, couldn''t stop their natural instinct.
In result, a spectacr scene was produced.
Boom!
Some of the weaker frontmost Demons were blown to pieces due to the explosion, while some of them had a burned skin due to the corrosive liquid the Gutters'' stomachs had produced.
What they experienced inmon though, was getting their nose assaulted with the unbearable smell. To generalize the situation, the momentum of the horde of the Demon was broken.
Of course, Basil didn''t mean to stay idle. Materializing his Magic Circles, he uttered the strongest Fire Element Spell he could use currently; his own made Spell, that no one had ever used.
[Crimson Lotus]!
Basil pointed his palm at the horde. Fire was conjured out of nowhere, and it quickly gathered on his palm, forming a lotus shape. With a gentle push, the lotus was sent forward.
The process took barely five seconds.
The lotus flew graciously in the air, and the scene was enough to make one stop to admire. However, despite how beautiful its appearance was, the chaos it brought was simply terrifying.
Upon arriving at the area that was filled with dense toxin gas which was produced by the now dead Gutters, each of the lotus'' petals scattered and ignited the gaseous toxin in fire.
In result, another explosion ured.
Boom!
The Demons who had survived the first explosion were forced to forfeit their life this time. There was simply no way they could survive the explosion. Even the Demons who had been merely sshed with the Gutter''s corrosive liquid were set on fire.
The toxin that was produced by a Gutter''s stomach is highly mmable. Due to how reluctant people to deal with Gutter however, no one had ever tested it.
Thus, not many people knew about it. Of course, Basil knew about it.
The me was hard to put out. Therefore, all of the Demons who were set on fire were left behind. The horde stopped in their track, and took a step back away from the burning crowd.
Of course, this doesn''t mean the fight was done. This time, the stronger Demons charged forward. Their target was, of course, Basil.
Pointing his sword at them, Basil smirked faintly. "Come. Let my sword be thest thing you see."
The fight continued.
Chapter 148 The True Beginning (11)
Boom!
The head of one of the Demons that dare toe at Basil was blown away. With his Qi infused hand, he had punched through its head. Needless to say, there was not a single Low ss Demon could stand a punch from him.
Of course, Basil''s fearsomeness had nothing to do with the Demons'' courage at all. As the word goes, "He, who thinketh less, hath more bravery," the horde of unintelligent creatures had nothing to fear.
They were born as a natural fighter; they had to struggle ever since they were birthed. Such creatures don''t see death as something they need to be afraid of¡ªdeath always apanies their step¡ªthey are used to it.
The main reason of all this is, of course, theirck of intelligence. They valued themselves too much, they forgot there is always a bigger fish in the ocean.
Their stupidly prideful nature worsen the situation even more. In the end, they are no different than a pawn, a sacrifice, people who held no value over their life.
Therefore, many of them died just because they poked the wrong person. Again, due to theirck of intelligence, none of them learned from the others'' mistakes.
They saw that as something to boast about instead. Therefore, instead of stop doing it, it was encouraged. Stupid indeed. However, this trait makes them fearsome.
Basil twirled the Sealing Sword in his hand, and infused his Mana into it. The Rune carved on its de shone, before wind swirled around it. With a casual thrust, Basil sent the wind forward.
"Execution Art: [Death Swirl]!"
Whoosh!
Whirlwind is naturally vertical. In Basil''s Art however, with the Sealing Sword as its source, the whirlwind formed horizontally. 30 unlucky Demons were caught up in it, and got their whole body mutted gruesomely.
Not only was the wind more than enough to blow them away, but also sharp enough to shred them.
Sharp? Yes, it was sharp.
Basil didn''t just send a horizontal whirlwind at the Demons. There were also wind des in the inner part of the wind.
This is a reproduced Art of the one Basil had used to kill Kinsey. With the help of the Sealing Sword, he used the more controlled version of it to finish the Demons in front of him.
What is the corrtion between the Sealing Sword and the more controlled Art? The answer is the Rune.
Basil had just figured out that infusing his Mana directly into the sword, not the Rune, helped him control his Mana better.
Although the Rune had no function such as stabilizing one''s Mana usage, the sword was heavily influenced by the Rune carved on its de. Therefore, upon infusing his Mana into the sword, the Rune worked prematurely.
In result, the Rune stabilized the Mana, instead of absorbing and processing it in ordance to themand written in the Rune.
Needless to say, this was not something that easy to do. Mana is naturally picky; it only goes to ces suitable for them¡ªan environment that could easily host Mana.
A piece of metal¡ªunless of a Mythical Grade¡ªis naturally inferior to Rune that is made to process Mana.
Normally, when there is a Rune Carved on the surface of something, the Mana one infuses doesn''t go to the thing the Rune is Carved on, but the Rune itself.
The reason is because the Rune is more habitable for the Mana rather than the thing the Rune is Carved on.
Therefore, to infuse one''s Mana into a naturally less suitable ce for Mana was just slightly easier than controlling it; it was still hard!
Although it was a little bit of a hassle, Basil could do it just fine nheless.
With that being said, there are also some instances where the thing the Rune is Carved on is more habitable for Mana. However, it can only happen to High Grade Artefacts.
The Sealing Sword Basil was currently wielding was by no means a High Grade Artefact. Although in terms of quality it was better than Kusanagi, function wise, it was inferior to Kusanagi.
Kusanagi made one possess an extreme control over wind that could make a Pyro Mage be just as good in Wind Magic as an Anemo Mage.
In the other hand, the Sealing Sword had no special ability or whatsoever. The only quality it had was the superior durability over Kusanagi, and, of course, the passive function of the Rune that acted as a Mana stabilizer.
Although it functioned not as good as his Ultimate Circles, for the current Basil, it was still helpful.
An hour passed, and the horde was as endless as it was before. The Demons seemed to have learnt something.
They were sending their weaker kind to distract Basil, so the stronger kind could attack him. It was getting more bothersome facing them.
Just like now, 123 Goblins wereing at him at once, while the bullheaded, half-human Demons, Minotaurs were ready behind the Goblins to catch him off guard.
Although the Minotaurs were just a normal Minotaur, not a Minotaur Warrior, it was still bothersome to deal with.
Of course, Basil had a way to face these pesky creatures.
[Synchronization]!
A part of Vagus'' soul was slowly poured into the Sealing Sword. The process was easier than infusing his Mana to the sword, since a Sword Soul can basically reside in any kind of sword.
Still, the Sealing Sword couldn''t handle the burden of Vagus'' soul, despite being made of a higher quality metal than Kusanagi that was made from the natural metal bone of Yamata No Orochi; only 30% of Vagus'' soul could be contained.
The bronze colored Sealing Sword shone in a mixture of blue and bronze. A destructive aura was exuded from Basil''s entire being, and it was enough to make the Goblins falter in their step.
In that moment, Basil brandished his sword gracefully.
? Schwing!
Nothing happened for a while, but soon a foreboding feeling terrorized the cursed soul of every Demons in front of Basil. Then in a blink of an eye, chaos happened.
BOOM!
The air was split apart, and all of the Goblinsing at Basil were bisected cleanly; not even a drop of blood spilled before the upper half of the body touched the ground.
Of course, this didn''t stop just there. Out of the 17 Minotaursing at him, 8 of them were also bisected cleanly.
The rest had manged to pull back, and only had a deep cut in their abdomen, which could be healed in a matter of minutes with their regeneration speed.
Hiss!
The Sealing Sword steamed. In the end, even 30% of Vagus'' soul was too much for it. Luckily, nothing happened to it, nor the Rune Carved on its de.
It would be a hassle if the Rune was destroyed.
That being said, Basil couldn''t use anymore [Synchronization] for the time being.
Now, he could only rely on his floating swords to kill the Demons in mass. Although not as effective as utilizing [Synchronization], it would still do.
Basil retracted his 20 floating swords that were keeping the Gutters away, and lined them up in front of him. Arranging them in a circle, he utilized his Mana once again, and activated one of his newly made Art.
"Execution Art: [Circle of Dream]!"
Electricity ran through his finger, before heading to the swords floating in circle. The electricity jumped from de to de, before eventually wrapping all of them.
A magnificent scene of a circle made from 20 swords of sparkling lightning was made.
Hum.
Each time the lightning sparked, the sword resonated with it. A fascinating, but uneasiness evoking hum could be heard.
The scene was enough to entrance anyone who saw it, making them feel as if they were dreaming. Due to this, the Art was named [Circle of Dream]
The purpose of the Art, was to kill the enemy while they were entranced¡ªwhile they were dreaming.
Basil spun the circle of swords, and sent it toward the horde of Demons.
The weaker kind werepletely out of it; they couldn''t notice the sparkling circle wasing to take their life. However, the stronger kind quickly took a step away.
Caesar looked at the scene, and sighed in amazement. Such a disy of control over one''s Art was unimaginable for a Third Circle Mage.
Like the word goes: "Monster and genius are not so different." However, he could confidently say Basil was even exceptional amongst monsters.
Looking to his hand, he could see his hair was standing due to the static electricity in the air. He could already see the oue of Basil''s attack: a lot would have to forfeit their life.
When the lightning circle reached to a certain point, the spinning speed became even faster. The electricity hum became even more audible, and it was starting to grate one''s ears.
Still, the Demons of the weaker kind couldn''t wake up from their daze. The electricity in the air had managed to fry the nerves in their brain, due to their unprotected head.
None of the Demons could see when, but when they realized it, the spinning circle of swords was already sending a lightning at them.
Zap!
They were struck, and they could do nothing but standing motionlessly, before dropping to the ground. Right when they fell, they seemed to have lost every motor nerves in their body; they had lost control over their body.
Not so different from a dead body, they could onlyy on the ground in bewilderment, and wait for their imminent death toe.
Their heart beat wildly, and their sensory senses were amplified. They could clearly and slowly see the scene of Basil''s floating swordsing at them. They could feel the sword slowly entering their body, and the pain was amplified.
It was so surreal; it looked like a dream. While still puzzled of what was actually happening, they slowly lost their vision.
Even until the end, they still considered the happening was a mere dream, due to its absurdity.
The swords that had been piercing their chest were retracted, then floated in the air in a circle.
That became thest thing they saw in their dream; they called it a circle of dream.
Chapter 149 The True Beginning (12)
Three hours had passed since Basil started fighting the horde alone, but Caesar hadn''t finished the Barrier yet. Despite so, Basil didn''t frown orint.
In truth, the Barrier had been finished half an hour ago. However, seeing that Basil held his ground well, Caesar had asked Basil whether he could be given some more time, so he could build a stronger Magic Barrier.
Basil''s answer to it had been yes.
Due to that, Basil had been fighting ceaselessly for three hours. His stamina was already trained enough by his Ceaseless Battle with Caesar thatsted for three days straight before stopping to eat.
However, the amount of enemies were too much for him to fight leisurely. There were already many kinds of Demons arriving, and they were all troublesome to deal with.
Nightcrawlers, for example. They are a Lower Middle ss Demon that had a body of a 1 meter wide and 7 meters long worm, with sharp des around its skin.
They bothered Basil, who was being ganged up on, the most; their ability to enter the ground was really dangerous
Basil had to constantly check the ground everytime to avoid getting attacked by them. It was Mana consuming, since he had to let the Spell active all the time.
Rumble.
The ground briefly shook, before a Nightcrawler emerged from the ground right behind Basil. All of the des surrounding its skin were spinning, and it was ready to shred Basil with them.
However, even before it managed to graze him, a flying sword came at it and beheaded its head cleanly. It dropped to the ground lifelessly, and Basil was left unscathed.
Of course, killing it wasn''t as easy as how it looked.
The spinning des covering Nightcrawlers'' skin are not only used for attack purpose, but also defense. Therefore, cutting right through them was difficult, if one didn''t have a high quality weapon.
However, Basil, as someone with experience, knew how to kill it easily. Nightcrawler had around 130 to 170 segments. To kill them in one swoop, one needed to cut them right in their segment joints.
Of course, it doesn''t mean cutting a random segment would kill them. Counted from their head, one needed to cut the thirteenth segment to kill them in one swoop.
If any other than that was cut, they would still be alive, and able to regenerate themselves.
? Needless to say, one''s meticulousness to quickly find the thirteenth segment was also needed. Basil, as a veteran, could spot it at a nce.
Still, it didn''t make the situation any easier; nothing would be easy in fighting a horde of Demons alone.
Boom!
Basil''s fist punched through the head of a Minotaur, and it quickly fell to the ground lifelessly. Not stopping to admire his strength even in a moment, Basil turned around and brandished his sword again.
sh!
A Minotaur was beheaded, and Basil kicked the cut head as hard as he could toward a Gutter that was a few meters away from him.
The Minotaur''s head hit the Gutter right in its chest, caving its chest, and throwing it back due to the momentum. It didn''t take long, until the Gutter exploded its innards outward.
Quickly shing his sword downward, Basil cleanly bisected a Goblin. Seeing another Minotaur ready to but him from the corner of his eyes, he quickly jumped back, and took a distance away from the crowd of Demons.
The Minotaur ended up butting the tunnel''s wall.
Boom!
Basil clicked his tongue. "Tsk. I only have 6% Qi remaining. It''s not even adequate to maintain Aura for the next five minutes. I still have around 20% Mana remaining, but the consumption rate is inefficiently great."
He looked down to his body; it was perfectly covered in the blood of the Demons he had killed. Of course, that wasn''t where he paid his attention to. He was looking at the faint steaming out of his body.
He had over-Reinforced his body with his inefficiently controlled Mana. Thus, his body was close to its limit.
Despite the pain his body was enduring though, he wasn''t really bothered by it.
''Guide, how long can my bodyst until it lost its mobility?''
Instead, he made sure how long he couldst.
[Ding!]
[Analyzing the Host''s body ...]
[Given the current condition, the Host''s body willst for, at the very least, another 20 minutes, before itpletely lost its mobility. It is advised that the Host stopped pushing his body immediately.]
Basil frowned lightly. He had asked the Guide to confirm the calction he had made. However, the Guide''s calction result was different than his. The Guide had assumed that the fatigue would leave Basilpletely immobile.
Basil, in the other hand, was calcting the time needed until his muscles werepletely ruptured: the moment when he would be truly immobile. In his calction, there was at least 50 minutes until it happened.
In times like this, Basil chose to believe his calction instead. Therefore, he would stop using Qi for the time being, and fight with his pure physical prowess. He would slowly recover his Qi, and use [Synchronization] once it was recovered.
Basil exhaled softly. "Huuh... This will be a hard fight." Despite saying so, he had a small smile on his face. "Let''s test my limit."
Basil withdrew his twenty flying swords, and stopped using Qi. He undid the [Reinforcement] on his body to minimize the waste of Mana, before firming his stance on the ground.
Looking at the iing crowd of Demons, his eyes gleamed iprehensibly. They didn''t look like they were usually; they were significantly more expressive than usual.
The feeling they were conveying was slightly surprisinging from someone like Basil.
It was excitement.
...
Randalvine Magic Institute, Randalvine City, Braxtein Kingdom.
More than a month had passed since Basil was trapped in the Dungeon. Iliana, as the one who was taking care of Deacon, had been pestered so many times to contact Basil through him.
She always tried contacting Basil through Deacon in every chance she had, but Basil always ignored her attempt to reach her. Therefore, whenever someone pestered her about it, she would dly punch them right in the face.
They made her look like she didn''t even care about Basil''s survival, and she was annoyed about it.
Still, despite not being able to reach Basil for the past month, the n to rescue him was close to realisation. It wouldn''t be long until they put the n into action.
Iliana didn''t have any thought to look down on Basil or anything. However, she was slightly amazed at Basil for not only being able tost that long, but also finding it more more fruitful than spending his time at Magic Institute.
She didn''t know what Basil was actually doing with the Kinyer. However, she was sure Basil would be fine ... Until today.
¡ªTake my family with you to Randalvine.
That was the message Basil had conveyed through his [Link] with Deacon. Iliana didn''t know what was actually happening, since Basil didn''t give anymore exnation than that. She told Deacon to contact Basil, but he didn''t respond.
"What is your Master doing, little guy?" Iliana turned to Deacon.
Woof!
Deacon shook his head negatively. Basil also didn''t tell him what was going on.
Iliana clicked her tongue. "Tsk. He is too secretive for his own good."
Despite so, she decided to trust Basil and do him the favor. As she coincidentally hadn''t taken any mission yet, she could easily take a leave from the Institute for a few days.
Still, she needed permission from Alcott that she was confident he would give her.
Upon arriving at his office however, Iliana was met with someone she rarely saw in Alcott''s office. It was a young man with ck hair, an average yet still attractive face, lean build, and a height of 181 centimeters.
The young man was also one of the students in Randalvine Magic Institute, but his maturity and stern face made people respect him like an adult. This young man was no other than the Student Council''s President, Darius Ashbury.
"Good day, Iliana." Darius nodded at Iliana.
"What are you doing here, Darius?"
Darius nced at Deacon who was walking beside Iliana briefly, before saying, "Why don''t you sit down first?"
Iliana shrugged, and sat herself right beside him, in front of Alcott. Seeing that, Darius started talking. Alcott was just sitting there silently, as if anticipating something.
"Just a day ago, the pce received a report from the patrolling Mage that half of the Monster poption in Ba-22 disappeared mysteriously. Today, a group of Royal Mages are sent to BA-22 to investigate this phenomenon."
Iliana quirked her eyebrow. "Your point?"
"Many of the Kingdom''s officials suspect this might be a sign of an Obelisk Outbreak. Therefore, 200 of our Institute''s best students are given the honor to aid the Kingdom by watching over the vulnerable areas."
"Well, look at that. We have to follow the whim of those old farts now?" Iliana snorted in disdain. "Let me guess, I am obligated to do it?"
"As expected of you, you get it pretty quick." Darius nodded his head. "However, that''s not my point. This phenomenon also means that any Institute''s external activity will be stopped. In other words, the n to rescue Basil will be also put on hold."
"What are you talking about?" Iliana''s eyes turned cold. "Just because BA-22 is close to the Dungeon Basil is trapped in, it doesn''t be the reason to abandon him."
Darius shook his head. "You misunderstood me, Iliana. I said to put the n on hold. I don''t want to abandon my fellow student either." He looked at Iliana seriously. "However, at times like this, everyone is in danger; everyone''s safety is our priority."
"That''s funny." Iliana sneered. "Standing by at a random ce while anticipating something that might never happen can never be a priority in my book."
Seeing that he couldn''t convince Iliana the otherwise, Darius nodded his head lightly, and stood up. "I think I have conveyed everything, Professor Alcott." He turned his head to Iliana again. "I believe in your professionalism, Iliana."
Then, he left the office.
Alcott mildly looked at Iliana, expecting an outburst from her. He waited silently for a few minutes, but Iliana was merely brushing Deacon''s fur, while looking at him intently.
He was slightly terrified by the gaze if he was to be honest.
"Professor, I want to take a three days leave."
"Where¡ª"
"Don''t ask."
"Okay." In the end, Alcott couldn''t stop Iliana. When he saw Iliana was about to exit his office, he reminded her, "Don''t forget to return in time."
Iliana gave a light nod, and left Alcott''s office.
Her mind had already pieced the puzzle together. Now she knew why Basil had asked her to take his family to Randalvine. Once again, Basil managed to amaze her. He was really ahead of his peers, quite literally.
With that being said, a chaos would truly happen.
Chapter 150 The True Beginning (13)
Iliana was currently on her way to Raneil Barony. She had chosen to go to Raneil Barony because it was the farthest ce from Randalvine.
Furthermore, Basil''s sudden request, and the disappearance of the Monsters in BA-22 coincided with each other. Considering how meticulous Basil was, she believed there must be a rtion between these two events.
Therefore, it was better to head to the ce that was prone to danger the most.
She didn''t know how Basil figured out there was something going to happen, but she decided not to entertain the though for now. She could only expect, and see what would happen in the near future.
With that being said, she couldn''t help getting annoyed though.
"Tsk. Your Master didn''t even say anything about his family''s whereabouts, little guy." Iliana frowned while looking at Deacon. "Luckily, you are smart enough to tell me where they are."
Woof!
Deacon puffed his chest proudly.
Turning her head to the carriage window, Iliana looked at the trees the carriage were passing in each seconds. She was reminded of her first arrival at Braxtein Kingdom.
Although at that time she had been in someone''s embrace, not a carriage, the scene she had witnessed had been exactly like the one she was seeing. Only the mood made it different for her.
That night she was filled with terror, and sorrow; this time, she was filled with merriness, and curiosity. Of course, there was also another simrity between the two: something big followed right after.
Iliana''s mouth slightly nted upward. She looked like she was smiling, but her eyes betrayed the gesture her body made. A mixture ofplicated feelings filled her eyes; it could never be described.
Shaking her head delicately, Iliana closed her eyes. She started Carving her next Magic Circle; she would never stop advancing.
She was a practical person. She didn''t like doing something unfruitful like reminiscing about the unchangeable past.
With her attention focused solely on getting stronger, her journey to fulfill a request from her junior continued.
...
Death Howl Dungeon, Lone in, Outer Region.
A battle between a single young man and a horde of Low to Middle ss Demons was still ongoing. The young man was bravely facing the horde, keeping his stance firm, even at the ceaseless charge of the Demons.
This young man was no other than Basil who hadn''t used his Qi for the past half an hour. He was fighting with his pure physical prowess while effectively putting his Sword Style: [Immovable Boulder In The River] in practice.
It was a Sword Style he had developed in his early days as a Knight¡ªwhen he could only count on a good Technique to survive. In the past, this Sword Style had saved his life countless of times whenever hecked the Qi.
Basil had always had a harsh day in his past life as a Knight. Due to his low self-esteem and theck of love he received from the people around him, once someone had shown him a little bit of kindness, he had quickly believed in the person.
Due to this, he had often been scammed, and beaten close to death by the people he had put his trust into. Of course, it didn''t take him long to stop believing in just anyone.
However, the danger from the people around him didn''tpletely vanish; he still needed something to protect himself.
Basil, who had been merely a Low Rank Knight at that time, had racked his brain to create a Sword Style that could allow him to fight someone of a higher quality Core, which he had often encountered.
After a some trial and error, [Immovable Boulder In The River] was born. It was a Sword Style which focused in defense, and specifically made for a one-sided fight. It didn''t allow the user to move a single step from their ce, except from pivoting.
To be able to use this Sword Style, the user needed to have a high stamina, and equally great concentration; it was exhausting for both mind, and body.
Needless to say, it suited Basil, whose stamina and mental capacity were exceptionally, greatly; he had really created the Sword Style solely for him.
While being charged by the countless of Demons from three sides¡ªfront, left, and right¡ªBasil didn''t waver even in the least.
He kept swinging his sword here and there, attacking the vital parts of the Demons, killing them in one strike. His keen eyes and extraordinary concentration helped him in this endeavor.
He pivoted whenever it was necessary; gracefulness filled the entirety of his movement. Even if both of his hands trembled, it looked like it was essentially a part of the Sword Style.
nk!
A Hog Orc blocked Basil''s sword for the first time. His hands trembled, and he delicately bit his lower lip. His body was close to its breaking; it doesn''t take a genius to see how fatigue he was.
Infusing his Mana to the sword, the Rune Carved on its de shone intensely. Within an inhale of breathter, fire encapsted his sword. With eyes shining in excitement, he condensed the fire on his sword, then swung it savagely.
Burst!
The sword cut through the Hog Orc as if a hot knife cutting through a butter; it was bisected diagonally. Even in itsst moment, its eyes were still nted on Basil; intense hatred filled its eyes.
Right after the body of the Hog Orc dropped to the ground, another one jumped to the front, and quickly snatched the body. Basil knew what it was about to do, and it would make the situation more difficult for him.
However, he couldn''t do anything.
One might wonder how a ten meters wide tunnel could host hundreds of Demon corpses whose bodies were big enough to entirely close the passage of the tunnel.
The answer, is the Hog Orc: the corpses were eaten by them in each seconds. They had a special ability called [Insatiable Urge] that allowed them to process any corpses they had eaten to energy.
This is the reason why in a horde, they were always positioned in the back line: so they could consume the corpses of the Demons that had been killed.
When every Demons in the front line had beenpletely killed, they would step to the front and face the enemy. Needless to say, they would be, at least, twice stronger when that time came.
This thing was currently happening inside the tunnel.
Basil clicked his tongue in slight annoyance. The more he spent his time killing the Demons, the more of them arrived. He was slightly lucky he was fighting in a limited ce. If not, he would be encircled a long time ago.
"Alright, my Qi has recovered." Basil exhaled lightly. "Vagus, show me your brilliance, without ruining the situation."
''What do you mean ruining the situation? I only ruin one thing, and that is a cheap sword!''
Basil lightly smirked, and infused all of the Qi he managed to recover. His sword glowed in dark green light, and his body steamed as if he had just gotten out of an extremely hot sauna.
Slowly, he infused a part of Vagus'' soul into the sword. The sword trembled, and so are Basil''s hands.
The previously green light was slowly changing, and when the sword glowed in bright blue light, Basil held it horizontally.
A crushing, invisible aura could be strongly felt from his entire existence; it made the Demons'' keen instinct scream loudly in their mind.
However, instead of running, they thought they could stop him; they charged at him. Of course, they would never be able to reach him in time.
"Caesar!"
It was the first time Basil rose his voice in his second life, and it was also Caesar''s first time hearing it.
An inexplicable feeling filled Caesar''s chest, and his heart unconsciously beat faster in excitement; he felt like he was fighting with his Lord once again.
"YES!" He replied with the same enthusiasm he had shown back then.
Basil was quick in his action; he quickly swung his sword.
Schwing.
All of the Demons felt it: the feeling of getting their souls forcefully pulled out of their body. However, it was the only thing they experienced; nothing big happened, contrary to their expectation.
Of course, it was nothing more than an intro of Basil''s attack; it was just the calm before the storm. The true disaster was just about to happen.
"[Synchronization]!"
Although it took a second until this word was uttered, it only took a blink of an eye for the disaster toe. A blinding light that no one knew where it came from assaulted the Demons'' eyes.
The world almost looked like a nk sheet of white paper in front of their eyes. Before long, they noticed they couldn''t hear a single thing; not even their own scream of anguish.
BOOM!
A ground shaking explosion ured, and all of the Demons that were exposed to the blinding white light turned to vapour. Some of the farther Demons got their body bisected or almost cleanly cut in half.
Regardless of the different magnitude of injuries they received, they were allpletely flustered.
Of course, Basil wasn''t left unscathed either. Due to his already worn out condition, his body couldn''t bear the aftereffect of [Synchronization].
His palms werepletely ruined; one could even see some parts of the bones. His ears were also bleeding, as his eardrums were ruptured.
Most of his muscles werepletely torn, leaving him with heavy bruises here and there. To summarize his condition, he looked like crap.
As his body waspletely immobile, he had Caesar pulled him out of the tunnel.
The Magic Barrier waspleted now, and it could hold the horde back for, at least, two weeks. Withinn that time, Basil would finish Recarving his fourth Magic Circle.
"Caesar, bring me back to my cell. I need to rest," Basil said with closed eyes.
Caesar looked down at Basil, and nodded his head silently. His eyes were solemn, but a small smile decorated his face.
He was amazed at his Young Master''s tenacity, but also saddened at the iing event.
His time hade.
Chapter 151 The True Beginning (14)
As the Magic Barrier was perfectly established, Caesar could leave the vicinity of the tunnel with Basil, and ran to the cell chamber. He could just teleport himself along with Basil, but Basil''s condition didn''t make [Teleportation] possible.
Even if Basil didn''t show any sign of being in pain, he knew how much pain Basil must be enduring. He couldn''t just exacerbate the situation by letting Basil experience Spatial Bump; he would worsen the injuries Basil had.
Therefore, he could only cast the best Motion Spell he had on his body to elerate his travelling speed.
Knight undoubtedly had a way more durable physique, and ridiculous strength than any other human being. Still, Knight or not, once one is injured, one still feels pain.
In some instances where someone with Knight physique got injured, it would mean the magnitude of the attack they had received wasn''t something one could scoff at.
Logically speaking, if even someone with body as sturdy as that could be injured, an ordinary human with normal physique¡ªMage or not¡ªwould have died.
That just proved how dangerous Basil''s Technique considering what it had done to his body.
[Synchronization] is the highest level of Sword Understanding one can ever reach. The only people who managed to attain this level of enlightenment were Purple Core Knights.
Not only was it hard to attain, but the requirements were also high. It was simply impossible for a Low Rank¡ªGreen core¡ªKnight to attain it.
Moreover, not just all Purple Core Knights could get the enlightenment; only a selected few like Basil could.
With that being said, Basil was ying with something he couldn''t handle yet. He was ying with fire without something to extinguish it. When he was too close to the fire, of course, he got burned.
This is exactly what had happened to him. Although he was using the imperfect [Synchronization] due to his inadequate level, the burden it gave was still too much for the already fatigued body of his to handle.
He had been safe in using [Synchronization] for all this time due to his excellent physical state. He could always strengthen his body with Qi, and even added up [Reinforcement] on top of it to endure the bacsh.
However, the earlier event hadn''t been like that. His muscles were already strained so much, it had been bewildering how they didn''t break yet; he had fought too long with [Reinforcement], his ineffectively utilized Mana started eroding his body.
When he had strengthened his already on the breaking point body with his Qi, it had exacerbated his physical state. When finally he had used [Synchronization], the burden the Technique it gave to his body became simply unbearable.
After a few minutes of running with the help of his Motion Spell, Caesar had finally arrived at the cell chamber. Quickly opening the door of the lowest cell, he entered it, then put Basil on the bamboo bed carefully.
He properly looked at Basil''s condition, and couldn''t help clicking his tongue. In this kind of isted, and Mana thinned ce, Basil''s recovery rate would be slow. He knew a Recovery Spell, but he was hesitant to cast it on Basil.
He didn''t have his Grimoire with him, and he was concerned of the stability of his Spell when it was casted. Instead of healing Basil''s injury, he was afraid he would worsen his injuries.
One might wonder what is Recovery Spell, since it was believed that healing was the specialty of Priest; they possessed Miracle that was specifically used to heal people.
However, like Basil had said, it was nothing but a misconception made out of prejudice and seclusion. Each sides were too busy to keep their own secret, they never truly learned each other''s power.
In the past, way before Priest even existed, there had been also Mages who could heal people. To sess in their endeavor, they casted Recovery Spell on the injured people.
Recovery Spell was made by imitating what Clear Water did to ordinary people. More than an instance had the Mages of the past witnessed a heavily ill, ordinary person got healed after drinking it.
Curiosity evokes creativity; creativity bears creation. Through a year long of research conducted by some highly talented Mages, Recovery Spell was created in the twentieth year of thest war with Demons.
Although it is not as effective as what Miracle does, it still can save lives if used at the right time.
Caesar sighed, and determined himself to cast a Recovery Spell on Basil. Although he hadn''t used it for a long time already, he believed his training in the past would never disappoint him.
Extending his hand forward, he put his palm above Basil''s chest, and slowly chanted the Spell he hadn''t casted for 2000 years. Slowly, but surely his palm glowed in faint blue light, and Basil was exposed to it.
However, even before he finished chanting the Spell, Basil abruptly grasped his hand, cancelling the Spell in one go.
"Young Master?" Caesar was slightly bewildered. Upon remembering Basil''s cautious nature however, he quickly reassured Basil, "Don''t worry, I am not¡ª"
"I know it is a Recovery Spell. However, you shall stop," Basil said calmly without even opening his eyes. "You will be tainting my Magic Circle with your Mana, if you cast that on me." Right after that, he let go of Caesar''s hand.
Caesar stayed silent for a moment, before nodding his head in understanding; he had finally realized what Basil meant.
It was an aspect he had forgotten about Recovery Spell: it could only work by injecting one''s Mana into the system of the injured.
Normally, tainting one''s Magic Circle with a foreign Mana in exchange of one''s recovery is a small price to pay. One can slowly expell the foreign Mana out of one''s Magic Circle once one has recovered enough.
However, in Basil''s case, things were different. He was in the middle of his Circle Recarving. If he were to ept Caesar''s Mana into his Magic Circle, the Recarving process would be hampered significantly.
With how much time he had left, that would be thest thing he wanted to happen.
"Young Master, with how things are going on, your recovery ... Will take a longer time than you think."
"Reminder is unnecessary, Caesar. I am aware of that," Basil replied.
"Then, why¡ª"
"I will do it my way."
At that, Basil infused his Qi into his Spatial Ring, and took out a small bottle of Morning Dew. He took out two pills out of the jade bottle, before gulping them in one go. Putting the bottle right beside his head, he closed his eyes once again.
Caesar blinked his eyes at the unexpected development. He had never entertained the thought that Basil might have prepared something in advance to help himself in this kind of situation. Once again, he was amazed at Basil''s meticulousness.
One might wonder what Morning Dew was, and the answer was, as one had expected, a Catalyst.
Basil had concocted this Catalyst around a month and a half ago with the resources he had gotten from Jacinda for winning the Regional Tournament.
If Crystal Clear lowered one''s body resistance toward the Nature Mana that was about to enter one''s body, Morning Dew increased one''s capability to utilize Mana. Moreover, it could also help one expell the impurity in one''s body.
Although Morning Dew wouldn''t help in a fight, it really helped if one was injured, just like Basil''s current situation. Morning Dew was, shortly, a better version of Crystal Clear.
Caesar sat himself on the ground, and leaned his body onto the wall of the cell, while silently watching Basil''s body slowly recovered in slight fascination.
Although it wasn''t his first time seeing a quick regeneration rate, something fascinating can never get old.
Minutes of silence passed, until it was broken by Basil.
"Why, Caesar?"
"Yes?" Caesar quirked his eyebrow at the ambiguous question.
"Why are you helping me?"
Caesar scratched his head. "Well, as I have said, I have been one of Pacifer n''s servants. Serving a Pacifer is an honor to me."
"That is not what I am asking about, and you know it."
Caesar stayed silent; he couldn''t answer Basil''s question. What exactly could he say? He had done everything out of instinct.
The appearance of his esteemed Lady, Basil''s heritage, and status as the Fragment Bearer; all of this was his reason.
He couldn''t answer how exactly he could develop an instant loyalty to Basil. However, he strongly believed that anyone chosen by his Lord was someone worthy of having his loyalty. Because of that, he had never doubted Basil in the least bit.
"..." Caesar grunted softly in difort. "It''s a sense of duty ... And hope."
"That is a bold word. What exactly do you hope from me, Caesar?"
"I think it will be salvation ..." He said unsurely. "Even if the war has ended, we are not salvaged yet; we are still drown in the same misery, that is, human greed."
"Are you hoping I will be able to eradicate it?" Even if Basil said it casually, Caesar could sense the amusement in his tone.
Caesar shook his head. "No, that is not what I mean. I mean ... I am hoping for Young Master to be able to end the misfortune that is caused by ... Human greed."
"Is that so? I am sensing you are hiding something, though."
Caesar didn''t say anything, and it was enough of a confirmation for Basil. He dropped the matter entirely, then stayed silent; he focused on healing himself instead.
Caesar smiled bitterly, and shook his head helplessly. There would be a time where Basil would understand everything, and now wasn''t the time.
Just like that, a day and a half passed, and Basil was fully recovered.
Chapter 152 The True Beginning (15)
Caesar was slightly bewildered. He hadn''t thought Basil could recover that fast, even though Basil had the help of Catalyst. Catalyst was nothing more than just that ... Catalyst.
Its function was to solely make one''s body be more in tune with Nature Mana; it should do nothing much than that.
Even though it could boost one''s recovery rate, it wouldn''t be as astronomical as what it had done to Basil.
With injuries of that magnitude, Caesar had predicted it should have at least taken Basil 4 days to recover, even with the help of Catalyst. Bewilderingly, it had only taken him three fourth of the predicted time.
The only exnation for this was Basil''s naturally abnormal vitality, and, of course, [Star Withering].
What was [Star Withering]? It was the strongest Body Forging Technique the Guide had provided him; the one with highestpatibility with him.
It was nothing surprising it gave him a close to miracle effect in times like this.
When he recovered, Basil didn''t stay idle; he was quick to proceed the n he had made in his mind.
''Guide, how much time do I have left until the Obelisk of Goap''s Outbreak?''
[Rough calction of the remaining time untill the Obelisk of Goap''s outbreak: 23 days, 1 hours, and 24 seconds.]
Basil hummed to himself in silent contemtion. Thest time he had checked, there had been 19 days left until the Outbreak¡ªthe remaining time had changed.
Although the added time wasn''t that much, it proved that Basil not only could make some happenings ur earlier, but also slower. Still, Basil didn''t know how much he had actually changed the course of the event.
The Guide provided him with nothing but merely a rough calction¡ªa prediction. Logically speaking, Basil''s decision to block the tunnel could not possibly affect the Outbreak.
There was no consequential rtion between the happening inside Howl Dungeon and the Obelisk of Goap that was located in BA-32, more than 400 kilometers away from Lone in.
Even if he blew up the entire Dungeon, it would hold no effect to the other side. Still, it was just the way he saw things¡ªhis rationalization of the events.
Unfortunately, the event that had happened until now hadn''t been consequentially logical.
He had stomped his urge to travel around, and decided to spend his time slowly advancing in the Academy; not only it was safer that way, he could also avoid changing the timeline too much.
But still, the Regional Tournament that should''ve been postponed until a yearter had happened. He didn''t know what his deal in the event had been, and he was sure he had done nothing.
Logically speaking, his soul''s return to this time shouldn''t have affected an event that should have happened in three more years, such as, the Obelisk of Goap''s Outbreak.
What did he do to elerate the happening? None.
However, that is just how time works: it is funny, and it was still beyond hisprehension. He could think of a thousand theories regarding how time works, but he could never prove his theory.
Even in his past life, he had never dwelled in Time Magic, the specialty of a specific race¡ªFairy.
"Caesar. Let us have another Battle." Basil turned to Caesar. "The time is running thin; I do not want to dwell in this ce any longer."
Of course, Basil was a practical person. He didn''t want to entertain any thought of anything that didn''t benefit him in the current situation. He had something better to do than that¡ªfinish Recarving his Circle.
"Caesar?"
As Caesar remained silent, Basil quirked his eyebrow. Caesar seemed to ponder about something, and he didn''t know what Caesar was exactly thinking.
ording to some traces of emotion Caesar was unconsciously exuding through his Mana however, Basil was sure he was pondering about a hard decision.
Basil normally didn''t want to waste time. However, a rare asion happened: Basil waited for Caesar. It was quite surprising Basil could wait for someone he had only known for a short time.
Although Basil seemed nonchnt about it, he appreciated Caesar for helping him a lot for the past month. He could establish a firm foundation upon reaching Green Core had been all due to Caesar.
Therefore, giving Caesar some time to think to himself when he was deciding something big was the least thing Basil could do as a show of respect.
Some minutes passed in silence, until Caesar finally opened his mouth.
"Young Master, I have a proposition." He kneeled down, and bowed his head.
Basil frowned lightly. "What do you want to propose, Caesar?"
"Use me, Young Master," Caesar said firmly.
"..."
It took Caesar a few seconds to realize how misleading he had worded his sentence. Raising his head abruptly, he looked at Basil in mortification. Quickly waving his hand in denial, he exined himself.
"I¡ªI didn''t mean it in that way. Silly me, I should''ve worded it better! Ha-ha. Ha-ha." He chuckled awkwardly.
"In what way do you mean exactly, Caesar?" Basil asked calmly.
"Oh¡ªOh, that is ..." He closed his mouth as he didn''t want to make himself look any sillier; he was the older one, after all! In the end, he decided to y it cool. "Young Master, I have a proposition."
"You may borate your proposition, Caesar." Fortunately for him, Basil also yed along.
This time, Caesar looked at Basil''s face in determination. "Let us conduct [Inheritance]. It might be hard in the long run, but it will help you greatly in the early stage, Young Master."
[Inheritance], as its name suggests, is a procession to inherit something of the highest value belonging to a Mage¡ªtheir heart, Magic Circles.
Basil had done this in the past with Iliana, before she closed her eyes for eternity. She had insisted on her proposition since she wanted to live within him forever, and help him in his endeavor.
Moreover, for the prideful Iliana, that was the most ideal death for her. Even in her death, she wanted to be useful; she didn''t want to die uselessly.
Caesar''s proposition was honestly mouthwatering. However, Basil knew more than anyone of the requirements of [Inheritance].
Firstly, one needs to check thepatibility between the heart owner and oneself first, before bing an Inheritor. If one is notpatible enough with the heart owner, one can never be the Inheritor.
Some unwantedplications would definitely ur, if one were to force the procession; more often than not, it kills the Inheritor. Basil had been lucky he and Iliana were exceptionallypatible with each other.
Secondly, getting control over the heart¡ªthe Magic Circles¡ª will be hard, since it doesn''t belong to the Inheritor in the very first ce. Therefore, most of the one''s time would be spent in getting control over the heart one has inherited.
This was not beneficial for Basil, as he had to do many more important things than mastering someone''s heart.
Thirdly, Basil had a Mana Heart. He had Cultivated his Mana Heart for more than a year; he had achieved the second stage of its Cultivation: Amethyst Heart. Sacrificing it for an ordinary heart would be stupid of him.
Even if Caesar''s had more Magic Circles than his, Basil would eventually reach that Stage in the future; it was just a matter of time.
Having power one can not yet control was not in Basil''s principle; he didn''t see the point of it. Therefore, his answer was clear.
"Let us do something else."
Caesar blinked his eyes. "Something else?" He didn''t know whether that meant Basil refused his proposal. "Can you please borate, Young Master?" Of course, he was all ears.
"You have shown me your resolve to give your heart to me, Caesar." Although it wasn''t a question, Caesar still answered, "Yes."
"That means you are ready to forfeit your life for me." Once again, Caesar nodded firmly. "As a servant of Pacifer n, you must know what my task is," continued Basil.
Caesar kept quiet for awhile, before opening his mouth. "... A Fragment Bearer."
Basil nodded his head lightly. "I have just be an official Fragment Bearer not long ago. On the day I became one, I met my predecessor, the previous Fragment Bearer."
"Our Lord?! What an opportunity!" Caesar''s eyes lit up brightly.
"It was nothing fancy as he was nothing more than an iplete Soul Imprint." Basil quirked his eyebrow. "Furthermore, Matheus was the First Patriarch of Pacifer n. Although he was technically your Lord, I believe he wasn''t the one you are thinking about."
Caesar blinked his eyes in confusion. "Huh? Matheus ... The First Patriarch of Pacifer n? The previous Fragment Bearer ... Matheus? That is ..." He mumbled lowly under his breath.
Looking at Basil once again, he chuckled awkwardly. "Ha-ha-ha. It seems you were given the privilege to know the nickname of your Patriarch, Young Master; it took me awhile to recollect it."
Something didn''t add up, and it was apparent. However, as always Basil didn''t question it. He knew how time could screw him at times like this. Therefore, he directly addressed the matter.
"Before my meeting with Matheus ended, he gave me something¡ªan alternative to your proposition."
Basil didn''t understand what Matheus had meant, until today. He didn''t know whether it was all premeditated or due to the Guide helping Matheus to predict this event, but he was slightly d it actually helped him.
Still, it didn''t mean he would just let the matter go; he would definitely unveil the truth.
"Matheus taught me the way to conduct [Hand-over]."
Different than [Inheritance], [Hand-over] allows one to give one''s Magic Circle to another person. It is considerably safer than [Inheritance], but the result is not so satisfying.
The reason is, rather thanpletely inheriting it, one is actuallybining one''s Magic Circle with the receiver''s. It means, the receiver will not get one''s Magic Circle fully, but only some parts of it.
For the receiver, it is far safer and stabler than [Inheritance]; the receiver can get used to their newly attained Magic Circle fairly quickly.
On the other hand however, it still requirs the Magic Circle owner to forfeit their life.
Caesar''s eyes lit up in recognition. "Oh! I have heard about that. It was rarely practiced in the past, so I forgot about it. However ... You know the disadvantage, do you, Young Master?"
"The pain it gives me?" Basil lightly quirked his eyebrow. "Rather than that, what about you? Will you be able to bear the shared pain?"
Caesar smirked. "That is the most unnecessary question I have been asked!"
With this, [Hand-over] was conducted. Even though he knew his life would be forfeited, Caesar was still enthusiastic.
Chapter 153 The True Beginning (16)
Like any other Magical ritual, [Hand-over] needs a preparation. It has steps to be fulfilled, before the ritual can be carried on.
Therefore, Basil, along with Caesar, was currently Carving the necessary Array for the ritual of [Hand-over]; both were working swiftly and meticulously.
Although Caesar wasn''t naturally as talented as Basil, his experience allowed him to keep up with Basil.
"Young Master, did you learn Magic since you were in the womb?"
Still, Caesar couldn''t shake off the bewilderment that assaulted him.
To make him, an incredibly experienced Mage, slightly struggle to keep up with a Third Circle Mage was not a matter one could ept with a mere nod.
It was otherworldly!
"99% hardwork, 1% genius," was Basil''s answer.
Caesar chuckled in amusement. "Ha-ha. More like 100% hardwork, and 100% genius."
"That is an impossible percentage, since thepromised highest percentage is 100% not 1000%."
"I''m uneducated." Caesar shrugged.
Basil didn''t show any apparent reaction. However, if one were to look closely, he had a small smile on his face.
Second turned to minutes, minutes turned to hours. Three hours passed, and the Array was finished.
The Array looked simple in a nce: a square on top of four conjoined pointy triangles with each side pointing to four main directions, and a circle enough to host two sitting people in the middle.
However, the characters and the strange yet profound symbols written circrly on the Array weren''t something one could call simple. This is the reason why it took them four hours to Carve it.
Caesar wiped the sweat off his forehead. "Huuh... It''s finally done." Turning to Basil, he asked, "Shall we conduct it now, Young Master?"
Basil nodded his head lightly, and sat in the middle of the Array¡ª specifically, inside the circle in the middle of the Array. Upon seeing that, Caesar quickly approached Basil, and sat himself on the opposite side.
They looked at each other for a moment, before nodding their head in confirmation. Caesar conjured a wind de, and cut his palm with it. In the other side, Basil slit his palm open with his nail.
Blood was oozing out of the open wound, and both of them let their blood drip in the middle of the circle they were sitting in.
"I, Caesar Rancuser, hereby hand over my Magic Circles to the person of my choice."
Basil slightly widened his eyes. Rancuser was one of the Dukedoms in Braxtein Kingdom. That means, Caesar was the predecessor of Rancuser family. Still, Basil didn''t forget his current task.
"I, Basil Pacifer, hereby receive the offered Magic Circle of my benevolent patron."
Right after that, starting from the circle, the entire Array lit up in blue; it was finally activated, and the procession was ready to be carried on.
Boom!
Both of the people materialized their Magic Circles. Caesar materialized 8 of his healthy Magic Circles; Basil materialized his 3plete Magic Circles, and his iplete fourth Magic Circle.
One of Basil''s Magic Circles split in two parts, before heading to two different directions that the triangles of the Array were pointing to.
In the other hand, Caesar had two of his Magic Circles sent toward the remaining triangles of the four main directions; his weren''t split at all.
When all of the Magic Circles right above the tip of the triangles, the Array shone even brighter. Then, the Magic Circles that were away from them slowly moved to the center of the Array¡ªthe circle¡ªright above their heads.
A fascinating scene ured: the three Magic Circles of two different origin were slowlybining themselves, in ordance to the instruction Carved in the Array.
While this fascinating scene was unfolding, the two people had to bear the pain that was equivalent to getting their heart ripped apart repeatedly, before being stitched back up again. Even so, none of them showed any sign of being in pain.
Caesar even had the leisure to smirk at Basil, as if showing he didn''t feel any pain at all. Basil merely smiled softly at that; he was paying keen attention to the ritual.
Although the Array worked just fine, it never hurts to be careful.
Caesar looked at the meticulous Basil, and smiled slightly. The emotion conveyed by his smile was tooplicated to be described; forlorn, joy, regret, and remorse were mixed into one.
Still, his eyes were honest. Bitterness was can be clearly seen in them. His brain was constantly reying Basil''s word prior to the [Hand-over] procession.
¡ªI have just be an official Fragment Bearer not long ago. On the day I became one, I met my predecessor, the previous Fragment Bearer.
Caesar knew something was wrong, but he kept his silence. He was sure it was all done for a reason. Basil might not know it yet, however he knew.
Pacifer n had never had a Patriarch.
...
Familia Hotel, Raneil Barony, Fortescher County.
Iliana had just arrived at Familia Hotel a few minutes ago. The journey from Randalvine to Raneil Barony had taken her 3 days by carriage, even in constant full speed.
Of course, it had been also thanks to the Teleportation Gate that connected Randalvine to the outskirts of Carlenze Dukedom¡ªthe closest ce to Woster County. If not for the Teleportation Gate, it might have taken her, at least, 7 days to arrive here.
"Huuh... Your Master''s family is just as secretive as him, aren''t they?" Iliana looked at Deacon. "Just look at the Runes decorating the entire Hotel ... He can kill a lot of people inside, and no one will notice."
Just like what Iliana had said, the entirety of Familia Hotel was surrounded with the Runes Basil had Carved. He had done it so discreetly, not even Danzel knew when he had done it.
Woof!
Deacon puffed his chest proudly.
"No, you don''t have to tell me it was your Master''s deed, little guy; I already know." Iliana smiled softly. "But still, I''m amazed by how much effort he has put to Carve such a Mana-Friendly Rune. Defensive Rune normally needs a lot of Mana Crystals, after all."
The quality of the Runes Basil had Carved wasn''t something one could scoff at; it was so effective, it required less Mana that every other Defensive Rune normally required.
Despite theck of need to hide the Runes, Basil still did it due to his cautious nature. Therefore, the Rune wouldn''t be detectable for any Fifth Circle Mage and below.
The Defensive Rune he had Carved could even withstand the attack of any Fifth Circle Mage. Though how long, it would depend on how much the resources were.
He could make it better than that, but the resources required to sustain the Runes would be enormous. Although he was rich, he wasn''t that wealthy enough to purchase a limitless stock of Mana Crystals.
"Alright, let''s fetch your Master''s family, little guy."
After her observation was done, Iliana walked into the hotel with Deacon on her side. Her exceptional beauty quickly attracted everyone''s attention, and the aura she was exuding signified she wasn''t someone to be trifled with.
The activity in the hotel briefly stopped as everyone was too busy to admire her beauty, and the powerful presence she gave off. They couldn''t help it; they had never seen someone as beautiful and powerful as her, after all.
Iliana herself was, as always, nonchnt with the gaze she was receiving from her surrounding. She looked around briefly, beforending her gaze on the hotel''s receptionist.
"You," she pointed at the receptionist, "tell me where is the owner of this ce."
"Y-Y-Yes! Immediately!" The receptionist bowed, and stormed off.
Iliana nodded her head in appreciation. "The management is good. They are quick in their service."
She approached the receptionist desk, and waited there calmly. Deacon was standing beside her, looking at the curious surrounding people curiously.
Not even a minute passed, Danzel came with rissa in tow. Each of them had suitcases in their hands, and they looked ready to leave the hotel.
Iliana blinked her eyes, and said, "Well, aren''t you ready?" Danzel scratched his head, and replied, "Well, Basil has told us about your arrival."
"That guy ... He really is prepared, isn''t he?" Turning back her attention to Danzel, she extended her hand. "I heard you are Basil''s father figure, so I will introduce myself. Iliana, your son''s girlfriend," she said stoically.
A suppressed choking sound could be hearding from rissa. However, Iliana didn''t pay any attention to her. In the other hand, Danzel furtively looked at Iliana and rissa back and forth; he didn''t know whom to side with.
In the end, he decided to throw the matter to the back of his head, and grasped Iliana''s hand. "Nice to meet you too ... Iliana." Danzel almost called her daughter-inw due to her rtionship with Basil. "We will be in your care." He smiled.
Danzel nced at rissa from the corner of his eyes, before nudging her to gain her attention. rissa was awaken from her daze, and quickly extended her hand.
"Nice to meet you, Miss Iliana. I am Basil''s surrogate sister; I''m REALLY close with him," she said with a smile.
Iliana grasped rissa''s hand, and shook it firmly. "I can see that." Her eyes went to the bracelet on rissa''s wrist. "No one will give Protection Bracelet to someone they are not close with."
Sensing no hostility in Iliana''s tone, rissa felt a little bit guilty for unconsciously antagonizing her.
"Well, you must be too weak to protect yourself for Basil to give you that ... Still, who am I to judge?" Iliana shrugged nonchntly. Turning to Danzel, she said, "Let''s leave then, we need to go to Woster County."
Danzel nodded his head, and followed behind Iliana.
rissa also followed suit, but she was a little bit away from Danzel; she felt like she had just been struck by lightning.
Iliana''s word was horribly true: she was weak!
Chapter 154 The True Beginning (17)
The entire ride to Woster County could be summarized in two apparent situations: interrogative, and quiet.
The interrogative situation happened everytime Iliana had something to ask Danzel, and the quiet situation happened when she was out of question.
Danzel could normally chat with rissa, but she was exceptionally quiet for the entire ride.
Thus, whenever Iliana stopped asking him questions, Danzel could only keep quiet or watch every trees the carriage passed through the window.
Still, it didn''t mean he was eager to talk because he had nothing to do; he wanted to distract his mind with a talk. It was upied with the thought of Basil.
He knew Basil was still alive, but Basil''s sudden instruction to head to Randalvine bothered him; he didn''t even know what was currently happening to Basil in the Dungeon.
Although Basil had given him a Mana Crystal powered Transmission Talisman tomunicate with each other, the only time Basil had eveer contacted him was to notify someone woulde to fetch rissa and him to Randalvine.
That was all he had heard from Basil; there had been no exnation or whatsoever. Basil didn''t even answer his question regarding his well-being.
Although he knew Basil was fine¡ªthe Orb of Life Basil had given him was shining brightly¡ªhe preferred hearing it directly from the person. s, nothing could be done. Basil was really secretive when he wanted to.
On the other hand, rissa was pondering to herself. She was thinking about the thing Iliana had said, and the people around her.
Her father was a former Knight. Although he wasn''t as strong as he used to, his physical prowess was still something an ordinary person could never scoff at. Even a punch from him could kill any unfortunate thuging at him.
Basil, her surrogate brother, was undoubtedly the strongest person she was close with. Even without bragging about his power, everyone could feel it by the time they saw him: his bearing, and the presence he have off were simply overwhelming.
Shirley and Julia were both Mages; she had heard about the news more than a month ago. They were even younger than her, but they had paved their way to be an independent individual.
She was independent, but she could never protect herself alone; her meager skill as a good Baker would never be able to save her. Just like what Iliana had said, she was too weak.
Her mind reyed the scene where she had been close to get vited by the group of people Davine¡ªJames'' killer¡ªhad hired. She had been so powerless back then, she could only scream in terror.
Basil being able to arrive on time had been a miracle. If he didn''t, she would never be able to keep her sanity due to the trauma she must be having.
Her mind quickly reached to a conclusion. Unlike her, everyone in her surrounding could help themselves. She was weak and helpless; nothing but a burden.
If something she had experienced were to happen again, but without Basil to save the day, would she be able to save herself? The answer was an absolute no.
rissa squirmed in her ce; she was suddenly feeling an urgency that she had never felt before: the urgency to be able to protect herself, to be stronger, to be an independent individual.
Her eyes unconsciously turned to Iliana. Even though Iliana was closing her eyes, the aura she was exuding was as strong as ever. She looked like sleeping, but she was fully aware of her surrounding.
Iliana was undoubtedly a strong individual¡ªa strong woman. What a perfect couple Basil and Iliana were; only a strong woman was fit for a strong man.
If only she had been as strong as Iliana, she might have attracted Basil''s interest too.
rissa sighed to herself. She was just jealous, and she was aware of it. She was jealous of everything about Iliana: beauty, eloquence, confidence, power, and her rtionship with Basil.
Iliana could live without someone''s protection, while she, in the other hand, couldn''t; she needed her father to ensure her life.
She was aware no matter how close Basil with Danzel and her, Basil wouldn''t be willing to stay by their side forever.
Therefore, the urgency to be an independent individual she developed¡ªto have power¡ªwas amplified.
She didn''t want to be a burden anymore; she wanted to stand for herself. She wanted to walk with her chin held high, full with confidence and pride¡ªjust like Iliana.
rissa''s body stilled, and her previously unfocused eyes instantly hardened in determination. She would definitely ask Basil to teach her the way to be a Knight; it would be herst request to him.
Iliana peeked at rissa through one of her eyes. She had read every one of rissa''s emotions since the first time they met.
She had realized the insecurity rissa was hiding deep within herself. In front of her, rissa was like an open book: she was too easy to read.
Therefore with her specialty, she had manipted rissa''s emotion to make her realize of her insecurity, and get over it.
A small smile decorated Iliana''s face; she was d her attempt to push rissa forward, to move her out of her zone of hesitance, was a sess.
Now, rissa could actually contribute to society: by not being a dead meat, that is.
...
Stardust Academy, Woster County.
Every students of Stardust Academy were currently having their lunch break. Needless to say, Shirley and Julia were no exception; they were currently in the cafeteria waiting for the cook to finish their order.
Unlike the other students who had to wait in a long line to get their order, Shirley got a special right to not wait in line. That means, Julia as her friend also got to enjoy this privilege.
This all happened because of two things. First, Basil''s victory in Regional Tournament. Second, Basil''s active role in the Cobham Internal Strife. To summarize it all, Basil''s reputation.
Ever since Basil''s "blooming," he had slowly built the image as the untouchable individual of the Academy. Although he had been merely staying true to himself, the students couldn''t help being afraid of his monstrous talent.
Being able to win the Regional Tournament¡ªcreating a history as the first Stardust Academy graduate ever to achieve victory¡ªwas enough to make them realize Basil wasn''t someone of their league.
On top of being that however, there was also his conflict with his father. Whether he had been adopted or not, killing his father, the person who had raised him, shouldn''t be something that could be carried easily.
However, Basil was indeed different. He had carried that easily; he didn''t even bother to hide how remorseless he had been regarding the matter in the court.
Moreover, the conspiracy theories surrounding the case were simply bone chilling.
The bizarre death of Viscount Justin Escher and his son ... Thinking about that alone made them have goosebumps.
Needless to say, none of them knew the truth.
To simply summarize how they viewed Basil based on their silly misconception, Basil wasn''t someone they could ever mess with¡ªand so were the people rted to him.
This way, Shirley''s privilege was born.
After getting their order, Shirley and Julia immediately headed to the Battle Ground. It was their favorite ce to have their lunch. It was not only quiet there, but also calming.
Furthermore, the ce reminded them of their time with Basil.
Before Basil had graduated, whenever they had been having lunch, Basil had been already there, training his physique in an incredibly painful way.
The scene had been strangely very fascinating, and they couldn''t help watching.
"Hey, Shirley. How long do you think it will take you to finish your second Magic Circle?" Julia asked.
Shirley hummed for awhile. "Hmmm... I think it will be four months." Shirley took a bite of her sandwich. "The manual Brother has left me is really helping."
"Good for you girl..." Julia sighed helplessly. "I wish I had a cheat-like brother like you."
Shirley shook her head faintly. "Prior to his ''awakening,'' aside from his exceptional intelligence, Brother was no one, you know? ... It was to the point where I ridiculed him everytime I saw him."
"I''ve heard that many times already, but I can''t help but look down on the past you," Juliamented.
Shirley shrugged. "I was a victim of bad parenting. What could I do?" Shirley took her second sandwich, and took a bite.
"Anyway, I personally think Brother really had a massive change one day; other than his power, his personality was the most apparent, now that I think about it."
"Puberty must have hit Senior hard." Julia shrugged.
At that, Shirley unconsciously looked down at her chest, then Julia''s. She clicked her tongue in annoyance, then gobbled down her sandwich.
"I''m done with this puberty bollocks."
Julia blinked her eyes in surprise at Shirley. "You are not even rted, but you still have Senior''s fast eating trait." She chuckled.
Waving her hand mildly, she continued, "Don''t worry too much about your growth. Although you lost in that department, you are taller than me; I consider that a win."
Julia snickered, and Shirley merely grunted in annoyance.
Her sandwhich was finished, and Shirley was about to eat her sd, when she heard someone''s voice.
"Shirley Cobham!"
At themanding tone, Shirley abruptly stood up, spilling her sd in the process.
Immediately facing the person, she eximed, "Yes, Sire!" Only then, could she take a good look of the person.
She couldn''t help blinking her eyes upon seeing the person.
In front of her was a beautiful young woman with long, silky purple hair; small, luscious lips; sharp nose; and sharp, red eyes.
Standing at 178 centimeters tall, the woman had the perfect figure that every girls dreamed, but never got. The woman was well endowed; not even Julia couldpete with her.
Shirley knew about the woman, the robe she was wearing was a dead giveaway.
"Well, have you done checking me out?" The woman asked with a smirk.
Shirley recoiled in surprise, and quickly waved her hand in denial. "N-No. I wasn''t checking you out, Miss ... Iliana, if I may assume?"
"Yes, I am Iliana." Iliana smiled slightly. She extended her hand, and Shirley quickly took it in hers. "I am your Brother''s girlfriend."
A suppressed chocking sound was heard; this time, it came from Shirley and Julia. Still, the well-mannered Shirley didn''t forget to introduce herself.
"S-Shirley Cobham."
Iliana nodded her head lightly; she was as stoic and direct as ever. "I am here under Basil''s request to fetch you up. We are going to Randalvine."
"Why does Brother suddenly tell me to go there?" Shirley was puzzled.
Iliana shrugged lightly. "Rather than thinking about that, chop chop! Don''t waste any more of my time." Right after that, she left the vicinity without a care.
Shirley quickly bade Julia a farewell, and hastily chased Iliana''s back. She didn''t know what was happening, but she trusted Basil. Therefore, she kept her confusion to herself for the moment.
Julia, who was left behind, ate her sd silently. "Maybe I should go to Randalvine with Mother too," she muttered. "Something is definitely going to happen."
She trusted her instinct.
Chapter 155 The True Beginning (18)
Shirley was befuddled: she didn''t know what was currently happening, but she was hesitant to ask. She looked at the people around her, but they seemed just as puzzled as herself.
The only one who could solve her puzzlement was the person in front of her. However, judging by how the person behaved, getting any answer from her seemed pretty impossible.
The person in question, Iliana, was sitting on the other side of the carriage while tuning out the rest of the world. How could she ask that Iliana something, and expect an answer?
This way, Shirley kept her silence.
Minutes passed, and none of them spoke to each other. It was as if they had made a prior agreement to not bother Iliana with their chatting noise.
Basil had always done the same thing whenever he didn''t want to be bothered; they couldn''t help the unconscious reaction. The two''s habit was uncannily simr.
However soon, they realized, in the end, Iliana wasn''t Basil. Of course, it still doesn''t mean they dare to disturb her.
"Why are we going to Randalvine?"
Well, at least, most of them didn''t dare to.
Iliana opened one of her eyes, then looked at the speaker, Shirley. "Are you expecting me to know that?" She quirked her eyebrow.
Shirley frowned. "As the person in charge, shouldn''t you know?"
"What do you mean by the person in charge?" Iliana waved her hand lightly. "I fetch you as what Basil has requested me to; it is not an official asion."
"Well, at least you can tell me what is really happening." Shirley looked at Danzel and rissa. "The others are also puzzled, by the way they look."
Iliana shrugged nonchntly. "All of us are riding in the same boat. I don''t know of the reason why Basil suddenly requested me to fetch you up either." Right after that, she closed her eyes, and resumed Carving her next Magic Circle.
Shirley turned her head to Danzel in puzzlement. "Is she telling the truth?"
"Yes." Danzel nodded. "We have been notified by Basil that someone would fetch us a few days prior, but he never told us the reason."
Shirley hummed to herself. "Hmmm... Brother didn''t notify me about this ... I wonder."
"Well, considering Basil''s personality, he must have done it for a reason," rissa responded.
Blinking her eyes in surprise, Shirley turned to rissa. "Y-Yeah, I guess."
She was slightly taken aback rissa addressed Basil by his name. As far as she remembered, rissa had never done that, after all.
Shirley wasn''t alone in this matter; Danzel was equally puzzled. Although he knew rissa had addressed Basil by his name in the past, he just didn''t expect rissa would do it again now.
The person in question, rissa was aware of the puzzled gaze everyone was giving her. However, she didn''t pay much attention to it.
No one would figure it out, but she had decided to be a genuinely independent woman.
Although she couldn''t train herself to be a Knight right away¡ªshe hadn''t met Basil¡ªshe could start her journey to be an independent woman with a small step. That was, to stop calling Basil "Brother" to suggest herself to never depend on him anymore.
It was trivial, but it was a big deal for her.
"Kuhum!" Danzel cleared his throat, attracting the two girls'' attention. "I think we can just do one thing for Basil, that is, to believe in him. I am sure we will understand his reason for doing this soon."
The two girls nodded their head in agreement at Danzel''s word, and stopped talking since. The ride was mostly silent, but some talk was still initiated from time to time.
By the time they realized it, a day passed; they had arrived at Randalvine. Iliana took them to the closest hotel to Randalvine Magic Institute, and settled them in.
When everything was done, she left them there with a message: "You can enjoy the city, but don''t roam too far away."
The three understood the purpose of her message, but they didn''t know what to do next. They had been suddenly fetched, and now they were dumped in one of the hotels in Randalvine.
Although they believed in Basil, they couldn''t just ept the fact they had to stay there for an indefinite time for an unknown reason!
Fortunately for them, when two days had passed, they finally understood the reason why Basil had requested someone to take them there.
Needless to say, they didn''t know how to react.
...
The King''s Pce, Randalvine.
The throne room was currently filled with all of the Kingdom''s officials.
Dukes and Staffs alike were gathered there waiting for one person. The highest authority holder of Braxtein Kingdom, their Lord, King Anthony Lionheart Braxtein.
They were gathered here at the call of their King to discuss about the report they had received a night prior. This was an important moment, as the content of the report was something everyone anticipated, albeit for a different reason.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
The King''s counselor knocked the ground with his staff three times, and everyone straightened themselves upon hearing it.
"Your Majesty Anthony Lionheart Braxtein has arrived!"
The waited person, Anthony entered the throne room. He was wearing a majestic golden trimmed attire,plete with the crown on his head.
His eyes were cold, and his chest were puffed in pride; his regality was apparent. Upon sitting himself in his throne, he gazed at the crowd filling the room arrogantly.
"Greet Your Majesty Anthony Lionheart Braxtein!" The King''s counselor announced.
Everyone put their two fingers above their heart, and bowed their head. "Your Majesty!" They shouted in unison.
Anthony''s eyes seemed unchanging at their gesture. However if one were to look closely, a satisfaction could be seen in his eyes.
"Good day, everyone," he greeted the crowd disinterestedly. "As you have read in the report my personal messenger has delivered you, I will address the matter directly."
Although the people had already read said report, their heart still couldn''t help beating loudly; their hearts beat so loud, their ears were filled with the beating sound.
Hearing the matter directly from their King gave them a different mood.
"There is a possibility the 22nd Obelisk, the Obelisk of Astaroth will experience an Outbreak soon. We will face something that hasn''t happened for 2000 years."
At his word, silence seemed to engulf the world. The people couldn''t even hear their loudly beating hearts anymore. Their eyes were focused on Anthony, as their minds were repeating Anthony''s word.
"The estimated time of the Outbreak is one month. Within that time, we will concentrate our army in BA-22."
Anthony looked around to see the people''s reaction. Some were full of anticipation, some were full of hesitance, and some were full of eagerness.
"Regarding the disappearance of BA-22''s Monster poption, our investigation team has found out that the Monsters have, in fact, conducted a massive migration. Unfortunately, our investigation team doesn''t know where they head to."
The people sighed in relief and annoyance. They were relieved the Monsters wouldn''t hold any role in the uing Outbreak, but they were annoyed that they didn''t know where the Monsters were migrating to.
"Although we do not know where the Monsters migrate themselves to, we have at least known their reason."
Everyone nodded their head in agreement. Monsters were territorial: the weaker ones would never dare to enter the territory of the stronger ones.
Therefore, as there would be an Outbreak, the Monsters of BA-22 migrated themselves to avoid the stronger Monstersing from inside the Obelisk.
"Because of that, we can prepare ourselves in advance." Anthony smirked. "And to remind us of the beginning of our victory, I name this phenomenon Exodus."
Everyone nodded their head with a smirk, before pping their hands loudly. They had never thought the day where they were grateful of the Monsters'' behavior woulde.
However, here they were, on the brink of victory due to the information they got from the behavior of the Monsters.
Fate is a strange thing indeed.
Unfortunately for them, they were not in the know of the truth.
...
A day after the meeting of the Kingdom''s higher-ups, exactly two days after Basil''s family had arrived at Randalvine, Exodus became public.
Everyone was bewildered upon hearing the news, and fear naturally rose up among the people. Sadly, this was only the case for the people of Randalvine.
Everyone whose region they were living in was far away from the capital hadn''t heard of the information yet, due to Anthony''s decision to not cause any more uproar than necessary.
Of course, it had sparked some debate. Many of the officials had agreed although Exodus was nothing but a sudden Monster mass migration, it was something everyone needed to know immediately.
There was still a possibility they migrated to a region dense with people, and the people needed to be notified of this.
However, Anthony had thought differently. Since such a massive migration had ured, the Monsters must traveled in horde; a horde of that caliber would never go unnoticed.
Since they didn''t see any horde approaching any region, the possibility of the Monsters migrating to a region of dense poption was miniscule.
The logic was sound, and the officials couldn''t help agreeing. Still, Anthony had ordered everyone living close to BA-22 to temporarily move out to Fortescher County that was 50 kilometers away from BA-22.
Knowing that they didn''t need to move that far away, the people living close to BA-22 had agreed immediately to head to Fortescher County.
Although they loved their life dearly, they still didn''t want to move far away from their home. Anthony knew about it, and that was his reason to temporarily move them there.
Three days passed, and the Royal Army started filling the outskirts of BA-22; some of them had even set to the Obelisk, which was just 10 kilometers away from the outskirts of BA-22.
Everyone was anticipating the uing event.
Chapter 156 The True Beginning (19)
Slightly more than a week had passed since Exodus became public, and every Knight and Mage seemed to have known about the uing Outbreak.
The Kingdom also wasn''t so discreet about it, as they were quite open in their recruitment.
...
Firefly Knight Guild, Danver, Crownveil Dukedom, Braxtein Kingdom.
Knight Guild is an organization that gathers every existing Knight Parties in the area where it is settled. Every Knight Guild is given the right to manage themselves autonomously, but they are still responsible to the Knight Association.
Unlike any other Mage rted association that managed all of their members by themselves, Knight Association was willing to split their "authority" to manage the existing Knight in Braxtein Kingdom.
There were many Knight Guilds spread around the entirety of Braxtein Kingdom, and the biggest of them were all located in the capital city of Dukedoms.
Firefly Knight Guild was one of the biggest Guilds that was located in Crownveil Dukedom. The building was currently filled with many party leaders who were chatting with each other.
The news about Exodus was a hot topic among every Knight. They were here to make sure whether the news was, in fact, a news or nothing but a rumour.
Of course, they knew the news itself was legit, since it had been announced by the King himself. They were all here to inquire about the thing that followed right after: the Outbreak.
Although the news about the iing Outbreak wasn''t public yet, any Knight who were in tune with the Guild and some High Rank Knights knew about it.
The Kingdom had Royal Army that was consisted of Mage and Knight alike stationed in BA-22. Although capable, the amount of the people in the Royal Army was too little to mind every problem that would follow in the uing Outbreak.
The scant amount of personnels in the Royal Army was due to its strict eption requirements; especially, for Knight. It was for this reason many Knights became a Free Knight and created their own Party.
In times like this however, some of the chosen Free Knights would be able to "contribute" to the Kingdom without joining the Royal Army.
Therefore, the crowd of party leaders were here to secure their "spot" in the uing event. Although the task would definitely be dangerous, they didn''t care about; they were used to danger already.
Furthermore, If they managed to secure their spot, not only would they get the fame for having a role in such asion, but also the fortune. For them, it was an opportunity they couldn''t just let go.
"Man, I have to join this fight; I can''t disappoint my party!" One of the gathered party leadersmented.
As he had said, they were here not only for themselves, but also their party. If they managed to secure a spot, their party would be able to join the fight alongside them; their party would be able to enjoy the fortune.
One of the party leadersughed at the person who had just spoken. "Hahaha! Isn''t your party consisted of a bunch of Yellow Core Knights, Carl?" The man pped Carl''s back, and said in humour, "You will send them to death that way."
Carl''s face contorted, as he turned his head to the man. "What is your deal, Keith? Can''t you just, for once, say something good?!"
"Hahaha! I don''t like to sugarcoat things." Keith winked.
Clicking his tongue in annoyance, Carl said, "That''s why I hate you, bastard."
Keith merely chuckled and looked around. There were not many people chatting friendly with each other in the hall.
Although the other party leaders were chatting, none of them saw each other as a friend. In times like this, everyone suddenly became their enemy in their eyes.
That was how much of a deal their spot in the uing Outbreak to them was.
Keith shook his head. "Look at them; like a moth, they are drawing themselves into fire."
"What are you talking about? Aren''t you the same?" Carl asked weirdly. Keith shrugged nonchntly. "I am just here to enjoy the fire, not drawing myself into it."
"Shameless bastard," Carl muttered.
Keith merelyughed, and pped Carl''s back once again. Carl was about to protest about Keith''s habit of pping his back, when a sound attracted their attention.
Click.
Everyone''s attention turned to the opening door hall. Two people came inside, and they were not people every individuals inside the hall were unfamiliar with.
In fact, all of them knew of the two''s identity as they quickly greeted the two people amiably.
"Oh, it''s Thompson and his vice leader, Steven," stated Keith.
Carl nodded his head, and said, "Yeah. They are always together. If I didn''t know better, I would have thought they were a thing."
"Oh, how do you know they are not a thing?" Keith asked curiously.
Carl clicked his tongue in irritation. "Quit your bullshit, Keith. Thest time I believed in you, I got pped by a woman. A WOMAN!" He red at Keith fiercely.
Not long ago, Keith had told Carl that no woman wouldn''t like a man putting a flower between their breasts. Carl had believed it, and had immediately tested it to a random passing woman.
The result was as stated above.
"Pfft! Hahaha!" Keith couldn''t hold himself fromughing. "You can''t me me on that. You are too clueless for your own good!"
Carl contorted his face. "Shut up, bastard! I can''t help it; I was sheltered!" He grasped Keith''s cor and shook him back and forth.
Like always, Keith merelyughed merrily.
"Hello, you two."
At the call, Carl stopped shaking Keith. He let go of Keith''s cor, and turned to the speaker. It was an attractive man with tall stature, ck hair, and muscr body.
He was no other than Thompson with Steven on his side.
"Hi, Thompson ... And Steven. Good to see you guys here," Carl said.
Thompson smiled, and Steven merely nodded his head at the greeting. Unlike Thompson, he was not that of a sociable person. Especially, with someone whose personality didn''t suit his taste.
Keith smirked, and pped Carl''s back. "What do you mean you are d to see them here? You have seen them when they entered the hall!"
"Oh, pardon me! I didn''t know you arecking inmon courtesy," Carl replied sarcastically. Thompsonughed. "You two really are close to each other." At that, Carl instantaneously responded, "Yeah, it''s unfortunate this bastard is my brother."
Keith and Thompson chuckled; even Steven slightly smirked in amusement.
They talked about some trivial things amongst themselves to entertain themselves while waiting for the waited person''s arrival. When the person entered the hall they stopped talking.
He was a tall and burly man in histe forties. He was dressed in a sleeveless, high cored and quality, tight brown shirt; and light grey pants. Standing at 2 meters tall, he had a handsome beard, and eyes that could easily scare a child away.
His name was Zander, an Early Violet Core Knight, the Guild Master of Firefly Guild¡ªthe waited person. Everyone straightened themselves, and paid their attention keenly to this awesome man.
None of them made a sound, as they didn''t want to miss what Zander would say. Furthermore, none of them were bold enough to irk him.
Zander gazed at the people, and hummed to himself. "Hmmm... Rumours travel faster than heroes indeed." With a smirk, he asked, "What are you expectinging here?"
The answer came instantaneously from the crowd. "Death!" None of the people even blinked their eyes at the answer they had given.
Despite how eager they were in participating in the uing event, they were aware of the risk: they could only profit if they managed to survive. Therefore, they came here hoping to be chosen, while expecting death to await them.
Zander nodded his head in satisfaction at the people. "As you have already heard, the first Outbreak after 2000 years of inactivity will soon ur. Therefore, the Kingdom needs your help to guard the ce the Royal Army can''t cover."
Everyone nodded their heads at the information they already knew.
"Of course, you can''t just help our Kingdom without possessing any of the stated requirements, which I am about to mention. But I assure you, once you are chosen, as long as you can stay alive, you will be rewarded handsomely."
Zander turned his head to the person on his side¡ªhis assistant. His assistant nodded her head, and carefully brought the orb on her hands to Zander.
Right after itnded on Zander''s hand, the assistant returned to her ce. Zander raised the orb in his hand, and showed it to the people.
"This is an Orb of Truth. One of our genius Crafters created it to read the emotion hidden behind the Qi you exude. I just need you to answer some questions, and it will decide your fate."
Some Knights squirmed in their ce; they were ufortable with the fact that they couldn''t lie about their party''s qualification. Still, they didn''t back away; they were sure they could somehow trick the orb.
Zander sneered condescendingly at the squirming people, then put the Orb of Truth on the tform in front of him. Looking at Thompson, Zander pointed his hand at him.
"You will be the lucky number one, handsome guy."
Thompson nodded his head, then wordlessly head to the tform. Steven nonchntly watched him from the side, while leaning his body on the wall with crossed hands.
Upon arriving right in front of the tform, Zander, who was standing right beside it, motioned Thompson to touch the orb. Thompson did just that, and the orb quickly turned white.
It was as if a ss suddenly filled with milk.
"What is your Body Forging mastery level?" Zander asked.
"Peak Stage Green Core."
Zander didn''t look at the orb to check for the truth, as his sense could inly detect Thompson''s true level of mastery.
With a smirk Zander continued, "How many members your party has?"
"Excluding me, there are five people."
The color of the orb remained, signifying the truth in Thompson''s word. Although he was not anxious, Thompson was still relieved inwardly; he was relieved Effie decided to stay in his party.
"A party of six, I see." Zander nodded his head. "Then, what are your member''s current mastery levels?"
"One of them is Early Stage Blue Core," everyone gasped, and immediately turned to Steven, "three of them are in Middle Stage Green Core, and thest one is on the verge of breaking through to Middle Stage Yellow Core."
The orb didn''t change its color, and Zander nodded his head in satisfaction.
"Very well. Your party is chosen. Go and take your participation token from my assistant, and she will tell you of your assigned post."
Thompson nodded his head, then approached thedy in grey suit. She took out six wooden tags, gave them to Thompson, and told him his party''s assigned post.
Grasping the tokens in his hands, Thompson sighed. He actually didn''t want to participate in the uing event.
However, his party was eager to participate after witnessing Basil''s selfless sacrifice to save them. They would pay their life debt to him this way.
Chapter 157 The True Beginning (End)
Beverly Inn, Danver City, Crownveil Dukedom.
This inn was the ce where Thompson''s party members were currently waiting for his and Steven''s return, and also the ce where they stayed themselves in.
Even though the County they were living in was also in Crownveil Dukedom, it was quite far from where the gathering was taking ce.
They couldn''t just let Thompson went back and forth to the County they were living in. Therefore, they had to follow Thompson to Danver city, the capital of Crownveil Dukedom.
In one of the rooms that the Knights of Hauler upied, Sylvia was lying on the bed, while looking at the ceiling emptily.
"Hey, Effie ... Do you think ''he'' is really dead?"
The person in question, Effie, turned her head to Sylvia, before massaging her forehead helplessly. She didn''t wear her hoodie currently, so her pointy ears were bare for the world to see, signifying her identity as an Elf.
"Sylvia, I know how smitten you are with that guy, but you need to ept reality." Shaking her head, she continued, "He has sacrificed himself for us, and that is the end."
"I know about that, Effie." Sylvia frowned. "It''s just ... His expression, his tone, and his demeanor back then¡ªall of them indicated he was confident in his survival."
Effie sat herself on the bed beside Sylvia "He held an unnatural amount of confidence in himself, and you are aware about it." Patting Sylvia''s head, she continued, "I know you have survivor''s guilt¡ªall of us who were saved by him do."
Effie exhaled softly to herself. "However, we need to ept the reality in front of our eyes, no matter how bitter it is. We have to keep living, and not waste his sacrifice ... Just like what we are going to do: saving the lives of people."
Sylvia turned her head to Effie. "Are you staying in our party because you want to pay your debt to Basil too, Effie?" Sylvia asked curiously.
"No, I''m not." Effie smiled. "I stay here because my home is here; you and the others are the only people who ept me for what I am."
Right after the Dungeon incident, Effie had exined herself why she disguised herself as a human Knight. Her story had shocked her party so much they didn''t know how to respond.
Effie was not a pure Elf; she was born from an illicit love between a male Elf and a female human. Her mother had died right after giving birth to her, and her father had taken her to his home town to raise her there.
Years of peace had passed, before it had been revealed that Effie had only inherited the appearance of an Elf; she didn''t inherit the trait that every Elf had tomunicate with Spirit.
Her father didn''t mind it in the least bit, but the others did. Upon knowing that Effie was, in fact, a "cursed" child due to her mixed origin, every Elves in her father''s home town had been eager to kill her.
She had been only 6 at that time, and she could do nothing but cry on her father''s shoulder. Luckily, her father had loved her so dearly, he had been willing to forfeit his life for her; her father had been executed to guarantee her safety.
Although her life had been saved, no one had epted her due to her origin. When she had be 12 years old, she had learned a disguise Magic, and left her father''s home town.
Ever since then, she had lived as human, and eventually bing a Knight. After a few years, she had met Thompson, and joined Hauler.
Sylvia looked at Effie apologetically. "I am sorry to remind you of something unpleasant," she said. Effie smiled, and shook her head faintly. "It''s okay. I know you didn''t mean it."
Sylvia got up from the bed, and held Effie''s hands tightly. "I am sure those stupid Elves will regret their decision when they see you. Look at you now, you are already a Blue Core Knight!" Sylvia said enthusiastically.
Apparently, Steven wasn''t the one who had be a Blue Core Knight.
Effie merely shook her head in amusement at Sylvia''s quick change of mood. Still, she was d Sylvia could take the thought of Basil off of her mind.
They talked a little bit more, until the knock on the door stopped them from talking any further.
Effie quickly wore her hoody, and got out of the room with Sylvia. Upon getting out of the room, they were met with a stiff faced Steven. The others were also there, and they also had a stiff face.
The two girls turned their puzzled gaze at Thompson who was behind Steven. He stepped forward, and gave them two things: their participation tokens, and a bewildering information.
An unsuspected massive horde of Monsters had gotten out of Death Howl Dungeon, and was heading to Raneil Barony.
...
Death Howl Dungeon, Lone in.
More than two weeks had passed, and Caesar finally felt the Magic Barrier he had set was broken. He was sure it hadn''t been caused by the appearance of a strong Demon, but the ridiculously massive horde of Demons.
Despite so, he wasn''t bothered by it in the slightest. His Young Master, Basil was currently undergoing thepletion of the ritual; he couldn''t let his concentration stray from the ritual, unless he wanted to kill Basil.
Therefore, he didn''t mind about the destruction of his Magic Barrier much¡ªhe didn''t care about what would happen to the people outside. He paid more of his attention to the ritual.
In the early stage, he might not have the need to pay much concentration in the ritual.
However, the more of his Magic Circles gotbined with Basil''s, the more he needed to concentrate on the ritual.
As more of his Magic Circles were forfeited, the harder it became to control the Mana that he and Basil shared.
If he were tomit a slip in his control over the Mana, he would end up disrupting the whole ritual, and waste Basil''s effort. Not only that, both of them would die uselessly to the explosion of their hearts.
Caesar looked up at the three Magic Circles that were currently in the process ofbining themselves. He didn''t know how long it would take until the process was finished, but he was sure it wouldn''t be that long.
More than two weeks he hadn''t eaten, and his vision started to blur. He knew starvation wasn''t the reason; as long as the ritual was ongoing, his body was sustained by the Mana the Array attracted.
However, his mind needed something to distract itself from the thought of his death cause¡ªhis decision. Looking at Basil, although his body weakened by each seconds, he felt his body became even stronger.
A sh of memory ran through his head. It was the memory of the first time he had encountered his one and only Lord¡ªhis saviour. At that time, he had been nothing but a snotty brat who had known nothing but charge at the Demon army like a mad dog.
The result of such action was predictable: he had ended up bing a Demon Fodder A, who had been quickly taken down at the beginning of the war.
He had felt the time of his death had been so close back then, he had been shaken to his core.
Fortunately for him, his Lord had descended the world, and showed himself to the world for the first time.
He had been coincidentally right under his Lord''s feet, and it had been also the reason he had been the very first person his Lord had saved.
"Ha-ha-ha," his Lordughed while picking him up. "My child, thy heart is too big for thy body."
His Lord''s smile at that time was something he could never forget. Even his nickname, "The Lord''s Doormat," was something he always proudly carried.
"What name thou hast, my child?" He had ended up shaking his head at his Lord''s question, due to the powerful feeling the smile had conveyed. "Ha-ha-ha. Very well. Since thou hast a long hair, I name thee Caesar!"
Since then, he had changed his name to Caesar. He had never felt unsatisfactory of his name. However, the name his Lord had given him was far more precious than the one his betrayer of a family had given.
The memory of his Lord''s death was recalled, and his vision immediately blurred due to the tears. Sorrow and rage mixed into one, and he didn''t know what do.
Soon enough, his mind was soon awakened from the deep recollection of the countless memories of the past, and realization dawned upon him.
? Looking to his front, he was bewildered the person he was looking for wasn''t there.
"Caesar."
At the voice he turned his head, and widen his eyes did.
Caesar was seeing a handsome man with shining golden eyes. The man was standing at 2 meters tall, and he was looking down at him with a stern face. However, a faint smile could be seen on his face.
"Ah, my time hase... My Lord... I can finally see my Lord!"
Caesar tried to stand up, but his body that was bereft of Magic Circles were to weak to follow hismand. His attempt to stand failed, but luckily his Lord was there to prevent him from falling.
"My... Lord..." He tried to touch his Lord''s cheek, but his Lord''s hand stopped him before he managed to. Widening his eyes, he said, "Pardon this lowly servant from his impudence."
His Lord shook his head, and smiled faintly. "No, I mind not thou touching me. However, thou needst to look for thyself. Look at how weak thou art, Caesar." His Lord slowly sat him down on the ground.
Caesar cried silently, and stared at his Lord deeply.
"Ah, my Lord. I had terrible parents, not descendants. My wife and children were killed, due to their choice of siding with me, and I still failed to avenge you. What good do I have as a servant?" He bowed his head in shame.
"Thy life is the best thing thou hast, Caesar." His Lord smiled, then put his hand on his head. "Thy sacrifice will not be in vain, Caesar."
"What sacrifice have I done for you, my Lord?" He looked up, and instead of meeting his Lord''s face, he was met with someone else''s. "Thou hast sacrificed thy life for me, and I am forever grateful, Caesar." It was Basil''s.
The Pacifer seal on Basil''s forehead was shining intently, and he was currently looking at Caesar with his shining golden eyes decorated with a strange pattern.
"Ah, Young Master." Realization dawned upon Caesar. "You have seeded in your endeavor..." A smile decorated his face.
His body turned weaker, and his eyes turned droopier. He knew his time wasing close to an end. However, instead of being afraid, he was rejoicing with the fact that he had helped Basil.
He felt his body fell to the ground, but it was so gentle, it felt like someone was helping him toy down. He tried to see, but nothing entered his eyes.
However, his ears were still functioning properly, and he could feel the warm hand on his forehead.
"My blessing shall apany you, Caesar."
He didn''t know whether it was his Lord''s or his Young Master''s, due to the eerily simr voice. However, which was it didn''t matter to him; he was just d he could finally go in peace.
Before long, his heart stopped beating, and soon, Caesar was reunited with his wife and children.
Basil looked at the lifeless body of Caesar with his shining golden eyes. He didn''t know what was happening to himself, as he felt a strongpassion toward Caesar.
At this moment, he realized the more he paved his way, the more he experienced changes. Followed by that was the uncovering of the world''s mystery.
Still, such thought was unnecessary for the current situation; he had a better thing to do.
Flicking his hand lightly, fire was produced, and it slowly engulfed Caesar''s body. Basil knew he couldn''t bury Caesar, and so he decided to cremate Caesar.
When Caesar hadpletely turned to ash, Basil controlled the wind to gather Caesar''s ash, and kept it in a jar he had brought with him in his Spatial Bracelet.
Taking out the Dungeon''s Sealing Sword, he quickly brought himself out; he couldn''t stay idle.
He knew what was about to happen was the true beginning of everything.
Chapter 158 Epilogue: Repeat
A few kilometers away from Randalvine, a luxury carriage was speedily approaching. The two Hexapod Horses drawing the carriage were galloping mightily, while huffing and puffing their chest rhythmically.
The driver of the carriage seemed anxious, as if it was his first day of driving a carriage. However, his mind was just upied by the recent news he had heard from a random person he had met when he had rested his horse.
s, what could he do but worry over his family in Raneil Barony?
The news came right after he had departed, as if the world wanted him to leave his family behind. Still, his professionalism beat his worry over his family in the end; he focused on his job to distract his mind from the uneasiness.
In the carriage the driver was driving, two people sat face to face. One of them was a beautiful teenage girl, and the other was an attractive mature woman. They were talking with each other, discussing about the news the driver had also heard.
"To call it coincidence will be a stretch, but to call it premeditated ... In my opinion, that will be illogical," the young girl said to the mature woman.
The mature woman chuckled, and mildly waved her hand. "I am not using Basil or whatsoever, Jules. What I mean by ''everything was nned'' is, Basil is ahead of everyone."
These two females were no other than Julia Chilston and her mother, Diana Chilston.
Although there had been a week long dy due to Diana settling all her Noble rted matters, both of them still could head to Randalvine in time.
Diana had been taken aback at first, since Julia''s request to head to Randalvine had been so sudden.
However, she had attributed it to Julia wanting to spend more time together with her, so she had agreed immediately.
It was to her surprise that her daughter''s "gut feeling" to go to Randalvine actually had a meaning; something had really happened!
Still, the one she still admired the most was Basil; he had "predicted" something like this would happen ahead of everyone, after all.
"Now, it makes me wonder. I get the reason why Basil moved Mr. Danzel and her daughter out of Raneil Barony ..." Diana hummed to herself.
"But, why did he have to take Shirley too? Although close, Fortescher County and Woster County is, after all, still 2,000 kilometers apart. There is no way the Monsters from Raneil Barony could reach there uninterrupted."
Diana was referring to the Knights and Mages living around the vicinity. At Diana''s puzzlement, Julia mused for awhile, before her mind recalled something she had nearly forgotten.
"ording to the rumours, there should be an Outbreak urring soon ... I think that''s the reason?" Julia looked at Diana unsurely.
Diana frowned lightly. "Although an Outbreak will ur soon, Woster County is also far away from BA-22. Moreover, there is no need to worry over the split concentration of the Royal Army. We have enough Mercenary to cover it."
Mercenary is consisted of Free Knights who are hired by the Kingdom in times of danger. The gathering in Firefly Guild had been an example of a Mercenary recruitment.
"Well, I guess Basil is just being Basil. He is too cautious for his own good." Diana shrugged.
No matter how she though about it, she couldn''t think of the reason why Basil had moved his family to such a safe ce¡ªRandalvine, the heart of Braxtein Kingdom.
Of course, she didn''t need to muse over it for long. Because, the answer was given to her in a fairly short time.
...
Dale Vige (8 kilometers from BA-22).
Iliana looked far ahead, at the stationed Royal Army with a frown. A news had been delivered a few minutes ago about the sudden emergence of Monsters, but none of them were ordered to take care of it.
By saying "them," she didn''t mean the Royal Army, but herself and the other Randalvine Magic Institute students.
It had been their third day of being stationed here, and they had done nothing but guarding over an empty vige. Sending them over to Raneil Barony was unquestionably a smarter choice.
Funnily, none of the people in authority thought about that.
She understood the reason why BA-22 was prioritized. However, she couldn''t get why the King was so adamant on keeping everyone stuck in BA-22; it wouldn''t hurt sending some of the aids to settle the problem in Raneil Barony, after all.
She turned to Darius who was standing beside her. "Darius, no matter how long I see it, there is no sign of an Outbreak urring soon." She frowned. "Don''t you think we are wasting our time here?"
"Well... I am befuddled too, to be honest." Surprisingly, Darius agreed with Iliana in this matter. "I haven''t even detected any abnormal Mana fluctuation from the Obelisk ... It seems very unlikely for this Obelisk to experience an Outbreak soon."
Iliana clicked her tongue. "Tsk. Overlooking an elephant in front of one''s eyes; scrutinizing an ant of the other ind, huh?" She smiled condescendingly. "I can''t say I didn''t expect this."
Darius was about to respond Iliana''s word, however someone beat him to it.
"You should watch to whom you direct those words, Miss Iliana."
At the interruption, Iliana and Darius turned around to look at the speaker.
? It was a handsome, blue haired young man with muscr build and a height of 187 centimeters. Walking slowly toward them, the young man gazed at Iliana with a smile.
Iliana quirked her eyebrow. "Hoh? I didn''t know you are a Kingdom''s loyal dog, Eugene."
The young man, Eugene, merely smiled and bowed slightly. "To say kind words, we shan''t need to see the other person." Giving another smile to Iliana, he said, "Don''t you think so?"
"I don''t think so, unfortunately," was Iliana''s instant reply. "ck can never be white even if you call it bright, and vice versa. Bad remains bad, and a stupidity remains a stupidity."
Waving her hand lightly, she continued, "Your way of thinking is not practical."
Despite the barrage of critical, yet condescending words, Eugene could still keep smiling.
Putting his hand above his heart, he said, "Think I do not; feel I do. Unlike you who rationalize everything, I treat everything withpassion; just like what our Gods have taught us."
"I would like to see you do that to the Monsters." Iliana smirked, and some people around her evenughed. "Pretentious prick. Does he think his mask is perfect?" She muttered under her breath.
She could read every one of his emotions like an open book. She knew even if Eugene was keeping a kind face on the surface, his mind was filled with thoughts that could scare away anyone.
This type of person disgusted her the most.
"Darius," she turned her head to the side, "I will head to Raneil Barony to face the iing horde. I can''t stand this pointless activity anymore."
She was about to walk away from the vicinity, when someone called her name, stopping her in her way.
"Iliana, wait!"
She turned around, and looked at the caller¡ªthe callers. "What is it, Whitney ... and Cray?"
"We will go to Raneil Barony with you. We got ... Something to retrieve," Whitney said cryptically.
Iliana quirked her eyebrow as she understood where the two were exactly going to: Death Howl Dungeon. She, too, was going there.
With a smirk, she said, "I won''t hold any responsibility if you got punished. Just so you know, I am free of punishment because of Master Lawson." Pointing her finger at them, she continued, "The two of you, in the other hand, have no backing."
"We don''t mind." Whitney nodded his head resolutely.
"Moreover, helping people in our way to retrieve our thing is far more productive than uselessly standing here, right?!" Cray enthusiastically eximed.
Iliana nodded her head simply, then walked away; Whitney and Cray also followed suit. Of course, they couldn''t just go like that.
"Where are you going?" Darius asked in exasperation.
"To save people," was Iliana''s simple answer.
Darius opened his mouth, but nothing came out. In the end, he opted to turn a blind eye on the rebellious act.
"Do you think it will be alright, President?" Darius turned his head to look at the petite, red haired girl beside him¡ªhis secretary. "Do you think it will be fine, Annabeth?" He asked. "No," Annabeth replied instantaneously.
"Exactly." Darius sighed helplessly.
On the other side, Eugene looked at the disappearing back of Iliana in irritation¡ªof course, he was smart enough to not inly show it¡ªhe was dissatisfied his attempt to keep Iliana way from Raneil Barony had failed.
Who knows that girl is that rebellious?
Anyhow, he had tried his best to keep her away from there. What would happen next would be due to her decision.
A cold smile slowly grazed his face. With his advanced information, he knew what would Raneil Barony¡ªFortescher County would end up as.
A banquet for Demons.
...
The Obelisk of Goap, BA-32 (600 kilometers from BA-22).
Right in front of the tall and narrow tapering monument, that is, Obelisk, two figures could be seen facing each other.
One of them was a delicate looking man whose hair was as blue as sea water, and the other was a grey haired man in a golden themed cassock with a veil covering his face.
They seemed like they were having a staredown as none of them spoke to each other.
"I am not here to watch you staring at me, Priest," the delicate looking man said. Extending his hand, he said, "Give me the thing I ordered."
The man wearing a veil stared at the extended hand silently for awhile, before saying, "This is the legacy of one of Braxtein''s renowned Mages ... You can not let it fall into the hands of someone from the Kingdom."
Moving his gaze to the delicate man''s face, he sternly said, "We don''t like unnecessary uproar, Prince Goap."
The delicate man, the Obelisk Master, Goapughed in amusement. "Are you expecting me, the Great President of Hell, Goap to die?"
He smirked coldly. "It might be the case in the past ... Your kin has lost the people who are capable to do so."
The man wearing a veil kept his silence, and merely took out an armband that was decorated with blue jade like shells, surrounded with beautiful pinkish pearls. He handed it to Goap, and Goap dly took it.
"Take good care of it." With this said, the man wearing a veil turned around. However, before he left the vicinity, he left onest message. "We are not the only one who have passed the golden age; you are too, the FORMER Great President of Hell, Goap."
The man wearing a veil quickly disappeared from the vicinity, leaving behind the now smiling stiffly Goap. Clutching his hand tightly, Goap suppressed his rage due to the humiliation he had just received.
"Huuh..." Goap sighed lightly. "Human o human. A bunch of lowly organisms who dare to bite the hand that feeds them."
Looking at the armband in his hand, Goap immediately wore it on his left arm. Upon wearing it, he felt his chaotic Demonic Mana calmed down slightly, and his connection with his element of affinity got stronger.
"Just wait, humans," he muttered.
"This Prince will remind you why Heaven banished us. We will slowly retain our right, and when that timees..." Goap grinned savagely, faintly showing his true appearance.
"The world is bound to be ours."
The Outbreak ured, and the nightmare was repeated.
Chapter 159 Wake Up Call
Obelisk was a gigantic four sided, narrow tapering stone pir with countless of Demonic Runes Carved on its surface. Its height varied from 800 meters to 1.3 kilometers, and its width varied from 50 to 80 meters.
Obelisks were the only gigantic monument that every living beings hated. Even so, the Obelisk itself couldn''t do any harm to them. However, the world behind the Obelisk did; this became the reason why they hated it.
Obelisk was the boundary between thend of the living, and thend of the cursed. An active Obelisk produced a Barrier that separated the twonds to protect the poption of the strongest Demon residing behind it; it didn''t produce Demons.
When a weak Demon was born inside, it would be thrown outside of the Barrier; no weak Demons would be epted inside. This was the reason behind the phenomenon of "Monster birth."
When thend behind the Barrier was filled to the brim¡ªwhen strong Demons had overcrowded thend¡ªthe Obelisk Master would deactivate the Barrier, and the Demons were set loose, free to evoke chaos upon the world.
This phenomenon was called Outbreak.
In front of one of the existing Obelisks, six humanoid figures were kneeling with their heads lowly bowed. Two of the six figures were females, and the rest were males. They were adorned in ck armor that was made from a High Grade Magic Metal, Vanadium.
The six figures were currently paying their respect to the delicate looking man facing the Obelisk: their Master. He had blue hair, a womanlike slim build, and a height of 178 centimeters, which was pretty average for a man.
"My liege, the legions are ready!" One of the figures said.
The aura the six figures were exuding was not something one could scoff at: it was horribly overwhelming. Even so, it was nothingpared to the aura of the man they were bowing their heads to.
"Mistake shan''t be forgiven ... Dare you guarantee your readiness?" The man said.
One of the six figures opened his mouth. "Shall we make a mistake, may you condemn our souls, Prince Goap."
The man, Goap, smiled slightly. "I have seen your resolve." Turning around, he spread his hand. "Arise, my Generals ... We shall dere our presence to the mortal world!"
The Generals raised their heads, and stood up straightly. All of them had two horns and apparent blue vein on their foreheads. Their ck sclera and purple iris added a certain charm to their appearance; they looked devilishly charming.
"As youmand, my liege!" They shouted in unison.
Goap smiled in satisfaction, and faced the Obelisk once again. Extending his hand forward, he put his palm on the surface of the Obelisk. Infusing his monstrous Mana into the Obelisk, every Demonic Runes Carved on it shone and moved around it.
A faintughter came out of Goap''s mouth. "Ku-ku-ku. Today will be our return. Once again, we, Demons, will reach prominence." Raising his head, he stared at the sky with his shining blue eyes. "We will overthrow you soon ... Betrayer," he said spitefully.
Whoosh!
An overwhelming amount of Mana flooded the entire vicinity, causing dust to rise from the ground. Those who had long hair got their hair fluttered in the wind, and those who wore cape got their cape fluttered.
Ten inhale of breathter, the Magic Barrier that was generated by the Obelisk was retracted back into it like a curtain. As the Barrier was gone, the scene behind it was revealed; thend of the cursed, and its inhabitants were disyed to the world.
The entirety of the Obelisk shone even brighter, and the aura surrounding it became even heavier. Before long, the peak of the Obelisk shone in blue like an intensely burning torch.
Then, a beam of densely concentrated Mana was shot to the sky from the peak.
BOOM!
The air rippled, and an ear grating hum was reverberated through the air. The Obelisk currently looked like a magnificent gigantic re, but not a single person would admire the scene.
Because, it signified the start of an Outbreak¡ªthe nightmare of the world''s inhabitants.
Goap turned to look at his armies: 396,000 Demons in 66 legionsmanded by 6 Generals. A cruel smile decorated his face as he touched the armband around his arm.
He would make a good use of the aid he had gotten.
"My servants! 2000 years have passed since our defeat," he dered passionately. "We have been stomped down, and humiliated. It is now the time to return the humiliation with interest." Goap smiled gleefully. "Smear the world with their blood!"
The reaction was instantaneous.
"OOOOHHHH!" An excited cry came out of the mouth of the Demons.
All of their eyes lit up in madness, and their heart beat faster in ecstacy. Looking at their Master, they were sure of their victory; none of them entertained the thought of losing.
Under their Master''smand, the army of Demons took off to the human infested areas with the Six Generals in lead. Their purpose? To purge the humans off the world¡ªto have a feast!
This day was the day of the Obelisk Master reappearance, the day of the first Outbreak in 2000 years of inactivity, and the day of the rise of the Demons. This day would be written as another history worth remembering; not of joy, but tragedy.
And needless to say, humanity couldn''t react properly.
...
Wisselton, the center of Woster County (300 kilometers away from BA-32).
HUM!
All of the activities in the entirety of Woster County instantly came to a stop. The people didn''t understand what the sound they were hearing, but their body was honest: they couldn''t budge a single step.
Rasing their heads to look at the sky, they could see a beam of light shooting through the sky as if prating it. They knew they were far from it, but they couldn''t stop their body from quivering in fear.
Their pupils dted so much, it was on the verge of covering their entire iris. They wanted to shout, but they couldn''t. They could only gape their mouth in disbelief, and looked at the scene in horror.
Ding-dong! Ding-dong!
p At the weirdly soothing sound of the Church''s bell, they couldn''t hear the ear grating hum any longer; their attention was taken off from the re.
Their dted pupils returned to normal, and their tense body loosened up. When the fear was gone, their feet turned jelly; they lost the power to keep their posture straight, and fell to the ground.
Thud!
Breathing heavily, they looked at the ground in bewilderment and confusion.
What has just happened? What is that re? What is this hum I am faintly hearing? Why am I so uneasy?!
Questions filled their head, and they were eager to get the answer; they were hoping someone could immediately exin to them that what they were thinking was, in fact, just a mere thought¡ªit was not happening.
"Civilians, go get to your house!"
At the exmation, everyone turned their head to the direction of the speaker. It was a blue haired, muscr man with a handsome beard on his face. Standing at 185 centimeters tall, his firm posture really looked reassuring.
This man was someone the people of Woster County knew well; he was the Count of Woster, Count Ansley Woster. He was one of the few people who could keep his ground, and still act calm.
Right after registering the identity of the speaker, the people widened their eyes in realization, and quickly ran back to their house; doing as what Ansley had ordered.
"Pack up your stuff and move out! A big scale disaster might ur soon!" Ansley added. Gazing at the gigantic re, his face darkened visibly. "Please, tell me that what I am thinking is not going to happen."
Ironically, even one of the strongest individuals in Woster County was also hoping the same thing that ordinary folks were hoping.
Still, what is there the meaning to hope for rice, when it has turned to porridge?
"Earl Woster!"
At the panicked call, Ansley turned his head at the person; he was met with the face of his retainer.
Seeing that he got the Ansley''s attention, the retainer cried, "An incredible horde of Monsters is approaching Ruttenhale Barony¡ªthe outer part of our County! The estimate number of the Monsters is 60,000!"
Ansley''s face contorted, and the person who had reported the information was close to crying; he didn''t know what to do. Although he was also a Mage, he was nothing but a Second Circle Mage, a low ss Mage¡ªa weakling.
"Peterson!" Ansley shouted, and the retainer, Peterson was awaken from his thought. "Yes!" He immediately straightened up his posture.
Looking at Peterson seriously, Ansley said, "Take my son, Harold, to Randalvine with you." Peterson nodded his head firmly. "I believe the other Nobles have also notified the Kingdom by now." Peterson nodded once again. "Very well ... Off you go." Ansley waved his hand.
Peterson gulped audibly. "Count Ansley ... What about you?" In response, Ansley merely smirked. "I have to hold those bastards of with the other Nobles." Seeing the iing interjection, Ansley added, "You don''t have to feel the obligation to stay."
Peterson wanted to say something, but Ansley cut him once again. "You are merely a retainer. You have nond to protect; you have no reason to stay." Ansley smiled. "Take my son and your family away ... This ce will turn to hell very soon."
Right after saying that, Ansley''s Spatial Bracelet shed. In the next moment, his body was adorned with light armor; he was battle ready. Holding a Magic Sword in his hand, he immediately took off to the County Hall to meet the other Nobles.
He knew there would be many Nobles joining his side; no one wanted to lose the territory they had struggled to achieve, after all.
Although the drive was selfish, their goal was still beneficial to everyone: purging off every Monsters (Demons).
True to his prediction, there were already many Nobles gathering in the County Hall to take off to Ruttenhale Barony. Without talking much, they quickly took off.
Upon reaching there, they didn''t need to wait for the horde that long. The horde reached Ruttenhale Barony in an hour, and it fell in 10 minutes even with their presence there.
Fortunately, there were still local Knights and some kindhearted Mages helping them to prevent the horde of Demons from advancing any further.
Sadly even after many of them had fallen, the waited support from the Kingdom didn''te.
The King of Braxtein was too flustered with the development; he couldn''t make a wise and quick decision.
Chapter 160 Wake Up Call (2)
The King''s Pce, Randalvine, Braxtein Kingdom.
As one might expect what would happen in times of crisis, the throne room was currently filled with many concerned Nobles. They weren''t actually concerned about the safety of the people; they were concerned about the fate of their territory.
They had struggled to earn the piece ofnd they now governed; they couldn''t just let it fall to the hands of those brainless Monsters¡ªDemon.
Sure, when thend was retrieved it would still be theirs, but what about the damage the Monsters had caused?
Rebuilding their territory would take some time, and, of course, an enormous amount of money. Every Nobles were naturally materialistic¡ªthey wouldn''t have be one, if they hadn''t been¡ªthey weren''t willing to spend their money on that.
Due to this reason, they were concerned. 60,000 Monsters invading one''s territory wasn''t a matter one could easily shrug off. It wasn''t even easy to gather 3 legions consisted of Fifth Circle Mages, let alone 10 legions to fight them!
Braxtein Kingdom''s Royal Army was consisted of each 20 legions of chosen Knights and 10 legions of chosen Mages.
Each legions weremanded by either a Sixth Circle Mage or Peak Stage Blue Core Knight. Although not that many, they were the elite amongst elite.
Therefore, all of the people inside the throne room were hoping for the King, Anthony Lionheart Braxtein, to withdraw the 12 legions of Royal Army he had sent to BA-22, and mobilized the other to quickly solve the situation.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
"Your Majesty Anthony Lionheart Braxtein has arrived!"
At the announcement of the King''s counselor, every one of the Nobles straightened their posture, and put two fingers above their heart. When they could already see Anthony entering the room, they bowed their head respectfully.
"Pay respect to Your Majesty Anthony Lionheart Braxtein!"
"We greet Your Majesty!"
Anthony didn''t even grunt or show any particr reaction that he heard their greeting. He merely sat down in his throne, and gazed at the crowd of Nobles with his usual arrogant gaze.
"Raise your head," he said brusquely. Annoyance was really evident in his tone.
The crowd raised their head, and one of the Four Dukes was about to step forward, when Anthony raised his hand. "I know what you want to say, Duke Carlenze."
"Then, my King¡ª"
"Did I give you the permission to talk, William?" Anthony asked coldly.
The white haired, middle-aged man named William Carlenze shut his mouth entirely; due to his worry over his people, he had overstepped his boundary as a subordinate. He quickly took a step back, and joined the crowd once again.
"I know what all of you are eager to say." Anthony started speaking. "Mind you I am aware of the currently uring disaster¡ªI have many eyes ..." He clicked his tongue. "I understand how worry you are over your people, but everything has procedures."
Anthony''s eyes gleamed coldly. He knew all of them but a few only had worry over their territory, not their people. Even if he didn''t love his people that much, he still had some sense of responsibility to mind his people.
However, these Nobles in front him ... Their greed and selfishness were really apparent. He didn''t even need to peek into their hearts to know that. Therefore, he held contempt over them.
His eyes went to William¡ªthe only Duke who really cared about his people. He wasn''t that close to William, as thetter was more of a Knight than a Noble, but he respected William for his dedication to his people.
Of course, he also respected William''s power. Although not rare, Peak Stage Violet Core wasn''t someone to be trifled with. Not even him, a Seventh Circle Mage, was confident on being able to defeat William in a fight.
Moving his eyes back to the crowd, he said, "I will mobilize 4 legions of the currently standing by Royal Army to face the Monsters in Ruttenhale Barony."
Right after he said that, all of the Nobles raised their hands. Of course, the most vocal one was William.
"Your Majesty! There are 60,000 Monsters invading the Barony. We do not doubt the ability of our Royal Army, but to face that many Monsters with that amount of people ... That will be a stretch, in my opinion!"
Silence descended upon the room at William''s rather heated speech. Although it wasn''t a secret that Anthony somewhat respected William, they just didn''t expect William would dare to speak that brazenly at Anthony.
"You said nothing untruthful, William." To everyone''s surprise, Anthony agreed easily. "However, you have forgotten about the situation in Raneil Barony ... Furthermore, conquering the Obelisk is our priority."
At that, everyone hummed ufortably. Due to their panic, they had really forgotten about that. Every eyes turned to William; they were just sorry that all of the disasters were happening in the territory he governed first.
"Therefore, I will move 8 of the 12 legions of Royal Army stationed in BA-22 to BA-32; they will conquer the Obelisk with the help of some of our best Mages and Knights. The rest will be distributed to Raneil Barony to somewhat ease the situation."
Anthony looked at William. "Do you find my exnation satisfactory?"
"No." The answer was instant. Everyone gasped, but William paid no attention to it. "However, you made a good decision as a King." Looking at Anthony determinedly, William sternly said, "Pardon me, but I will not join the battle."
"I see..." Anthony nodded his head in understanding. "You want to stand by your people''s side?" William nodded resolutely. "Very well. You have my permission." Anthony waved his hand.
William bowed his head respectfully, then swiftly left the throne room.
The people looked at the scene quietly for awhile, before some of the Marqueeses and Marchionesses whose territory was under William''s governance also left the room; they were the few Nobles who cared about their people.
"Now that is sorted out, I will dismiss myself." Anthony stood up from his throne much to everyone''s dismay. "You already have your answer ... You can only do your best to hold on." Then, he left the room.
The room once again descended into silence. All of the Nobles had a bewildered look on their face. They knew Anthony didn''t care that much about them, but they couldn''t believe Anthony had just dismissed himself.
What about the discussion?!
The purpose of today''s meeting was to discuss about the state of the Monsters: their grades, number estimation, and such. However, Anthony didn''t discuss anything rted to that.
He had just basically said, "I know there is an Outbreak in BA-32. But, there still might be a chance that an Outbreak will ur in BA-22. So, you are on you are on your own," by his decision to still keep some of the Royal Army stationed there.
Even after the dy in making the decision, Anthony Lionheart Braxtein still made a wrong one.
...
Lone in, Outer Region (69 kilometers from BA-22)
After two hours of travel and some rest, Iliana, Whitney, and Cray had finally arrived at Lone in. Although they didn''t take a carriage to go there¡ªit didn''t even exist in the very first ce¡ªthey could still arrive there in a fairly short time.
All of this was due to their exceptional control over their Mana, and their advanced knowledge of Magic¡ªas expected of one of the 200 Best Randalvine Magic Institute students.
"Iliana, are you thinking of what I am thinking?" Whitney asked while riding his [Earth Board]¡ªbasically a Mana powered sliding board produced from Earth Magic¡ªbeside Iliana.
Iliana quirked her eyebrow, and turned her head to Whitney. "Are you asking me about how stupid you look on your board or about that re like thing?" She smirked. Although not very high, unlike Whitney, she used Wind Magic to let her fly.
"Bahaha! I think he is asking about both." Crayughed in humour. Like Iliana, he was also flying using Wind Magic.
Clicking his tongue in annoyance, Whitney eximed, "I''m sorry I''m bad at Wind Magic!" Cray merelyughed again at him.
Iliana smiled, and said, "Jokes aside, it''s really happening ... The Outbreak." Cray and Whitney nodded their heads solemnly. "In a different ce, that is. Fu-fu-fu." At Iliana''s humorous tone, the two blinked their eyes.
"Do you have some ''condition'' or something? As far as I''m concerned, that shouldn''t be something you shouldugh at..." Cray muttered. "But, well ... Since it''s hrious anyway, I can''t me you." Cray shrugged lightly.
Whitney, the sanest of the two, opted to stay silent. He didn''t want to be the "party popper" in the two people''s bordering psychotic conversation.
The travel continued for another minutes, until they could finally¡ªsomehow¡ªsee their destination: Death Howl Dungeon. They could already see the endless stream of Demonsing out of the Dungeon.
Iliana cancelled her Spell, and dropped to the ground. Looking ahead with a frown, she said, "Shouldn''t Death Howl have no mouth a few days ago?" Turning to Whitney, she quirked her eyebrow. "What is happening?"
Whitney cancelled his Spell, and turned to Iliana. "Do you really expect me to know that?" He asked weirdly. "I think it must have something to do with Basil ... I mean, he has full control over the Dungeon, doesn''t he?"
Iliana hummed to herself. "Hmmm... That is the only possible exnation, I guess." Turning her gaze back to the mouth of the Dungeon, she cupped her chin. "Now, where is the other entrance we can enter?"
They couldn''t just enter the Dungeon from the same way the Demons were going out, after all.
As she was about to pull her Magic Circles to her eyes to scrutinize the are even further, she felt a hand on her shoulder. "What is it, Whitney?" She turned around, and quirked her eyebrow. "Have you found the entrance?"
Whitney shook his head rigidly. "No ... But, I think I have found the ''thing'' we are about to retrieve." He pointed his finger to the west, 300 meters from the mouth of the Dungeon.
There was a tall young man standing in the middle of threerge cavities in the ground that were each 100 meters apart from each other. This young man was no other than Basil. He had a sword in his hand, and all of the Demons seemed to avoid him.
No, he looked like he was herding the horde of Demons.
Chapter 161 Wake Up Call (3)
Iliana hummed at the unfolding scene she was witnessing. She knew it was logically impossible for Basil to herd those Demons, but the scene conveniently supported the thought.
Of course given the situation, she didn''t entertain the thought for long. "Well, I guess we won''t have to bother ourselves entering the Dungeon." She shrugged. "I will call him to announce¡ªwell, he is already looking at here."
Iliana had wanted to call Basil at first, but upon seeing Basil had been looking at her, she had quickly stopped her attempt.
"Rather than just LOOKING at here, he is POINTING his sword at us," Craymented.
Just like he had said, Basil was pointing his glowing Sealing Sword at their direction¡ªat the ce behind them.
They were a little bit puzzled at first. However upon recalling the fact that Basil had always been a "unique" individual, they quickly shrugged it off.
And, that was also the moment they regretted shrugging off Basil''s cue.
Rumble!
,m The ground shook, as if something wanting toe out of it. The three students were quick to step away, as their defense mechanism was screaming loudly in their mind.
Boom!
As if proving their instinct to move away was correct, a second after they had moved away, a simr cavity like the one surrounding Basil mysteriously appeared in the ground. Its role was also the same.
It became the Demons'' exit way.
"For Akasha''s sake, what in the bloody hell is that?!" Cray cursed out loud. Whitney, who had remained silent up till then, also couldn''t help chiming in this time. "That''s a bloody horde of Demons!"
Contrary to the two rather dramatic duo, Iliana took a look at the situation calmly. She didn''t need to think long, before her eyes discreetly went to Basil.
Looking at the glowing Sealing Sword in his hand, she could instantly deduce he was the culprit behind it. Of course, she knew he didn''t mean to harm them in slightest.
The reason why he had pointed his sword at them earlier must have been to warn them; such gesture was unnecessary to activate the Runes Carved on the Sealing Sword, after all.
Quickly brushing the thought off, she quickly focused herself on the more important thing. "Whitney, Cray, let''s head to Basil''s side! That is the safest spot we can get!" She quickly ran toward Basil''s way right after.
"I can see that. These Monsters are chasing our butts, after all!" Whitney eximed. "Holy cow, these Monsters'' love for my butt has transcended any love I wish I can get from people!" Cray, too, gave his own two cents in.
Even though they were heard like a bunch of inexperienced brats, they handled the situation very well. They kept sessfully killing any Demons that managed to get close enough to them while running toward Basil.
On the other hand, Iliana only had to run since Cray and Whitney took care of the Demons for her; she deserved it as their ... Superior, as she liked to refer herself to them.
"Tsk. These Monsters really love our butts, aren''t they?"
Of course, that doesn''t mean she didn''t have to face any hurdle at all. She might be safe from the back, but not from the front.
The closer she got to Basil, the more of the Demonsing out of the cavities around him noticed her. Although not all of theming at her, some of the Demonsing at her were pretty troublesome to deal with.
Shriek!
Just like the Gutter that was twenty steps away from her. She didn''t emit that much of Mana to make her look dangerous, but the Gutter was ready to explode its guts out as it deemed Iliana was a dangerous individual.
Of course, she was knowledgeable enough to not let it happen. Quickly casting one of the Spells she got in her repertoire, Mana quickly gathered on her hand. A fireball quickly formed above her palm, as she pointed it at the gutter.
"You can die by yourself, annoying pest. [Fire Cannon]!"
A fireball of a size of a cannonball was shot at the iing Gutter with a high speed. It was simply too fast for an ordinary eye to catch up; so was the case for the Gutter. Despite of having three eyes, none of them could follow the fireball.
In the end, it ended up getting its chest punctured by the fireball. Not stopping just killing it, the fireball headed to the other Monstersing at Iliana, and killed them in the same manner it had killed the Gutter.
It charred their skin, and made a hole in their chest. Although it had a straight trajectory, it wasn''t that easy to dodge it due to its high velocity; many got flustered, and could only helplessly forfeit their life.
Of course, it wasn''t the best part of Iliana''s simple yet lethal Spell. Upon reaching a certain point¡ªthe spot with the most Demons¡ªthe fireball stopped midair, then exploded itself.
Boom!
Although the explosion wasn''t that big, it was enough to kill a couple of Demons, and heavily injured many of them. The only disadvantage was, of course, the amount of attention it attracted.
Almost half of the Demonsing out of one of the cavities were now turning their heads at her, ring at her with apparent hatred; close to a fourth of them were even on the verge of chasing her.
However by the time they wanted to take their first step to chase her, she propelled herself forward, sending her beside Basil instantly. Cray also did the same with his Wind Magic, carrying Whitney with him.
"Huuh..." A sigh of relief came out of Cray''s mouth, upon reaching Basil''s side. "That was insane! Did you see how enthusiastic these Demons chasing our butts?" He turned to Whitney.
Whitney merely raised his hand, and faintly shook his head. "Give me a moment to settle this distorting sensation down first." He wasn''t used to flying. "Blergh! I guess this what makes me suck in Wind Magic," he muttered.
Iliana lightly smiled at the two, and quickly turned her head at the person she hadn''t seen for two months; she had to look up as Basil had gotten taller yet again.
Basil looked down at her, and tilted his head. "You feel different," he said softly. Iliana lightly smirked, and replied, "That should be my word, boy."
Basil hummed to himself, then returned his attention to the front. Some of the Demons had gotten out of the horde, and were currently looking at him¡ªthe people beside him¡ªin apparent annoyance.
He gazed at them neutrally, then opened his mouth. "|||?|||?||||?|||"
The people''s attention quickly turned to Basil as he had just spoken a foreignnguage that they were sure they had never heard of. Much to their bewilderment, some of the demons replied Basil''s word.
"|??|||????||||?||||?!"
Basil and the Demons were talking in Lesser Tongue: thenguage some of the High ss Demons, and every Middle ss Demons and below spoke. The content of their conversation was, as one might expect, concerning about the people beside him.
¡ªThey have killed our brothers! They have to take responsibility!
¡ªI don''t think the death of 43 of you is worth starting a conflict between us.
As usual, Basil faced the situation calmly and overbearingly. He didn''t show any particr expression, but the Demons could somehow feel the disdain he directed at them.
¡ªHuman! We, Demons, cherish our deal. You shall do the same!
¡ªThe deal is supposed to be me not killing any of you. Have I killed any of you?
Basil quirked his eyebrow, and the Demons were close to jump at him. He didn''t say anything wrong; he had promised to not kill any of them as long as they did him a favor. He had basically signed a deal with Demons, with him as the initiator.
¡ªYou lowly human! Just as dirty as your ancestors!
¡ªI don''t want to hear that from a bunch of failed products.
Amotion was evoked amongst the Demons, as they were busy condemning Basil for his "dirty act." However, none of them dare to jump at him.
They merely looked at him in grudge, before joining the moving horde once again. They knew it would be useless to start a with fight Basil there; they still had a better thing to do, after all.
Basil smirked lightly at that, then turned his head to the bewildered people. He had felt their gaze since the moment he had spoken Lesser Tongue.
Looking at them one by one, he could feel their well-hidden cautiousness toward him. "This is why staying in the Dungeon is more rewarding than staying in Magic Institute." He shrugged lightly.
He had just lied as natural as breathing; he had actually learnt Lesser Tongue from the information the Guide had provided him. Of course, he couldn''t say that, unless he wanted to dumbly reveal all of his cards.
Unsurprisingly, the people quickly ept his exnation. It wasn''t that weird for a Mage to learn weird things ... They were "entric," after all.
"Basil, good to see you are okay." Whitney was genuinely d Basil was okay. " I''m sorry for my ipetence back then." He bowed his head lightly.
Basil''s response was a simple nod, and a hum of acknowledgement.
"I know this might be insensitive, but I can''t believe you actually survived it, mate!" Cray excitedly eximed. "Even my foot," he pointed at his right foot, "was healed only after a full month of recuperation! That old man was nuts!"
Basil turned his gaze to Whitney, and Whitney bowed his head in apology on behalf of Cray. Sometimes, Cray''s natural brightness was exceptionally overwhelming indeed.
"Basil ..." At the call, Basil turned his head to Iliana. "Why are they avoiding us? I can''t feel any Magic Barrier to repel them is set here." Iliana looked at him in slight puzzlement.
"I made a deal with them."
"Deal?" Iliana quirked her eyebrow.
"Yes, a deal. They asked me to open the Dungeon, and I asked them to not jump at me."
"That is all?"
Basil lightly nodded his head.
Iliana''s puzzlement became worse: she didn''t get Basil''s purpose of making a deal with them. If he had the control over the Dungeon to let the Demons out, why didn''t he use that to entrap them for a moment to escape?
She knew there was something more to it, but she decided to not pursue the matter. Everything Basil had done up till now had been always for a purpose; she was sure this one was too.
Therefore, she nodded her head in eptance, and so did the other two.
Basil turned his gaze to the horde once again, before slightly smiling in satisfaction. He had been nothing in the past, when this Outbreak had ured; this time, he held full control of it.
Basil had provided the Demons the location of some of the crucial parts of Fortescher County, and asked them to take over it. That way, the County would fall in their hands faster, and in turn would also throw the Kingdom into a distraught state faster.
In the moment of chaos, Basil would fully take advantage of it.
Chapter 162 Wake Up Call (4)
"So, what are we doing now?"
At Cray''s question, Whitney and Iliana turned to him, then turned their head at Basil. Basil, whose gaze was nted to the front, nced at the three students with raised eyebrow upon receiving their gaze.
"Are you telling me to make a decision or are you going to wait for me until I move?" Basil asked to the three people without even turning his head.
Upon receiving that answer, Whitney and Cray turned to Iliana. "I am going to escort Basil back to Randalvine Magic Institute so he can deliver his report. So, I am going to wait for him," was Iliana''s immediate answer.
Whitney and Cray looked at each other, before turning their gaze to the horde of Demons that were ceaselessly pouring out of the four cavities in the ground and the Dungeon entrance. With a shrug, they quickly decided their answer.
"I''ll wait for Basil," Whitney said. "We can''t risk getting our butts chased by these Monsters again, after all," Cray added.
Even though they could just go back to BA-22 by themselves, they didn''t want to do that; they knew it would be counterproductive.
The Demons, as they were currently seeing, were heading to Raneil Barony and a few other ces; none of them were heading to BA-22. Therefore, BA-22 was pretty much safe from the Demons'' threat.
But still, their main reason not going there was Iliana; they were secretly hoping if they followed Iliana, they would eventually be pardoned of their punishment. Leaving the ce one had been stationed at couldn''t be easily forgiven, after all.
"I am leaving now."
At Basil''s sudden deration, everyone turned to him in slight surprise. "We don''t have to wait until these guys stop pouring out of these holes?" Cray asked in puzzlement. He had thought the only reason they weren''t attacked was the spot they were standing on.
"No," Basil shook his head faintly, "the deal I made with them guarantee my safety and anyone I know. That''s why," he gestured at the Demons, "none of these creatures attack you."
Whitney and Cray eximed, "Oh," in understanding. Then as if remembering something, Whitney asked, "Hey, what about the Kinyer inside the Dungeon?" Basil nced at him once, before shortly saying, "He''s dead."
The three students blinked their eyes in surprise. "He is dead?" Iliana asked. "Did you kill him?" She said sceptically. "He died of old age; two thousand years living in a crippled state, and letting lose once was enough to kill him," was Basil''s immediate answer.
By letting lose, he referred to Caesar''s "fight" with the Exploration team.
"Well, that''s anticlimactic to be honest; I was expecting him to suddenly pop out of the Dungeon, and rule over the world once again!" Craymented. Turning a bewildered gaze at him, Whitney retorted, "You are really nuts when you want to be, aren''t you?"
Shrugging once, Cray turned to Basil. "So, where are we going, captain? You got many things to report, and I bet you are not that fond of that idea. So, I am pretty sure you are not heading back to Randalvine."
As they turned their head at Cray, Iliana and Whitney were a little bit surprised at Cray''s rare moment of brilliance. However, they quickly erased that thought as they remembered what he usually did: he always returnedte whenever he made a mistake!
Although Basil didn''tmit any mistake, he must be not eager to be questioned about what had happened in two months of his disappearance. Therefore, Cray, who was often in his position, could reach that conclusion.
At their analysis, Whitney and Iliana nodded their head in understanding. Cray realized that, but opted to not question it; he knew even if he pursued the matter, the two of them would just thwart him off.
"I will head to Raneil Barony to look at the situation." Gesturing at the Demons, he continued, "It has been six hours since these creatures start pouring out of the Dungeon; with their traveling speed, some of them must have arrived there."
Everyone nodded their head at that. Raneil Barony wasn''t really that far from Lone in. With a regr carriage, they could arrive there in three days, and it would only take a day for a luxury carriage that was powered by two exceptional Hexapod Horses to get there.
,m It was amon knowledge how crazy Demon''s natural strength and stamina were. Supported with the Demonic Mana that was released to the air by the Obelisk of Goap, their power was, at least, doubled. Therefore, reaching Raneil Barony in 6 hours wouldn''t be a stretch.
"We will follow your lead, Basil," Iliana said lightly.
Basil didn''t nod his head, nor did he show any indication of hearing her word. He merely kicked the ground, flew to the air for a few seconds, beforending on the ground a hundred meters away.
Iliana merely smirked at that, and channeled her Mana to her feet. Kicking the ground once, andnded right beside Basil, sessfully imitating his feat. Cray''s eyes lit up as he turned to Whitney, but Whitney shook his head immediately.
Shrugging lightly, Cray casted a Wind Element Spell on his feet. Wind quickly gathered around them, and it propelled him to the air in the next moment. When Cray arrived beside Basil, he looked at Whitney from afar expectantly. However, thetter merely ignored his stare.
Casting [Earth Board], Whitney''s earthen sliding board was once again revealed to the world. Riding on top of it, he "slid" to the ground swiftly; ff one were to look carefully, the ground below was the one moving his board.
Soon enough, he arrived beside the three people.
"Alright, we are good to go," Whitney said. Basil turned to him, and gazed briefly at the others. "I will remind you that you have not the need to follow me ... You will not like what you will see," Basil calmly said.
No one gave a response to show that they really didn''t care of what they would see. A sea of blood? A mountain of decapitated human corpses? They were used to all of them; they didn''t care about other people that much¡ªMage were naturally individualistic.
Furthermore, they wouldn''t be idling here if they had that much care about other people; they would be hot on their way to Raneil Barony to save the residents.
Seeing that no one budged, Basil turned his gaze back to the front. ''Guide, what is the situation in Raneil Barony?''
[Ding!]
[Guide To Omniscience has been sessfully upgraded. The new function: Visualization is now unlocked!]
[Initiating Visualization to solve the Host''s puzzlement; target: Raneil Barony...]
As soon as the function was activated, Basil got the full view of Raneil Barony. He could see Familia Hotel, and even the entire Barony from his vision. The residents were going on their activity as usual¡ªunaware of the iing tragedy.
The Demons,ing from the south gate, were already a few kilometers from it, and none of the people took notice of them; also as usual, the guards of that particr gate werex on their job.
Basil knew none of them were told of the iing horde to avoid uncontrolled panick, but the security system''sx was enough to irritate him. Then again, it was all due to Anthony''s ipetence to make a good decision.
When the guards took notice of the Demons, they were already a few hundreds meters away from the Barony. Even Basil, who was well aware of people''s stupidity, was irked at how long it had taken them to notice the Demons.
Just as they were busy ringing the bell and closing the gate, the first Demon had arrived in front of the gate guards. Swinging its gigantic axe, the three meters tall Minotaur bisected the unfortunate Orange Core Knights who were fulfilling their task as a guard.
The bell was rung, and the residents were notified. Still, getting upte will never make onee early;te meanste¡ªthat''s the end of the story. The Minotaur that had arrived first utilized its boosted strength, then hit the gate with all it got.
The gate was split in two, and the Minotaur barged in. While the civilians inside were panicking, some local Knights were ready to stop the Minotaur. s, what could a bunch of Orange Core Knights do to a Minotaur? They were helplessly butchered.
A few seconds passed, the other Demons also arrived at the scene, quickly entering the Barony. Many Knights staying there came out to y the invading Demons, but their amount was not really helping. In the end, a nightmarish chaos was evoked.
Basil ended the Visualization, and his vision returned to normal once again. Ever since he had unlocked the Visualization function, he had instantly got addicted to it. Being able to see everywhere whenever he wanted to was undoubtedly a perfect aid for him.
With that, he could really supervise his n, and make sure everything was going alright. Aside from providing him with the knowledge he hadn''t known before, the Guide really helped him by giving this particr function.
Of course, it didn''t mean he was going to depend on it too much. The hammer in a cook''s hand will not be as useful as the one in a cksmith''s hand; a tool is a tool, what makes it great is the one who utilizes it.
"We will be moving." At Basil''s word, the three people nodded their head.
Basil didn''t actually feel the need to say anything, but the curious gaze he was receiving from the people forced him to do so; he was aware they must had been weirded out by his one minute long of staring into nothing.
Channeling his Mana and Qi, Basil utilized his Art: [Frictionless], and activated his Movement Technique: [Feather Step]. Since he was a Mage and a Knight, he would travel using both Principles.
Kicking the ground once, he reappeared 200 meters away from the three students a few seconds after. Not stopping in his way, he kept running so fast, he seemed to be sliding on the ground.
The people blinked their eyes in surprise once again; not because of Basil''s speed, but his step¡ªit was silent. Also earlier, when he had propelled himself forward, none of them had felt the aftermath wind. It was as if the wind had entirely opened a way for him to pass.
When they got how Basil did that¡ªeven though they didn''t know his [Frictionless]¡ªthey were amazed at how much control Basil had over Wind Magic. However, it was also at that moment they realized Basil was already far away.
Quickly utilizing their Mana, they immediately took off to catch up to Basil. Little did they expect, the time for them to stop in their way wasn''t that far ahead.
Chapter 163 Wake Up Call (5)
Basil, Iliana, Whitney, and Cray had been traveling for an hour already. While Iliana could keep up with Basil, it wasn''t the case with the other two students. Although they could actually catch up to Basil, they would be using too much Mana; they didn''t want it.
Therefore, they were 20 meters away from the two people. It didn''t take a genius to conclude that Basil had advanced either his Magic or Body Forging mastery. That was the only exnation how he could keep his pace that long.
Whitney and Cray couldn''t deduce yet which Principle Basil had advanced in; Basil was utilizing both Principles, thus perfectly covered how much advancement he had undergone.
Still, they didn''t need to think of that much. They had a more important thing to mind: they were tired!
"Excuse us, can we take a break for a moment, please?!" Cray shouted. "You guys run so fast, my Magic Circles are overworked!" Whitney, who was beside Cray, opted to stay silent. He didn''t feel the need to shout his suffering out, as Cray had represented him too.
Although they didn''t travel as fast as Basil and Iliana, they didn''t travel slowly either. They were still traveling in a high speed; the only reason why they looked so slow was because they were running behind the two monstrous people leading ahead.
That means, the act consumed a quite enormous amount of Mana. They could still keep moving, but they would just unnecessarily exhaust their Magic Circles that way. They couldn''t do that as they needed to anticipate for an unexpected ambush.
Therefore, it was better to rest their Magic Circles for awhile to prevent them from being overworked.
Iliana turned to Basil. "I think we should rest for a while. Those two are exhausted." She, too, was running like Basil; different than Basil however, she utilized only Mana to achieve the feat. "There is no need to rush, isn''t it?"
"They can stop, if they want to; I will not stop." Basil nced briefly at the two people in the back. "I am not rushing; there is no point in that. However, it won''t take that long until we are stopped."
At the rather ambiguous answer, Iliana frowned lightly. Basil had just basically said something was going to stop them sooner orter. As for what was that "something," Iliana couldn''t tell.
Although they could still see the horde of Demons on their side, they were 200 meters apart. Furthermore, they were traveling parallelly; there was no way they would meet each other, unless the horde chose to change their course out of sudden.
Beside, Basil had that "deal" with the Demons; they wouldn''t attack them. She knew to never trust what she didn''t understand, but Basil seemed to understand the Demons. Therefore, she believed his "deal" with the Demons would be fulfilled just fine.
Upon reaching to that conclusion, Iliana shrugged lightly; she could mind who or what that "something" waster.
Turning her head slightly to the back, she shouted, "We will rest in ten minutes!" Although Basil didn''t say when they would stop, Iliana needed to give the two people hope.
And true to her prediction, "Yes, Sire! We will run for another ten minutes!" They were excited about that.
People are funny; when they know they are presented with a clear goal in front of their eyes, they will try everything they can to realize it. In turn, they will ignore the hardships they are undergoing, thinking it as a necessary "sacrifice."
Iliana smirked at the simplicity of the two, then turned her gaze to Basil beside her. He was different; he was a lot quieter than before. Aside from his minor change in appearance¡ªhe had gotten slightly manlier¡ªhis aura was really different.
His aura was something that one could never find in every existing young Mage; she was sure of it. Moreover, his bearing had also changed. Before, he had acted like a typical arrogant genius who had the skills to back it up; it had looked slightly childish.
Now however, Basil resembled those "untouchable" people; he was cold and detach. His action was unpredictable, and she couldn''t read him at all¡ªunlike the time when she had met him for the first time. Even his gaze ... She couldn''t tell what he was seeing.
"Don''t you think you will overwork your Magic Circles, if you keep that pace?" She asked offhandedly; she wanted to hear his answer. Basil didn''t even turn to her as he answered, "I won''t. Mine work differently than yours."
"Differently...? What does that mean?" Iliana was genuinely puzzled. She didn''t know Magic Circles could work differently.
Speaking about the mechanism between Basil''s Magic Circles and the others'', they were fundamentally different. Basil''s Magic Circles acted as a stabilizer; they were used to control the Mana his Heart produced better.
While in the others'' case, their Magic Circles'' role wasn''t as simple as Basil''s. Their Magic Circles had to work as a Mana storage, an Array to gather Mana, and a Mana stabilizer. Their Magic Circles had too many roles; they tend to get overworked.
It was the reason a knowledgeable Mage would never say they had exhausted their Mana when they were spent, but said they had overworked their Magic Circles instead. Because, the only aspect they could exhaust was their Magic Circles.
Furthermore unlike Basil, they didn''t have a Mana Heart and Ultimate Circles.
"It means as what it is; just know that mine work differently." Of course, Basil didn''t have any intention to exin that.
Seeing that Basil had no intention to answer her, Iliana simply nodded her head. "Okay." She had momentarily forgotten that they weren''t that close yet. She couldn''t be too nosy at him; he was a Mage, and Mage didn''t like that.
Basil briefly nced at Iliana from the corner of his eyes. "I will tell you about it in some other time." Iliana slightly widened her eyes in surprise, and replied, "Oh, Y-Yeah. I will wait untill that timees." She nodded her head slightly d.
Basil actually didn''t feel the need to say that to her, but upon sensing her disappointment, he couldn''t help saying that; disappointing her didn''t sit quite right with him. After all, they had been a thing in the past; she had been his drive.
Well maybe, he had just gotten soft; he couldn''t know.
Ten minutes passed, and the waited time came: they were finally stopped. Nine people with white clothing, and a veil covering their faces blocked their way. While Basil gazed at the people calmly, Iliana was frowning in puzzlement.
When Whitney and Cray had caught up to Iliana and Basil, they, too, quickly developed a frown upon looking at the nine figures. Although different, the attire of the figures was very familiar.
"Do you have any reason to stop us?" Iliana dered; silence was what greeted her. "You are blocking our way in fulfilling our task. It is a crime, and is punishable by thew of Braxtein Kingdom." Still, none of them reacted.
Although they were in an open space, silence managed to descend upon the area. Both sides were silent, until Basil made a move¡ªhe casually swung his sword.
Hum.
At that, the figures quickly took out something from their sleeve. It was a golden insignia attached to an ornamental chain that was wrapped around their hand.
The insignia was consisted of a tree framed by a circle of books. If one were to look closely at it, one could see a bnced scale with heart on each of its pans. This insignia belonged to the people of the Church.
"We are here to conduct an execution of a sinner, Basil Pacifer." Right after that, the insignia in their hand glowed.
While Iliana and the others'' eyes quickly turned cold, Basil quirked his eyebrow in amusement. "You do know I am not a believer of your stupid gods. You have no jurisdiction over my action."
"You havemitted a sphemy, and thus punishable by the Gods''w." One of the figures stepped forward. "Your life will be forfeited here, Basil Pacifer." He was about to charge at Basil, when Iliana appeared in front of him.
Bam!
He was quickly thrown away as Iliana had just delivered him a kick to his head. Standing straightly on the ground, she red coldly at the other figures who were ready to charge.
"My name is Iliana, the Vice President of Randalvine Magic Institute''s Student Council. You have justmitted a one sided punishment without any official decision from the Kingdom."
Her Spatial Bracelet shed, and a Magic ymore appeared in her hand. Pointing it at the nine figures, she eximed, "Imand you to stop, unless you want to taint your religion''s name by breaking the Kingdom''sw!"
The figures didn''t say anything; they didn''t even budge a single centimeter. The one Iliana had kicked earlier stood from the ground, then turned his head at Iliana. "You are not in the list ... I suggest you to stop hampering us in aplishing our task."
Whitney, who couldn''t stand the audacity of the speaking figure anymore, was about to explode, when suddenly Basil appeared in front of the very figure.
Boom!
Not only that, Basil had also swung his sword at the figure. Although the figure managed to block it with the Miracle he was controlling, the ground below him cratered due to the power behind Basil''s swing; even the hand he used to block Basil''s attack was trembling.
"Do you think you can conduct your punishment on me?" Basil faintly sneered. Looking deeply into the eyes of the figure hidden behind the veil, he softly muttered, "Let us see how long the Church willst this time." The figure''s entire existence trembled in terror.
Uncaring toward the figure''s reaction, Basil nced at the other figuresing at him. Despite so, he didn''t move from his position; he merely increased the power he put on his sword, quickly crumbling the defense of the figure in front of him.
Shatter!
Before long, the figure''s defense was broken through, and Basil''s sword easily bisected him vertically. When Basil''s sword touched the ground, the ground was quickly decorated with a trench.
Boom!
A step; that was how close the distance between him and one of the remaining figures. Although the figure moved agilely, he could see it slowly in his peripheral vision. Despite so, he didn''t feel the need to defend himself.
nk!
Iliana was already there to intercept the figure''s attack with her Magic ymore. Not only her, Whitney and Cray, too, were ready to attack the remaining figures.
Basil absolutely didn''t need any aid, but if he were given one, he wouldn''t reject it. Therefore, he let them do what they wanted to¡ªaiding him.
Gazing at the eight figures ready to tear his throat, a cold smile adorned his face. ''Eugene, your time wille to an end soon.''
That day, the Church''s sneaky aggression toward Basil was officially established.
Chapter 164 Wake Up Call (6)
Whenever one heard someone mentioned "Four Great Gods," one would immediately think of the Church¡ªthe association that managed the worshipers of the Four Great Gods in the entirety of Human Empire.
Of course, that also means one would think about anything rted to it: faith, devotion, Miracle, Priest, Pdin, and surely the Great Pontiff. One became a firm believer of the Four Great Gods due to the Miracle disyed by the people of the Church.
They believed in the miraculous power the Four Great Gods had bestowed upon the member of the Church, and they, too, wanted to be "blessed" by the Four Great Gods. Of course, there were still some people who became a firm believer due to the teaching.
Miracle: a term that was used by the Church to call the type of energy their members used to achieve feat that defied thew of Magic¡ªregeneration eleration. It sounds obnoxious, but no oneined about the way they named the type of the energy they used.
Needless to say, countless of Mages had made a theory about the so-called "Miracle" to rationalize what actually happened; they still believed that what the member of the Church had disyed was one of the forgotten Advance Magic.
Still, no one could prove it since both sides were pretty much secretive about what they actually learned ... More like, thetter was too prideful to lower their head to inquire about how Miracle actually worked.
While most of the people knew Miracle was utilized by a Priest to heal people, very little of them knew that Miracle could also be used in abat. Of course, this couldn''t be just performed by anyone; there were only a few chosen people could¡ªPdin.
Pdin was the soldier of Church; they defended the Church with their shiny golden armour, special utilization of Miracle, Holy Swords, and, of course, the Four Gods'' blessings.
Pdin was consisted of a bunch of the chosen Church members that were permitted to take people''s lives by the Four Great Gods. To simply summarize it, they were a group of Miracle users who could utilize Miracle to exert violence¡ªin their words, "to correct the people."
One might be asking just whom the Church felt the need to protect themselves from. The answer is, as one might expect, everyone that the Church deemed as an enemy: sinners, sphemer, and the unfaithful.
With that being said, it is time to speak about the other division of Church that was rarely disyed to the world, and most of the people didn''t know due to their secrecy¡ªExecutioner.
Executioner was a small group of people consisted of the chosen members of the Church that carried death sentence to the condemned under the order of the Church.
Just like Pdins, they were permitted by the Gods to exert violence. Unlike Pdins that were disyed publicly however, they worked in the shadow while carrying the name of the light.
One should be grateful to never know of their existence; for when one knew about them, that would mean they appeared in front of oneself, which in the other words means death to oneself.
Of course, this only applied to civilians and ordinary Mages and Knights¡ªthe unrecognized. For those, who had a high rank in their chosen Principle, they were naturally aware of the existence of Executioners.
They didn''t have to feel the need to be afraid of the Executioners, since the authority they held means they got the protection of the Kingdom; unless they defected from the Kingdom, they would never be targeted by the Church.
With that said, the group of people that were eager to take Basil''s head was a bunch of Executioners.
nk!
"Tsk. These guys are tough, aren''t they?" Iliana clicked her tongue in annoyance at the Executioner who had managed to block her attack. It had been five minutes into the battle, and the only thing she could do was scratching them.
She turned her gaze to the insignia attached to the ornamental chain wrapped around the Executioner''s hand; it was shining in a golden light emitting a foreign yet familiar energy. She believed it was some sort of a catalyst for their power.
Boom!
"Kuhak!" On the other side, one of the Executioners fell lifelessly to the ground as he had his chest punctured by a spiky earth.
"Darn it, these guys are tough!" The culprit of the Executioner''s death, Whitney, cursed under his breath. He didn''t think the Executioner would be this hard to fight.
When he was about to check the identity of the Executioner, he suddenly developed a sense of foreboding. Quickly turning back, he could see an Executionering at him, ready to attack him.
Cursing under his breath again, he quickly rose an earthen barrier up to separate him from the Executioner.
Boom!
Despite so, the Executioner could easily break through it. Of course, by the time the barrier was broken, Whitney was already gone; he had seen Cray was struggling to fight a particr Executioner, and he nned to team up with him.
Only Seven Executioners remained alive, but their power seemed to increase the more of them died. While Whitney teamed up with Cray to fight two of the remaining Executioners, Iliana fought two by herself.
Basil, who was the main target of the Executioners, was fighting three by himself. Compared to the irritated Iliana, and the pressurized duo¡ªWhitney and Cray¡ªhe was the epitome of a nonchnt fighter.
It could be even said that he was toying with the Executioners he was fighting. Of course, he didn''t just toy with them; he was digging for information from them.
"Did Eugene send you independently or is it the Head Priest''s order?"
"..."
He had expected to hear no answer from them, but for him it didn''t matter; he had a keen sense toward Mana, and he could easily read the emotion of the Executioners.
"I see. So that guy has the ability to mobilize you at a very young age..."
One might wonder how could Basil read the emotion of the Executioners, despite them utilizing Miracle instead of Mana. The answer is, as stated above, because Miracle was another form of Mana.
Different indeed, however it had the same root. This is the reason why Basil could use his keen sense toward Mana to read their emotion.
Basil had hypothesized about this before, however he hadn''t been sure whether Miracle was actually Mana. Therefore, he had asked the Guide for confirmation.
Although some of the exnations were still omitted, surprisingly, Basil could already confirm his hypothesis about Miracle was true.
CLANK!
"Kah!"
An Executioner was thrown away after blocking Basil''s sword with their Miracle protected hand. Judging by the voice, the Executioner was a female.
"Oops. I put too much power," muttered Basil. Turning his gaze to the Executioner he had just thrown away, he quirked his eyebrow. "I thought the Church was a very conservative bunch of people ... They have changed the rule, it seems."
It wasn''t Basil''s first time of being targeted by Executioners. In the past, he had even fought an army of Pdins chasing his butt.
Therefore, he knew well that none of them had been a woman. It was one of the Church''s regtions: women should not dwell themselves in violence.
"Devotion knows not gender; every human is equal in front of our Gods'' eyes," one of the Executioners replied. When the Executioner Basil had thrown away stood up, she pointed her hand at Basil. "In front of our Gods'' eyes, you shall never be forgiven."
Basil''s response to that was a condescending smirk. "Show it to me." Brandishing Death Howl''s Sealing Sword in his hand, he said, "What kind of righteousness you, who dwell with Demons, have."
Basil had said that offhandedly, but the three Executioners faltered slightly. Basil noticed that, and his disdain over them was amplified yet again; his guess of them conspiring with Demons was proven to be true.
He abhorred it; the hypocrisy was disgusting. Even the fact that they knew about "Demons" itself was enough to make him frown. No one should know about Demons unless one had a certain knowledge about the past¡ªthe real history.
Still, the Executioners were devoted to their task. Cupping their hands together, the golden insignia hanging on their wrist shone intensely.
[O the wise God of Peace, Land. Bestow upon thy lowly servant a power to eliminate he who hateth peace. Bound of Suppression!]
From below the ground of the female Executioner, four golden chains emerged. They were quickly heading toward Basil, and all of them had an aura that was true to their name¡ªsuppressing.
Not stopping there, the other Executioners also utilized their Miracle.
[O the righteous Goddes of justice, Justina. Bestow upon thy lowly servant a power to bring justice to he who is lost in their path. Podium of Judgement!]
An ethereal golden light tform appeared out of thin air right behind Basil. It did nothing to him for the moment, but he could already feel the faint force pulling on his body.
[O the merciful Goddes of Love, Lindy. Bestow upon thy lowly servant a power to pardon the sin of the man who fancieth chaos. de of Mercy!]
With the three of them had fully utilized their Miracle, theplete suppressing power finally took ce. All of that happened in a span of five seconds, showing how good they were at doing their job.
Needless to say, Basil hadn''t been idling since then; he had observed each one of them to look for the weakness of their attack. Needless to say, he had seen through of them.
When the golden chains came at him, he extended his Sealing Sword, and lightly twisted it. A suction force was created by the wind swirling around it, and the golden chains were pulled to the sword.
It was all possible due to Basil''s extreme control over his Mana, and the quality of the Mana he utilized; not just anyone could imitate the same feat.
When the chains were close to wrap around the sword due to the swirling wind, Basil quickly exploded his Qi that he had gathered on the sword''s tip.
Boom!
That way, the golden chains were shattered¡ªthe process only took two seconds. Feeling the pulling force from the astral golden tform behind him was getting stronger, Basil quickly dashed toward the female Executioner.
[Slip]!
Like a sh, he reappeared in front of the flustered female Executioner after disappearing briefly from everyone''s vision. Quickly grabbing her clothes, he threw her directly to the astral tform.
As her body reached the tform, like a case, it wrapped around her body, and slowly sucked the moisture of her skin. "Gah! Stop this immediately!" She screamed painfully, as the pain it caused was unbearable for her.
p Still, none of the two Executioners had any thought on rescuing her; they were still focused on killing Basil¡ªespecially the one with a golden dagger in his hand. Basil merely drew his Qi, and utilized his Aura¡ªthe second form of Qi.
[Master Of Weapons]!
In turn, his Aura Ability was activated too. Although not as much as when he used [Synchronization], he became more in tune with the Sealing Sword in his hand. Brandishing the sword lightly once, a mark was left on the ground.
Then, Basil charged forward. This time, he was seriously intending to kill them.
Chapter 165 Wake Up Call (7)
nk!
Basil parried the ethereal golden dagger of the Executioner attacking him aside. The Executioner was shocked, as he had almost lost his bnce even though Basil had merely parried it casually.
"Kuhak!"
Crack!
In the next moment he knew, Basil''s knee was already on the side of his stomach. His rib was broken, but Basil didn''t show him any mercy in the least bit; he immediately hit the Executioner''s chest with the butt of his sword hilt.
Crack!
The Executioner''s chest caved in, and he was thrown away a few meters back. Kicking the ground once, Basil dashed at the second Executioner. The Executioner chanted something under his breath, and soon enough a golden whip appeared in his hand.
"[Punishment Whip]!"
He swung the whip at Basil, and it slithered quickly in the air. Basil knew what the whip would do to him: it would mess with his control over Mana upon contact. Therefore, he quickly utilized his Step Art to appear right in front of the Executioner in an instant.
[Slip]!
Basil vanished from the Executioner''s view briefly, before reappearing right in front of his eyes. The Executioner didn''t flinch or anything, he received Basil''s sword calmly; he had expected something like that would happen.
Boom!
He had set a barrier with Miracle to protect himself. "Kuhuk! Impossible! How did he...?" Of course, it didn''t mean he wasn''t injured; Basil''s swing was too powerful for his Miracle powered barrier to block.
Despite so, the wound on his chest quickly healed by itself in the next moment. It was one of the advantage of being a Miracle User: one would be able to regenerate quickly as long as one still had Miracle to utilize. Although it took a considerable amount of Miracle, as long as one could alive, it was a fair trade.
Snap!
Basil snapped his finger, and ten swords came out of his Spatial Ring; they were floating in the air due to Basil''s Aura Ability: [Master of Weapons].
With a thought, he sent them toward the Executioner who had just recovered himself. The Executioner was forced to fight the ten swords by himself.
Turning his body around, Basil could see the Executioner with an ethereal golden dagger was charging at him once again; like the other one, he had also recovered himself. Firming his stance, Basil held his sword by his side.
[Immovable Boulder In The River]
The Sword Style he had used to fight the Demon horde back then at Death Howl Dungeon was utilized once again; this time, with Qi to amplify its power. Like a moth to a me, the unknowing Executioner dly came at Basil.
Basil didn''t show any expression on his face, but his eyes were filled with faint amusement. A step; that was how far the distance between him and the Executioner left, and that was the very moment Basil executed his Sword Technique.
sh!
Basil swung his sword once, then retracted it back to his side. It all happened in an instant; the Executioner couldn''t even see what just happened.
By the time he knew it, his head was already separated from his body. As if mocking him, the wind turned his head around right before it touched the ground.
He could see Basil''s steady posture; it was firm, and immovable¡ªit seemed he didn''t even move in the slightest. Puzzlement filled his head, but upon seeing the faint condescending smile on Basil''s face, it was quickly reced with indignation.
s, what could he do? A dead man tells no tales; he couldn''t even open his mouth to rage. His vision started darkening, but he could still hear the sound in his surrounding.
Thud!
He could hear the sound his head produced when it touched the ground.
"Say my hello to your Gods in hell."
He could also hear Basil''s outrageous sphemy. Still, nothing he could do, for a dead man has no capability to act.
The culprit, Basil, turned his head away from the decapitated head to the other dying Executioner; out of the 10 sword Basil was controlling, 7 of them were embedded in the Executioner''s body. Although he could still stand, it wouldn''t be long until he copsed.
"Hoh? No wonder hisbat capability is low; he is only good at [Recovery]." Smirking faintly, Basil held the hilt of his sword as if he was holding a javelin. Infusing his Qi inside the sword, it slowly glowed in green light. "Let''s see how well you can take it."
He threw the sword at the Executioner.
Whoosh!
The Qi powered throw was so powerful, it split the air. Even the aftermath of the throw left behind a slight dent on the ground below Basil''s feet. The sword wheezed through the air, faster than any bullet could travel in the air.
Before long, the sword arrived in front of the Executioner; the Executioner, who was upied by fighting off Basil''s floating swords, could only look at the sword in bewilderment.
Boom!
As one might expect, the sword easily pierced his chest since he hadn''t had the time to protect himself with a barrier. Not stopping there though, the Qi Basil had infused to the sword gathered on its tip, before exploding in the Executioner''s chest.
Instead of creating a hole in the Executioner''s chest, Basilpletely sted half of his body. The sword Basil had just thrown went to the ground, creating a dent upon contact; it was firmly embedded in it.
Despite of having achieved such feat, Basil didn''t feel the need to get excited or ted; it was as expected. Snapping his finger once, all of the swords he had taken out immediately returned to him, then entered his Spatial Ring¡ªexcept the Sealing Sword.
Turning his body to the female Executioner who was now writhing on the ground, he graciously walked toward her. The female Executioner could only look at Basil helplessly with slight resentment, for she knew her life would end soon.
Upon arriving right in front of her, Basil said, "How does the power of God taste?" Basil said that neutrally, but it was clear it was an insult. The female Executioner said nothing, as she merely suppressed her moan of pain.
Basil''s fight and the two Executioners hadsted for three minutes. In that three minutes, the technique her fellow Executioner had casted was still in effect; it was gradually absorbing her body fluid from her pores.
It was only after her fellow Executioner had died, was she pardoned from the technique that had caused her suffering.
Wind blew on her face, lifting her veil off; a wrinkled face of a woman was revealed underneath the veil. Though she wasn''t extraordinarily beautiful, the female Executioner was definitely a beauty; her skin turned that way due to the effect of the technique.
"What is a God who can not distinguish between his servant and enemies? A fake God," Basil sneered. Pointing his sword at the female Executioner''s chest, he was about to stab his sword into her chest when she spoke.
"May our Gods'' mercy be with you... O the clueless one." It wasborious, yet she managed toplete her sentence. Basil didn''t show any particr reaction to it; his sword went to her neck, sessfully decapitating her head.
"A smart whomits a wrong makes excuse why their wrong is right. A fool whomits a wrong thinks the people are wrong." Sighing softly to himself, he continued, "Human''s mind ... Once it is set, it is hard to be changed."
Turning his gaze to the other three people, he could see them on the brink of finishing their fight. Whitney had entrapped an Executioner in the ground, and Cray was ready to pluck the Executioner''s head off.
On the other side, Iliana was stomping down the remaining Executioner who was fighting her ... Literally. She was quite pissed judging from how half-assed she was stomping the guy¡ªit was done to prolong his suffering.
Not long after, the guy''s head broke, and Iliana stopped stomping down her foot. With a smile, she kicked the body away, as if she wasn''t satisfied yet with how gruesome she had ended the guy''s life.
When her eyes met Basil, she greeted him. "Oh, you have finished your fight? That was pretty quick. The guy I fought was a prick, so I feel the need to teach him a lesson." Basil didn''t need any justification for her action, but he nodded his head nheless.
"Huuh... These guys are so hard to kill!" Cray eximed by the time he had finished off the Executioner he had been fighting with Whitney. "Indeed. The more of them died, the stronger they became," Whitney added.
"Since they are a team, they must be using some sort of a Binding Magic, I''m sure. That''s why the more of them died, the stronger they became."
At Iliana''s word, Whitney quirked his eyebrow. "Did they use Magic though? I am sure they used Miracle to fight us."
"Your point?" Iliana quirked her eyebrow
"Nothing..." Whitney muttered. He knew it was pointless debating with Iliana; he would always lose and receive ridicule in the end.
"They were not bound because they were a team." At Basil''s word, everyone turned their head at him. "Naturally, every member of the Church is bound to each other. As for the ''power-up,'' it was more of a limitation cancetion."
"Limitation canction...?" Iliana muttered. "Ah, they can''t exert their power too much tomit violence, unless it is necessary." Iliana''s eyes lit up in understanding. "In other words, they can only use their full power when they are in a pinch."
Basil nodded wordlessly at Iliana''s conclusion; it was correct. On the other hand though, Cray contorted his face. "That sucks! Who is the idiot that made that rule?"
pping Cray''s head once, Whitney retorted, "What do you think the members of the Church are? A savage like you?" Then, he turned his head to Basil.
"I have an inkling why they were targeting you, but I don''t get why they said your offense was a sphemy." Whitney knew it must have something to do with Eugene.
Basil shrugged lightly; he didn''t care much about it. Since their hostile rtionship was already established, he didn''t care much about the reason why the Church was yearning for his blood; it didn''t matter.
"Let us travel in slow speed," Basil said at the students. Cray quickly raised his hand, then said, "Can''t we get a rest, Sire?!" Basil turned his head to Cray, then nodded lightly. "You can, if you want to stay with them." Basil pointed his finger behind them.
"What does that¡ª" As he turned his body, Cray shut his mouth. Countless of Magical Beasts from Lone Mountain were running toward them; they were running away from the Demons.
Quickly turning his body back to face Basil, Cray loudly eximed, "We are ready to move, Sire!" Basil nodded his head once, and led them off the horde of Magical Beasts'' course.
The journey of the four students continued.
Chapter 166 Wake Up Call (8)
Ruttenhale Barony, Woster County (80 kilometers from the County Hall).
The ce was filled with war cry, the sound of de shing against each other, scream of agony, and an ear piercing shriek of the Low ss Demons. The local Knights, stationed Mercenaries, and County Army were fighting the Demons with everything they got.
The total amount of people fighting the 66,000 Demons were only 6,000. However, they fought the Demons with an intensely burning spirit. They didn''t care about the pain they were enduring; they didn''t care about theircking power.
What they had in their mind was one: "I have to protect my homnd!" Many died bravely, and they were mostly a Knight. Mages fought from afar, so their risk of getting killed was significantly lower than Knight''s.
However, the main reason why most of the Knight had fallen was their sense of camaraderie. No matter who they were, and no matter which party they were in, Knights would be allies in battlefield.
They helped each other when they saw their fellow Knight was in danger. Due to this reason, many of them died in the battle for the sake of saving the other Knight. Unlike Mages who were individualistic, they couldn''t just leave behind their fellow Knight.
Furthermore, most of them didn''t have the cunningness that every Mages had. Therefore, many of them unfortunately became a sacrifice for Mages to save themselves.
"Front liners step back! Second liners step forward!" At Ansley''s shout, the 200 people in the front stepped back, and the 200 people behind them stepped forward. The previously front liners kept stepping back, until they arrived at the backmost line.
Befitting of a Lord to his people, Ansley stayed in the front line, standing side by side with the County Army¡ªhis personal army. The strongest of them was only a Yellow Core Knight, and most of them were Orange Core Knights.
It wasn''t a very strong army to fight the Demons, but they were the people who fought wholeheartedly without any fear to die.
"Tsk! There are so many of them, they seem endless!" Ansley cursed out loudly. Brandishing his sword widely, six Demons in front of him were helplessly bisected. "[Hellfire]!" A red circle formed on the ground 10 meters away from him, and soon fire was ignited.
Burst!
Countless of Demons were caught up in the fire, and they could do nothing but shriek in pain. Still, despite of having burned tens of Demons in a single Spell, Ansley didn''t stop his attack.
Charging to the front, he kept swinging his sword relentlessly at the Demons. As a Battle Mage, his [Reinforcement] was fully utilized, and his skill over his Art was showcased. The County Army looked at their Earl, and they couldn''t help getting more pumped up.
"If our Lord can fight that bravely, why we can''t we do the same?" With that thought, they charged forward. Some of them quickly became a Demon''s food, but none of the died in regret.
The other Barons and Viscounts who watched the scene could only shake their head in amazement and envy. They were amazed at Ansley''s bravery, and they envied the loyalty of Ansley''s County Army.
Even though they had some troops assigned to defend their territory, the amount wasn''t as many as Ansley''s County Army. Of course, the quality wasn''t so much either. Still, all of them served the same Lord¡ªAnsley.
They couldn''t envy their Lord, wishing to have his army to defend their territory; the County Army indeed defended their territory whenever they requested for help. That was the point of serving under the higher ranked Noble.
On the other side of the battlefield, a long, grey haired man with a muscr body cursed under his breath. "Darn it! When will the backup from the Kingdome?!" The man was wildly swinging his big twin axes, while protecting body with his Aura Ability: [Spiritual Armour].
With the magnificent green jade like armor covering most of his body, he looked like an absolute warrior¡ªan outstanding Green Core Knight. Each of his swing produced a st in the air, and more than one Demons were killed by a mere swing.
The man was Peter Ruttenhale, the Baron whose Barony was currently under attack. He was pissed by the Demons'' endless wave, and the Kingdom''ste initiative to send a backup to his Barony to help exterminate all of the Demons.
He was really lucky, he had stationed some of the Mercenaries he knew well in his Barony right before the Demons came. Otherwise, the situation would have been worse by now. Still, knowing that didn''t quell his irritation in the least bit.
"[Spinning des]!" A Technique he liked to use was activated. He held his twin axe sideways, and spun his body. At first, he was spinning slowly. However, the more the time passed, the faster his spinning speed became.
Before long, he became a human tops with des on his side.
Shriek!
The Low ss Demons who were crowding around him could only shriek in horror, as they were butchered helplessly. Although Peter''s face wasn''t that visible due to him spinning his body in a high speed, one only needed to hear hisugh to know how he felt.
"Kuhahaha! Die, bastard!"
After a minute passed, Peter stopped spinning. "Blergh. Even though I have coated myself with Qi, I can''t beat dizziness, huh?" Flicking his twin axes to clear the blood, he turned his gaze to the northwest, 800 meters away. "Hmmm... Earl Woster looks like he needs help."
He was about to kick the ground, and dashed toward Ansley when something, or rather, someone touched his shoulder. "Hm? What is it¡ª"
Upon turning around, his breath hitched. He could see a tall and extremely attractive woman staring at him with a smile. Although she had horns on her forehead, and pale bluish skin, they just amplified the charm of her appearance.
However, that wasn''t the reason why Peter''s breath hitched; the aura the woman was exuding was just extremely suffocating. "W-Who are you?!"
"Who am I? I wonder ... Who am I?"
"M-Monster!"
The woman contorted her face in dejection. "How can you call me a Monster? Do you think I am not beautiful enough?" She extended her hand, and caressed Peter''s cheek. Peter was petrified; he could only watch it in horror. "Besides, I am more than just a Monster."
"D-D-Demon!" Although he merely said that out of terror, Peter could surprisingly choke the word out.
The woman smiled, and retracted her finger. "Yes, I am a demon!" She said enthusiastically. "My name is Luci, the Sixth Great General of Prince Goap." She bowed her head lightly, but graciously.
Of course, even if he could hear it, Peter didn''t understand a single thing Luci was talking about.
"I am here at the behest of my Prince to exterminate you, humans!" Pointing her finger to Peter, she said, "You will be my first victim, human male." Then, she flicked her finger.
Boom!
"Kuhak!"
Peter''s [Spiritual Armor] was broken apart, his chest caved in, and he was helplessly thrown away. Everyone could hear his exceptionally loud voice, and they couldn''t help but turning their head at him.
However, what greeted them was the sight of his body mming into the ground helplessly.
Thud!
His body even skidded for a few meters before stopping under the feet of a Minotaur. A steaming breath came out of its nostrils, when he looked down at Peter.
Snort!
"Kuhuk! Bastard, are you going to eat me, huh?!" Despite so, Peter remained unyielding as ever. He might be scared in front of Luci, but he didn''t feel the need to be scared of a mere Minotaur. "Come, atta¡ªholy crap, this bastard is serious!"
He wanted to taunt the Minotaur at first, but upon seeing the Minotaur was ready to swing its giant axe at him, he couldn''t help cursing. Quickly raising his twin axes that he never let go, he crossed them in front of his face.
Although he didn''t really have any power to cleanly block it, he was hoping his sheer tenacity would be able to save him. Three seconds passed, and the waited swing didn''te. Curious, he peeked through his axe.
"What are you doing sleeping there like an imbecile? Get up!"
"Earl Woster!"
Thud!
Only then could Peter hear the lifeless body of the Minotaur fell to the ground.
"Grab my hand." Ansley extended his hand. Peter wordlessly grasped it, and sat himself with a grunt. Ansley could hear the sound of the fractured bones shing against each other clearly, and he could see the blood was pouring out of the open wound.
Despite so, he didn''t flinch or show any indication of being worried. He was used to working with Knights; he knew that kind of injury wasn''t enough to kill Peter.
"Lindsey! Heal Peter!" Ansley shouted to the female Knight guarded by six Yellow Core Knights behind him.
"Yes!" She was guarded by another Knights, because she was a nonbat type Knight¡ªa Healer.
"I will secure the vicinity while you are healing him, so make it quick." Lindsey nodded her head sternly, and proceeded to do her job. Putting her palm on top of the sitting Peter''s chest, she channeled her Qi to her hand in a unique way.
In the next moment, her palm glowed in a white light, and the wound on Peter''s chest slowly stopped bleeding. The process was very simr to Priest''s [Recovery], albeit slower.
Ansley turned his head away from the fascinating scene to Luci who was staring at him with a smile. He didn''t know who was she, but the aura she was exuding was enough to make his feet quiver.
ncing to his surrounding, he noticed that none of the Demons were there. It was as if they purposefully avoiding the area Luci was looking at¡ªthe ce he was standing. That was enough to evoke a bad feeling, but Ansley didn''t back down.
''Clovis, Oswald, Harold, your father may die today, but I don''t mind as long as you are safe.'' Reinforcing his body to the limit, his blue eyes shone in determination. Infusing his Mana into his Magic Sword, he was ready to charge at Luci.
However, at that moment, he heard something that made himpletely stop.
HONK!
"Royal Army''s Eighth Legion has arrived!"
"Royal Army''s Seventh Legion has arrived!"
"Royal Army''s Sixth Legion has arrived!"
"Royal Army..."
6 legions of white armoured Knights, and 2 legions of Mages in white robe arrived at the battlefield.
The backup from the Kingdom had arrived.
The Aura they were exuding was overwhelming enough to make most of the Demons step back. With a mere hand gesture from themander of each legion, the Knights and Mages of each legion began their attack on the Demons.
The temporarily stopped battle, was started once again.
Chapter 167 Wake Up Call (End)
While their subordinates were busy with fighting the Demons, the Commander of each legion turned their head to Ansley. They gave their right ofmand to their Vice, then got down from their Hexapod Horses.
Thud!
Graciously, they walked toward Ansley. Upon arriving right in front of him, the Commander of the Sixth Legion took off his helmet, then extended his hand. "Thank you for defending the area well, Earl Woster."
The Commander of Sixth Legion was a manly looking blond haired man. He had a well trimmed beard on his face that added more charm to his manly appearance. Standing at 198 centimeters tall, he had a muscr body that was befitting of the aura he was exuding.
Ansley quickly took the hand of Sixth Legion''s Commander, then shook it firmly. "It is my pleasure to be able to meet you, Sir Dunstan." Admiration was apparent on his face.
At Ansley''s barely concealed excitement, Dunstan chuckled slightly. "Haha. It is my pleasure to meet you too, Earl Woster." He had never thought there would be a Noble Mage that could fancy him, amoner Knight, that much.
Still, he was aware of his status as the Sixth Legion''smander, so he didn''t muse about it that much. Looking behind Ansley, he quickly noticed Luci''s gaze that was firmly nted upon them. Unlike Ansley however, he didn''t feel the urge to quiver his feet out of fear.
"We gotpany, eh?" He muttered. Letting go of Ansley''s hand, he wore back his helmet. "I am sorry to say this, but we still need your help, Earl Ansley." His tone sounded apologetic, as he really meant what he said.
"Don''t worry, sir Dunstan. Even though I don''t wear any high quality armor like you, I can stay alive until the battle is concluded." Ansley patted his chest surely.
Dunstan chuckled lightheartedly, and even some Knight Commanders also smiled behind their helmet. "Very well. I will be counting on you, Earl Woster."
Even though he didn''t feel the need to be that frightened by Luci''s overwhelming aura, Dunstan knew she wasn''t someone he could just casually brush off; his fellow Commanders, too, were aware of it.
With a hand gesture from Dunstan, the eight Commanders immediately got into formation. The Knight Commanders circled around the two Mage Commanders, making a circle of people with a diameter of 28 meters.
The two Mage Commanders in the middle were 14 meters apart, which means they were 7 meters apart from the closest Knight Commander. It was done to give the Mage Commanders space to utilize their Spell that influenced roughly 13 meters of their surrounding area upon casting.
Despite how simple the formation was though, it was a formidable one. The gap between each Knight Commander surrounding the two Mage Commanders had nothing to do with the defense; as a highly trained Knight, they could easily cover it.
Ansley admired the coordination the Legion Commanders had shown, and sighed in amazement.
"Earl Ansley."
At Dunstan''s call, Ansley returned to reality. "Yes!"
"Before our return, I leave the battlefield in your care once again." Dunstan was telling him to lead his County Army once again, so he could clear the vicinity off Demons that would disturb their fight.
Ansley gave him a firm nod. "Yes!" Then, he took off to lead his army once again.
Dunstan turned his head to the front, and gestured his hand at his fellow Commanders. "March!" The Commanders marched toward Luci while maintaining the formation. Even though they didn''t need to, they kept their step silent.
"Ah, look at them. A bunch of ants thinking a puddle is the sea. Ku-ku-ku." Luci smiled coldly at the group of Commandersing at her. Slightly extending her hand to the side, she snapped her finger.
Snap!
In a blink of an eye, 15 Minotaur Warriors holding a gigantic sword appeared in front of her. All of them were 8 meters tall, and the Demonic Mana they were exuding was iparable to the Mana any of the ordinary Minotaur was exuding.
"Let us see how well you fare against them." Luciughed coldly.
The Commanders stopped in their way for a brief second upon witnessing the bewildering scene. They were utterly shocked to see someone could teleport such many people¡ªcreatures¡ªthat easily without any proper casting.
However, they were professional¡ªthey quickly regained theirposure. They were living in a world filled with bizarreness; seeing another one wouldn''t change a thing. That, of course, still means they became even more careful toward Luci.
Snort!
A steaming breath was let out of the nostrils of the fully armored bullheaded creatures¡ªMinotaur Warriors. Their dark red eyes were shining, and one would think a burning orb if one were to see them.
Whoosh!
The frontmost Minotaur swung its sword to the side once, creating a st of wind that turned an unfortunate Goblin 7 meters away from it into paste. Snorting once again, it kicked the ground, and dashed toward the formation of Legion Commanders.
Boom. Boom.
Each time its foot touched the ground, a dent would form. Although its speed wasn''t that incredible in front of the Legion Commanders'' eyes, its big body''s friction against the air produced a whizzing sound, which was enough to evoke terror to other people.
Of course, the eight Commanders were different. Seeing such a gianting at them, they didn''t flinch or quiver in fear; they readied their attack calmly. Dunstan, as the de facto leader, held his Sword Relic vertically in front of him.
Drawing the Qi from his Blue Core, he quickly utilized his Aura. "[Warrior of Light]!" His Aura Ability, too, was activated. His Sword Relic shone in a blinding white light, and it was enough to hinder the Minotaur Warrior in its step¡ªit couldn''t see well with the light.
Snorting once again, the Minotaur Warrior raised its gigantic sword, and infused its Demonic Mana into its sword. It was about to m the gigantic sword into the ground, when it suddenly felt it lost its control over its hands.
Boom!
Then, it could see the sword that it was supposed to be holding fell to the ground along with its hands. It was puzzled and bewildered; it couldn''t register what had just happened. Looking at Dunstan, it could see he kept the same pose; he didn''t look like he had even moved a single step.
Having its hands cut wasn''t a big deal for it; it could just regrow it. However as a prideful Minotaur Warrior, it was a humiliation. Roaring angrily at Dunstan, it stood from the ground then regrew its hands.
In the middle of the regrowing process, it could see a brief sh of light before his eyes. It was so brief, it didn''t think too much of it. However, when the regrowing process was close to finish, its vision was tilted upward.
Thud!
Then, it felt its head touched the ground. Puzzled, the Minotaur Warrior blinked its eyes once. It was only after seeing its headless body did it register the fact that it had been decapitated.
Puzzlement quickly turned to rage. s, even at the end of its life, it couldn''t see its yer''s face for the second time.
Soundless, brief, and undetected. That was the specialty of Dunstan''s Aura Ability: [Warrior of Light]. He didn''t control light, but any weapon he held would be able to move so fast, it looked like a light.
What made it fearsome though, it was applicable to anything he considered weapon. Just like earlier, what had killed the Minotaur Warrior hadn''t been his Sword Relic, but the Qi de he had sent. That is the reason why the Minotaur Warrior had seen a sh of light before its decapitation.
"Hoh? I thought human was close to its downfall already." Luci quirked her eyebrow, slightly impressed. "Very well. You have shown me how much you amount to." Extending her hand forward, she swiped it lightly. "Have a feast, my ves."
Roar!
The remaining 14 Minotaur Warriors charged at the Legion Commanders at once.
Dunstan quirked his eyebrow inside his helmet, then brandished his sword lightly. A brief sh of light was seen, and an explosion ured right in front of the charging Minotaur Warriors.
Boom!
However, the Minotaur Warriors were unharmed. "Mages! They have a Magic Barrier in front of them!" Dunstan shouted. "Leave it to us," was the simple answer the two Mage Commanders gave him.
Quickly utilizing their Mana, six Magic Circles were materialized behind their back. All of them had a Solid Realm which means their first three Magic Circles were Grand Circles¡ªthe rest were Major Circles.
Casting a Spell under their breath, they extended their hand forward. "[Dispersion]!" Two purple balls of light were sent toward the iing Minotaur Warriors, before intertwining with each other in the air.
Upon contact with the Magic Barrier protecting the charging Minotaur Warriors, the two balls of light quickly disappeared. Along with its disappearance was the Magic Barrier''s dispersion.
As soon as the Knight Commanders saw that, three of them that were directly facing the iing Minotaur Warriors quickly took the initiative to attack.
"[Earth Bender]!"
"[Sky Shaker]!"
Different from Dunstan, the other two had to activate their Aura Ability first. Of course, it posed no problem to the process of the iing Minotaur Warriors'' extermination; the time they took to activate their Aura Ability was not more than a second.
sh!
Dunstan sent three Qi des that had been influenced by his Aura Ability at the Minotaur Warriors¡ªthree of them immediately lost their head. The Legion Commander beside him stabbed his sword to the ground mightily, and the ground shook in the next moment.
Crack!
Then as if experiencing a natural disaster, the ground in front of the Minotaur Warriors were split in two. Four of them fell into the pit, leaving their head peeking from the split ground. Dunstan didn''t stay idle, as he brandished his sword at them, sessfully decapitating them from afar.
The remaining 7 Minotaur Warriors were 7 meters apart from the Legion Commanders. Despite so, none of them panicked in the slightest; the two Mage Commanders in the middle of the formation merely casted another Spell to help their fellow Commanders.
"[Head Crusher]!"
Two spheres of an invisible, high pressured wind were sent toward the unknowing Minotaur Warriors. The Commander with the Aura Ability: [Sky Shaker] who could inly see the spheres used his Aura Ability on them.
The spheres split into eight, and all of them traveled even faster than before. Not only that, if one were to look at it carefully, they were all vibrating in high speed.
Upon contact on the unknowing five Minotaur Warriors'' body, their upper body was sucked inside the sphere.
Screech!
Rather than exploding, the body of the Minotaur Warriors'' were devoured by the vibrating wind spheres. The lifeless bodies fell to the ground, but none of the remaining Minotaur Warriors nced at their fellrades.
They raised their gigantic sword, and swung it at the formation of Commanders. Even before they managed to do it however, two of them were pierced by an earth spike right in the middle of their chest.
Thest one, the one charging right at Dunstan, was already split in two even before the other two was skewered by the earth spikes. That way, the battle with the Minotaur Warriors ended¡ªor so they thought.
"I see. Now I know which of you are troublesome."
Due to their vision being hindered by the Minotaur Warriors, they couldn''t see Luci at all. Therefore, they were slightly shocked upon hearing her voice so close to them. Dunstan quickly looked around, but he couldn''t see the sight of Luci.
Turning his body in puzzlement, he wondered why none of his fellow Commandersmented about Luci''s whereabouts. Upon facing the direction behind him however, he finally understood the reason why no onemented about it.
"W-What is happening?" He was flustered.
Luci was in the middle of the formation with the decapitated heads of the two Mage Commanders.
That was the first wake up call that Braxtein Kingdom received, and that was also the beginning of the tragedy that everyone woukd remember.
Chapter 168 Extermination
Luci stared at the petrified Legion Commanders in front of her with a hum. "Hmm... You are stronger than I initially thought." She was genuinely impressed at the humans.
Although they were Middle Grade, the Curses she had thrown at the Legion Commanders had been sessfully deflected by the now dead two Mage Commanders whose heads were in her hand. This is the reason why she had deemed them as the more troublesome opponents for the Demons.
Of course, that doesn''t mean the others were so powerless, they couldn''t even fight back. She was forced to get out of the formation, as Dunstan swung his glowing Sword Relic at her.
Swish!
She disappeared in the blink of an eye, and the ground she had been standing on gained a trench upon receiving Dunstan''s attack that he had intended at her. "Bastard!" A chivalrous shout escaped out of Dunstan''s mouth¡ªhe was pissed.
Quickly turning his body to the front¡ªtoward the ce where Luci had reappeared¡ªhe made another hand motion to renew the formation.
As the other Commanders quickly heed his advice and immediately positioned themselves in a v-line, Luci threw away the heads of the Mage Commanders she had brought with her.
"What has happened?" Dunstan softly muttered to the Commander beside him. It was the one whose Aura Ability was [Sky Shaker].
"She teleported to the middle of our formation, right after you killed thest Minotaur Warrior." A stern yet feminine voice was heard. Anyone would surely be surprised upon knowing the Commander''s gender with how her armour was designed.
Of course, as someone who had known her for long, Dunstan wasn''t surprised in the least bit; to be a warrior gender doesn''t matter. Beside, that was one of the purposes of the armour: to hide one''s gender.
"Tsk. We have been yed then." Dunstan''s low muttering was heard by all of the other Commanders, and they agreed with him; Luci could finish them anytime, but she decided to toy with them first.
Gazing at his fellow Commanders, Dunstan sighed. "Huuh... Notify the Kingdom. Today shall be our end." Even at Dunstan''s outrageous word, no one made a fuss; they merely did what he said.
As a Commander of the Royal Army, they had been trained to sacrifice themselves for the Kingdom¡ªthey didn''t mind it in the slightest. "Let us establish a [Blood Link]!" At Dunstan''s word, everyone quickly stabbed their sword to the ground.
They drew the Qi from their Blue Core, and cut their wrist open with Qi de. Blood oozed out of the open skin, and they dropped it to the hilt of their sword that was stabbed in the ground.
A blue, shining line suddenly appeared on the ground, connecting every stabbed sword, and Qi overwhelmed their surrounding area.
When their sword shone in the same color as the line connecting their sword with each other, they immediately put their hand on the hilt of their sword. The light was transferred to them, then blue veins immediately decorated their entire white armour.
[Blood Link] was established! It was a Technique Knights would use whenever they knew they were going to die.
That way, they shared their Qi with each other; whenever one of them was dead, a half of the dead person''s power would be distributed evenly to the other people.
The process took only 10 seconds, and in that 10 seconds Luci should''ve been able to kill them. However, she didn''t do any of that¡ªshe had merely watched them in interest¡ªbecause she wanted to y with them.
"Entertain me, puny humans!" That was the cue of the start of the battle.
sh!
Dunstan utilized his Movement Technique, and dashed at Luci in a sh. He reappeared right beside her, and swung his sword in a speed that surpassed the speed of sound. Still, Luci managed to dodge it.
Whoosh!
She had even the time to swat him. Of course, he managed to dodge it. In return however, a long trench was made on the ground where he had been previously at.
Upon looking at the ground, Dunstan''s heart turned cold; he couldn''t imagine such a casual hand gesture could produce that result. Of course, that disy from Luci didn''t stop him and the other to attack her.
"[Sky Shaker]!" The female Commander made the air behind her vibrate, sending her directly in front of Luci. Luci wanted to p the female Commander away, but she quickly pulled her raised hand down.
She could see the vibrating air surrounding the female Commander, and she knew it would shred her hand upon contact. In result, the female Commander''s Sword Relic managed to hit her.
Boom!
The ground below Luci cratered, but that was all. The only thing the female Commander had managed to damage was Luci''s shoulder pad¡ªthe ce where the female Commander''s swordnded on.
Thrusting her hand forward in an insane speed, Luci tried to grab the female Commander''s throat. However, thetter was also quick to react as she quickly moved away from Luci''s vicinity.
Luci was slightly annoyed, but upon sensing someone was already behind her, she quickly widened her eyes. "[Master of Combustion]!" By the time she turned her body around, the tip of the Commander''s sword immediately touched her sr plexus.
Boom!
Instead of puncturing her, it was blowing her away. Of course, the power behind the explosion wasn''t just something anyone could brush off. The sound it produced alone was reverberated through the entire battlefield, attracting everyone''s attention.
Luci was thrown away to the air like a bullet, but none of the Legion Commanders intended to merely watch that. "[Earth Bender]!" An extremely pointy and sturdy earth spike rose from the ground, ready to skewer Luci''s body.
Luci could see that, but she merely clutched her scorched stomach to heal it as if she didn''t even care about the earth spike. When she was already close to getting skewered by the earth spike, she turned her body around, fully intending on circle-kicking it.
However upon turning her body around, the earth spike was already gone. "Tch. Crafty little bugs." She could sense it: Dunstan''s Qi des wereing at her from below. Twisting her body in the air, she managed to dodge three of the five Qi des.
The two Qi des grazed her stomach¡ªthe part of her body that wasn''t protected by her armour¡ªtearing her highly resilient clothes, and opening the skin of her stomach. Blue blood oozed out of the wound, but not for long; it quickly stopped in the next moment.
When Luci was about to fall down, she suddenly felt someone''s presence above her¡ªit was another Commander. "[Sky Stepper]!" The Commander was standing in the air, as if he got something to step on due to his Aura Ability.
Of course, his Aura Ability didn''t do just that. Aiming his feet at Luci, he thrust it at her, sending her body down to earth along with him.
Boom!
The air split due to how fast both of them were traveling down. At this point, Luci was starting to run out of patience. Quickly grabbing the Commander''s foot, she used her Demonic Mana to empower her grab this time.
Crack!
The bone of the Commander''s grabbed foot immediately shattered in her grasp. Despite so, the Commander didn''t flinch or try to pry his foot off her grasp; he even smiled under his helmet.
By the time Luci realized there was something wrong with him, the distance between them and the ground was merely two meters. "This is the first sacrifice," the Commander muttered. As Luci tried to teleport herself, the Commander had already exploded his Core.
BOOM!
An explosion of Qi ured, and a blue gaseous substance immediately obstructed everyone''s vision on her. The atmosphere thickened as it was overwhelmed with the condensed Qi of the Commander''s Core.
When the condensed Qi dispersed in the air, the remaining five Commanders felt their power was increased. Along with that, Luci''s visage could once again be seen.
Although she and managed to teleport herself in thest moment, she was still injured. Her Vanadium armour was steaming, a part of her face was charred, and the clothing covering her arm was tattered. Even so, she still looked as beautiful as ever.
ring at the remaining five Commanders coldly, her charred skin slowly healed itself.
"That was a very decisive attack." She looked around, and found that they were already away from the other fighting people. She snorted coldly. "Hmph! Taking me away from your subordinates doesn''t make any difference. They will still die in the end."
"We are aware of that. That''s why we take you here: we don''t want to see them die, and we don''t want to let them witness our death," was Dunstan''s immediate reply.
Luci smirked coldly. "At least you know you are going to die." None of the Commanders made a fuss about it, as what she had said was true: they were all going to die. Therefore, they would die in their way¡ªby bringing her with them.
One of the Commanders who hadn''t activated his Aura Ability yet, activated his considerably ordinary Aura Ability. "[Spiritual Armour]!" A blue jade like full armour reced the white armour he was wearing; his Qi quickly overwhelmed the air around him.
Kicking the ground, he shot toward Luci like a bullet. Due to his speed, a blue trail was made in the air he passed.
Luci pointed her finger at the iing Commander, and sent a curse at him. "[Scorching Pores]!" A ck Miasma soon covered the Commander''s entire existence.
The effect of the Curse should be making one''s poor expel a corrosive gas, thus destroying the cursed from the inside and the outside. However, as the Commander had a [Spiritual Armour] on him, it was the one that was being corroded.
Clicking her tongue in annoyance, Luci strengthened her hands with Demonic Mana, and decided to face the iing Commander with them. When the Commander arrived in front of her, he swung his broad Relic Sword at her vigorously.
Boom!
Crack!
Although they were trembling, Luci managed to stop it with her bare hands. Quick in her action, she held the sword with one hand, and smashed it with the other hand.
nk!
Everyone watched the bewildering scene of Luci destroying a Sword Relic with her bare hand clearly. The air even exploded due to the stored Qi inside. The Commander in question quickly let go of his sword hilt, then clenched his hand.
Before he managed to swing it at her however, Luci had already slipped in his defense, and punched him right in the guts. His [Sprit Armour] shattered, allowing the Curse to take effect; He was also thrown away at the other Commanders due to the impact of the punch.
While in the air, his pores widened, before expelling corrosive gas that melted his skin. Even if he was suffering from the Curse, he knew he would endanger his fellow Commanders if he didn''t do anything.
Therefore, he took out a Return Stone, a high grade Relic that not just everyone could get, from his Spatial Ring to teleport himself beside Luci.
sh!
Upon reappearing right beside Lucia, he quickly hugged her, then exploded his Core. Lucia didn''t have time to move away, so she merely coated herself with Demonic Mana powered Magic Barrier to ensure her survival.
BOOM!
The remaining four Commanders'' power was increased yet again.
Chapter 169 Extermination (2)
Dunstan clenched his teeth hard; looking at the blue gaseous screen in front of him, he was sure Luci could survive it. ncing at his fellow Commanders from the corner of his helmet, his heart tightened in conflict.
He and the others had been trained to be ready to sacrifice themselves for the Kingdom''s glory. However, knowing there might be a possibility that their sacrifice could end up in vain, he was reluctant to bring the other Commanders to die with him.
"Dunstan," the only female Commander called. "We know what you are thinking. So, I will tell you this: breaking the [Blood Link] now, and telling us to leave won''t change a thing." She pointed her finger to the direction of their battling subordinates. "We have to hold her back to prolong their lives."
"Ember... I¡ª"
"If we let her roam free, there would be many of our subordinates die." The more she spoke the more passionate she became. "Therefore, even if we can''t bring her down with us, we have to injure her so bad, she has to retreat!" She shouted her word in the end.
Dunstan was stunned. Ember''s word had awaken him up entirely from his selfish thought. Although Knights had a strong camaraderie, each of them had an honor to maintain; it was something to respect.
If their fellow Knight had determined themselves to be a sacrifice and die in a battle, they couldn''t tell their fellow Knight otherwise; doing so means an insult to the said Knight. Therefore, Dunstan had no right to tell the other Commanders to back off.
They had determined themselves to die together with him.
"Pardon me, I got ahead of myself," Dunstan apologized. Exhaling lightly, he straightened his posture, and muttered, "May our death bring victory to our beloved Kingdom." Raising his sword, he shouted, "For Braxtein Kingdom!"
"For Braxtein Kingdom!" The others followed suit.
The blue gaseousyer disappeared at that moment, revealing a fairly unscratched Luci who was looking at the Commanders loudly. The Commanders saw that, and as if on cue, all of them dashed toward Luci.
Luci snorted coldly at the iing Commanders. "Bugs will always be bugs even if you give them a pride." Extending her hand, Demonic Mana gathered in her palm. "[Mortal Erosion]!" A dark ball of condensed Miasma was formed in the air, split itself in four, then shot toward the iing Commanders.
Dunstan, who could deduce how fearsome the attack was from its aura alone, quickly sent his Qi des at it. A light briefly shed, and the four dark balls were split apart. "It doesn''t disappear?!" Dunstan was instantly rmed.
"Don''t let it hit anything of you!"
"Understood!"
When the four dark balls were already close to thhe Commanders, they utilized each of their mastered Movement Technique, and disappeared from Luci''s view, sessfully avoiding her attack.
"Hmph! Petty trick." Luci sneered coldly. Turning her body to the side, she fended off the attack of the Commander whose Aura Ability was [Earth Bender], who had suddenly appeared beside her.
Boom!
The attack didn''t stop there though; a pair of earthen hands emerged out of the ground, then grabbed Luci''s feet, keeping her in her ce ... Or so it was intended to. Luci easily freed her feet, and raised one of them to kick the Commander whose sword she had just fended.
Unfortunately, she couldn''t do that as Ember was already close to split her in two from above. Although she could dodge Ember''s sword skillfully, she still received a graze on her cheek; the wind Ember''s [Sky Shaker] had influenced was the culprit.
Of course, she could easily heal the graze. However, she couldn''t help herself from getting annoyed. Clicking her tongue in irritation, she pped her hand once, and exploded her Demonic Mana that she had condensed a few moments earlier.
Noticing that disy, the group of Commanders widened their eyes. Dunstan, being the fastest Knight in the group quickly headed to the closest Commander from Luci, and took the Commander away from Luci''s vicinity with him.
BOOM!
"Gah! It''s corrosive!" Due to saving the Commander that had been the closest one with Luci however, Dunstan was hit by the impact of the Demonic Mana explosion. The armor protecting his handpletely disappeared; his skin was burning.
"Dunstan! Here is a Holy Water!" The Commander Dunstan had just saved quickly gave him a small bottle of an ordinary looking water. "It works just trust me!" Although he couldn''t see it clearly through Dunstan''s helmet, the Commander knew Dunstan was giving him a doubtful gaze.
Ssh!
Upon contact with Dunstan''s skin, the water quickly glowed briefly before evaporating. Along with its evaporation however, was the disappearance of the injury on Dunstan''s hand. "It works?" Dunstan slightly widened his eyes.
Dunstan didn''t believe in God; he had thought every member of the Church was just a group of Mages ying around. He had never once requested to be healed by a Priest; he trusted his fellow Knight, the Healers, for that matter.
Therefore upon knowing Holy Water really had an effect, he couldn''t help getting surprised. "Well, I guess there is a power in belief." Still, he didn''t n on believing just yet; with a casual shrug, he brushed the miraculous scene he had just witnessed off.
The Commander beside Dunstan shook his head in faint amusement. Although he was not a believer of the Four Great Gods, he still admitted the prowess the people of the Church had.
He quickly put the thought aside, as he, too, didn''t have the leisure to muse over the thought; Luci''s Demonic Mana explosion was finished, and she was already looking at their direction.
Readying his sword, Dunstan became the first person to charge. However in the next moment, he felt his power suddenly increased, and Luci disappeared from peripheral vision.
Quickly turning his body with the help of his gracious footwork, Dunstan''s eyes quickly widened in bewilderment.
"Wayne!" He shouted in rage.
Luci was already in front of the Commander Dunstan had just saved, Wayne, and she had his still beating heart in her hand. "Legion Commander? Hmph! You can''t even equip yourself with a good armour. How can you call yourself a Commander?" Disdain was apparent in Luci''s tone.
No matter how outrageous the word she said, she didn''t say anything wrong. Her hand had easily pierced Wayne''s armour, taking his heart in a matter of seconds; she had the right to call their armour crappy.
Still, what could they do? They couldn''t afford equipping themselves with Vanadium Armour¡ªthe close to indestructible armor¡ªlike her.
Dunstan gritted his teeth, and utilized his [Warrior of Light]. He swung his sword once, but it was just a brief sh of light in Luci''s vision. Still, Luci could see the trajectory of the attack.
"S-She dodged it?"
Ignoring the bewildered Dunstan, she turned her body graciously, and blocked the attack of the Commander whose Aura Ability was [Earth Bender].
Crack!
The ground below Luci cratered, and it was slowly devouring her. "Hoh? You are getting creative with how you use your meager ability." The Commander said nothing, as he merely distanced himself from her.
In that exact moment, Ember appeared from behind Luci. Unlike the other Commanders who had swung their sword however, she was pointing the tip of her sword at Luci. Parting the air with her Aura Ability, she instantly appeared right behind Luci.
"[Sky Shaker: Twister]!" Her Aura Ability instantly took effect. The air on the tip of her sword spun themselves in one direction, creating a small, concentrated vortex. Just like any vortex does, it sucked everything to its center¡ªher sword tip.
Thrust!
For the first time since the start of the battle, Luci received a heavy injury. A perfect hole as big as the size of the small vortex on the tip of Ember''s head was made in her stomach.
Ember''s sword passed through the hole, and she was ready to split Luci in two. However, that was the moment she heard a mirthfulugh came out of Luci.
"Ha-ha-ha. The only thing of you, Knights, that amazes me from time to time is the simplicity of your ability and the ridiculous effect it has."
Luci''s hand moved just as fast as a lightning to grab Ember''s sword. Her grasp was already strong enough to crack the sword, but she didn''t stop there; forcefully infusing her Demonic Mana inside the sword, she sessfully shattered it.
Boom!
"Gah!"
Ember was thrown away due to the explosion of the Qi that she had stored inside her now destroyed Sword Relic. "You, humans, really suck at making weapons," Luci sneered. Extending her hand, a dark miasma condensed in her hand.
The condensed miasma formed a certain shape, before slowly revealing a unique shaped short sword. Its hilt was red, and its de color was ck with a trail of shining red line on it. It looked like an ornamental sword, but the aura it possessed was fearsome.
"Let me show you what a real weapon is, and how to utilize it well!"
Turning her body around again, Luci blocked the sword of the Commander whose Aura Ability was [Earth Bender] with the hilt of her sword. Instead of stopping it though, her short sword easily shattered it.
Boom!
The Qi stored inside exploded. However even before the Commander was thrown away by the impact, Luci had already swung her sword at him. Her sword didn''t even touch him, but his body was cleanly cut, along with the ground behind him.
Luci snapped her finger, and said, "Enjoy your ce in the Purgatory." Even before the Commander''s bisected body fell to the ground, ck fire enveloped him.
"AHH!" Due to Knight''s absurd vitality, the bisected Commander was still alive; he could feel all the pain the fire inflicted on his body. Unfortunately, he couldn''t end his pain soon by exploding his Core; Luci had shattered it earlier.
Upon that disy, Dunstan''s eyes widened in rage. He strongly kicked the ground to propel himself toward Luci in a high speed. He could see Luci''s eternal smirk that was openly ridiculing his attempt to y her.
Dunstan didn''t care how much Qi he was using in his intended attack; too many of his fellow Knights had died already¡ªhe had been powered up too many times. Time seemed to move very slowly when he swung his sword at her.
However right before his sword hit Luci''s neck, he saw Luci''s mirthful grin. Only then did he realize the one whose neck he was about to cut belonged to Ember. s, he couldn''t stop his sword.
Schwing!
Luci''s visage slowly disappeared from Dunstan''s view. In its stead was the face of a beautiful woman with short blond hair. She was looking at him right in his eyes through his helmet with a smile. She was no other than the female Legion Commander, Ember.
"You are not wrong," she mouthed.
Then, gravity did its job; her head fell helplessly to the ground.
Thud!
Along with that was her body.
Staring at the scene with eyes widened in disbelief, a scream of rage came out of Dunstan''s mouth in the next moment.
"AAAAHHHHH¡ª"
Unfortunately, he, too, lost the capability to scream in the next moment.
By the time he knew it, Luci was already holding him his hair while looking into his eyes with ridicule. Only then did he register the fact that his head had been separated from his body.
That way, eight Legion Commanders lost their lives ... In vain.
Chapter 170 Extermination (End)
Dale Vige (8 kilometers from BA-22)
Eugene clicked his tongue in annoyance. "Tsk. Why haven''t I received any report from them? Did they fail?" He was thinking about the group of Executioners he had sent to Lone in. "There is no way they are dyed ... Unless there is something unexpected."
By saying something unexpected, Eugene was referring to the intervention of the Kingdom, which was very unlikely. Therefore, the only reason he didn''t get any report was, the group he had sent had failed in their task.
As to what caused their failure, Eugene still couldn''t think of it. However, he considered the possibility of Iliana and the other two students following her were the people who had killed the Executioners. Although he knew Basil was still alive, he didn''t think Basil was the culprit.
As long as one had a high enough position in the Church''s hierarchy, one would be able to know about things the Church never revealed to public. Therefore, he knew only the people of the Church who could enter and exit Dungeons as they pleased.
Basil was surely not a member of the Church, so he shouldn''t know the route to exit the Dungeon. Furthermore, he should be in the run from the Kinyer, whose mind was already under the Church''s control. Eugene was sure of it since none of the Demons would havee out of Death Howl Dungeon if it had been otherwise.
With that being said, the n should be killing Basil by sending the group of Executioners in the Dungeon. Now that the Executioners had failed however, the n was aplete failure.
"Huuh... Can''t help it." Eugene sighed lightly. "So what if the Executioners couldn''t finish him? The Monsters would finish the job sooner orter." He shrugged nonchntly.
Contrary to the reaction anyone whose n has failed shows, Eugene was pretty quite cool about it. "But still, I didn''t expect Head Priest Eban was the one who first suggested the idea of finishing Basil."
Although Eugene had been humiliated by Basil, he didn''t have that strong of a grudge against him. He didn''t have any thought to go as far as killing Basil outside a Duel; he could just challenge Basil in another Duel, and settle his grudge there.
Therefore when the acting Head Priest of Randalvine Church, Eban, had bestowed him the right tomand a group of Executioners so he could end Basil''s life, he was slightly taken aback.
"Hurting you, an innocent Seminarian, is a sin worthy of punishment. Furthermore, his birth in this world is already a sphemy; he needs to be punished," was Eban''s answer when Eugene had asked him for his reason.
Seminarian was the protege of a Priest; Eugene was aware of his status as one, but he wasn''t sure his status was that important for the Head Priest himself to dere that Basil should be punished for hurting him.
All he had done was just learning theology under the guidance of the Head Priest; he wasn''t even some valuable Priest who possessed an incredible amount of Miracle. He was quite puzzled, and touched at the same time by the Eban''s decision.
He was sure there is more depth to the matter, but he didn''t entertain the thought too much. Upon growing up amongst the higher-ups of the Church, he knew quite many of the dark things they had done; sticking his nose where it doesn''t belong to wouldn''t bring a good end good for him.
"Hm? What is happening to the Royal Army? They look panicked." Eugene infused his eyes with Mana, and squinted them at the four remaining legions of Royal Army stationed 8 kilometers away from him and the other Randalvine Students.
He could see each Legion Commander wasmanding their subordinates to move quickly. He couldn''t make up what was being said, but he could notice the urgency from their movement.
Vibrate!
Suddenly, he felt his Transmission Talisman was activated, which means there was a messageing in. Much to his surprise, he wasn''t the only one receiving the message; the other students were also taking their Transmission Talisman out.
Upon grabbing his, Eugene slightly widened his eyes. "Randalvine Magic Institute''s official Transmission?" Quickly reading the content of the message, his eyes widened yet again. "Eight Legion Commanders stationed in Ruttenhale Barony have been in? Raneil Barony has fallen?"
Eugene was bewildered. Although he knew some things about the Church''s hical deeds, he didn''t know anything about the deal between the Church and the Demons yet. In this matter, he was just as bewildered as the other students.
"Is this the reason why I haven''t gotten any report yet?" He lowly muttered to himself.
He couldn''t just imagine the group of highly trained Executioners had identally gotten themselves caught up in the Demon Horde¡ªan amateurish mistake tomit.
p!
At the sound, everyone turned their head at Darius. "Everyone, may I have your attention, please?" He gazed at the 59 students stationed there with him.
"Our Headmaster has notified me to take some of you to head to Raneil Barony. For those who don''t want to go with me can directly head to Ruttenhale Barony under my secretary, Annabeth''s lead!"
Darius was sure there would be many students reluctant to go to Raneil Barony due to the content of the message. Therefore, he presented them a choice even though the gravity of the situation in both Baronies was the same.
He knew if he were just to assign them the Barony they should go to, they would end up running away instead. Mages were naturally individualistic; none of the students would be willing to risk their lives to save others.
True to his expectation, in the next moment out of the 58 students he gave the freedom to decide the Barony they would go to, 40 of them chose to go with Annabeth to Ruttenhale Barony.
They must have thought since eight legions of Royal Army were there, the situation wouldn''t be as bad. Darius didn''t mind that in the slightest; he merely nodded his head.
Uponnding his gaze on Eugene however, he was slightly surprised; he didn''t think Eugene would go with him to Raneil Barony. Although Euegne was a Seminarian, Darius didn''t recall Eugene as someone who was selfless enough to be called benevolent.
''I have to make sure what has actually happened ... I have a feeling I will meet Basil there; I should be the one who end his life.'' Unknowing of Eugene''s real motive, Darius led the 18 students who had chosen to go with him to Raneil Barony.
...
8 hours had passed since Basil and the others had encountered the horde of Magical Beasts that hade from Lone Mountain. The day would end soon, and they were just a few kilometers away from Raneil Barony''s now destroyed gate.
They could reach it that fast because none of them had stopped traveling since 8 hours ago. One might expect only Basil and Iliana, who had an insane control over their Mana, could keep running that far.
Surprisingly however, Whitney and Cray were able to keep up. The reason was also not because they were forcing themselves to keep moving.
"I don''t regret I bought this thing!" Cray turned to Whitney. "Now that I think about it, standing on this thing is not as stupid as I thought. Now that I also think about it, you look slightly cool whenever you stand on this thing."
Whitney''s eyebrow twitched at Cray''s word. Looking down at the Transportation Artefact he was standing on, it was apparent that it was really simr to his [Earth Board]. The only differences were the material that made it, and its fuel.
Different than his [Earth Board] that was made of earth and was fueled by his Mana, the Transportation Artefact the two of them were using was made of a special metal, and fueled by Mana Crystal.
Whitney''s head turned to the front at Basil who was leading them; he was, once again, amazed by Basil ... For his wealth. Although Whitney had the Transportation Artefact with him all the time, he didn''t use it that much due to the Mana Crystal it required.
If it hadn''t been for Basil who had casually provided Cray and him with Middle Grade Mana Crystals to fuel their Transportation Artefact, they wouldn''t have been able to catch up to Basil and Iliana.
As an active Mage, Whitney wasn''t poor, but he wasn''t rich either. Sacrificing three Lower Middle Grade Mana Crystals to power a Transportation Artefact was a stretch for him. Each one of them cost him 3 gold coins¡ªhighly expensive!
Still though, he was slightly surprised with Basil''s rare show of kindness; he had never seen Basil actually engaged himself with people other than some selected few. So far, he had only seen Basil genuinely interacted with Iliana.
Whenever he interacted with Basil, he always felt the invisible barrier Basil put up around people. If he were to describe it in more detail, it felt like Basil was treating everyone as his enemies. Since Basil was so subtle however, his paranoia wasn''t really apparent.
Whitney quickly shook his head at his thought; prejudicing someone who had saved his life once was not a good thing to do.
A few more minutes into traveling, Basil and Iliana finally stopped in their step. Whitney and Cray, who were 40 meters apart from them, also followed suit a few secondster.
Upon looking at the gates of Raneil Barony at a nce, they could easily say ruined was somehowcking to describe the situation. At that moment however, Basil suddenly raised his Sealing Sword.
"They areing," he said cryptically.
"They? Who are they?"
"The horde," Basil answered Cray simply.
At this point, each of them was already familiar enough with Basil to know that something wrong was about to happen whenever he spoke like that.
Rumble.
The ground shook, and they instinctively turned their head to the back. Just as the first Demon inside Raneil Barony noticed them, the Magical Beasts from Lone Mountain entered their vision.
"Exterminate any life that I deem unnecessary," Basil muttered coldly.
Chapter 171 Different Scenario
Roar!
"Holy cow, it''s an Iron w!"
Right after shouting that out loud, Cray quickly kicked the ground, and moved away from the 3 meters tall, iron wed tiger''s path.
In exception of Basil, the other students followed suit in the next moment; Basil kept standing in its path, and merely swung his sword once in a unique way.
Whoosh!
The Iron w passed beside Basil, as if it had intentionally dodged him. It wasn''t only the Iron w, but the other Beasts also avoided crashing to Basil.
Standing in the middle of the horde while graciously waving his sword, he looked like a maestro who was leading an orchestra.
"That move ... Hasn''t he been doing a simr move since we encountered the horde for the first time?" Cray and the others were already away from the horde of Magical Beasts, and now were looking at Basil.
"Well... He does..." Whitney responded Cray uncertainly. "There is no way ... Right?" He really wanted to say his thought, but he wasn''t sure whether it held some truth.
Different than the others, Iliana was looking at the scene with an amused smile. "Fu-fu-fu. He has been leading the horde for all this time."
Right when it was said, Whitney and Cray turned their bewildered gaze at Iliana. ''Is that guy for real?!'' was written on their face. Iliana merely shrugged nonchntly, and gestured her head at Basil.
The two students returned their gaze to Basil, and found that most of the Magical Beasts had entered Raneil Barony.
"Shouldn''t there be more of them?"
Whitney quickly realized that the horde was, at least, a fourth of the original one which they had encountered for the first time. Since he hadn''t been paying that much attention to the horde, he didn''t know where the rest of it had gone.
When Whitney noticed the way Basil organized the horde however, two possibilities came up in his mind. "It is either Basil can only lead up to that amount or Basil has sent the remaining horde the other way..." he muttered to himself.
Iliana turned her gaze to the pondering Whitney, before returning her gaze back at Basil; a small smile decorated her face. Basil was really taking ''being a Mage and live in secrecy'' to another level to the point that even Mages were bewildered.
He didn''t live in closed doors; he showed a part of himself that could amaze people, but no one could really read him¡ªno one could gouge what he was truly capable of. His entire being was surrounded by mystery, and it was hard to say whether it could ever be unveiled.
The epitome of a Mage.
A few seconds passed, and the horde Basil had led hadpletely entered the Barony. Upon seeing that, Iliana and the others quickly came to Basil''s side. Without saying a thing, Basil sheathed his sword and stepped inside the Barony.
Whitney and Cray turned to Iliana before looking at each other. In the next moment, they merely shook their head in slight disappointment.
They had expected Basil to say a word or two regarding what he had done, but he treated the matter as if something wasn''t worth the exnation. Of course, they didn''t have any intention to nag Basil for it.
They were aware of the first rule of interacting with a fellow Mage: never be too nosy of the thing the other side does. Therefore, they, too, quickly dismissed the matter and followed behind Basil.
Upon entering the Barony, they could finally take a good look of the situation inside. Many of the buildings had copsed, Demon and human corpses alike littered the ground, and the air was filled with the pungent blood stench of the corpses.
They could only imagine how worse the situation in the inner part, if the outer part of the Barony was already that much. Even at this point, the existence of survivors were highly arguable.
"Where is the Magical Beasts go to, Basil?" Iliana asked.
"I spread them to the four direction of the Barony."
"You are a talented Tamer, aren''t you?"
Basil nced at Iliana briefly before answering. "Telling a wild dog to run is not the same as teaching them to behave."
Leading a horde of Magical Beasts that had lost its leader was not a chore for him; it was too easy for the experienced him.
"Hoh? It is surprisinging from you." Iliana quirked her eyebrow at Basil''s rare show of humbleness.
Since Iliana took it as something amazing, Basil didn''t want to do something as useless as convincing her otherwise. Therefore, he kept his silence.
One might ask what was his reason for doing that; the answer was simple: to evoke more chaos. Basil had split the original horde of Magical Beasts into four groups. The one Basil had led to Raneil Barony had the least amount of Magical Beasts.
He had done so because Demons had already overwhelmed the entirety of Raneil Barony. If he were to lead the bigger group to Raneil Barony, the Demons would choose to coexist with the Magical Beasts instead¡ªexactly the exact opposite of he wanted.
Magical Beasts were naturally a peaceful group of creatures. They followed themand of their pack leader, and never poked the others unless their territory was breached.
The reason why they had suddenly gone down Lone Mountain was the death of its mutual leader, Yamata no Orochi that Basil had killed around a year ago.
Although it hadn''t been that strong of an opponent to any capable Third Circle Mage, it had the capability to make any Fifth Grade Beasts and below bow down to it.
In their mind, Yamata no Orochi was their protector. Since it was dead already, they had no one to protect them. Therefore when the Magical Beasts had sensed the sudden influx of Demons, they panicked; therefore, they felt the need to run.
Once they found an area that suited them, as long as it wasn''t upied by the much stronger opponent, they would fight for it. But when there was a probability to coexist, they would definitely choose it.
Since the former case was happening in Raneil Barony, a three way battle between Demons, humans, and Magical Beasts would ensue. Due to Basil''s deed however, Raneil Barony wouldn''t be the only area experiencing it.
There were three other areas in Fortescher County that would experience the same thing; all of them were a vital area for both Fortescher County and the Kingdom. Just like what Basil intended, chaos would ensue.
When the attention of the Kingdom was split, he could proceed to take the legacy which one of the renowned Mages of Braxtein Kingdom had left in Arthan Library without notifying the Kingdom.
After five minutes of walking, Cray and the others had finally arrived at the area of conflict.
They could see a group of Mercenaries fighting 20 or so Demons, while being constantly harassed by 8 Magical Beasts. Watching the scene alone was painful enough, let alone experiencing it.
"Let''s go." At Basil''s word, everyone turned their head at him. While Iliana was looking at him the way she usually looked at him, the other two were looking at him in slight bewilderment.
"Aren''t we going to help them?" Cray asked.
"Why should we?" Was Basil''s cold answer.
"I mean, there are..." Cray trailed off his word.
He couldn''t find the exact reason why they should help the group of Mercenaries. Not only were the Mercenaries not a Mage, but they were also not their acquaintance. Even if the Mercenaries fulfilled the two conditions, they still didn''t have the obligation to help them.
Whitney put his hand on top of Cray''s shoulder to stop him from thinking too much. Looking at Basil, Whitney calmly asked, "You wouldn''t stop us if we helped them, would you?"
"Why would I?" Basil quirked his eyebrow as if asking, ''Are you joking?''
Whitney nodded his head, then turned to Cray. "Very well. Let''s help them." Cray looked up, then nodded his head wordlessly. Dashing at the group of Mercenaries, they quickly took on the eight Magical Beasts by themselves.
Iliana stayed in her ce, and turned her curious gaze to Basil. "What are you going to do from now on? Though I like you, I won''t leave those brats alone." She pointed her thumb behind her, at Whitney and Cray.
"I will fight my own fight," Basil muttered lowly.
"What do you¡ª"
Boom!
Just before Iliana finished her word, the building in front Basil was destroyed; it had gotten smashed by something big. Iliana slightly widened her eyes at that, and quickly readied herself for battle in the next moment.
Snort!
A steaming breath came out of the nostrils of the Demon in front of them. It had a head of a bull with two big and pointy horns on its head, and a body of a muscr man holding a gigantic hammer.
A Minotaur Warrior!
Standing at 8 meters tall, it was looking at Basil and Iliana with its shining red eyes.
Roar!
As if one was not enough, another two appeared in front of them. While Basil was swinging his sword lightly to ready himself, Iliana was exceptionally ecstatic with the uing fight.
With a wide grin on her face, she said, "Coming here is a right choice."
As a battle maniac, she couldn''t hold herself back. Taking out her favorite weapon, a Magical Spear, she immediately dashed at one of the Minotaur Warriors; her Art was fully utilized.
Basil lightly smirked at the extremely familiar scene, before dashing at the Minotaur Warriors. Although he never admitted it, he, too , was a battle maniac.
A sh that alerted everyone in the vicinity ensued.
Chapter 172 Different Scenario (2)
Basil was fighting the Minotaur Warrior who had a giant hammer in its hands. He was running straight to it, fully aiming to cut its head off. Of course, the Minotaur Warrior didn''t have any n to stay idle, as it immediately swung its hammer at him.
BOOM!
He perfectly dodged the hammer, resulting in it hitting the ground instead. The Explosion wave of Demonic Mana swept through the surrounding area that had be the battle ground between the Minotaur Warriors and the duo battle maniacs¡ªBasil and Iliana.
Whitney, Cray, and the Mercenaries, who were 20 meters away from Basil and Iliana, turned their head at the duo''s direction in surprise. Not only them, the Demons and the Magical Beasts they were fighting did too.
Although they had heard amotioning from the duo''s way a few moments prior, they didn''t expect such an overwhelming amount of Mana would sweep the entire area in the next moment.
Upon turning their head at the duo''s way, Whitney and Cray could see Basil was graciously swinging his sword at the Minotaur Warriors he was fighting. The two Demons were trying their best to hit him, but to no avail.
On the ground around him, there were countless of rubbles from the building in his surrounding that had been destroyed as the aftermath of his sh and the two Demons, and a deep crater from the previous attack of the gigantic hammer wielding Demon.
Four meters away from Basil and the two Demons he was fighting, Iliana was toying with the Minotaur Warrior she was fighting. She hadn''t utilized any of her Magic Circles yet, but she was already able to exchange direct shes with the Demon.
"What in the God''s name is that?" One of the fighting mercenaries muttered in amazement and bewilderment.
"They must be one of the top 200 in Randalvine Magic Institute," another Mercenary muttered to himself. He had heard about Randalvine Magic Institute students'' involvement in the Outbreak.
"To think two Magic Institute students can produce this result..."
Unlike the amazed group of Mercenaries, Whitney and Cray didn''t show much reaction. To say they didn''t expect it would be a lie, but to say they weren''t surprised would be a bigger lie; they knew the duo would be able to achieve that feat, but they were still surprised.
Still though, three seconds was an enough time to admire the other side''s battle; they still had their own battle, so they refocused their attention to it in the next moment.
Unaware of the attention they had attracted from the other fighting people, the duo battle maniacs kept fighting the Minotaur Warriors as if they were the only people in the world.
Iliana swung and thrust her spear at the Demon she was fighting in ordance to her Spear Style: [Whisper of Terror]. Her 2 meters long, Vanadium ck spear danced in the air viciously; a grin was etched on her face¡ªshe was enjoying herself.
Ever since she touched the spear her father had given her¡ªthe same spear she was currently using¡ªshe had instantly fallen in love with it. Since the spear her father had given her originally had no name, she even named it herself; Sinister Piercer was its name.
She was a natural born Weapon Master; she could easily use any kind of weapon she wielded for the first time as if she had wielded it for years.
Whenever she wielded a spear however, no one could beat her without utilizing their superior Magic Circles; she was an insanely talented Spear Master. Therefore, she specialized herself in it.
"Ah, you are getting boring."
A minute into shing with the Minotaur Warrior, Iliana could already read every one of its attack pattern. Since she found no more enjoyment from it, she was ready to end the battle.
Activating the Magic Circles Carved on her heart, three of them materialized themselves into the world. All of the three Grand Circles shone intensely, overwhelming the surrounding air with Mana.
Snort!
A steaming breath came out of the Minotaur Warrior''s nostrils, as if it was ridiculing Iliana''s attempt to attack him. Iliana merely smirked, and infused her Mana into Sinister Piercer. Channeling Mana to her feet, she propelled herself at the Demon.
Boom!
A small dent was created in the ground, due to the pressure Iliana''s Reinforced feet had applied to it. While airborne, Iliana pointed the tip of her spear right at the Demon''s heart; she was nning to end it in one go.
Of course, the Minotaur Warrior itself didn''t stay idle. No matter how fast Iliana was traveling at it, it could still see Iliana clearly. Moving its hand in an unthinkable speed of a creature with such a big body, it was ready to cut Iliana in half with its sword.
In that exact moment however, Iliana smirked to herself, then activated the Rune carved on her spear''s de with the Mana she had infused in it before. The Rune lit up, allowing one''s eyes to see the unique and profound symbols.
"[eleration]!"
Right when its sword was really close to Iliana, the Minotaur Warrior lost the sight of her; its sword hit the ground, making a long trench in it. It quickly looked around in alertness, but still didn''t find the sight of Iliana.
When it was about to pull its sword out from the ground however, it noticed that there was something wrong with its chest. Upon looking at its chest, it could finally see there was a meter wide hole in it.
When it realized it was heavily injured, it turned its body around. There, it could see Iliana standing mightily on the ground while ring at it in disdain; she had Sinister Piercer in her right hand, and it was stabbed in the Minotaur Warrior''s heart.
"Do you know what is the other name of Sinister Piercer?" She smirked at the Demon. "Ghost Spear," she continued proudly.
Pulling out Sinister Piercer out of the Demon''s heart, she aimed it at the Demon''s head. Activating [eleration] Rune once again, she threw her spear at the Demon.
Stab!
It happened in an instant; one second, her spear was still in her hand, and in the next second, it was already piercing the Minotaur Warrior''s head. All of this was the work of [eleration]: it amplified the speed of the throw by more than three times.
Thud!
When the Minotaur Warrior''s lifeless body fell to the ground, Iliana quickly got on top of its head to retrieve her spear. Flicking it once, she removed the blood that was previously smeared on its de.
Turning her head to Whitney and Cray''s direction, she could see they were close to finish their battle. Whitney had already skewered 6 Magical Beasts with his earth spike, and Cray was stacking Demon and Beast''s heads enthusiastically.
True to her expectation, they finished their battle not a momentter. Since they were done, Iliana turned her head to Basil who hadn''t finished his battle yet.
She believed Basil hadnded more than one hit at the Minotaur Warriors he was fighting, but they must have been too shallow to leave a scar behind.
Demons had an insane regeneration speed, so injuring them was quite hard as the injury quickly healed in the next moment. Therefore, Basil looked like he hadn''t done anything to the Minotaur Warriors.
She was a little bit disappointed, but she knew not to expect much from a Third Circle Mage. Furthermore, Basil was fighting two of such a big creatures by himself.
Readying her spear once again, Iliana was about to help Basil when she witnessed a quite surprising scene for her, and a dumbfounding scene for the others.
Boom!
Basil had just casually pped the gigantic sword of the Minotaur Warrior he was fighting to the side!
"For a Middle ss Demon, you have some power." He was clenching and unclenching his right hand to reduce the numbness.
"As I expected, I should''ve used Qi."
To even make it more dumbfounding, Basil didn''t even use his Qi to p the sword; his physical strength alone allowed him to achieve the feat. This is also the reason why Basil hadn''t defeated the two Demons yet: he had been fighting with his physical strength.
Wielding his sword with his right hand again, he brandished it at the stunned Minotaur Warrior''s sword that was stuck in the ground.
nk!
Much to the eyewitnesses'' bewilderment, the Minotaur Warrior''s sword was cut in two upon contact with Basil''s sword. "What is the point of equipping these mindless creatures with an easily destructible Titanium sword?" Basil snorted coldly.
Channeling his Qi to his foot, he kicked the ground to send himself to the Minotaur Warrior''s head. Upon realizing it, the Demon in question swung its half-destroyed sword at Basil.
Basil gave a circle kick to the sword while in the air, sessfully shattering it, and once again bewildering the eyewitnesses. When he was close to splitting the Minotaur Warrior''s in two with his sword, he noticed the other one was swinging its hammer at him.
Using Wind Magic to move his body away from the gigantic hammer''s trajectory, the hammer hit the head of the Minotaur Warrior he had been about to kill instead.
Boom!
Ssh!
Since Basil had protected himself with Qi Barrier firsthand, he wasn''t hit by any of the brain matters that wereing from the crushed head of the unfortunate Demon.
Even knowing that it had just killed its brethren, the hammer wielding Minotaur Warrior''s focus was still on Basil.
Basil, who was still in the air, swiftly sent himself to the ground with Wind Magic, and took a stance. He held his sword sideways, and leaned his body slightly forward. nting his eyes on the iing Demon, he muttered, "[Hill Splitter]!"
When the Minotaur Warrior swung its hammer at him, Basil graciously swung his sword at it.
Schwing!
A brief light shed before everyone''s eyes, and by the time they knew it, the Minotaur Warrior was already bisected horizontally.
Thud!
When the upper body of the Demon fell to the ground, Basil righted himself, and sheathed his sword. "Unsatisfactory," he muttered casually as if nothing had just happened.
At that, not only Whitney, Cray, and the Mercenaries, even Iliana was having her rare moment of speechlessness.
Chapter 173 Different Scenario (3)
"That was impressive." Iliana walked toward Basil.
Although they were 20 meters apart, they could still hear Iliana just fine, so everyone was awaken from their daze by her exmation. Upon waking up from their daze, Whitney and Cray quickly approached Basil.
The group of Mercenaries looked at each other for a while, before deciding to follow the two students. Of course, they were smart enough to not intrude the students'' private zone; they kept their distance.
"That was awesome, Basil!" Cray eximed. "I can''t believe you can cut this giant in half." He pointed to the lifeless Minotaur Warrior behind them.
"Yeah, I can''t believe you have reached such height in Knight Principle," Whitney added.
Basil''s response to this was, "There is nothing to admire about it."
He was being true to himself. Although he weed praises, he didn''t think his current prowess was enough to receive admiration. Still, he couldn''t me them from admiring him; they hadn''t seen the whole world yet, after all.
Turning his gaze to the six Mercenaries who were slightly away from them, Basil quirked his eyebrow. "Do you need something from us?"
One of the mercenaries stepped forward, and scratched his cheek awkwardly. "U-Uh, no. I¡ªI am here to thank you." He bowed his head, and the other five behind him followed suit. "We are sure we wouldn''t have survived if it wasn''t because of your friends."
Basil turned his head to Whitney and Cray, before turning his gaze back at the Mercenaries. "You are thanking the wrong person; you should thank the people who saved you."
Raising his head, the frontmost Mercenary looked at Basil awkwardly. "I mean, they moved under your order, right?"
"No," was the only response Basil gave, before turning his body away, and walked away with Iliana.
"E-Eh? What does that even mean...?"
Whitney shook his head helplessly at the flustered Mercenary, before saying, "Your gratitude is heard. You may leave." He waved his hand in dismissal.
Turning their body around, Whitney and Cray also followed Basil and Iliana who were already a few meters away from them, leaving the confused group of Mercenaries behind. Luckily the couple wasn''t running, so they could easily catch up to the couple.
They had expected to not be thanked by the group of Mercenaries since the moment they had decided to help the Mercenaries; they were a Mage, and the other side was a bunch of Knights after all.
Therefore, they had been slightly surprised when the Mercenaries had bowed their head at them. Upon remembering something however, they had quickly realized that the Mercenaries had been bowing to Basil, not them.
? Who was Basil? A Mage and a Knight; this was reason enough for the group of Mercenaries to show their gratitude to him, instead of the Mages who had helped them.
A few minutes into the walk, Whitney could see another group of Mercenaries fighting the Demons. Since they held their ground well, he and Cray had no intention to help.
"There are so few of theming here," Whitneymented.
Without turning her head, Iliana responded, "Mercenaries are not paid by their merit, but the recognition the Kingdom gives them." Snorting coldly, she continued, "Raneil Barony holds no importance to the Kingdom, so naturally no one wants toe here."
"They won''t get recognized," Whitney muttered.
"Exactly. People are crazy about being a Noble these days; they are enthusiastically amassing the ''recognition'' now," Iliana sneered.
Although Iliana didn''t say anything wrong, Whitney still felt awkward at how open she was showing her disdain on that kind of people. Turning his head to Basil, he wondered why Basil decided going to Raneil Barony.
"Although you are definitely ahead of your peers, you are not recorded in the Top 200 List yet, Basil. Unlike us, you don''t really need toe here. Why are youing here?"
"To protect my property."
"Property?" Whitney furrowed his eyebrow, wondering what Basil meant by his word. It didn''t take long until he came to realization. "Oh, your family''s hotel. But, they must have been pretty much ... Destroyed at this point."
Whitney looked carefully at Basil to see his reaction; he was afraid he had just offended Basil somehow. To his surprise, Basil shrugged nonchntly.
"Who knows? There is always a chance in everything; you just have to try." Unsheathing his sword smoothly, Basil drew his Qi. "There is an iing Nightcrawler, be careful."
All of the students knew what kind of horror a Nightcrawler could bring, so they quickly readied themselves. Whitney, who was well-versed in Earth Magic, concentrated himself in detecting the Nightcrawler that was under the ground.
Rumble.
When he could detect said Demon, he widened his eyes in bewilderment. "It''s not just one, there are 10 of them! Watch your ground!"
"Holy cow! Who the one invited them here?!"
Surprisingly, Cray''s exmation didn''t go unanswered. "I did," Basil replied.
"What the hell is wrong with you, Mate?!" Whitney was the one who responded Basil instead.
Smirking to himself, Basil stabbed his sword to the ground. Infusing his Qi into his Sword, blue lines appeared on the ground like a tree root. Exploding the Qi he had gathered in his stabbed Sword, the ground surged upward.
Boom!
Along with that was the emergence of the 10 Nightcrawlers.
"Let''spete on who kills the most," Basil muttered before dashing at the Nightcrawlers.
Iliana smirked, then twirled Sinister Piercer once. "Don''t cry when you lose." Following Basil, she dashed forward.
Whoosh!
The wind that was caused by Iliana''sunch pped the other two students right in the face. After reorganizing their disheveled hair, they turned to each other.
"Are we even needed?"
Boom!
One Nightcrawler was put to an end by Basil''s gracious swing.
"I don''t know, but we can''t just stay idle, can we?"
Boom!
One Nightcrawler got its head pierced by Iliana''s Sinister Piercer.
Clicking his tongue in annoyance, Cray heatedly exim, "I don''t care about whether we are needed. I will ruin their fun!" Just like that, he shot forward at the unupied Nightcrawler; he joined the game.
Whitney scratched his head helplessly, before sighing in defeat. "Why do I have to be the only normal one?" Still though, he wasn''t as normal as he thought as he still feltpetitive toward the other three; he, too, joined the game in the end.
None of the students questioned about the fact that Basil could call that many Nightcrawlers, nor did they question about what was his purpose of doing so.
While theyter figured out Basil called the Nightcrawlers with a piece of heart of the Minotaur Warrior he had in, they didn''t get to know his reason for calling the Nightcrawlers; they were too upied by the endless wave of Nightcrawlers to mind that.
Poor them, they became a victim of Basil''s insane training regime ... At least, Iliana was enjoying herself the whole time.
...
Familia Hotel.
Night had descended upon the world, and it further amplified the terror people were feeling. Familia Hotel was the only ce in Raneil Barony that was safe from from the Demons¡ªthe only ce that could stand the attack of the Demons.
When the Demons had appeared for the first time, many people had panicked and fled the hotel immediately, while the people who didn''t know what to do had remained, and epted their fate.
There were also some people who had decided to stay because they knew they would be okay: the Hotel Familia''s employees. They always remembered one of the instructions their Young Master had instilled in their mind.
¡ªIf you find the world is dangerous, stay. This ce is safer than your mother''s womb.
Although they didn''t understand what their Young Master meant by that, they believed him. Luckily for them, their trust in their Young Master wasn''t wrong; they were alive because of it.
By the time the Demons had first entered the Barony, the hotel was quickly enveloped in a Magic Barrier, protecting everyone inside from the Demons.
Unfortunately, the people who stayed inside weren''t only the employees and the good people¡ª
"Let''s have a vote on who will be thrown outside!"
¡ªbut also the troublemakers.
"W-What are you talking about?! Are you trying to kill people?!"
The Orange Core Knight, who had uttered the suggestion, turned his head to the person who had just spoken. "I''m surprised you got it so quickly. Congrattions!" He pped his hands. "We need to reduce the mouth we have to feed, after all."
"You selfish bastard! I know you will hoard the food in the end!"
At that, the Orange Core Knightughed. "So, what can you do about that?" Utilizing his Movement Technique, he reappeared before the civilian old man. "Are you going to kick my arse?" He sneered, before kicking the old man square in the old man''s stomach.
Bang!
Or that was what he had intended.
"You?" The Orange Core Knight looked at the green haired, beautifuldy who had blocked his kick in surprise; she was one of the Familia Hotel''s receptionist. Retracting his foot, he smirked. "I like strong women."
"I abhor weak men," the receptionist replied coldly.
ncing at the receptionist''s name tag, the Orange Core Knight said, "Does that mean I fit your criteria, Cecilia?"
"Hmph! A dog can never be a tiger," Cecilia snorted in disdain.
"Alright, alright. Let''s be real,dy." He waved his hand mildly. "We will be stuck in here until someone saves our arses. None of us is strong enough to fend for ourselves outside, you know?" Smirking, he continued, "But, I am the strongest here."
"Your point?" Cecilia sneered.
Instead of answering, the Orange Core Knight grabbed Cecilia''s hand, and pulled her body close to his. "I am the one in charge here."
Cecilia red at him coldly, and tried her best to let go of her body from his hold to no avail. He was close to bury his lips in Cecilia''s, when all of them heard something.
Knock! Knock!
The Orange Core Knight turned his gaze to the door. "Tsk! Another one, huh? Can''t they see we don''t receive anyone." He was referring to the people who stumbled upon the Hotel, and asked to be allowed to enter the hotel.
Turning his head to the middle-aged man he had attempted to kick earlier, he gestured his head to the door. "Hey, old man. Tell the bastard to screw off."
The middle-aged man wanted to retort, but he could do nothing under the Orange Core Knight''s re.
Sighing in resignation, the middle-aged man was about to do what he was told, when another voice was heard.
Chapter 174 Different Scenario (4)
"We are not going to reject anyone this time!"
At that word, everyone''s head turned to the speaker. She was an attractive violet haired young woman with a lean build. This young woman was rissa''s best friend, and her assistant baker, Poppy.
The reason why none of the Familia Hotel''s employees had spoken up when the people inside had rejected everyone who had stumbled upon the hotel in daytime was due to safety reasons.
The situation in daytime had been pretty much chaotic; the people inside could literally see Demons passing by in front of the hotel from the hotel''s window. They had been constantly praying the Demons would never see them.
Luckily, the Barrier that was protecting the hotel didn''t only strike back when it was attack, but it also hid them from the eyes of the onlookers; only some lucky individuals could ever stumble upon the hotel.
Therefore, none of the Familia Hotel''s employees had said a word when the "vocal" people staying inside had outrightly rejected the people who had stumbled upon the hotel by coincidence; they, too, didn''t want to risk getting noticed by the Demons.
"Night hase, and the situation has already calmed down a little bit. Anyone who stumbles upon our hotel must be a survivor of the terror; we can help them prolong their life by allowing them to enter."
At night however, they couldn''t see anymore Demons passing by in front of the hotel; they could allow the lucky survivor who stumbled upon the hotel in without risking anyone.
"Hahahaha! I think you misunderstood me, youngdy." The Orange Core Knightughed in humour. "Listen, Miss..." He scrutinized Poppy''s name tag, "Poppy. I don''t mind allowing the people out there in; we have enough space." He gestured at his surrounding.
"But as I have said earlier, we don''t have an enough food supply to feed everyone here. Instead of allowing people in, we should throw people out; it''s for our survival."
Poppy sneered, "You said that like you know how much supply we have." Walking toward him, she continued, "You don''t have any right to make a decision here, brute. Let go of Miss. Cecilia, and I will let you keep your chance to stay here."
Although Poppy was significantly shorter than the Knight, she could keep her re even after arriving in front of him. She didn''t even waver when the Knight exuded a little bit of his Qi to pressure her.
"Ha-ha! I like you." Letting go of Cecilia, the Knight extended his hand. "My name is Scott. Nice to meet you, Poppy."
Poppy nced at the extended hand briefly, before turning her gaze to Cecilia who was ring at Scott like she wanted to murder him. "Miss Cecilia, can you help the other staff prepare dinner for everyone? I bet they would really appreciate it."
Cecilia turned her gaze to Poppy, before nodding her head without a fuss. Turning her body to the direction of the kitchen, she whispered to Poppy. "Be careful of this savage."
Poppy merely waved her hand mildly as if saying, ''I''m used to this kind of crap.'' Turning her gaze back to Scott, although his smile faltered ever so slightly, she could see he was still confident on being able to get inside her pants.
Shrugging once, she passed Scott, and headed to the door; he waspletely ignored. Putting his hand down, and wiping the smile off his face, he looked at his surrounding.
With a hand gesture, eight people stepped forward. All of them were a part of the clique he had just established.
Gulp.
There were around 20 people in the lobby watching the unfolding scene nervously. All of them were civilians, and they wouldn''t be able to do anything if something bad happened to the brave youngdy, Poppy.
Looking at Poppy, they dearly wished Poppy would stop in her step¡ªthey didn''t want to see her get hurt. Unfortunately, Poppy didn''t have any intention to stop; she kept moving toward the door despite knowing there were nine lustful men right behind her back.
Knock. Knock.
"Hold on for a second, I will immediately¡ª"
"No, you won''t!" Scott grabbed Poppy''s mouth from the back to stop her from talking any further." Looking down at Poppy who was in his hold, Scott grinned in delight. "Now, now. I don''t care whether you have enough supply; I don''t like interference."
Turning his head to the eight people, hemanded, "Tell the idiot to screw off." Gesturing at Poppy, he continued, "We''ll enjoy this gorgeous meatter." He smirked along with the others.
Knock. Knock.
Scott became even more irked as the person behind the door was really adamant on entering the hotel. When he was about tomand his friends to kill the person behind the door instead of just telling them to screw off, everyone in the lobby heard a voice.
"It''s close to two minutes, and no one opens the door yet? What happened to the well-mannered Familia Hotel''s employees?!" The voice seemed to belong to a young man whose personality was too bright for his own good.
However, that wasn''t the only voice they could hear.
"Well, you can''t expect them to just open the door in this kind of situation." This voice was heavier than the previous one, and they could deduce the owner of the voice was a reasonable person from his tone. "We just have to barge in." Or not.
"What are these idiot spouting about? Don''t they know they can''t just enter¡ª"
Click.
Even before Scott finished his word, the door of the hotel was opened, revealing the four people behind it.
One of them was an incredibly beautiful purple-haired woman whose re was enough to pierce one''s head, literally; she was pissed for whatever reason.
Two of them were a blond haired young man duo with the exact opposite personality. One of them was serious-looking, and the other one was too bright for someone his age.
Finally, thest one was the one whose bearing alone screamed, ''I am not someone whom even your mother dare to p.'' He had a brown hair that was handsomely swept back, and an undeniably attractive face.
These four people were Iliana, Whitney, Cray, and Basil respectively. They had just been freed from the barrage of Nightcrawlers and many other Demons, and the aura they were exuding was rmingly terrifying due to it.
"W-Who are you? H-How can you open the door?!" Scott was pointing his Sword Relic at Basil who was already a few steps in front of him.
Poppy, who was still in Scott''s hold, looked up at Basil awkwardly, and Basil nced at her briefly. "You have a bad taste in men." Basil didn''t even conceal the disdain in his tone. ''This bastard is not my man!'' Naturally, Poppy''s retort was muffled.
Basil paid no attention to her, as he merely passed Scott like he wasn''t even there. Iliana was the first one to follow suit, and she still looked grumpy. Cray shrugged lightly then walked away, leaving Whitney to lock the door.
"[Szayel kye]!" As the spell was uttered, the door shone briefly, before being perfectly locked. Turning his body around, Whitney, too, passed Scott as if he was air.
Gulp.
No one dare to move from their spot; even the other eight Knights could only shrink their shoulders upon being red by Iliana for blocking her path. They could instinctively know they could never poke the four students.
Poppy, who was still held "hostage," blinked her eyes. ''Why do I feel like my worth is less than a door?'' She had seen Whitney minded to lock the door; she was simply bewildered at how they could easily ignore her.
Luckily for her, she was pardoned from her role as a "hostage" in the next moment. "My friends and I are hungry. I heard from rissa you are an eptable cook; I want you to cook for us, Poppy."
''I can''t! This retard is holding me!'' was her muffled answer.
Basil, who was close to reach the stairs to the upper floors, stopped in his track, then turned his body slightly toward the people. He stared at the back of Scott''s head, and it made Scott quiver in his ce.
"Are you so smitten by her, you can''t let go of her for a second?" Basil asked neutrally.
Mustering his courage, Scott answered without turning his head. "S-Shut up! Who are you to order me around?!" While the regrs already knew the identity of Basil, Scott, who was new to Familia Hotel was not.
"What are you doing standing there like an imbecile?! Take him down!" He shouted at his clique indignantly.
The eight Knights looked at each other hesitantly, before facing Basil''s way. They could see the four people were looking at them with different expressions. Iliana was looking at them in annoyance, Whitney in curiosity, and Cray in excitement.
Turning their gaze to Basil, they could see him looking at them in mild amusement "I am the owner of this ce." Casually waving his hand, he said to Poppy, "Organize some staffs to clean the messter."
No one understood what he meant by that, but when Basil turned his body around, the twenty civilians tried their best to suppress their scream of terror.
Thud! Thud!
Nine heads that belonged to the nine troublemakers dropped to the ground helplessly; Basil''s wind des had cut them right after Basil waved his hand.
Along with that, was a fountain of blood.
Ssh!
The body also fell in the next second, but none of the people registered that as they were too shocked by the gruesome scene.
Poppy, whose half of her body was drenched in Scott''s blood, couldn''t properly react at first. As she had witnessed a murder once however, it took her only ten seconds to regain herposure.
Ignoring the stench in the air, she quickly looked for the avable staffs that could clean the mess up. Then, she proceeded to cook for Basil and his fellow students.
Right after that night, no one dare to be a troublemaker.
Chapter 175 Different Scenario (5)
A few minutes after the rather dramatical event, the situation inside the hotel calmed down once again ... Somewhat.
While the regrs knew Basil wasn''t the type of someone who killed people on a whim, the other guests were terrified by him. They were afraid that Basil would suppress them, and treat them as he liked.
Due to that reason, all of them tried their best to act civil so the situation remained under control. Though some of them did it out fear, it was actually a good development.
Basil and the three students were already on the top floor chilling in the spacious guest room. Basil had taken his time to clean himself in the bathroom a few minutes prior¡ªdespite theck of the need to do so¡ªand the others were resting in the sofa.
While none of the students knew Basil was a clean freak, none of them had asked him his reason for taking a shower; they were too tired from facing the group of Demons that Basil had intentionally lured.
"Bloody hell! My feet hurt so much." Cray massaged his feet that were sprawled on the sofa. "I kicked too many demons!"
Whitney, who was sitting by Cray''s side, massaged his forehead. "You have many options other than kicking them like a madman." He seemed tired from Cray''s whining instead of the fight. "You are taking your role too literally." He sighed helplessly.
"Hey! I just did my job exactly as what I have learnt from the book. Four roles of Mage Formation: Overseer, Guardian, yer, and Madman! I took my role seriously, and splendidly!"
"That''s why I told you you were taking it too literally!"
Ignoring the banter of the blonde duo, Iliana, who was on the opposite side of Whitney and Cray, turned her head to Basil. He was sitting right beside her with closed eyes, busy with whatever he was doing.
She was slightly irked that Basil had defeated her in thepetition. She wouldn''t be this irked if Basil had cheated to win it; she was irked because Basil didn''t even cheat, but he had still won. Her pride as a Senior Mage was slightly hurt.
She was amazed nheless; she wasn''t that petty to deny it. Still, she had never thought Basil would be that fearsome in just two months. His growth was simply monstrous; it wasn''t a stretch calling him a genius amongst genius.
Of course as a genius herself, herpetitive spirit was provoked. Therefore, she had determined herself to increase the amount of time she spent training her mastery. She couldn''t hasten the process of her Circle Carving, but she could be better at her Art.
Knock. Knock.
"Excuse me, Young Master. This is me, Poppy. I am here to deliver the meal."
At the voice, Cray stopped his banter with Whitney, and eximed. "The food hase!" His eyes lit up excitedly. "Come in!"
"O-Oh, yes." Poppy was a little bit overwhelmed with Cray''s brightness.
Creak.
The door opened, and Poppy came in with Cecilia who was pushing the trolley that was filled with all kinds of delicacies. Cray''s mouth watered, and he would have already jumped at the food if not for the fact that Whitney was holding him back.
The twodies headed to the right side of the room¡ªslightly away from the sofa where the four people were sitting¡ªwhere the dining table was located.
Putting the food one by one on the dining table in the room, Poppy and Cecilia made sure to not make any mistake due to nervousness. They could never get used to serving their Young Master; he was always giving off a unique aura that always made them nervous.
When all of the food was set on the table, they turned their body toward Basil; he opened his eyes at the exact moment. ncing at the food briefly, he looked at Poppy right in her eyes.
"40 minutes, and you can cook this much ... eptable." Standing up from the sofa, he headed to the dining table. "I need you to tell me about the situation of the Barony." Sitting himself at the table, he nced at Cecilia. "You may join too, Cecilia."
While Poppy looked pretty unperturbed, Cecilia bowed her head politely while hiding the smile of anticipation on her face. She was excited at the opportunity of having a dinner with someone as important as her Young Master.
Of course, she knew not to be impolite; she made sure all of her Young Master''s friends had sat themselves before sitting herself at the table.
When the people started eating, the meal was only filled with the sound of utensils, and Cray''s exmation of how good the food was. Only after five minutes had passed did Basil open his mouth.
"What happened to most of the people here?" By "here," Basil was talking about Raneil Barony.
"Some of them managed to flee, and most of them are dead," Poppy answered immediately. "There are also survivors who are hiding somewhere in the Barony," Cecilia added.
Stabbing his fork at the juicy steak, Basil meticulously sliced the well-cooked meat. "What is the status of the Barony?"
Poppy stopped moving her utensils, and turned to Cecilia. Cecilia looked back, and smiled bitterly. "It is abandoned, Young Master," Cecilia answered. "Baron Kreiss Raneil was killed in his manor by the time the Monsters invaded," Poppy exined.
In war or any catastrophic situation, Abandoned Territory was a term used to call a territory that had lost its owner. It means either the owner was already dead or the owner had simply run away, leaving their people behind.
Basil nodded his head lightly. "Very well. How about the help from the Kingdom?"
"So far, there are only... 8 groups of Mercenaries that have arrived, Young Master." Cecilia was a little bit unsure with her answer. "There are also 10 Pdins standing by at thete Baron Raneil''s manor."
At Poppy''s word, the students stopped eating. They turned to her, before turning to Basil; they were looking at him with an understanding butplicated gaze.
Turning his gaze to Poppy, Cray curiously asked, "Why are you so up to date with what is happening in this Barony. Aren''t you supposed to be cooped up inside here?"
At the question, Poppy hesitantly looked at Basil. He nodded his head lightly, as if telling her, ''Go ahead.'' Turning her gaze back at Cray, she said, "We have a... Special department for that." Cecilia added, "It is originally for marketing purposes."
They three students knew it wasn''t the case, but they didn''t have any intention to probe the matter. They knew how secretive Basil was; they didn''t want to unnecessarily annoy him by sticking their nose into his business.
"Any clue about why the Pdins are here?" Basil asked after some moment of silence.
Since Poppy wasn''t that close with the Special department, she let Cecilia answer the question. "Unfortunately, we don''t know, Young Master. They were already there since an hour after Baron Raneil''s death."
Basil hummed to himself in contemtion. The situation had changed, and he didn''t know what was actually happening; he didn''t recall the Church had ever sent Pdins to help in an Outbreak.
His rtionship with the Church hadn''t be that bad for them to send Pdins to kick his arse, so he knew the Pdins weren''t here for him. However, he didn''t know why they were here either.
Unless they wanted to protect someone or looking for a heretic, they shouldn''t be at Raneil Barony. At that thought, realization dawned upon him.
He turned his head to Iliana. "Do you receive any notification from Randalvine Magic Institute about the stationed students?"
"Notification? I believe¡ªoh, there are many of them." Iliana was surprised to find there were three messages from Randalvine Magic Institute and two messages from Darius upon checking her Transmission Talisman.
When she listened to the message from Darius however, she clicked her tongue in distaste when he said Eugene wasing with him to Raneil Barony. "Tsk! That prick ising here too?"
Basil didn''t need to ask who the "prick" was; he knew it was Eugene. This way, he could easily deduce the Pdins were here to protect Eugene.
That also means, the Head Priest was already aware of the death of the Executioners he had sent to kill Basil. He knew Basil could easily y Eugene, his protege, if he were to do nothing.
A cold smirk adorned Basil''s face; he wasn''t really bothered by the existence of the Pdins. It would be troublesome, but there was nothing could stop him from ending Eugene''s life. He had his n; it was wless.
"Tell ''them'' I am satisfied with their performance," Basil said to Cecilia while wiping his mouth. Trying to Poppy, he remarked, "The meal is eptable too, Poppy. You are doing a good job." Poppy merely bowed politely at Basil''s word.
Standing up from the chair, Basil headed to the door. "I am at the rooftop if you need something from me." Ignoring the bewildered gaze Whitney and Cray were giving him due to how quick he had eaten, Basil exited the room.
On the way to the rooftop, he asked the Guide, ''What is the situation in Woster County?''
[Ding!]
[Initiating Visualization to solve the Host''s puzzlement; target: Woster County...]
Basil''s vision warped; he couldn''t see the corridor of the hotel any longer, and he let his body moved by itself to the rooftop.
He was currently looking at Wisselton, the center of Woster County. The situation was peaceful there, as there waspletely no one; he was sure all of them had moved to Randalvine.
Moving his vision to the County Hall, he could see seven Guards guarding it. All of them were uneasy, and it was apparent on their face.
When his body reached the rooftop, his vision moved to Ruttenhale Barony. A familiar scene greeted him.
Though not as bad, the battlefield that was decorated with bodies littering the ground, and the river of blood reminded him of the beginning of the Second Age of Chaos.
He observed the battlefield for a moment, before moving his vision to the Demon side.
Since it was already night, both sides were resting in their own camp. Of course, none of them were really resting as they were looking for an opportunity to strike back.
In the middle of the Demon camp, there was a haunted looking hut made from obsidian like structure¡ªthe general''s resting ce.
He was about to move his vision to somewhere else, when he remembered that Visualization also allowed him to see through buildings.
Using the ability on the hut, he immediately regretted his decision.
Chapter 176 Different Scenario (6)
Long, light pink hair; wless, bluish skin; and well proportioned, seductive figure. Basil could clearly see half of the naked body of the person inside the hut; she was chilling in the tub that was filled with warm water.
"The Sixth Great General of Goap, Luci..." Basil muttered under his breath. "What in the Magic world is she doing?" Basil knew Luci was bathing; he just didn''t get the reason why Luci must bathe herself.
Upon remembering his habit of doing the same thing however, he quickly shrugged away the thought. "Tsk! This Lord shan''t be looking at this soon to be dead body too much." Basil shook his head in disappointment to himself.
Although he couldn''t fully see Luci''s chest that was half submerged in the water, he was basically peeping; it was a sphemous action that someone as respectable as him would never do.
When he was about to move his vision to somewhere else, Luci stood up from the tub. Her body was revealed in full glory, and Basil kept his vision on her.
He was by no means entranced by her otherworldly figure however, he was interested in the way she was staring his way.
"Am I found out?" Basil smiled faintly in interest. "The Guide only knows how to brag, it seems." He wasn''t worried about being found out; he was just disappointed with the Guide''s performance.
He could see Luci was intently looking exactly his way as if she knew he was there. He waited expectantly, until he saw Luci shaking her head in annoyance; she clicked her tongue, then muttered something, which Basil couldn''t hear.
Of course, he still knew what Luci was muttering; he could read her lips movement.
¡ªI feel like someone is stalking me, but I guess it''s just my mind ying with me.
Basil quirked his eyebrow, and smiled softly. "I underestimated the Guide too much, it seems." Luci wasn''t aware of his action, which means the Guide was far more superior than her sense.
Moving his vision away from Luci, Basil observed the entire camp meticulously. The army wasprised of 6 different kinds of Demon;bined, they were amounted to 57,000. Compared to the human side, the amount was indeed overwhelming.
Luckily though, three fourth of the army were all Low ss Demons. Although troublesome to deal with, they were by no means threatening to the Knights and Mages fighting there.
Still, the battle would never be easy; Middle ss Demons and above had the capability to personally y a Fifth Circle Mage or an Early Stage Green Core Knight. Furthermore, a High ss Demon of Luci caliber couldn''t be just dealt by anyone; many would surely die in her hands.
With that being said, Basil could confidently say that the people in Woster County only had one fate: getting wiped out. As long as the Kingdom held back its resources¡ªthe Royal Army¡ªwinning the war would be close to impossible.
''Moreover, the rest of Goap''s army...'' Although the situation was pretty much chaotic, the true chaos wasn''t begun yet; it was still peaceful. It seemed that the rest of Goap''s Army stayed in BA-32 guarding their Lord, but in truth they were silently moving.
As to where they were heading, Basil knew about it. For how they could arrive to their destination, Basil was about to find it out; he didn''t get the chance to know it in the past, but he was sure the Church must had a hand in it.
Ending [Visualization], his vision returned to normal.
[Visualization is ended by the Host...]
[Update!]
Basil was a little bit taken aback at that announcement; he didn''t think he would achieve something like this very soon. Although he was addicted to using [Visualization], he didn''t think he had used it that often to the point it could trigger an update.
[The Guide is a highly intelligent existence whose existence has transcended the state of sentience and insentience. The Guide is a profound existence made ofplicated algorithms that a mere mortal can never fathom. As the Guide and the Host was coexisting...]
Basil tuned out the rest of the Guide''s announcement as he didn''t think it was something important. It was basically a speech belonging to a self-absorbed prick that was delivered with an emotionless, asexual voice.
What it was trying to convey was, ''Be grateful for my existence, mortal!'' There were also some empty words about how understanding of an existence the Guide was to him, the Host, which was honestly irritating to him.
[Due to those reasons mentioned earlier, one of the Guide''s functions, that is, Visualization, will be renamed to better suit the Host''s personality development.]
Basil knew there was something rather off, but he couldn''t stop the Guide from spouting the nonsense. Therefore, he patiently waited to see where the thing was going.
[Congrattions! Visualization has been sessfully renamed to The Eyes of Voyeur!]
"..."
Basil''s face turned from expectant to neutrally cold very quick. He wasn''t someone who would argue over a trivial thing such as naming sense, but this case was different; the Guide had said the name was based on his personality development!
''This Lord, a voyeur? Ludicrous! This Lord can easily sway the heart of any loyal wife. Why shall this I be a voyeur?!'' He couldn''t ept the Guide had justbelled him as a scum just because he had identally seen a bathing woman¡ªa Demon, at that.
"How can I rename the name of the function again?"
[The name of the function can no longer be renamed.]
"How can I throw away the Guide?"
[The Host can throw away the Guide by ... The function will retain its original name.]
There was a three seconds pause which was highly suspicious for a mechanical object, but Basil chose not to pursue the matter.
[Proceeding...]
[The Eyes of Voyeur is renamed to Visualization!]
".... Hmph! Ridiculous insentient object." Basil had a sneer on his face. He knew the Guide was messing with him; it could never win against him. He had messed with many people¡ªhe was more experienced.
Still, the Guide couldn''t just take the defeat willingly; Basil felt a prick in his head, and it disoriented his vision slightly. If he were to describe it, it felt like being pped ... By a woman.
"Hmm..." Basil frowned in contemtion. "I have been ignoring this issue, but the Guide is getting more humanlike these days," he muttered.
As soon as the thought came however, it was shaken away even faster. There was only one sentient existence inside him, and it was Vagus.
If the Guide was really sentient, it would''ve been living with Vagus. Therefore, he didn''t want to think much about it; as the Guide had often proimed, it was just a highly intelligent insentient object.
Exhaling softly to himself, he sat down on the floor of the rooftop. Gazing at the sky, he was quickly entranced by the many stars decorating it; he was d he could see the stars again. He hadn''t seen the stars for slightly more than two months.
Since he practiced [Star Withering], he developed a quite unnatural interest in stars. For the past eight months, he had to, at least, spend three hours to stargazing; spending two months inside the Dungeon, being unable to see the stars, hadn''t actually been a good time for him.
Not only stargazing fascinated him, but it also boosted his Body Forging progress. If it hadn''t been due to the Church that was so eager to dig everything about himself, he would''ve achieved a greater mastery over his Body Forging Technique.
Of course, every clouds has its silver lining; if he hadn''t gone to Death Howl Dungeon, he would have not met Caesar. If he hadn''t met Caesar, he wouldn''t have been able to advance his Magic mastery on time.
Upon remembering Caesar, he was reminded of Caesar''s ash that he carried with him. Taking the jar out of his Spatial Bracelet, he held it in his hand; one of Caesar''sst words was reyed in his head.
¡ªI had terrible parents, not descendants.
Although he didn''t know the full story yet, he was sure it must have something to do with the beginning of the Church''s reign over the Human Empire.
"Thou may have be an ash, but thy ash shall bring them doom, Caesar." He would spread Caesar''s ash at the destruction of his traitor of a family, Rancuser.
Storing the jar, Basil took out two pills of Morning Dew¡ªthe Catalyst he had consumed in Death Howl Dungeon. He could feel his body warmed up immediately, and it became more eptant toward Natural Mana, which would be processed to Qi.
He closed his eyes, then started Forging his body. Although he had managed to reach Green Core Stage, which was very impressive for someone his age, his prowess wasn''t yet enough to let him roam around freely in the current situation.
The Obelisk of Goap''s Outbreak would be the beginning of every tragedy; Basil was currently having hisst seconds of peacefulness. In the future, even if he wanted to, there would be many instances where he couldn''t get rest.
He was not pushing himself to get stronger for the sake of the world; he wasn''t a hero, and he would never be one. He was doing it for himself, so he could protect himself and his treasure: wealth, family, and friends.
He wouldn''t be fighting for the peace of the world, he would fight for himself. He wouldn''t care even if the world was upied by the Demons, but he didn''t want to let the people he cherished live in that kind of world.
Therefore, he would be so strong to the point he could make a world where its habitants were only him and the people of his choosing; he would make his own world.
''The rest of the world can go meet their doom.''
Chapter 177 Different Scenario (7)
Night Jewel Hotel, Randalvine.
Shirley, rissa, and Danzel had been staying in Randalvine for about a week. Many things had happened in the past one week, and they were a little bit too taken aback to properly process the bewildering development.
Upon hearing about the situation in Raneil Barony, Danzel and rissa had been terrified and d at the same time; they were terrified of what would happen to the people, but they were d they had escaped the Barony even before the tragedy had happened.
Still though, they were worried of the hotel''s staffs'' fate¡ªthe people they were close with. Although the father and daughter were grateful of Basil''s initiative to take them away from Raneil Barony ahead of the others, they wished Basil had warned about the event to the other people too.
That way, not only could they save many people, but also prevent the situation from getting any worse. Of course, they didn''t have any thought to me Basil. They knew about the way he thought; they understood his intention fully.
"Will Poppy, and the others be okay? I''m worried..." rissa muttered under her breath. She was in the empty hotel''s lounge room by herself, pacing back and forth.
"I am sure they will be okay ... Basil must have something nned for them."
At the heavy voice, rissa turned her body around. "Dad! Shirley!" She could see Danzel was entering the room with Shirley behind him.
"You''ve been standing there for hours; you make us worried," Shirley remarked.
"Well... I was just stargazing."
"No one stargazing in an enclosed space," Shirley replied in amusement.
rissa merely cleared her throat in embarrassment, and opted to stay silent; she was aware that the room didn''t have any window. She was actually there because she needed time to think to herself about want shecked¡ªpower¡ªbut she didn''t want to talk about it.
Danzel, who was looking at the exchange, shook his head in amusement with a small smile on his face.
"The hotel is still providing food for dinner. You should eat, rissa." Danzel pointed his thumb behind his back. "Or I can just call for room service so you can eat in your room."
rissa shook her head faintly. "No, I don''t need that, Dad. I¡ªI am not in the mood to eat."
"If you worry about the other people that much, you should know that there are also people worrying about you. You have to look for yourself." Shirley frowned lightly. "I''m not belittling you or anything, but you''re just an ordinary girl, rissa; you just have to mind yourself."
"I know..." rissa mumbled.
"Even if you worried about them all the time, you wouldn''t be able to do a thing¡ªwe wouldn''t be able to do a thing. None of us had the capability to do a thing; not even Brother can help much in this situation. So¡ª"
"I know!" Shirley was put into silence by rissa''s unexpected outburst. "I know I am weak. I know I am nothingpared to you. I know I am just a burden; I am aware of that!" rissa looked up, and stared at Shirley intensely. "That''s why I''m here!"
"To contemte what kind of a failure you are?"
"Yes!" Right after shouting that, rissa clutched her head in frustration. "Gah! You are so annoying! Why do you sound just like Basil?!"
"I''m his sister." Shirley casually shrugged.
rissa gritted her teeth in annoyance, then stormed out of the room angrily. "I''m frustrated! I''m going to eat something!" rissa opened the door, and mmed the door harshly.
Bang!
Danzel blinked his eyes in surprise and confusion; he didn''t get what was actually happening. Turning his gaze to Shirley, he smiled awkwardly. "I am sorry for her behaviour, Shirley. I think she is having ''the'' time."
"Don''t worry, Mr. Danzel. At least, my method bears a result." Shirley waved her hand mildly.
"Method? What do you¡ªoh! So that''s the case." Danzel nodded his head in understanding and amazement. He had never thought about frustrating someone to the point of making them eat; it was simply brilliant.
"Yes, Mr. Danzel. I just wanted to piss her off."
Puzzlement quickly riddled Danzel''s face at the response. ''Am I missing something?'' was what his expression conveyed.
Shirley noticed that, but she pretended she didn''t see that. She herself was pretty frustrated too; she needed something to amuse herself. rissa had been her perfect source of amusement.
rissa was too clueless of how the world worked, and too innocent to live in this world¡ªjust like any other civilian girl. Shirley envied her sometimes, as she found that side of rissa cute; still, she was often annoyed at rissa''s innocence.
''Tsk! That girl won''t live long in this world if she keeps behaving that way. Well, at least it is fun teasing her ... Holy cow! Since when did I be Julia?!''
Uponing to a realization, Shirley was panicking inside. The more she thought about the way she currently behaved, the more she noticed that she was behaving like Julia; although not as shameless, she was just as loose-tongued.
Danzel, who was looking at Shirley''s change of expression, blinked his eyes in confusion once again. ''What is wrong with teenage girls? They are so confusing.'' He shook his head in helplessness. ''Why can''t they be as simple as boys?''
Upon remembering Basil however, he shook his head once again. ''On a second thought, I have manyplicated people around me ... Or am I just too simple?'' After more than forty years of living, Danzel suddenly experienced a sudden existential crisis.
The two people were about to be drown in their thoughts, when something awakened them from their useless pondering.
Bang!
"Kyaa!" Shirley jumped in surprise at the suddenly opened door. Turning her body toward the door, she could see the person who had mmed it opened standing in the doorway. "Julia?"
"Fu-fu-fu! As I expected, you must be in the most expensive hotel in the city! Do you miss me, girl?"
"Eh, no. Why are you here?"
"Gah! What is this feeling?" Julia clutched her chest. "It''s a feeling of rejection!"
"Kuhum!" Julia''s dramatical action was put to an end by someone''s cough. "I am sorry for my daughter behavior." The speaker was a motherly looking, blond haireddy; she was Julia''s mother, Viscountess Diana Chilston.
"Don''t mind, Viscountess Diana." Danzel waved his hand slightly with a smile. "I am used to their ... Quirk." At the response, Diana could only smile wryly.
The mother and daughter duo immediately entered the room, and sat themselves in the biggest sofa. Danzel, and Shirley also followed suit as they sat themselves on the opposite side of Diana and Julia; they started having a conversation in the next moment.
"It''s been three months, Mr. Danzel."
"Ah, yes, Viscountess Diana." Danzel bowed his head politely. "What brought you here, Viscountess Diana?"
"Your son''s ''intuition'' brought me here, Mr. Danzel." Diana smiled mysteriously. "Anyway, you don''t need to be so formal with your future daughter inw. Fu-fu-fu." Diana covered her mouth graciously.
"No no no, I can''t just¡ªwhat?" While Danzel was gazing at Diana in utter bafflement, the other girls in the room looked at her like she was crazy.
"Did you eat something wrong, Mother?" Julia asked weirdly.
"Brother has a girlfriend already, Viscountess Diana..." Shirley muttered under breath.
"Seriously?!" Diana put her hand on her chest.
''Eh! She is serious?!'' The girls eximed in their mind at how genuinely disappointed Diana was. "Huuh... I have no choice then." Diana shook her head, then eximed in determination, "I''ll be the second one!"
"Wait a minute!" Julia stood up from the sofa, and put her hand on Diana''s. "I am sure you ate something wrong; let''s go the Church to get you healed!" She pulled on Diana''s hand.
"Fu-fu-fu. I can smell the jealousy clearly." Dianaughed like a viinous stepmother. "You should seize your chance my daughter..." Pulling on Julia, she whispered, "I. Might. Steal. Him."
''She is crazy, but awesome! Awesomely shameless!'' was what in everyone''s mind currently; they had heard her "whisper" clearly. Diana nced at her surrounding, then smiled softly. "I am d that the mood has lightened up. Let us have a proper talk."
The othes were a little bit too taken aback at the sudden change of personality, but they nodded their head in the next moment; they were slightly grateful toward her, since she made them realize they had been indeed too tense.
"Mr. Danzel, do you know how long this event willst?"
Danzel''s response was instantaneous. "I am sorry, I don''t know." Although Diana hadn''t said a thing yet, he knew she was talking about the information that Basil might have given him.
Turning to Shirley, Diana gazed at her mildly. Shirley understood what the look was conveying, as shook her head in the next moment. "I am sorry, Viscountess Diana. I haven''t even talked with Brother for more than two months."
"I see..." Diana nodded her head. ncing at Julia who had sat herself back, she turned her gaze to Danzel. "As a Viscountess and a Knight, I have a duty to protect my Viscountcy."
She bowed her head, then politely said, "When that timees, can I leave my daughter in your care, Mr. Danzel?"
The room descended into silence at Diana''s question; the mood changed dramatically, and the girls were caught off guard. Of course, Danzel, being an adult, was as calm as usual. "I can look over her, but loving her is a mother''s duty, Viscountess Diana."
Diana raised her head, and smiled gratefully. "That is enough, Mr. Danzel." Turning her head to the worried Julia, she continued, "I will definitely be back."
"You didn''t tell me anything about it..." Julia muttered lowly.
Diana didn''t say anything as she merely put her hand on top of Julia''s head. Tenderly caressing it, she said, "You wouldn''t have let me go, if I have told you firsthand, would you?" Smiling warmly, she continued, "I will be fine. Your mother is a strong woman!"
Danzel looked at the scene, and smiled bitterly. Staring at his hands, he was reminded of his powerlessness. ''If only I wasn''t crippled, Basil wouldn''t have to be out there ... Well, I can''t stop him anyhow.'' He realized Basil was too capable to stay idle, but he still wished he could, at least, fight alongside Basil.
"Furthermore, I have to follow my heart." Everyone had thought Diana had finished her sentence, so they were a little bit surprised when she continued speaking. "I have to make sure of this feeling. I need to¡ª"
Right before she finished her word, someone mmed the door of the lounge room opened. It was rissa who was holding a te full of chicken wings in her hands; she was munching on the chicken like a hamster.
"¡ªmeet Basil," Diana finished.
"Huh?"
"Eh?"
"W-What?"
At the people''s exmation of bewilderment, rissa tilted her head in puzzlement. "Hm? What is happening?"
Ironically, even the three other people that had been speaking with Diana were also thinking about the same thing. ''This woman is so eager to have a husband!''
Chapter 178 Different Scenario (8)
Braxtein Pce, Randalvine.
Contrary to the situation outside of the pce, which was very much chaotic, the throne room was very peaceful; it was so quiet, even a footstep felt like a drum. There are 7 people in the room, and 6 of them were looking at each other seriously.
The man with an untied blond hair, and muscr body who sat in the throne was Anthony Lionheart Braxtein¡ªthe King, the old man holding a staff who was standing beside Anthony''s throne was his chancellor, and the five young men standing in front of Anthony were his sons.
No words were exchanged for more than five minutes, but none of the people got impatient at Anthony; they waited for him to speak with utmost respect and patience. Anthony gazed at the scene neutrally, before nodding his head in satisfaction.
Turning his head to his chancellor, said chancellor quickly got the cue. "A call for backup has been received from the First Legion Commander. They need help to take care of the Monsters that is starting to dominate the battle."
The chancellor stopped speaking, and all of the princes turned their head at Anthony. The first prince, who had a well trimmed blond hair, and an intelligent look raised his hand.
"You may speak, Aldrich." Anthony gestured his hand at Aldrich, the first prince.
"May we know what does the rtion the piece of information have with us, Royal Father?"
"Hoh? I thought you already knew the answer." Anthony quirked his eyebrow.
"I do know, but I want to make sure."
"Tell me, Aldrich."
Instead of immediately talking, Aldrich gazed at his siblings, the chancellor, before returning his gaze to his father. Exhaling softly to himself, he said, "You want us to lead the Royal Army in the battle."
At the piece of information, the other princes slightly widened their eyes; a cold glint appeared in their eyes in the next moment.
"As bright as usual, aren''t you?" Anthony smiled slightly, but pleasantly. "As you have already known, our tradition requires the King to be the best out of the best. I have been waiting for the opportunity to test each one of you, and ites faster than I expected."
"Is the next King decided this way, Royal Father?" At the voice, everyone turned their eyes to the person who was standing on the leftmost side¡ªthe fifth prince. He had a shoulder length ck hair that had its side tied neatly to the back.
"No, it is not, my son Edward. However, your achievement in the Battle will greatly affect your chance of being the next King." Staring at Edward iprehensibly, Anthony added, "In a good way or a bad way."
Edward nodded his head in understanding, and stayed silent. The other princes looked at each other, but none of them said a thing; their gaze returned to Anthony, who was about to speak once again.
"Each of you will be given two Legions tomand. Therefore, you have to be careful as you will have 12,000 chosen individuals under your lead; losing all of them doesn''t equal to losing money. We will lose our power the moment we lose them."
"Understood, Royal Father!"
Anthony nodded his head lightly, then continued, "The four Legions remaining in BA-22 will arrive here tomorrow. You will be assigned the Legions you shall lead tomorrow, and you will depart upon the return of the four Legions."
"Royal Father." Aldrich raised his hand. Anthony gestured his chin at Aldrich, and thetter immediately asked his question, "Will we be assigned to the same battlefield?"
"You will." Even before Aldrich managed to utter his next question, Anthony continued, "All of you will go to BA-32 to conquer the Obelisk, while the rest of the avable Legions are liberating Woster County."
Silence descended upon the room. All of the people who had heard Anthony''s statement were bewildered; even his chancellor was looking at him like he didn''t understand what Anthony was saying.
"My King, isn''t it too dangerous to send¡ª"
"Tell me your level of Magic mastery!" The chancellor was silenced with this remark from Anthony.
"Sixth Circle!" All of the princes answered in unison.
Turning his head to his chancellor, Anthony spoke, "Have you forgotten about what I did when I was just a mere Sixth Circle Mage, Eldridge?"
"You¡ªYou lead a hundred men troop to exterminate the Monsters in the now Ruttenhale Barony, your Majesty..." Eldridge the king chancellor sighed.
Anthony moved his gaze back to his sons, then leaned his head on his left fist. "Ironic isn''t it? Now we are close to losing it once again. But, that doesn''t matter." He waved his hand mildly.
"I was even younger than all of you back then. How old are you again?" Anthony mused, and got the answer even before Aldrich opened his mouth. "Right, all of you are 22."
p Taking his head off his fist, Anthony leaned his body forward. "I was merely 20 when I liberated the now Ruttenhale Barony from those lowly Monsters. Of course, it was not a heroic story; it took me a month of suffering to achieve victory, and I had to even eat my shoulder''s flesh to sustain my life."
Gulp.
The princes were slightly shocked, and utterly amazed at their father''s past that they had never head before.
"The most talented of you has 5 Grand Circles in his disposal." Anthony nced at Edward. "Meanwhile at that time, I only had a Solid Realm¡ªthree Grand Circles; I have less Grand Circles than all of you have. Can you imagine the hardships I had been through?"
The princes wisely shook their head.
"Indeed. You can''t imagine the hardships I had been through." Leaning his body to the back, Anthony crossed his feet. "Therefore, you have to experience it by yourself to know what I am talking about."
Anthony stopped speaking, and the room descended into silence once again. Eldridge was shaking his head in helplessness, as he was reminded with how the previous King, Anthony''s father, had educated his sons.
"Compared to your grandfather, I''m a benevolent man. Your chance of survival is much higher than mine back then; you are more talented than me, and you can also help each other."
Anthony smirked. "Furthermore unlike me, you still have someone you cherish dearly. All of you were borne by different mothers; perform to your utmost effort, and make your own mother proud."
At that word, all of the Princes'' eyes shone even brighter. Their mother was the person that was always by their side; their mother was the person who had raised them¡ªthe person who knew them the most, and they knew the most.
For them, being a King was their way to repay their mother''s kindness; that was the only way to let their mother receive the honor they truly deserve.
"Understood, Royal Father!"
"You may leave." Anthony waved his hand mildly.
The princes bowed their head politely, before leaving the throne room, and got to their own room to rest. Eldridge looked at the scene with aplicated smile, then shook his head bitterly.
"Not every kid is the same, your Majesty."
"That is the point, Eldridge."
"Then, why¡ª"
"They will never be ready if I am to keep them sheltered from the harsh world."
Eldridge kept his silence, as he couldn''t retort Anthony; he had said the right thing. Of course, that doesn''t mean Eldridge didn''t have anything to say anymore.
"Sending twelve Legions to conquer an Obelisk, while presumably enough, is quite a stretch considering who will be leading them. Not even an experienced Legion Commander can guarantee they can sessfully conquer the Obelisk, let alone¡ª"
"A bunch of immature kids?" Anthonyughed lowly. "Don''t worry, Eldridge. They have more than what I had back then."
Eldridge kept his silence for a moment, before opting to ask. "What is it, your Majesty?"
"Rivals. Unlike me, they still have their siblings topete with." Turning to Eldridge, Anthony smiled coldly. "They have the urgency to win. People like that will surpass your expectation ... Or they wille to a conclusion; that to win, they have to¡ª"
"Eliminate their opponents ... Just like what you did in your early age, your Majesty," Albert finished Anthony''s word bitterly.
Anthony stared at Eldridge with a smirk for a while, before turning his head away. "The world is harsh, and you should know it better, Eldridge. We have betrayed, sacrificed, and killed many people to get to our current height. It''s a thorny path that they, too, have to thread."
Eldridge didn''t say anything right after that, as he simply didn''t have anything to say. Silence descended upon the room, and it remained that way for a couple of minutes; it was only broken, when the door to the throne room was knocked.
Knock!
Eldridge mmed the butt of his staff to the ground. "State your business!"
"I am one of the Eyes. I am here to deliver an information."
Both of the people quickly quirked their eyebrow, and turned to each other briefly. Anthony waved his hand, and Eldridge once again knocked the ground with his staff.
"You may enter."
Rattle.
The grandiose door to the throne room slowly opened by itself, revealing the white robed figure standing behind it. The figure waspletely covered in white to the point one couldn''t even guess their gender.
The figure only stepped forward once, but they were already kneeling in front of Anthony in the next moment. "Another hordes of Monsters have been found, your Majesty."
"How many are they?"
"There are three hordes of Monsters that roughly amount to 270,000. They are heading towards three different areas of Fortescher County."
Anthony frowned, as he had a feeling he wouldn''t like what he was about hear. "Tell me where they are heading to."
"Southevile, Westerheiss, and Northonham."
Upon hearing that, Anthony stood up from his throne angrily. "What?! How can a bunch of unintelligent creatures find their way there?!" ring at the air fiercely, he was close to kill the kneeling figure in anger.
Luckily for the figure, Anthony calmed down in the next moment. "Huuh... Deliver a message to the unaffiliated Mages and Knights to defend the area!" By the unaffiliated Mages and Knights, he meant the powerful people who had rejected the title of Nobility.
"It''s time to mobilize them, so they can show us their loyalty to their Kingdom. Anyone who refuses will be deemed as a betrayer." Waving his hand in dismissal, the white figure disappeared in the next moment.
Clicking his tongue in annoyance, Anthony lowly muttered, "I can''t lose my ancestors'' legacies that are buried there."
Chapter 179 Different Scenario (9)
Familia Hotel, Raneil Barony.
Night had ended, and the sun was slowly creeping up the sky. Basil had spent his entire night at the rooftop, bathing himself under the starlight while Forging his body. Although he didn''t achieve another breakthrough, the result was much better than the one he had achieved in the Dungeon.
No one had bothered him for the entire night; Iliana had visited the rooftop once, and she had quickly left upon noticing Basil was really immersed in his training.
Of course, Basil didn''t just forge his body; he had also reviewed his every ongoing scheme to make sure there was no mistake that could potentially happen in the future. He had two big ongoing schemes, and he meant to sessfully realize all of them.
The first one was the invasion of Three Sacred Grounds: Southevile, Westerheiss, and Northonham. The Viscountcies that belonged to Braxtein Kingdom''s three great servant families; the families that served Braxtein Kingdom''s first King to the current King.
? The three family heads, due to the trust they had earned from the Kingdom, were entrusted the responsibility to guard all of the legacies that Braxtein Kingdom''s Kings had left behind. No one knew where they were; no one but the King and the select few knew of their existence.
The three families lived in three different Viscountcies that were located in the south, west, and north of Fortescher County. No one could go to these Viscountcies, and not even a single soul could see them; a powerful Magic was set to hide the Viscountcies from the rest of the world.
Of course, the way they were hidden wasn''t as straightforward as putting up a grand Magic Barrier¡ªinvisible to the ordinary eyes¡ªthat could be seen by any high ss Mages¡ªSeventh Circle and above.
The Magic that was set on the three Viscountcies to hide them from the rest of the world was a High Grade Bewitchment that yed with one''s perception. That means, the Viscountcies weren''t necessarily located in a ce that had the least inhabitants.
In fact, they were located very close to the busy part of Fortescher County. Even the inhabitants of the three Viscountcies always interacted with the other inhabitants of the County; they didn''t live in constant secrecy.
One might wonder how was this possible, and the answer was the powerful Bewitchment. None of the people who were living close to the three Viscountcies knew of the Viscountcies'' existence, because their mind simply refused to admit it''s existence.
Many of them had stumbled upon the hidden Viscountcies¡ªnothing separated the Viscountcies with the other world; they were just hidden¡ªbut their mind always registered the new scene they were witnessing as if they had seen it many times before. Thus, no one had ever visited the Viscountcies.
As it felt so natural and subtle, not even just any High ss Mage could feel the Bewitchment; their mind was convinced that they didn''t see anything new when they stumbled upon the Viscountcies. This way, the three Viscountcies remained hidden; they were there, but no one registered their existence.
Of course, for the inhabitants of the the hidden Viscountcies, things were different; all of them could easily find their home even after they got out of the hidden Viscountcy they were living in. There was no Magic involved in this matter, and the reason why they could do it was a little bit silly.
It is because they knew¡ªthey knew of the existence of the Viscountcies.
Hearing of what the Bewitchment did to one''s mind would make one think, "This is not a simple Bewitchment," but one would easily change their mind upon knowing the weakness of the Bewitchment.
Ever wondered why the existence of the three Viscountcies were highly confidential despite how "hidden" they were? The reason was the weakness of the Bewitchment; it only worked on people who didn''t know of the existence of the thing that was hidden in the very first ce.
Supposed that one wanted to hide a hat with said Bewitchment from three people who already knew of the hat''s existence. Once the Bewitchment was casted upon the hat, it was indeed hidden from the three people''s eyes.
When they coincidentally stumbled upon it however, unlike what the Bewitchment did to the other people, the three people''s mind didn''t reject what their eyes were seeing; it would quickly register that the hat was, in fact, in front of them¡ªthat they were seeing a reality.
All of this was because they knew of the hat''s existence in the very first ce. This is the weakness of the Bewitchment used on the three Viscountcies, and that is why it was a simple Bewitchment.
The same thing happened to the inhabitants of the hidden Viscountcies: they knew that their home existed, and they only needed to thread the right path to find their home.
This was the reason why the Kingdom strictly kept the three Viscountcies'' existence a secret: to prevent people from knowing them.
Basil had known of the Three Sacred Grounds'' existence when the second Outbreak had ured in his past life. Due to some reasons, the existence of Three Sacred Grounds was revealed to the public, and they didn''t be a secret ever since.
Right after getting out of Death Howl Dungeon, Basil had quickly controlled the Dungeon, separated the horde of Demons in four groups, and picked the four strongest Demons that presumably would be a horde leader in the future¡ªrecing the current leader who Basil didn''t know of.
Basil hadn''t been really targeted by the Demons at that time, but for the sake of his ns, he had made a deal with them. He had told them about not only the existence of Three Sacred Grounds, but also the route to get there in exchange for his "safety."
This way, not only could the Demons enter Three Sacred Grounds, but also register the fact that they, in fact, had stepped their foot on the hidden Viscountcies. The Demons would then wreak havoc for him, and the Kingdom would be busy protecting the Viscountcies.
When the Kingdom''s attention was split, Basil would take his time to go to Randalvine, and retrieve one of the Kingdom''s renowned Mages'' legacy that was kept in Arthan Library. That way, he wouldn''t alert anyone, nor would anyone notice the "session."
Although there were many useful things¡ªLegendary Relics, Ancient Artefacts, Rare Potions and such¡ªthat he could use buried in Three Sacred Grounds, Basil wasn''t worried about "losing" them to the Demons. He knew the Kingdom would be able to warm them for him.
Of course before that happened, Basil needed to realize his another scheme sessfully.
The recalling of hisplicated schemes took him only 30 seconds; when the sunlight fell down on his face, Basil''s thought ended, and he opened his eyes. A pair of bright, golden orbs gazed at the world distantly in the next moment.
Basil was looking at the world as if he hadpletely grasped the world¡ªas if he owned the world. He blinked his eyes once, and his golden eyes were reced with light brown eyes.
"I was in a trance once again..." Basil muttered under his breath. "While it is not a bad thing, not being myself is not something I can just tolerate."
After Basil had performed [Hand-Over] with Caesar¡ªsince the moment he had broken through to the Middle Realm¡ªhe sometimes experienced the moment where he felt he was not himself; just like when he had given Caesar his blessing right before Caesar''s death.
He didn''t know what he was doing back then, but he had felt right doing it. Whenever he experienced the ''trance,'' he would feel like he was watching himself through the third person perspective, while still having full control over his body.
While he didn''t feel any sense of dissociation with his body, he felt that his mind didn''t belong to him; he noticed that whenever he experienced the ''trance,'' the way he thought changed, but he was strangelypletely okay with that¡ªit felt natural.
He had attributed it to the upgrade of the Guide at first, but upon feeling the new connection he got with the Fragment, he suspected that Matheus'' Soul Imprint was the cause.
"Huuh... There is no end thinking about it." Basil lightly frowned. "At least, my control over my action is better than before."
Although the ''trance'' made Basil feel slightly ufortable, he was still d that he could finally get full control over his action. Prior to his breakthrough to the Middle Realm, he had done many things that had even bewildered himself.
He never had the urge to pat anyone, but his hand had always moved by itself. It was as if he was feeling the need tofort whoever the person he was patting.
He also didn''t have any urge to help anyone, but his body had often moved by itself to help people. His mind had always convinced him that he would regret not helping the person who he witnessed was having a difficulty; it felt like he was watching over his ... Kids.
"Was I really that experienced to consider even an elderly woman my child?" Basil was talking about his actual age, and the time where he had helped a stranger olddy.
"I don''t believe so." He frowned, before he was reminded of something. "Matheus ... Maybe, he was already affecting me since the very beginning."
Matheus was thousands of years; he himself had even said everyone was a child in front of his eyes. Although Basil didn''t know how much of a doting parent Matheus was, it was logical to deduce that the reason why Basil had unintentionally "babysat" other people¡ªhis "child"¡ªwas due to Matheus'' influence.
''But then again, Matheus'' Soul Imprint resided in the Fragment that was connected to him before he forfeited the connection to me. Consequentially speaking, his influence should''ve taken effect the moment I was connected with the Fragment, not before it.''
Basil was about to ponder a little bit more, when the door to the rooftop was opened.
Bang!
"They have arrived." Even without turning around, Basil knew it was Iliana. "Darius and the others have arrived ... Along with the pretentious prick." She clicked her tongue in annoyance.
Basil didn''t need to ask who the pretentious prick was; he already knew who the person was. Getting up from the floor, he turned his body around to face Iliana. Her hair was still damp, and her skin glowed under the sunlight, showing that she had just taken a bath.
Walking toward her calmly, a faint, iprehensible smile decorated Basil''s face. "Let''s greet them, shall we?" One of his schemes was ready to be realized.
Chapter 180 Different Scenario (10)
Iliana slightly recoiled in surprise at Basil''s tone. Although he had a smile on his face, it didn''t convey any pleasant feeling; it looked like a benevolent smile, but Iliana couldn''t feel anything from it. Not even her keen sense could read what emotion Basil''s Mana was conveying.
"Are you going to stand there all day?" Basil tilted his head.
Iliana calmly looked up at the significantly taller Basil, then shook her head calmly. "No. I was just preupied with something." Then, she stepped out of the doorway to allow Basil to move pass through it.
"I am going to clean myself first. You can go ahead, and greet them in the banquet room," Basil said.
"Well, why me?"
"You are our senior, and the Student Council''s Vice President; it is your job."
Iliana frowned lightly, then raised her chin. "Aren''t you the leader of our group? It should be your job."
"I don''t recall I ever epted such role."
"You are the de facto leader of our group; and you have never denied it once." Smirking to herself, Iliana added, "Therefore right here right now, I will make your position as our group''s leader official, and you shall obey¡ª"
"Just let Whitney and Cray greet them if you don''t want to see Eugene''s face that much." Basil put up his hand, thus stopping Iliana entirely.
"Heh. That''s better." Iliana nodded her head. "Then, I am going to clean myself too." Turning her body toward the doorway, she waited for Basil to pass through it.
Basil quirked his eyebrow. "Haven''t you taken a bath?"
"I was at the sauna when Darius notified that they had arrived." Turning to Basil, she gazed at him seriously. "I didn''t get to finish my bath yet." She looked like she had said something very important.
"Okay, then." Basil shrugged, then passed through the doorway. "Make sure to not follow me just for the sake of satisfying your prankster side," he added while going down the stairs.
"Hoh? Why are you so confident I would follow you?" Iliana quickly caught up to Basil, and went down the stairs alongside him. "I admit that you are attractive, but to have such¡ª"
"You wouldn''t?"
"I will; even though you have figured it out, I will still do it anyway." Iliana shrugged.
Basil lightly smiled. "Do what you want. I just need you to know your boundary."
"I would ask you to immediately marry me, if something happened."
Basil didn''t say anything at Iliana''s rather outrageous word, but he had a really small sorrowful smile on his face. Iliana was unaware of it; she couldn''t read any of his emotion, as he had meticulously prevented his Mana from leaking out whenever he was around her.
It was one of the responsibilities he had as a Returner: he had to keep everything to himself. Although he had been close to marrying Iliana in his past life¡ªshe had been the person he trusted the most¡ªthe current her was different than her in the past.
Basil hadn''t established a strong bond with her yet; he couldn''t just open himself to her. He wanted to build their bond slowly, until he could, once again, trust everything about him to her. Before then, he wouldn''t share anything about himself to her¡ªnot even his emotion¡ªor anyone.
"You are thinking too hard. Sometimes in life you need to think less, and just do what your heart tells you."
Basil quirked his eyebrow, and nced at Iliana from the corner of his eye. "I didn''t think I would hear that word from you." At least, he didn''t think he would hear such word from Iliana this early.
"I have learnt many things from the 9 years I have been living as a Mage." Turning her head to Basil, she surely said, "Logic shouldn''t always dictate one''s life; and it never does in the very first ce." She poured her emotion into her word more than she had intended.
"That is ... Interesting," was Basil''s honest response. Both of them stopped in their step, and gazed to the front. "We are here," Basil said. He and Iliana had already arrived at the hotel''s exclusive bathing ce¡ªhis private bathroom.
Iliana turned her body to face Basil, then quirked her eyebrow. "Well, what are you waiting for? The owner shall lead the way."
"How do you know this bathroom is exclusive to me?"
"I didn''t know it was exclusive to you. But since you own the hotel, everything technically belongs to you."
Basil blinked his eyes once. ''Did I just get tricked by her word? Interesting.'' Basil nodded his head lightly, then opened the big door to his grandiose private bathroom. He entered it in the next moment with Iliana in tow.
Click.
The door was closed, and the "hidden" eyewitness showed herself from behind one of the pirs that supported the floor above; it was Poppy, the assistant baker. Looking at the bathroom''s door with trembling eyes, she muttered to herself in conflict.
"An i-i-indecent activity is going on behind t-this door. Should I act as a good servant, and pretend to not see anything or should I act as a good friend, and tell rissa what I saw?"
In the end though, Poppy''s conflicting thought didn''tst long as the bathroom''s door was opened by Iliana in the next moment; she was ring dagger at Poppy, and itpletely petrified Poppy. Iliana put her finger in front of her mouth, and lowly said, "Nothing is happening."
"Y-Yes. N-Nothing is happening!"
Iliana smirked, then closed the door. Poppy couldn''t move for a while, before eventually leaving the ce with a serious face; she was convinced nothing was happening inside the room.
She wasn''t wrong.
...
Darius and the 18 students he brought with him were already in the banquet room. Upon arriving at Familia Hotel, they had been quickly escorted there by the staffs of the hotel; Whitney and Cray had been the one who had greeted them the moment they had entered the room.
The banquet room was big enough to host more than 40 people; it was more than enough to host all of the students. With foods filling the tables, they were all ready to have a feast, yet none of them touched the food.
It was because Darius'' order: "None shall touch the food, before the host¡ªBasil¡ªshows himself!" Since every student of Randalvine Magic Institute was well-educated, none of them made a fuss about themand. They knewmon courtesy.
"Where are they anyway?" Darius asked to Whitney who was standing by his side.
"Iliana?"
"And Basil."
"O-Oh, I don''t know." Whitney scratched his cheek awkwardly.
Cray, who was on Whitney''s side, took a brief look at Whitney before returning his gaze to Darius. Opening his mouth, he said, "I am sure those two are fuc¡ª"
Whitney quickly sealed Cray''s mouth, thus stopping Cray from saying anything. "Darn it, Cray! Don''t spout nonsense whenever you feel the need to!" Leaning his head forward, he whispered, "Even if it''s true, do you want Iliana to kill you?"
Terror filled Cray''s eyes in the next moment as realization dawned upon him. Whitney sighed to himself, then took his hand off Cray''s mouth.
Turning to Darius, Cray bowed at him politely causing him to frown. "I am sorry, President. I said something that could taint my friend''s name." Cray shook his head. "I was lying when I said Iliana and Basil were¡ª"
"Were what?"
At the gant yet melodious voice, Cray jumped in horror; Whitney was silently standing behind Darius, hoping Cray the best in his mind. Iliana had entered the banquet room, and she was looking at Cray coldly.
"Ah, we finally meet again, Basil." Luckily for Cray, Darius was there to save him. Basil nced at Darius offered hand, before firmly grasping it. "You have a growth rate of a baby, Basil: everytime I see you, you are always bigger than before."
Darius looked at Basil up and down. He was amazed by Basil''s physique that was taller than Alcott, the "giant" professor of Randalvine Magic Institute; Basil had even wider shoulder than Alcott. Since Darius didn''t know Basil was also a Knight, he was fascinated by Basil''s "natural growth."
"You look less tense than thest time we met, Darius," Basil said as he let go of Darius'' hand.
Although Basil didn''t call him "Senior" or properly addressed his status, Darius didn''t show any sign that he was bothered. "Ha-ha-ha. I am sorry for my behavior back then." He scratched his head awkwardly. "I can''t act nice toward people who have broken the rule."
"I can see that," Basilmented.
Turning his gaze to Iliana, Darius sternly said, "I expect your report, Vice President Iliana." Iliana was about to open her mouth, but Darius beat her to it. "I will hear no excuse; I want to hear," he nced at Basil, "the details of what happened."
"Darn, you are so annoying." Iliana clicked her tongue.
She crossed her hand, and quickly concocted the most logical lie concerning what had happened in Basil''s rescue mission. She knew Basil wouldn''t tell the full truth either when he was asked to deliver his report, so she would also y along with him.
The same goes to the other, as they, too, had already prepared their own lie that easily matched the lie that the others made; all of them were an experienced organized lier.
"Very well. This is what happened¡ªhe''sing." Iliana''s mood turned sour very quick, it bewildered the people.
In exception of Basil, everyone turned their head to the direction where Iliana was facing, and they soon understood the reason why Iliana assumed the look of a killer on her face.
Eugene, Iliana''s most stubborn suitor, was walking toward them, uncaring to Iliana''s growing annoyance at him.
"Hello, everyone! It''s nice to see you again!" Eugene greeted warmly. Looking around, his eyesnded on Basil''s back. "I guess you have retrieved the thing you had left behind." He winked at Iliana.
Iliana was about to shoot Eugene an implicit insult, when Basil slowly turned his body around, and casually remarked. "I am surprised you still can keep your head, Eugene."
"Ha-ha-ha. The Gods protect those who surrender themselves to them." Eugene humbly put his hand on his chest.
Basil smiled faintly, and it conveyed anything but friendliness. "Then you shall be d you will be able to also surrender your soul to them very soon." Basil''s eyes gleamed coldly, and it made Eugene take a step back in horror.
Chapter 181 Different Scenario (11)
The other students who were watching the exchange between Basil and Eugene slightly widened their eyes at Basil''s passive-aggressivement. Looking at Eugene who had flinched at Basil''s gaze, they became even more worried of what would happen in the future.
Since they were aware of the history between the two, they were afraid something unwanted would happen. Darius was about to step up to lighten up the mood when suddenly Basil extended his hand.
"I''ve heard people be even more religious after surviving a disaster. I believe if you survived the Outbreak, you would not only surrender your body but also your soul to your Gods."
"O-Oh. So, that''s what you mean? Ha-ha..." Eugeneughed awkwardly. He nced at Basil''s extended hand, before righting himself up. "Kuhum! Just for your information, Basil. The moment I chose to believe in Gods, I have surrendered my everything to them."
Grasping Basil''s hand, he continued, "Therefore, I don''t have to wait until the Outbreak ends to surrender my soul to the Gods; I''ve done it long ago."
"Well, that was my way to wish you look." Basil smiled faintly, and shook Eugene''s hand. "May you survive the Outbreak."
"You too, Basil," Eugene replied with a smile.
When the two people let go of their hands, none of the students surrounding the two spoke for a few seconds; all of them were busy observing the two. Iliana had sensed the terror in Eugene''s Mana earlier, and she was now busy thinking of what Basil was scheming.
While the others didn''t feel the terror Eugene''s Mana had conveyed, they could easily tell that troubles were bound to happen if they left the two alone in the same ce. Therefore, all of them came to a conclusion that they should never let the two be in the same vicinity.
"It is already 8 in the morning, and I am famished." At Basil''s word, everyone was awaken from their thought. "Since the food is ready, let us fill our stomach." Basil gestured at one of the empty tables.
"That is a good idea." Darius instantly agreed. Looking around at the talking students in the banquet room, he pped his hand once to gather their attention.
p!
"Listen, everyone! I give you 20 minutes to have your breakfast. Right after that, we will have a meeting about what we will do as an aid here." Every student nodded their head, and Darius hummed in satisfaction at that. "Enjoy your breakfast."
Right after hearing that, all of the students stopped talking and sat themselves at the table that they had chosen firsthand. It was done orderly, and quietly; not even a minute had passed, but everyone already ate their meal with a small chat.
"Let us have our breakfast too." Iliana grasped Basil''s hand, and dragged him to the unupied table, away from the other students.
"Well, I think I am going to join them." Cray pointed his thumb at the couple who had just left. "The foods there look delicious." Although Cray was aware that they were all served the same food, he didn''t even blink his eyes at his stupid reasoning.
Darius turned to Whitney, and Whitney quickly shrugged. "You know me. I can''t let this bloke alone, unless I want to ruin everyone''s day." Whitney left with Cray right after saying that.
"Ha-ha. I guess I am going to join the others then." Eugeneughed lightheartedly.
Darius nodded his head lightly at Eugene, then said, "I''ll be joining them too ... There are some things I need to hear from them." Turning around, he moved his feet toward the table that Basil and the others upied.
Eugene gradually lost his smile, until his face becamepletely neutral. Looking at Basil coldly, he clenched his fist in silent rage. ''You have used up your luck, Basil. Soon, you will lose your life too.'' Assuming his good person persona right after his inner monologue, he headed to one of the tables.
Iliana, who could feel the malice from the Mana Eugene had conveyed, nced at him, who had seated himself, from the corner of her eyes. Clicking her tongue in annoyance, she muttered, "What is that pretentious prick nning to do?"
"There really is no cure for stupidity." Basil''sment slightly surprised Iliana, as she had thought she had said her word inaudibly enough. "He is exposing himself everytime I encounter him." An amused chuckle escaped Basil''s mouth.
Just like Iliana, Basil could feel the emotion that was conveyed by every inexperienced Mage''s Mana due to his abnormal sensitivity toward Mana. Naturally, he could also easily read Eugene''s emotion.
In the past however, he became a Mage only after Iliana''s death. That means, he didn''t posses this ability until Iliana had inherited her heart¡ªMagic Circles¡ªto him. Therefore, he had truly believed Eugene had been a really good person in hisst life.
Even though there had been some instances where he had doubted Eugene, he had always denied it ... That was, until Iliana''s death; his eyes had been opened widely ever since. He had witnessed the outrageous betrayal right in front of his eyes on that day, and he could never forgive Eugene even after killing him.
"You should not provoke that prick too much, Basil." Iliana stabbed the roasted sausage on her te, and took a bite out of it. "He himself is nothing more than a pebble. However, the people behind him," she took another bite, "are not the type of people the current you can mess with."
"I hope I won''t hear another conflict urs between the two of you," Dariusmented, while looking at Basil.
"I am not going to start any, Darius."
"I am d to hear that." Although Darius wasn''t really convinced, he was sure he could prevent a conflict from happening between the two. He would definitely separate the two far away from each other. "Anyway, what really happened to you?"
Basil slightly raised his eyebrow, and asked, "Haven''t you heard what happened?"
"I have." Darius nodded lightly. "What I want to ask is, how did you get out of there?" Misunderstanding Basil''s silence as hesitation, he reassured him. "You don''t have to worry about anything; your case is kept as a secret from the other students ... Except from us, and professor Alcott of course."
"Nothing fancy happened," Basil said casually. "I got the control over the Dungeon, constantly moving to avoid the Monsters, and got out of it when I had achieved a breakthrough."
Darius lightly frowned. "What about the Kinyer?" He was equally intrigued, and sceptical of Kinyer''s existence. "I mean, is what you saw really a Kinyer or it was just a High Grade Monster?"
Instead of answering, Basil took a sip of his drink; he had finished his breakfast. Interlocking the fingers of his hands, he put them in front of his chin, and gazed at Darius mysteriously.
"I don''t know whether he is real, but I did fight him. What do you want his existence to be, Darius?"
"I think ... I am inclined to believing the fact that Kinyers ... Still exist." Darius pondered many times about it, and he opted to believe what his friends had seen. "Still, I want you to keep it as a secret; no one will be happy if they hear about what you have seen."
Basil slightly raised his ss, and made an ''I got it'' face. When he had emptied his ss, only then did Darius realize Basil had also finished his breakfast.
"What the... When did you?" Darius looked at the students in confusion only to find them giving him a ''first time?'' look.
He was so bewildered, he even forgot to ask Basil what happened to the Kinyer.
...
The breakfast had finished, and the students were now having the promised meeting. Darius and Iliana were in the front of the room, sitting themselves at the long square table that Familia Hotel had provided¡ªthey were leading the meeting.
"Raneil Barony had an area of 240 square kilometers. Since there are 23 of us, I will split the team into four teams, and station each team in four different spots. These four spots¡ª"
"Excuse me, president!" A student raised his hand, interrupting Darius in the middle of his exnation. "Pardon me for my impudence, but may you tell us who is the extra person that will join our Subjugation?" He was actually asking about why Basil joined them.
"Just like some of the chosen first year students, Basil also has the duty to aid us in the hurdle we are currently facing. Therefore, he will join the Subjugation with us." Darius was about to exin more, but the same student opened his mouth once again.
"But sir, I believe he has no qualification to join the Subjugation that belongs to us, the Senior Mages." Many students nodded their head in agreement at this remark.
Instead of immediately answering, Darius chuckled lightly. "Why do you think Basil has no qualification to join us?" He asked in amusement. "He doesn''t only have fulfilled the requirement to be a Senior Mage, but he also has the qualification to be registered in the top 200 list."
"What? Is President being serious?"
"The new kid has broken through to the Middle Realm?"
"He has be a Senior Mage? After only 2 months?"
"What in the Akasha''s curse is this? That kid has be a Fourth Circle Mage?!"
Murmurs of disbelief filled the entire room, as they quickly turned their head to Basil who was too immersed in his Circle Carving; he looked like he was sleeping while sitting. Eugene clicked his tongue in envy at Basil''s achievement, and his hatred for Basil grew even bigger.
p!
Everyone''s attention was gathered once again after Darius pped his hand; upon receiving his stern look, the students quickly behaved themselves. Clearing his throat, he began speaking once again.
"Kuhum! Although he is not a senior student yet, Randalvine Magic Institute will make it official once everything ends, and if you are afraid Basil will risk killing himself, you can rest assured. Iliana will be there to guide him."
Waving his hand lightly, he put a stop to the discussion. "This matter is not relevant to our meeting; we can talk about it in some other time."
Infusing his Mana to his Spatial Bracelet, Darius took a Projection Talisman out. Putting it on the table, he infused his Mana to the small ss marble, and a map was projected right after.
Gesturing to the map, Darius said, "This is the map of Raneil Barony. We don''t have any official information regarding the most Monsters popted area yet; the Kingdom hasn''t sent anyone to investigate it. Therefore, this will be our first task."
Standing up, Darius looked around. "I will now split you into four teams, and I will announce the area where each team is stationed right after."
That way, the team assignation began.
Chapter 182 Different Scenario (12)
"Team 1: Marcus Shelby, Sherly Carlton, Andrea..."
Each of the people called by Darius stood up, before sitting themselves at the same table. No one protested who they were teamed with; they epted the team they were assigned to dly.
"Team 2: Joseph Landrow, Rupert, Curzon..."
Unlike the previous team, only five people stood up. This was because Darius was in this team, and he still had to lead the meeting before joining his team; unquestionably his position as the leader in this team was guaranteed.
"Team 3: Eugene, ine Spring, Rose Summer..."
Like any other team, this team were consisted of six people. This time however, no one moved to a new table before Eugene moved; when he did, the others followed him. The leader of the team wasn''t decided yet, but Eugene had be the defacto leader.
"Team 4: Iliana, Whitney, Cray, Jocelyn Everton, Robert Tempest, Alexandra Shelton, and Basil Pacifer."
Since they were thest team, the other three students were the ones who had to stand up, and moved themselves to the table where Basil, Whitney, and Cray were sitting at. Like Darius, Iliana didn''t join the team until the meeting was finished.
"Very well." Darius nodded his head in satisfaction at the mannerism of his fellow students. "Now that you have gotten your team, I will announce the spot where you and your team will be stationed at."
Turning his gaze to the map, he was about to point a certain spot, when someone suddenly raised his hand. He was the same student who had questioned about Basil''s participation in the Subjugation.
"Pardon me for my impudence, President. Can you tell us who is the leader of our team?" Each of the students, except for a few, looked at each other in anticipation upon hearing this question.
Darius frowned lightly, before saying, "You are an adult. Discuss the matter amongst you; let your teammates decide."
"Thank you for the answer, President." The student who had asked Darius bowed his head politely.
Darius waved his hand lightly, and said, "I hope there will be none of you interrupts me again after this." The students slightly flinched at Darius'' rather harsh tone.
Returning his gaze to the map, he pointed the northern part of Raneil Barony. "This is the ce that we passed to enter the Barony¡ªthe Gate. While we have seen a glimpse of the situation there, we haven''t explored it thoroughly yet."
Pointing to one of the upied tables, Darius continued, "Therefore, I will assign Team 1 to investigate the area." Looking at the team questionably, he nodded his head when they nodded up their head in confirmation.
"This part," pointing to the southwestern part of Raneil Barony, "is where thete Baron Kreiss Raneil lived. I heard that there is a group of Pdins stationed there, and as the closest person to the Church, Eugene and Team 3 will build a cooperation with them."
Looking at the face of the student in said team one by one, Darius couldn''t notice a single dissatisfaction. Still, he opted to ask. "Any of you feel unwilling to be assigned there?"
"No, Sire!"
"Very well." Darius nodded his head. As he had expected, Eugene had instantly be the leader the moment he had been assigned to the team¡ªjust like usual.
"As for my team¡ªTeam 2¡ªwe will investigate the East part of Raneil Barony." Team 2 who was led by Darius merely nodded their head as a response.
"As for Iliana''s team¡ªTeam 4 ... You will take the South part." Darius was a little bit hesitant since it was close to the area where Eugene was assigned to; he was afraid an unwanted conflict would ur between Basil and Eugene.
Iliana noticed his hesitation, and eximed lowly. "None of the brats will be able to defy me¡ªdon''t worry." Darius'' mind calmed down a little bit as Iliana was essentially saying, ''Leave it to me.''
Of course, "Hit them ONLY if it is NECESSARY," he couldn''t just trust Iliana for the job. He needed to warn her to not damage the two students instead. "Don''t make them into your personal punching bag. Understood?"
Instead of answering, Iliana smirked to herself. Darius was about to sigh helplessly, but upon recalling who Basil was¡ªher boyfriend¡ªhe could reassure himself nothing bad would happen ... To Basil.
''Should I change the area they are assigned to? I''m afraid this couple will bury Eugene alive.'' Of course, Darius was aware he was just entertaining a funny thought; nothing bad would happen to Eugene as long as he had the Pdins on his side.
''Besides, Basil won''t be that bold to fight a group of Pdins ... Maybe.'' Upon having that thought, Darius quickly shook his head to clear it off his mind.
"Huuh... I need to stop overthinking..." He muttered.
Looking at Iliana briefly, Darius turned his gaze to Team 4 in the next moment. "The area you are assigned to is close to Oster forest, which is the border between Raneil Barony and Beddington Viscountcy ... You have to be careful in your movement."
None of the students asked what Darius meant; all of them had gotten what Darius was talking about: since Beddington Viscountcy was very close to Raneil Barony¡ªa Demon infested area¡ªit was on high alert. Meanings, the defense was tighter than usual.
Therefore if they didn''t announce their presence clearly or being too secretive in their movement, there was a high chance that they would be thought as a part of the Demons, and thus would be killed indiscriminately.
"Alright, now that everything is settled, I will remind you of your task¡ªinvestigation. You only need to make a report of the estimated number of the Monsters you encounter, and their grade. Never engage in battle, unless it is necessary."
,m "Understood!"
Deactivating his Projection Talisman, Darius stored it in his Spatial Bracelet. "The official report about the death of the eight Legion Commanders is already out..." Biting his lower lip softly, he gazed the students in hesitance.
"Although I have no right to read the report, our Headmistress, Mrs. Jacinda, informed me about something that I think you should know." Darius'' eyes turned stern. "There is a new type of humanoid Monster with prowess that far exceeds any High Grade Monster."
At this point, some of the students already had an inkling that they would definitely not like what they heard next.
"The only differences this type of Monster has are the horns on its forehead, and its bluish skin. Other than that, it looks like just a human."
The students knew Darius still had something to say, and they were anticipating his next word. Even Iliana was quirking her eyebrow in curiosity.
"Up till now, there has been only one Monster of this type is spotted, but it is highly usible there are many who haven''t showed themselves yet. One of them is spotted in Ruttenhale Barony ... It is the one who killed the eight Legion Commanders by itself."
The room descended into a pin drop silence the moment the students heard Darius''st sentence. Even though they knew the room was very quiet, they still gulped audibly to show how flustered they were with what they had heard.
"My point is, you have to run as fast as you can, the moment you spot this type of Monster; none of you will be able to survive fighting it. Even if it resembles just a tiny bit of the description I mentioned, you better avoid it at all cost. You can''t take risk."
Instead of answering Darius verbally, the students merely nodded their head silently. They were still a little bit shaken by the unexpected information.
Darius gazed at the students briefly, before nodding his head. "I hereby end the meeting. Dismiss!"
None of the students moved from their seat, until Iliana stood up, walked toward Basil, and dragged him outside the banquet room. Of course, the other five members in Iliana''s team were the first people who followed them.
...
After getting out of their flustered state, the students that were already in their assigned team set to the area they were stationed to. The first time to set on their journey was, of course, Darius'' team¡ªTeam 2.
Followed by that was, surprisingly, Eugene''s team¡ªTeam 3. The students that were aware of the conflict between Basil and Eugene had thought Eugene would set together with Iliana''s team just to rub the fact that he was a team leader in Basil''s face.
Although they knew Eugene was normally an easy-going and kind guy, they had expected he would act childishly in this matter, since it was concerning his love story. Therefore, they were a little bit surprised when he acted maturely by not doing it.
Needless to say, none of them except for two people knew what the real Eugene was.
"Hello, my name is Alexandra Shelton. It is a pleasure to meet you."
Basil looked at the red haired young woman in front of him with a slightly quirked eyebrow. Although he knew they were in the same team, he was slightly puzzled by her friendly attitude; that was rare amongst Mages.
Grasping the offered hand, Basil shook it briefly. "I am Basil Pacifer." Then, he let go of Alexandra''s hand in the next moment.
"Good day, Mr. Pacifer. Allow me to introduce myself. My name is Robert Tempest. It is a pleasure to meet you."
Basil turned his gaze to the right, and met the face of the well mannered, handsome, silver haired young man. Grasping the extended hand, Basil shook it briefly. "I am Basil Pacifer." When he let go of the hand, Robert smiled politely.
"Hi, Basil! I''ve heard many things about you." At the cheery voice, Basil turned his head to the left side of Alexandra. There was a bright looking, dainty, brown haired young woman standing there. "Oh! My name is Jocelyn Everton. Nice to meet you!"
Instead of extending her hand, Jocelyn directly grabbed Basil''s hand, and shook it vigorously. Although he wasn''t surprised¡ªhe had seen iting¡ªBasil was still a little bit bewildered. Turning his head to Iliana, he gazed at her questioningly.
Using [Wavelingo], Iliana said with a shrug, ''What do you expect? You''re a neer.'' Basil frowned lightly, before taking his hand off Jocelyn''s grasp. Looking at Cray and Jocelyn alternatingly, he could easily see how rowdy the team would be.
"Now that you have known each other, let us go!" Iliana eximed. They had been standing in the hotel''s lobby for more than five minutes, and she was getting impatient. "Oh, Basil will lead the way. I hope you don''t mind."
While Basil was once again looking at her questioningly, the others merely nodded their head.
They were already familiar with Iliana''s personality: Iliana would never ept a task that someone other than her could aplish!
Chapter 183 Different Scenario (13)
Darius didn''t assign them to any specific ce; he had just merely told them to investigate the southern part of Raneil Barony. Therefore, Basil asked Iliana where they should head to before departing.
"Well, you''re familiar with this ce¡ªI am not. Why don''t you just take us to wherever you want? We''ll follow," was Iliana''s simple answer. She even gave a shrug to show that she really didn''t care.
Looking at the nonchnt Iliana, Basil lightly frowned. "I will only be the Pathfinder, not the leader. I hope you keep that in mind."
"I know, sweetheart. Don''t worry." Iliana smiled pleasantly.
While the others had heard of the rumour about the two''s rtionship, seeing it firsthand was a little bit bewildering for them. They had never seen Iliana could speak that sweet.
Though not as sweet as a lovestruck maiden, Iliana had just spoken sweet enough to bewilder the people who knew her¡ªher cold and merciless nature. Of course, Basil had none of it; he knew Iliana was just messing around.
He merely quirked his eyebrow lightly, then nced at Cecilia, who was watching the entire scene silently not far away behind him. "None of us will return, at least, until two days. Don''t open the door for anyone, until Ie back."
"Understood, Young Master." Cecilia bowed politely.
Basil gave a hum, and exited the hotel without even saying a farewell to Cecilia or any other staffs that were seeing him off. The people who were teamed with him bade their farewell to the staffs, before following his lead.
No one frowned upon Basil''s cold attitude toward his employees; they had seen worse. Mages were naturally detached¡ªthey were full of themselves. Not caring to anyone was the norm for them.
However they knew Basil was different, since they had seen how well he treated his employees. Therefore, they believed that Basil''s reason for not bidding his farewell, was because he was socially awkward.
Unrted to what the students who had just known Basil were thinking, Iliana was still thinking about the time she had spent with Basil in the bathroom.
Iliana was a verypetitive individual; that is to say, regardless of anything she could do and any other people did, she needed to be the best at it. She was annoyed that her "prank" on Basil didn''t work¡ªthe bath prank. This is her attempt to get him back.
Instead of being flustered¡ªas what she had expected¡ªBasil had casually undressed himself like she hadn''t even been there, and bathed himself nonchntly, uncaring toward the staring he had gotten from her.
Iliana had only regained herposure the moment Basil had dipped himself in therge bathtub that had been filled with warm water.
As she had been annoyed by Basil''s nonchnce, she had undressed herself right in front of Basil, entered therge bathtub in the next moment, and positioned herself right beside him. They had been so close, their shoulders had been touching with each other.
Still, Basil''s reaction had been as dull as ever; Iliana didn''t even see his little guy had reacted. When her thought had been about to travel to a weird direction, Basil had quickly taken action.
"Wait for another 5 years; you might get a reaction out of me by then." Of course, it didn''t actually diffuse anything; he had made everyone''s goddess, Iliana, feel insulted even.
This is the reason why Iliana was throwing every one of her responsibility to Basil. Was she being petty? Not actually. Although she didn''t like to be a loser, she had never being petty.
Her reason of telling Basil to lead them was justified; he knew Raneil Barony the most¡ªhis family lived there. Although Iliana could still lead them, it would just be a waste of time since she would only follow the Demons'' Mana Signature to find them.
While that method would definitely work, there was still a quite high possibility she might miss some parts which were actually infested with Demons. Therefore, letting Basil¡ªwho knew of the ces that a visitor didn''t know¡ªlead them was the best course of action.
She made sure to exin this in the way ... The reason why Basil was the best guide, that is; she didn''t say anything about their little petition."
"As expected of Vice President Iliana, you have nned everything thoroughly!" Jocelyn, who was riding on her Transportation Artefact beside Iliana, eximed.
5 meters in the back, the other four members were riding their Transportation Artefact in a semicircle formation. They were looking at the running Basil, and Jocelyn who was right beside Iliana in amazement.
In Basil''s case, they were amazed that the Art he utilized allowed him to run at such a high speed that their Transportation Artefact couldn''t keep up without a constant supply of Mana Crystal. They didn''t know of the fact that Basil was also a Knight.
In Jocelyn''s case, they were amazed at how rich she was. Although Iliana, who was definitely richer than any of them, wasn''t particrly riding her Transportation Artefact that fast, Jocelyn still needed to sacrifice a considerable amount of Mana Crystal to make her Transportation Artefact move that fast.
Though none of the students were poor¡ªthey had done many jobs to earn money¡ªthey were unwilling to spend it on Mana Crystals. They could use Mana Crystals for a better purpose; it would be a waste spending them on Transportation Artefact.
"Although my father is an Earl, seeing her spends her Mana Crystals that way still bleeds my heart..." Robert muttered audibly, and the other people around him quickly nodded in agreement.
"Well, I''m d to know the rich can also appreciate money," Craymented.
Alexandra turned to Cray, and frowned lightly. "Being a Noble doesn''t make you rich. Sure my father is a Viscount, but I myself don''t depend on my father''s money to live." At her word, Robert nodded his head in agreement.
Gesturing at herself and Robert, Alexandra continued, "Furthermore, I believe the two of you are far richer than us. I had a senior who attended Rehearsal ss. She earned a quite crazy amount of money from all the crazy tasks she had aplished."
Upon being called out by Alexandra, Whitney and Cray coughed awkwardly. They didn''t say anything, as the statement was quite true. The reason why it wasn''t spot on was because the tasks they took to earn money: they weren''t crazy, but super crazy.
"Kuhum! From the way you talked about it, I picture this senior of yours has already fallen ... Am I wrong?" Whitney asked.
Shaking her head lightly, Alexandra said, "No, you''re not. Senior Eva has been dead for two years already."
"Oh! You knew Eva!" Cray''s eyes lit up. Turning to Whitney, he said, "Hey, wasn''t Eva your... Sorry." Upon noticing Whitney''s bitter smile, Cray stopped speaking.
"I''ve heard about you from Senior Eva ... Sheined a lot about you." Alexandra smirked.
"I see... I was a bad fianc¨¦, wasn''t I?" Whitney muttered lowly.
Robert, who attended the same ss as Alexandra, turned to her and motioned her to stop from talking any further. He didn''t do that out of consideration; he did that simply because it was unprofessional of her to talk about a dead Mage''s private life in public.
"Oh, sorry. I didn''t mean to¡ª"
"Nah, it''s alright." Whitney waved his hand lightly. "I have failed once, and I won''t for the second time." His mind instantly recalled the remaining students of the Rehearsal ss. He had vowed to make the number remained the same until he graduated.
"I heard all of you don''t think much of yourrade''s death, is that true? Pardon me if I''m being insensitive." Robert bowed his head at Whitney as he asked his question.
Cray was the one who answered the question. "Well, it''s not that we don''t think that much of our friend''s death; we mourn over their death too. But frankly speaking, death surrounds our activities. We are... Kind of desensitized."
Pumping his hand, Cray eximed, "Rather than mourning over them, we talk about the good things they had, andughed at all of the stupid things they had done." Cray shrugged lightly. "You know, it''s better to see them off whileughing than in tears."
Robert hummed to himself in amazement. "Hmm... That was... An interesting mindset to say the least." His eyes lit up in interest, as he nodded his head in understanding.
"I thought all of you were a bunch of lunatics. It seems I was wrong; you are better than most of us, Mages, who simply don''t care about camaraderie," Alexandramented in appreciation.
"We are the best, right? Everyone from Rehearsal ss is an amazing individual!" Cray patted his chest proudly.
The others smiled lightly, then turned their gaze to the front. Basil was slowing down his pace; even Iliana and Jocelyn were just a meter away from them. Curious, they were about to inquire about it to Iliana when Basil took out Death Howl''s Sealing Sword.
"Ah, crap. Nothing good will happen, if Basil takes out his sword," Cray muttered under his breath.
When Basilpletely stopped in his track, the other six students stopped their Transportation Artefact from gliding any further 3 meters behind him. They were about to get down from their Transportation Artefact, when Basil raised his hand.
"Stay on your Transportation Artefact if you don''t want to die." Upon hearing that word, Whitney immediately materialized his Grimoire, and Cray quickly utilized his Art.
Rumble.
The ground shook in the next moment, and a powerful aura could be felt approaching them from the front. They couldn''t see what it was yet, since there were buildings blocking their view.
Only when the three storey building that was right in front of them was knocked down could they see what wasing at them.
They were bewildered of what they saw, to say the least.
Chapter 184 Different Scenario (14)
Everyone''s attention was focused on the scene in front of them. While most of them were ready to attack whatever wasing at them, Basil and Iliana were as calm as ever.
Although they were ready to charge, one could see from their posture that they were pretty nonchnt about the situation. It was as if they already knew what wasing at them.
Boom!
Atst, when the three storey building in front of them was struck down, everyone could see what wasing at them. It was a grey furred dog like Beast with a fierce expression on its face; anyone would think it was a Saberwolf if not for its size.
However, its very size was the cause of the their bewilderment. What made them even more bewildered was the fact that the "puppy"nded on Basil''s shoulder with a happy face in the next moment, and perched there as if nothing happened.
Woof!
It even cutely rubbed its head to Basil''s cheek. Seeing the pet like manner the "puppy" showed, a question that they had forgotten earlier popped up. ''How could a puppy strike down a building?!''
Even before they managed to think about the possibility of what caused the "puppy" to have such an immense strength however, their puzzlement was answered.
Snort!
There was a 7 meters tall Minotaur Warrior right behind the copsed building. It was looking straight at the people with its fierce eyes; its gigantic hammer was nted in the ground, signifying that it was the one who had struck down the building.
[Master! This guy is so annoying; he keeps chasing me!]
At the childlike voice, everyone''s eyes turned to the "puppy." Although they could see there was a Transmitter around its neck, they were sure the "puppy" had just talked through its mouth, not through it.
While the other students who heard the "puppy" talked were flustered, Basil and Iliana quirked their eyebrow in curiosity.
"You can talk now, little guy?" Iliana asked with an amused smile. Though slightly different, she knew the "puppy" was Deacon.
[Yes! I am amazing, aren''t I?!]
Iliana chuckled softly, and patted Deacon''s head.
"Interesting..." Basil understood what had happened to Deacon: Deacon had undergone another evolution.
He was the one who had told Deacon to leave Iliana, and hunt for Beast Cores ceaselessly for the past months, before meeting him when Deacon had attained evolution. However, the result of the hunt had far exceeded his expectation.
''By gaining the ability to speak, Deacon must have be a Fifth Grade Magical Beast¡ªaplete King Saberwolf. To be able to reach such a stage ... I really hit a jackpot by taking him.''
Normally to be able to evolve that much, a Second Grade Magical Beast had to, at least, spend 5 years of diligent hunting¡ªkilling other Beasts, and ate their Core. To be able to evolve into a Fifth Grade Magical Beast in a year signified how fast Deacon''s growth was.
Even if he had eaten so many Cores, his body still needed time to process it, which means it would consume more time.
Basil knew Deacon''s immense growth had also been thanks to Hormonal Rush¡ªthe Catalyst for elerating a Beast''s growth that he had made. Still, he couldn''t just belittle Deacon''s natural potential. The Catalyst wouldn''t have even worked in the very first ce, if Deacon had a crappy potential.
Snort!
The Minotaur Warrior, who had been watching the people in front of him for more than five seconds, let out a steaming breath out of its nostrils. It was irked that the two people in front of it minded the pathetic puppy instead of it.
"Why did you run away from it?" Basil nced at Deacon, and gestured at the Minotaur Warrior.
[I didn''t run away from him; I ignored him. Master was already in front of me¡ªmeeting my Master is more important¡ªI didn''t want to waste my time with fighting this pathetic Monster.]
Basil hummed for a while, before nodding his head. "Makes sense." He could faintly smell the scent of Minotaur''s blood on Deacon, which means Deacon had fought some Minotaurs on his way; it was natural if Deacon was sick of them.
"Still, I need you to show me how much you have grown."
[Oh! Leave it to me then, Master. I will show you how amazing your disciple is!]
Deacon got down from Basil''s shoulder enthusiastically with Basil''s questioning gaze nted on him. ''When did I make him my disciple? Was there some kind of a mimunication through our [Link]?''
As soon as it came though, it was gone even faster. Basil didn''t think Deacon''s way of calling him held any significance toward Deacon''s performance; as long as Deacon was useful, Basil was fine with however Deacon thought what was himself to him.
Boom!
The Mana contained inside Deacon''s Core exploded outward, overwhelming his surrounding air. His body started to get bigger in each passing time, and his cute appearance was gradually reced with the appearance that was befitting of a King Saberwolf.
Five seconds after, the small puppy was reced with a 6 meters tall wolf with two fearsome fangs protruding out of his mouth. Even without looking at Deacon''s current appearance, just his aura alone was enough to scare any Magical Beasts of the same grade.
Howl!
In exception of Basil and Iliana, everyone''s entire being shook upon hearing the sound that came out of Deacon''s mouth. Not only was it filled by a quite overwhelming Mana, but it also brought a feeling of terror.
Whoosh!
The Minotaur Warrior, who had suddenly felt threatened, was quick to take action. It was already charging toward Deacon, who was only a meter shorter than itself, and was ready to strike Deacon down with its gigantic hammer.
Deacon merely growled lowly, before opening his mouth; wind gathered in his mouth, forming a dense sphere of wind. When the Minotaur Warrior was already two steps away from him, Deacon shot the wind sphere out of his mouth.
Boom!
The Minotaur Warrior was stopped in its track, before being thrown away helplessly to the back. More buildings were ruined, and it could only stop itsunch when it was already 20 meters away from Deacon and the others.
p While the Minotaur Warrior was busily standing itself up from the ground, Deacon raised his head arrogantly and stepped forward graciously. His movement and manner would make anyone immediately think of someone.
Basil¡ªDeacon''s Master.
[Pathetic! I have encountered some Monsters that were smaller than you, but they were far stronger than you.]
Deacon''s previously child-like voice was now reced with a slightly echoing heavy voice; a genuine disdain toward said Demon could be clearly felt from his tone.
Deacon had encountered some of Luci''s soldiers before arriving here. Though smaller, all of them had been stronger than the Minotaur Warrior, thus the disdain.
Of courseparing the Minotaur Warrior with the Luci''s soldiers wasn''t fair. The disparity in their prowess is apparent because of the environment they were growing up in.
Any Demon who managed to be a part of the Great General''s Army was raised behind the Barrier that was produced by the Obelisk. They were Demons who had always won¡ªwho earned the right to remain there.
Different from the Demons that Deacon had encountered however, the Minotaur Warrior, though bigger than any other Minotaur Warrior who hade out of Dungeon Howl, belonged to the losing side.
Meanings, it had gotten expelled out of the Barrier in early age, and grew in a lesspetitive environment¡ªthend of the living. Such Demon, naturally, possessed an inferior prowess to the Demon who had topete in their whole life.
The Minotaur Warrior, though it didn''t show any sign of intelligence, knew what Deacon was talking about¡ªit was annoyed. When said Demon had stood up, it swung its gigantic hammer widely, destroying the ground and some buildings in the process.
Roar!
Staring at Deacon fiercely, it charged forward with an unimaginable speed for a creature with such a big body. Deacon didn''t show much reaction, as he merely snorted in ridicule, and raised his paw.
Scratching the air with his ws, four wind des appeared in the air; they quickly moved toward the Minotaur Warrior. Instead of dodging Deacon''s attack however, the Minotaur Warrior took it with his body. He received four deep gashes on his chest as a result.
[As expected of an unintelligent creature, you know nothing about difference in power.]
As Deacon had been pretty much fed up seeing the big, loud, and stupid Demon in front of him, he didn''t want to waste anymore of his time. Gathering Mana to his feet, Deacon also charged at the Minotaur Warrior.
Different from said Demon however, Deacon possessed a speed that far surpassed its speed¡ªbefitting of a Saberwolf King. In result, Deacon reappeared in front of it in the blink of an eye.
With that big body of his, Deacon easily pushed the Demon down, and it was too bewildered to properly react.
Boom!
It even lost the grip on its hammer¡ªits sole weapon to attack. Of course, it didn''t only have its weapon to attack Deacon; it still had its immense strength. s, Deacon was even stronger than itself, as he could easily suppress its hands with his paws.
[Next time, don''t be a failure.]
Deacon said it lowly, but the humiliation it brought to the Minotaur Warrior was immense. Unfortunately, it didn''t have any time to rage as Deacon bit into its neck, and tearing its head off in the next moment.
Ssh!
Blood spurted out of the neck, and the violent scene was witnessed by everyone. Casually throwing the Minotaur Warrior''s head to the side, Deacon dashed toward Basil, and smiled brightly at him upon arriving beside him.
Uncaring to the bewildered gaze the five students in Iliana''s team were giving, Deacon opened his mouth.
[Did I do great?!]
Chapter 185 Different Scenario (15)
Although Deacon had ripped apart the neck of the Minotaur Warrior, he didn''t have any bloodstain on his fur; not even a trace of Demon blood could be spotted on his teeth. Despite so, his wide smile still made him look intimidating.
Due to Basil''s influence on him, Deacon had also developed a habit of keeping himself clean. Therefore, he always covered his body parts that would be potentially dirtied with Mana. This way, he could keep himself clean all the time.
"Psst! Is this King Saberwolf a friend? His look screams anything but friendliness!" Jocelyn muttered lowly but audible enough for the people around her to hear.
"Well, this guy is Basil''s ... Summon. So, he''s definitely our friend."
Whitney had hesitated because telling what Deacon actually was would reveal Basil''s another identity. Since revealing a secret of a Mage¡ªhis friend at that¡ªwithout said Mage''s consent was hical, he wisely kept it a secret.
"Wow! That''s awesome!" Jocelyn''s eyes lit up. Turning to Deacon, she shouted. "Hello, Mr. Summon! My name is Jocelyn. What is yours?"
Whitney turned his slightly baffled gaze to Robert, and Robert shrugged nonchntly upon receiving it. ''What can I do? She was born that way,'' was what Robert''s face conveyed.
Deacon, who was the subject in which the question was directed to, lost his wide and bright smile as turned his head to Jocelyn. Looking at her weirdly, he snorted coldly.
[Mind your own business,dy. You have no right to know my name yet.]
"What?! That was so cold of you!"
One would normally think Jocelyn was ying around judging by her words alone. If one were to see her gesture and hear her tone however, one wouldn''t think that way. Therefore, Deacon was a little bit bewildered by the strange female human.
Though he acted uncaring toward most of the people around his Master, Deacon was actually a softhearted Saberwolf. It is also because of this reason that he didn''t outrightly kill Basil when they had first met at Vyres Forest, despite of having the chance to.
Therefore, he felt bad upon looking at Jocelyn''s disappointed expression. He was about to open his mouth and "reluctantly" tell her his name, when Jocelyn spoke again.
"Oh! I know! I have a treat for you, so tell me your name!"
Deacon wisely erased any sympathy he had over her. Snorting coldly, he turned his head away from her.
[Hmph! What do you think I am? A dog?]
"Uhh... Aren''t you? I mean, dogs and wolves are the same, aren''t they?"
''Mages were naturally brighter than the rest of the poption,'' was what everyone believed; it seems today, the stereotype was broken. Even the overly bright and enthusiastic Cray couldn''t help but facepalm at Jocelyn''s outrageous remark.
"This is the type of person who will say tigers and cats are the same animals." Cray also didn''t forget toment sarcastically.
Turning to Cray with genuine puzzlement, Jocelyn asked, "Aren''t they? The only difference is their size, after all."
"Huh..." Cray was so dumbfounded, a humourless chuckle escaped out of his mouth. Pulling on Whitney''s sleeve, he whispered, "This girl is dumb. Let''s stay far away from her; she might get us killed one day." He was uncaring of Jocelyn''s eyes that were still nted on him.
Whitney could only smile wryly, and knocked Cray''s head in response. "Next time when you whisper, make sure you don''t say it out loud, idiot!" He was amused and annoyed at the same time at the scene that could be perfectly described as kettle calling the pot ck.
"Have you gained a perfect control over your body size?" At the question that Basil directed at Deacon, everyone''s attention turned to Basil.
[It''s not wless yet, but I can turn myself into the stronger version of my past self, instead of a pup.]
Prior to his second evolution, Deacon had turned himself into a small pup not because he had wanted it, but because he didn''t have any control over the size he wanted his body to be.
After undergoing an evolution however, Deacon could assume the form of a 2 meters tall Saberwolf that was significantly bigger than his previously small form. He could actually assume a bigger form, but it would defeat the purpose of mastering the ability to change his size freely.
[When I assume my Third Grade Saberwolf form, I can run three times faster than when I am in my original size!]
Aside for convenience reasons, Deacon also changed his size to minimize the usage of Mana¡ªhis presence¡ªand increase his agility. Although doing so would decrease his physical prowess quite significantly, there were many times where he only needed to be agile.
"Show me."
With a simple instruction from Basil, Deacon shrunk his size to that of a 2 meters tall Saberwolf; it took him only two seconds to assume the form. Although he still looked mighty in the form, he was less intimidating than before.
[Is it up to your expectation, Master?] Deacon sat himself, and bowed his head at Basil.
Basil hummed to himself, and put his hand on top of Deacon''s head. "Not yet... However, you got my approval."
As a small smile decorated his face, Basil unconsciously channeled his Mana to his hand. His hand faintly glowed in white for a brief moment, but it was enough to surprise everyone including himself.
Quickly taking his hand off Deacon''s head, the white light that was covering his hand slowly disappeared as he retracted his Mana.
[Master, what was that feeling?]
"Sil, that was..."
"Basil, what was that?!"
"Mr. Pacifer, are you perhaps by any chance...?"
Ignoring the barrage of questions the people around him gave him, Basil took a look at his hand and frowned lightly. ''I wasn''t in a trance; I was conscious, but I don''t know why I did that.'' He was even puzzled by what he had done.
Turning his gaze to Deacon, he asked Deacon thorough their [Link]. ''What did you feel when I did that to you?''
Being an intelligent Saberwolf, Deacon quickly got that Basil didn''t want anyone to hear their conversation. Thinking about the right answer for a while, Deacon answered him after a few seconds.
''I felt warm, andfortable; it was as if I was caressed by the warm sunlight. Also... I can feel my bond with you is getting stronger, Master ... I felt blessed.''
At Deacon''s choice of word, Basil hummed to himself, and stared at him silently. He was reminded of what Caesar had also said to him right before Caesar died.
The others, who had been looking at the Master and Companion duo staring at each other silently, were really curious of what was actually happening; of course, they knew not to stick their nose to where it doesn''t belong to. Thus, they opted to keep quiet.
A few seconds after, Basil put his hand on top of Deacon''s head again, and channeled Mana to the hand. He had thought he wouldn''t be able to imitate the same thing since he was doing it consciously, but it just happened naturally much to his surprise.
Since he was conscious during the process, he could see the different way his Mana was utilized. At that moment, he knew he wasn''t utilizing his Mana for an Art or a Chantless Spell; it was something else¡ªsomething he wasn''t quite sure about.
His hand that was on top of Deacon''s head glowed in white, and Deacon was assaulted with the unique feeling again. Like Deacon had said, Basil also felt more connected with Deacon; not through their [Link], but spiritually connected.
Iliana, who noticed the abnormality of the phenomenon, quickly turned to the other students. Gesturing her hand at them, she lowly said, "This is the process of [Assimtion] between a Summon and a Summoner."
[Assimtion] was a special trait a Summoner had that was developed overtime with their Magical Beast. It didn''t only allow said Summoner to posses the Summon''s ability and vice versa, but also allowed them to merge into one being.
Upon merging with their Summon, said Summoner would have an appearance that resembled a Demi-Human but possessed a prowess that outssed any ordinary High Ranked Demi-Human.
Although that wasn''t what was actually happening to Basil, the others didn''t need to know; Iliana would rather mislead them than letting them know of what was actually happening that she knew of.
Uncaring toward the surprised and disbelieving gaze the students were giving her, Iliana warned them. "You know how highly sought after the people who have [Assimtion] are, don''t you?"
The students nodded their head upon receiving Iliana''s cold gaze. "You know how Mages keep their secret. If someone other than you got a whiff of today''s matter..."
Iliana didn''t need to finish her word as they were all aware of what she would say next. Every Mage hated exposure to their very core. Basil, who had such a mouthwatering "gift," would naturally be no different.
If he got exposed, many troubles would await him. There would be even many lunatics whose heart was filled with an unending envy who target Basil''s life, when they got to know of Basil''s "gift."
The five students, who were witnessing the scene, naturally didn''t want that to happen to their fellow student. Therefore, they wisely sealed their mouth tightly.
Upon seeing that, Iliana hummed to herself in satisfaction; her face was as cold as ever,pletely hiding her relief at the sess of her lie.
Turning her gaze to Basil, her eyes were filled with an iprehensible emotion. ''So you are not only Pacifer in name¡ªyou are a true Pacifer. I have finally found you, my...''
Chapter 186 Different Scenario (16)
Basil looked at the scene in front of him in a slight bewilderment and fascination. He was conscious of what he was currently doing, but he didn''t actually know what he was doing; he felt unfamiliar with it, but he felt so right doing it.
If he were to analogize it, it would be like having one''s memories wiped clear, and then doing the habit one always did prior to losing the memory.
He had actually felt this feeling in Death Howl when he had done it to Caesar, but he felt the feeling clearer this time. No different than his first time of doing it however, he still didn''t quite know what the purpose of the act.
What makes the current situation different than the one he had done back then at Death Howl Dungeon is his state: he had been half conscious when he was doing it to Caesar, whereas now he was fully conscious while doing it to Deacon.
He had early meant to pat Deacon''s head, but he had suddenly channeled his Mana to his hand and utilized it the way he had never done before¡ªthe way he didn''t even know he knew of.
Faced with such a bewildering situation, Basil''s reaction was, "Interesting."
He was a practical man; he knew, due to what he was carrying, himself was an enigma. He was aware that he was carrying a mystery that was far greater than what the world had.
Unexinable situation? Bewildering phenomenon? Though he didn''t know what was actually happening, he was sure the cause was either the Fragment inside him or the Guide. Racking his brain for an exnation would be a waste of time.
''What am I currently doing?''
[The Host is channeling his Mana to his Beast Companion in a special way that is not in the norm of Magic Principle.]
Not even the Guide could provide him a definite answer.
''What is this activity I am doing called?''
[Such information is still restricted for the current stage of the Guide.]
From the answer, Basil could conclude two things: first, the "phenomenon" wasn''t caused by the Guide, since if it was, the guide would have provided an exnation to him; second, the phenomenon was influenced by the Fragment inside him, and that means its existence was far greater than he had thought.
Even though Matheus had exined to him what Fragments were, there were still some things Matheus didn''t tell him about.
¡ªWhat is the true identity of Fragments?
¡ªWhere did Tablet of Truthe from?
¡ªWhy was Tablet of Truth split into Four Fragments in the very first ce?
¡ªWho has ever united all of Four Fragments, and fully utilized Tablet of Truth?
He had also asked many things about the Fragment to the guide so he could satiate his curiosity, but he had always been provided with a generic answer that he had already thought of even before he was answered.
After the upgrade of the Guide, he could ask it many questions which had been restricted to him prior to the upgrade. In the case of anything rted to the Fragment however, he still had to upgrade the Guide once again.
Therefore, he couldn''t exactly tell what was currently happening to me. However, he could still call the phenomenon with his own term ... Or what he had heard from Caesar and Deacon.
He settled with calling what he was currently doing Blessing.
When he felt that his bond with Deacon had be stronger than ever, Basil stopped channeling his Mana to his hand. The faint white light that was covering his hand slowly faded as he retracted his hand afterward.
He looked at the very hand he had used Bless Deacon in silent contemtion; he was sure he had spent his Mana, but he didn''t feel even a tiny part of the Mana he stored in his Heart was used.
''What did I use, then?'' Basil quickly shook his head at the question he knew he wouldn''t know the answer of, and returned his gaze to Deacon. Said Companion was slowly opening his eyes, and stared at Basil brightly when his eyes werepletely opened.
[That was amazing, Master! You make me feel something I have never felt before!]
At Deacon''s choice of words, the students, who had been witnessing the scene in wonderment, turned a sceptical eyes to Basil. They were now suspicious of what Basil was actually doing.
Different than the sick minded students, of course, Basil didn''t think Deacon had chosen his words wrong. There was nothing wrong in Deacon''s choice word, as he had merely expressed what he had felt.
"How did it feel?"
[It felt EXTREMELY good! I have never felt that warm since the day I was born. It was as if I was in the embrace of the mother I didn''t know I have!]
Deacon wiggled his tail excitedly, sweeping the ground where his butt was currently resting, and raising dust up to the air. In the next moment however, he stopped wiggling his tail and stared Basil seriously; his bright expression was wiped off his face.
[Master. Can I say something?]
"Speak."
[I have never thought of you that way before, but the thing you did to me earlier made me feel so good; I felt we were closer than ever at that moment.]
The students, who had looked at Basil with sceptical eyes jokingly before, were now genuinely looking at Basil with sceptical eyes. ''What in Akasha''s knowledge Basil has done to Deacon?! Why does Deacon sound so suspicious?!''
[I think it is time to further our rtionship, Master.]
While Basil was quirking his eyebrow in curiosity at Deacon, the other students were screaming internally. ''Bloody hell! This conversation is getting weirder in each passing second!''
Despite of having a great urge to stop the conversation right away, the students waited patiently for Deacon to finish his sentence. While hypothesizing was one of the Mage''s traits, prejudice was something a Mage would never do.
[C-Can I¡ªCan I call you Father?!]
At the rather unexpected and heartwarming next word of Deacon, the students'' mind went nk for a second. ''H-Huh? It turns out better than what I expected?'' was what they all had in their mind.
Basil, as the person whom the request was directed to, crossed his hand, and lightly sighed at the expectant Deacon.
"No," was his instant reply.
[W-Why, Master?! Am I not good enough?]
''Eh?! He refused? How could he refuse such a good boy?!'' Even the crowd was a little bit disappointed by Basil''s decisiveness.
Uncaring to the people, whose face had changed so many times in thest few minutes, Basil waved his hand nonchntly. "You are good enough as my Companion, but you can never be my child. You are a Saberwolf, I am a human; I can only have a human child."
At Basil''s answer, the crowd was a little bit conflicted. ''That''s true, but look at the poor boy ... He is genuinely sadde¡ªah, he''s back to normal again.'' As Deacon''s eyes lit up brightly, the students watched curiously at what Deacon''s next course of action.
[Then, I can just make myself look like a human so you can take me as your child, right?!]
At the enthusiastic question, Basil tly answered, "No."
[But, why?!]
"Yeah, why?!" Even the students couldn''t hold back this time.
Snorting coldly, Basil righteously said, "I am still young. I have many things to do; I got no time to waste on being a parent." Frowning lightly, his mind recalled a particr memory of the past. "Besides, I don''t have the capability to be a parent."
Looking deeply into Deacon''s eyes, Basil continued, "Whether you be my child or remain my Companion, both still makes you my ally. Status is nothing more than a trivial recognition; there is no actual worth in it."
Extending his hand, Basil put it on Deacon''s snout. "Do you think our rtionship can be measured by a mere status?" Basil lightly smirked, but he was cringing inwardly. ''Tsk. I can''t believe I said that.''
Upon hearing Basil''s word, Deacon was beyond moved. Looking at Basil with a deeply touched eyes, he opened his mouth.
[M-Master! Thank you for choosing me as your Companion! I vow to never let you down, and will always be your most dependable aide until the end!]
"Very well."
Basil nodded his head with a slight smile. Taking his hand off Deacon''s snout, he looked at the the five students who had been watching him as if they were watching an opera; all of them were smiling at him upon receiving his gaze.
''To be able to enjoy this kind of useless drama ... As expected of a youngster.'' Basil lightly shook his head. When he turned his gaze to Iliana, who was not that far from Deacon, unlike the others, she gave him a smirk. ''Well, at least this one is different.''
Turning his gaze back to Deacon, he motioned his hand at him. "Make yourself a little bit bigger." When he saw Deacon''s puzzled expression, he added, "The current you is too small for me; I can''t mount you."
Due to the earlier event, Deacon hadn''t realized that Basil was actually standing at the same height as him when he stood on his four legs. He had been so immersed basking in the unique feeling he had felt for the first time, he didn''t register how much Basil had grown.
Nodding his head once, Deacon utilized his Mana, and made his body bigger so Basil could mount him. It took him slightly more than a second to assume his 3.5 meters tall Saberwolf form.
Grasping the unsuspecting Iliana''s hand, Basil jumped on top of Deacon along with her. "I know there is something you want to talk about," he whispered to Iliana.
Though Iliana stayed silent, Basil didn''t need to hear her confirmation. He had been observing the way she behaved since the moment he had started Blessing; he knew that she knew something.
Disregarding the existence of the other five students, Basil instructed Deacon to dash forward.
Chapter 187 Different Scenario (17)
The five students who were left behind by Basil and Iliana blinked their eyes in slight disbelief.
Although they could just quickly catch up to them¡ªthey were still standing on their Transportation Artefact that could be utilized any time¡ªthey couldn''t believe the couple could just storm off without even minding them in the least bit.
Looking at the slowly disappearing figure of Deacon, the students were quickly awaken from their daze. Immediately infusing their Mana into their Transportation Artefact, they stormed off to catch up to Basil and Iliana who were already away from them.
Whitney, who quickly noticed that Deacon ran even faster when they were trying to catch up to him, turned to the other students. "I think we should keep our distance between them for the moment." He lowered his speed afterward.
Unlike Cray who quickly got what Whitney meant, the other three students turned their curious gaze at Basil, before doing the same thing. Although it took them a couple of seconds, they understood that Basil was purposefully making a distance between them.
"And here I thought it would be a normal investigation mission..." Alexandra muttered under her breath bitterly. She was convinced Basil just wanted to spend his time alone with Iliana for romantical purpose.
Whitney heard Alexandra, and he couldn''t help shaking his head in amusement. "It is not like what you think. Basil will never do something like that in times like this ... Or even in normal times."
"How are you so sure?" Alexandra quirked her eyebrow in curiosity.
"Once you spend a day with him, you can naturally tell what is Basil''s view regarding that matter just from his behavior." Cray shrugged. "I''m not even sure the two are really having a romantical rtionship."
"Well, considering how Vice President Iliana acts around him ... I have to doubt your word," Robert responded Cray.
"If you are smart enough, by the way he rejected Deacon, you can easily tell that Basil doesn''t want to be a dad soon. Therefore, you can easily wipe the dirty fantasy about what they are currently doing off your head; Basil will never do that."
As Cray didn''t see the point of the discussion, he rebuked Robert rather too harshly due to his annoyance. Robert slightly frowned at that and was about to open his mouth, when Whitney beat him to it.
"The point stands: Basil is not a petty guy. Although he has a romantical rtionship with Iliana, he will never get intimate with her in public, let alone while in the middle of a mission," Whitney sternly stated.
"You guys do trust this friend of yours very much." Alexandra was slightly amazed and amused.
"From how he tricked us into believing that we shouldn''t get down from our Transportation Artefact earlier as it could ''endanger'' our life, I can confidently say he is the shadiest Mage I have ever encountered."
At Alexandra''s statement, Cray chuckled in amusement. "Funny how you said Basil is shady; he is a mysterious person indeed, but shady he is not. Though you can''t read him, he never does something thay smells underhanded."
Shrugging lightly, Cray continued, "Besides, all Mages are shady. Name me a renowned Mage that isn''t." Chuckling once again, he continued, "You can''t, can you?"
Alexandra opted to stay silent, as not only Cray''s word was hard to rebuke, but it was also a well known fact. Mages needed to be secretive; they couldn''t be not shady with how secretive they were.
"Pardon us if we sounded like we doubted your friend, but we are just curious of what kind of business Mr. Pacifer is having with Vice President Iliana." Robert bowed his head politely; he didn''t want this small matter to get out of hand.
Raising his head, Robert continued, "Since we are working in team, we are expecting a transparency between members, and professionalism towards the mission. We were just slightly surprised that our Pathfinder could disregard our presence that easy for, from our prejudice, a romantical reason."
"Just say that you guys are jealous with their rtionship," Cray tlymented.
"That... That is ... Kuhum!" Turning his head away from anyone''s vision, Robert lowly muttered, "That might also be one of the reasons. How can they engage in a rtionship anyway?!" The conversation stopped right after it was said.
Jocelyn, who had been silent all the time and had only enjoyed the banter, was confused of what was actually happening. She looked around, and found that the others were suddenly busy with whatever they were doing.
Whitney was smiling wryly, Cray was rolling his eyes in annoyance, Alexandra was having a small blush on her cheeks, and Robert was finding the sky exceptionally beautiful.
"Why is everyone so curious of what Basil and Vice President Iliana are talking about? I mean, Basil has just learnt [Assimtion], right? He might be talking about that with Vice President Iliana."
At Jocelyn''s word, everyone turned their surprised eyes at her; they were simply amazed and bewildered at Jocelyn''s rare show of brilliance. Even Cray couldn''t hold back himself from pping in genuine amazement.
"I judged you wrong, Jocelyn. You are not as stu¡ª"
"Stop being the kettle who calls the pot ck!"
Of course, Whitney was there to seal Cray''s mouth even before he managed to finish his sentence. Although Cray felt unfortunate for not being able to finish his word, he wasn''t so eager to finish his word either; he was pretty nonchnt about it.
It took them a few minutes, but once the situation returned back to normal, their gaze was once again nted on Deacon, who was close to 100 meters away from them. None of them said a word, but all of them had the same thought running in their head.
What is the content of Basil''s discussion with Iliana for them to need that much of privacy?
...
Contrary to what the five students were expecting, Basil and Iliana hadn''t started talking yet. Minutes had passed since they had distanced themselves away from the others, but not a single word had been exchanged between the two yet.
"You know that I won''t be the one who needs to exin myself." Finally, Basil opened his mouth to start the conversation, which he was sure would never be started without his initiative.
"I know! That''s why I''m preparing what I should say." At Iliana''s soft but scolding tone, Basil nodded his head in understanding. After some time, Iliana began talking. "I wasn''t born in Braxtein Kingdom¡ªI wasn''t born in Human Empire."
"You don''t need to tell me about your past that you want to keep¡ª"
"Shut up, and listen!"
"Okay."
"I don''t exactly know what happened, but my first memory ofing here is of my father running with me in his embrace. Judging from how he ran, someone was chasing us."
Iliana sighed lightly, and hugged Basil''s waist tighter than before. "He gave me Sinister Piercer, and left me in some ce I didn''t know of at that time." Iliana waited Basil to question what Sinister Piercer was, but it never came.
She was about to tell him what Sinister Piercer was, when Basilmented, "I know it is the name of your Vanadium spear. I heard you shouted its name when you were fighting the Minotaur Warrior we met before Raneil Barony''s gate."
"Kuhum! It seems you are not as self-centered as I thought; you are quite attentive to your surrounding. Anyway, you see, after leaving me alone in an unknown ce, my father never met me again. Of course, I know he must be dead protecting me."
"Did you see the people who were chasing your father?"
Iliana shook her head faintly. "No. My father hid me so well, none of them even stumbled upon me ... Right after that, as one can expect from a child, I was scared and confused. Running around aimlessly, I hoped that someone would be kind enough to take me into their house."
"You were lucky. You might have been sold as a ve that night."
"No, I wasn''t lucky; my father was smart." A small warm smile decorated Iliana''s face. "He gave me a Concealment Shroud that was pretty much invisible to the eyes of the ve merchants¡ªordinary humans¡ªbefore leaving me."
Wiping the smile off her face, Iliana continued, "I lived on the street for a week, before I was found by someone. I was already close to die at that time, when this beautiful and kinddy stumbled upon me. Regardless of how I looked, she took me to her home."
Leaning her head on Basil''s back, a warm smile full of nostalgia appeared on her face. "She did many things for me that I will always forever grateful of: she taught me how to write and read, she helped me clean myself everyday, and she cooked me a delicious food. She loved me like her own daughter."
Basil kept his silent, as he already got an inkling of the identity of the person Iliana was talking about. Still, instead of rushing her, he let her continue her story.
"One day, she told me that she actually had a son around my age. Due to some circumstances however, she couldn''t meet him, and she was saddened by that. Being a child, I didn''t know what kind of a ce the world actually was. Therefore, I asked her about this circumstance."
She lifted her head off Basil''s back, and stared at the back of his head iprehensibly. "That circumstance was far moreplicated than I had thought ... She told me about the feud the Church has with her n¡ªPacifer n."
Expecting a reaction out of Basil, Iliana was slightly surprised when he didn''t give any. epting the fact that Basil was naturally not a very curious person, she was about to resume talking, when Basil suddenly spun himself and faced her.
Receiving Basil''s deep gaze, Iliana suddenly lost the ability to speak. In front of his eyes, she felt like her entire being was exposed to him; she couldn''t hide anything from him.
''Iliana ... I knew you were carrying many secrets to your death in the past. However, even now, why are you talking as if ... You are not a Pacifer?''
Chapter 188 Different Scenario (18)
A few seconds prior.
While Basil couldn''t tell whether Iliana was lying by the emotion that her Mana¡ªshe was doing a good job in hiding it¡ªor her story¡ªhe didn''t feel anything wrong with it¡ªa part of himself was screaming that he should make sure of something.
He knew Iliana, like any other Mage, was secretive, but he didn''t really feel the need to probe about something she would tell him sooner orter. He was aware that Iliana wouldn''t possibly tell him the full truth; he had intended to wait for the time when she was ready.
This time however, he felt like he needed to make sure of something; he didn''t see anything wrong with her story, but he was feeling a sense of incongruence that he couldn''t bear.
''Guide, who is the person that is currently speaking to me?''
[Solving the Host''s puzzlement...]
[The person who is talking to the Host is called Iliana Pacifer. She is a...]
The Guide told him any things about Iliana¡ªphysical aspects, Magic mastery, and such¡ªbut Basil quickly tuned the rest of the information out. The moment he heard that Iliana was also a Pacifer, he ignored his surrounding; he was mind-blown.
He was thinking about so many possibilities of what had actually happened in the past, and Iliana''s rtion to the events.
He remembered that there had been some points where she had to leave because she needed to "clean the trash." He didn''t know what it actually was, but he had thought Iliana had meant killing the enemies she had made.
Right now upon knowing that Iliana was a Pacifer however, the story was different. Pacifer n, due to its history, was hated by the Church¡ªthe Betrayer as what Caesar had called them.
Although Caesar didn''t really say anything about the Church''s role in the betrayal¡ªhe had always talked about the "Empire" or the people in power¡ªBasil was sure that the Church was the true mastermind of the betrayal.
Since every record regarding Pacifer n had been erased, no one knew of the feud between the two sides. Of course, the Church was also doing a good job of keeping it a secret.
None of them openly showed their aggression toward him currently, despite their hatred with Pacifer n. They were afraid of exposing the truth¡ªtheir true self¡ªthat they had painstakingly hidden from the world for thousands of years.
In his past life however, since the situation had been pretty much chaotic at that time, at the moment he had dered himself a Pacifer, the Church had quickly "condemned" him, finding everything he had done was sphemous.
It was not very different than his current situation, but the Church was very subtle in their aggressionpared to what they had done to him in the past.
Different to what had happened to him however, in Iliana''s case, the Church had yed it so good, he could only figure it out now that she had been in a constant war with them. Only now that everything made sense to him as to why Eugene, the Church''s loyal dog, had schemed against Iliana.
He had always thought the problem had been on him; he had thought that Eugene just wanted to make him suffer due to his jealousy toward him. Now, he knew why Iliana had been targeted: she was a Pacifer.
Of course, another question would naturallye up in Basil''s brain: ''How could the Church know Iliana was a Pacifer too?'' He had never heard Iliana dered herself as one nor had Iliana ever attached Pacifer behind her name.
Countless of possibilities ran through his head once again, but he decided to stop thinking once he remembered he could actually figure it out by himself rather than just hypothesizing. Iliana was behind him; he could just ask her, and and piece everything together.
Of course there was a possibility that Iliana might lie, but he didn''t actually need the whole truth to know what was actually going on. He just needed to know a few things to confirm the thing he needed to confirm.
Despite of howplicated his thought was, all of the thinking had actually taken him only a few seconds. Therefore, the silence between him and Iliana didn''tst that long.
Pushing his body upward until he made a handstand pose, he spun his body with his hands toward Iliana, and sat himself¡ªthis time, facing her.
...
Present.
Basil could see Iliana was about to open her mouth, but instantly shut it when he gazed at her. He didn''t have any intention to figure her out, but the brilliant way she hid her emotion and how convincing her story was intrigued him.
Therefore upon facing her, he couldn''t help looking at her curiously. Of course, he was aware that from her point of view he was just intimidating her to force the truth out of her mouth. This is the reason why he put a small smile to ease her.
"Tell me more about thisdy."
There was a few seconds of silence, before Iliana spoke once again. "I guess you have already figured out who I am talking about?" Basil nodded simply, and Iliana lightly sighed at that. "Very well. As you expected, I am talking about your mother, Maya Pacifer."
Looking at Basil, Iliana couldn''t find any hint of surprise or tion from his face upon knowing his mother''s name; he even made her feel she didn''t really need to talk about it any longer. Still, she didn''t stop speaking.
"Maya was a very beautiful woman. Her violet hair was so long, it almost touched the ground; I liked brushing her silky hair, since touching it alone felt amazing." Iliana smiled nostalgically. "Oh, she was a smart woman too; she could make an awesome perfume from any flower she stumbled upon."
Basil lightly hummed to himself. ''It seems Iliana was closer to my mother more than I thought.'' Making perfumes had been also one of Iliana''s hobbies in his past life. She liked to visit many gardens, and took any flower sheid her eyes upon either for her collection or to make perfumes.
"She knows many things about flowers, and she was also the one who made me like flowers. She was kind, thoughtful, full of care, and soft-spoken; I could even fall asleep just by listening to her voice."
In hisst life, Basil hadn''t heard this many things about his mother. He hadn''t even known what his mother had looked like or what kind of a person she had been; what he had been told about was her name. Therefore, he paid close attention to Iliana, now that he could hear it now.
"Maya could sing, and her voice sounded heavenly. She was a pacifist in nature; she hated conflict to her core, so she avoided conflict at all cost. However, she was actually a strong woman who you don''t want to mess with¡ªshe can be stern when she needed to."
Iliana touched her earlobe, and absentmindedly fiddled with her small lotus patterned earring.
"She gave me these earrings on my birthday. They are not luxurious, but they are a treasure to me; she really liked lotus, so they remind me about her so much. That''s why these earrings are special."
She stopped fiddling with her earrings, and sighed in mixed emotion¡ªbitterness, nostalgia, sadness, and relief. Raising her head and looked at Basil in regret, she said, "Sorry, but that''s the only thing I can tell you about your mother. I only stayed with her for not more than five years."
"I see..." Basil caressed his chin thoughtfully. "Can you tell me how she died?"
At the question, Iliana slightly widened her eyes; she didn''t expect Basil would ask such a question to her. Mage or not, one would normally be reluctant talking about that kind of stuff. As expected of Basil, he was indeed different.
"Before I tell you about that, I want you to know about how the Church sees Pacifer n in entirety ..." Iliana paused to look at Basil''s reaction. He merely gestured with his chin, and Iliana continued speaking. "Pacifer n is a n of heretics."
Basil had expected something like this woulde out; he wasn''t surprised. He had been more than once chased by a group of Pdins for a "sphemy," which he had never done in hisst life.
While he got the reason of why Pacifer n wasbeled as a n of heretics¡ªdue to the history between the two¡ªhe still wanted to confirm what his mother''s version of story was. Therefore, he asked Iliana.
"What actually happened between the two?"
"Being a non-believer is a tolerated act, especially if you are a Mage. However, you''ll bebeled as a heretic the moment you say something that ''offends'' their gods, regardless of your status."
Basil quirked his eyebrow in curiosity, as he didn''t quite get where the conversation was heading to. Ignoring Basil''s reaction, Iliana kept talking.
"Pacifer n is not only consisted of talented Mages, but also faithful worshipers ... Of another God. The Church doesn''t like them because of this, and that''s why they were banished out of the Human Empire."
Although Iliana hadn''t told what was the name of the "God" that Pacifer n worshipped, Basil had an inkling that this "God" was the same person with the one Caesar had called ''Our Lord.''
There were two possibilities on why Iliana didn''t exin to him about this God. First, she genuinely didn''t know of the Pacifer n''s history, which is rather strange since she was a Pacifer who had also lived with another Pacifer¡ªhis mother.
Second, she was still keeping it a secret from him for some reason. Either way, Basil didn''t really care much, he had a more important thing to ask.
"If they were banished from Human Empire, how could my mother remain in Braxtein Kingdom?"
"How did you know your mother remained here? Assumption?" Iliana chuckled lightly. In the next moment however, her eyes turned still and cold. "This ce was a hellhole for her, Basil. Your mother didn''t remain here; she was held hostage."
Basil didn''t need to be told; he knew who had held his mother hostage.
The Church.
Chapter 189 Different Scenario (19)
Despite how apparent of who had held his mother hostage, there is something that made him doubt Iliana. "Instead of immediately killing her, why did the Church hold her hostage?"
Iliana quirked her eyebrow in curiosity at Basil''s question. "Aren''t you going to ask me how your mother could take care of me if she was held hostage?"
"She was only being supervised, and not allowed to get out of Braxtein Kingdom." Basil showed Iliana a face that was saying, ''Am I Right?'' and Iliana nodded her head in confirmation. "That is why I wonder; why did they do that in the very first ce?"
"Simple. It is because of your mother''s status. I don''t know much about the detail, but your mother was apparently one of the important people in Pacifer n. So, they held her hostage to bait the rest of the Pacifer n out."
"So..."
"Yes." Iliana nodded her head. "Your mother died because no one from Pacifer n showed up. The Church didn''t see the worth in your mother anymore; they killed her afterward."
"..."
Basil had Irene as his mother figure; she had been by his side since the beginning of his memory. For him, Irene was more of a mother than the mother he hadn''t even seen once, so he shouldn''t be able to feel anything about his mother ... Or that''s what he thought.
Clenching his hand in a fist, he stared at it in puzzlement and wonder. "I have never even seen her face or bonded with her ... Why do I feel angry?"
"It''s because you are her son¡ªher one and only son," Iliana surely responded.
Turning his gaze back at Iliana, Basil softly said, "Tell me about the details." He didn''t want to talk about an emotional matter; it was useless in his opinion.
Iliana was silent for awhile, before started speaking. "I wasn''t there when it happened; Maya had left me with Master Lawson the moment she knew the Executioners woulde for her."
Basil was about to nod his head in understanding, when Iliana added, "However, I know where she died."
"Where?"
"Parteron¡ªthe Garden of Parteron. Due to her obsession with flowers, she asked the Church to be buried there; theyplied to her request, and killed her there ... She was only buried there, mind you? She didn''t have a proper grave."
Basil lowly hummed to himself. ''No wonder why she loved visiting Parteron so much back then. Her beloved mentor ... My mother was buried there. Still...''
"I thought she could only stay in Braxtein Kingdom. How could she know about Parteron that is located in Grittenhein Kingdom?" Iliana''s eyes froze for a second, and Basil noticed it.
Of course in the next second, she already regained herposure. "Living in Randalvine naturally made her one of the most up to date women. As her nature made anyone who came across her instantly liked her, she got many friends. She heard many things from them."
"That includes the existence of the Garden of Parteron?"
"Yes." Iliana nodded lightly.
Basil softly sighed, and muttered, "Very well."
Iliana''s control over her facial expression, and emotion was perfect; he didn''t even detect a single emotion was leaked by her Mana. Still though, for the experienced him, he could easily figure out the part where she was lying the more she talked.
There were only a couple of fundamental things that Basil was sure Iliana didn''t lie about: his mother''s character and appearance, his mother''s death, and his mother''sst resting ce. In other words, Iliana had lied about almost everything about her.
Here is the reason why.
ording to what Nichs had recounted him, his father had been chased by six figures wearing white attire with him in his father''s embrace. Since his father had married a Pacifer¡ªhis mother¡ªhe could now confirm that the figures had been Executioners.
ording to Irene, he had been around three months old when he had been entrusted to Nichs by his father, which means, he had gotten to spend a few months together with his mother before the day of tragedy happened.
Irene had also said that his father had liked to take a vacation for months to an unknown far ce. If his mother had stayed in Randalvine, his father wouldn''t have to spend months just to see her.
If that had been actually the case, his father could have just traveled from his territory to Randalvine in a day, and meet his mother everytime he wanted. Therefore, Basil concluded that his mother''s status as a hostage is a lie made by Iliana.
That way however, the story became even moreplicated. If his mother hadn''t really been held hostage, which is the only exnation of how his father could still meet her before the Church decided to kill him, why was his mother in Randalvine, and why didn''t she meet him?
Then again, there is a possibility that his mother had only been held hostage after his father''s execution. If that was the case however, the story became paradoxical since his father had been killed due to his tie with his mother, which makes it illogical as to why his father was killed, but his mother wasn''t.
''I feel like I am missing something ... Why did my father run away with me in the very first ce?''
Basil thought of another possibility: his father must have been in the way of bringing his mother to his territory, when the Church caught a whiff of a Pacifer''s presence. This way, he could exin the reason why his father had run away with him.
''As for my mother...''
Since catching a high profile Pacifer was a rare chance, the Church had held his mother hostage upon having caught her in hope of luring out the rest of Pacifer n. His mother had known of this, and managed to escape from the Church''s clutch, thus sessfully annulled her status as a hostage.
Different than his mother however, his father had failed in running away, and gotten instantly executed due to his sin of mingling with a Pacifer¡ªa heretic. Knowing this, his mother had toy low to avoid meeting the same fate as his father.
When his thought reached to that point, Basil was convinced that this is the reason why his mother couldn''t escape Braxtein Kingdom, and had stayed in Randalvine without even meeting him once.
In other words, his mother hadn''t been executed because the Church found her no longer held any worth; she had been found out, and she was aware of her imminent death. This is why she had entrusted Iliana to Lawson.
He was sure that the Church wasn''t that benevolent to hear thest request of his mother¡ªa heretic who had been running away from them for a long time¡ªso she must''ve been executed in her residence.
That means, her body being buried in Parteron must have been solely Iliana''s initiative. He doubted Lawson had even helped her in this matter.
''There might be a possibility that even Iliana watched my mother died in her residence.''
Basil clicked his tongue in distaste. He didn''t know whether he should feel d that he had uncovered another secret or be enraged by what the Church had done to everyone close to him.
Of course, Basil knew more than anyone to not let his emotion drive him. He still had another thing to talk about with Iliana. The talk hadn''t ended yet; he was going to call Iliana out in one of her lies.
"I know you are a Pacifer too."
"..."
This way, every one of her lie regarding herself, and her story about his mother would be unveiled. He would force the truth out of her mouth this time.
If previously Iliana had only her eyes frozen, she was petrified this time. Looking at Basil with eyes widened in shock, she couldn''t even open her mouth to deny what Basil had just said; she could only clutched her hands tightly, lowered her head, and kept her silence.
Basil looked at her silently for awhile, before opening his mouth. "I don''t have any intention to expose you; as a Pacifer myself, I will never do that. I just want you to tell me about our n, and a little bit of yourself, if you are willing."
"..."
The silence was perceived, but Basil didn''t urge Iliana to speak; he knew she was bound to do it. He merely looked at her silently, and observed every single detail of her that his [Eyes of Mana Perception] could perceive.
He could see that her Mana was threatening to burst out of her body due to her frustration¡ªat the failure of her lie, he presumed¡ªand he could feel the emotion that her Mana subtly conveyed.
Basil wished he could read her mind; if he could, he would be able to admire how many thoughts were going on inside her head in a split second.
Like him, Iliana, too, was a deep thinker. Therefore it didn''t take her long to arrange what she should say to Basil to exin herself.
"I am not sorry for hiding my identity to you; it was for my safety, and Maya''s sake." Despite of how sure her tone was, her eyes were true to herself: she was sorry for lying to Basil. "A female Pacifer cannot reveal that they are a Pacifer."
Ignoring the fact that Iliana said his mother was one of the reasons she had lied to him, Basil quirked his eyebrow in interest. "What makes a male Pacifer different from a female Pacifer? I can dere myself as a Pacifer."
Despite knowing that no one was actually around them, Iliana still looked around to make sure; she even quickly prepared an Istion Spell to prevent a single ear from listening to their conversation.
"Your worry is unneeded; I have isted us since the beginning." Of course, Basil, who was extremely cautious, was ahead of her. Therefore, she cancelled her Spell afterward. "You can tell me about it." Basil gestured his hand at her.
"Well, the reason why a female Pacifer is different from a male Pacifer is because... Pacifer n don''t have a male member."
"..."
This time, Basil was the one who got speechless. ''What in my awesomeness does this nonsense mean? What am I? A fake Pacifer? Oh, let me guess. A female trapped in a male body?!'' At the silly thought, Basil quickly shook his head.
"Can you please borate?" At his word, Iliana gazed at Basil silently, and lightly sighed in helplessness.
"Due to the Art we practice, none of the women in Pacifer n can give birth to a boy. Therefore, Pacifer n is filled with women; the husband of the women of Pacifer n can never be considered as a Pacifer. So, your existence as a male Pacifer is an anomaly."
Disregarding the fact that Caesar had confirmed that he was, in fact, a Pacifer, Basil suddenly doubted his heritage as a Pacifer upon hearing Iliana''s word.
Chapter 190 Different Scenario (20)
Uncaring to Basil''s sudden existential crisis, Iliana pointed to herself. "Due to that reason, people¡ªthe Church¡ªbelieve that the real Pacifer must be a woman." Then, she pointed her finger to Basil.
"Unlike you, whose identity as a Pacifer is doubted by the Church, if I were to attach Pacifer behind my name, they would take my head before I knew it. Of course, they would do it discreetly since they don''t want the world to know of the feud they have with Pacifer n."
Having recovered from his sudden existential crisis, Basil hummed to himself. "Is that the reason why the Church doesn''t take an immediate action upon seeing Pacifer behind my name? They are still hesitating?"
"Yes and no." Iliana shook hear head faintly. "They actually don''t doubt your heritage as a Pacifer; they doubt your existence as a Pacifer."
"Yes?" While Basil was slightly puzzled, he had an inkling of where the talk was heading to. "Is this something along the lines of the fated child whose birth will change the fate of the n?" He couldn''t even hold back a chuckle at how amusing it sounded to him.
"Y-Yeah. How did you know?"
Basil''s reaction was instantaneous; his smile that was full of amusement was wiped off his face, as he turned his serious gaze to Iliana. He was actually hoping Iliana was messing around like usual, but she was being serious judging by how flustered she was.
"I don''t want to hear a joke."
"A joke? I thought you didn''t know anything about our n!" With how serious Iliana said it, Basil found out that the fiction like scenario he had said earlier was spot on.
Putting a hand on his forehead, Basil massaged his eyebrows lightly. When he was done, he looked at Iliana once again in a very faint disbelief.
"Tell me the details."
"Let me tell you that I didn''t stay with the Pacifer that long, so I can''t tell you that much about our n."
"Is it because the situation that forced your father to bring you here?"
"Yes."
"Where did you actually¡ª"
Iliana put up her hand. "I will exin to you about thatter, so hear me out first." Basil nodded his head lightly, and Iliana started speaking. "Pacifer n is filled with talented Mages¡ªfemale Mages. Different than the Mages you know however, our n''s Mages are special."
Basil slightly quirked his eyebrow, and Iliana smiled at that. "I have told you that we, Pacifer n, worship another God, haven''t I? Well, actually we don''t worship a God; wemunicate with whatever God we can connect ourselves to."
"Are you telling me we are consisted of a bunch of delusional people?"
Basil simply couldn''t believe the absurdness of Iliana''s word. He had always ridiculed the people of the Church for their belief, but turns out his n was also the same; he just couldn''t bear with the irony.
"Hold your horses, boy. I haven''t told you anything yet," Iliana said in slight annoyance. "Pacifer n see nature as the true deity, and we are naturally more in tune with Nature than the rest of the human poption."
Gesturing to her surrounding, she continued, "What our n perceive asmunicating with God is to be one with nature. We are in tune with it, and we find that we canmunicate with it. Of course, not just everyone can do it; only some of the chosen women of our n have the ability to."
"Are they the Priest of our n?"
"Quite simr, but no¡ªwe don''t have Priest." Iliana shook her head lightly. "Instead, we have Dmitra. They are the chosen women in Pacifer n, who can be one with nature; all of them are invincible when they do so."
Basil cupped his chin, and mused over the thing Iliana had said. No matter how he saw it, the concept behind Dmitra was simr to Priest; what makes them different is only the fact that Dmitra admitted that they were a Mage.
Other than that, everything is pretty much simr. While Priest utilized Miracle, Dmitra utilized Nature energy¡ªfrom what Iliana had described. It seemed different, but both were utilizing energy that came from an unknown origin¡ªtheir "Gods'' power."
Of course, this was only Basil''s hypothesis; he hadn''t heard anything about how Dmitra actually utilized the power from Iliana yet. Therefore, he couldn''t just conclude that Priest and Dmitra were basically the same.
"Dmitra''s ability to be one with nature frightens the Church, because not only can Dmitra achieve the same feat that any Priest does, but also exceeds them at some point. Pacifer n is deemed a n of heretic simply due to our special trait."
"How foolish. Being insecure just because their ''Gods'' are not the only existing ''Gods'' that can make people achieve the same feat..." Basil snorted coldly. "Who do they think will care of such a matter?"
"Many," Iliana seriously answered. "What makes up the human poption is not us Mages, but civilians. Why do you think civilians believe in their crap? Yes, Miracle. Now, imagine if the existence of another group of people who can do the same thing appears."
When the crowd of civilians, who only believed in Gods due to the power they showed through the Miracle the Priests possessed, knew of the existence of another God, their belief would naturally be shaken.
Although there were some of the fanatics and the firm believers whose belief could never be swayed by the emergence of a new god, they didn''t make the majority of the Church''s followers.
The ordinary believers, whose belief was already shaken, could easily convert to another "religion"¡ªPacifer n¡ªand became Pacifer n''s followers, which in turn made Pacifer n gain influence. The Church didn''t want this to happen.
Basil lightly sneered, and contemptuously said, "They really are afraid of losing their influence." Basil waved his hand nonchntly. "I can care less with their nonsense; there is already bad blood between us. Keep going with your story."
Iliana exhaled lightly, and continued speaking. "As you might expect, your mother was a Dmitra¡ªa high ranked one, at that. That is the reason why the Church killed her."
"What about you? What is you rtionship with her?"
"That will be because of your father." As she sensed a questioning, Iliana immediately exined herself. "After marrying your father, Maya left the ''vige,'' and lived with your father. Your mother was one of the reasons why my father brought me here."
Although Basil was quite intrigued with the "vige," his attention was focused on the fact that his mother had left the "vige." The statement is ambiguous.
While there might be a possibility that his mother had indeed left the vige after marrying his father, the ce where she had stayed at was questionable due to his father''s habit.
Irene had made clear that his father had always taken his time to go on a "vacation," which Basil could easily conclude was just him paying a visit to his mother. That means, his father had to travel to a far ce, which could possibly be Pacifer n''s vige or just another rural ce.
Since Iliana didn''t borate further about where his mother had stayed after leaving the "vige," she could be either lying or telling the truth about her mother leaving the "vige."
"What is the other reason of why you left the ''vige?''"
"I can see you are questioning about why I call it ''vige'' instead of just vige, so I will kindly exin to you." Iliana faintly smirked.
"Due to our feud with the Church, Pacifer n is nomadic; we move from ce to ce to avoid the Pdins. So, the vige is not actually a vige since it is often destroyed by them." Iliana shrugged.
"So, Pacifer n is hunted?"
"Isn''t it a little bitte to realize that?" Iliana chuckled humorlessly.
As Basil''s eyes turned colder, he frowned his forehead. Although he was aware of the bad blood between the two sides, he didn''t think the Church would go to such lengths to the point of actively hunting Pacifer n.
It wasn''t because he didn''t consider the possibility¡ªmuch to his embarrassment, he had even doubted the survival Pacifer n¡ªit was pointless for the Church to hunt after an "extinct" n, after all.
By listening to Iliana''s story however, he could confirm that there were still Pacifer out there. Although he didn''t know how many living Pacifer there were, he was sure they were quite many since they could even build a vige on their own.
"At that time..." Basil refocused his attention to Iliana, as soon as she started speaking once again. "At that time, a group of Pdins found our vige. Although we are not powerless, we were outnumbered so bad that fighting them would be suicide."
Iliana clenched her hand. "Me and my father fled the vige to save our lives ... Andplete a mission¡ªfinding the whereabouts of the second Maha Dmitra, Maya Pacifer, who had left the ''vige'' a couple of years ago."
"Did you know where my mother was?"
"No." Iliana shook hear head. "We didn''t know where she actually was. What my father and I had in our mind back then was only staying alive. We ran to wherever our heart led us to, and ended up in Braxtein Kingdom. Meeting your mother was just a coincidence."
"That makes your actual rtionship with my mother¡ª"
? "Yes, she was my mentor." A faint smile decorated Iliana''s face. "You know, while every woman in Pacifer n has a potential to be a Dmitra, not just everyone can be one."
Puffing her chest, Iliana proudly dered, "I, as a genius who is only born once in 2000 years, posses the potential to be a Maha Dmitra. I will let you know what is the difference between Maha Dmitra and Hina Dmitra just so you can admire my brilliance."
"Hoh? Tell me." Basil quirked his eyebrow in interest, and slight amusement.
"There can be only 7 Maha Dmitra at a time. They are the best out of the best Dmitra. On the other hand, Hina Dmitra is not restricted by number; anyone can be a Hina Dmitra as long as they are diligent enough to learn the way to utilize the Art."
Basil didn''t need Iliana to exin what the Art was; he already knew that was the inherited Art that allowed a Pacifer to be one with nature¡ªto be a Dmitra.
That means, this is the very Art that made Pacifer n''s women couldn''t give birth to a boy, which makes his existence doubtful.
Chapter 191 Different Scenario (End)
"Maha Dmitra is only chosen once one of the 7 living Dmitra is dead. And no, the living Maha Dmitra can''t choose a new Maha Dmitra; a new Dmitra is chosen by nature. The chosen person will experience an Awakening, which will naturally notify the existing Maha Dmitra."
Puffing her chest, Iliana continued. "I, however, was chosen when I was still a child, while all of the Maha Dmitra were alive. This is the reason why I am different¡ªwhy I am special.
"How did you know that¡ª"
"As you have already known, your mother was a Maha Dmitra. That is the reason why all of Maha Dmitra told my father and I to seek for your mother." Iliana smiled at Basil.
"The first Maha Dmitra told me and my father to find out whether your mother¡ªwhose status as a Maha Dmitra was unknown¡ªwas still alive to prove if I really was an ''abnormality,'' and to seek guidance from your mother if she turned out to be still alive."
From the way Iliana had worded it, his mother had cut every ties the moment his mother had left the vige¡ªafter she had married his father.
As something like Iliana''s case had never happened before, surely the n believed that it was some kind of a sign. Therefore, finding his mother''s whereabouts didn''t only confirm her status as a Dmitra¡ªwhether she was still alive¡ªbut also Iliana''s identity as an unprecedented talent.
This way however, another one of Iliana''s lie was unveiled. Basil looked at her silently; although he had expected Iliana was lying, he didn''t expect Iliana would expose herself this soon.
"My mother wasn''t held hostage, was she? How could she nurture a Pacifer under the surveince of the Church if she was?"
"Well... Isn''t it toote to realize that?" Iliana looked away.
"With how long my mother could educate you until the Church caught her shows my mother''s capability to hide herself; she could stay under the Church''s radar for years ... It doesn''t make sense. If she was that good at hiding, why did she never visit her son even once?"
Basil had no ties with his mother; he didn''t have the chance to bond with her. In his mind, he can never lose something he has never had, but hearing Iliana''s story about his mother made him slightly disappointed.
Although he was well aware that his mother could never reveal her identity, he wished, at least, his mother had showed up once in front of him and disguised herself as someone else just so she could spend a little bit of her time with him.
''If that had been the case, maybe, just maybe, I wouldn''t have run around the world aimlessly thinking I was alone. If only...'' Basil quickly stopped thinking about the matter as his thought reached to that point. He was driven by emotion, and he didn''t like it.
Sighing lightly to himself, he asked, "What is this circumstance she talked about? Her duty as a Maha Dmitra to educate a new Dmitra?" Basil frowned right after saying his question; it came out unintentionally spiteful.
"Huuh... I knew something like this would happen." Iliana bit her lower lip delicately. "Listen, Sil. This is the reason why I lied about your mother''s status as a hostage: I knew you would hate her for her decision to not meet you."
Basil quirked his eyebrow, and was ready to retort, when Iliana quickly added, "Hear me out first! Your mother loved you dearly; she didn''t choose me, her disciple, over you, her son. The reason why she didn''t meet you is for your safety.
Despite theck of reaction from Basil, Iliana still put up her hand to prevent him from talking.
"This has something to do with your existence¡ªyour worth. To get what I mean, I will tell you about our n''s legend¡ªa prophecy that has existed since the beginning of After Chaos Era¡ªthe story of the fated boy."
Even though Iliana hadn''t said anything yet, Basil already cringed at the title of the story he was about to hear. No matter how weird the things he had been through, he still didn''t want to believe something about fate¡ªlet alone a prophecy about him.
Of course, he was too intrigued with the story to mind that. Since he had heard about some things that Pacifer n had done in the past from Caesar, Basil wanted to hear how much believable the things the story contained.
"As I have told you already, Pacifer n is made up of women; none of the women in Pacifer n can give birth to a boy. One day, the first ever male was born in Pacifer n; he was the embodiment of genius, whose talent defied the heavens."
"The first ever male? Wasn''t Pacifer n''s founder a male?" Basil was referring to Matheus.
"No. Who told you that Pacifer n''s founder was a male?" Iliana quirked her eyebrow. "Pacifer n was founded by the strongest female warrior and her subordinates in the Age of Chaos."
"Have you ever heard of someone named Matheus?"
"Matheus? No. As far as I''m concerned, there was no such person named Matheus." Looking at Basil seriously, Iliana asked, "Whom did you hear about this Matheus from?"
Waving his hand lightly, Basil casually answered, "Don''t mind it. Keep telling me your story." Iliana looked at Basil for a couple of seconds in curiosity. Seeing that Basil didn''t want to talk anymore however, she shrugged lightly afterward.
"The first ever male born in Pacifer n grew up to be a man whose prowess made him one of the feared warriors at that time. He could fight a horde of Monsters by himself, and his progress in Magic far exceeded everyone¡ªhe was a genius whose prowess was akin to a monster."
"So, this man was the backbone of Pacifer n?"
At Basil''s question, Iliana nodded her head in confirmation. "Yes. He was the backbone of Pacifer n, and also its First Male Leader."
She lightly frowned. "Sess naturally invites envy; every other existing ns started to fear Pacifer n for this one man''s existence. One day, each leader of the n who felt threatened by the First Male Leader worked together and made a n to kill him."
In exception of the man''s role, so far, the story really resembled the story of the ''Lord'' that Caesar had served in the past¡ªthe master of Pacifer n. Basil wondered whether it was actually referring to him or someone else.
"The n leaders proposed that they should finish the First Male Leader in the battlefield, and the others quickly agreed. The n was carried out, and the First Male Leader ended up ''dying in the battlefield.''"
"Weren''t there eyewitnesses? What about his subordinates?"
"ording to the story, the four n leaders who betrayed Pacifer n''s First Male Leader invited him to help them and their subordinates in the battlefield. Due to his prowess, of course, the First Male Leader was confident in being able to help them by himself. That''s why there was not a single eyewitness."
"What about¡ª"
"Of course, there was some suspicion. Due to the magnitude of the damage the First Male Leader had done to the four n leaders and their subordinates however, everyone believed in their lie: the First Male Leader was subdued by a strong Monster."
Basil snorted coldly in disdain. "Foolish. He, who hath power but no mind, is no different than a pawn. Although I have expected it, I am still slightly disappointed."
"Calm down, boy. It''s just a story." Iliana waved her hand in a cating manner. "There is not even an actual proof of this man''s existence; the story just conveniently lined up with our n''s downfall, making many of us believe in this story. Besides, it''s more epic this way, don''t you think?"
"So, what is the corrtion of this story with the prophecy?"
At Basil''s straightforwardness, Iliana lightly sighed. "As I said, this story lined up with our n''s downfall. After the First Male Leader''s death, our n started to lose its powerhouses in the battlefield one by one, until only the 7 Maha Dmitra remained alive."
Upon reaching to this point, the story was already different than the one Caesar had told him about his ''Lord.'' Though he didn''t expect the ''Lord'' to be the same person as Pacifer n''s First Male Leader, he still couldn''t shake off the feeling that there was a corrtion between the two stories.
"At this point, our previously mighty n had gained so many enemies that every Pacifer was practically hunted. Before the 7 Maha Dmitra ran away to safety the first Maha Dmitra, who was about to be killed at that time, dered to the world that when Pacifer n got another boy, this very boy would bring Pacifer n back to its glory, and avenge his ancestors."
Looking at Basil neutrally, Iliana continued, "Only a Maha Dmitra can give birth to this boy, and that''s what makes a Maha Dmitra special. Everyone, who knew of the prowess the First Male Leader had possessed, were terrified of this deration. That''s why¡ª"
"Pacifer n was, and still is, hunted, especially Maha Dmitra. Now that I am already born..." Basil quirked his eyebrow at Iliana, and she nodded in confirmation. "You said it was everyone, but howe only the Church that are hot on our tails?"
"Oh, I forgot to tell you that the four n leaders who had killed the First Male Leader disappeared a few days after his death. Their n that they left behind decided to merge themselves, while some of the crazy bunch decided to make a cult; that''s the history of the Church."
Basil slightly frowned not at at the oversimplified history of the Church, but the striking simrity of the story with the one Basil had heard from Caesar. The ''Lord'' Caesar had mentioned had been also betrayed by four people¡ªthe Four Heroes.
''While it is normal for a legend to resemble history, it usually doesn''t ovep this much. It is as if... The story is purposefully modified to prevent the public from knowing the real event.''
Upon having that thought, Basil quickly shook his head; he knew not to hypothesize everything in his mind, when he had an informant in front of him. Thus, he opted to stay silent, and kept listening to Iliana''s story.
"The new leader of the merged four ns was the First Human Emperor. Though this new n¡ªthe Empire¡ªis not as crazy as the Church concerning Pacifer n, once they confirm about your authenticity as a Pacifer, you''ll be doomed, Sil."
Putting her finger in front of her lips, Iliana coldly said, "You can keep your name, but make sure to not show any Pacifer n''s trait. They will hate to know that the ''fated boy'' does exist."
Quirking her eyebrow, Iliana crossed her hands. "Your mother didn''t visit you to prevent them from confirming your identity as a Pacifer¡ªher son. She knew she would be caught one day."
"I see..."
Although he hadn''t heard about everything from Iliana yet, he could make sure of many things.
First, Pacifer n still existed and they were hunted, thus further fortifying his grudge against the Church. Second, he was in a very great danger due to his name; once he was really proven to be a Pacifer, that would be the end of his stay in Human Empire.
Upon knowing of the things he didn''t get to know in his past life, he changed his course of ns once again. Different from his past life, he wasn''t clueless this time.
"Tell me, what is the trait of a Pacifer?"
Although there were still some things he knew Iliana still lied about, he didn''t really need the true story yet; he only needed some basic and fundamental knowledge from her.
In an instant, his mind simted another yet a different scenario¡ªa better scenario.
Chapter 192 How It Feels To Be The Loser
"Despite knowing that you are one, you don''t know your own trait, huh?" Iliana quirked her eyebrow in amusement. "Very well, I will tell you about it. First, we have an abnormal vitality that makes us really good in be¡ª"
"I don''t need to know that." Basil raised this hand to stop Iliana from speaking any further.
"Are you sure?" Crossing her hands below her chest, she pushed her two assets up. "Would you rather to figure it out directly?" She looked at Basil suggestively.
"Quit yapping nonsense." Basil waved his hand mildly in dismissal. "We can talk about that when you are old enough."
Iliana''s eyebrow twitched, and she was definitely irritated by Basil''s word. However, she was professional enough to make it apparent.
"Kuhum! Second, our control over Mana is off the charts, so naturally all of us possess Grand Circle; talent still decides the amount of Grand Circle you can possess though. Third, we can practice [One With Nature] which is the Art of Dmitra."
At the third trait¡ªan obvious fact¡ªBasil looked at Iliana with eyes that were saying, ''Really?'' Iliana graciously ignored it, and kept going on with her exnation; she did that purposefully just to get him back for his insult on her beauty.
"Fourth, we are a natural empath due to our high sensitivity over Mana. And thest one, the fifth, is the Pacifer Seal; this is the aparent proof of a Pacifer. Pacifer Seal is bestowed upon you by Maha Dmitra, and it also one of the requirements to be a Dmitra."
Seeing Basil tilted his head, Iliana misunderstood it as confusion. "Since you weren''t born in the vige, you naturally don''t have it. However, that doesn''t mean you are not a Pacifer. You can get it when we visit the vige ... If we are lucky enough to find it, that is."
Waving her hand mildly, she continued, "Anyway, you should be d that you don''t have Pacifer Seal yet. Those who don''t suit to be a Dmitra¡ªwho can''t practice [One With Nature]¡ªcan''t hide the seal, after all."
Iliana closed her eyes, and gathered her Mana to her heart. Her Mana overwhelmed the surrounding air for a moment, before calming down; in each passing second, her Mana became calmer, but her presence became even more overwhelming.
Basil watched the scene in wonderment and interest. ''Is this [One With Nature]? Interesting. I have always matched Nature Mana''s wavelength to hide my Mana Signature, but this Art allows her to straight up absorb Nature Mana, which in turn makes her undetectable ... She truly bes one with nature indeed.''
A few seconds after, a circr pattern with four arrows pointing to the four major directions appeared on Iliana''s forehead; it was shining in amethyst color. Opening her eyes in the next moment, she gazed at Basil calmly.
Everything about her changed: her aura, her presence, and the way she utilized her Mana. She was there, but she didn''t feel like she was there. She wasn''t exuding any power, but her presence remained strong ... She became more profound.
Seeing that she managed to pick Basil''s interest, Iliana pointed to the middle of her forehead, at the Pacifer Seal.
"If you had had it and you didn''t suit to be a Dmitra, the seal, colored in ck like a tattoo, will always be on your forehead; you would''ve naturally been killed since it is a dead giveaway that you are a Pacifer. Even those who are talented, like me, still need some time to master the way to hide it."
"Is that so?"
"Yes," Iliana nodded her head, "therefore, you shouldn''t..."
Iliana was about to exin that Basil didn''t need to doubt his identity as a Pacifer since he apparently possessed every traits that any Pacifer had, but upon seeing what he was doing next, she couldn''t bring herself to open her mouth.
''[Star Withering] allows me to absorb Mana that is imbued with Star Energy. Using the same principle that makes [Star Withering] absorb Star Energy, I should be able to absorb Nature Mana to imitate [One With Nature]. But, I don''t need actually need to do that.''
Closing his eyes, Basil felt his connection with the Fragment in his soul. He appeared in his Mindscape in the next moment, and the Fragment appeared in front of him in the form of a five meters tall stone tablet.
Only a fourth of it had writings carved on it; though he could see the shining characters clearly, Basil still couldn''t understand the content. Of course, it doesn''t really matter. He didn''t visit his Mindscape toprehend the Fragment.
Extending his hand to the Fragment, he put his palm on its surface. The foreign yet profound characters shone even brighter, until Basil waspletely engulfed in the light.
''Ah, this feeling ... Ites again.'' Basil was assaulted with the foreign feeling which he was quite already familiar with¡ªthe sensation he always felt whenever he entered a trance.
He gradually felt like his soul was pulled out of his body, and it was left floating above his body; he didn''t feel like he was himself, but he still had a full control over his body. In this state, he saw the world differently both figuratively and literally.
Though Basil felt like everything happened slowly, it all happened in just 9 seconds in reality. When the process was finished, Basil slowly raised his eyelids, revealing his golden eyes to the world.
Iliana, who had witnessed the scene since the very beginning, had her mouth tightly closed, and eyes widened in disbelief. She could see the same pattern that was on her forehead, the Pacifer Seal, on Basil''s forehead; it was shining in golden light just like his eyes.
Iliana had told Basil that he was different the moment they were reunited. However at that time, she had mostly referred to his physical appearance and growth than his faint change in demeanor and apparent change in aura.
This time however, she could confidently say that she didn''t know the person she was looking at; she couldn''t say the person she was looking at was, in fact, Basil. Sure the face still belonged to Basil, but the presence ... She couldn''t even begin with.
"You are confused," Basil said with a smile.
Iliana couldn''t immediately answer; her body froze upon hearing Basil''s calm voice. She felt a great urge to bow down in front of him. It was as if she was in the presence of a Maha Dmitra, whom she had only met once a couple of years ago.
''No, this is much worse. Not even the first Maha Dmitra gave me this feeling.'' By the time she realized it, she was already looking down. Raising her gaze slowly, she stared at Basil carefully.
"Who are you?"
Instead of immediately answering, Basil hummed to himself. "I am not quite sure of who I am. In the very first ce, what defines oneself? Name? Appearance? Attitude? Unique traits? Nothing actually defines oneself; one just exists."
"What are you¡ª"
"Is it normal for not feeling you are not yourself but you are yourself when you are in this state?" Basil quirked his eyebrow at Iliana. "Being able to materialize Pacifer Seal ... Does that make me a Dmitra?"
"I¡ªI don''t know what you are talking about ..." As Basil tilted his head in wonderment, Iliana trailed off her word. "But, I can tell you that being able to materialize Pacifer Seal at will makes you a Dmitra ... That''s what makes Dmitra different than the rest of the n members, who can''t do that."
"Is that so? Am I utilizing [One With Nature] now?"
Iliana felt like she was being questioned by her parents; she was strangely nervous, and was afraid to say something wrong. Luckily she was a strong woman, therefore she could maintain herposure in front of the "new" Basil.
"I can''t say whether you are utilizing [One With Nature], but it feels simr ... Can I ask you something?"
"Speak." Although Basil said it softly, it felt like amand in Iliana''s ears.
"Whom did you get the seal from?"
"Whom?" Basil quirked his eyebrow. "I wasn''t bestowed with it; I was born with it. The moment I broke through to the Middle Realm, the seal naturally appeared on my forehead."
Basil wasn''t quite sure whether he was really born with it, but from what Matheus had told him about Pacifer n, he should''ve been born with the seal. ''Just like any other Pacifer n member,'' he thought. This is why he was a little bit surprised upon knowing that, unlike him, Iliana had hers bestowed upon her by a Maha Dmitra.
"The prophecy is real..." Iliana muttered. "You really are the fated boy. My..." Iliana sighed, and retracted her Pacifer Seal; she sounded like someone who couldn''t believe what they were seeing.
Basil also did the same as the Pacifer Seal gradually disappeared from his forehead; his eyes lost its golden luster, as they regained their original color back. Before long, Basil returned to "normal," and Iliana felt familiar with him once again.
"You are more of an anomaly than myself, Sil ... Be careful with that." She tapped the middle of her forehead. "Once you show that in front of the public, it will be your end. The Church will not be the only one yearning for your blood, but the Empire will too."
Basil hummed to himself, instead of responding to Iliana. Prior to materializing the seal consciously, Basil had always had a moment of trance, and an unpleasant sense of incongruence within himself.
Now however, although he didn''t feelfortable yet with the feeling, he felt more familiar to it. He could even surely say he wouldn''t find himself in a trance any longer¡ªhe felt plete."
He didn''t quite understand Matheus at first, when Matheus had told him that one of the Pacifer''s traits would surprise him upon breaking through to the Middle Realm. Now however, he could finally understand what Matheus was actually referring to.
Basil gazed at Iliana calmly. "When I breakthrough to the Upper Realm, let''s visit the vige. I can feel where the other Pacifer are at¡ªjust like how I can feel you in my hands."
Pacifer Seal allowed him to find his people ... And one of the remaining Fragments.
Chapter 193 How It Feels To Be The Loser (2)
Iliana widened her eyes in surprise. "You can feel the other Pacifer? Does your Pacifer Seal allow you to do that?" She was rather bewildered and sceptical.
"Yes."
"That is..." Iliana frowned lightly. "That shouldn''t be possible. Only Maha Dmitra can do that. Did you, by any chance, receive your Pacifer Seal from your¡ªno, it won''t be possible either; Babies can''t bear the burden Pacifer Seal gives them."
Iliana was muttering to herself, and Basil looked at her in interest. While he couldn''t really exin where he had gotten his seal from, he was sure it wasn''t something that a Maha Dmitra had bestowed him; like he had said, he was born with it.
"Huuh... you really are an anomaly, aren''t you?" In the end, Iliana decided to give up. "Anyway, why do you have to wait until you break through to the Upper Realm to look for our n?" She looked at Basil curiously.
"Because, by then ... I already have the minimum power to protect myself and the people I care for from the world."
"The world...?" Iliana was slightly confused as she had thought Basil would say something along the lines of protecting his family from the Church and the Empire.
Basil gave Iliana a small iprehensible smile, and sagely said, "The world is a dangerous ce, don''t you think? We can never surely know who our allies, and who our enemies are. Before I can make sure of that, the whole world is my enemy."
"So that is the case..." Iliana was sure there was more to it, but she opted to not pursue the matter any longer. She knew to never question anything rted to a Mage''s private matter too much.
Furthermore, she had already understood Basil''s reason to wait until he broke through to the Upper Realm: so he could be ready if something went wrong. It was already enough to satisfy her curiosity.
"From the way you behaved back then, I conclude that you understand what I did to Deacon. Can you tell me about it?"
"Oh, that is Blessing." Iliana nodded her head.
"Yes?" Basil was slightly taken aback at the fact that he had named the act correctly. "Kuhum! Can you tell me more about what is Blessing?"
"Aren''t you a strange one? Despite being able to do it, you don''t know what it is?" Basil nodded once, and Iliana chuckled in amusement. "Very well, listen to me closely." Raising her right hand up, she channeled her Mana in a unique way to it.
"Blessing is the way we greet each other as a fellow n member. It was originally something that only a Maha Dmitra does; they bestow Pacifer Seal upon someone this way. Therefore, they were the only individuals who could do it."
Iliana''s palm shone in blue, giving off a warm feeling.
"Blessing only became the n''s way of greeting, after a Hina Dmitra found a way to imitate it. She taught everyone how to do it, and it became popr ever since. Of course, this Blessing is different from the one that a Maha Dmitra does."
Pushing her hand forward, she stopped it before it touched Basil''s forehead. "Can I?" Basil nodded, and she immediately put her palm on Basil''s forehead. "As its name suggested, Blessing shows that we care for our fellow Pacifer, and we want them to live a good life."
"So, we bless them?"
"Yes." Iliana smiled, and said, "May my blessing apany you."
The blue light on her palm shone even more intense as Basil felt a warm feeling enveloping his entire existence; he closed his eyes to revel in the sensation. Iliana looked at the scene, and slightly teared up.
A few seconds after, the light died down and Iliana took her hand off Basil''s forehead. Thetter opened his eyes afterward, then looked at the former with a slightly puzzled face.
"Why are you crying?"
"I always wanted to do that..." Iliana said it in a barely audible.
Of course, Basil, whose body had exceeded the human''s boundary, was different. "Did you mean the act of Blessing someone?"
Iliana nodded her head. "Hm. I thought I was always alone ... I am d that the day I meet my fellow n member hase."
Basil hummed to himself, and recalled a memory of his past life. Iliana had never once blessed him when she had been alive. Before she died however, though he didn''t feel like he had been really Blessed, she had done the same gesture.
¡ªI am sorry.
He didn''t get what she had been actually sorry for, but now he could tell: Iliana had been sorry for keeping him in the dark for too long. He wasn''t upset with that.
Considering how he had been in the past, he understood Iliana''s choice. For the naive and powerless him of the past, he would have only killed himself by "avenging" his n if Iliana had told him the truth.
''Avenge I never do; grudge I never forget.'' He didn''t know what kind of a n his n was, and he didn''t feel any emotional ties to it yet. However, he had the same enemy as his n. For this reason alone, he would help his n avenge themselves ... In his own way.
Iliana wiped the tiny bit of tears off her eyes, and regained herposure afterward. Looking at Basil once again, she smiled warmly. "Furthermore, I can meet the son of my mentor¡ªthe person she entrusted to me."
Basil quirked his eyebrow. "If I didn''t put Pacifer behind my name, how would you find me?"
"That is easy, Sil." Iliana smiled. "Although it would take a little bit more time, I could still easily find you." She pointed to her nose. "Your Mana smells like your mother''s; I am familiar with it."
"Can you smell Mana?"
"Seriously?" Iliana quirked her eyebrow. "I thought you were a bright one."
"I know you are talking about Mana signature, but the way you said it makes me think you can really smell Mana."
"Do you think it is possible?"
"Not for you."
"Huh? You can?"
"Yes."
"R-Really?"
"No, I''m just joking."
"..."
The Pacifer duo weren''t naturally a sociable person. Though they could easily insult everyone here and there and made it look like a joke, none of them had actually ever joked before; they were too serious to do that.
Therefore when Basil had joked, Iliana couldn''t respond properly. Ironically, the one who had joked also couldn''t tell why he had done that; he didn''t find the joke was funny either. Still, he found messing with Iliana amusing.
"That was not funny..."
"I know." Basil nodded his head simply.
Iliana sighed. "You are a unique one, aren''t you?" Smiling helplessly, Iliana took Basil''s hand and put it on her head. "I''ve Blessed you, now you bless me."
Basil didn''t respond her verbally; he merely channeled his Mana to his hand and utilized it in the same unique way he had done before. His hand was glowing in white in the next moment, as warmth overwhelmed Iliana''s entire being.
"My blessing shall apany you."
Upon hearing those words, Iliana opened her eyes widely, and looked at Basil incredulously. ''This is¡ªthis is wrong...'' She wasn''t referring to the words Basil had said. ''This feeling ... A Blessing doesn''t give you this feeling. T-This is not just a Blessing!''
Basil couldn''t read what Iliana was thinking, but he could tell from her Mana that she was genuinely flustered and confused. ''It must be because of the different way I am doing it.'' He knew that it had something to do with his Blessing though.
Basil took his hand off Iliana''s forehead a few seconds after, and his palm stopped glowing. Just like what he had felt after he had Blessed Deacon, he felt that his "connection" with Iliana had be stronger; he felt more familiar with her.
"That was ... Intriguing." Iliana touched her head in wonderment. "I feel different ... I can feel you in me. It is as if we practically have the same soul; it''s strange, but not unwee." Tilting her head, she asked, "Are you feeling the same?"
"I feel like you have be my Companion ... Beast Companion."
"Is that a joke?"
"Unfortunately, no." Basil shook his head.
"..." It took Iliana a few seconds before an amusedugh came out of her mouth. "You really are an anomaly, aren''t you?"
Basil shrugged lightly. "Anyway, thank you for telling me some part of the truth." He nodded his head lightly.
"What do you¡ª"
"I will wait for the time when you can say everything without hiding anything." When Iliana heard this, she instantly shut her mouth. She didn''t expect that she wouldn''t be found out, but she didn''t expect she would be called out on her lie this soon.
"You know that there is always a reason to it," she muttered
"I know. That''s why I will be waiting."
? Snap!
Right after the snap, the Istion Spell that Basil had casted around them to protect their conversation was erased. Iliana couldn''t properly see the Barrier melting down, but she could feel that she was now closer with the world¡ªthe outside world.
It was also at that moment that she realized she hadn''t heard a single noise from her surrounding. She didn''t know whether her focus on her conversation with Basil had made her realize itte, but she was sure Basil''s Spell must have had a hand in it.
"You utilized your Spell well."
"I know," Basil said surely.
"Hah! I like your attitude." Iliana pped her thigh. "Wanna be my boyfriend?"
"Am I not one already?" Basil smirked.
"That''s right! I just wanted to remind you."
Basil merely shook his head in amusement with a small smile on his face, then faced his body to the front with the same method he had used to face Iliana a few moments earlier.
Notifying Deacon to slow down via their [Link], the other five students caught up to them not long after. None of the students said anything, as they were too focused on what Iliana was doing.
''There is no way in hell they didn''t take a distance for a romantical purpose!''
Iliana was burying her face in Basil''s back, while hugging his waist tightly. Although they couldn''t see her face, they could tell from her gesture that she was happy ... For some reason.
Chapter 194 How It Feels To Be The Loser (3)
Basil and Iliana''s talk had roughly taken half an hour; within that half an hour, the five students were busy specting what the content of the two''s conversation was.
Although they didn''t get to confirm anything in the end, seeing Iliana''s current gesture alone was enough; it must have something to do with romantical subject. of course, they didn''t what exactly they had talked about or what they had done.
That way, the team''s journey was silent for most of the time. There was still some conversation, but it was only between the five students; Iliana seemed topletely tune the world out by burying her face in Basil''s back.
After another half an hour, the team stopped in their track. They had arrived at an area that, by far, was the most chaotic area they saw. Looking at the scene in front of them, while for different reasons, they were all humming to themselves.
"What in Akasha''s knowledge has happened here?"
"This is ..."
"... Madness."
"Holy ding-dong!"
While they had seen quite a lot of weird things¡ªdespite still being young¡ªin their journey as a Mage, all of them, except for Basil, couldn''t quite wrap their head around what they were currently seeing in front of them.
While the burning buildings were quite "normal"¡ªthey always saw it happened at least once a day in normal times¡ªthe rest of the scene wasn''t really "normal" in times like this. Of course, they didn''t know what an Outbreak should look like either; it was their first time experiencing an Outbreak.
Human bodies that had lost quite a bit of their chunk littered the ground, painting it with a gruesome red color. The pungent smell of blood was exceptionally thicker in the area, easily making anyone who had a weak mind empty the content of their stomach.
That wasn''t all though, there were still quite a bit of things that made the scene repulsive even for Mages who were quite used to look at gruesome scenes.
There were countless of human''s viscera decorating the ground. There were some bodies that were hung to a pole by their neck with their or whoever''s intestines it was, and there were also some who had their body skewered from their bottom to their head with a crookedly made metal.
It doesn''t take a genius to conclude that the unlucky people must have experienced an excruciating torture before they died.
Unsurprisingly, most of the victims were civilians; only a couple of them were Knights ... Local Knights. That means, none of the Mercenaries had reached this ce yet.
"They are having a feast." Basil caressed his chin; it wasn''t his first time seeing a scene like this. In his past life, this kind of scene had been pretty much the norm. "That means, they are cooping up somewhere."
"Cooping up? What are they going to do? Reproduce?" Iliana asked in wonderment.
Basil lightly frowned. "Didn''t you learn¡ªI see ... None of you really know of the Monster''s traits."
Due to his experience, Basil was naturally ahead of everyone. He forgot that while all of the students had learnt about Demons which they called "Monsters," the academy could only provide the students their names and apparent traits.
None of them had learnt anything about the Demon''s habits, culture, and hierarchy. At this point of time, every human poption still thought that Monsters, all of them without exception, were a bunch of unintelligent creatures.
While the statement was notpletely wrong, it clearly showed humanity''s ignorance; there were a group of dangerous Demons whose prowess and intelligence far surpassed humans. Their ignorance would definitely bite them in their arse in this Outbreak.
It had also been the same case in Basil''s past life. A serious research about Demons were only conducted after the first Outbreak had ended.
"Once Monsters have a feast, that means they are going to Evolve to a higher grade." Though he could exin things in the right term, Basil wisely decided not to. "They can actually eat anything they want to Evolve, but humans have the most effect on them ... For some reason."
"Oh... You are knowledgeable," Alexandramented. "I believe that is not written in any book."
"Indeed. Ites from experience."
Alexandra slightly frowned at Basil''s response; considering how old Basil was, she couldn''t help herself from doing so. "Anyway, what happens when the Monsters are ''cooping up''? They reproduce?"
"They digest the food¡ªthe humans¡ªthey have eaten, and turn it into an energy that boosts their Evolution. In some cases, they also fight with their own kin, eat the defeated, ande out as a higher grade Monster."
Unlike Iliana, who was confident in her ability, and was sure of her survival, the five students gulped dryly upon hearing Basil''s exnation. They didn''t need to be a genius to understand what would happen if they let the Demons sessfully Evolve themselves.
"We need to find where these creatures are cooping up themselves, so we can prevent them," Robert sternly said.
Iliana turned to him, and quirked her eyebrow. "Are you nuts? Didn''t you get what ''cooping up'' actually means?" Iliana snorted in amusement. "There''ll be thousands of Monsters concentrated in one ce, and you want to fight them? By yourself?"
"T-That is ... At least¡ªat least we need to do something to hamper the process¡ª"
"Quit yapping, Robert!" Iliana waved her hand in slight annoyance. "That is none of our job; we are just here to investigate. I know you are quite eager to umte merit point just so the King will notice you, but you can do it by yourself. You can''t risk the entire team''s life."
"I don''t mean¡ª"
"I know." Iliana raised her hand. "I know you care about the people. However, that is not our responsibility; it''s the Kingdom''s fault¡ªyour King''s fault that these people are dying."
Robert was frowning, but he didn''t say anything; he understood what Iliana had said was correct and logical. If the King hadn''t been too invested in guarding BA-22, and had quickly sent backup, the situation wouldn''t be this chaotic.
Therefore he sighed in the next moment, and kept his silence; he didn''t want to debate Iliana anymore. In the very first ce, he wasn''t that eager to fight the horde. He had suggested the idea merely out of his sense of obligation as a citizen of Braxtein Kingdom.
"Of course, it doesn''t mean we will pretend we don''t know it. We will look for the location, and make a report about it."
Robert raised his head, looked at Iliana, and nodded wordlessly; that was the best course of action that the team could do.
Also at that moment however, Basil opened his mouth. "We don''t have to look for the location."
"Yes?" Alexandra turned her confused gaze at Basil. "It should be our priority¡ªfinding the location of where the Monsters are Evolving."
Basil quirked his eyebrow. "How do you know that they''re Evolving?"
"Didn''t you say it yourself that¡ª"
"They are having a feast. I didn''t say that they are currently Evolving."
"... Isn''t that the same, though?"
"No." Basil shook his head faintly. "Evolution takes time; they have to, at least, eat the entire citizens of Fortescher County to be able to start the process."
Alexandra clicked her tongue, and muttered lowly in annoyance. "Tsk. You should''ve said it earlier; you are making me worry for nothing!" It wasn''t audible enough for anyone to hear her, but Basil could still hear it quite clearly.
Iliana looked at the back of Basil''s head, and asked, "So, where should we head to?"
"Why are you asking me?" Basil turned his head to the side, and met Iliana''s eyes.
"Because, you are the Pathfinder."
Basil slightly frowned, but didn''tment anything. Turning his head back to the front, he used his Mana Sense, and scanned the ground of one kilometers ahead of him. ''There are no Nightcrawlers in the ground. That means, the horde don''t go there.''
Retracting his Mana Sense, Basil asked the Guide instead. ''Guide, where is the position of the closest Demon horde to me?''
[Solving the Host''s puzzlement...]
[Initiating Visualization; target: the closest Demon infested area to the Host...]
The process was instantaneous; the moment Basil heard the notification from the Guide, his vision immediately warped afterward. No longer seeing the gruesome scene of mutted bodies littering the ground, he was currently seeing a resting horde of Demons.
After he looked around at the new scene briefly, Basil blinked his eyes, and his vision returned to normal; his eyes could see the gruesome scene once again.
Only a few seconds had passed, but it had been a few seconds of silence for the students. Therefore upon turning his head to the students, he could see them looking at him in curiosity.
Ignoring their gaze, Basil opened his mouth. "We will head to the west; there is a quite less popted area there. There is a possibility that the horde is resting there."
"Intuition?" Jocelyn asked.
Basil pointed his head. "Logic ... Which many of you do not have."
While Iliana, Cray, and Whitney had known Basil''s bluntness well, it wasn''t the case for the other students. Therefore, some of them couldn''t help their mouth from twitching.
"Uwoh! You''re so straightforward!" Of course, the airheaded Jocelyn was different.
Paying no attention to Jocelyn''s full of admiration gaze, Basil notified Deacon to move once again via their [Link].
Since the path before them was filled with dismembered bodies and human''s viscera, Deacon took a deep breath, and shot a sphere of a highly condensed wind to the path.
Whoosh!
Boom!
The ground that the wind sphere hit developed a 3 meters wide trench, and the bodies along with the viscera decorating the ground were destroyed. Some that weren''t destroyed¡ªthat were slightly away from the trench¡ªwere thrown away to side, thus making the path really free from any human''s body parts.
When the wind died down, Deacon nonchntly dashed forward, ignoring the weird gaze that the five students were throwing at him and Basil.
"That was ... Violent."
"For such a previously well mannered Beast ..."
"... As expected of Basil," Cray and Whitney muttered in unison.
Shrugging in the next moment, the five students activated their Transportation Artefact, and chased after Deacon. Although they weren''t very fond of what Deacon had done under Basil''s permission or maybe order, they didn''tment anything.
As a Mage, who was known for their low morality, they were aware of it: the dead have no more worth.
Chapter 195 How It Feels To Be The Loser (4)
The team''s journey to the west¡ªthe west side of Raneil Barony''s southern part¡ªwent for about only 10 minutes. Since Raneil Barony was not that big of a Barony, the team could reach their destination in a very short time with their pace.
That means, the team had already met the resting horde of Demons. Of course, that doesn''t mean they were close to said horde; they were observing the horde from 100 kilometers away, inside a worn down but fairly usable three storey building.
"To think that they really are here..." Robert muttered under his breath, while furtively ncing at Basil in amazement. Like the others, he was observing the horde from the window of the building.
"Do you have an absurd control over your Mana Sense?" Alexandra turned to Basil. "To detect the horde with Mana Sense, and not getting detected back ... That''s amazing."
"I have told you that I used my logic." Basil was slightly frowning. Although he could actually do what Alexandra said, for the current him, he could only perfectly control his Mana Sense to look for something that was 1.5 kilometers away from him.
In other words, if he stretched out his Mana Sense for more than 1.5 kilometers away, the thing he was trying to detect would be able to notice his Mana Sense, albeit very faintly.
Since the other side was Demon, who had a very strong sense, he couldn''t do that; they were there to investigate, not to expose themselves.
Therefore, Basil didn''t look for the Demons, who had been definitely more than 1.5 kilometers away from the team, with his Mana Sense, and asked the Guide for help.
He would be able to do it soon, but not now.
"So now that we have found them, what are we going to do?"
"We are just going to mark this spot on the map, and draw the detailed route to this ce," Iliana answered Cray nonchntly.
"Well, I know that. But, isn''t that a little bit..."
"Boring?" Iliana quirked her eyebrow.
"Well, how to put it into words ..." Cray scratched his head. "It is just ... Isn''t it too easy?"
"Of course, it is easy. We are just investigating, after all." Iliana slightly chuckled in amusement. "The best part is the Subjugation."
"If that is the case," Cray turned his head to Basil, " considering how big Raneil Barony is, which is not big at all, why would we need, at least, three days toplete the mission?"
"Now that I think about it ... Basil did say it to his servant." Alexandra nodded her head. Turning her head to Basil in the next moment, she asked, "Did you have a special reason to say that?"
Receiving her gaze, Basil slightly quirked his eyebrow. "It''s for the unexpected. You will never know what can happen in a mission ... Besides, we are not the only people here." As soon as he said that, everyone quickly prepared themselves tounch an attack.
"Where are they?" Robert whispered lowly. His Grimoire was fully on disy.
Alexandra cursed under her breath. "Darn it! Have we been followed?" Fire had already gathered on the tip of her fingers.
Unlike the other two, Jocelyn acted calmly. She had lost her bright look; it was reced with a serious look that would baffle anyone who had seen her usual expression.
She was currently looking at Basil, expecting an answer out of him, as he was the one who seemed to know where the other party was.
"Hmm... I don''t sense anyone in this building other than us," Whitney mused to himself. Turning to Basil, he said, "Are they Knights?"
"Or they are maybe a very capable Mages," Craymented. "But, it''s strange though. I don''t feel like they have a bad intention."
Iliana hummed to herself, and took Sinister Piercer out. Twirling it in her hand once, she turned to the door of the room they were currently in. "Whoever they are or whatever their intention is, I don''t like being followed."
Pointing Sinister Piercer to the door, she gathered her Mana to the tip of its de, and was about to thrust it to the door when Basil put his hand on its shaft.
"There are Monsters with a very keen sense 100 meters away from us. The other side understand that well, and they don''t want to expose themselves to the Monsters. We will be fine; they will not start a fight."
"How are you so sure?"
Basil tapped his ears. "I can hear their footsteps¡ªtheir Knight''s footsteps." Pushing down Sinister Piercer, he continued," Judging from their steps, like us, they, too, expect that they are the one being followed."
"You can hear ... Their steps?" Alexandra said strangely. "What Art do you practice? Aren''t you a little bit over the top for a student?"
Basil merely nced at Alexandra from the corner of his eyes, and ignored her afterward. She was slightly annoyed, but decided to not pursue the matter; she wasn''t that petty.
"They are already here," Basil said in a small voice.
p Everyone became even more tense than before; Spellcasters casted their Spell, and Battle Mages utilized their Art. They were all ready to jump at whoever the people behind the door were.
Unlike the others however, just like Basil, Iliana was rx. She had even stored her beloved Sinister Piercer in her Spatial Bracelet. "I trust your judgement, Sil. Don''t disappoint me."
Basil didn''t say a word, as he merely gazed at the doorknob that was turning ever so slightly. ''As expected of Knights, they really are the best people to be Assassins.'' Before long, a low click was heard and the door was slowly opened.
Creak.
The five Mages were ready to vanquish the life out of the people behind the door, but when they saw that they were no one there, they held themselves back. Instead of heaving a sigh of relief however, they became even more tense.
"I''ve told you; they are already here, not in front of us." Basil looked at the ceiling with a small smile.
Boom!
The ceiling fell down, and five people appeared in the middle of the room. They didn''t even look around, as they quickly jumped at the person theyid their eyes on.
Of course, the Mages also didn''t hold themselves back as they, too, went for the people.
p!
Or that was what they wanted to do.
"Don''t move! Retract your Magic Circles, and withdraw your Qi. You can''t expose ourselves to the Monsters," Basil said calmly.
Everyone in the room, who was about to engage in fight, turned to Basil, and gulped dryly while sweating coldly. Basil''s cold and murderous eyes wasn''t the only thing that freaked them out; there was also a cold steel that was really close to slit their throat.
Basil''s [Master of Weapon] was fully on disy!
"W-What is the meaning of this?!" Robert was flustered. "Why are you even threatening your teammates, Mr. Pacifer?!"
Putting a finger in front of his lips, Basil calmly said, "Keep your voice down, Robert. I am sure you will not like losing your vocal cord." He gestured at the resting horde of Demons that everyone with keen eyes could see from the window.
Robert lowly cursed under his breath, butplied to Basil''s instruction. Turning his gaze to the person who was pointing his sword at him, he was met with said person''s face that was full of disbelief.
He could understand the Knight though; he, too, was bewildered at Basil''s [Telekinesis]. He didn''t know Basil was also a Mentalist. ''Or is he? I can''t tell whether he is using Mana, but it is simr to [Telekinesis].''
Looking around, Robert could see that two of his teammates, Whitney and Cray, were looking at the Knight in front of them with an awkward expression. Surprisingly, the Knight they were looking at also looked at them back with an equally surprised and awkward expression.
Snap!
Snapping his finger once, all of Basil''s hovering swords that were ready to slit everyone''s throat returned to his Spatial Ring.
When the Mages, in exception of Cray and Whitney, saw that the Knights were also freed from Basil''s threat, they were ready to attack the Knights.
However, they immediately stopped themselves, when they saw that the Knights quickly stored their weapons and turned to Basil. They were treated like they weren''t even there by the Knights.
Ignoring the bewildered gaze he received from the Knights, and the confused look he got from his teammates, Basil looked at the hooded figure in front of him who had just retracted their sword.
Flicking the air once, said figure''s hood was lifted, revealing an extremely beautiful face that belonged to a blond haired woman. The Mages gasped at the woman, but not because of her exceptionally beautiful face.
She had two pointed ears that only belonged to an Elf.
"You are ... Alive."
"You are just as eager to kill me as you used to." Basil quirked his eyebrow. "What an unwanted coincidence meeting you here ... Effie."
Upon hearing the name of theirrade came out of Basil''s mouth, the Knights eximed in unison, "Basil!"
"Holy crap! This dude is still kicking!"
"What the hell?! How could you survive that weird-ass old man?!"
"Kuhahaha! You are just as tough as you look, aren''t you, Basil?"
"W-What? Did he really survive the Dungeon?"
This party of Knights wasn''t just a random party. All of them knew who Basil was, and they were really grateful of him for what he had done for them.
They were no other than Hauler¡ªthe Knight party that had gone to Death Howl with Basil.
"But, how? How did you¡ª"
"Intelligence and meticulousness," Basil answered Effie''s unfinished question.
Blinking her eyes once, she widened her eyes the moment she realized that everyone could see her face. Pulling her hood back, she took a distance away from Basil, and pointed an using finger at him.
"Y-You fiend! What have you done invading someone''s privacy as you like?!"
"Don''t worry." Basil waved his hand nonchntly. "Mages don''t care of what your race is. As long as you mean no harm, you will not end up on our dissection table."
"W-What does that even mean?!"
Ignoring the bantering Effie and Basil, Iliana turned to Thompson. She could tell that he was the leader in a nce. "What is really happening here?"
"Oh, pardon us for not introducing ourselves." Thompson stepped forward, and bowed politely. "My name is Thompson, and this is my party, Hauler. We are the people that Basil saved in Death Howl Dungeon."
"Hoh? So that''s the case, huh?" Iliana nced at Effie who was still bantering with Basil. She had her hood down once again, and another girl beside her¡ªSylvia. "What a strange thing fate is," Iliana muttered.
Chapter 196 How It Feels To Be The Loser (5)
As apparently the party was a group of people that Basil knew, the tension between the two sides calmed down. Although the rest of Team 4 didn''t actually understand the history between the Knights of Hauler and Basil, it didn''t stop them to know of each other.
"Hi! My name is Jocelyn Everton! What is yours, Miss. Elf?!" Upon hearing this word, Effie, who was ready to rebuke Basil once again, stopped talking. She turned around, and grasped Jocelyn''s extended hand. "M-My name is Effie."
Jocelyn''s eyes lit up, as she vigorously shook Effie''s hand. "What a beautiful name! Do you mind if we be friends?! Anyway, that red haireddy over there is Alexandra. Ah! Who is this beautiful ck haireddy beside you?!"
While Effie was overwhelmed with Jocelyn''s brightness, on the man''s side, Robert was surrounded by Steven and Jake. Like Effie, he looked overwhelmed by the enthusiasm the people surrounding him was showing.
"Hello, my name''s Jake!"
"O-Oh! My name is Robert Tempest. It''s a pleasure to meet you, Mr. Jake." Robert shook Jake''s offered hand slightly in horror. ''Is this guy a giant or something?'' It was his first time seeing someone as tall and overly muscr as Jake up close.
Right when Jake let go of Robert''s hand, Steven quickly grabbed it. "Yo! Name''s Steven. You can call me Steve or Steven. Nice to meet you, Robert!"
"O-Oh, yes. Nice to meet you, Mr. Steven."
"Uwahhh! You are so formal." Steven let go of Robert''s hand, and took a good look at Robert. "Ah, are you perhaps ufortable being called that way by amoner?" Judging by Robert''s awkward expression, he couldn''t help but conclude so.
Contrary to Steven''s expectation however, Robert quickly waved his hand. "I was¡ªI was just ... Surprised. You act different from the rumour I heard people spread."
"Rumour? What kind of rumour?" Steven was equally puzzled and intrigued.
"That Knights hate Mages to their Core..." Robert muttered.
Steven quirked his eyebrow, then turned to Jake. Robert quickly widened his eyes as he thought he might have offended the two somehow. Even before he managed to apologize however, Steven and Jakeughed loudly.
"Hahahaha! Jake, can you believe it? This guy just made a good pun!"
"Kuhahaha! I''m surprised too! I didn''t know that Mages also have a sense of humour."
"Huh? W-What is happening?" Robert blinked his eyes in confusion and slight bewilderment. He didn''t think he had said something funny; he had even thought he had said something rude.
Sylvia, who was looking at theughing duo, sighed helplessly, then turned her eyes at Basil. ''Those two ... If only they acted like this guy, they would really look like a Knight, not an idiot.''
Looking around at the other Mages that were definitely feeling awkward, she suddenly remembered something. "Now that I realized it, where is Norman?"
"Norman?" Steven turned to Sylvia. "Now that you said it ... Isn''t he supposed to be behind the wall?" He pointed his finger to the wall near the opened door. "Oi! Norman, get out!"
At theck of answer, Steven turned to Thompson. Thetter responded the former''s gaze with his own awkward gaze, and turned to Basil. "You didn''t identally kill him, did you?" As soon as he said that, everyone''s head turned to Basil.
Even Iliana, who knew how meticulous Basil was, also turned her head to him. Different from the others though, she didn''t doubt Basil in the least bit; she was just doing it to "enjoy the fun."
Receiving the people''s gaze, Basil lightly shrugged. "ident happens."
"EEEHHHH!!!" The reaction came from the Knights as soon as Basil finished his word.
Giving the Knights a light smirk. "Of course, it rarely happens to me."
Snap!
Basil snapped his finger once, and a de came flying inside the room through the doorway before entering his Spatial Ring. Not longer after, footsteps could be heard approaching the doorway, and Norman finally showed himself.
Although he looked pissed as usual, he seemed to be more pissed currently; anyone could see it from how deep his scowl was. Turning his head to Basil, Norman clicked his tongue once, then moved beside Thompson wordlessly.
''Tch! Why didn''t he let go of me the moment he let go of the others? I was so close to embarrass myself by asking him to let me go!'' His scowl became even deeper at the thought.
"Are you okay, grumpy old man?" Sylvia asked Norman.
"Shut up, meat shield!"
"Haah?! Who are you calling meat shield?! Are you looking down on my Aura Ability?!"
"Do you think you have any right to scold me after what you call me?!"
Thompson facepalmed, and heaved an exasperated sigh; he was slightly embarrassed at his party who, most of the time, couldn''t read the situation well. Looking at Iliana awkwardly, he immediately bowed his head apologetically.
"You have a rowdy party," Ilianamented while looking at the bantering duo.
"I''m sorry for the inconvenience. I assure you they are all professional at their job."
Iliana shrugged. "I don''t mind. At least they have the consideration to quarrel with a small voice." Cupping her chin, she continued, "They are quite well-mannered in my opinion."
Thompson scratched the side of his head, andughed awkwardly. "Aha-ha-ha. Please, spare me from the embarrassment." Turning his gaze to Basil, he opened his mouth hesitantly. "Basil... I am not trying to be rude but... How ... How did you¡ª"
Basil raised his hand, and Thompson stopped speaking. "It is not a talk that just anyone can hear. You just have to know that I survived."
"Ah, I see..." Thompson nodded his head in understanding. Stepping slightly forward, he lowly muttered, "We have reported your case to the Guild, but they told us to keep what happened to ourselves." He bowed apologetically. "We are sorry we couldn''t do anything."
"Well, Basil himself didn''t even need anyone''s help in the very first ce. So, I am sure you can chase your guilt away." Iliana waved her hand. "Let''s talk about a more important thing. Although we have already known you, I still have to ask you, what is your purpose ofing here?"
As the people in the room weren''t talking loudly despite how passionate their tone was, they could hear Thompson and Iliana''s conversation quite well. Therefore when they sensed a serious talk wasing, all of them quickly behaved themselves.
The Knights of Hauler lined themselves up behind Thompson and Steven who was on his side; the students of Team 4 stood slightly behind Iliana and Basil.
"Actually, we are..." Thompson took out a small wooden te with a glowing insignia carved on it, and presented it to Iliana. "We are the Mercenaries hired by the Guild to help the Kingdom." He was showing her his Mercenary Token.
"Hoh? To think you havee this far ... It''s strange that we didn''t meet even once."
"Actually, we have just arrived here today. We came from Crownveil Dukedom¡ªfrom the west¡ªso we didn''t meet you who came here from the east."
"I see..." Iliana nodded her head once, and waited until Thompson had stored his Mercenary Token. "Then, what are you going to do from now on?"
"Oh, we are just going to y some Monsters and help the civilians." Pointing his thumb to the window, Thompson continued, "We will start from that group."
Iliana quirked her eyebrow. "That group, huh? Very well. I will have to ask you to wait until we finish our investigation first."
"Yes?"
"That means, you have to postpone attacking the Monsters for the moment." Pointing to the horde 100 meters away, she continued, "There are many of those guys. If you attacked them now, we wouldn''t have an easy time to investigate."
"What are you exactly going to do?"
"We are going to approach the horde, and observe them. That means, writing down anything about them: their amount, grades, and kinds."
"How long will it take you to do that?"
"Probably an hour ... Maybe less, if nothing unexpected happens."
Thompson hummed to himself, and the mood suddenly became tense once again. Each sides were looking at each other in slight awkwardness, as they could feel a disagreement was forming between the two.
"We can''t wait that long."
"What do you mean ''that long?'' It''s just an hour." Iliana quirked her eyebrow.
"We are not here to only exterminate the Monsters, but also save the people." Turning his body slightly to the window, Thompson gestured at the horde. "Look at what those Monsters are doing; they are eating humans!"
"I don''t care," Iliana coldly stated. "I can''t let you endanger my team''s life just so you can save dead bodies. Just so you know, our life worth more than theirs, even when they were still alive."
"As I expected, no matter who they are, Mages are..." Thompson shook his head in slight disappointment. "We are not going to save a bunch of dead bodies; the Monsters are entrapping people in the cage they made. We are going to save those people, before they get eaten. If we wait for another hour¡ª"
"They might have gotten eaten?" Iliana chuckled humorlessly. "Therefore I am asking you, does it have something to do with us?" She stared at Thompson neutrally. "Tell me what you are offering us."
Right after hearing what Iliana said, the Knights frowned; they didn''t quite catch where the conversation was heading to. Different from the Knights however, the Mages were nodding their head in understanding.
"I will give you this." Thompson took out a piece of paper out of his Spatial Ring, and gave it to Iliana. "This is everything about the horde that we have investigated earlier."
"Oh! So, that''s the case. I can''t believe I forgot about it!" Sylvia knocked her head, as the other Knights nodded their head in realization.
Iliana nced at the paper briefly, and nodded her head afterward. "It''s a great trade. Thank you for doing our job for us." She extended her hand forward.
Thompson looked at her offered hand briefly, before grabbing it with a sigh. ''Mages are really...'' Although he believed that not every Mage was like Iliana, he was sure that Mages were generally as logical and cold-hearted as her.
"Very well. With this we are¡ª"
Thompson''s word was interrupted by the shaking ground.
Rubmble!
Everyone''s eyes instantly turned to the window, at the direction of the horde. As they did so, their eyes quickly widened in shock upon seeing the scene in front of them.
Almost half of the Demon horde wasing their way.
Unlike the others however, Basil smirked and muttered, "They areing ... My training dummies." His Sealing Sword appeared in his hand afterward.
Chapter 197 How It Feels To Be The Loser (6)
[Charge!]
Basil gave an instruction to Deacon through their [Link], and jumped through the window. Deacon, who was sitting on the corner of the room in his Chibi form, immediately dashed forward and also jumped through the window right after Basil.
While midair, Deacon positioned himself below Basil as he returned to his original size¡ªa 6 meters tall King Saberwolf that was half as big as the building. Basilnded on top of him smoothly, and together, they charged to the iing horde of Demons.
"Uwah. That guy! He''s really quick to act!" Everyone was awaken from their flustered state by Cray''s exmation.
Scolding themselves inwardly, the Mages quickly prepared their Art and Spell that they were going to use to face the iing horde. The Knights were no different, as they were already activating their Aura Ability; they were ready to charge forward.
Even before the Battle Mages or the Knights dashed forward however, someone beat them to it; Iliana thrust herself forward by sting Mana through her feet. Though she caused a lot of damage to the room¡ªunlike Basil¡ªshe could join Basil riding on top of Deacon that way.
"Aren''t they more Knight-like than us?!" Steven was pumped up at the disy of the two people. "Let''s go!" Right after shouting it, just like Basil and Iliana, he jumped through the window.
"Me too!" Unlike Steven who merely jumped through the window, Cray flew through it. "Woohoo! Beat me if you can!" A pair of wings made from wind were already attached on his back.
The rest of the Knights also jumped through the window right after, but none of them made any noise; they didn''t even dere their intention to jump. Unlike the four battle maniacs who had shot forward earlier than anyone, they weren''t very excited with the situation.
"Why are theying here?" Alexandra muttered under her breath. There was a Magic Circle behind her that shone just as red as her eyes. "No matter how good their sense is, they shouldn''t be able to detect us; all of us did a good job in hiding our presence."
"You shouldn''t think of that matter now," Whitney rebuked.
"Though I agree with you, don''t you find it''s weird?" Robert asked.
Whitney ignored Robert''s question, as he merely casted an Earth Element Spell. "Think about itter; we are in a battle! [Earthen Boundary]!"
Right after the name of the Spell was shouted, a thick earthen wall emerged from the ground, and surrounded the building the Mages were in. It didn''t stop there; some of the earth also helped fortify the structure of the worn down building.
At Whitney''s excellent disy of Spellcasting, Alexandra turned to him. "Are you sure you are not a Geo Mage? Simply being a good Spellcaster doesn''t bring you that result, after all."
"It has nothing to do with this situation." Whitney clicked his tongue. "Robert! I will be the Overseer. Take these two, and lead them as Guardians!"
"That means..."
"I''ll take care of the fortress, so get on the wall!"
Robert nced at Alexandra and Jocelyn briefly, before jumping through the window and got on top of the earthen wall that separated the building with the outside world. His partners, Alexandra and Jocelyn, appeared behind him right after.
Looking at the in in front of them, they could see that their fellow students and the Knights had already engaged in a battle with the horde in the middle of it. Robert spread his hand to the side, and his partners quickly distanced themselves from him.
"We will only y those who pass them; we won''t be attacking any of the Monster in front of them. We can''t risk hurting them. Understood?"
"Yes, sire!" Alexandra and Jocelyn answered in unison.
Robert took a deep breath, and extended his hand forward; his Grimoire that was floating in the air was flipped open. When the pages of his Grimoire stopped turning, Robert quickly casted the Spell he was going to use.
Boom!
Four Magic Circles materialized behind his back; two of them were Grand Circles, and the rest of them were Major Circles. They shone intensely, as electricity ran through his arm to the tip of his finger.
Screech!
Pointing his finger to the Demons that had passed the Knights and the Battle Mages, Robert muttered, "[Lightning Arrow]!" As the name of the Spell was called, an arrow of lightning was shot from the tip of his finger.
The arrow was two meters long, and it traveled in the air just as fast as a lightning. It didn''t take long until it hit the intended target¡ªthe rabid Low ss Demons.
Boom!
Those who were directly hit were charred to death, and those who weren''t hit but close enough to those who were hit were shocked by the electricity. Many of them helplessly fell to the ground; they were conscious, but unable to move.
"Jocelyn, Alexandra!"
The two were quick to respond. Alexandra faced her palm to the sky as three marble sized fireballs hovered above it; Jocelyn flipped her Grimoire open, and quickly casted a Spell.
Boom!
Magic Circles materialized behind their back as the surrounding air was overwhelmed with their Mana. Just like Robert, both of them possessed two Grand Circles. Extending their hand forward, they aimed their attack at the immobilized Demons.
"Let me show you the might of a Pyro Mage," Alexandra dered. Two of her Magic Circles were shining intensely in red. "[Sr Burst]!"
As the Spell was casted, the three marble sized fireballs shot forward with a high speed. They expanded themselves halfway, and the heat they produced was getting more intense.
At the same time, Jocelyn was also sending her attack at the Demons. "[Raging Gale]!" Unlike Alexandra however, her Spell wasn''t as shy.
A fierce and big gale suddenly appeared amongst the immobilized Demons, sucking them to its center.
While the immobilized Demons could only helplessly let their body get sucked into the eye of the gale, the Demons nearby¡ªthat were still able to move¡ªtried their best to prevent their bodies from getting sucked into the middle of the gale.
Of course, that means they were too preupied to notice the 3 fireballs that had already turned into 3 spheres with a diameter of 4 meters sent by Alexandra at the same time Jocelyn sent her attack.
Boom!
As the Demons that hadn''t been sucked into the middle of the gale were either charred or blown away, the fire produced by the fireballs merged with the wind, creating a fierce firestorm.
A magnificent scene of murder was produced, as many Demons were sucked into the firestorm and charred.
Sadly, neither Jocelyn nor Alexandra could control the newly born firestorm. Therefore, they could only watch as it slowly faded, taking the damned soul of the Demons away with it.
...
Looking at the scen behind her, Iliana clicked her tongue in annoyance. "Darn it! What is the point of reporting this ce, if we ended up chasing them off?" She was standing on Deacon''s back, while attacking any Demon that dare to jump at her.
sh!
"Kieek!"
"Hmph! Know your ce, maggots!" Iliana flicked the blood of the Demon she had killed off the de of Sinister Piercer, before twirling it once. "Where are you going exactly, Sil?" Iliana looked down at the calmly sitting Basil before her.
"Their base."
"Their base?" Iliana quirked her eyebrow. "What are you trying to do?"
"Do you really want to know?"
Iliana lightly frowned. "You don''t have to tell me, if you don''t want to. There is no need to act secretive in front of me; I like you to be straightforward."
Instead of answering her, Basilmanded Deacon to clear the path before them that was blocked by a bunch of Lower Middle ss Minotaurs. Deacon quicklyplied to Basil''smand, as he opened his mouth right after.
Howl!
Wind gathered in Deacon''s mouth, creating a sphere of high pressured air. He shot the sphere out of his mouth in the next moment, shredding the Demons that were blocking his path, and carving a trench on the ground.
Seeing that their path was cleared once again, Basil slightly turned his head to gaze at Iliana who was standing behind him. "I will release the hostages¡ªthe civilians."
"Hoh? I didn''t expect you would do something benevolent."
"You got me wrong." Basil turned his head back to the front. "I am merely going to release them, not save them ... They will be a good bait for the Low Grade Monsters, don''t you think?"
At Basil''s rather unexpected answer, Iliana hummed to herself in contemtion. She understood what Basil was aiming¡ªthe Middle ss Demons. While they weren''t that manypared to the Low ss Demons, they were actually the one that caused the most problem.
Unlike Low ss Demons, Middle ss Demons weren''t too interested in Evolving; they just wanted to cause as many chaos as they could with their power. In other words, even though they killed humans, they weren''t so eager to eat humans.
That means, the hostages were a valuable assets only to the Low ss Demons that dominated the horde. If they set the hostages free, the Low ss Demons would leave the rank and chase the hostages, leaving the uninterested Middle ss Demons behind.
In result, Basil and the others could hunt for the Middle ss Demons¡ªthe more troublesome Demons to deal with¡ªto make their job easier in the future.
"Monsters, though some of them are intelligent, are not very good at setting a priority; the Low Grade Monsters will definitely chase after the hostages no matter where they go. Some will stay in the rank for sure, but it is already enough," Basil added.
"Do you think the hostages¡ªcivilians¡ªcan run that far before eventually being captured by the Monsters?"
"No." Iliana was about to rebuke Basil when he added, "However, they have something that can help them in their ''escape.''"
"What is it?"
Basil stood himself up on Deacon''s back, and pointed his sword at a boulder 70 meters away from the cage that the Demons used to entrap the hostages.
"There is an entrance to Death Howl Dungeon there."
Iliana widened her eyes. "That means..."
"I can control the Dungeon and help them ''escape.''" Basil waved Death Howl''s Sealing Sword in his hand. "I will use them to distract the Low Grade Monsters until we y all of the Middle Grade Monsters."
Iliana muttered, "What are you going to do with the civilians right after that?" She wanted know whether Basil would entrap them in the Dungeon together with the Demons or take them out.
In response to her question, Basil smirked faintly. "I think they can count on their Gods when that timees."
Chapter 198 How It Feels To Be The Loser (7)
Iliana slightly frowned at Basil''s cryptical answer. From the way he said it, it conveyed anything but care; Basil would likely leave the hostages behind after he used them. It was a heartless n¡ªvery Mage-like of him¡ªbut Iliana didn''t say anything about it.
"Prepare for battle."
On Basil''s cue, Iliana focused her attention to the front. As Basil had predicted, as soon as they entered the perimeter, the Low ss Demons were busy guarding the humans filled cage.
Slightly away from the group of Low ss Demons that were busy guarding the cage, the Middle ss Demons were maintaining their rank while simultaneously surrounding a particr Demon, as if they were guarding it.
It didn''t take Iliana even a second to deduce what the status of the Demon in the middle was. "I''ll break through the rank, and y the boss. You can free the hostages."
"Let Deacon help you."
"I don''t mind."
Deacon was already 3 meters away from the rank of Middle ss Demons when the conversation finished. Befitting of a chaos loving creatures, 4 Middle ss Demons, Hobgoblins, quickly jumped at him, ready to smash him with their crookedly made wooden mace.
Different than the normal Goblins, all of them were 3 meters tall that makes them 6 times bigger than the normal Goblins, and their body was also packed with a ridiculous amount of muscles.
Althoughpared to the other Middle ss Demons they didn''t look as big and threatening, they possessed a strength that could turn the body of a Peak Stage Yellow Core to mush with a swing of their mace.
In other words, blocking their mace was not a bright thing to do. One might argue that one could easily cut through the wooden mace or burn it to crisp, but none of that would work; one had to use a High Grade Artefact or a High Grade Fire Element Spell to do that.
It was because the wood that was used to make the mace wasn''t just any wood. It was made from a special wood called Rigenum, one of the strongest wood that could only be found in the Druid''s forest.
Of course, Hobgoblins never had the permission of the Druid to take Rigenum with them. This is why their mace looked crooked; only those who had gained the Druid''s permission could make something decent out of Rigenum.
Boom!
The ground which the four Hobgoblins had smashed with their mace caved in, creating four different craters that was each a meter deep.
Although Deacon was obviously bigger than the four Hobgoblins, he had still stopped in his track, and taken a step back when they smashed their mace to the ground to avoid their mace.
Despite how crooked it looked, the sturdiness of Rigenum wasn''t something one could scoff at. Although it didn''t make a good sharp weapon, it made a fearsome blunt weapon.
Iliana looked at the scene in front of her, and smirked. "Good luck with the hostages, Sil. I am going to have some fun here." She looked so eager to skewer the Hobgoblins with her beloved Sinister Piercer as she twirled it in her hand.
Basil didn''t say anything as he merely propelled himself to the right, where the cage of the hostages were guarded by a bunch of Low ss Demons. He quickly used Wind Magic to make a pair of wings behind his back to allow him to fly.
Whoosh!
With a speed that was as fast as a bullet, he arrived right in front of the hundreds of Low ss Demons guarding the cage. Maintaining his position in the air, he pointed his sword at the Demons.
"Let me show you how it feels to be a part of a symphony." Mana gathered on the tip of his sword, as a ball of blue light was gradually forming. "[Mountain Piercer]!"
The marble sized ball of light shot forward, leaving a straight blue line in the air.
BOOM!
As it traveled faster than a bullet, none of the Demons had actually actually registered what was actually happening until the ground exploded. Of course, they could only let Basil''s Art disintegrate their body at that point.
A semisphere of blue light covered 10 meters of the ground, while the explosion swept anything that was within 60 meters away from it. That means, the crowd of Middle ss Demons that Iliana were currently fighting was also affected by the explosion.
Iliana couldn''t help clicking her tongue as she and Deacon took a distance away from the explosion. "Tsk! What is that brat doing? Does he want to kill the hostages too?" She quickly looked at the cage only to find it remained untouched.
Returning her gaze to the Demons, Iliana could see there were, at least, 10 unlucky Middle ss Demos that had been hit by the explosion. As they had been quick to react however, there was only 1 of them that was killed; the rest was injured, but it was nothing their regeneration factor couldn''t heal.
Basil, who was the culprit of the explosion, looked at the semisphere of blue light he had made, and charged through it. He was well aware of his own Art¡ªthat entering the semisphere¡ªwas dangerous, but he had made sure it was different for him.
The Art he made was his¡ªtruly his. It could never hurt him.
When Basil entered the semisphere, it didn''t part for him; it maintained its shape, but it didn''t blow him away. He didn''t even need to cover himself with a barrier to protect him from his own Art. It worked just like how he created it: it didn''t hurt him, its creator.
Although everything happened very briefly, Basil''s [Eyes Of Mana Perception] that was coupled with his enhanced brain allowed him to observe what the semisphere¡ªhis own Art¡ªwas doing to the ground. He could see it disintegrating the ground, making a crater that was deep enough to make a small pond.
When Basil passed through the semisphere, he was greeted by the flustered bunch of Low ss Demons whose eyes were still nted on the brightly shining semisphere.
Although they were quickly awaken from their daze when the semisphere suddenly disappeared, Basil had already sent countless of wind des at them by that time.
Screech!
Coupled with the ufortable sound that the wind des produced by shing against each other, the anguish filled scream of the Low ss Demons created a disturbing yet satisfying symphony of murder.
The confused Demons got their body helplessly shredded to pieces, while the Demons who were aware of the situation tried to get away from the invisible wind des.
The Demons that weren''t affected by the attack were busy throwing their weapon to hit Basil who was still in the air, but their attempt was futile as none of their weapons could pierce through the sphere of wind des protecting him.
"When are they going to get out from the ground?" Basil nced at the ground behind the big cage. "If I got down now, the Nightcrawlers would spoil my n by killing the hostages." Basil lightly clicked his tongue.
He was about to send another attack to the ground, when it rumbled as the Low ss Demons distanced themselves away from said area. Not long after, seven Nightcrawlers emerged out of the ground; all of them were trying to devour him in one gulp.
Of course, Basil, who knew something as predictable as this would happen, managed to dodge the Nightcrawlers'' attack. He quickly poured his Qi into his sword, and held it horizontally.
[Hill Splitter]!
He fiercely swung his sword vertically at the seven Nightcrawlers who were about to return to the ground upon missing their target.
Whoosh!
The air split as a curvy trajectory of green light swept the sixth segment of the Nightcrawlers. The attack quickly took effect as in the next moment, their head was cleanly cut from the rest of their body.
Plop!
The seven heads fell to the ground, and Basil alsonded on the ground at the same time. Looking at the lifeless body of the Nightcrawlers he had killed, Basil snorted coldly.
"Great advantage; zero mind. Pathetic!"
He didn''t feel any sense of aplishment or whatsoever for managing to kill the gigantic Nightcrawlers at once. In his mind, as long as they utilized, at least, ten percent of their brain, anyone would be able to achieve the same feat.
Basil wasn''t totally wrong: anyone could sessfully cut through multiple Nightcrawlers at once. Of course, killing them was a different story. One needed a quite high precision to even kill a Nightcrawler in one attack.
The sixth segment of a Nightcrawler¡ªits weakness¡ªwas a hard to find and well protected area. To be able to hit that area sessfully, precision and concentration was needed. This is what made Nightcrawlers were hard to kill.
Therefore, what Basil had done wasn''t something just anyone could imitate; one needed to posses a certain experience and skills to be able to do that. Of course, ording to Basil, who had experienced many things in his past life, it was nothing.
"HuMan!!"
Basil quirked his eyebrow at the Lower Middle ss Demon who had just shouted at him.
It had one big eye on its disproportionate head, sharp pointy teeth that were revealed to the world, a muscr figure, and two wed hands. Although it was just as tall as him, Basil knew of the danger of this particr Demon.
As it like to grab the throat of its opponent as if it was plucking something, this particr Demon was called Plucker. It relied on its speed, and its sharp ws to fight.
Though Basil had seen many Pluckers in his past life, he rarely encountered one that managed to Evolve to a Middle ss Demon. Therefore, he couldn''t help but wonder when he encountered one¡ªthis soon, at that.
"¡ª¡ª???¡ª¡ª¡ª?¡ª"
The Plucker''s eye widened in shock when it heard Basil asked him how it could speak humannguage in Lesser Tongue. Growling at him in the next moment, it pointed an using finger at him.
"YoU humAn! HoW caN yOU SPeAK oUr lAnguAge?! YoU arE nOT wOrthy!" Then, it immediately charged at Basil with a speed that wasparable to Deacon''s.
Basil lightly sneered, and utilized his Art. "Says the creature who can''t even speak properly."
[Slip]!
In the next moment, he disappeared from the eye of the Plucker.
Upon noticing that Basil had disappeared from its view, the Plucker quickly turned around, and it could see that Basil had reappeared right in front of the gigantic cage entrapping the humans.
Without wasting any time, the Plucker quickly kicked the ground to dash at Basil who was facing his back to it. Instead of moving forward however, it fell down.
Thud!
To be exact, its head fell down. Basil had cut its neck in the split moment he had passed it.
Chapter 199 How It Feels To Be The Loser (8)
"Oh my Lord! Thank you for answering my prayers!"
"We thank the esteemed Mage deeply from our heart foring to save us!"
"May the Gods bestow an unending fortune to the benevolent Mage!"
Basil stared at the dramatically crying people in the cage, who were looking at him with eyes full of gratefulness, neutrally. There were exactly 99 people inside the cage, and all of their clothes were tainted in blood.
"You shall not celebrate too soon; I can''t release you now. There are still many Monsters surrounding this ce."
"Y-Yes, we are aware of the situation," answered one of the elderly civilians trapped inside the cage.
"Very well." Basil snorted coldly, and turned his back on the people. "Don''t make too much noise. The louder you are, the bigger the urge the Monsters have to eat you."
It actually had nothing to do with the Demon''s urge to eat humans¡ªthey ate whenever they wanted to, whether said prey made a loud noise or not¡ªbut the civilians knew nothing about it. Thus, all of them suppressed every sound that could possiblye out of their mouth.
"In deserts, even one''s sweat is something that one may use to quench the thirst." Basil lightly smirked. "When desperate, people will do everything that can ensure their safety, no matter how stupid it is." He faintly shook his head in amusement.
Looking to his sides, Basil could see there were many Low ss Demons approaching him. The Low ss Demons remained unmoved; only some of them confronted Deacon and Iliana who were fighting like they had been partners for a long time already.
"Very well. Let''s see how much I have grown."
Basil held his sword downward, and stabbed it to the ground. Nothing fancy happened, but it managed to startle the iing Demons. Infusing his Mana to the Magic Circles on his heart, his surrounding air was immediately overwhelmed with his Mana.
Boom!
Four Magic Circles materialized themselves to the world. All of them were Ultimate Circles that were shining brightly in four different colors; each of them had been infused with Mana that was imbued with a different Element.
The red one was on fire, while the blue one had a ring of water surrounding it; the green one, other than shining intensely, had a couple of small gale surrounding it, while the brown one was covered with spiky earth.
Basil had done something that no one had ever tried before¡ªusing four different Elemental Magic at the same time¡ªdue to how difficult to control it. Of course, Basil''s natural talent, his Mana Heart, and his Ultimate Circles yed a big role in this matter.
The Low ss Demons, who were charging at Basil, now felt their instinct were screaming at them; they stopped in their track, but itsted no longer than three seconds. Their indignation had made them ignorant toward the danger they knew wasing.
Basil didn''t care with the stupid choice the Demons had made. He merely put his hand on the hilt of his sword that he had stabbed to the ground, and infused his Mana that was imbued with Earth Element to the sword.
His Fourth Circle¡ªthe one with the Earth Element¡ªshone brightly, as the ground gradually rumbled. The Low ss Demons were well aware that an attack woulde, but still none of them had any thought to stop in their track.
A Crawler was the closest Demon to Basil. It was a Low ss Demon that looked like a mole with the size of a mature tiger, and metal ws on its limbs.
Three steps away from Basil, the Crawler opened its mouth like a blooming flower, and two rows of teeth could be seen hiding below theyers of skin that had previously been protecting them. It was ready to gulp Basil''s head in one go.
Despite of knowing there was a Demon that was ready to gulp his head right on his side, Basil remained unfazed; he didn''t even look like he cared about it. Pushing his sword slightly deeper to the ground, he executed the Spell he was going to use against the Low ss Demonsing at him from his sides.
[Land Splitter]!
The rumbling briefly stopped, and a chaos started right after. Countless of earthen spikes emerged from the ground, skewering the Demons that wereing from Basil''s left and right side, including the Crawler that was merely a step away from him.
Although Basil''s Spell worked splendidly, there were still quite many of them survived. Of course, the Spell hadn''t fully taken effect yet; it was still in the process of being perfectly executed.
When the survivors of the earthen spike were ready to move away from the spikes, the ground that was right below where the earthen spikes had emerged parted, creating a 5 meters wide and 3 meters deep trench that stretched over Basil''s right and left side for 50 meters long.
The Demons helplessly fell to the trench due to their bewilderment at its sudden appearance, but other than that, they were pretty much fine. They had an awesome regeneration factor that allowed them to ignore their fractured bone that they got from the fall.
Then again, Basil didn''t have any intention to stop his attack there. Raising his sword that had split the ground earlier, he infused his Mana that was imbued with Fire Element. His First Circle shone more intensely, as the fire covering it burned even brighter.
Pointing his sword to the trench in front of him, another Elemental Spell was executed.
[Purgatory]!
Nine red Magic Circles that were shining so intense it blinded one''s vision appeared in the trench. The Demons trapped inside became even more rmed as they could instinctively feel the suffering the Spell would bring them.
Burst!
Of course, they didn''t have time to get out from the trench, as Basil''s Spell took effect in a second; fire filled the trench making it look like a pond that was built on top of an oasis of fire. The Demons trapped inside were helplessly scorched, while screeching futilely.
The scene that was happening in front of Basil didn''t only terrorize the other Low ss Demons, but also the Knights and Mages that were looking at it from afar. An anguish filled scream, and a raging fire¡ªtruly a scene befitting of a purgatory.
Still, Basil remained unfazed; he had seen humans being treated worse than that, and he had done worse things to the Demons in his past life. For him, the scene in front of him was nothingpared to the many things he had witnessed in the past.
Looking to his front, Basil could see another tens of Demons across the trench. They seemed ready to stupidly jump over the burning trench instead of taking a detour around the trench to reach him.
Pointing his sword at them, he infused his Mana that was imbued with Wind Element to it. His Third Circle shone brightly as a sphere of wind des protected his entire existence.
"It would be great if I had Kusanagi with me..." Basil slightly shook his head upon remembering the destruction of Kusanagi. "Well, it can''t be helped. If a human other than myself can destroy it easily, it''s not a good weapon."
With a faint smirk, Basil utilized Wind Magic.
[Swipe]!
It was a Low Grade Wind Element Spell, but it became a fearsome Spell in Basil''s hand. Unlike a normal [Wind Swipe], Basil''s version had a wider attack range and was far more mmable.
Therefore when the wind was licked by the fire in the trench, another fire was immediately born. It looked like a burning wave of tsunami that was ready to sweep whoever in front of it.
It did just that; the stupid bunch of Demons that were standing in front of the burning trench in bewilderment were swept by the high speed wave of fire that Basil sent them. Just like the Demons in the trench, they were helplessly charred, along with the ground that the fire touched.
Cray, who was just 15 meters away from the burning crowd of Demons, couldn''t help himself from eximing in amazement.
"Holy cow! That is amazing, Basil!"
Although he had seen much more shy disy, he didn''t quite often witness someone could utilize their Spell as effective as Basil.
"Elementalist?! He is an Elementalist at such a young age?!"
"Ludicrous! How is he not burdened by the variety of Element he is infusing his Magic Circles with?!"
The other Mages, who only knew Basil for a day, were also bewildered. Although they had heard what kind of an abnormality someone named Basil was, they didn''t expect him to be this abnormal.
Elementalist was a Mage that dedicated themself to master four main Elemental Spell¡ªFire, Water, Wind, and Earth¡ªdespite of having an Affinity of only one or two of them.
They made up theirck of Affinity by overwhelming their Magic Circles with Mana that was imbued with the Element theycked the Affinity of. It was something that only a desperate Mage, whose progress was put to an end by an absolute bottleneck, did.
Despite how unrmended this path of journey was, any Mage that paved this way had to be an extremely experienced and talented individual. Even so, not just all of them could utilize more than two Elemental Magic at once.
This is the reason why the students who were new to Basil''s abnormality couldn''t quite wrap their head around the fact that Basil had easily utilized three different Elemental Magic at the same time.
He looked even ready to utilize the fourth one!
Basil could see the bewilderment of his fellow students, and the amazement the Knights were showing him from afar with his eyes.
Instead of revelling in the admiration the people showed however, Basil controlled the wind around him, and used it to empower his voice.
"Those who are able, help me secure the hostage!"
"On my way!" Cray was the first one to respond.
Avoiding the Demons that were charging at him, he jumped to the air, and used Wind Magic to allow his body fly Basil''s way. He was eager to fight alongside Basil.
Chapter 200 How It Feels To Be The Loser (9)
It didn''t take Cray long to arrive beside Basil; none of the Demons even blocked his way as he traveled through the air. He could immediately witness the burning trench that he had only seen from afar right in front of him.
"Uwah! This is nastier than I thought!"
Of course, being close to it also means that he he got to taste the air in the surrounding; his nose was assaulted with the smell of a burning skin, and the scent of the Demons'' evaporated blood that was foul enough to make one empty the content of one''s stomach.
Luckily, Cray wasn''t just anyone; he could ignore the gruesome smell right after. "What are we going to do next?" He turned to Basil. "None of the Monsters areing at us ... Not yet, at least."
"We are going to extinguish the fire."
"Huh? Are you going to use Water Magic merely to extinguish the fire that you made?"
Ignoring Cray''s slightly disappointed look, Basil raised his left hand and channeled his Mana that was imbued with Water Element to it. The air surrounding him turned moister, as a ball of water that was 10 meters in diameter was conjured in the air.
He brought his hand down, and the ball of water was dropped on the raging fire in trench.
Hiss!
Like what any water did to fire, the ball of water quickly extinguished the fire in the trench. Unlike just any water however, the vapour that came from the evaporated water was so thick, it started to cover the area around the trench to the point of perfectly concealing Basil and Cray.
Cray squinted his eyes to look through the mist, only to find he couldn''t. "This is ... What is this mist? I can''t see anything at all. Is it one of your Art? I''m pretty sure we have no Spell that does this."
"Art? Spell?" Basil chuckled lightly. "It is none of them; it''s physics. A basic knowledge."
"I''m not that well-versed in basic knowledge, but I know that water vapour is usually not this dense. I can''t even look pass through it with Magic!"
"I will not deny that this mist is different."
"What does it do?"
Basil briefly turned his head to Cray, before returning his gaze to the front. "This mist calls them who haven''t showed theirself."
"Which is...?"
"Figure it out yourself." Basil gestured to the front.
Although Cray normally didn''t like mystery, he didn''t pester Basil for the answer; he did as what Basil gestured him to do, and looked at his front intently. Just like before, he could only see the dense mist, and hear nothing.
As soon as he realized he couldn''t hear anything, Cray turned to Basil. "Holy cow, Basil! Since when did you iste us within your Barrier?" He was equally terrified and amazed.
Even up till now, he hadn''t felt any Mana fluctuation from Basil that signified his usage of Magic. "Darn it! Aren''t you too scary to be a Fourth Circle Mage?"
Basil merely smirked lightly at Cray''s rather dramatic reaction. Although he liked quietness, Cray''s reaction strangely had never annoyed him even once¡ªit was slightly amusing. ''I think I somehow know why Iliana treasures them so much.''
Focusing to his front once again, Cray looked at the only visible thing in front of him¡ªthe ground. As a Mage, he normally could easily notice the activation of a Magic Barrier within an area, but he could only notice Basil''ste.
Turning his gaze to the dark sky, he even thought whether he was just too stupid to notice such thing or Basil was just too good in utilizing his Spell. After all, any bright individual would question why the surrounding was still bright with the dark sky.
,m ''No, let''s be real. Basil is a monster; he has surpassed us even when he still had less Magic Circle than us. I''m not stupid! If I was, I would''ve been dead already. Yeah, Basil is just too good ... Darn it! I envy him.''
Cray was about to continue his musing, when something caught his attention.
Scrape. Scrape.
He could see something was tryinge out of the ground. He didn''t know what it actually was, but he was sure the thing that was trying toe out of the ground was using a sharp metal tool to open the ground.
"Hey, Basil ... I think¡ª"
"Keep your voice down," Basil muttered.
Cray didn''t question Basil in the least bit; he shut his mouth, and took a few steps back until his back almost touched the cage that was filled with 99 scared civilians. Turning his head to them, he grinned widely, and motioned them to not make a noise.
Of course, for the currently frightened people, they became even more frightened upon seeing that gesture from Cray. Not only was the aura within Basil''s Barrier frightened them, but the smile Cray showed them was too bloodthirsty to give a calming effect!
Nheless, the crowd managed to not make any sound in the end; they hade to the point where they were so scared they couldn''t make any noise. The reason was, of course, the scene in their surrounding.
Countless of human-like figures had emerged from the ground, and now were observing the people from behind the mist. The figures didn''t have a clear form as they were visible and invisible at the same time.
"Uwah... What are these abstract creatures? They don''t even have a definite form."
Cray looked at his surrounding, and couldn''t help but muse whether they could actually face the crowd of the newly appearing creatures. He was sure that even Basil''s trench wouldn''t be able to help them in this situation.
"Psst. What are we going to do, Basil?" Cray whispered. "Aren''t they too many for the two of us?"
"Are you scared?"
"No, but these dorks behind me are!"
Basil faintly smirked. "Just open the cage, so when they make a sound, these Silencers can immediately eat them." A suppressed scream of terror could be hearding from the people right after Basil finished his word.
"Are you Iliana''s brother or something? Your sense of humour is just as bad." Cray chuckled awkwardly. "Anyway, these Monsters are called Silencers? I have never heard anything of them. You really have a broad knowledge, Basil."
Basil merely hummed at Cray''s praise. He wasn''t surprised that Cray didn''t know anything about Silencer; he had never expected his fellow students to know about Silencer either.
Silencers were an Upper Low ss Demon that one could only find at night. They had a special skin that made them invisible and undetectable during the daylight which made them a perfect weapon for a surprise attack when night came.
Despite their advantage during the daylight however, they also had a disadvantage: they were so powerless during the daylight, the only thing they could do was minding themselves. This is also the reason why one could only find Silencers during the night.
Considering the active time of the students, it is normal for none of them to never encounter a Silencer. Even more if none of them had gone to fight in Outer Region which was the area of the Demons yet.
One might wonder how could Basil force the Silencers out during the daylight, and the answer is the trait of Silencers: they like moist air. Whenever they were in an environment where the air was highly moist, they gradually turned visible and regained their power.
Therefore, the mist that Basil had produced from the "sh" of two of his Spells was enough reason for them toe out of the ground.
"If you want to engage in a fight with them, do it inside the mist. They are only visible when they are inside the mist. Once they get out of the mist and are exposed to light, they will be invisible once again. Of course, they won''t be able to attack you by then."
"So, the ce we are currently standing is the safe zone?"
"Hm."
"Do I just have to charge and y these shadowy figures? Will I be alright to fight in this dense mist?"
"Are you afraid?"
"Yeah, I''m afraid of getting lost in this dense mist."
[You won''t. I will guide you, when you think you are lost.]
"Holy cow! Are you a Mentalist?!"
Basil slightly frowned at Cray''s genuine shock. Although he was aware he had never used [Wavelingo] tomunicate with any of his fellow students¡ªother than Xiu Li¡ªhe had thought that Cray wouldn''t be surprised in the least bit.
"Keep your voice down. You will scare the Silencers, and make them reenter the ground with your voice."
"Eh? They are easily scared?!"
Uncaring to Cray''s bewilderment, Basil asked about Cray''s shock upon his disy earlier. "Haven''t you seen Iliana utilized [Wavelingo] before?"
"No. I don''t even know what that weird named Art is." Cray shook his head faintly, and then eximed, "Hold up! Are they really easily scared?!"
Instead of answering Cray''s question, Basil addressed the fight they were about tomence. "I will take the front, and you will take the back. Don''t use fire, wind, and anything that disturbs the fog; use only Arts that support your physical prowess."
"Doesn''t that leave me with [Reinforcement]? You are aware that I rely on Wind Magic, aren''t you?"
"So?"
Cray''s eyebrow twitched at Basil''s nonchnt response. "Isn''t this physical task more suited for Knights?"
"I didn''t specifically ask you toe." Basil lightly shrugged.
"Yeah, I know. But, at least you can specifically ask¡ªah, he''s gone." Cray couldn''t finish his protest as Basil had already stepped inside the mist. He couldn''t even see where Basil had gone to. "What is he¡ª"
Screech!
"Bloody hell, Basil! Can''t you not kill these Monsters so suddenly? You surprised me, mate!"
Cray''s protest went unheard, yet again. Of course, at that point, the surrounding was also filled with the offensive scream of the Silencers; he could see them running around as if they were searching for something inside the mist.
Basil was so good at hiding his presence, even the usually invisible Demons were forced to look for him ... In their own "territory" nheless.
Cray sighed lightly, and walked around the cage. "It''s time to fulfill my task." He could see the Silencers on the other side were also busy looking for their assant. "That Basil. Can''t he, at least, discuss with me about the strategy first?"
Cray blinked his eyes, as he couldn''t believe what he had just said. "Hah! Who needs strategy anyway? That doesn''t suit me!"
Punching his palm, he charged at the Silencers inside the mist.
Chapter 201 How It Feels To Be The Loser (10)
Screech!
"Phew! For a Monster that has silence in its name, it sure is loud." Cray frowned at the Silencer he had just killed. He didn''t like the noise every Silencer made the moment they were killed. "It doesn''t even summon their friends or whatsoever."
Cray shook his head faintly, and observed the unique and strange phenomenon that was currently happening in front of him. He had been killing Silencers for minutes already¡ªhe had witnessed it many times¡ªbut he still couldn''t get used to it.
"Why do they immediately disappear right after being killed?"
Fighting in the mist, like Basil had assured him, wasn''t difficult at all. Although he couldn''t see anything properly other than his hands and feet, he could still spot the Silencers easily.
He could even say that the Silencers were the only thing that could be seen in the dense mist no matter where they were. Of course, it is still a different story after they died; their already vague existence disappeared right after they died.
So far, the disappearance of the Silencer''s death bodies didn''t cause anything that harmed him or anything. However, the fact that they could just disappear without even being disposed of still worried him.
"Who knows what they can do, right? They might trip me over or something," Cray whispered under his breath. "Anyway, it is not as hard as I thought." He looked around, and noticed three Silencersing his way.
Unlike the other things, he could see the three Silencers in the form of three ck humanoid shapes. He didn''t know whether this was also caused by Basil''s Spell, but this is what made dealing with the Silencers was easier.
Of course, it still means they were a quite troublesome opponent to deal with.
"The other side is surprisingly quiet. I wonder if Basil has finished his part." Staring at his bloody daggers and the iing Silencers, Cray nonchntly shrugged afterward. "Well, it''s time to finish mine too."
Channeling Mana to his feet, he strengthened the [Reinforcement] on them. His muscles contracted, and he immediately kicked the ground without bursting his Mana outward.
Whizz!
Although Cray wasn''t traveling that fast, the air still produced a sound upon being parted by his daggers. The Silencers became more alert as they readied their metal ws to attack him upon this disy.
Of course, Cray, just like everytime, was faster than them. The moment he appeared in front of them, he did an acrobatic turn, and cut the neck of the three Silencers cleanly.
sh. sh.
The head of the three Silencers touched the ground a few seconds after, as their body slowly faded beforepletely disappeared after 10 seconds. Looking at his bloody daggers once again, Cray clicked his tongue in annoyance.
"Why doesn''t their blood disappear too? This is what actually concerns me. What if they suddenly¡ªkyaa!" As Cray felt a hand on his shoulder, a girlish scream voluntarily came out of his mouth.
"Are you okay?"
At the familiar voice, Cray quickly turned around, and eximed in annoyance. "Darn it, Basil! Why didn''t you notify me in advance?! You scared the kindness out of me, mate!"
"A Mage shall never ignore his surrounding."
"Oh, blimey. Thanks for the reminder! But, make sure to hide yourself crappily next time. I couldn''t even detect you!" Cray sighed, and massaged his forehead lightly.
''Is this what Whitney always feels whenever I am with him? Huh? Why am I acting like this anyway?'' Shaking his head at his funny thought, Cray turned to Basil.
"So, have you finished your job? Although I don''t see anymore of theming at me, I can''t guarantee I have finished all of them. So, I suggest¡ª"
"What are you talking about? We can''t finish them in one go."
"No, no, no. What are YOU talking about?" Cray pointed his finger at Basil. "Spill the tea, kind sire. You are keeping almost everything to yourself."
Basil hummed to himself, and silently gazed behind Cray. "In a horde of Silencers, there is one special Silencer that will onlye out once the other Silencers are dead. Before this particr Silencer is dead, the horde isn''t finished yet."
"Okay..." Cray blinked his eyes in wonderment. "So, what makes this Silencer special? Is it so silent, we can''t hear it even if it is in front us?"
"It has the power to reunite the other Silencers with it ... It resurrects the dead Silencers, and merges with them."
Cray''s face instantly darkened as he looked at his bloody daggers; everything suddenly made sense to him. Now he knew that the disappearance of the dead bodies was actually the resurrection of the Silencers the two of them had killed.
"Hey, Basil. Do you know where¡ª"
Boom. Boom.
Cray''s sentence was interrupted by the sound of slow heavy steps. "Huuh... I knew it wasing." He sighed in exasperation.
Clicking his tongue in annoyance, he turned his body to the direction Basil was facing. "Are you sure it is the same Monster we have in earlier? It doesn''t look simr to them."
He could see an 8 meters tall shadowy figure wasing at them with a leisure pace. It was bigger than the Minotaur Warrior they had encountered, but emitted a less frightening aura; it still made it frightening nheless.
,m "Be careful of this Silencer. Despite of how big it looks, it moves faster than the fastest Peak Stage Orange Core Knight you know." Basil lightly swung his sword, briefly parting the dense mist. "It makes no noise, so don''t ever turn your head away from it."
"Oi, oi, oi. Isn''t it too dangerous to be real?" Cray quickly readied his dagger, and stared at the gigantic Silencer intently ... Or to be exact, he was staring at the ce where the gigantic Silencer supposed to be at. "Huh?! Hey, Basil it is¡ª"
Whoosh!
Cray''s eyes froze as a sharp metal w grazed the side of his cheek. He had merely turned his head to his side to look at Basil, but he was met with the gigantic Silencer instead.
Gulp.
"H-Hello, Mr. Silencer. A pleasure to be in your presence, sire!"
Cray previously couldn''t clearly see the appearance of the Silencers he had killed even though he had observed them closely. Now however, he could clearly see the appearance of the gigantic Silencer.
It had a head of a human, but without a face. He couldn''t see its eyes, nose, and mouth; only a nk surface of pale skin. It had an extremely muscr figure, eight hands, and two feet with sharp metal ws.
Different from the Silencers he had in before, this one, just like what Basil had said, didn''t make a noise. Even when right beside him, he couldn''t hear it breathing.
The only thing that signified its presence was the sound the wind made when it was parted with its body. He didn''t even hear its heavy step prior to its reappearance beside him.
"It''s time to go."
When he was done with his quick and detailed observation, Cray kicked the ground as hard as he could, and distanced himself far away from the Silencer.
Whoosh!
The Silencer, althoughte, was also close to cut Cray''s neck. Like before, its ws didn''t even make a noise when they parted the air; he could only feel the wind that the motion of the ws produced.
Quickly looking around, he tried to locate Basil, only to find that Basil was nowhere to be found. He stretched his Mana Sense, but he couldn''t even detect any Mage''s presence in his surrounding.
''Is he¡ªis he purposefully hiding from me?! Curse you, Basil!'' He knew Basil was still there¡ªthe Barrier was Basil''s, and still active. For Basil to not show himself, either means he was telling Cray to fend for himself or he was using Cray as a bait.
Either way, it wasn''t really a good thing to hear for Cray.
...
Boom!
Iliana fended the axe of the Hog Orc in front of her to the side. The brief sh of their weapon produced a shockwave, showing how much strength put into the attack. Of course, due to that, the axe of said Hog Orc was deeply nted to the ground.
Quick in her movement, Iliana thrust Sinister Piercer at the Hog Orc in one fluid motion. Powered with Mana, her spear easily pierced through the armor, and its heart. Bursting the little bit of Mana on the tip of her spear, she made a hole in said Hog Orc''s chest afterward.
Retracting her spear, she swiftly flicked it to the side to clear the blood off its de. Sensing another Middle ss Demoning from her side, she kicked the ground, and hopped on the back of Deacon, who was fighting three Hobgoblins by himself not far away from her.
"Deacon, let''s take a break!"
"Understood!"
Briefly scanning his surrounding, Deacon dashed to the ce with less Demons. It was the area that was covered with the dense mist Basil had produced. Since some of the Knights were also there, it was a good ce to take a break.
Unlike before however, quite a few of the Middle ss Demons were stubbornly chasing behind Deacon. Iliana frowned at the scene, as she was sure the Demons weren''ting at them to protect the hostages that were concealed within the dense mist.
"In the very first ce, none of them will be able to reach the cage." Staring at the dense mist in amazement, Iliana muttered, "To think heyers the Barrier with Bewitchment that messes with perception ... He really utilizes his Spell well."
Iliana smirked, and was about to instruct Deacon to turn around to attack the Demons following them, when Thompson shouted something at them.
"Miss. Beautiful Mage, move aside!" He wasn''t ttering her; he merely didn''t know what her name was. Iliana hadn''t introduced herself, after all.
Quick to take action, Iliana and Deacon abruptly jumped to the side, flustering the Demons chasing behind them. Thompson held his sword horizontally, and immediately activated his Aura Ability.
"[Matter Augmentation: Expansion]!"
As his sword grew bigger and longer, Thompson swiftly swung it at the Middle ss Demons in front of him. By the time he had done a full swing, all of the six Demons who had been chasing behind Deacon were cleanly bisected.
Thompson''s sword returned to normal afterward, and Iliana arrived beside him at the exact same time. Iliana got down from Deacon, and nodded her head at him in appreciation.
"I appreciate the help, but it was honestly unnecessary." Graciously tossing her hair, she continued, "Also, I already have a boyfriend. You don''t look as appealing as Basil to me either."
"A-Ah, that is..." Thompson scratched his head awkwardly. "I wasn''t hitting on you. You haven''t told me¡ª"
"Iliana. Nice to meet you."
"Y-Yes, nice to meet you, Miss. Iliana." Sighing lightly to himself, Thompson thought, ''They really are made for each other, aren''t they? Their demeanor is really alike!''
The two of them was about to join Sylvia and Jake in the back, when a strong wind blow crashed on to them.
It came from the direction of the dense mist ... Well, the supposed direction of the dense mist.
Chapter 202 How It Feels To Be The Loser (11)
Whoosh!
A strong wind blowing from the area that was covered with the dense mist swept over the surrounding area like an explosion. The dense mist that had previously covered an area of roughly 70 square meters was blown away by this very wind.
Naturally, when such a phenomenon ured, everyone''s attention was attracted to it. Of course, for Iliana and the Knights bunch, the reason why they were attracted to the phenomenon was more than that; Iliana could feel Mana being utilized, and the Knights could feel the ominous auraing at them.
When the wind blow died down¡ªwhen everyone could see the area that had previously been covered by the dense mist, all of them could finally understand what had caused such amotion.
An 8 meter tall white giant was standing straightly facing their way, while showcasing its eight hands with sharp metal ws. They could see Cray was standing not far away from it, and Basil¡ªthe one who had produced the wind blow¡ªwas right in front of the cage that entrapped the civilians.
"This Monster is... What kind of Monster is this?" Sylvia, who was not far away from Thompson and Iliana, frowned at the Silencer''s appearance. She had never seen or heard anything about it.
Jake, the more experienced out of the two, quickly grabbed Sylvia''s shoulder. "Let''s regroup with Thompson. This guy is not something we can defeat alone."
Although it was his first time seeing it directly with his own eyes, he knew what it was. "It''s Silencer, a Middle Grade Monster." Sylvia nodded wordlessly, and quickly moved toward Thompson along with Jake.
When she looked around her, she could finally notice that the battlefield was actually silent as if something had purposely stopped it. She could even see the Middle ss Demons were looking at the gigantic Silencer.
By the time she arrived right beside Thompson, she briefly saw the feet of the Silencer twitched, and that was thest thing she could see before the Silencer was nowhere to be found.
She was equally bewildered and confused at the disappearance of the Silencer, but a strong pull on her shoulder immediately awakened her from her daze.
"Watch out!"
sh!
It all happened in a sh: Thompson pulled Sylvia his way, and the Silencer''s w carved a trench on the ground in the next moment. Her eyes quickly widened in shock, and her heart beat crazily as adrenaline finally rushed through her vein.
"Jake!"
"Leave it to me!" Jake lifted his gigantic axe, and smashed the ground with it. "Uwoh! Eat it, Monster!"
Boom!
As his Aura Ability, [Unfathomable Strength], was activated, the power that was put behind the axe was enough to part the ground. Not only that, the parted ground also brought a shockwave that was enough to turn any Demon in its way to paste.
Sadly, it wasn''t fast enough to reach the Silencer in time; the Silencer had moved to another ce by the time the shockwave hit the ce where it should have been.
Also at that moment, the battlefield became rowdier than ever. The temporarily stopped fight started again, and a new type of Demon that none of the people knew had even been there showed themselves.
All of them had a womanly figure and a hideous face that could scare even an adult man just by looking at it.
,m There were around twenty of them, and one could easily tell they were of a higher standing Demon by the way the other Middle ss Demons parted just to give them way.
The newly appeared Demons stared at the battlefield briefly, before the frontmost of their group¡ªtheir leader¡ªraised its hand. Upon seeing the gesture, the other woman-like Demons opened their mouth so wide, a head could fit in it.
Then, an ufortable noise assaulted everyone''s ears.
SCREECH!
These Demons, who were producing a noise that messed with those who heard it physically and mentally, were called Banshee. They were the most troublesome Middle ss Demons to deal with.
Aside from possessing a baffling agility, their scream could permanently destroy any weak-minded individuals. What made them troublesome however, was the fact that their scream wasn''t their ace card; they could scream anytime they wanted to.
Meanings, they could mess with their opponent''s mind while in the middle of a fight. Even if one had a strong mind, one wouldn''t be able to focus on the fight as one would be too upied with protecting one''s eardrums to prevent them from exploding.
"SlAy the HumANs!"
The leader of the Banshee loudly dered, once it noticed that they had gotten the attention of the humans. The Banshees were quick to take action, as they dashed toward he closest group of humans they could see¡ªIliana and the three Knights.
Whitney, who was watching the scene from afar, cursed loudly. "Darn it! The Low Grade Monsters are nowing their way. We need to move!" He didn''t want to let Iliana and the others fight the horde of Demons by themselves. He didn''t want them to die.
"Understood!" Robert, Alexandra, and Jocelyn were also quick to move; they took out their Transportation Artefact, and got down the wall they were standing on in the next moment. Despite in a hurry, they made sure to not break their formation.
"Keep attacking them! The closest Monsters to Iliana are the priority!" Whitney wasn''t just ordering his fellow students; he was also preparing his own Spell that he was going to send at the running horde of Low ss Demons.
Boom! Boom!
Countless of Low ss Demons were blown up in the process, but they still didn''t look back even once. They were so eager to regroup with the Middle ss Demons, they didn''t even mind being attacked from behind.
Effie, who was in the area between the Low ss Demons and the area where the Middle ss Demons stationed themselves at, gazed at the iing Low ss Demons sharply as she took her bow out of her Spatial Ring.
When she put her hand on the string, a unique shaped arrow was formed out of her Qi. She then pulled the string, until the bow was bent to the point it looked like it was on the verge of breaking.
Aiming the arrow at the iing horde, she released it the moment her Aura Ability was fully activated.
[Archer of Doom]!
Whoosh!
The unique shaped blue arrow that was made from her Qi traveled through the air with an insane speed. It was so fast, it looked just like a sh. Even when the ground where itnded exploded, the trail of light it left behind still remained in the air.
Boom!
Tens of Demons were killed in a single attack, and many that were close to the area of attack were injured. Still, for the thousands of Demons, losing slightly more than a hundred of their fellows wasn''t something they needed to worry about.
None of them even looked back at their fallen brethrens. They kept moving forward, as if they would only truly die if they didn''t reach the Middle ss Demons.
"It has started¡ªthe conclusion battle," Basil muttered. He was calmly looking at the unfolding scene, as if he wasn''t the part of the battle all along. Turning to the people in the cage, he told the people, "I have found a safe ce for you, so I will release you now."
"I-Is it really safe for us to get out in this state, O benevolent Mage?"
"It is not, if you are charging at the battlefield, that is. You are going to somewhere else¡ªa ce where it supposed to have no Monsters¡ªso you should be fine."
"S-Supposed to have no Demon? ..." The elderly man, who had been talking with Basil¡ªthe defacto representative of the people¡ªcaressed his beard, while looking down at the little girl hugging his thigh. "Is it safe for children, O benevolent Mage?"
Basil met the elderly man''s pleading gaze with his neutral gaze. "Anything, and anywhere can be dangerous for children. They are weak¡ªthey have not the power to take on this world yet. In times like this, you shall not worry about such thing."
"P-P-Pardon me for my impudence."
The elderly man immediately bowed his head, while gulping dryly at Basil''s cold answer. He had never expected much from a Mage since the very beginning, but he didn''t expect such a young man like Basil would be that cold.
Basil lightly snorted to himself, as he looked at the expression of the people. He was well aware of what was hidden behind the obedient and courteous look: contempt, anger, and curses.
''Look at these people. Once you show an intention to save them, they quickly think you have the obligation to do so.'' It had also been the case in his past life, and he couldn''t help a sneer from forming upon seeing the scene he was very familiar with.
"Stay back, unless you want my sword to cut you in half."
Still, he didn''t have any n to leave them behind, and joined the battle with the others; he needed them for his n. Raising his Sealing Sword, he infused his Qi into it, and casually swung it at the door like part of the cage.
sh!
It happened so fast, none of the people''s eyes could perceive what actually happened. By the time they realized it, the door of the cage was already split in two, and Basil was motioning them to get out of the cage.
The people wordlessly got out of the cage, and closely lined themselves behind Basil. On the one hand, they were d that they were finally out of the cage, but on the other hand they were afraid of what they were about to face.
"My friends are doing a good job to keep the Monsters away from you, so stop wasting time. None of them will be able to reach you as long as you quickly follow me." At Basil''s word, the 99 people quickly nodded their head.
"Please, lead the way, O benevolent Mage." The elderly man was looking at Basil in determination with the little girl who had been hugging his thigh in his embrace. "We will try our best to keep up with you."
Boom!
Another sh between the Mages and the Demons produced an overwhelming explosion of Mana, and it easily scared the group of civilians. Uncaring to their state of mind, Basil turned his back, and dashed forward.
"Halt! Let me guide them instead."
Basil hadn''t even moved a single step when the voice stopped him. Instead of getting irked however, he developed a smirk on his face. ''As I expected, you bite the bait...'' He turned around, and met the one who had stopped him. "Iliana."
Chapter 203 How It Feels To Be The Loser (12)
Basil looked at Iliana neutrally as he quirked his eyebrow. "They don''t really need a guide. They are not heading somewhere, after all; they are just going to temporarily hide themselves until the battle ends, and do nothing."
Iliana nced at the little girl the elderly man was holding in his embrace, and observed Basil''s expression. ''He really is going to sacrifice these people.'' It was nothing out of the ordinary for a Mage, but she couldn''t help a light frown from forming.
"I am aware of that, Sil." Iliana waved her hand nonchntly. "However, you know it best that nothing will go exactly as what one expected. Who knows what will happen while they are hiding, right?"
Iliana was aware of the n: release the people, tell them to enter the Dungeon, let the Low ss Demons after them, as Basil "helps" the people flee from the Demons that are hot on their tails with the control he has over the Dungeon.
The n would be executed for the sake of allowing everyone to focus on fighting the Middle ss Demons¡ªit was a good idea. However, looking at the people Basil was going to use for his n, she couldn''t bring herself to say she stillpletely agreed with his n.
All of the civilians Basil was going to use in his n were housewives, teenage girls, definitely weak middle aged men, elderly men, and even a little girl that was barely 9 years old.
All of them had one thing inmon: healthy but weak, which made them a perfect fodder for the Demons.
Iliana couldn''t care less about the others, but she didn''t want the innocent little girl to lose her life that way. Unlike the others who had definitely seen enough of the world, the little girl hadn''t yet. At least, she wanted to let the little girl live a little longer.
"If something unexpected happens, we will fail our mission, won''t we?" Pointing at the people then herself, she stated, "My presence is needed to make it foolproof. So, let me guide them."
Basil silently gazed at Deacon, who was 10 meters away from them killing the Demonsing their way, then returned his gaze to Iliana. She looked nonchnt and uncaring, but he knew she wouldn''t back down in this matter.
''I am not benevolent; you merely picked my interest, huh?'' Basil knew what Iliana was thinking. He had been together with her long enough to know what kind of a person she was.
She depicted herself as a cold and apathetic person, but she could neverpletely beat her nature. At least, not before something dramatic happened that would change her mindset once and for all, just like what had happened to her in his past life.
''I have ever been in your ce¡ªthinking thatpassion is something one shall never forget. However...'' Basil inched closer to Iliana, stabbed his sword to the ground when he was right in front of her, then put his hand on top of her head.
''I soon realized that not everyone deserves mypassion. Hopefully, you will learn about it today, Iliana.''
He channeled his Mana to his hand in a way unique to him and the rest of Pacifer n. As his hand glowed in white, he opened his mouth. "My blessing shall apany you."
The white light shone down on Iliana, as it enveloped her with a strange yetfortable feeling. She could feel the unique warmth from the light traveled from her head to her entire body, and she epted it with closed eyes.
Basil, who was looking at her peaceful face, developed a soft smile, but he showed it very briefly. When the Blessing was finished, he took his hand of her head, and pulled his sword out of the ground.
"They are not your responsibility."
"I am aware of that." Iliana smirked, and patted her chest. "Though I told you to be informal with me, the fact that I am your senior doesn''t change; I am strong. So, you don''t have to worry about me."
Turning her gaze to the group of civilians looking at them in wonderment, she eximed, "I will lead you from now on, so make sure to follow every word I say. As long as you are within my presence, I am your God, understand?"
"Y-Yes!" The crowd was a little bit taken aback, but they still responded her nheless.
"That''s what I am talking about." Iliana nodded her head, and turned her gaze back to Basil. "Good luck with fighting these guys." She extended her hand forward, and lightly hit Basil''s chest with her fist.
She then walked pass Basil, stood in front of the civilians, and assumed her role as their guide. "Those who are slow will be left behind. Do your best to keep up with me!" She dashed forward afterwards.
Although she said that, she still made sure to keep her pace slow enough for the people to be able to follow behind her. Basil merely looked at the scene silently, as he activated the Rune Carved on the Sealing Sword he was wielding.
The entrance to Death Howl Dungeon, which was well hidden on the ground behind the boulder slightly more than a hundred meters away from him, was opened even before Iliana and the people reached there as the Rune quickly did its job.
Since Basil was aware he still also had a battle, he immediately stopped observing Iliana, and faced the battlefield. ''The Banshees are pretty active¡ªjust like how they should be, and the Low ss Demons are heading Iliana''s way¡ªjust like how it is nned.''
He didn''t pay any attention to the gigantic Silencer that some of the Knights were having a hard time against. He was well aware if he were to immediately y it, the Low ss Demons would forget about chasing Iliana; he didn''t want something like that to happen.
Channeling Mana to his feet, Basil charged at the group of Middle ss Demons surrounding a particr Banshee, who he was sure was the leader of the other Banshees and the entire horde at the same time.
Of course, it didn''t take him to be a few steps away from them for the Demons to stop him¡ªto also charge at him. As if they understood who Basil was aiming for, the Banshees quickly dashed at him with a speed that should never be achieved without Mana.
Since Basil was also charging at the Demons with a speed that was thrice faster than an ordinary human''s fastest speed, the distance between him and said Banshee were eliminated in even less than 7 seconds.
When it was right in front of him, the Banshee opened its mouth widely, and attacked Basil with its ufortable scream.
Screech!
If it were any other people, they would surely be flustered upon being "yelled" like that by the Banshee. Since Basil had encountered many of them in the past however¡ªhe was already too familiar with them¡ªhe didn''t even blink his eyes.
Instead, he clenched his left fist, pour his Qi into it, and thrust it at the widely opened mouth of the Banshee. Since it happened so fast, said Demon couldn''t react properly despite the agility it possessed, and got its head sted.
Boom!
Brain matters, and anything that had been a part of the Banshee''s head scattered around, but none of themtched onto Basil. He had coated himself with a wind sphere, so any powerless projectile like that was easily repelled.
Despite of having killed one, Basil didn''t stop in his track¡ªhe didn''t look he had even slowed down in the very first ce. Needless to say, the Demons also didn''t stay idle. This time, every unupied Middle ss Demon also came at him.
Seeing that facing the Demons by himself would be troublesome and inefficient, he contacted Deacon, who was also not far away from him, through their [Link].
''Aid me.''
[My pleasure, Master!]
Like a storm, the 6 meters tall Deacon dashed toward Basil''s way, sting away any Demon standing in his way. Right when he arrived beside Basil, Basil quickly hopped on his back, and instructed him to attack the Demonsing at them.
Deaconplied to Basil''s instruction wordlessly, as he quickly gathered his Mana in his mouth, and shot a high pressured wind sphere at the iing Demons.
Whoosh!
A strong wind swept the area that the sphere passed, knocking some of the Low ss Demons nearby off their feet. The Middle ss Demons, instead of moving away from the wind sphere''s way, fortified their stance to take it head on.
They fully believed that the sphere would, at most, only be able to knock them off their feet. Unfortunately for them, they didn''t notice the slight difference in Deacon''s wind sphere, and that was the cause of their doom.
Boom!
Upon contact with the wind sphere, the Demons quickly realized their mistake. The wind sphere didn''t blow them away, unlike what it had done to the Low ss Demons that it had passed, but sucked them and anything it touched instead.
As their body was sucked into the sphere and got disintegrated, bewilderment decorated their face. None of them could believe they died because of something that they could have actually dodged.
Not long after, the wind sphere disappeared along with the eight Middle ss Demons that had stupidly blocked it. None of the Demons left anything behind; there was only a crater that was as big the wind sphere left on the ground.
Unlike the Low ss Demons who didn''t even flinch upon seeing their kin getting ughtered, the Middle ss Demons were visibly enraged at the disy.
However, none of them rabidly charged at Deacon; they had be a little bit more cautious with him. Still though, they were still charging at Deacon, fully intending to kill Basil and him.
Basil scoffed at the scene, materialized four of his Magic Circles, and utilized Wind Magic to amplify the volume of his voice. "Let the Low Grade Monsters go, and focus on the Middle Grade Monsters!"
Everyone heard it clearly, and they, who were minding the Low ss Demons, quickly did as what they were instructed. None of them even realized that they were following Basil''s instruction unquestionably due to how decisive he sounded.
The Mages immediately prepared their Spell to attack the Middle ss Demons. The Knights, who weren''t facing the gigantic Silencer, also charged at the horde of Middle ss Demons that had finally joined the battle.
The Low ss Demons, who were no longer upied by the Mages, were now charging at the people that Iliana was leading to the Dungeon.
Everything was all ording to Basil''s scheme.
Chapter 204 How It Feels To Be The Loser (13)
Vyres Forest.
Due to the varieties of rare Magical Herbs it contained, the ess to Vyres Forest was highly limited. Though "limited ess" was only used amongst the members of Philosopher, it was not very far from it in practice.
Due to thew made by the Kingdom, any area inside Braxtein Kingdom wouldn''t belong to anyone, which made monopolizing said area or exploiting said area for one''s profit was forbidden, before one received an official permission to gain said area from the King.
That means, Philosopher, as the biggest Alchemist Association in Braxtein Kingdom, didn''t have any right to utilize Vyres Forest solely for their own profit, even if it was done to help the Kingdom.
They didn''t hold ownership over it, nor would they get it someday per thew set by the Kingdom stating that no one could ever hold an ownership over a forest.
Therefore, the reason why not many people entered Vyres Forest¡ªthe reason why there was "limited ess"¡ªwas not because of the restriction put by Philosopher, but the rumour surrounding it that people hade to believe, which was actually spread by Philosopher themselves.
"Deep inside Vyres Forest, a Dragon is sleeping," was the rumour that the people of Philosopher made to keep everyone away from it.
Coincidentally, due to the Magical Herbs that attracted Mana inside, many Magical phenomenon happened around Vyres Forest, which further supported the rumour made by the people of Philosopher.
"To think that everyone can still be easily fooled in this time of age ... Idiots will always exist, huh?"
Of course, no matter how frightening the rumour that surrounded Vyres Forest was, there were still some people¡ªmostly Mages and Knights¡ªstill approached it, and even entered it.
Just like the two hooded figures that were already 10 kilometers inside it.
"The fact that they are living with people who can use Magic¡ªwho can do weird things¡ªamplify the fear the rumour causes. Even in the Age of Chaos, an existing historical event, it is said that people witnessed Dragons also participated in the Great War."
"It is out of the question, but not impossible ... Is that what they are thinking, Master ke?"
The two hooded figures who were dare enough to travel deep inside Vyres Forest were no other than the headmaster of Stardust Academy, Senior Spellcaster ke, and his assistant, Chester Cowdray.
"The unknowns are what we, humans, are afraid of. The rumour which sounds like a lie, but is still possible to be true is frightening ... At least, for the civilians."
Chester hummed to himself, and nodded his head. "It is out of topic, but I still can''t believe that you chose me instead of the other professors, Master ke."
"Is this a protest I am hearing?"
"No, it''s an expression of disbelief. I am really honored to be regarded highly by the Battlefield Dem¡ª"
"Don''t call me with that name, brat!" ke waved his hand frantically. "I can''t believe many people still call me that way."
"Why not, Master ke? We are going to a battlefield anyway; you are going to showcase your might as the Battlefield Demon once again!" Chester''s eyes lit up, as he pumped his fist in the air.
"Why are you getting excited?"
"How can I not? After all, I will be fighting alongside a legendary figure! An old veteran!"
"I believe being old has nothing to do with being a veteran," ke swiftlymented.
Chester smiled, and said, "Anyway, I''m really expecting the iing battle alongside you, Master ke."
"The iing battle, huh? It is already happening; we are just joining itte."
Yesterday, an officialmand from the King was given to the unaffiliated Mages and Knights¡ªthe powerful people who rejected the title of Nobility. "Show your loyalty in this battle," was themand given to them. Simple, yet held many meanings.
"Those who defied themand would be considered as a betrayer of the Kingdom," was not written in themand letter given to them, but everyone of them received the message clearly.
They, who were not tied by the responsibility over their territory, were given a responsibility upon receiving the letter. A responsibility to show their loyalty, that is.
"I have ever considered something like a Sacred Ground exists in Braxtein Kingdom but... I can''t believe it¡ªthey really exist. On top of that, I am going to one of them¡ªSouthevile," Chester mused in wonderment.
This Outbreak wasn''t a nightmare only to the civilians, but also the unaffiliated Mages and Knights. This Outbreak wasn''t just a bad omen to the Kingdom, but also a good omen.
After all, by telling the unaffiliated the existence of the Three Sacred Grounds, the Kingdom had finally tied them with something that was stronger than a responsibility over one''s territory: a contract to never let anyone know the Kingdom''s biggest secret.
The unaffiliated, who had been no different than Braxtein Kingdom''s civilians, were now had their neck held by the Kingdom: if anyone other than them got to know of the Sacred Grounds'' existence, they would be the one at fault.
"Tsk. To think they will stoop that low ... Dirty bastards!"
"U-Uwah... Master ke can curse too." Chester was slightly taken aback.
"Did you think a veteran wouldn''t curse? Just so you know, I cursed a lot in my younger days."
"Aha-ha-ha. d to know that." Chester scratched the side of his head awkwardly. "Kuhum! I do agree with your opinion on them, Master ke. To bind people like you that way ... That was equally brilliant and dirty. As expected of politicians."
ke didn''t say anything, as he merely focused on his walk while observing his surrounding. Although he had made sure to suppress his presence as best as he could, it doesn''t hurt to make sure they were really not being followed.
"I''m sorry I involved you in this matter, Chester."
"Ah, there is nothing to worry about, Master ke. As I have said, I''m really honored to be chosen by you."
ke quirked his eyebrow. "Really? If I were you, I wouldn''t be too happy to be told to apany an old me to a battlefield. Nothing good will happen in a battlefield, after all." ke sighed in exasperation.
"Do you hate battlefield, Master ke?"
"No, I hate useless death."
"But, this fight¡ª"
"We are dying for the people who are toozy to move their arses." ke stopped in his track, prompting Chester to do the same.
"Our King himself is an Eighth Circle Mage. We even have some supreme Ninth Circle Mages who are hiding somewhere. If those powerful people joined the battle, do you think this Outbreak wouldst for long?"
"Master ke¡ª"
"No," ke shook his head, "it would have even ended right after it started." Staring at Chester seriously from under his hood, ke put his hand on top of Chester''s shoulder. "You are young; I won''t me you, if you decide to return now."
"I''m fine, Master ke," Chester said surely. "I didn''te with you because I was forced, I came with you because I wanted to. I am already aware about what will happen, and I have readied myself."
ke silently gazed at Chester''s burning eyes, and sighed. "Huuh... Isn''t it good to be young?" He patted Chester''s shoulder, then started walking once again. "Let''s walk a bit more. We will use our Transportation Artefact in one kilometer."
"I''m sure we are being overly cautious." Chesterughed awkwardly. "I believe the others travel to the Three Sacred Grounds by a normal means."
"It doesn''t hurt to be careful. We can''t be sure that the Kingdom didn''t order someone to follow us, and use him to ckmail us someday. It''s a matter of life and death, you know?"
"That kind of paranoia reminds me of Basil." Chester sighed. "I wonder what he is doing right now."
"I have a strong feeling that we will meet him again soon, so he must be participating in the battle. Though which battle, I can''t tell."
"But, there is only one battle so far, Master ke. Raneil Barony is already ... It''s better to leave it aside."
ke hummed to himself. "I wonder ... How do the Eight Legions of Royal Army fare against the Monsters in Ruttenhale Barony?" Though he said that, he could somehow picture how bad it was.
...
Army Camp, Ruttenhale Barony.
Bang!
Everyone was startled by the Seventh Legion''s Vice Commander who had split the long table they were using for the meeting in two. They, too, were just as mad as him, but none of them had expected the usually calm Voice Commander to explode.
p "FUCK!" Everyone flinched at the loud voice they never hearding out of said Vice Commander. "Sending only five legions of Royal Army to BA-32 and let the five princes to lead them? What is our King thinking?! Did he not read our report?"
The Seventh Legion''s Vice Commander clenched his fist so hard, he didn''t know what to do with it. On the one hand, he knew he could do nothing about, but on the other hand, he couldn''t bring himself to let everything the way it was¡ªhe was conflicted.
"Our Commanders ... Our Commanders died by their hands¡ªour strong Commanders! What can a bunch of snotty brats that happened to be Sixth Circle Mages do against that kind of abomination?!"
"Enough, Vice Commander Klein!" The Fourth Legion''s Vice Commander, who had silently watched Klein''s rant, stood from her seat. "Badmouthing someone from Royal Family is punishable byw. I know you are mad, but watch your mouth."
Klein turned at the blond haired woman, and silently stared at her. "Are you fine with this, Nathalie? Your sister also died by that human-like Monster ... Do you think sending the inexperienced five princes is a good choice to end this Outbreak?"
"It''s a waste of time and resources."
"Then¡ª"
"But, we could do nothing about it. We are nothing but pawns¡ªa bunch of glorified pawns. If the King tells us to die, we have to die. If the King tells us to fight, we have to fight. Following his order is the only thing we can do."
Klein put his hand on the side of his head, andughed humorlessly. He sat himself slowly, while still staring at Nathalie in disbelief. "We are fighting a losing battle, Nathalie. This is not a battle that we can win with a mere determination."
"That''s the harsh truth of being a part of the Royal Army ... Just ept it."
Klein gritted his teeth, and looked like he was about to explode. "Fuck..." But in the end, he could only curse lowly to himself.
The other Vice Commanders, who had watched the two''s exchange, shook their head and smiled bitterly. Though they knew something like this would happen to them, they still couldn''t ept it when it really happened.
Chapter 205 How It Feels To Be The Loser (14)
Ansley Woster was befuddled. He was equally mad and disappointed at the King''s decision which he had heard from the Royal Army. He knew what the King was up to, but he could never think doing such a thing was proper in times like this.
"To think that the King encouraged the princes to have apetition in this situation... Darn it! This is not eptable," he muttered lowly to himself.
Looking at the injured soldiers of his County Army, who could only lie down helplessly on the grounds while the Priests and Healers healed them, he could only click his tongue bitterly.
Their fate was pretty much sealed; they had to fight until their body couldn''t move any longer. They were all going to die, and it was for the sake of allowing the princes to have theirpetition.
"What a stupid way to die." Ansley smiled bitterly. Staring at the direction of Wisselton, the center of Woster County, he then sighed helplessly. "At least, I can die protecting them."
The moment he thought about his sons, a small smile decorated his face. ''So what if I''m going to die? Ensuring their life is my priority. I have failed my wife, and I can''t fail my sons too!'' Fire returned to his eyes, as he stood from the ground he was sitting.
Some of his exhausted but pretty much fine soldiers turned their head when he stood up, and they gazed at Ansley''s back heatedly the moment they realized he was leaving the camp to enter the battlefield once again.
"My Lord..."
"Earl Woster, you..."
Not only his soldiers, but the other Nobles looking at him couldn''t help but admire his spirit. Still, the only people who were inspired by him¡ªwho followed behind him¡ªwere only his County Army; none of the Nobles felt the urge to enter the battlefield with him that soon.
"He is admirable. He is so admirable, he doesn''t suit to be a Mage."
One of the resting Nobles turned his gaze away from the disappearing back of Ansley to the speaker. "Why can''t a Mage be admirable, Baron Nate?"
"Mages are only admirable amongst Mages, not in front of the public''s eyes, Baron Spencer. Only Knights can be admirable in front of anyone''s eyes."
"Despite how selfish the people depict us, we are now fighting for them, you know? Doesn''t it make us admirable too?" Baron Spencerughed in amusement, then waved his hand afterwards. "Forget what I just said. I can''t believe I even said that."
"Were youughing at your hypocrisy? Have you finally realized that you are here due to your selfish reason?"
"To be honest, I don''t know why I am here." Baron Spencer smiled in defeat. "Unlike you, I don''t really treasure the territory I have, nor do I have anyone to protect. I am here just on my whim."
"What a strange one." Baron Nate blinked his eyes. "Are you nning to leave the battle when it is getting out of hand?" He quirked his eyebrow, as he watched Baron Spencer slowly stood up.
Baron Spencer shrugged. "Like you say, Mages are not admirable individuals." Smirking at Baron Nate, he said, "Isn''t everyone including you the same, Baron Nate?"
"I won''t deny that; I love my life more than anyone else''s."
It is worthy to note that the two Barons were not the only people who were resting in the ce. There were still soldiers around them that could listen to their conversation, and Nobles that were enjoying the exchange between the two.
Despite how selfish the content of their conversation was, nobody called them out on that. They didn''t show any indication that they agreed with the two either, but all of them had the same thing in their mind: ''I will leave this ce once the situation is getting out of hand.''
Even before it was really getting out of hand sadly, the humans fighting in the battle of Ruttenhale Barony were already falling apart.
...
Raneil Barony.
Boom!
Thompson, who managed to dodge the mace that the Hobgoblin in front of him had swung at him, shouted out loud to remind his fellow Knights. "Don''t let the mace of Hobgoblin touch you! It''s too powerful for your body to endure!"
Of course, he also didn''t forget his job to kill the Hobgoblin, who was eager to blow his head away. Pivoting in his ce, he activated [Matter Augmentation] and stabbed the Hobgoblin with his now elongated sword.
The Hobgoblin was sessfully killed, but he couldn''t stay idle; the other Middle ss Demons were already charging at him. Turning his gaze to the direction of the gigantic Silencer that Jake, Sylvia, and Norman were facing, he couldn''t help clicking his tongue.
"Tsk! My hands are pretty much tied with these Monsters. Too bad, but I can''t help you guys." Thompson gritted his teeth, and beheaded the Orcing at him. "I''ll finish all of you quickly!"
Slightly away from Thompson, Steven was surrounded by a group of Demons. He wasn''t being cornered, but he was purposefully holding them there in their ce with his Aura Ability: [Gravity Center].
Unlike the others, he had to utilize his Aura Ability effectively since it used a lot amount of Qi. Therefore, using his Aura Ability on just one Demon at a time was an absolute waste of Qi, which is why he gathered them in one ce beforeunching his attack.
"Hold on, you guys. I will st all you of you in a sec." A savage grin decorated Steven''s face.
Once he deemed he had gathered enough Demons, he held his sword vertically, and took a brief observation on the Demons surrounding him.
A majority of them were Low ss Demons while the rest were Middle ss Demons. All of them were showing their intention to kill him clearly.
Even some of the Middle ss Demons could slightly move toward him due to their indignation. Steven was slightly surprised upon seeing that, because it shouldn''t have been possible.
"Uwah! You guys are scary, aren''t you?" Steven shivered mockingly.
Ignoring the enraged bunch, he infused his Qi into his sword, and processed the Qi he was circting through his entire body into a moreplex and potent form¡ªAura.
The effect of his [Gravity Center] on the Demons was instantly amplified, petrifying all of the Demons in their ce.
Once he was ready to showcase his masterpiece, Steven looked around briefly before shouting, "[Gravity Center: Repulsion]!"
Then as if they were blown away by an extremely powerful explosion, the Demons surrounding him were thrown away like a bullet. Sadly for them, being thrown away wasn''t the only thing they got to experience.
Since Steven fully intended to kill them, he knew he wouldn''t be able to do it just by throwing them away from him with a high speed. Therefore, he had coordinated with Whitney beforehand to ensure the death of the Demons.
All of them weren''t just flying to a random direction. Steven had made sure to direct them at the earthen wall Whitney had made, which was decorated with sharp pointy earthen spikes.
As anyone might expect, the Demons were helplessly skewered upon reaching the wall.
"Huuh... I''m d the wall can hold the bodies of those bastards." Steven wiped the sweat off his forehead.
"Are you doubting me?"
Steven waved his hand frantically, as he turned to Whitney. "No, no, no. I was doubting nature, not you. ''They are so resilient, so what can earth do against them?'' is what I thought." Smiling brightly, he said, "I''m d I was wrong."
"Nature might not be able to do anything against them, but Magic definitely can." Whitney faintly smiled, then looked at the boulder Iliana, the civilians, and most of the Low ss Demons had disappeared into. "What is she nning actually?"
"Are you sure you should worry about that beautiful Mage?" Steven twirled his sword briefly, then pointed his sword to Basil''s direction. "I think Basil is having a hard time against those Banshees. Look, he even has to get down from his Companion."
Whitney didn''t deny Steven''s remark, nor did he agree with Steven; he merely nced at Steven, then gazed at Basil in contemtion. ''He does not look like someone who is having a hard time against their opponents.''
Even if he wasn''t an expert in closebat, he could tell which was the person who was really fighting, and which was the person who was merely "testing the waters." Basil, while focusing on his battle, didn''t look like he wanted to end the battle.
"He is stalling for some reason," Whitney muttered. "What are you two actually nning, Basil, Iliana?"
Deciding to throw the matter to the back of his head, Whitney turned to Steven. He nodded his head at Steven, and resumed their cooperation once again.
Basil, who looked like he was minding his own battle but in truth was controlling the whole battlefield, observed the Banshee fighting him in disinterest. If not for the fact that he wanted to spread the Demons amongst the others evenly, he would have killed all of the Banshees long ago.
''As the higher ss Demons, Banshees are the leader of the horde; everything they say is amand. Since they are more intelligent, I can control them easier, which in turn makes controlling the whole horde easier. If I were to eliminate all of them...''
Once the leader of the horde was eliminated, the new leader would be chosen. They could either be a Demon of the higher ss or the strongest Demon in the horde.
From what Basil saw from the horde, the Demon that was going to rece the Banshees after he killed them all was the strongest Demon in the horde. That means, it wasn''t a very bright Demon, which would make controlling the whole horde harder.
Why did he need to control the whole horde? The answer was simple: to make eliminating the Middle ss Demons easier ... Of course, he also had another reason for that.
"I need to get rid of them." Basil nced at the secret entrance of Death Howl Dungeon from the corner of his eyes. "Just so I can kill that thing." His eyes gleamed coldly, as he bisected the Banshee in front of him.
Chapter 206 How It Feels To Be The Loser (15)
Howl!
Deacon opened his mouth widely, and channeled Mana to his mouth. As he was using Wind Magic, air gathered in his mouth, forming a sphere of high pressured air.
Once he couldn''t increase the pressure of the wind sphere any longer¡ªthe moment he couldn''t hold the wind sphere anymore¡ªhe sent it to the Demons in front of him.
Boom!
The three Middle ss Demons who had been charging at him were blown away by the wind explosion that was so powerful, it carved a meter deep crater on the ground.
The body parts of the blown away Demons scattered around messily, further enraging the rest of the Middle ss Demons. More Demons wereing at Deacon, sessfully irking him, but he could do nothing other than facing them.
He had to do that, so Basil could execute his n sessfully. He didn''t know what Basil was actually nning, but aiding his Master unquestionably wasn''t something out of the ordinary.
Raising his paw, Deacon swung it at the iing Demons. An extremely sharp wind de traveled through the air at the Demons with a high speed, bisecting the unlucky Demons that didn''t get to dodge it.
Dashing forward, he knocked down a Hobgoblin, and bit its head off. As he noticed there was another Hobgoblining from behind, he strongly swung his tail at it, thus throwing said Demon slightly away from him.
Deacon''s tail wasn''t something he normally used as a weapon, but due to the difference in size, he could knock the three meters tall Hobgoblins down with it. Still though, it didn''t give the Hobgoblins a permanent damage or an injury.
Therefore upon knocking down the Hobgoblin who had sneaked behind him, Deacon quickly turned his body around, and charged at said Hobgoblin.
It was already trying to get up from the ground when he arrived in front of it, but he immediately bit its head off, thus ending its life.
Screech!
A strongly ear grating sound that messed with one''s mental was heard throughout the battlefield. Three Banshees were opening their mouth widely, screaming loudly at Basil, who had encapsted himself with wind sphere.
"Banshees are only troublesome when you hear their scream. In other words, only idiots who don''t know how sound travels will find them troublesome." Basil scoffed, and charged at them.
Although a Banshee''s scream was practically a nightmare to its opponent, it was, after all, delivered physically. Therefore, to annul the damage it brought to one''s mind, one only needed to find a way to physically block the sound, not mentally.
Many people were actually already aware of this fact. As they rarely encountered Banshees however, they couldn''t react properly when they heard the scream of the Banshee.
In Basil''s case, he "deflected" the sound of the scream by creating a wind sphere that protected his entire being from any physical attack. He had practically isted himself in the wind sphere, but he could still hear the sound of the outside world whenever he wanted to.
Since the effect of the scream of the Banshee was far stronger when they traveled through air, using Wind Magic to block the sound of the scream was the best course of action.
Unfortunately, due to their panic, many people chose to use the wrong Elemental Magic to block it. They treated it just like any other physical attack, so when they heard a Banshee screamed, their distraught mind made a quick, wrong decision instead.
They usually created an earthen wall in front of them to "block" the sound wave that the Banshee was sending at them. Of course, nothing would end well whenever they did that.
Since they could still practically hear the scream, their mind became even more distraught, throwing them into an extremely panicked state, which led to their end.
There were also some people who utilized Earth Magic quite right by making a dome to protect them entirely, but the result was still the same. Sound wave can practically travel through pretty much any media, and the earthen dome they made is one of the perfect media.
Although the people inside the dome didn''t hear the sound of the scream as loud as the people outside, they could still hear the sound since the inside of the dome still contained air. It sounded muffled, but the scream could reverberate inside it just fine.
Needless to say, hearing the echo of the scream of the Banshee was no different than a nightmare.
Compared to an earthen dome, a water sphere was better at blocking the sound of the scream. The only downside of using it was the fact that it couldn''t be used as an attack.
It was a general knowledge that Water Magic couldn''t be used to kill enemies without being paired with another Elemental Magic.
Therefore, to be able to face the Banshees, one had to open a gap in the water sphere that was blocking the scream. In doing so however, one would hear the scream of the Banshee again.
Of course, one could still pair another Elemental Magic with Water Magic so one could stillunch an attack at the Banshees without opening a gap in the water sphere.
However, it is worthy to note that unless one was an Elementalist, one couldn''t cast any advance Elemental Spell aside from the ones of one''s affinity.
In other words, one needed to be a Hydro Mage to face one''s opponent of the same caliber with Water Magic. This is why not many people were interested in learning Water Magic.
With that being said, Wind Magic was the best choice to face Banshees¡ªto block the scream of the Banshee. Fire Magic was out of the question, so it wasn''t even considered to be a choice in the very first ce.
sh!
Basil cut the head of another Banshee, even before it tried to open its mouth. He had killed 13 of them so far, thus leaving him with only 7 of them to kill.
"All of them areing at me." Upon looking around, Basil noticed that none of his fellows were fighting a Banshee. They were all either upied with the rest of the Middle ss Demons or the gigantic Silencer. "Well, I guess I''ve been marked."
Marking was one of the Demon''s ways to set a priority. Due to their animalistic trait, they did it by attaching a certain smell on someone to tell their kin that said individual had to either be killed immediately or belonged to a certain respected Demon and thus forbidden to be touched.
In Basil''s case, he had been marked by one of the Banshees he had killed, which made the other Banshees were eager to kick the life out of him. The meaning of the Marking was obvious: ''Kill this individual immediately!''
Funnily enough, even without the Marking, Basil would still remain the main target of the Banshees; he had killed so many of them since the beginning of their sh, he had evoked the anger of every other Banshee.
This is also one of the reasons why none of the Banshees engaged in a battle with the others: none of them had killed any Banshee yet.
SCREECH!
While 5 Banshees were doing their best destroy Basil''s mind with their scream, the remaining 2 dashed at Basil with a speed that was equivalent to the top speed of the fastest Peak Stage Yellow Core Knight, which means incredibly fast.
Basil, whose brain had been enhanced upon receiving the Guide, could slowly see the movement of the Banshees, and he was honestly bored with the repetitive action the Banshees did against him.
They were too stupid to realize that he was practically out of their league.
''Guide, how well distributed the Demons throughout the battlefield?''
[Solving the Host''s puzzlement...]
[The Demons are distributed evenly through the whole battlefield.]
''So, it''s time...''
A session of question and answer between him and the Guide was held in a very brief moment. It was very brief, it didn''t even take two seconds.
Upon knowing the tidbit of the information, Basil immediately proceeded his n to the next stage. Properly utilizing his Qi this time, he meant to finish the Banshees in one go.
Holding his sword horizontally, he infused his Qi into it in a special way. The sword, instead of glowing in dark green light that signified the utilization of Aura, glowed in clear blue light.
Other than his Qi, Basil also poured a part Vagus'' soul into it.
[Synchronization]!
The distance between Basil and the two Banshees was no more than three steps. It wouldn''t even take them more than a second to reach Basil.
Also at that distance that they lost their capability to move. An overwhelmingly destructive aura was surrounding Basil''s entire existence, sessfully stunning the Banshees.
His eyes shone in golden light, and a unique circr ck pattern could be seen carved on them. His connection with the Fragment was strengthened, and [Eyes of Mana Perception] was activated.
Schwing!
With a swing of his sword, the world seemed to stop for a brief moment. Nothing happened in that brief moment, and everyone was too startled by the overwhelming aura Basil was exuding to move or make a sound.
It was silent, until the nightmare [Synchronization] brought could be witnessed by everyone.
BOOM!
WHOOSH!
They didn''t know what was actually happening¡ªwhether it was an explosion or a ridiculously strong wind current. However, they could clearly see the brief blue light that swiped over the battlefield before the Demons in front of Basil were reduced to smithereens.
They could clearly see that Basil had sent his attack at the Demons; they, who were fighting away from Basil in the direction behind him, were sure that the frightening attack shouldn''t affect them. Still, even the shockwave it produced forced them to struggle in keeping their ground.
On the other hand, Basil, who had killed hundreds of Middle ss Demons with [Synchronization], stared at the wide, deep, long trench he had carved on the ground and thepletely blown away Demons in front of him in disinterest.
Turning his gaze to one of the swords Jacinda had given him as the reward for winning the Regional Tournament that he had used to utilize [Synchronization] in his hand, he hummed in interest.
"Unlike before, the sword I have used to utilize [Synchronization] doesn''t immediately disintegrate. However still..." Slightly clenching his fist, the sword turned to fine dust. "It doesn''t change the fact that it will disintegrate in the end."
The activity in the battlefield was still stopped at this point, as Demons and humans alike were still taking their time toprehend what had actually happened.
Uncaring to their bewilderment however, Basil instructed Deacon toe over, and hopped on his back.
"We are going to y that Hog Orc." Basil pointed his finger at the 5 meters tall Hog Orc slightly away in front of him, who was staring at him in excitement. "Once we kill this guy, we will separate ourselves from the others."
Deacon responded by howling, and the battle was resumed at Basil''s first sh with the Hog Orc¡ªthe current strongest Middle ss Demons in the horde.
Chapter 207 How It Feels To Be The Loser (16)
Boom!
The first sh between Deacon and the Hog Orc brought life to the battlefield once again. Every human and Demon in the battlefield became aware of their surrounding, and the temporarily stopped battle was resumed not long after.
Deacon, who had taken a step back after parrying the Hog Orc''s axe, red at said Demon cautiously. Even though it didn''t put its full strength on its attack, it still managed to numb the paw Deacon had used to parry the attack.
Considering their body size, Deacon, who was the bigger one, should have possessed more strength than the Hog Orc, but just in a sh, he knew that he could never match its physical prowess. It was shameful, but Deacon was confident he wouldn''t lose to it either.
"We will actively engage in battle with it." Basil patted Deacon''s back, then took a blue spear out of his Spatial Bracelet. "Make sure to keep up with my instruction." He twirled the spear once, and instructed Deacon to dash at the Hog Orc again.
The Hog Orc snorted a steaming breath out of its nostrils, and grinned widely. Its already hideous face became even more unpleasant to look at as the sharp, thick, long tusks were entuated even more due to the grin.
Readying its axe, it swung its axe at Deacon by the time he arrived in front of it. It didn''t use any fancy Technique or Art, but the axe that was powered with its ridiculous strength still managed to make a vacuum¡ªthough very brief¡ªin the air.
A loud noise was created when the air filled the vacuum once again, but it was quickly silenced when Basil''s spear and the Hog Orc''s axe shed against each other.
Boom!
The sh between the two weapons created a shockwave that was enough to knock someone off their feet, but Basil was slightly disappointed at that disy. He hadn''t fully strengthened his body with Qi yet, but he could already match the power of the Hog Orc.
''I am aware that I am far stronger than my past self of the same level, but to think that I can face them this easily... Something is wrong.''
After fighting a lot of Demons in Death Howl by himself and getting more in tune with the Fragment, Basil could notice it: the Demons weren''t as strong as the Demons he had fought in his past life.
They were still frightening nheless, but he could feel something was missing from them¡ªsomething ominous that made them the absolute nightmare of humans. He couldn''t tell what it was, but he was sure that was what made weaker.
The Hog Orc, who got its axe blocked, wasn''t quite happy with what it was seeing. Quickly retracting its axe, it poured its chaotic Demonic Mana into its axe, and swung it again at Basil.
Basil slightly quirked his eyebrow at the iing axe that was surrounded by a reddish ck light in slight expectation. Judging from the raw Mana alone, it should be enough to carve a 3 meters deep crater on the ground if it was burst.
Drawing his Qi from his Early Stage Green Core, Basil infused it into his spear, and gathered it on the tip of its de. Instructing Deacon to jump, he made a thrusting motion at the head of the Hog Orc while midair.
It happened so fast, the Hog Orc knew it had missed the opportunity to strike Deacon¡ªtond a hit on Basil. Despite of knowing that however, it could still keep its smile, as it could see Basil also couldn''tnd a hit on him due to their distance.
[Hill Piercer]!
Unfortunately for the Hog Orc, sometimes what one doesn''t see doesn''t mean it doesn''t exist. Upon noticing the shining tip of Basil''s spear, it lost its grin, and widened its eyes in panic.
Using its strength to stop its axe from uselessly hitting the air, it quickly positioned it in front of its head, and held it with two hands.
Boom!
The water pipe sized beam of dense Qi shed against the axe of the Hog Orc, coloring the surrounding air with its dark green color. The Hog Orc was pushed 3 meters back by the beam, leaving a trail on the ground with its feet.
It was very close, but the Hog Orc still managed to block the beam of dense Qi Basil had shot at it.
The beam didn''tst long; it onlysted for less than 2 seconds. Despite so, it produced a shockwave that was strong enough to swipe the entire battlefield, and managed to slightly scare the Hog Orc.
When Deacon reached the ground, Basil obnoxiously put his spear on his shoulder, and sneered at the Hog Orc that was staring at the dented surface of its axe in bewilderment.
¡ªThere is no need to be surprised at how fragile your axe is. That is to be expected from a low craftsmanship.
Upon hearing Basil spoke in Lesser Tongue, the Demon raised its head, and looked at Basil in shock. Not long after however, its eyes returned to normal as realization seemed to dawn upon him.
¡ªHuman, so you are the one the younglings have talked about ... I can''t believe you are not a fictional character.
¡ªWhy do you think I am?
Basil quirked his eyebrow at the Hog Orc, and said Demon snorted a steaming breath out of its nostrils before answering.
¡ªHumans can never understand ournguage, unless they are given the Authority to understand it.
¡ªWho give humans the authority to? The Generals? Obelisk Masters?
¡ªThe God(s).
Basil unintentionally snorted, and graciouslyughed in amusement afterwards. He couldn''t believe what he had heard; he could understand it if it hade from the mouth of a believer, but he had heard it from the mouth of a Demon.
''Human''s Gods are nothing but a propaganda to glorify the existence of the Four Heroes¡ªthe way to cover the dirty deed of humanity''s biggest betrayers. To think there is a Demon who even believes in the nonsense... I can''t think of something funnier.''
The Hog Orc frowned upon seeing the ridiculing expression on Basil''s face. It didn''t think it had said something wrong, as it fully believed it had merely said a well known fact amongst the Demons and humans alike.
¡ªIs there a reason for you tough, Human?
Boom!
The Hog Orc was so interested in the reason of why Basil thought the matter was funny, it didn''t even block Alexandra''s misdirected attack.
It let the fire ball crashed onto its body, thus engulfing its body in fire. Of course, it had done it while fully knowing it would be unharmed, and it was right about it. When the fire died down, Basil asked it a question.
¡ªHow long have you lived, Demon?
¡ª700 years.
¡ªNo wonder you don''t know what you are talking about.
¡ªYou misunderstood me, Human. I wasn''t referring to your fake Gods, but the real Gods. They, who have thrown us to the mortal world. They, who have snatched away our Authority!
Even though he had read many literatures that made him know about many Gods, Basil had always treated those as stories¡ªa fiction.
He was aware the world he was living in allowed almost anything possible to happen, but he never considered anything rted to Gods to be something that was possible to happen.
Upon witnessing the emotional speech of the Hog Orc and sensing no facy in its emotion from the Mana it was exuding however, Basil decided to give it the benefit of the doubt and made sure about what he had heard.
''Guide, who sent the Demons to the human world?''
[Solving the Host''s puzzlement...]
[Some of the knowledge regarding said event is currently still restricted to the Host. Please upgrade the Guide to the next Tier to ess the information...]
[essible information: Due to the conflict that the Seven Princes of Hell had caused in the Heavenly Throne, the Gods made a verdict to strip the Demons of their right to remain in the Heavenly Throne.]
Basil''s expression turned even funnier at the information, and he couldn''t help a chuckle of amusement froming out of his mouth. How could he not? He had ridiculed the Gods'' existence for his whole life, only to find that they indeed existed!
''What is Heavenly Throne?''
[Heavenly Throne is the ce where Celestial Beings stay.]
''What is a Celestial Being?''
[Celestial Beings are life forms whose existence has far surpassed the Authority of the mortal world, thus can no more inhabit the mortal world.]
''What is Authority?''
[Authority, as its name suggests, is a profound rule of the universe in which allows a certain existence to exist or exert said existence''s power upon fulfilling a certain condition set by the universe.]
''What is the condition?''
[Said information is still restricted to the Host.]
''What are Gods?''
[Gods are Celestial Beings.]
Upon receiving that answer, Basil stopped asking. He knew what the Guide was trying to tell him: ''I will answer your question, but you won''t get what you want to know.'' Still, it was already enough for him.
He had only upgraded the Guide to the Second Tier not long ago, and he hadn''t utilized it much. He was aware he was bound to get many new knowledge that he didn''t know of, but he didn''t expect he would get something that changed his perception of the world once again.
Countless of new possibilities were created in his mind, and he became even more sure that his past life was decorated with nothing but lies¡ªthe lie Iliana had told to keep her secret, and the lie the world presented everyone to keep them away from the truth.
¡ªThe Seven Princes ... Were they Gods too?
The Hog Orc widened its eyes upon hearing "Seven Princes"ing out of Basil''s mouth, and tightened its hold on its axe. It didn''t have any intention to confirm Basil''s guess or whatsoever, but its reaction was already an answer for him.
"Very well, then." Basil shook his head in amusement, then twirled his spear in his hand. Holding it in a throwing position, he infused his Qi into it. "Not only do I have to fight the world, but also the heavens? Interesting!"
The tip of his spear shone in dark green light, as an overwhelming Aura surrounded the spear and his entire existence.
He coldly stared the Hog Orc directly in its eyes with his [Eyes of Mana Perception], as a pair of earthen hands came out of the ground and wrapped around its entire body to help keep it in its ce.
Said Demons was aware of what was happening, and it didn''t know what made it unable to move¡ªwhether it was Basil''s eyes or the earthen hands that were strongly wrapping around it. However, it was sure of one thing: its soul was shaken upon seeing Basil''s grin.
Chapter 208 How It Feels To Be The Loser (17)
[Mountain Piercer]!
Basil threw his shining spear at the stunned Hog Orc. It split the air like a lightning, and it easily pierced the armor that was protecting the Demon''s chest.
BOOM!
An explosion of dense dark green colored Qi covered Basil and the Demon like a dome. Although it wasn''t as strong as [Synchronization], the shockwave it produced was enough to knock the Low ss Demons that were away from it off their feet.
Upon seeing that disy, the Mages, who didn''t know that Basil also practiced the Knight Principle, were made aware of this fact. On the other other hand, the Knights were simply pondering about how ridiculous the scene they were witnessing.
''Just how much Qi can he contain inside his Core?!'' They even ignored the fact that Basil had advanced to Green Core Stage in such a short time.
It took a few seconds for the dense Qi to dissipate, and when it did, Basil and Deacon were nowhere to be found. All they could see was a new big and deep crater with a spear in the middle of it, and the lower body of the dead Hog Orc that was slightly away from the spear.
Everyone looked around in confusion that was mixed with bewilderment to look for Basil, but they soon noticed that Basil and Deacon weren''t the only who were gone. The gigantic Silencer had also vanished from their view.
They became even more bewildered, and quickly looked around to quickly locate said Demon until Cray found where it was.
"There it is!"
Everyone turned their head at the direction Cray was pointing to, and they could see the gigantic Silencer was chasing something to the east. Upon closer inspection, they found that it was chasing a 6 meters tall King Saberwolf that was no other than Deacon.
"I will help¡ª"
"Wait! Look at the other Demons!"
Cray stopped in his track, then looked around to see what Whitney was talking about. His intention to help Basil immediately disappeared upon doing so, and he couldn''t help clicking his tongue in irritation.
"Darn it! What should we do?" He turned to Whitney. "They are heading to where Iliana took the civilians to!"
He wouldn''t be afraid if it was before, but now that such a ridiculous amount of Demons were chasing Iliana, he was sure it would be hard even for someone like Iliana to survive.
"We will also go there obviously," Whitney replied Cray surely.
Cray didn''t show any indication that he heard Whitney, but he immediately chased the Demons that were heading to the secret entrance of Death Howl Dungeon, leaving everyone behind.
For once, Whitney didn''t feel like scolding Cray on his uncoordinated action; he, too, was agitated about the fact that their friend was in danger. He had known Iliana long enough to know what she would do if the Demons caught up to her and the civilians.
''That stubborn girl will definitely do her best to "aplish her mission." She will never leave behind the civilians!''
Turning to Alexandra, Jocelyn, and Robert, who had just arrived, Whitney immediately opened his mouth. "Basil is a capable Mage, and so is Iliana. However, I want to prioritize Iliana over him in the current situation."
"I get what you want to say, Mr. Whitney." Robert quickly nodded his head in understanding. "I will aid Mr. Pacifer. I will fight the Monsters that are chasing him together with him." He turned his gaze to the tens of Middle ss Demons running behind the gigantic Silencer.
"My Spells make it impossible for me to use them in an enclosed space unless I want to hurt my allies too, so I will chase the Monsters that are heading to the southwest," Alexandra stated calmly.
"Will you be okay alone?" Jocelyn looked at Alexandra in worry.
"I''m fine. Besides, I don''t feel we are in this alone..." Alexandra turned her gaze to the Knights of Hauler that were approaching them.
"I will join Miss. Alexandra in her endeavor." Effie looked at Alexandra with a smile. "Do you mind if I join you?"
Alexandra shook her head. "No, I''m grateful even."
"I hate an enclosed space, so I will join you too!" Sylvia remarked. Her armor was covered with Demon''s blood from head to toe.
Alexandra smiled awkwardly at her udylike appearance, but still nodded her head. "The more the merrier." She took out her Transportation Artefact, then activated it. "Kuhum! Then, off we go." With her in lead, the threedies headed to the southeast.
Whitney turned his head to Thompson as if asking whether he was okay with how things were developing, and thetter merely nodded his head with a smile.
"Basil''s friends are also ours," Thompson said courteously.
"I thank you for that." Whitney bowed his head in gratitude.
When Whitney raised his head, Robert nodded his at him. "Then, I will be taking off, Mr. Whitney." He appreciated the heartwarming courtesy the Knights were showing, but he didn''t have the time to admire it. ''Mr. Pacifer is already far away!''
"Ah, wait! I will being with you!" Jake shouted at Robert, who had already taken off urgently. Scratching his head awkwardly, he muttered, "I guess I will just follow him from behind." Then, he ran as fast as his Middle Stage Green Core allowed him to.
Only four people were left behind, and they were all the people who were going to enter the secret entrance of Death Howl Dungeon, which they didn''t know was one.
Thompson looked at Whitney, and awkwardly said, "It might sound impudent, but can I take the lead?"
"Being in the front line is a Knight''s job." Whitney unhesitatingly nodded his head as he understood what Thompson meant.
Thompson smiled in relief, then nodded his head. "I am grateful you know what I mean." Turning to Steven, said Knight immediately nodded his head. "Then, here we go."
Utilizing their Movement Technique, they dashed toward the secret entrance of Death Howl Dungeon like a bullet. Whitney and Jocelyn also didn''t stay idle as they caught up to the two Knights with their Transportation Artefact a couple of seconds after.
They encountered some of the Demons in their way, but none of them could block their way as Thompson and Steven were doing a good job eliminating them.
Even when they found that the entrance was blocked by the Demons, the two Knights quickly st the Demons with their attack, thus allowing them to pass the entrance without a fuss.
Upon passing it, they were greeted by the sight of a wide tunnel¡ªcontrary to the size of the entrance¡ªthat was currently filled with running Demons that were ignoring their presence entirely.
None of them understood what caused the Demons to be that eager to enter this ce, but aside from Jocelyn, all of them felt the tunnel was giving off a familiar feeling. It was so familiar, it felt like they were relieving a nightmare.
"This aura..."
"It is the same as that time."
"Death Howl Dungeon!"
Right after Whitney''s exmation that was full of bewilderment, the ground rumbled briefly, before the entrance was closed, thus making it impossible for the Demons that were still outside to enter.
Although it didn''t change the treatment the Demons that were already inside were giving the four people, none of the people who had entered Death Howl before could rejoice, including Cray that was ahead of them.
''Basil, what are you nning?!''
...
Basil was standing in front of the tree that was 60 meters away from the now blocked secret entrance of Death Howl Dungeon with his hand on the Sealing Sword. He was looking at the entrance, and the confused Demons in front of it coldly.
"If they die, their ipetence is to be med. However, I am sure they won''t." Turning his body to the southwest, Basil dashed forward. "They have her who always protects her family, after all."
Looking ahead, Basil''s eyes gleamed in a suppressed excitement. "Your time is close, Eugene. You shall be grateful I do this much work to take your head."
He had made the illusion that he was now traveling to the east with Deacon, while in truth he had merely infused his Mana Signature and Qi Signature inside a doll that was dressed like him, put it on Deacon''s back, and hidden himself behind the tree.
The dense Qi explosion had been a perfect way to distract the people from noticing the process, and masked the faint presence of his that the doll was giving off.
He had fooled everyone with his scheme¡ªhe had made everyone dance on his palm¡ªjust to kill one person. He had concocted such aplicated scheme to make everything look like a coincidence, just so he could be free from any doubt.
Killing Eugene was extremely easy for the current him; he wasn''t even that worried about the ten Pdins that were escorting Eugene. However, he knew more than anyone that what made thingsplicated was what happened afterwards.
This is why he had concocted such aplicated scheme: just to make everything looked natural. He was aware of the power he currently had, and he was sure he wouldn''t be able to face the Church head on yet.
"Dying in disaster is considered natural too, no?"
It wasn''t that hard to think of such a scheme, but he had to do many things to properly execute it. It was slightly bothersome, but it would pay well in the end.
"Why are they so slow?" Basil could already see the three girls that were going in the same direction as him, and he couldn''t help but frown lightly.
Although he was running in high speed, he was sure he wasn''t running in his top speed. Therefore, he had expected the girls to have been already far away from him since he had also given them quite a lot of time.
"I should''ve expected this."
Basil sighed to himself, and slowed his speed down. Although they weren''t actually heading toward where Eugene was¡ªthe ce he was heading to¡ªhe had to hide his presence from them until they separated ways.
He didn''t want a single soul to witness the deed he was about to do, and he didn''t want to kill unrted people just to fulfill his selfish desire this soon.
Chapter 209 How It Feels To Be The Loser (18)
While Basil and the others were going their separate ways due to the "unexpected event," team 3 that was lead by Eugene had already arrived at the area they were assigned to.
In other words, they were now meeting the 10 Pdins guarding the mansion of Baron Kreiss Raneil to establish a cooperation.
Upon entering the front yard of the mansion, they could see a group of Pdins were standing right in front of the mansion. One of the Pdins stepped forward, and greeted them by himself.
"Mr. Eugene! We''ve heard everything from Head Priest Eban." Said Pdin turned his gaze to Eugene''s teammates, and also greeted them. "Hello, Mr. Eugene''s friends!"
The other students had expected the Pdins would treat them harshly at first due to their status as a Mage and non-believer, but they immediately heaved a sigh of relief when the Pdin in front of them also treated them with courtesy.
"I''m sorry for bothering you on your off day, Caaden." Eugene politely bowed his head at the Pdin who was covered with a shining white armor from head to toe. "Not only you, the others too¡ª"
The Pdin, whose name was Caaden, raised his hand and stoped Eugene from finishing his sentence. "Instead of saying sorry," he put his hand on his helmet, then took it off, "what about thanking me for what I do?"
Long, brown haired that was tied in bun; a pair of bright, red eyes; a beautiful face with a bright, healthy skin tone; and an attractive smile toplement it all. When Caaden''s face was revealed, Eugene''s teammates slightly widened their eyes.
"A female? There is a also a female Pdin?"
"To think that the Church allows a woman to fight..."
They were actually more surprised at the fact that they couldn''t previously see Caaden was a woman. They could normally easily notice someone''s actual gender from their stature and build, but this time they had really thought Caaden was a man.
All of the students had the same thought in their mind: ''Even the voice sounded very natural¡ªit really sounded like a man''s voice. To think that the Church canpete with the Kingdom in terms of military equipment ... They really are dangerous.''
As expected of Mages, the students of Randalvine Magic Institute no less, they always thought about things that one shouldn''t normally think of.
Caaden quirked her eyebrow for a brief moment at the pondering students, beforeughing brightly. "Hahaha! I get what you are thinking: ''Such a stubborn group of people can be this open-minded?!'' Believe me when I say I initially also thought the same thing."
One of Eugene''s teammates, Rose Summer, widened her eyes then immediately bowed her head in apology. "We''re sorry if we are being rude. We don''t have any intention to ridicule your belief at all."
"No, no, no. Please, raise your head." Caaden wildly waved her hand. "You didn''t offend me, my friends, and our belief. It''s understandable for you to be surprised; it is not everyday you get to see Pdins, after all."
Rose raised her head, then sighed in relief. "I''m d then." With a smile, she extended her hand. "My name is Rose Summer. It is a pleasure to meet you, Miss. Caaden."
"Ah, you can just call me Caaden. In return, can I call you Rose?"
"Of course you can, Caaden!"
"Oh! So, we''re friends now!"
"Yes!"
Eugene''s other teammates blinked their eyes at the two''s interaction, then turned their head to the other Pdins. In their surprise, just like them, the Pdins were looking at the scene in bewilderment and helplessness.
"Haha. Caaden has always been lonely because she is the sole female in the squad, therefore she gets excited whenever she sees a fellow female." Eugene smiled awkwardly at his teammates. "It is not something out of the ordinary."
One of Eugene''s teammates, turned his gaze at Caaden, and fixed his sses. "Indeed. She seems very excited meeting a fellow female ... A little bit too excited, if I may add." At this point, the two girls in their team had be a sworn sister with Caaden.
"Well, isn''t it good? The closer we get, the better our cooperation will be." Eugene smiled, then turned his gaze to the frontmost Pdin facing him. "Are you willing to help us, Caleb?"
Said Pdin merely put his hand on his chest, and bowed his head politely. "I and the others will dly help you in your endeavor, Esteemed Seminary Eugene." Raising his head, he continued, "We will guarantee your safety."
Caleb and the rest of the Pdins didn''t open their helmet to let the people see their face but despite so, Eugene''s male teammates who were standing right behind him could feel the resolve in Caleb''s tone, and their heated gaze that was hidden behind their helmet.
"No one will be able to hurt you."
The mood was set, and the atmosphere turned serious. At that moment, Eugene''s teammates understood that the only Mage whose existence the Pdins could appreciate was Eugene; they were treated with courtesy merely due to their rtionship with him.
"What are you guys getting serious about? Rx! We are going to cooperate, after all¡ªall of us!"
At Caaden''s sudden exmation, the atmosphere got less tense, and the mood returned to normal once again. Caaden resumed her conversation with the female Mages in the next moment, and ignored the others.
Unlike the other Pdins, who openly showed their dislike toward Mages just like how Mages openly showed their dislike toward the Church, Caaden didn''t care about such things; she was a free woman who could get along well with everyone.
While Caaden and the female Mages in Eugene''s team were pretty much unaffected by the atmosphere in the very first ce, the other Pdins and the rest of the team could only stare silently at each other after what had happened.
Since the other party had made clear that they weren''t really weed, Eugene''s teammates also didn''t have any intention to fully treat said party as an ally. They would still act professionally, but the moment the Pdins made a suspicious movement, it would be the time they killed each other.
"Eugene, I hope our friendship is not a mere lip service."
"I understand your worry, but it honestly hurts me, Darien."
Darien touched his sses, then stared at Eugene coldly. "Even humans practice cannibalism. The doubt is already sowed, and I hope I don''t get to reap it."
"Trust me." Eugene was still smiling like usual, but he was actually slightly irked inside. ''This guy is just like Iliana: he is sharp at judging people. Though I don''t have any n to hurt them, I have to be more careful around him.''
He pped his hand once to gather the attention of the threedies talking amongst themselves afterwards, and motioned them to ready themselves.
"We are going to start the investigation, so I have to ask our Pdins to lead us to the most Monster infested area." Looking at Caleb and Caaden alternatingly, Eugene asked, "Will one of you do the honor to?"
Caleb immediately stepped forward, but he was beaten by Caaden''s exmation. "I will do it! So, let Rose and ine stand by my side!"
"I''m d you are excited about it, but make sure to not getting all of us killed." Eugene smiled rather forcibly.
Waving her hand nonchntly, Caaden responded like she was offended. "Have I ever failed in my job even once? Rx, leave everything to me." She walked toward the gate of the mansion, while taking Rose and ine in her hands along the way.
"Let''s go,dies!" Caaden eximed brightly.
"Let''s go!" ine and Rose also eximed enthusiastically in unison.
Eugene and his teammates blinked their eyes at the threedies in disbelief. "Caaden''smunication skill is awesome but... Rose and ine are surprisingly stupid."
Eugene''s teammates cleared their throat awkwardly but other than that, they said nothing. Eugene turned his head to the other Pdins, nodded lightly at them, positioned themselves in a formation, and followed behind the threedies leading the way.
Aside from the two female Mages, the other Mages were positioned in the middle of the formation. They were guarded by the Pdins from all sides.
"Are we heading to the right direction?" Darien looked at Caaden, who was conversing with ine and Rose, in slight worry. "I hope we are not going to waste our time."
He sighed then turned to one of the Pdins surrounding him and the others. "Pardon me for my impudence, but may I know why you came to Raneil Barony?"
His question went unanswered, but he didn''t mind in the slightest; he didn''t expect he would get an answer in the very first ce. Much to his surprise however, he received an answer after a minute of silence.
"Baron Raneil was a firm believer of the Four Great Gods. It is our task to give a firm believer a proper burial," Caleb answered without turning his head.
"O-Oh, I see." Darien nodded his head, then fixed his sses. "I have another question, but you don''t have to answer it if you don''t want to ... Why did you stay in Raneil Barony? I believe you had already finished the ceremony even before we arrived."
"That is because..." Caleb stopped in his track, prompting everyone to do the same, then unsheathed his sword. "We received another mission from the Church."
Darien''s eyes widened, as his mind screaming danger at him.
sh!
"To prevent something like this from happening."
Thud!
A one eyed Demon''s head, Plucker, fell to the ground right in front of Darien, who was still staring at the body of the Demon that was skewered in the air by the Pdin''s spear in front of him in shock.
"I couldn''t detect it..." If it hadn''t been for Caleb and the other Pdin, he would have lost his head. "I couldn''t even detect the presence of a Low Grade Monster..."
He put his trembling hand on his neck, then stared at Caleb in shame. "I thank you for your courtesy."
"You don''t have to. It is also my task to protect the Esteemed Seminary''s friend." Caleb sheathed his sword, then turned around. "Let us¡ª"
"Ah! We found a civilian!"
Upon hearing the exmation of Caaden, who didn''t even bother to stop despite knowing that a Demon had targeted one of the students, Caleb frowned lightly. "This area should have been raided by the Monsters. Why is there still a survivor?"
Quickly moving toward Caaden, he could immediately see a man in histe twenties with a ck hair and a fairly fit build was lying on the ground unconscious.
The man lying on the ground slowly opened his eyes, then weakly turned his head at the people. ''Master, are you also going to eliminate these innocent students? How cold...''
Chapter 210 How It Feels To Be The Loser (19)
Caleb catiously looked at the man lying on the ground, who was now facing his way and slowly opening his eyes. He frowned under his helmet as he felt something wrong with the man.
Although he could clearly feel the man was, in fact, a civilian, there was something about the man that made him worry.
''The eyes¡ªthose are not the eyes of someone who has lost their everything. Those are the eyes of someone who has seen too much death.''
He was aware that as the sole survivor, to have those eyes are normal but there was something different about the eyes of the man. ''It seems to me that he didn''t just watch it; he did it himself.''
While Caleb was pondering over the man''s "authenticity," the man showed the people a relieved and grateful smile, then extended his hand at them. "Please... H-Help me. My fa..mi...ly." Everyone could see that lifting a hand was abour to him.
In the end, upon seeing the man''s disy of helplessness, Caleb sighed to himself then approached the man. He knelt on the ground when he arrived in front of the man, and grasped the hand of the man in assurance.
"We will get you to safety first."
"N-No... My fa-family! They... They are in¡ª"
"We understand your concern, Sir. However, there is no point in rescuing your family, if we end up losing you too."
Caleb grasped the hand of the man tighter. He had thought the man was fishy due to his overly cautious nature, but upon holding the hand of the man, he was sure the man was the real deal; he felt slightly guilty about it.
''This hand¡ªthis powerless hand... Only belongs to those who have lost everything in their grasp.''
Caaden, who was the first person to find the man, also finally stepped forward then knelt on the ground. Taking a canteen water bottle out of her Spatial Ring, she supported the man, and helped him drink the water.
The man gulped the water like a fish, showing how thirsty he had been for all the time. Although his face was still pale, hisplexion looked slightly better after he emptied the water in the canteen.
"T-Thank you, Esteemed Knight," the man said with sincerity.
Caleb frowned under his helmet. "We are not Knights." Although he was aware of the fact that not just anyone knew of their existence, he was still unhappy they were being confused with Knights. "We are Pdins, the protectors of the Church."
"Ah! What kind of offence I have done! I''m sorry for not recognizing you, a person blessed by the Gods."
The man was about to get up and do a kowtow, but Caleb stopped him even before he did it. "Calm down. None of us felt offended by your ignorance." He tenderly pushed the man down, and continued, "Besides, all of us are blessed by the Gods."
"T-Thank you, esteemed Pdin." The man was visibly touched judging by the tearsing out of his eyes. "My family... Are they blessed by the Gods too?"
"Of course, they are."
"Then, they should still be alive, right?" The man looked at Caleb expectantly, but Caleb kept his silence." Turning to Caaden with a desperate, pleading look, the man begged, "L-Let''s go save them. They are still out there!"
Caaden put her hand on the man''s chest, and said reassuringly, "Of course, sir. We will go save your family." Turning to Caleb as if asking for confirmation, said person nodded his head immediately. "Cadmon, carry this man with you!"
The Pdin named Cadmon stepped forward, then carried the man wordlessly. The man was visibly flustered at the gesture, apparent by the ufortable expression he was showing on his face.
"I¡ªI can walk on¡ª"
"Just let Cadmon carry you. You don''t have any energy to move yet." Caaden smirked mischievously, and she was lucky she wore her helmet, so the man couldn''t see it. "Kuhum! Can you show us the way to your family?"
"O-Of course." The man nodded slightly. Pointing slightly to the east, the man said, "A few kilometers away from here, there is a small vige that is invaded by Monsters ... My vige."
Caleb didn''t question the man''s statement in the slightest, as he could also sense there was quite an amount of Demons there. Furthermore, that was coincidentally the area they were initially heading to.
"We''re moving!"
Pdins and Mages alike resumed walking wordlessly, letting Caaden take the lead with Cadmon, who was carrying the man in his hands like a bride. This time, Rose and ine were walking right behind the three people.
"It might bete, but what is your name, sir?"
Due to his position, the man did his best to look at Caaden before answering. "My name is Kuzo."
"Hoh? That''s a unique name. What does it mean?"
"It means nothing, esteemed Pdin."
"Huh? What kind of parents name their child ''Nothing?''"
At Caaden''s genuinely confused tone, the man sighed lightly. "My name doesn''t mean ''Nothing,'' but it has no meaning. I don''t even know the origin of my name."
"That''s even worse! What kind of parents name their child a meaningless name!"
"My parents..."
At Kuzo''s empty and helpless tone, Caaden immediately remarked, "I-it''s alright, sir! You don''t have to feel down! A name is nothing but the way people call us. It''s okay even if it''s meaningless!"
"Are you mocking me?"
"Pfft! Ha-ha-ha!" Caaden held her stomach, andughed merrily. "You are a funny guy, Mr. Kuzo."
She was about tough more, "Caaden," but when Caleb called her name, she stopped entirely. "Joking around with someone who has just experienced a misfortune is not a quite right thing to do."
"Y-Yes, I know."
"You''re leading all of us, so take your responsibility seriously."
"Understood!"
With that, Caaden stopped fooling around, and Caleb sighed in slight exasperation. It was silent right after, but some of the people were thinking about something that made them ufortable.
''How could the man manage to run away from the Plucker that is known for their agility for dozens of kilometers?''
Their journey to save Kuzo''s family went on, and it was mostly filled with the doubtful thought of the Mages.
...
It had been a couple of minutes, and Basil hadn''t separated with the three girls yet. They were still chasing the Middle ss Demons, and had only managed to kill a couple of Demons so far.
Humming to himself, he observed the girls with a slight frown. "Hmm... I can make them lose consciousness right now, but I don''t want to leave behind my Mana Signature." Sighing to himself, he took out a sword from his Spatial Ring. "Should I kill them? No."
Controlling the sword with [Master of Weapons], it floated right above his head while precisely pointing at Alexandra. "Knights are not allowed to get involved in Mages'' matters, and vice versa."
If a feud happened between two Mages, Knights were not allowed to meddle in the feud. In other words, the only person who would call him out if they witnessed he killed Eugene was only Alexandra; the two Knights would definitely turn a blind eye on his deed.
Boom. Boom.
Basil was about tounch his sword at Alexandra, when suddenly he heard a heavy steping from a kilometer ahead. Even without seeing who the owner of the footstep was, he knew it belonged to a Minotaur Warrior.
"I guess she has quite a luck herself." Basil stored the sword back, and took out a dagger instead. "Jaden''s Dagger... It''s been a long time." Controlling the dagger with his Aura Ability, he sent it toward the iing Minotaur Warrior.
As it had [Frictionless] casted on it, the dagger flew at the Demon so fast, it looked like nothing more than a brief sh of light. Although not as fast as thete Dunstan''s [Warrior of Light], it was fast enough to be unnoticeable.
Stab!
The dagger hit the Minotaur Warrior right in its sr plexus. It didn''t kill it or give it a heavy injury, but it wasn''t Basil''s intention since the very beginning.
"Miasma Root¡ªthe ce where Demons store their Mana. With the right pressure applied on it, one can make a Demon go on a rampage."
Basil lightly smirked, as said Demon went berserk in the next moment. Its eyes shone brightly in red as if a literal fire was burning in them, and they were nted on the three girls.
"At least, this is enough to distract them from noticing my presence ... As long as they are not stupid enough, they can survive this."
The berserk Minotaur Warrior charged at the three girls, causing the other Middle ss Demons that were running in front of them to turn around, and also charged at them. The girls were visibly flustered, but they quickly got into a formation.
[Slip]!
[Feather Step]!
Basil activated his Step Art and Movement Technique consecutively as he dashed forward, while utilizing his Mana and Qi as effective as he could. Muttering the short version of a Spell he rarely casted, Mana immediately surrounded him.
[Reflection Veil]!
Light briefly covered him, before his body entirely disappeared. He was still there running, but no one could see him; with the Spell he had casted, he prevented any light from falling on his body, thus making it invisible to the people''s eyes.
Of course, the Spell wasn''t that perfect. Any capable Mage could still easily notice the presence of the person who was casting it on them, since the Spell made the Mana of the one who casted it cover their entire body.
This is the reason why Basil didn''t do this since the very beginning. With how much Mana he was using, and the potency of his Mana, even though he controlled his Mana better than anyone, there was still a possibility that Alexandra could notice him.
Luckily, he had a chance to distract them with the Minotaur Warrior. With its Demonic Mana overwhelming the entire field, Basil could mask his Mana, and go unnoticed.
"They areing!"
"Let me face them head on! You guys cover me!"
"Sylvia, don''t charge recklessly!"
"I can''t die easily! [Anesthesia]!"
When Basil finally passed them, he neutrally nced at the girls, who were preparing themselves to engage in battle with the Demons. He could see them moving slowly in his eyes.
''I was ignorant like them; just being a pawn in someone''s n. Though I ended up doing the same thing as what those people did to me, I have no remorse ... Life is about eating and being eaten.''
Chapter 211 How It Feels To Be The Loser (20)
While the three girls were fighting the berserk Minotaur Warrior and some of the Middle ss Demons they had been chasing on the southwest, Robert and Jake, who were following behind Deacon on the east, started to feel there was something off with "Basil."
They had been running for minutes already, and they hadn''t engaged in battle with the gigantic Silencer or the Demons following closely behind them.
It isn''t that the Demons were civil enough to not attack them; they hadn''t stopped moving for even a single second to have a battle. They were too busy catching up to Deacon, and the gigantic Silencer that were quite far ahead of them.
"The Silencer is absolutely chasing for Basil; not the other way around. But, why does Basil insist to keep running instead of facing it? If Deacon has this kind of speed, he should be agile enough to defeat this Silencer by himself."
Robert, who was moving right beside the running Jake, looked at him in surprise at his muttering. "So, that Monster is called Silencer ... You know quite a lot, Mr. Jake."
p Jakeughed amiably. "I''ve met quite a lot of people, so I have heard about it." Turning his head to Robert, he stared at Robert with a knowing look upon noticing the gaze Robert was giving him. "I get that look quite a lot: ''So this guy is smart?!''"
"Eh¡ªah, I-I am sorry! I didn''t have any intention to offend you."
"Ha-ha-ha! It''s alright." Jake waved his hand nonchntly. "I can understand it. It''s not everyday you can see a smart giant, after all!" He was proud of himself, judging by the tone he was speaking.
Robert smiled rather helplessly, then nodded his head at Jake briefly. "There is this stereotype about muscr men being not very bright, after all. Sadly, it happens most of the time..." Robert blinked his eyes, then realized he was chatting in the middle of a mission.
"This is not the time for that!" Speeding up his Transportation Artefact, he turned his gaze at Deacon¡ªat "Basil" who was on top of Deacon, then mused to himself. "Mr. Pacifer is leading us somewhere."
He had actually realized the fact since a few minutes ago, but he had always denied it due to Basil''s personality. "Is he searching for a suitable field to engage in battle. That is so unlike him."
From what he saw, Basil didn''t like doing useless things, and choosing a particr ce just to fight the gigantic Silencer and a couple of dozen Middle ss Demons was one of them; the entirety of Raneil Barony had practically turned into a battlefield, after all.
"Where actually is he leading us to, and what is the point of doing so?"
He stared at Basil''s back intently, and the more he stared at Basil, the weirder Basil looked in his eyes. "Mr. Pacifer is really peaceful ... It feels like he is sleeping. He is not even exuding the overwhelming Mana Pressure from that time."
In Robert''s eyes, Basil didn''t show any sign of someone who was prepared for battle. His Mana was too calm that he wouldn''t be surprised if Basil wouldn''t be able to fight the Silencer back the moment it attacked him.
Although he had seen what kind of an individual Basil was¡ªsomeone who could keep calm in times of danger¡ªhe knew how to differentiate between being extremely calm andpletely detached.
Basil seemed detached; he felt like Basil wasn''t even there in the very first ce. This is the reason why he couldn''t read the current Basil well: he couldn''t see someone who wasn''t even present in front of him.
''But, there is no way that what we are currently seeing is not Mr. Pacifer, right?'' Another possibility came up, and of course, he treated it as nothing more than one of his silly thoughts.
"I am just reading too much into his behavior; this presence ahead of us indeed belongs to Mr. Pacifer ... Mana signature can never lie." Robert sighed lightly to himself. "Still, I can''t shake this incongruous feeling in my chest."
"Haha! Are you Mages really like to overthink?"
"Y-Yes? N-No, we are just very cautious in nature."
Robert was once again slightly flustered by Jake''s suddenment. He had moved slightly ahead of Jake to avoid another conversation happen between them, but Jake could easily keep up with him, thus allowing the two to have a conversation once again.
"Is that so? You seem like you are overthinking about this whole matter. Basil''s behavior is slightly peculiar indeed, but he''s our friend. Just trust him."
"That''s what I am doing." Robert slightly smiled at Jake. ''I didn''t notice his presence, because he is covered in Qi. His presence ispletely masked with it.''
It was a well known fact that a Mage couldn''t normally detect the activation of Qi, and a Knight couldn''t notice the utilization of Mana.
Due to that reason, many of the High ss Mages decided to learn the Knight Principle just so they could prepare themselves better, if a conflict were to ensue between the two sides, and vice versa for the Knights.
This is the reason why many people were surprised that Basil had already practiced the two Principles at such a young age, despite not having enough experience in Magic. Practicing one Principle was already abour, let alone two at the same time.
Of course, it was just, yet another, their misunderstanding. In terms of experience, Basil was just as experienced as the current Human Emperor in terms of Magic.
"Ah, look, Robert! Basil is slowing down."
"Yes. I can see it." Robert had been observing Basil even while conversing with Jake, so he had noticed it even before Jake did. "Are we going to fight in this ce?" He looked around, and found that there was a forest ahead.
"That is Oster Forest!" Jake suddenly eximed. "It''s the border between Raneil Barony and Beddington Viscountcy. We must''ve taken a shortcut to be able to arrive here this soon."
"Oster Forest...? Isn''t it a heavily infested area?!" Robert''s eyes widened in surprise, and quickly shouted at Basil. "Mr. Pacifer, we can''t engage¡ª"
Even before he could finish his sentence however, Deacon abruptly turned around, and faced the gigantic Silencer. At that moment, Robert could finally see that Basil was no longer mounting on Deacon, and bewilderment immediately assaulted him.
"Deacon is about to attack! Let''s move away from the course of his attack, Robert!"
Without waiting for Robert''s response, Jake grabbed Robert, and brought Robert away with him. Luckily, Robert wasn''t too flustered by Basil''s disappearance; he could immediately store his Transportation Artefact, thus sessfully avoiding losing it.
What happened next was quite instant even for the two people''s eyes to catch up. They could only see a glimpse of Deacon opening his mouth, before the ground where they had been before was obliterated along with some of the Middle ss Demons in the next moment.
Boom!
Other than the gigantic Silencer, who had somehow dodged Deacon''s attack, there were still a few dozens of Middle ss Demons remained alive. However, they were all visibly flustered by Deacon''s sudden attack.
"Let us move to Deacon''s side!"
"Why don''t you put me down first?!"
Uncaring to Robert''s slightly aggressive protest, Jake ran to Deacon''s side while carrying him ... Like a princess. Robert actually didn''t mind being carried by someone, but not in that particr way; his pride as a man was hurt.
Upon arriving right beside Deacon, Jake put Robert down, and immediately asked, "Where did Basil go? Did he fall somewhere?!"
Not only Deacon, but Robert also looked at Jake weirdly at his second question. Fortunately, Deacon was kind enough to answer Jake. "Master is already inside the forest. He is going to distract the Low ss Monsters inside it while we are fighting these bugs."
Of course, Deacon was lying; Basil hadn''t even been with him since the moment the gigantic Silencer started chasing him. In truth, he had merely disposed of the doll that contained Basil''s Mana and Qi Signature to create that illusion.
"Distracting them?" Robert looked at Deacon doubtfully. "As far as I''m concerned, Monsters have a hard time on setting priorities, so no amount ofmotion should be able to distract them."
Deacon snorted lightly, then contemptuously said, "Are you even a Mage? Open your eyes, and look ahead."
Robert was slightly offended by how genuine the disdain in Deacon''s tone was, but he couldn''t protest about it the moment he realized what Deacon was talking about. "The Silencer and these Demons ... They are chasing us¡ªthey are chasing you!"
"They are not chasing me specifically; they are chasing what Master carries with him." Opening his mouth, he shot a high pressured wind sphere at the iing Demons to prevent them froming closer. "I also have it with me, so I am now their main target."
"What is actually the thing they are chasing for?" Jake asked.
Deacon was slightly irked by the questions being thrown at him, but he still answered Jake while keeping an eye on the gigantic Silencer. "It''s a piece of Minotaur Warrior''s heart. They have a certain smell that Monsters like."
"So, that''s the case. Amazing!" Robert''s eyes lit up in interest. Turning his gaze to the forest behind them, he continued, "That means, Mr. Pacifer is now being chased by thousands of Low ss Monsters in there. Will he be alright?"
"He won''t, if you keep staying idle!" Deacon dashed at the gigantic Silencer. The two men were slightly stunned by his word, but they also immediately charged at the Middle ss Demons afterwards.
Howl!
Deacon shot forward like a bullet at the Silencer while swinging his paw. The Silencer managed to dodge it, but not entirely; it received its first injury, and it didn''t seem happy about it.
The movement of said Demon instantly got wilder in the next moment, but Deacon could still easily keep up with the Demon.
Although Deacon was focused on the fight, in truth, he couldn''t help his mind from wandering.
''Monsters mark something with their scent. Other than the smell of the Minotaur Warrior''s heart I bring with me, I also smelled a different scent covering the body of the people that went with Big Sister Iliana ... Master, what are you actually nning to do?''
Not even Deacon, Basil''spanion, who literally had a spiritual bond with him, knew what he was actually nning to do.
Chapter 212 How It Feels To Be The Loser (21)
In the southeastern part of Raneil Barony, Eugene''s team and the group of Pdins were closing to their destination¡ªKuzo''s vige.
They would have actually arrived faster if the Mages had utilized their Transportation Artefact, but none of them did that to prevent the Demons from noticing their present.
Of course, the one hiding their presence were not only the Mages, but the Pdins were also trying to suppress the Miracle they exuded. Most of the Demons avoided Pdins at all cost for some reason, so they couldn''t risk scaring the Demons ahead.
"Oh, I sense quite a lot of them," Caaden muttered. Slightly slowing down her walking speed, she stopped right beside Caleb. "Are we going to eliminate them all?"
Instead of immediately answering, Caleb slightly turned his head, then looked at Eugene from the corner of his eyes. "No, we are not going to eliminate them." Gesturing at Cadmon, he added, "We are just going to save Mr. Kuzo''s family."
Caaden frowned behind her helmet, but said nothing in the end. She got what Caleb meant; they were only there to fulfill the task given to them, that was, to protect Eugene. However still, she felt that it was a waste of time.
At this point, considering how crowded the vige ahead of them with demons, she was sure Kuzo''s family had already moved on to the next ne. It would be pointless going there, if they had no intention of eliminating the Demons.
"Isn''t it better to wake him up?"
"Caaden," Caleb muttered quietly. "Be careful of what you say, and where you say it." He didn''t show any indication that he was talking about Kuzo who was in Cadmon''s hand, but Caaden fully understood what he meant.
Caaden lightly sighed, and said, "For such a strict person, you are quite soft." She increased her walking speed again, then walked beside Cadmon. Turning to Kuzo, who was carried like a princess, she remarked, "We are already close, Mr. Kuzo."
"A-Ah, yes. I know about it, since it''s the vige where I was born in."
Caaden slightly cringed behind her helmet, but still managed toment brightly. "I am talking about your family, Mr. Kuzo. We are going to save them soon!"
"Yes... I''m looking forward to it." Kuzo smiled emptily, and Caaden could only sigh again at that.
Silence descended once again amongst the group, until Caaden broke it when they finally arrived right at Kuzo''s vige. "It looks more peaceful than how it feels ... Are they hiding somewhere?"
Like she said, the vige, though ruined, had no Demons roaming around it, contrary to what they had expected. If they couldn''t detect the Demons'' presence, they would have thought the Demons left the vige after they had raided it.
Though something like this often happened¡ªDemons like to coop themselves up in some ce¡ªthey had never seen Demons could stay this silent. Usually, even if they had cooped themselves up, they would still make noises that made them easy to be spotted.
"Are they hiding behind a Magic Barrier or something?" Caaden turned to look at the Mages, but the Mages immediately shook their head.
"I don''t feel Mana being utilized here," Darienmented. "Besides, only High Grade Monsters can use Magic, and if there is one here, I''m sure it is better to avoid it. By no means I have intention to offend you, Pdins, but not even you can help much."
p The Pdins surrounding Darien and the others frowned behind their helmet, but they didn''t rebuke him. Even Caleb nodded his head to show his agreement with Darien.
"It is embarrassing to acknowledge it, but Senior Pdins like us don''t have the power to face a High Grade Monster yet."
"It''s not embarrassing to admit that." Eugene shook his head faintly. "The difference between Middle Grade Monsters and High ss Monsters is like heaven and earth. We even need to coordinate 30 Sixth Circle Mages to defeat a single Lower High Grade Demon."
"It doesn''t matter," Darien interjected. "We are not going to face one, so we will be alright. Furthermore, if there really was a High Grade Monster here, all of us would''ve been wiped out long ago."
The mood suddenly turned grave, as everyone was reminded of what had happened to the eight Legion Commanders who had fallen in the battle of Ruttenhale Barony. The eight capable and undoubtedly strong people had died by a single Demon''s hand.
The Pdins, though also worried about it, were way calmer than the Mages. Randalvine Church''s Head Priest, Eban, had told them to not worry about the High ss Demon who had be a hot topic, because their Gods always protected them.
To the faithful Pdins, it was enough to calm their mind.
"Then, are we just going to enter the vige?" Caaden asked Caleb.
"We will explore it carefully, and find where Mr. Kuzo''s family is. That''s the only thing we will do, understood?"
"Yes!"
Caleb nodded his head at the Pdins'' firm response. Facing Cadmon, he looked at Kuzo, who was still in Cadmon''s hands, from behind his helmet. "Can you show us where did you leave your family at?"
"I can." Kuzo nodded his head. "I left them in the basement of our house, when I left the vige to seek for help. I will guide you there, so let me¡ª"
"Show us the way," Caleb interrupted decisively.
Kuzo opened his mouth and tried to protest, but quickly gave up when he noticed that no one would hear him. Therefore, he let Cadmon carry him a little bit longer.
"This way..." He pointed his hand to the east. Caleb immediately nodded his head, and took the lead.
The moment they stepped their feet on the street of the vige, everyone immediately tensed upon sensing the aura assaulting them that belonged to the vige.
They still didn''t hear any noise from the Demons, but the thick Demonic Mana in the air was enough indication of their presence.
"They are definitely cooping up somewhere. This sickening feeling in the air can only be produced when Monsters concentrated themselves in the same ce," Darienmented. "The only question is, where are they hiding?"
"I have swept the surrounding area with my Mana Sense, but I don''t find any Monster on the surface," Rose remarked. "It''s really strange. They feel like they are here and they are not at the same time."
Caleb nced at Kuzo from the corner of his eyes, then said, "They may be in the underground, and that''s the only usible reason of why we can''t see them or properly determine their position."
Everyone agreed to what Caleb said, but none of them let their guard down. They kept looking at their surrounding to look for Demons to prevent the hiding Demons fromnding a sneak attack on them.
In the end though, they didn''t encounter any Demon in their way. Although they did feel their extreme cautiousness was unnecessary, they still didn''t regret being cautious.
A few minutes into the extremely careful walk, they finally arrived at Kuzo''s house. It was a simple house made of wood that could be found in many rural viges.
Just like any other ces in the vige, there wasn''t a single Demon there, but everyone still felt sceptical upon seeing the state of the wooden house. It was already t with the ground, and even the debris was perfectly scorched.
"We are finally here..." Caaden secretly nced at Kuzo, and faintly shook her head. ''Even if he has hidden his family in the basement, there is no way the Monsters didn''t notice them. The probability of their survival is extremely low.''
"Let''s put away the debris to find the door to the basement." At Caleb''s instruction, Caaden was awaken from her thought.
Patting Kuzo''s shoulder, who Cadmon had put down, Caaden brightly said, "Mr. Kuzo, we''ll save your family soon."
"A-Ah, yes." Kuzo nodded his head with a forced smile. "Can you please stop patting my shoulder? You are breaking my bone."
In response to that, Caaden merelyughed before moving to remove the debris. The other Pdins were also about to do the same, but at that moment, Darien stopped them.
"Removing the debris by hands will take a long time. Although I don''t mind we save people, we still have a mission to aplish. Therefore, allow me to do it instead."
Caleb immediately nodded his head in eptance, and told the Pdins to back off. Ignoring the Pdins and pretty much everyone, Darien stood in front of the house, and casted a Wind Element Spell while simultaneously materializing his Magic Circles.
Boom!
The air was briefly overwhelmed with Mana the moment Darien''s four Magic Circles materialized themselves. The first two of them were Grand Circles, and the rest of them were Major Circles.
"[Wind Swipe]!"
His Magic Circles briefly shone intensely, before a strong wind current swept over the ce that was littered with the debris. The debris and some of the remain of the house was blown away afterwards, leaving the ground clean.
Also at that moment however, everyone''s eyes widened in utter bafflement. They could see the door that led to the basement, but that wasn''t the only thing they saw; there was a Magic Circle Carved on it which purpose they didn''t know of.
The Magic Circle shone brightly, signifying its activation upon being swept over by Mana, as a foreboding feeling overwhelmed everyone.
A bright light quickly enveloped them, and Caaden, quick on her move, pushed Rose and ine away from the area that was covered by the light.
"Kyaa!"
"Ah, what is this?!"
The two girls, who were pushed away by Caaden, were flustered, but unlike the others they were no more enveloped by the light.
They fell on their butt, and by the time they looked at the ce where they had been before, everyone, along with the light, had disappeared. Everything had happened so fast, they couldn''t react properly to what had happened.
Different from the two girls however, the rest of the people, who didn''t manage to avoid the light, found themselves in another ce. It was an extremely vast enclosed space that had the structure of a cave.
The aura the ce was giving alone was enough to shake their soul, but the scene they were seeing in front of them made it even worse.
There were thousands of Demons that were ready to charge at them from all sides. Still, that wasn''t the thing that further amplified the terror assaulting them; slightly away from them, they could see two men were standing face to face.
"Master," the shorter man called out respectfully. "I have done what you assigned to me." He bowed politely at the significantly taller man.
"Well done, Kuzo." the Master replied casually.
Everyone, without exception, widened their eyes in utter bewilderment at the scene. They knew who Kuzo''s Master was: he was an individual they needed to put their eyes on.
"Basil Pacifer!"
Eugene was, once again, assaulted with the same feeling of imminent doom that he had felt when Basil had exercised a [Blood Decree] on him.
Chapter 213 How It Feels To Be The Loser (End)
A few minutes before Basil''s encounter with Eugene''s team and the Pdins.
Basil was thinking about the progress of his n, while running running toward the ce that would lead him to the ce where he could finally execute his n. He had put anyone who could hamper his n aside, so he was now ready to execute Eugene.
The ce Basil was heading to was nothing but an empty, hidden in. What made it special was only the fact that there was a Magic Circle for [Teleportation] carved on the ground that could teleport him to the ce where he could execute Eugene.
He had prepared it way before he had met Eugene, but in truth, he didn''t prepare it for Eugene. He had actually prepared the ce for ''Just in case'' situations, but since he had met Eugene sooner than he had expected, it conveniently changed function.
The ce where he would execute Eugene was originally an underground bunker that was made by the first Baron Raneil. It was an abandoned bunker, and any record regarding it couldn''t be found anywhere.
If not for the fact that Basil came from the "future," he, like any other people, wouldn''t also know anything about this underground. Even in his past life, he had only known about this bunker at the end of the first Outbreak.
Demons were hiding in every underground ces in Fortescher County by the time the Obelisk of Goap was conquered, and the bunker was also one of the Demons'' hiding ce. Only after this bunker was found did the history behind it was known.
Baron Kreiss Raneil, who in Basil''s past life managed to stay alive, confessed that the bunker was originally used to smuggle ves of other races. ording to him, his grandfather had also used the bunker to torture the young girls he had kidnapped and vited.
Although it had been proven that Baron Kreiss Raneil hadn''t been involved in the sickening act, everyone still condemned him, resulting in him leaving his territory behind a couple of yearster as he couldn''t bear the condemnation he received any longer.
Of course, Baron Raneil Kreiss leaving his territory behind was nothing more than a story made by the people of Raneil Barony.
In truth, he was killed by a young man, who had found out that said Baron had also been involved in the sickening act his grandfather hadmitted.
"Hmph! How naive." Basil couldn''t help scoffing upon recalling the impulsive deed he had done in his past life. "I was lucky the people of Raneil Barony had a deep grudge against Kreiss. If not, I would have ended up rotting in jail."
He still cringed whenever he remembered about the event even up till now, but the fact that he was the young man who had killed Baron Kreiss Raneil in his past life would never change.
He wasn''t that powerful at that time, but he already had enough power to kill a mere ipetent Baron.
After a couple of minutes, Basil finally arrived at the ce where he had carved the Magic Circle that would teleport him to said bunker. There was actually a proper entrance to the bunker, but he intentionally didn''t use it for the sake of confidentiality.
Looking at the Magic Circle Carving on the ground silently, he waited for it to light up. That was the only thing that indicated the other party had entered the bunker.
"Unless they are extremely smart, which is very unlikely, they wouldn''t realize that a Magic Circle Carving can be easily triggered by Mana." Basil lightly sneered. "They don''t even know Carving a Magic Circle outside their heart is possible."
While admiring the Magic Circle Carving that was specialized for [Teleportation] Spell on the ground, he thought about what Iliana was currently possibly doing with the bunch of civilians that had been heavily bathed with the smell of Silencer''s blood.
The reason why the Low ss Demons were rabidly chasing for them was the scent of Silencer on them. Unlike Silencers, who weren''t interested in their own kin''s smell, the Low ss Demons were heavily attracted to it.
''She must have realized it by now that I did it when I covered them with the mist.'' The Magic Circle Carving on the ground lit up, and Basil immediately poured his Mana into it. ''I will ask for her forgiveness when I meet her.''
Light enveloped his entire existence, and he reappeared in the bunker in the next moment. Ignoring the Demons surrounding him, he gazed at the bewildered group in front of him with a sneer.
...
Present.
Basil looked down at Kuzo, who was kneeling respectfully in front of him. Kuzo was the independent Assassin he had hired to leak some information about Catherine to Nichs.
He had only taken Kuzo under his wing, after said Assassin expressed how much he wanted to be guided by him in the way of Assassin. Basil naturally didn''t immediately take him under his wing; he only did that after said Assassin showed his resolve by agreeing to establish a [ve Contract] with him.
"Raise your head, Kuzo." When Kuzo raised his head, Basil added, "You can drop your disguise."
"As you wish, Master." Kuzo wiped his face, and the middle aged man look was reced with a manly face of a man in his mid twenties. Looking at Basil with a stern look, he asked, "Your next order, Master?"
Basil briefly gazed at the other three students with Eugene, then turned to Kuzo. "You are already a Peak Stage Yellow Core Knight, aren''t you?"
"Yes, Master."
"Let''s see how well you can fare against those three."
"As you wish, Master."
Kuzo was well aware that the current him couldn''t possibly defeat three Fourth Circle Mages at once¡ªstudents or not¡ªbut he didn''t blink even once at Basil''s order.
He knew Basil must have a reason for telling him to do so. He stood himself up, and positioned himself slightly behind Basil; he was aware he shouldn''t be the one who started the battle.
"Basil Pacifer!"
"What is it, coward?" Basil stared at Eugene with a sneer.
"Someone who has done such a dirty thing as trapping his opponent has no right to say that!"
"What are you talking about? I am just returning the favor."
Eugene was visibly confused, apparent by the way he furrowed his eyebrows. "What are you talking about?"
"It matters not, Eugene. Not all men deserve to know why he must die."
Whoosh!
Seeing that Basil was ready to charge at Eugene from the ferocious way he swung his sword, Caleb stepped forward. "Basil Pacifer! You are nowmitting an unforgivable sin, and a serious offense against the Church by targeting a Seminarian''s life!"
"What do you want to say?"
p "Hand yourself over, and mercy may be given to you!"
"Hoh? Maybe, huh?" Basil quirked his eyebrow, and scoffed at Caleb. "I wonder in what form the mercy is given to me."
"You will live! I, Caleb, will guarantee your life!"
Judging by his tone alone, Basil knew Caleb was being genuine. Even so, Basil wasn''t touched by the gesture in the least bit. "Even after knowing that I am the son of Maya Pacifer, the Maha Dmitra, who the Church has personally taken care of?"
"Maya Pacifer...!" Caleb and the other Pdins stepped back in utter shock upon hearing the mention of the name. Although they weren''t involved in the extremely confidential event, all of them knew who Maya Pacifer was. "Y-You are the son of a heretic!"
Basil sneered, and looked at the Pdins coldly. "You can never forgive me as much as I can''t forgive you. Also, I don''t like my secret to be known, so all of you must die." Turning his gaze to the Demons surrounding him, he motioned them to move.
¡ªThe Pdins are all yours.
Upon hearing Basil had just spoken in Lesser Tongue, the Demonnguage, the Mages and the Pdins widened their eyes in absolute disbelief.
The Pdins immediately charged toward Basil afterwards, while shouting Demon Advocate at him. Unfortunately for them, the Demons surrounding them stood in their way.
¡ªKuhahaha! Human, we are d to kill those pests, but you have to fulfill your promise.
A 3 meters tall Orc Warrior stepped forward, and shed its long and sharp fang at Basil. Looking at him mischievously, it fiddled with the gigantic axe in its hand.
¡ªDo you think you fulfilled your promise?
¡ªYes.
¡ªWhere are the people above, then?
Basil looked at the Orc Warrior coldly, and said Demon could only scratch its head awkwardly. ording to their agreement, the Demons shouldn''t eat a single human of the vige above the bunker before entering it, but they still had done it.
¡ªWe are ashamed to break the agreement, but we still fulfilled our promise to enter the vige!
¡ªThanks to the trap I set, that is.
Bam!
The Orc Warrior mmed its gigantic axe to the ground, then stared at Basil ferociously. It tried to overwhelm Basil with the pressure of its Demonic Mana, but immediately gave up when it noticed said person didn''t even blink his eyes at the disy.
¡ªAnyway. Just don''t forget your promise, human! You have to let us go after this!
The Orc Warrior turned its back on Basil, then charged toward the Pdins. It then savagely roared at the group of Pdins to pump the spirit of the Demons under its wing up.
Looking at how the Orc Warrior had treated his Master, though he didn''t understand what it had said, Kuzo wasn''t in the least bit amused. "Master, let me take care of that obnoxious Monster by myself."
"Kuzo," Basil nced at Kuzo from the corner of his eyes, "don''t you still have a thing to do? The students are yours."
At Basil''s cold tone, Kuzo immediately nodded his head. "As youmand, Master!"
Basil ignored Kuzo, who was charging at the three students, and gazed at Eugene with a mirthful gaze. "I, too, am not amused by the way that Low ss Demon has talked to me, but my mind is too upied with the thoughts of how I should end that thing."
Channeling Mana to his feet, Basil burst it, and dashed toward Eugene, who was already separated from the Pdins. The ground he had kicked was blown away, and a manic grin unconsciously adorned his face.
Looking at the iing Basil, Eugene''s pupils dted in horror. Luckily, regardless of his fear, his strong will to live allow his body to move, as he managed to block Basil''s sword with his Defense Spell.
Boom!
By the time Basil''s sword touched the barrier that was protecting him however, Eugene was immediately assaulted with the same feeling he had felt on the day he had challenged Basil.
''I¡ªI am going to die!''
He, once again, was reminded of how it feels to be the loser.
Chapter 214 Killing A Killer Doesnt Change The Number Of Killers
Boom!
"Kuhak! Basil Pacifer, you fiend!" Eugene gritted his teeth, as he stood himself up. He had been thrown away because his Defense Spell had been destroyed by Basil''s sword.
With eyes filled with an overwhelming anger and a hint of terror, he looked at Basil while infusing as much Mana as he could to his four Magic Circles. "You will regret ever doing this to me, Basil Pacifer!"
"Why will I?"
"Ku-ku-ku. Look around you!" Eugene swiped the air madly. "Do you think these Monsters can defeat my escort?! Quit dreaming!"
Instead of immediately answering Eugene, Basil chuckled in amusement. "Do you know the reason why there are so many of them?" Eugene wanted to say something, but Basil beat him to it. "Because, there is power in quantity."
"Hah! I, myself, can kill a hundred Monsters in a single attack. Do you really think a couple of thousands of them can win against our Pdins?!"
Basil shrugged lightly. "Who knows?" Infusing Qi into his sword, he sneered at Eugene. "Rather than thinking about how well your fellow Church''s dogs will do, how about thinking about yourself."
"Tch. Basil Pacifer, how da¡ª"
Boom!
Eugene''s speech was interrupted by a Sword Qi from Basil. Although he managed to block the Sword Qi with his Defense Spell, he was still thrown to the back due to the impact, as he didn''t have a proper footing on the ground.
"Gahak! Attacking your opponent without saying a thing¡ªdon''t you have a pride?!"
"Heh... I learned it from you though. Ironic, don''t you think?"
,m "What are you talking about since the very beginning?!" Eugene looked at Basil murderously, as he aimed the Spell he had casted sneakily at Basil. "It''s a payback, bastard! [Lightning Spear]!"
Electricity overwhelmed the surrounding air, even the other students that were away from Eugene had the hair on their hand stood up because of it. Three spear like structures from blue electricity materialized in the air, floating right in front of his Magic Circles.
Zap!
The spears traveled through the air just as fast as a lightning that the ground where Basil had supposed to be standing on developed three craters that were filled with electricity in a blink of an eye.
Eugene, of course, wasn''t satisfied with what happened. He couldn''t see where Basil had actually disappeared to, and he didn''t want to get any sneak attack from Basil.
"Where are you, Basil Pacifer?!" Right after Eugene shouted that out loud, his spine chilled. Immediately trusting his instinct, he dodged to the side.
sh!
Although he managed to dodge Basil''s sword, Eugene''s eyes still widened in horror as he hastily casted a Motion Spell to distance himself away from Basil, who had suddenly reappeared beside him.
"[Thunderp]!"
Rumble!
He disappeared from Basil''s view, leaving behind a noise that was befitting of a thunder. Basil faintly smirked, and decided to y with Eugene more by casting the same Spell.
"[Thunderp]!"
Rumble!
The noise that Basil''s [Thunderp] produced was smaller, however the speed at which Basil traveled due to it was more than twice faster than Eugene''s version. Therefore, when Basil reappeared right in front of Eugene, said person was extremely baffled.
Uncaring to what kind of face Eugene was showing, Basil fiercely swung his sword at him. Eugene panicked since he realized he wouldn''t be able to block the attack, but immediately calmed down when he noticed a Pdin had also sent an attack at Basil.
"Die, you¡ª"
nk!
Much to Eugene''s horror, Basil easily redirected his sword to block the attack that one of the Pdins had sent at him. Luckily because of that, he had the time to distance himself away from Basil.
Basil, who had just blocked the attack of one of the Pdins, gazed at the 3 meters Orc Warrior 30 meters away from him coldly. Said Demon, who he directed his gaze at, tried to defied him at first, but quickly forgot it the moment it saw into his eyes.
Basil''s eyes clearly showed that he wasn''t amused by what had happened, and said Demon immediately understood what he meant as it immediately riled the other Demons up to distract the Pdins.
Basil turned his gaze away from the Orc Warrior, then swung his sword to block a lightning arrowing at him from the front. It turns out however, there were still dozens of theming at him.
[Master of Weapons]!
Basil remained unfazed, as he merely took out his 15 ded weapons, and controlled it with his Aura Ability. The 15 weapons floated in the air, and Basil sent them toward the iing lightning arrows.
Zap! Zap! Zap!
Every one of the iing lightning arrows was redirected to the 15 weapons Basil was controlling, creating a unique static sound in the air. Basil, surely, didn''t stay idle while it was happening; he was figuring out Eugene''s position.
When he had found where Eugene was, he immediately casted [Thunderp], and reappeared right in front of Eugene.
As Basil had pretty much announced his arrival the moment he had casted [Thunderp], Eugene didn''t even blink at his reappearance. Eugene had even prepared a Defense Spell to properly block Basil''s sword.
"You shouldn''t have used¡ª"
"Naive."
Unfortunately, everything was ording to Basil''s n.
Eugene''s eyes quickly widened in utter shock by the time he saw Basil''s sword glowed in dark green light. Judging by the aura alone, he was sure Basil could easily destroy the Defense Spell he had casted upon himself.
Boom!
True to his expectation, his Defense Spell was immediately destroyed upon contact with Basil''s sword. He couldn''t run¡ªhe couldn''t anything other than taking the sword with his unprotected body.
He could see it moving slowly toward his body, and he could already imagine his body got split in two the moment it touched his body.
When it was just a few hair away from his body however, he saw the sword twisted, thus allowing the body of the sword to hit him.
Crack!
"Gahak!"
Although Eugene didn''t get his body split in two because of Basil''s decision to hit him with the blunt side of his sword, he got his ribspletely shattered and thrown away to the back like a bullet. His body only stopped flying once it hit the wall.
Eugene groaned painfully, and tried his best to stand up from the ground. He didn''t only have his ribs broken, but also some other bones due to theunch.
"Ugh... My spine..." His back had taken most of the brunt when his body got mmed into the wall, and since he was not a Knight who had a strong body or a Battle Mage that could reinforce themselves, it was enough to break his spine. "I can''t move."
"You are sturdier than I expected." Basil was already in front of Eugene by the time Eugene realized it, and he was looking at Eugene with a contemptuous smile.
"You...! What wrong did I do you?!
"Plenty."
"I didn''t even touch your woman!"
"No, you didn''t." Basil kneeled down in front of Eugene, so he could be on the same eye level as him. "However if I let you roam around the world a little bit more, you will definitely do that when I am not around."
Eugene blinked his eyes in disbelief, beforeughing loudly in amusement. "Hahahaha! What kind of a man who can''t even believe his partner''s loyalty¡ªludicrous! Let me tell you, Basil. If you are that afraid Iliana will have an affair with¡ª"
"What are you talking about?" Basil quirked his eyebrow as he stared at Eugene weirdly. "I can guarantee Iliana would never sleep with you even if you were the only man in the world. I don''t worry about her loyalty, but her well being."
Basil stared at Eugene coldly, and Eugene could only gulp dryly upon receiving his gaze. "Your infatuation on her is nothing more than something that is set by the Church, isn''t it? ''Make her yours or kill her,'' is the kind of order you received, am I right?"
Eugene''s gaze froze as he clutched his fist tightly. Themand he had received from his mentor, Head Priest Eban, wasn''t actually worded like that, but the content was more or less the same.
"H-How did you know?"
Themand he had received should be confidential; no one should know about it other than him and his mentor. In case that someone got to know of it, he, as the person who the mission was assigned to, would be considered as a traitor.
"Who told you that?!"
"You seem more afraid of what the Church would do to you if they found out that you have failed your mission rather than what I am about to do to you."
"No, no. You don''t get it... Those people¡ªthe higher-ups are like Gods! They can do almost¡ªdie, bastard!"
Eugene sent a lightning dagger at Basil in the middle of his speech, and it almost hit Basil square in his chest. Although his attack had failed, Eugene didn''t mind about it in the slightest; making a distance from Basil was his purpose, after all.
Basil, who had smoothly dodged Eugene''s sneak attack, smirked lightly, then stood up from the ground. Turning his body around, he faced Eugene, who had a manic grin on his face.
"Are you surprised that I can still move, Basil?"
"Not really. I know you are holding a God''s Tear Amulet."
"You even know something like that. Truly, who are you?" Eugene frowned heavily, but quickly shook his head in the next moment. "Well, it doesn''t matter. You will regret not immediately killing me!"
Extending his hand forward, Eugene materialized his Grimoire once again. Flipping it open, he quickly chose his strongest Spells that he was sure would definitely kill Basil in one go.
"You are not the only person who has grown stronger, I¡ª"
"Too loud."
Eugene once again widened his eyes in bafflement as Basil had just reappeared right in front of him. Everything happened so fast, by the time he realized it, Basil''s shining palm was already hitting his chest.
Boom!
Eugene didn''t budge even a single step upon being hit by the palm, but he immediately fet an extremely excruciating pain in his chest. In addition to that, he felt his Magic Circles became unstable in each passing second, before three of them eventually crumbled.
"Kuhak!"
Eugene fell on his knees, then threw up a mouthful of blood. He looked up at Basil in horror a few seconds after, and was greeted by Basil''s cold smirk.
¡ªHe is all yours.
Although he didn''t understand what Basil had just said, he was sure Basil was instructing the surrounding Demons to y with him, who were now weakened as he had lost three of his Magic Circles.
Chapter 215 Killing A Killer Doesnt Change The Number Of Killers (2)
BA-22, 2028 ACE.
BA-22 was only 35 kilometers away from the capital of Grittenhein Kingdom, Lichtenberg, which made it the closest forbidden area to a Kingdom. Even BA-32 was 65 kilometers away from Braxtein Kingdom''s Outer Region, Lone in.
3 kilometers away from the Twenty Second Obelisk, the Obelisk of Astaroth, a massive army of all races were stationed. All of them were preparing themselves to face the Sixth Outbreak.
The First Outbreak had ured around 10 years ago, and it had been a nightmare to the citizens of Braxtein Kingdom.
Many of them had lost their loved ones to the Outbreak, and lots of members of Royal Army had been sacrificed because of it. All of that was caused by two things: arrogance andck of preparation.
Braxtein Kingdom had received mockery from the world due to their loss in the disaster at first, but it all stopped when the Second Outbreak ured. That time, despite being fully prepared, Lichtenberg, the neighboring kingdom of Braxtein Kingdom, had also lost the battle.
After the Second Outbreak, everyone realized that they wouldn''t be able to face an Outbreak by themselves without bearing a heavy loss. Because of this, three months after the Outbreak, Arthean Empire established an Alliance to face future Outbreaks.
Although the next three Outbreaks had ured outside Arthean Empire''s territory, the Alliance still remained, because the Human Emperor didn''t want to repeat the same mistake twice.
With the Outbreaks, everyone, regardless of their race, was united. The Five Races always sent their army to face the Outbreak together.
Some sides were¡ªmainly humans¡ªhad rejected the idea at first, but a move from each race''s Emperor had been enough to silence them ... Forever.
Today, for the third time, after 6 years, another Outbreak ured in Arthean Empire''s territory. Of course, it wasn''t something to rejoice about, but the army of every existing race on the were gathered there, in BA-22 to face it together.
On the west side of the Obelisk of Astaroth, two Legion Commanders were facing each other.
One of them was an unbelievably handsome man with long brown hair tied in a high pony tail, and the other one was a middle-aged man with a muscr body hidden under his armour.
"Commander Basil, you look worried. Who are you worrying about? Your Lover?"
"You look quite excited today, Craig."
"Hahaha! I''m not excited; I''m nervous! However if you think about it, excitement and nervousness aren''t really different after all: your heart beats like crazy whenever you feel them."
Basil smiled faintly at Craig, and bumped his fist to Craig''s chest. "You just said something that is really popr as a soldier''sst word."
"Hey, hey. Don''t kill me with your curse¡ªlet my sin do that!" Craig smirked at Basil, and both of themughed afterwards. "Now that''s what I want to see! Having a distracted mind in a battle won''t bring you a good result."
Basil said nothing, but nodded his head in agreement. He, too, was aware that he was thinking too much about the whole thing, but he still couldn''t help worrying about Iliana.
He had a rather unpleasant premonition about the Outbreak, and he felt strangely reluctant to be separated from Iliana. He felt there was something wrong, but he couldn''t say what was actually wrong.
"I hope it will be nothing more than just a premonition," Basil muttered as he looked to the north.
"Huuh... It''s good to be young and talented, huh? If I got such a girlfriend like yours, I, too, would treasure her."
"I believe you are aware of this, but you are¡ª"
"I know I am already old!" Craig eximed. "But you know, that''s as far as I would do¡ªtreasure her. I wouldn''t worry about her, because I would believe in her capability."
Basil slightly quirked his eyebrow, and chuckled in amusement. "Interesting..." He had just been reminded of what his lover was capable of by his friend, and he found it amusing. "Thank you for the pep talk, Craig. You are my favorite friend now."
"This kid... What do you think of me for all this time?"
"An annoying colleague."
Craig immediately whined about how cruel Basil was treating him, but Basil ignored him as he mounted his horse, and rode it to the front of the Legion he was leading.
Craig stopped whining, and merely smirked at that gesture. He immediately mounted his horse, then headed to his Legion.
Pulling on the horse reins, Basil faced his Legion while still on top of the horse. Everyone in his Legion straightened themselves upon his arrival, and faced him with a stern face.
He looked at them silently, as he recalled the challenge he had faced to reach his current position. ''10 years of hardships ... I can consider it pays well.''
Basil Cobham was known because of three things: a Marquess of Braxtein Kingdom, the youngest Violet Core Knight in Arthean Empire, and the youngest Legion Commander of Alliance''s Army.
He was extremely well known in Braxtein Kingdom, because he had rejected the position of a Royal Army''s Legion Commander five years ago as he believed that Royal Army didn''t deserve his brilliance.
Many had mocked him because of his arrogance at first, but he shit them up with the achievement that none of them could achieve.
He received the position as one of the 12 Legion Commanders of Henosis, the Alliance Army, after he had reached Early Stage Violet Core at 27 years old.
Although Basil had never aimed status¡ªhe was too focused on improving himself¡ªhe epted his role as one of the 12 Legion Commanders dly. He was, after all, one of the representatives of humans; he felt honored to be entrusted such a responsibility.
"My soldiers! We are nothing, but a pawn. We are here only to kill, and die if we fail to kill."
Every Knights under Basil''smand listened to his word intently as none of them wanted to miss a single word he uttered. They knew Basil would only say realistically harsh things, but they also knew there was a deeper meaning to it.
"However! Each creature we kill saves tens of lives, and each of our death is never in vain. We are fighting for the people we love, for the Kingdom we are born in, and for the better future¡ªthey are what move us, the pawns. "
Although Basil was rather cold toward them, he was the very Commander who had led them to victory in countless of battles. They respected him heavily, and they would be lying if they said they didn''t adore him.
"Today, we are taking ourselves to the door of death, but whether we fail or seed in doing so, we will all win. You die, you save hundreds of lives; you live, you can drink with the people you saved."
Boom!
Mana suddenly overwhelmed the surrounding air, and everyone could feel the oppressing aura exuded by the Obelisk of Astaroth.
The barrier separating thend between the Obelisk and the rest of the world was lifted, revealing the hundreds of thousands of Demons behind, and a beam of an extremely condensed raw Mana was shot from the tip of the Obelisk to the sky.
The Outbreak was started.
"I can''t encourage you. If you are afraid, withdraw; if you are anxious, think of the people you want to protect." Basil raised his sword, and infused his Qi into it. "What I can do for you is one: sending you to your death!"
Basil''s sword shone in dark violet light, and the air in his surrounding even bent at his overwhelming Qi. The Knights under hismand were bathed in his Qi, the Qi of a Violet Core Knight, and all of their eyes lit up excitedly.
Turning to the front, Basil pointed his sword forward, and shouted, "Charge!" Then without waiting for anyone, he dashed forward.
The reaction was instantaneous. The Knights under hismand immediately cried enthusiastically, and followed closely behind him.
This is one of his qualities that the Knights in his Legion adored very much: unlike the other Legion Commanders, Basil stood in the front line. He was always the very first person to charge forward, but could still lead the Knights behind him splendidly.
In times like this, this quality of his became even more apparent as his Legion apparently became the very first Legion of Henosis to charge forward. The Demons rushed at them like a tsunami wave, but all of them could easily break through the rank.
Warcry soon filled the entire battlefield as a river of blood was formed on the ground. Mages casted their Spells, Knights utilized their Aura, Spirits used their fire, Elves shot their arrows, and Dwarves sted the Demons with their weapons.
10 minutes was all it took to turn a normal arid in to a hellish ce. The smell of blood, urine, sweat, and scorched skin overwhelmed the air, but none of the people seemed to mind about it in the slightest.
They only had one thing in their mind, and that was, winning. At this moment, each race that had been previously indifferent toward each other was truly united; they cooperated with each other to kill their enemies, the Demons of the Obelisk.
BOOM!
Basil had just sted a thousand of Demons with his Technique, but his eyes didn''t indicate that he was satisfied with how things were developing. The flow of the battle was on their favor, but something still didn''t seem right to him.
"Tsk. I am going to the north."
Clicking his tongue, Basil got down from his horse, and told it to retreat. To a Legion Commander, their horse was symbolical; they didn''t actually need it. Therefore, Basil didn''t want to waste its life in the battlefield.
Channeling Qi to his finger, he shot a Qi powered re to the sky. It worked as a signal that only his Legion understood: the signal of absence.
"I hope they can do well without me."
Immediately kicking the ground, he headed to the north with his maximum speed, while avoiding the gaze of the other Legion Commanders. It was not normal for a Legion Commander to leave their Legion behind, after all.
Upon reaching his destination, Basil was greeted with the very scene he didn''t want to see. There was a massive Magic Barrier covering an area of 2 square kilometers in front of him that he was sure was hosting almost a tenth of the Demons of the Obelisk.
What he was really concerned about though¡ª
"The Pdins are here, but they do nothing!"
¡ªIliana was trapped inside it.
Chapter 216 Killing A Killer Doesnt Change The Number Of Killers (3)
Basil couldn''t actually see what was going on inside the Magic Barrier; he was a splendid Knight, but he couldn''t utilize Mana to see through a Magic Barrier. Judging by the area the Magic Circle was covering however, he was sure Iliana was trapped inside.
"Who are you?!"
"Stop in your track!"
"This ce is forbidden for you to enter!"
Upon arriving right in front of the Magic Barrier, Basil was stopped by the Pdins guarding it. All of them took their weapons out, and they were ready to cut his neck in a twitch of a finger.
Basil nced to the side from the corner of his eyes, and coldly said, "What is the meaning of this, Eugene?"
"Don''t touch him! He''s my friend." As the Pdins retracted their weapons, Eugene walked towards Basil. "What are you doing here, Commander Basil? I believe you are stationed in the west."
"Why did you cast such a massive Magic Barrier here?"
Upon receiving Basil''s cold gaze, Eugene threw his gaze to the side in shame. "It''s for the better, Basil. The Obelisk Master is there¡ªwe can''t just let him roam free around the battlefield. You know how¡ª"
Bam!
Basil punched Eugene right on his face without holding back. Being a Spellcaster, a Mage who didn''t have any closebat skill, Eugene was helplessly sent to the ground.
"How dare you touch our Seminarian!"
"I hereby execute you for your sphemy!"
"Die for your sin!"
,m The Pdins, who acted as Eugene''s escort, were obviously not amused by Basil''s audacious act. Eugene, after all, was not just an ordinary Seminarian, but an esteemed Seminarian, who was mentored by Randalvine Church''s Head Priest.
"Put your hands off your weapon!"
Eugene stood up from the ground, and red at the Pdins surrounding Basil to make his point clear. As the Pdins begrudgingly retracted their weapon, he stared at Basil with a small helpless smile.
"You really put your everything whenever it is regarding her." He cringed when he touched his jaw. "I''m d that I brought God''s Tear Amulet with me. You just broke my jaw, Mate!"
"You are as cowardly as ever, Eugene. An Eighth Circle Mage should be able to do more things than what a Seventh Circle Mage can do."
"I have no excuse." Eugene smiled bitterly, and bowed his head in shame. "I treasure my life more than anyone''s. I am sorry."
Basil couldn''t help snorting coldly at Eugene''s response. "Hmph! I don''t need an excuse from a coward." Swiping the air, Basil stated, "I have tolerated you for years, and today is my limit. Our friendship ends here, Eugene."
"That''s unfortunate."
"Just let me in."
Eugene slowly raised his head, then looked at Basil in bewilderment. "No. I can''t let you in. You shouldn''t waste your life on¡ª"
"Iliana is my life. If she dies, I die with her."
"Basil, please con¡ª"
"Eugene!"
"Darn it! Fine. I will let you in!" Eugene gritted his teeth, and red at Basil in anger. "You chose this. Don''t me me afterwards." He turned to the Magic Barrier, and extended his hand. "You have three seconds."
Boom!
Eugene''s eight Magic Circles materialized themselves, and the air was quickly overwhelmed with Mana because of them. Mana gathered on the tip of his finger, before he shot it at the Magic Barrier.
A gap that was as big as an adult size appeared on the Magic Barrier, and Basil immediately charged at it the moment he saw it.
Three seconds was a very long time for a Knight of his caliber, therefore he could see what was actually happening the moment he charged at it.
''This traitorous bastard! This is what he aimed for since the beginning!''
Just a few milliseconds before he passed through the gap on the Magic Barrier, Basil saw the grin of tion on Eugene''s face. It was an expression that belonged to someone who had everything going on ording to his n.
Of course upon entering the Magic Barrier, all thought regarding Eugene was erased off his mind. His eyes were focused on the scene in front of him¡ªthe scene that made his blood boil even at a single nce.
"Iliana!"
As one of Henosis'' 12 Commanders herself, Ilianamanded a Legion that was consisted of 4000 Battle Mages and 2500 Spellcasters.
It was quite a number ofpetent people, but not a sufficient number to face against tens of thousands of Demons. That is what happened in front of his eyes: Iliana and the Legion she led were overwhelmed by the endless waves of Demonsing at them.
They were surrounded by all sides, and one could even tell by a single nce that it was just a matter of time until all of them died.
Basil gritted his teeth in insurmountable anger, then dashed at Iliana and her Legion. Upon doing so however, his overwhelming presence was caught by everyone.
"Basil, what are you doing here?!"
Iliana looked flustered upon seeing him for a reason that Basil would only find out in his second life: she knew she was going to die there, and she didn''t expect Basil would also be there with her.
Uncaring to Iliana''s reaction, Basil held his sword horizontally with his two hands while still charging. Using the precise amount of Qi needed, he infused his Qi into his sword, and swung it at the crowd of Demons surrounding Iliana and the others.
"[Mountain Cleaver]!"
Whoosh!
An absurdly strong current of wind swept pass through the Demons, Iliana and the Legion she wasmanding, but the only one that was hurt by the wind current was the Demons. They were cleanly bisected, and had their upper body blown away.
Every Mages in Iliana''s Legion gasped in amazement and surprise at Basil''s disy, but they quickly turned serious the moment they saw Basil''s face. They had heard about Basil being a pacifist for most of the time, but a nightmare when he was losing it.
Judging by the face Basil was making, it would take many trees to be uprooted until his mood got better.
Upon arriving right in front of the Legion, Iliana quickly jumped at him, and hugged him tightly. He could feel that her hands were slightly trembling, and his expression softened slightly at that.
"We have been betrayed."
"No, he''s targeting me since the very beginning."
"So, you knew what was going to happen."
"No ... Not this soon."
"I see..." Basil separated himself from Iliana, then looked at her silently. "There are so many things I want to talk to you, but now is not the time." He nced at the iing horde. "Let''s survive this ordeal."
Iliana nodded wordlessly, then swung her spear, Sinister Piercer roughly to the side. Gesturing at her legion, all of them moved at her signal, and positioned themselves ording to the formation they usually used.
"How many personnels do you need?" Iliana turned to Basil.
"Give me 300 Battle Mages, and I''ll cut the head of Astaroth."
A bold deration from Basil, but Iliana said nothing about it. She didn''t even retort him as she merely gave what he had said he needed¡ª300 Battle Mages
She gave him her Legion''s best 300 Battle Mages, and all of them seemed excited at the fact that they would be fighting under his lead. Pointing his sword to the front, Basil kicked the ground, and shot forward.
The Battle Mages behind him weren''t flustered in the slightest, because Basil had signalled them in advance. They quickly followed behind him, and fought ording to his instruction.
"To the left! To the right! Take a step back, and scatter! Regroup!"
They didn''t know what kind of formation they were using, but the way Basilmanded them effectively without even looking at the whole battlefield absolutely amazed them.
They looked uncoordinated in the eyes of another, but all of them who were led by Basil could easily tell that they weren''t fighting a losing battle. The moment when they didn''t think so, looking at Basil''s strong back was enough to raise their spirit.
"Commander Basil!"
"We will win!"
"Commander Basil will lead us to victory!"
It didn''t take long until the 300 people under Basil''smand got overwhelmed by emotion. They had thought all of them were going to die, but all of that changed the moment Basil came.
Just by looking at the way Basil sted through the rank of the Demons, they didn''t feel they would ever lose even though they could still see the sea of the Demons surrounding them. At this moment, Basil was their light of hope.
Boom!
Of course, that doesn''t mean Iliana and the others didn''t do well. If Basil was their spear, Iliana and the other Battle Mages were their shield: they were protecting the Spellcasters that were supporting Basil and the 300 Battle Mages from afar.
"Aura Ability: [de Forger]!"
Prior to living his second life, Basil didn''t have [Master of Weapons] as his Aura Ability. Different than the one he had in his second life, this Aura Ability of his allowed him to imitate any ded weapons.
With this Aura Ability, he could have an unlimited amount of weapon. Unfortunately however, he could never imitate a High Grade Relic¡ªhe could only imitate the outer appearance, but not the ability it had.
Upon forging a dozen of swords, Basil used his Qi to control them, and sent them toward the crowd of Demons that were still eagerlying at him.
Whoosh! Whoosh!
The weapons, powered with his Qi, split the air, and cut through the Demons in a matter of seconds. He kept repeating the process, thus only allowing several Demons to approach him.
The Battle Mages following closely behind Basil became even more amazed at him by his disy. They had heard of Basil''s moniker, One Man Army, but they could only witness what it meant now.
With that kind of Aura Ability, Basil didn''t really need anyone to help him. He could fight both in close quartersbat and long rangebat simply by himself.
"Tsk. Here hees." Basil clicked his tongue as he could see Astaroth smirking at him from afar on top of his Higher Chimera. "I am not sure whether I can really survive this battle."
Basil himself was aware of his ability; killing an Obelisk Master wasn''t easy. Even usually, more than five Middle Stage Violet Core Knights were needed to kill one.
Coupled by the draining effect that the Magic Barrier inflicted on him, being sceptical about his victory on the fight was understandable.
Gesturing with his hand, he instructed the Battle Mages behind him to retreat. They did it wordlessly, and he was d he didn''t have to shout at them.
When he was just a few meters away from Astaroth, he stopped in his track, then stared at said Obelisk Master silently.
"You are sending yourself to your doom, Human."
At Astaroth''s provocation, Basil merely smirked, and swung his sword fiercely to the side. "I am fully aware of it."
Chapter 217 Killing A Killer Doesnt Change The Number Of Killers (4)
Astaroth was a charming man with the lower body of a bird and a pair of feathered wings behind his back. Like any other High ss Demons, he also had a pair of horns on his forehead, and wore Vanadium Armour.
"You stille despite knowing your doom, human?"
"It would stille at me even if I didn''t anyway¡ªdo you think I have a choice?"
Astarothughed deeply, then got down from his Chimera¡ªa lion with a goat head, a pair of dragon wings, and a serpent as its tail . "Ha-ha-ha! That''s a good answer."
Caressing the head of the serpent on his left hand, he looked at Basil in curiosity. "You are aware of your doom, but you don''t seem scared, human." He hummed to himself, then caressed the head of his Chimera. "Don''t I scare you?"
"Yes, you do." Basil smirked, then pointed his sword at Astaroth. "However, my fear of losing my heart is greater."
"Your heart?" Puzzlement decorated Astaroth''s face, before his eyes lit up in understanding. "Oh, that female human is your heart. You are an interesting individual, Basil."
Astaroth extended his left hand forward, and the serpent on said hand quickly wrapped around his arm like an armband before turning into a jadeite. Astaroth''s aura became even stronger, but Basil didn''t even flinch at the Mana influx.
Astaroth smiled sadly. "I would like to have a chat with you¡ªyou seem like someone who understands number well¡ªbut I have to end you here. Unlike you, humans, I always fulfil my promise, after all."
Basil tightened his hold on his sword, and infused his Qi into it at the same moment Astaroth gathered his Demonic Mana on the tip of his finger. When their attack was ready, both of them released their attack at the same time.
BOOM!
A powerful Demonic Mana shed with a well processed Qi, blowing everything in the surrounding of where the two energy came from away.
A suppressive aura soon overwhelmed the entire area inside the massive Magic Barrier, stopping the battle inside temporarily.
"This is..."
"This is the power sh between a Violet Core Knight and an Obelisk Master."
Everyone would be lying if they said they weren''t awed by what they saw. Such a powerful sh between power wasn''t something they could see everyday, after all.
Although all of them were Mages, joining Henosis had allowed them to realize that Mages weren''t always on top when it came to power. Therefore, all of them could easily appreciate Basil''s prowess.
"Not just any Violet Core Knight¡ª"
"This is Basil, my man," Iliana added proudly.
Of course, no matter how excited they were at Basil''s disy, they didn''t forget the problem in front of them. Focusing their attention to the battle once again, they rained their attacks on every Demon their eyes could see.
Thrust!
Iliana sent her spear forward, piercing the chest of an Orc Warrior in front of her. She then immediately swung her spear to the side, and sessfully bisecting a Plucker, who had been sneaking on her.
Channeling Mana to her feet, she kicked the ground, and floated in the air with the help of Wind Magic. Gantly pointing her spear at the Demons below her, she condensed her Mana on the tip of her spear before sending it to them.
"[Hill Piercer]!"
sh!
Iliana''s Art didn''t produce a sound at its activation; it only produced a dense trail of light in the air. It moved so fast that in the blink of an eye, a nightmarish scene was produced ... For the Demons.
Boom!
Iliana''s attack epassed an area of 2 square meters that was heavily packed with Demons. Her attack obliterated them all, and created a 4 meters deep crater on the ground.
Uncaring to what she had done, she pointed her spear towards another area that was also heavily packed with Demons, and did the same thing. She kept sending them the same attack until she deemed it was enough.
"Huuh... My Magic Circles are almost exhausted." Iliana nced at her seven Grand Circles that were shining intensely. "I hope they can still work well until Basil ended that bastard."
Her heart was beating like crazy, and for the first time, she didn''t know how to calm it down. She was scared at thought of not being able to meet Basil again, and she was trying hard to distract her mind from that thought by concentrating on the Battle.
p "Though, I know Basil will be okay. He''s my toughest disciple, after all." She got down from the air, then faced herself to the left. "I don''t know whether I can survive this ordeal," she muttered as she saw Eugene with his 10 personal Pdins behind him.
"You are going to die here, Iliana, and Basil might also meet his doom because of you."
"You better prepare yourself, Eugene. The moment you kill me, Basil will already have your heart in his hand." Iliana snorted coldly.
Eugene quirked his eyebrow at first, but he couldn''t hold hisugh back in the end. "HA-HA-HA! Basil? Killing me? Ku-ku-ku ... That will be impossible, Iliana." Eugene''s eyes shed coldly. "You know what I am capable of, don''t you?"
"Let us bet on the future Basil, then."
"Ah, you are always like this ... I''m sick of it!" Eugene swept the air angrily. "There was a time where I truly loved you, but you always put your eyes on that useless boy, Basil. What do Ick, Iliana? None! But, why¡ªwhy did you choose him, not me?!"
Iliana quirked her eyebrow, thenughed in amusement. "So, this is all about your unrequited love? Ludicrously stupid." She scoffed coldly.
"Yeah, it was." Eugene nodded his head calmly. "But not anymore. The moment I lost my love for you is the moment I decided to kill you as a sinner. You could''ve epted me and live, Iliana. But, no. You chose that kid over me."
As he gestured at the Pdins behind him, Eugene gritted his teeth. "me your choice, not me, Iliana ... Execute her." The moment the word was uttered, all of the Pdins quickly dashed at Iliana.
Iliana merely smirked at the Pdins, and took all of them head on. When they met in the middle, the moment the first Pdin''s sword shed with Iliana''s spear, the rare moment of Mana shing against Miracle ured.
Boom!
On the other side, although Basil couldn''t actually feel Mana, he could tell someone''s presence from their Mana. Therefore upon sensing the familiar presence, Basil couldn''t help turning his head towards Iliana''s direction.
"That bastard Eugene!"
"Do you think it''s okay to look away from your battle?"
Astaroth suddenly appeared in front of Basil, sending a punch at him. He could see iting clearly, but overwhelmed with his rage, he merely red at Astaroth and took the punch with his forehead.
"Oh, did I just poke a ho''s nest?" Astaroth tilted his head to the side in puzzlement.
Basil''s forehead bled, and the blood was quickly covering one of his eyes. Despite so, he kept ring at Astaroth as if he could kill said Demon with his re.
Said Demon wanted to move away from Basil¡ªhe knew Basil''s expression was not a good sign¡ªbut he couldn''t retract his hand at all.
"You have a nice grip."
"You will die here, Astaroth."
With his left hand strongly grasping Astaroth''s hand, Basil swung his sword at Astaroth''s right arm with his right hand.
sh!
Spurt!
Astaroth''s arm was cut off, and blue blood immediately gushed out profusely from the open wound. Bewilderment naturally decorated Astaroth''s face, but a manic grin appeared on his face in the next moment.
"Let''s have some fun, Basil Cobham!"
"Let''s y a game of who dies first, Astaroth!"
Basil, overwhelmed with rage, looked at Astaroth with a bloodthirsty grin then swung his sword at said Demon. Astaroth, overwhelmed with excitement, looked at Basil with his manic grin, and blocked Basil''s sword with his left hand.
nk!
Since he had covered his hand with Demonic Mana, Astaroth could somehow lessen the damage Basil''s sword inflicted upon his hand, therefore Basil''s sword didn''t manage to cut through it.
In the next moment, the armband on Astaroth''s left arm shone, and a dense amount of Qi exploded outward. Basil was aware that the Qi belonged to him, therefore he didn''t dodge the explosion, and kept attacking Astaroth.
"Aren''t you afraid of death, human?!"
"My power can never hurt me!"
"Hah! How ludicr¡ªwhat is this?!"
nk!
Much to Astaroth''s bewilderment, the explosion of Qi really did nothing on Basil. It passed through him as if knowing that it was originally his, and thus it wasn''t allowed to hurt him.
Of course, the thing that really bewildered Astaroth was the fact that Basil''s sword was close to cut his head off. If not for the fact that he had a neck armor on him, his head would have flown away.
As the rm inside his head went off, Astaroth immediately channeled his Demonic Mana to the ce where his right arm had supposed to be, and regrew a new arm. Quickly moving his hand, he pped Basil''s sword away.
nk!
"You are good, human. However, you have to be better to kill me!"
Astaroth red at Basil angrily, but Basil didn''t pay any attention to him. He merely dashed at Astaroth with his fully Strengthened body, and materialized many weapons in the air with his Aura Ability: [de Forger].
Countless of swords powered with his Qi were sent at Astaroth, and Astaroth took them head on while covering his entire body with a Magic Barrier.
nk! nk!
Although none of Basil''s swords could pierce through the Magic Barrier, they had sessfully made it falter. Therefore, the moment Basil''s sword shed against Astaroth''s Magic Barrier, he could easily cut through it.
sh!
The moment the Magic Barrier was ripped apart, the battling human and Demon could finally face against each other directly once again.
"Human!"
"Astaroth!"
Astaroth had a ck ball of condensed Miasma on his left hand, and Basil had his highest level Technique, [Synchronization], activated. The moment the two shed, an absurd pressure descended upon the entire area inside the massive Magic Barrier.
BOOM!
Half of Astaroth''s body was blown away due to Basil''s attack, and half of Basil''s armor was destroyed due to Miasma Ball. Along with that, Basil also had a Curse inflicted upon his Core thanks to the Miasma.
Basil stood from the ground, and threw a mouthful of blood. "Kuhak! This bastard ... His Curse is draining my Qi from my Core." Looking at Astaroth, who was lying motionlessly on the ground not far away from him, he eximed, "It''s my win, Astaroth!"
Although he had basically made a history as the first man to ever defeat an Obelisk Master by himself, Basil didn''t have a bright expression on his face.
"Ah, you are strong, human. Ku-ku-ku..." Astarothughed merrily, as if he didn''t feel any pain from his injuries. "However, can you call it your win?"
Basil frowned at first, but his eyes immediately widened in surprise the moment he remembered what he had momentarily forgotten. "Iliana!"
He couldn''t feel her presence any longer.
Chapter 218 Killing A Killer Doesnt Change The Number Of Killers (5)
Basil urgently turned his head to the direction where he hadst felt Iliana''s presence, but he couldn''t find her, the Pdins, and Eugene there. It was also at that moment he realized how chaotic the entire battlefield had be.
As far as his eyes could see, there were only corpses of Demons and Mages that had belonged to Iliana''s Legion littering the ground. The battle had been concluded, and none of the Mages survived it.
"This is ... I''ve been inside a time dted space for all this time!" Basil''s eyes quickly widened in horror as he turned his gaze to Astaroth. "Bastard! What is your connection with the Church?!"
At the fierce way Basil directed his question at him, Astaroth cackled humorlessly then sat himself up. "Ku-ku-ku ... Judging from your face, you should know about it long ago. Why do you look so distressed?"
Even though he had half of his body destroyed, he still could stare at Basil with his seemingly eternal grin. "Did you not expect that an Obelisk Master could establish a cooperation with those pretentious humans¡ªthe Church?"
Instead of responding Astaroth verbally, Basil tightened his grip on his sword then drew the remaining Qi in his Core. Channeling his Qi to his foot, he kicked the ground and dashed towards Astaroth who was still grinning merrily.
"Burn in hell, cursed bastard!"
He reappeared right in front of Astaroth faster than one could blink one''s eyes, and he immediately swung his sword at Astaroth''s neck.
On the other hand, despite seeing Basil was ready to cut his head off however, Astaroth was still calm as ever. He didn''t even use his Demonic Mana to defend himself.
"Are you sure you want to waste your Qi on me?"
Boom!
Basil''s sword stopped just hair away from Astaroth''s neck, but just the swing of it managed to carve a trench on the ground beside him. Though his neck didn''t get cut off, the skin of his neck was opened, allowing some blood to flow out of it.
"You are amazing ... Are you really an Early Stage Violet Core Knight?" Astaroth chuckled emptily. "I am sure you are not, but it doesn''t matter. I like you nheless."
Astaroth smiled at Basil, who was still ring fiercely at him, then pointed his finger to the southwest. "There, is your heart. This is the least thing I can do for¡ª"
sh!
"Too loud."
Basil cut Astaroth''s head in the middle of his sentence.
Thud!
Despite so, Astaroth''s head still had a smile on its face even after it touched the ground. It still gave Basil a friendly look, and even mouthed ''My friend'' before the eyes were shut.
Basil didn''t show a particr response to what had just happened, since his eyes were nted on the scene he was seeing two hundreds meters away from him.
Iliana was kneeling on the ground while clutching her stomach painfully, apparent by the look on her face. All of the Pdins were dead, but Eugene was still standing in front of her while looking down at her coldly.
Basil''s blood boiled like never before upon seeing the scene. Channeling his Qi to his feet madly, he dashed at Iliana, and appeared in front of her even faster than a lightning.
Boom!
Due to the Curse inflicted upon his Core, Basil wasn''t in a really good state to fight. Therefore, missing Eugene, his swordnded on the ground, creating a deep and narrow trench on it instead.
"As I expected, you are not an Early Stage Violet Core Knight, Basil."
Basil raised his sword, then turned his head to Eugene. Pointing his sword at Eugene, he angrily shouted, "Eugene! How dare you show your face in front of us!" Uncaring to the burden he would give to his Core, he then sted his Qi outward.
Boom!
Eugene merely waved his hand, and a Magic Barrier instantly appeared right in front of him, thus protecting him from the overwhelming pressure of Basil''s Qi.
He clicked his tongue in annoyance, before smirking at Basil. "Now, how does it feel to be the loser, Basil? You haven''t lost for a quite long time, right, former absolute trash?"
The murderous gaze he received from Basil chilled his spine, but he still maintained his obnoxious smirk. "What''s with that look? We''re friends, right?"
Basil''s rage was unfathomable. He couldn''t express his anger with words anymore, so he decided to express it with his action.
[Synchronization]!
Even though he knew his body wouldn''t be able to handle the burden the unfinished Technique gave to his body anymore due to his fight with Astaroth, the rage overwhelming him made him ignore such a thing.
"Basil, stop!"
No matter how overwhelmed he was with his rage however, the moment he heard Iliana''s voice, his mind cleared once again. He cancelled his Technique, and his Qi immediately calmed down as he turned to Iliana.
"He haspletely got us." Iliana gave Basil a small tired smile. "A few legions of Pdins will arrive soon, and you have to leave from here. You are a Peak Stage Violet Core; no matter how tired you are, you should be able to run away from them."
"What are you talking about, Iliana? I''m not going to¡ª"
"I''m going to die, and you will never be able to beat that bastard in your current stage." Iliana gritted her teeth, and cried silently. "So, please... Please, leave this ce."
Basil couldn''t stand the nonsense he was hearing any longer, and immediately turned to Eugene, who was grinning even wider than before. He immediately infused his Qi to his sword, fully intending to cut Eugene''s head even though Iliana had told him not to.
"Kuhuk! Ugh... My spleen¡ªit''s bleeding so hard."
Of course, the moment he heard that from Iliana, Basil quickly threw his sword to the ground, then turned around to support her. He looked at her in panic as tears profusely flowed down his eyes.
"Iliana, stay with me!" He shook Iliana''s body in his embrace, but it was apparent from her eyes that she was barely conscious. "Hey, don''t leave me behind. You know how helpless I am without you!"
Eugene, who was seeing the dramatically tears inducing scene in front of him, stared at Basil''s back in bewilderment beforeughing humorously.
"Hahahaha! So you can also act like that, Basil! Simply amusing!"
"Shut up!"
Eugene''sugh didn''tst long; he quickly stoppedughing the moment he heard Basil''s exmation. Basil surprised him with a thousand of Qi powered daggers he had created with his Aura Ability, and Eugene would definitely die if he didn''t do anything.
Eugene knew that the highest quality of Relic Basil could forge with his Aura Ability was Upper Middle Grade. However, he also knew that the potency of a Peak Stage Violet Core Knight''s Qi powering behind them wasn''t something to scoff at.
Boom! Boom!
By dodging the one thousand daggers Basil sent at him instead of blocking them with his Magic Barrier, Eugene made a good choice. All of them were designed to blow up upon contact, and his Magic Barrier wouldn''t be able to handle all of them.
"This prick! How dare he!"
Eugene was about to attack Basil with his Spell, but immediately stopped the moment he saw Basil had forged another one thousand daggers. Clicking his tongue in annoyance, he moved from his spot to dodge the daggersing his way.
Iliana, who could somehow grasp what was currently happening, smiled helplessly at Basil. "You are wasting your Qi on him. You better use them to get out of this Barrier." Wiping the tears of Basil''s eyes, she continued, "I won''t survive even if you take me with you."
"There is still a way. We can find a Healer¡ª"
"Basil... You know how bad my injury is."
Basil''s eyes immediately moved to the fist sized hole in Iliana''s abdomen, and he couldn''t help gritting his teeth in anger. His anger didn''tst long however, since the fear of losing her immediately overwhelmed him.
"I don''t want to lose you... Please, stay with me."
"What a crybaby." Iliana caressed Basil''s head warmly. "You actually know how helpless my state is, don''t you? That''s why you don''t run away with me: you know I will only end up dying in your hands."
Basil didn''t say a thing, but his silence was enough of a confirmation. Iliana smiled softly at that, then cupped Basil''s cheek. "I want to tell you about something ... About something that someone had told me to tell you. It is about your mother..."
Iliana told Basil that she knew his mother, and that his mother, who had loved him so much but didn''t get the chance to meet him, had entrusted her to find him and take care of him in his mother''s stead.
Basil listened to her story about his mother, which was not detailed and very brief, earnestly while staring at her with teary eyes.
"Ah, I''m sorry ... I ended up talking too much about myself."
"It''s all right." Basil held Iliana''s hand that was cupping his cheek. "Your hand is cold. Do you need me to warm you?"
"I am warmed by your presence¡ªit''s enough." Iliana smiled, but her eyes weren''t focused on Basil anymore. "I still have many things I would like to tell you, but I got no more time. I am sorry I didn''t tell you sooner..."
Iliana slightly wiggled in Basil''s embrace, and Basil could only smile in sorrow at that. "Ah, I can no longer feel my body ... Am I looking at you now?"
Basil shook his head faintly at Iliana since she was actually gazing at the sky, but he told her what she wanted to hear. "Yes, you are looking at me."
"... You are a bad liar." Iliana chuckled. "Listen, Basil ... I don''t want you to be like me¡ªI have many regrets. I only realized itte, but sometimes you only need to move before you think. So, you should loosen up a little bit."
Iliana''s breath became rougher, but she tried her best to calmly breathe just so she didn''t alert Basil. Of course, Basil, as an academically talented person, had realized her difficulty in breathing long ago, but he didn''t call her out on that.
"I can foresee that I will be your biggest regret, so I want you to forget about me¡ªI want you to live without regret."
"I can''t do that."
"Promise me, Basil."
"I can''t."
"Promise me that you will live, no matter how hard it is..."
Basil didn''t say anything for a couple of seconds¡ªhe was pondering hard to himself¡ªbut in the end, he nodded his head weakly.
"I promise."
"Good." Iliana took her hand off Basil''s cheek, then put it on his forehead. "May my blessing apany you," she muttered inaudibly.
She smiled beautifully, then her eyes slowly lost their glimmer a few seconds after. Her body also got colder in each passing second, and Basil hugged her even tighter than before.
As Basil emptied his tears reservoir, a heart wrenching scream came out of his mouth ... Iliana died in his embrace.
Chapter 219 Killing A Killer Doesnt Change The Number Of Killers (End)
Present (2015 ACE).
Basil stopped recalling the memory he didn''t really want to recall, then turned his eyes to the scene uring in front of him.
Eugene, who had been facing against the group of Demons with his sole remaining Magic Circle, was now lying motionlessly on the ground. He had lost his left arm, and some chunk of his body parts.
Of course, it was the result of the Demons toying with him¡ªunder Basil''s order. If not for the fact that Basil had told them to do so, he would have ended up in their stomach by now.
A mere nce is enough to tell that in his state, Eugene must be experiencing an unbearable pain, but he still somehow maintained his consciousness. He was even ring at Basil, who was looking at him in amusement from afar.
"Curse of God''s Tear is what you called it, isn''t it?" Basil motioned the Demons surrounding Eugene to back off, then walked towards him. "You would have died easily if you didn''t use that amulet."
God''s Tear Amulet was a special Artefact which was only produced by the Church. It was only given to some the Church''s officials, Seminarians, and some of the chosen Pdins as a means to sustain their life in times of emergency.
God''s Tear Amulet was used to heal a fatal injury that needed an immediate treatment from a Priest. It had a such a superb effect, it could even bring an extremely injured person back to a healthy state.
God''s Tear Amulet''s Recovery effect was so potent, itsted for two hours. It was normally a good thing to rejoice, but in a hopeless battle, it was no different than a curse.
Curse of God''s Tear. It was an aftereffect of the usage of God''s Tear Amulet that allowed the one who was experiencing it to sustain their life longer even after being dealt an extremely fatal injury.
In result to that, one would experience an unbearable pain until the effect of the God''s Tear Amulet wore off. Before then, one would experience the horrible pain while wishing for one''s death.
"Does it hurt?"
Upon arriving right in front of Eugene, Basil knelt down and smirked at him. Looking down at Eugene''s body, he could see some part of Eugene''s exposed viscera due to the torn up abdomen.
"F...uck ... you!"
"A Seminarian like you shouldn''t say that word¡ªit''s unsightly."
Eugene wanted to shout out loud, but the pain his body was enduring due to the Curse of God''s Tear stopped him entirely. He then could only re at Basil in resentment, while cursing him in his mind.
"Say, what if I pour salt on your wound? Will you squeal like a pig or will you squirm silently in your ce?"
"Ba...stard!"
Basil sneered disdainfully, then red coldly at Eugene. "That face suits you best, Eugene." Grabbing Eugene by his hair, he forced Eugene to sit with his sword that he stabbed to the ground as a support. "I want to tell you a story."
Eugene pathetically gasped for air due to the pain he was enduring, but Basil didn''t pay any attention to Eugene in the slightest. He could also see some of Eugene''s internal organs fell off his torn up abdomen, but he merely smirked at the scene.
"This is a story about betrayal. It is a story of a man, whose lover, and subordinates were killed by his own ''friend.'' The man lived a hellish life due to his friend''s betrayal as said friend didn''t only take the life of his people, but also spread a facy about him."
Eugene had calmed down his breathing and was now looking at Basil, but he didn''t understand what Basil was talking about, apparent by the face he was showing Basil.
"What... Are you... On... About..?"
Basil frowned, then pped Eugene''s head lightly. "I don''t need you to react to my story; I just want you to listen to it. Don''t make me p your cheek ... Or whatever is left of it."
Eugene was fully aware that he had lost a chunk of his cheek to a Demon''s bite, but he couldn''t help gritting his teeth at Basil''s not so subtle mockery. Still though, he was wise enough to not waste his breath on shouting at Basil.
"Now that''s what I''m talking about." Basil patted Eugene''s right cheek, his only intact cheek, then smirked condescendingly. "So, you know, this betrayed man, full of anger, trained himself very hard just to kill his betrayer of a friend."
Grabbing Eugene''s hair, Basil faced Eugene''s head upward, then head-butted it. "It took him years, but he managed to kill his betrayer of a friend in the end."
As Basil''s physique was way stronger than Eugene''s, Eugene''s forehead bled upon being head-butted by him. The blood trickled down his forehead, but Eugene was more surprised at the the fact that he could still bleed after losing so much blood.
"The bastard was so afraid of being killed by the man, he made countless of excuses to cate the man. Unfortunately for the bastard, the man was too smart to fall for that."
Basil stared into Eugene''s eyes deeply, as if staring right into his soul. "I remember you said one word that made quite an impression on me: ''Killing a killer doesn''t change the number of killers.''"
Eugene blinked his eyes in confusion at the sudden change of pronouns, then stared at Basil weirdly. He had kept his silence ever since Basil started storytelling, but now he didn''t think he could keep his silence at the weird direction the story was developing to.
"What are you¡ª"
"Do you know what my answer was?" Uncaring to Eugene''s difficult attempt to question him, Basil forced Eugene to look at him. "I said, ''If killing one doesn''t change the number, I will kill all of the killers until only one of them left ... Myself.''"
Basil briefly grinned manically, then pulled his head away from Eugene''s. Standing up from the ground, he dragged Eugene by his hair towards the direction where a couple of 4 meters tall Demons standing like a wall.
They were all the Demons who he had told to block the Pdins'' view, so they couldn''t see what he did to Eugene. Upon sensing Basil''s Mana, the Demons parted, thus giving a way for him to pass through.
Basil stood slightly in front of the Demons, then lifted Eugene to the air by his hair. Eugene slightly squirmed, but other than that, he couldn''t do anything; he couldn''t even let out a sound to indicate how painful it was for him.
"Pdins!" Basil shouted to the group of Pdins fighting twenty meters away from him. "Do you see what I have in my hand?"
The Pdins urgently turned their head to the direction where they heard Basil''s voice, and the Demons also stoppeding at them as if on cue. The moment the Pdins could see the current state of Eugene, rage immediately overwhelmed them.
"Bastard! What have you done to our esteemed Seminarian?!"
"Let go of our esteemed Seminarian, you fiend!"
"Take your hand off Mr. Eugene!"
"Your death is decided, sinner!"
All of them shouted loudly, but instead of getting irritated like usual, Basil had a mirthful smile on his face. He didn''t like when someone being loud, but the Pdins'' shout felt like a symphony to him right then.
"Only one of you was involved in that day," Basil was referring to the group of Pdins that had injured Iliana heavily in his past life, "but let me be petty for today. All of you haven''tmitted a sin on me yet, but you can only me your unfortunate fate."
Extending his left hand, his sword that was still stabbed on the ground flew to his hand. Swinging it once to the side, he put it right in front of Eugene''s neck.
"Shall this first blood be the start of your doom!"
Eugene squirmed in a futile attempt to get out of Basil''s hold, but Basil was quick in his action. With a swift movement, he slit Eugene''s throat.
Spurt!
Eugene''s eyes widened in shock and utter horror as his blood profusely gushed out of his slitted throat. It was amazing that his partly cut neck still managed to hold on despite being weighed down by his body.
"You fiend!"
"Esteemed Seminarian!"
"Die in the name of the Church!"
The Pdins were riled up so much, they immediately dashed at Basil. There was not a single Demon stopping the Pdins in their track as Basil had ordered the Demons not to; he wanted to face the Pdins by himself.
"Come at me." Staring at the iing Pdins with a disdainful smirk, Basil threw the barely living Eugene to the side, and pointed his sword at them. "Come at me, and die!"
Channeling Qi to his feet, he kicked the ground.
Boom!
Basil shot forward at the iing Pdins like a sh. His entire existence was covered with Aura, the mostplicated form of Qi, thus amplify his already overwhelming presence.
The presence both sides were exuding was equally overwhelming, and the Demons were forced to step aside because of it. When Basil''s sword shed with the first Pdin''s sword, the first ever sh of Mana and Miracle ured.
Boom!
The ground, along with some of the unfortunate Demons were blown away upon the sh, and the other Pdins were forced to stop in their track at the baffling sh.
The very first Pdin to reach Basil, Cadmon, on the other hand, was extremely bewildered at the strength Basil possessed. Despite so, he could still match Basil''s power quite easily.
[Master of Weapons]!
Sneering at Cadmon, Basil activated his Aura Ability while simultaneously taking out fifteen weapons from his Spatial Ring. Controlling them with his Aura Ability, he sent them at the other Pdins to prevent them from disturbing his first fight.
"Let''s have a fun, shall we?"
Cadmon widened his eyes in terror. He could see the Pacifer Seal in the middle of Basil''s forehead that the Church had told them to be extremely careful about was glowing in golden light.
"Y-You... What are you?!"
Not only that, he saw Basil had also materialized all of his Magic Circles, and the Mana he was exuding overwhelmed him greatly.
With a smirk, Basil swung his sword at the overwhelmed Pdin''s neck.
Thud!
In the next moment, said Pdin''s head fell to the ground.
Chapter 220 Moving Forward
p While Basil was shing against the Pdins in Baron Raneil''s secret underground bunker, Iliana and the civilians she led were facing their first crisis after running through the tunnel of Death Howl Dungeon for more than half an hour.
"Esteemed Mage, can we rest a little bit? Everyone is already at their limit."
"Mage Lady, please give us some time to rest."
"Benevolent Mage, pardon us for our weakness."
Civilians naturally had a weaker bodypared to Battle Mages whether they were physically trained or not. Therefore, it was normal for the civilians to feel tired after running for more than half an hour, no matter how slow Iliana was actually leading them.
Iliana was aware of this fact, but, of course, she didn''t like hearing the people whining. They had actually requested the same thing for thest 10 minutes, but Iliana had kept ignoring them.
There weren''t many who were vocal in expressing their tiredness at first, but their amount was gradually raising in each passing minute. Iliana would''ve still ignored them, if it was not for this fact.
Stopping abruptly, she spun on her heel, then turned to the civilians following closely behind her. "5 minutes! Whether you are ready or not, I''ll take off after 5 minutes!" She crossed her hands and red at the crowd irritatingly.
"Thank you for your benevolence, Esteemed Mage!"
"May Gods bestow upon you an endless fortune, Benevolent Mage!"
"You are the best, Mage Lady!"
Despite theck of warmth in Iliana''s time, the civilians still rejoiced at the fact that she still let them rest. They immediately sat themselves on the ground, and heaved a deep breath to fill their lungs.
Iliana looked at the scene neutrally, then clicked her tongue helplessly. She had a strong urge to leave the people behind, but she couldn''t just take the little girl away with her¡ªeven though she entered this ce only to save that girl.
''Besides, I will have no face to face Basil if I leave them behind. He, like the other Mages, believe that Mage is identical with sacrifices, and I want to prove him wrong.''
Moreover, she had her pride that prevented her from leaving the people behind. Although she knew Basil wouldn''t look at her strangely if she did so, she didn''t want to break her principle¡ªher naive principle.
''I am different from the rest of the Mages.''
She was cold, but never had she uselessly killed people. She didn''t like all of the Nobles approaching her, but never had she killed them in a Duel; sending them to a Recovery Chamber in the Church was the only thing she did to them.
She didn''t mind killing people, but she believed killing was not the only solution to a conflict¡ªan usual opinion that deviated from what actually happened in the world. She realized she was a little bit naive, but she liked to call her trait "realistically idealistic."
''Things won''t go as beautiful as I imagine it ought to be, but that''s how this world works, and I don''t have a n to change my mind ... Yet.''
Shaking her head to clear the thought off her mind, she squinted her eyes the moment she detected two presencesing her way. The two presences were surrounded by many Mana Signatures, and she couldn''t tell which belonged to the two presences.
"They feel somehow familiar though..." Iliana mused to herself, then turned her gaze to the resting civilians. "There is somethinging, and you have to run when I signal you to."
Hearing that something wasing from Iliana, the reaction from the civilians was as expected¡ªchaotic. They quickly stood up and urgently told the others to prepare themselves to run.
"Quick! We can''t let the Esteemed Mage''s effort to save us end up in vain."
"Everyone, prepare yourself!"
"Hurry up, don''t bring anyone else down with you!"
Since they were the only people in the tunnel, their loud voice was echoed through the whole tunnel. Normally, Iliana would''ve told them to shut their mouth, but she didn''t do anything to make them keep everything quiet this time.
"Since the enemies have already caught up to us, keeping them quiet is useless," Iliana muttered as she walked to the direction where the presences wereing her way. "Furthermore, the more panic they are, the faster they can run."
Tightening her hold on her spear, she infused Mana into it. She was about to attack the two figures the moment she could faintly see them, but she stopped herself entirely when she realized she actually knew who the two figures were.
"Ah, Sister! We have finally found you!"
"Darn it, Iliana! How could you run so fast with the civilians!"
Iliana blinked her eyes at the unexpected appearance of the two people. "Cray, Whitney? What are they doing here?" She was about to let her guard down, when she noticed there were another two presences approaching. "Whitney, Cray, move out of the way!"
Upon hearing Iliana''s shout, Whitney and Cray quickly waved their hands wildly. "No, Iliana, they are friends!" They knew what she was going to do, and they didn''t want it to happen. "They are Thompson and Steve¡ªthe Knights who are helping us!"
They arrived in front of Iliana a few seconds after, and they immediately heaved a sigh of relief the moment Iliana put her spear down. Turning to the back, they gazed at the iing Knight duo together with Iliana.
"They hide their presence well," Ilianamented.
In the very first ce, it was normal for a Mage to not be able to detect the presence of a Knight. They essentially utilized two different kinds of Energy, and the Energy they utilized was the one that indicated their presence.
Mages couldn''t detect Qi, and Knights couldn''t detect Mana¡ªat least that was the case for most of the poption.
There were still people like Iliana who could detect the presence of people that practiced a different Principle, despite not having a basic understanding of said Principle.
This is the reason why she was slightly amazed at how good Thompson and Steven could hide their presence.
"Well, we can''t help it. Those Monsters acted like they weren''t interested in us at first, but they quickly charged at us like rabid dogs the moment they lost their sight on you. We have to hide our presence to avoid fighting too many of them."
Iliana turned to Whitney, then quirked her eyebrow. "Why are they behind you?"
Instead of Whitney, Cray was the one who answered her. "Ah, that''s because they are Knights¡ªthey are good at closebat."
"Then, what about you, Cray?"
Cray was a Battle Mage¡ªhe was also good at closebat. ording to the reason he told Iliana, he should also be joining the two Knights instead of running side by side with Whitney.
"Kuhum! That is..." Cray scratched his head in embarrassment. "That''s because they have Jocelyn to support them. So, I have to be by Whitney''s side to protect him." He grinned brightly the moment he had found a perfect excuse.
Since Iliana had already been looking at the direction the two Knights wereing to look for Jocelyn the moment Cray had started to utter his excuse, his excuse actually went unheard.
She was aware that Cray had actually tired his Magic Circles out though¡ªshe knew that was his real reason for not joining the Knights.
Cray might not look like it, but he was quite a prideful fellow. Therefore, Iliana didn''t call him out on that, and chose to look for Jocelyn whose presence she still couldn''t feel at the moment.
"Where is¡ªoh, so that is the case..."
Iliana could already see Jocelyn riding on her Transportation Artefact right behind Thompson and Steven, and she could also figure out the reason why she couldn''t feel Jocelyn''s presence.
"To think they cover her with Qi Shell... They are pretty creative."
Judging by the way Jocelyn was positioned, Iliana could tell she must be the one who faced the Demons while they were moving. The Knights faced the Demons when she was tired¡ªwhen they stopped¡ªand they repeated this cycle until they met her.
"They are different than most of the Knights we have ever met," Whitney remarked. "Not just any Knight would cooperate that much with a Mage."
"Indeed, that''s why they are interesting." Iliana nodded her head simply.
The three people arrived in front of Iliana a few secondster, and Jocelyn immediately jumped at Iliana to hug her tightly.
"Ah, I have finally met you!"
Iliana blinked her eyes at the unexpected gesture from the petite girl, but still patted her head to appreciate the gesture.
"Ah, sorry!" Jocelyn widened her eyes in surprise, and quickly let go of her hug. "I thought you were Alexandra!" She smiled in embarrassment, then bowed politely.
"Are you dumb? Do I look like a redhead?" Iliana looked at the petite girl rather weirdly, and quickly waved her hand. "Anyway, don''t answer my rhetorical question."
Jocelyn scratched her head in embarrassment, andughed shily. "Hehe... Alexandra has also told me a lot that I am dumb, so I think I don''t have to defend myself."
Cray, who was looking at the exchange from the side, blinked his eyes in bewilderment. He was about to chime in, but Whitney immediately covered his mouth as he knew Cray wouldn''t say anything good.
"They all look weary," Thompsonmented while looking at the civilians. "Are you guys on rest?" He turned to Iliana.
"We were. But now that you have arrived here, it is better to move." Thompson was about to ask for Iliana''s reason, but Iliana exined herself even before he could open his mouth. "You are bringing the Monsters with you, right?"
Thompson stayed silent, and Steven, who was beside Thompson, merely nodded his head in confirmation.
"I will take Jocelyn and Cray with me in the front, and I''ll entrust the back to you." Iliana gestured her head at Thompson. "Is this eptable?"
Thompson nodded wordlessly, and Iliana immediately faced the civilians. "We will be moving at the same pace as earlier!"
Iliana led the group with Jocelyn and Cray on her side, and the civilians moved once again with the Knights and Whitney guarding behind them.
''Something is happening. Cray and the others shouldn''t be able to meet us.'' Also at that moment, she realized that Basil wasn''t helping her to escape with the civilians anymore. ''Basil, what are you actually nning to do?''
Chapter 221 Moving Forward (2)
The Mages and Knights moved at a slow but steady pace to let the civilians keep up with them. Despite so however, the civilians barely able to keep up due to their fatigue.
"We are moving too slow. I won''t be surprised if the Monsters catch up to us anytime now." Cray nced behind him at the civilians, and couldn''t help clicking his tongue in annoyance.
Turning his head to Iliana, he looked at her iprehensibly. "I''m surprised we had a hard time regrouping with you even though you were moving at this speed."
"Basil helped us."
At Iliana''s simple answer, Cray''s eyes widened in surprise. "So this ce is really...!" He sighed, then shook his head. "What are you and Basil actually nning to do?"
"I don''t know," Valeria answered simply. "As you can see, we have now regrouped. That only means one thing: it is all thanks to Basil."
"I mean, why did you even agree to enter this ce with these useless meat?"
"Basil didn''t tell me to do it¡ªhe forbade me even. I decided to enter this ce with them on my own ord."
Cray hummed to himself as he found Iliana''s decision was rather unlike her. Usually, she wouldn''t even care about leaving people behind, after all.
"Did you have any specific reason to do that?" Iliana didn''t immediately answer Cray, and he didn''t urge her to do it. He waited patiently, until Iliana decided to open her mouth.
"These people have a Silencer''s scent on them, which makes them the main target of Low Grade Monsters ... Basil initially used them as a bait to distract the Low Grade Monsters, so everyone out there can easily wipe the Middle ss Demons out."
"Ah, so that''s the case..." Cray nodded his head in understanding, and said nothing else.
He didn''t need Iliana to exin herself for he knew what Iliana meant. No matter how many times the useless Nobles had tried to undermine Iliana, she was undoubtedly an outstanding Mage.
As a fellowmoner, she was also someone Cray and every student of Rehearsal ss respected heavily. They treated her like their family, and she treated them likewise.
Therefore, all of them knew of Iliana''s one unique trait: she wasn''t very fond of Mages despite being one herself.
She didn''t like the way they treated lives, and she didn''t want to be like them. Sure, she was a cold person who wouldn''t mind killing people, but she had never toyed with someone''s life, unlike the majority of Mages.
The way Basil treated the civilians were the same as the way most Mages treated them: just another sacrifice for the greater good. Cray could immediately conclude this was the reason why Iliana had insisted to go with the civilians.
''She is too soft.''
Cray shook his head bitterly at the thought of Iliana. He, like the others, had realized it long ago that Iliana was just naturally a softhearted individual¡ªunbefitting of a Mage¡ªbut he never dare to say it to her, just like the others.
''She would treat what I say as nonsense, and her fist woulde right after.'' Cray shuddered at the thought, and decided to drop the matter entirely. ''Nheless, Whitney and I are here to make sure nothing bad would happen to her.''
Cray was aware that they were far inferior to Iliana in terms of power, but he believed they would still be able to save her when things turn south.
Just like that a few minutes passed, and the dreaded moment finally came not long after.
"They are here!"
"Everyone, stay in your ce!"
Thompson and Steven red at the iing Demons in front of them, and couldn''t help gulping nervously. Although the Mages were quiet, unlike them, they knew without being told that they were perfectly sandwiched from two sides¡ªthe front and the back.
"O our benevolent Gods, save us from this predicament!"
"May thou bestow upon us mercy for sins, venerable Gods!"
"Ah, are we going to die here?!"
"Grandpa, I''m scared!"
Despite being utterly spent, the civilians could still react to the predicament rowdily on the ground, and the Mages and Knights alike couldn''t help clicking their tongue at that.
The civilians understood their position well in this matter: they highly likely would be left behind if things turned south.
There was nothing wrong in their thought, and because of that the Mages and Knights clicked their tongue. They were annoyed that the 99 people had immediately decided that they would lose the battle¡ªtheir pride was hurt.
"Whitney, support us!" Thompson dashed forward, followed by Steven who said the same thing.
Whitney didn''t respond them out loud, but still muttered under his breath. "Instruction is unneeded." Extending his hand, he materialized his Grimoire, and cast an Earth Element Spell. "[Earthen Wall]!"
Immediately, the earth rose behind him, creating a thick wall that separated him and the civilians. "[Field of Shackle]!" Casting another Spell, he sessfully bound a few hundreds unfortunate Low ss Demons with it.
Looking at the immobilized Demons, Thompson and Steven were naturally excited. Activating their Aura Ability at the same time, they used it on the immobilized Demons, while still charging at them.
"[Matter Augmentation: Elongation]!"
Thompson''s sword elongated at a high speed, and it was heading towards the Demons standing in its way. All of them were skewered helplessly; very few of them managed to move out of the elongating sword''s way.
"[Gravity Center: Repulsion]!"
Unlike Thompson, who was skewering the Demons, Steven swung his sword at the Demons once, sting all of them away.
Some were immediately dead the moment they bumped into each other''s head, but they mostly survived it with a severe broken bones.
If they were humans, Steven would let them be that way, but since they were Demons, who had an absurd regeneration factor, he couldn''t let them be.
Therefore, he hurled the small solid earthen balls Whitney had created at them with his Aura Ability to finish them.
On the front side, Iliana was the only person charging at the Demons as she was the only avable Battle Mage. Cray''s Magic Circles were still tired due to his prior encounter with the Demons, and he was entrusted with the task of protecting Jocelyn.
Looking at the usually airheaded Jocelyn, who was now supporting Iliana with her Spells, Cray couldn''t help cursing under his breath. "Darn it! I feel so useless. There is nothing I can really do¡ªoh, there is actually something I can do."
He was about to mock himself for mocking the airheaded Jocelyn who turned out to be useful, but he quickly grinned excitedly the moment he saw there were some sneaky Demons that managed to jump past Iliana.
Boom!
Materializing his barely recovered four Magic Circles, Cray Reinforced his whole body, and enveloped his hands with Wind Magic. Kicking the ground, he shot at the Demonsing his way.
"Wee to hell, bastards!" He grabbed the head of the first Demon reaching him, then pulled it strongly.
Spurt!
The Demon''s head was torn off its neck, allowing a fountain of blood toe out of its neck. Cray, as an avid battle maniac, was grinning the entire time, uncaring of how he looked like in another people''s eyes.
"Cray, you are so cool!" At least, unlike the civilians, Jocelyn could still find the positive side of Cray''s disy.
"Hahaha! I am aware of it!" Cray became even more pumped up, and just like that, the battle continued until they decided to move again 10 minutester.
...
In the secret underground bunker, Basil was close to end his fight with the Pdins. Using theirck of knowledge about him against them, Basil had managed to kill 8 out of the 10 Pdins acting as Eugene''s escort.
All of them were extremely bewildered at Basil''s prowess, and Basil exploited their bewilderment to the best he could. Of course, his experience as a veteran also yed a big role in defeating the Pdins.
"Basil... Pacifer! You shall hand over yourself, and let the Church judge you!"
Basil quirked his eyebrow at the heavily breathing Caleb, one of the two remaining Pdins, and smirked disdainfully. "Do you think I will listen to you?"
"You shall do, for I have notified the Church of your atrocity!"
"You have notified the Church, you say?" An amusedugh slowly came out of Basil''s mouth, before turning into a full-blownughter. "How long have we been fighting for? 30 minutes? One hour? One hour and a half? Despite so, you haven''t figured it out yet?"
Caleb frowned behind his helmet while taking a deep breath. He didn''t get what Basil meant, and was about to ask Basil about that when he felt a hand on his shoulder.
"He is prepared, Caleb. He has gotten us dancing in his palm for all this time."
Turning to the side, Caleb found Caaden had already taken off her helmet. "What do you mean, Caaden? It seems to me you are saying that we should back off."
"Our Insignia doesn''t work¡ªwe can''t notify the Church." Caaden smiled bitterly. "He has this cepletely sealed with Magic."
"What?!"
Caleb couldn''t believe what was actually happening, and decided to prove if by himself. The moment he took out the Insignia given to him by the Church, his eyes immediately widened in bewilderment.
"This is... How could he...?"
Turning his bewildered gaze at Basil, Caleb was greeted with Basil''s sneer. Indignation overwhelmed him, and his hold on his Insignia immediately tightened.
"Basil Pacifer, we surrender! Please, spare our lives!"
"Caaden, what are you doing?!"
Caleb had been about to dash at Basil the moment Caaden threw her sword down the ground, and dered their defeat. Naturally, he was shocked by the decision of his fellow Pdin.
"I understand what you are feeling, but we have to back down, Caleb." Caaden turned to Caleb, and looked at him knowingly. "Look around you¡ªhe still has many Monsters he hasn''t mobilized yet. We can never win against him."
Realization dawned upon Caleb, and he immediately yed along. Gritting his teeth in rage, he shouted at Caaden. "Can you even call yourself a Pdin, Caaden?! Do you think you still deserve to be called Pdin?!"
"Yes. Living as a failed Pdin is better than dying as a nameless Pdin," Caaden answered without missing a beat. Turning her head to Basil, she bowed respectfully. "Basil Pacifer, will you be kind enough to spare us?"
"Step forward."
At Basil''s immediate response, Caleb smirked under his helmet, and Caaden immediately walked towards Basil with a neutral face.
"Stay on your ce, and kneel."
Caaden stopped just a meter away from Basil, and immediately did as what he said. She knelt down, then raised her head to look at Basil.
"Huh?"
The moment she did so however, her vision tilted, and she suddenly felt lightheaded; she was falling, and she didn''t know how it could happen. However for sure, she could see Basil smirked contemptuously at her.
"Petty tricks."
Thud!
Caaden''s beheaded head touched the ground, and followed by that, was Caleb''s indignant scream.
Chapter 222 Moving Forward (3)
Basil looked at Caaden''s headless corpse and the shining pendant in its neck coldly. He had figured out what Caaden had about to do even before he had told her to step forward.
Other than a God''s Tear Amulet, Pdins were also given a Pendant of Judgement by the Church to ensure their safety. It was yet another Artefact that was only produced by the Church, and worked like a Curse that only Demons were good at.
As its name suggested, Pendant of Judgement gave "judgement" to the one who was being targeted by the owner of it¡ªPdins. Regardless of the Principle one practiced, upon being "judged," one would lose the ability to use Mana or Qi.
In other words, Pendant of Judgement was no different from a Sealing Rune. Although as far as Basil knew there had been no limit of who the Artefact could seal, it could only be activated once the owner was within a meter from the target.
Caaden had tried to approach Basil for this reason. She had misunderstood Basil as any normal hotheaded, naive teenagers, and believed that she could trick Basil with her sincerity.
Unfortunately for her, Basil was an experienced veteran. He had ever tasted the judgement a Pendant of Judgement gave in his past life when he was still a nameless Knight, and because of that, he had learnt how to avoid it at all cost.
"AAAAHHHHHH! Basil Pacifer, how dare you kill her!"
Turning his head to Caleb, Basil found that Caleb was already dashing at him. He sneered lightly, then swung his sword forward to block Caleb''s sword.
nk!
Fire sparked due to the sh, and Caleb''s hands trembled due to his rage. ring at Basil furiously from under his helmet, he overwhelmed his body with Miracle, then muttered a chant under his breath.
"[He, who hath sin shalt repent, and dare he not, may Gods bestow mercy upon his soul. God''s Mercy]!"
Caleb''s entire body shone in a blinding golden light, and the Miracle that overwhelmed his body became even more potent. Basil quirked his eyebrow at the scene, before touching the Fragment in his Mindscape.
Boom!
The Pacifer Seal that Basil had hidden after killing Cadmon once again appeared in the middle of his temple, and the Mana he was exuding got instantly several times denser than before. Despite so, he only used four of his Magic Circles.
"Know my name, Basil Pacifer! I am Caleb!"
"A dead body needeth not name."
Basil smiled softly at Caleb''s heated deration, then swung his sword strongly. Caleb, despite having Miracle overwhelming his body, was still thrown away helplessly; he couldn''t match Basil''s strength.
Basil kicked the ground once, creating a small crater in the process, and chased after the flying Caleb.
"This Lord can feel a tainted presence." He was strangely intrigued by the Miracle Caleb was exuding. "Hm? What am I talking about?"
Of course, since he had strengthened the connection he got with the Fragment inside him, he wasn''tpletely himself despite having a full control over his body.
Nheless, he was still intrigued by the Miracle Caleb was exuding.
Boom!
Caleb bumped into the wall of the underground bunker, but he didn''t just bump into it; he had actually been mmed into the wall head first by Basil. Basil had his hand on Caleb''s head as the helmet covering Caleb''s head was slowly disintegrating.
"Y-You! What have you done?! My connection with the Gods!"
"Oh, so that is the case?" Basil looked at Caleb in interest and astonishment. "Your Gods¡ªno, the Four Heroes are sharing their Authority ... Intriguing." Tightening the grip on Caleb''s helmet, he crushed it to pieces, and grasped Caleb''s head in return.
"Y-You... What are you actually?!"
"What am I?" Basil tilted his head, then frowned lightly. "Who knows? I don''t even know myself ... For the time being, I will categorize myself as a human."
Basil properly observed Caleb''s face, and immediately understood why Caleb had been so enraged at the death of Caaden.
Brown hair, attractive face, fair skin, and the way his face looked yful despite how serious he was¡ªeven without a blood tie check, one could easily tell he was Caaden''s brother.
"How does it feel losing someone you love?"
Caleb gritted his teeth, and red at Basil from the gap between his fingers. "You fiend! The Church will punish you heavily for this!"
"Hoh? Not your Gods, but the Church, huh?"
"Of course, the Gods will also punish you in hell!"
"Then, what is the need of punishing evil if Gods can punish the doers in hell?" Basil smiled in amusement.
"That''s because the Gods told us to do so!"
"Then, is killing me also something your Gods told you to do?"
"..." Caleb opened his mouth but no words came out. He racked his brain for an answer, and only after a few seconds did he open his mouth. "The Church, as the Gods'' representative has a right to order us to kill you, the Gods'' offenders!"
"Who did deem me as an offender?" Caleb was silenced once again, and Basil continued with a small smile. "How can you tell the Church is telling you the Gods'' word? Who has you listened to for all this time? Your Gods or the power thirsty Great Pontiff?"
"Shut up!"
Basil''s smile vanished, but one could see from the glint in his eyes how amused he was with the entire situation. He let go of Caleb''s head, allowing Caleb to fall down the ground, and looked at him neutrally from above.
Caleb, thinking that his chance to end Basil had finallye, stood himself up then swung his sword at Basil.
nk!
It was much to his surprise and utter bewilderment that his sword was easily deflected by the Magic Barrier covering Basil''s entire existence. He widened his eyes, and was about to step back when he gasped for air then keeled over.
"Kuhak! The Miracle!" Caleb breathed difficultly as if he was choked by something. "My connection¡ªI can''t feel my connection with the Gods." Looking up to Basil, at his Pacifer Seal, the color drained from Caleb''s face. "Y-You¡ªdid you severe the connection?"
"I can''t do something like that, nor do I know how to do it," Basil answered neutrally. "You are simply left behind ... By the Gods you have worshipped."
Caleb widened his eyes in surprise as his pupils dted in horror. He had only been able to use Miracle after establishing a connection to his Gods, and as a Pdin, Miracle was crucial to him; without it, he had only one fate¡ªdie helplessly.
"Walking aimlessly is sometimes many times better than being a follower." Basil looked at the distraught Caleb in disinterest.
He didn''t lie when he said he didn''t severe Caleb''s connection with his "Gods." He had merely tried to investigate the source of Miracle that had been filling Caleb''s body with the help of Pacifer Seal, but the Miracle abruptly disappeared the moment he did so.
Though his attempt had definitely something to do with it, Basil couldn''t be med for it.
Raising his sword, Basil weakened his connection with the Fragment, thus hiding his Pacifer Seal. Aiming his sword at Caleb''s neck, he swung it in one fluid motion.
Swish!
"My problem was with yourte sister, but you can only me your fate for that."
Thud.
As he had said in the beginning of his fight with the Pdins, only one of them who was involved on that day¡ªthe day of Iliana''s death¡ªand that person was Caaden. She had been the Pdin who had stayed beside Eugene the longest in his past life.
He had also seen her dead body just a few meters away from Iliana on that day, thus indicating that Caaden had also been the one who had dealt the heaviest damage to Iliana.
Of course, Basil didn''t actually hold any grudge on her¡ªhis grudge was on Eugene¡ªbut he couldn''t spare anyone who was unfortunately with Eugene the moment he decided to kill him. He couldn''t leave behind a single eyewitness.
"Master, the three students have been sessfully taken care of."
Basil dematerialized his Magic Circles, then turned to the side to look at Kuzo, who was kneeling on the ground. Kuzo was full of injuries¡ªhis clothes were burned, but other than that, he was fine.
"Take this Catalyst."
"Thank you, Master!"
Taking a pill of Morning Dew that Basil gave him in his hands, Kuzo immediately gulped it down. He immediately felt his Core heating up, before it furiously absorbed Qi from the surrounding in the next moment.
"This is..." His body also warmed up as his injuries slowly but visibly healed. "Is this a High Grade Catalyst?" His eyes widened in shock, and he quickly turned his head to Basil.
"It''s just an exceptional Upper Middle Grade Catalyst¡ªnot even close."
"To have such an effect on me... It''s heaven defying, Master..." Realization suddenly dawned upon Kuzo, and he widened his eyes once again. "Is this a farewell gift, Master? I''ll pay you back a hundred times, so let me remain your ve!"
Basil was already aware of Kuzo''s rather exceptional devotion to him, but he couldn''t hold his eyes from twitching at Kuzo''s word. He scoffed softly, then waved his hand mildly at Kuzo.
"You are on the verge of breaking through to Green Core Stage. As your Master, of course, I want you to get stronger¡ªthat''s what the Catalyst for."
"O-Oh! I''m d, Master!" One might think that Kuzo was disappointed because he remained a ve, but his face really conveyed how genuinely happy he was.
Turning his gaze from his weird Assassin¡ªhe didn''t want to call Kuzo his ve¡ªBasil looked at the 3 meters tall Orc Warrior, who had somehow survived the fight with the Pdins.
¡ªYou are more capable than I thought, Demon.
¡ªYou are way stronger than I expected, Human.
They stared at each other silently: Basil looked at the Orc Warrior coldly, and the Orc Warrior looked at Basil cockily.
When Kuzo and the other Demons expected a fight to break between the two, the Orc Warriorughed and Basil smirked silently.
¡ªIt was nice cooperating with you.
¡ªIt was fun cooperating with a sick human like you. Now, fulfill your promise!
The promise the Orc Warrior was referring to was to release them from the underground bunker after everything ended.
Basil nodded his head simply, then waved his hand lightly. "Let us not meet again." As Basil said it, the ground below the Demons shone in red light, while the ground below him and Kuzo shone in blue light. "Enjoy the explosion."
sh!
As Basil and Kuzo disappeared from the underground bunker, the Demons remained there. The Orc Warrior, being the smartest Demon there, had realized what was about to happen to them, and he was panicking because of it.
¡ªHow dare you deceive us, lowly human?!
BOOM!
The bunker exploded in the next moment, erasing everything inside the bunker.
Basil, who had reached the surface, felt the ground rumbled while he was looking at the destroyed small vige above the underground bunker coldly.
"Though I am not too fond of humans, I am still one ... I can''t let you kill them on your whim."
Chapter 223 Moving Forward (4)
The ground rumbled roughly for another minute, before it settled downpletely. They were outside, which allowed them to hear many sounds from their surrounding, but Kuzo felt like a deafening silence had just descended upon the world.
The mood surrounding Basil was solemn and heavy¡ªit was as if he was disappointed and angry at the same time. Kuzo silently looked at that Basil, and gulped nervously at each twitch Basil''s fingers made.
By the time Basil suddenly turned his back on the destroyed vige, Kuzo, who was keenly observing Basil, was terrified. Luckily, due to his professionalism, he could somehow prevent his body from jumping back in horror.
"Can you proceed to your next mission?"
"A-Ah, next mission?" Receiving Basil''s deep and cold gaze, Kuzo couldn''t help sweating coldly. "Y-Yes. I can herd some of the Monsters to destroy the mansion of thete Baron Raneil."
"That is needless. I want you to find the other two students who managed to avoid my Teleportation Circle."
Kuzo frowned lightly, before recalling the face of Rose and ine who were also a part of Eugene''s team. He couldn''t help shaking his head bitterly after recalling their face, as he knew what Basil would order him to do to them.
Gulping nervously, he looked at Basil as straight as he could. "To engage in a fight with both of them will be impossible for the current me, Master. I suggest that¡ª"
"I am not telling you to fight them head on. I want you to face them the way you are most skilled at." Basil''s eyes shed coldly. "They haven''t figured out your identity yet¡ªuse that to your advantage."
"But they are..." Just two innocent girls, is what Kuzo wanted to say, but upon seeing Basil''s look, he quickly widened his eyes. "As you wish, Master."
He had momentarily forgotten his status as Basil''s ve, and he was no longer living with his principle: to never kill newly bloomed flowers. He was sorry because of that, and he was grateful Basil didn''t kill him for his impudence.
"No one is born innocent because of what they will be. Once you spare someone, it will be hard for you to stop sparing ... You are an Assassin¡ªdon''t forget about that."
Kuzo bowed his head respectfully at Basil. "Understood, Master." Basil gave Kuzo a low hum as a response, before dashing towards the east, leaving him alone with his thought.
"Once you spare someone, you can''t stop sparing, huh?" Kuzo looked at the disappearing back of Basil, and shook his head bitterly. "Just what kind of a life you have gone through at such a young age, Master?"
Unaware of Basil''s past life that was nothing more than a tragedy, Kuzo took off to look for his target.
...
Just a few kilometers away to the west of the small vige, Alexandra, Sylvia, and Effie were still in a battle with the Demons.
Although they had killed all of the Low ss Demons, they still couldn''t heave a sigh of relief since there were still 13 Middle ss Demons, including the rampaging Minotaur Warrior, they had yet to kill.
Boom!
"Gah! This Minotaur just broke my ankle for the seventeenth time by merely smashing its hammer to the ground!"
"What about dodging it instead?!"
Alexandra looked weirdly at Sylvia, who had been counting how many times she had her bones broken by the Minotaur. Although she was aware Sylvia could shrug off that kind of injury due to her Aura Ability, Alexandra couldn''t still quite wrap her mind around it.
Effie, the oldest and also the strongest person of the trio, didn''t join the exchange between the two, but she had never scolded them for talking in the middle of a battle. She was aware they did that to ease the anxiousness they were feeling.
They had been fighting the Demons for slightly more than an hour; they were really close to their limit, but there were still quite some Demons remaining. Anyone who was faced with that situation would be anxious¡ªthat is normal.
"[Archer of Doom: Chaotic Arrow]!"
Effie pulled the string of her bow, and a dark blue arrow made from her Qi materialized in the next moment. The air surrounding her was immediately overwhelmed with her Qi, and she let it go after aiming it at an Orc Warrior.
Swish!
The arrow traveled in the air so fast, it left a light trail. The Orc Warrior, who was seeing the arrowing at it, merely shed its protruding fangs as it fully intending to take it head on.
Boom!
Needless to say, it made a splendidly stupid choice by doing so. One might have expected it to be a little bit smart considering how big its forehead¡ªits brain volume¡ªwas, but appearance is often deceiving.
Upon piercing through the chest of the Orc Warrior, Effie''s arrownded on the ground, then exploded. It didn''t produce a fiery explosion, but an explosion of arrows.
p Countless of smaller arrows, simr to the dark blue arrow Effie had shot, exploded outward, hitting the Demons, who were close to the Orc Warrior.
Not stopping there though, the small arrows also exploded like the first arrow. The process was repeated, until the arrows were all as big as needles.
By this time, the unfortunate Demons, who couldn''t dodge the arrows, had many holes covering their entire body. Blood was leaking out of the holes in their body, but it didn''t take their body long to close the holes.
"Three down¡ªthat is good."
Despite so, Effie was still satisfied with the oue of her attack. From the very beginning, she didn''t have any intention to kill all of the Demons; she wasn''t that naive to believe that her power could achieve that.
She had used the Qi consuming Technique because she wanted to lessen the burden of the two girls. She had told them to kill all of the Low ss Demons so they didn''t disturb her fight with the Minotaur Warrior, and the girls had done it splendidly.
Normally, a few hundreds of Low ss Demons was not much, but it was a different story for a pair of Middle Rank Knight and a Senior Mage. Unless they were really talented, they could lose their lives easily.
Added by that fact, the two girls had also killed some of the few Middle ss Demons that should''ve been Effie''s job. Compared to them, she hadn''t done much, so lessening their burden, even slightly, was the best thing she could do.
Seeing that the situation had somehow calmed down, Alexandra took the limping Sylvia in her hands, and brought her away from the other Demons with her Transportation Artefact.
"Let''s go, masochist girl!"
"Hey, who is a masochist?!"
"You are literally seeking for pain, girl. Don''t say otherwise!"
"What do you think I am? A Pervert?!"
They banteredically in the way, but it was apparent from their face that they were really exhausted because of the battle.
Alexandra had already tired out her Magic Circles, and even activating the Rune on her Transportation Artefact was painful for her. On the other hand, Sylvia was trying her best to suppress the pain she was feeling, since her Aura Ability had deactivated itself long ago.
"Take cover behind me!"
Upon arriving in front of Effie, who was fighting far away from the Demons, unlike them, she motioned them to take a rest. Alexandra was grateful for it, and she nodded her head with a small smile on her face.
"Thank you for the assistance!"
Effie merely smiled bitterly at the relieved smile on Alexandra''s face, but said nothing about it. ''Even a Mage can also make that face, huh?'' She couldn''t help musing over the fact of how helpless their current situation was.
Boom. Boom.
The rampaging Minotaur Warrior Effie had tried so hard to distract was running towards them. Her mouth turned into a thin line upon seeing the scene, as she honestly didn''t know what she should do.
"If I exhausted my Core, there is a possibility that I could defeat it in one shot. However..." ncing behind her, she could see Alexandra and Sylvia were lying on the ground while recuperating. "... There will be no one to protect them."
Clicking her tongue in irritation, Effie drew the remaining Qi she had in her Core, and pulled the string of her bow once again. As her Qi overwhelmed the surrounding air, one could see the atmosphere faintly distorted.
A dark blue line appeared in the middle of the string and the bow, and a destructive aura could be immediately felt. Her hands trembled due to the burden the Technique was giving to her body, but her eyes remained still; they were nted solely on the Minotaur Warrior.
As the dark blue line between the string and the bow was getting denser, a small orb of dense Qi belonging to an Early Stage Blue Core Knight appeared in front of Effie''s bow in the next moment.
Exhaling lightly, she let go of her bowstring. "[Archer of Doom: Last Day]!"
Her Technique was unleashed, but the Minotaur Warrior still ran straight to it; she could even see the savage grin on its face. It was as if the Minotaur Warrior was thinking that her Technique would never be able to beat it.
Knowing full well of what her Technique could do, Effie, of course, smirked at that scene ... At least, she could still smirk before the Minotaur Warrior skillfully dodged her Technique.
Whizz!
As the grin of the Minotaur Warrior became even wider, Effie''s Technique hit the other Middle ss Demons behind it instead.
Boom!
"Ah, I have failed. I am too tired to aim properly."
Effie was well aware that her Technique could kill most of the remaining Middle ss Demons and immobilize the rest of them, but she didn''t care about them, because the Minotaur Warrior was left unscathed, and it would bring end to them.
She didn''t have anymore power to fight, and their fate was sealed. Quickly turning her back on the Minotaur Warrior, Effie quickly embraced the two girls lying on the ground.
She wanted to, at least, lessen the impact of the Minotaur Warrior''s attack on the two girls that had yet toe with her sturdy body.
She shut her eyes tight, waiting for the impact toe, but it never came. Full of curiosity, she turned around, and bewilderment is what she got.
"H-How?"
The 6 meters tall Minotaur Warrior had died while standing. In addition to that, there was also a mysterious hole in its sr plexus.
Chapter 224 Moving Forward (5)
Effie looked at the standing dead body of the Minotaur Warrior in confusion and slight anxiousness. The Minotaur Warrior was still holding its gigantic hammer high, making it apparent what it had been about to do, and she was anxious because of this.
There was a possibility that the Minotaur Warrior was just pretending to be dead before striking them when they heaved a sigh of relief for whatever sick reason it had.
Effie had strongly believed that was the case at first, but she stopped thinking that way when she saw its face.
"It didn''t have any idea it was about to die..."
Turning her eyes to the hole in its sr plexus, Effie tried to determine what could possibly have made the hole. She was very sure it wasn''t her, because her attack had missed.
"If I am not mistaken, there should be something..." When realization dawned upon her, her eyes quickly widened in surprise. "The dagger¡ªit is gone!"
She couldn''t see it clearly as she had kept her distance between the Minotaur Warrior, however her eyes could tell from its shape that the thing that had been stabbed in the Minotaur Warrior''s sr plexus was a dagger.
"Now that there is a hole in its sr plexus, the dagger must have been the cause of it. The question is, what did it do?" Effie frowned as she couldn''t think of an exnation for the thing that had happened.
"The hole is clean. That either means the dagger spun itself to make the hole or it detonated itself. Either way, there must be someone behind it." She bit her lower lip as she recalled someone''s face. "There is no way that man..."
She couldn''t help recalling Basil''s face when she thought of someone who could control weapons as if they were his limbs. Despite so, she was still sceptical about it since she didn''t feel any Aura activation prior to the death of the Demon.
She could say for sure that Sylvia was the only individual other than her who could utilize Aura there. "No matter how good he is at hiding his Qi, unless there is a greater amount of Qi overwhelming the area, his Aura wouldn''t go undetected..."
Effie suddenly turned silent as her beautiful face made a strange expression. She hade to a realization that she had overwhelmed the area with her Qi when she used her Technique, which made it impossible for her to detect a well masked Qi.
"Really? Did that guy really do it?" She frowned heavier than ever, but shook her head in the next moment. "There is no way that happened. That man is in the east, after all."
Sighing lightly to herself, she muttered, "Let a mystery remain a mystery. For this one, I will take it as something the God has done." In the end, Effie decided to drop the matter entirely.
As she turned her head to the two girls she was embracing, she couldn''t help twitching her eyebrow upon seeing the bashful look on their face. She knew they were about to say something that would irk her.
"Kuhum! You are very beautiful and undoubtedly attractive, but I still prefer men."
"Effie... I like you, but not like that. I am still hoping for Basil to do this to me."
"..."
Effie knew they were joking, but she still sighed in exasperation before abruptly letting go of the two girls in the next moment. Not expecting that at all, the two girls, who were sluggish due to their exhaustion, fell down to the ground helplessly.
"Kyaa!"
"Ouch! Why did you have to do that?!"
Looking at them with neutral eyes, Effie simply responded, "I prefer hugging men than two idiotic women."
"Hey! Don''tpare me to this masochistic pervert!"
"Huh?! What did you say, maniac arsonist? You have almost burned my butt four times!"
The banter between Sylvia and Alexandra was honestly amusing to look at¡ªthey looked like a pair of drunk best friend¡ªbut Effie could only briefly smile at the scene before turning her gaze to the remaining Middle ss Demons, who had survived her Technique.
"Tsk. There are quite some of them remaining." She couldn''t help clicking her tongue when she found four Middle ss Demons were still alive. Although they were heavily injured, it would only take them a couple of minutes to be able to move again.
Turning her head to the still bantering girls, Effie seriously said, "The Monsters are still recovering, and now is the time to escape. I don''t have any Qi left, but I can still carry the two of you."
Sylvia and Alexandra stopped their banter then turned to Effie. "No, we can still run on our own," they said in unison while shaking their head as if they had promised it beforehand.
"Very well." Effie didn''t convince them otherwise upon seeing the stubborn look on their face. "We''ll be regrouping with the others, so we will be heading south."
They all stood up from the ground, and immediately dashed towards the south with Effie in lead. Along the way, they suddenly remembered something that they had put aside due to their fight with the Demon horde they were chasing after.
''Who had caused the Minotaur Warrior to go rampage?''
As soon as the thought came though, they decided to let it remain a mystery.
...
Right before Oster Forest, Deacon, along with Jake and Robert were close to conclude their battle. Unlike the three girls, who had had a hard time against the Demons they had faced, they were facing the Demons quite easily.
Howl!
They had Deacon with them to protect their back, so they could focus on the Demons in front of their eyes. They were even too focus on their own fight to notice that Deacon was basically stalling for time by toying with the gigantic Silencer.
Of course, Deacon wasn''t doing it because he liked to toy with the Silencer; he was stalling for time so Basil could execute his n perfectly.
[You can finish the fight. I''ll be there in a few minutes.]
Upon receiving Basil''s instruction through their [Link], Deacon''s eyes gleamed excitedly. He didn''t know how Basil would suddenly appear there, but he never questioned what his master ordered.
Ptooi!
Spitting the hand of the gigantic Silencer he had bitten off, Deacon growled at the Demon. The 8 meters tall Demon was already extremely cautious towards Deacon at this point, and it didn''t dare to thoughtlessly charge at him any longer.
No matter how heavily it relied on its instinct, it could still figure out that Deacon had been toying with it after fighting with him for a quite long time.
Deacon, who wanted to end the fight quickly, surely didn''t need the Silencer toe at him. Kicking the ground after channeling the Mana from his Core to his feet, he dashed at the Demon like a bullet.
As it was an agility type Demon, the Silencer could see Deacon''s figure clearly; its eyes were used to observe things that moved quickly. Naturally, it also didn''t have any intention to take Deacon head on, as it prepared to move away from Deacon''s path.
"Toote, Monster!"
Unfortunately for the Demon, it found that it couldn''t move its feet much to its bewilderment. When it looked down to its feet, it could see two earthen hands holding them in their ce.
Normally, such a weak Spell wouldn''t work on it, but the story was different when the Spell caught it off guard. It could easily break the Spell, but Deacon was already in front of it, and it was enough to seal its fate.
Swish!
Deacon fiercely swung his paw at the Silencer, and said Demon raised its remaining hand to block his paw. Since Deacon had imbued his ws with Mana however, the hand protecting the Demon''s head couldn''t protect it at all.
Deacon''s w cut through its hand, before carving three w marks on its face. Since the Silencer had no mouth, it couldn''t scream, however it was apparent from its movement that it was in pain.
Bam!
The gigantic Silencer fell to the ground due to the impact of Deacon''s body afterwards, and Deacon quickly jumped on top of it. Quick in his action, Deacon tore its chest open before biting down its heart and took it out of its chest.
Spurt!
Blue blood was gushing out of the Demon''s chest, but none of it sshed onto Deacon; he had covered himself with a Barrier beforehand, just like what Basil did in his every fight.
Munch.
As a conclusion to the battle, Deacon ate the Silencer''s heart, then revelled in the unique taste of the heart. The other Demons, who had treated the Silencer as their leader, however, couldn''t help but falter in their step upon seeing the scene.
Being effective in their job, Jake and Robert didn''t stay idle; they quickly used the confused state of the other Demons to their advantage. Sending their attack here and there, they massacred the confused Demons who couldn''t fight back properly.
Looking at the chaotic crowd of Demons, Deacon couldn''t help snorting at them. "Hmph! Like a sheep, they quickly lose their way when they lost their shepherd."
Deacon opened his mouth wide, and shot a high pressured wind sphere towards the Demons, who were torn between avenging their dead leader or running away. The wind sphere killed them all, creating another crater on the ground.
The battle¡ªthe massacre continued for a couple of minutes, until all of the Demons were sessfully exterminated.
"Phew! That was a good battle!"
Robert turned to Jake, who was covered in Demon''s blood from head to toe, and couldn''t help smiling awkwardly. "Thank you for your work, Mr. Jake."
"Oh, you too, Robert!"
Robert merely nodded his head with a smile as a response. He was still amazed that Jake could still make a happy face despite being smeared with such a pungent blood.
The two dashed towards Deacon''s side, and like him, they quickly faced Oster Forest, waiting for someone''s arrival.
"Thank you for the assistance earlier, Robert."
Turning a surprised eyes to Deacon, Robert nodded his head. "My pleasure."
"You should bathe yourself, giant man." Deacon''s nose twitched as he turned to Jake. "You look awesome, but smell disgusting."
"Oh, thank you! Hahaha!"
"It seems to me you forgot to see the negative side." Deacon couldn''t help shaking his head at Jake''s response.
Of course, when they felt a presence approaching, they all turned silent. They focused their attention to the forest, and there they could see the person they had been waiting for.
Basil had arrived at Oster Forest using the Teleportation Circle he had Carved on a in a few kilometers away from the small vige above the underground bunker.
Chapter 225 Moving Forward (6)
Robert and Jake, who were looking at Basil keenly, couldn''t help gulping upon noticing the look on his face. Even Deacon, who had a [Link] with Basil, couldn''t help but falter upon sensing the insufferably solemn aura Basil was exuding.
Basil normally acted serious, but he never had once made someone feel ufortable due to his seriousness. Though he would always say some offensively funny remark about someone, as one might expect from he usually behaved, he never scared away anyone with his appearance alone.
Right now however, even though he had no intention of intimidating them, he was making them unconsciously afraid of him. They felt like they were looking at someone who had taken an uncountable lives¡ªa living legend they should be afraid of.
"Am I not weed any longer?"
"Ah... No, it''s just..." Robert shook his head quickly. "We are just surprised you managed to fight the Monsters hiding inside the forest by yourself."
"Did you feel any Mana fluctuationing from me?"
"No. You used Qi, didn''t you, Mr. Pacifer?"
Instead of responding to Robert''s question, Basil turned his gaze to Jake. As if understanding what Basil''s gaze meant, Jake quickly shook his head.
"No. You didn''t use Qi either."
"That means..." Robert widened his eyes as he finally got what had happened. "Instead of facing them, you distracted their attention. For being able to hold them for that long ... Impressive."
Basil wisely ignored the look of admiration Robert was giving him as he had achieved his goal: making sure none of them were doubting him while simultaneously creating a misunderstanding of what he had actually done.
With this, when an investigation about Eugene''s disappearance was conducted, he would have a strong alibi and some witnesses to back him up. He had dealt with the court once, and he didn''t want to deal with them for the second time.
Furthermore this time, he wasn''t just dealing with the court but also the Church that was just as powerful as the Human Emperor. Therefore, he needed to be careful in his every step, unless he wanted to lose his head before he reached his twenties.
"I am sorry for thete greeting, but wee back, Master." Deacon lowered his head respectfully, but Basil merely waved his hand.
"I don''t need formality between us. Just treat me the same way you treat me all this time."
Deacon''s eyes lit up before nodding his head enthusiastically. "Then pardon me for my impudence, Master. Do you have anything that bothers you?" When this question was uttered, the area abruptly turned silent.
Whoosh!
The wind breeze was pleasantly cold, but Deacon, Robert, and Jake were sweating upon receiving Basil''s iprehensible gaze.
The other two had also wanted to ask the same question as Deacon''s, but had stomped the urge since Basil didn''t look like someone who would talk much about himself.
Therefore when Deacon asked about it, they couldn''t help anticipating for the answer. Sadly for them, Basil didn''t look like he was amused by the question.
"Why does ite to that?"
"Y-You are not looking at us, Master," Deacon answered while trying his best to calm himself down. "It seems to me that you are looking at something that is far away..."
Basil quirked his eyebrow in interest, and mused, "Is that so? I don''t think that the way I look at the world has changed that much though..."
Humming to himself, he turned to Jake. "You look nasty the way you are." Basil''s attempt to change the topic was very tant, but none of them called him out on that.
Uncaring to the curious gaze of the people, Basil extended his hand, and conjured a sphere of water above Jake''s head.
"Hold your breath."
Without waiting for Jake''s response, he dropped the water sphere down, encapsted Jake with it, then used it to clean any blood off Jake''s body. Only when he deemed Jake was clean enough did he snap his finger.
Ssh!
The water that had just encapsted Jake fell to the ground, allowing the clean but wet Jake to breathe once again. Not stopping there though, Basil used Wind Magic and sent it to Jake so he could dry Jake.
"Oh! Thank you, Basil. I am clean now."
"You can thank me by avoiding dirtying yourself with something nasty."
Jakeughed loudly, and the others followed suit to show that they had forgotten about the talk earlier. Basil was aware of what they were doing, and he couldn''t help shaking his head as he turned to Deacon.
"I am just worried about Iliana." This word caught the people''s attention, and they turned silent once again. "I was thinking about her all the time I was distracting the Monsters, so I hope we can immediately regroup ourselves now."
Robert and Jake made an ''O'' with their mouth as they nodded their head in understanding. They were painfully aware of the worry one had over one''s lover in times of danger despite not having one themselves.
Of course, Deacon was different; although he nodded his head in understanding, it was for a different reason. He knew Basil was lying, and he understood that he should not pursue the matter any longer¡ªhe could feel it through their [Link].
Basil smirked faintly at Deacon, before jumping on top of him. Now that everything was done, it was time for him to return to the secret entrance of Death Howl Dungeon.
"You two must have been tired. Deacon will give you a special chance to ride on him today."
"Oh! That''s something we can''t pass!"
"Uh, ah, no. I am fine."
While Jake was looking at Deacon with shining eyes, showing how badly he wanted to ride on Deacon, Robert was shaking his head in refusal.
Robert knew that Deacon was a highly intelligent Magic Beast, but he was still traumatized by his childhood experience with a particr Magical Beast.
"Eh? Why are you refusing this chance, Robert? Come on, it''s fine."
"Oh, no. I''ll be fine with my Transportation Artefact. I still¡ªAHHH!"
Robert couldn''t finish his excuse, as Jake had already gotten him in his hands, and jumped onto Deacon by the time he realized it.
"Let''s go!"
"No, I''m afraid of riding a Magical Beast!"
"Trust me, you will like it!"
Robert was about to rebuke Jake, but he soon noticed he couldn''t even let his voice out. Much to his bewilderment, someone had cast a silencing spell on him, and he was sure it must be Basil.
Shrugging lightly, Basil instructed Deacon to move through their [Link]. As soon as Deacon dashed forward, Jakeughed his heart out while holding the shoulders of the silently hysterical Robert.
Basil slightly smiled at the two people behind him, and sighed the moment he recalled what Deacon said to him. ''I didn''t feel anything when I finished Eugene off, and it bears me no sense of achievement at all. Am I really looking too far?''
At that moment, Basil Pacifer realized that he had already had his revenge on Eugene in his past life. This life''s Eugene he had killed still hadn''t done anything to him, and killing him didn''t give him anything¡ªhe was aware of it.
His rage on Eugene wasn''t actually because of the murder of Iliana, but the time Eugene had taken away from him by making him focus on his revenge for years.
Basil didn''t like that thought since it felt like he was disregarding Iliana, so he tricked his mind into believing that he still held the grudge against Eugene for taking Iliana away from him.
When he realized about this, he couldn''t help but shaking his head bitterly. ''For what actually did I kill him? For what actually am I getting stronger? For what actually am I nning everything this far?''
He knew of the answer already but he still couldn''t help feeling bitter. ''Yes, it''s for the future¡ªthe future I want to make ... A selfish desire.''
Years of battles and sufferings could do many things to someone. Basil, who had always thought that as something natural, was now aware of how different he waspared to the others, and how he actually saw them.
''Sometimes, I am afraid of what I have be. However, what would one be if one couldn''t ept oneself?'' Basil shook his head.
The light on his eyes sank coldly in the next moment as he thought about his future actions once again.
...
The group of civilians that were escorted by the group of Mages and Knights had been running for another 30 minutes, after breaking through the rank of the Demons when they were sandwiched from two sides 50 minutes ago.
It wouldn''t be possible for them to break through the rank if it hadn''t been for Iliana and the splendid cooperation she had with the other two Mages, Cray and Jocelyn. Everyone was thankful for them, but they couldn''t hold their stress for long.
"Ah, we are going to die!"
"Oh, our mighty Great Gods, bless our souls and pardon our sin!"
"Darn it! Are we going to die here today?!"
"Hey, ipetent Mages! Do something about the situation!"
Everyone was agitated¡ªthey were too driven by emotion to watch what they did and what they said. It wasn''t the first time the civilians had said something that wasn''t very pleasant to the ears of the Mages and the Knights, but they had always ignored it.
The Mages and Knights, at this point, were busy defending themselves, since they had found that they weren''t only chased by the Low ss Demons from the outside, but also the Demons that inhabited Death Howl.
Of course, that doesn''t mean all of them could just ept being treated like that by the civilians.
"Look at this bastard. Why don''t you fight them yourself?" Iliana turned around then looked at the middle-aged man who had just insulted her and the other Mages coldly. "Oh, let me do it for you."
"W-What are you doing?!"
Snorting coldly, Iliana picked the middle-aged man, then threw him at the crowd of the Demons. His loud scream was immediately reverberated throughout the tunnel as the Demons that got him tore him to pieces.
"Iliana!"
"Holy cow! That''s bold! Hahaha!"
While the reaction from the civilians was that of shock and disbelief, the reaction the Mages and Knights gave her was that of surprise. Other than that, they said nothing; like her, they, too, were exhausted from the long and stressful fight.
Looking at the panicked civilians and the horde of the Demons, Iliana gritted her teeth. ''Is this what you want me to see, Basil? Too bad, I am not as naive as you think.''
Needless to say, Iliana was pissed at Basil.
Chapter 226 Moving Forward (7)
Despite knowing that Basil had basically left them behind, Iliana wasn''t ming him¡ªshe was still mad at him though. She knew from the way he was no longer helping them, Basil was telling her, and the others, to leave the civilians behind.
Like she said, she didn''t care towards the civilians at all, however now that it had turned out like this, she didn''t want to leave the civilians behind. Her thought regarding them still didn''t change, but she wanted to prove that Basil was wrong.
Just like how she had proven herself as amoner who could be a better Mage than all young Nobles in Braxtein Kingdom, she would prove to Basil that she could get out of there even without sacrificing all of the civilians.
"Let me show you why you shouldn''t test me, Basil." Channeling Mana to her spear, Iliana thrust it forward. "[Hill Piercer]!" Her Art was utilized, killing the tens of Demons in front of her in one thrust.
Dashing towards another Demon, she arced her spear widely, bisecting it cleanly. She then stopped abruptly, spun on her heels, then pierced the chest of the Demon sneaking behind her.
The Demon died instantly, but Iliana didn''t give it any second nce towards it as she retracted her spear and thrust it towards another Demoning at her. Her move was gracious and effective¡ªabination one could rarely see.
A few meters away behind Iliana, Jocelyn was constantly sending her Spells towards the Demons that were far away from Iliana or those that were about to attack Iliana when she was busy fighting.
No different than the others, Jocelyn was also tired as her Magic Circles were already overworked. Added by the fact that she had a very low stamina due to herck of physical training, she was close to copsing.
"[Firestorm]!"
Despite so, she still forced herself to move as she didn''t want her friends to get hurt.
A trail of fire could be seen in the air heading towards the crowd of Demons as a gale was produced by the Magic Circle on the ground below the feet of the Demons.
The moment the two element met, the gale was enveloped by fire, burning every Demons close to it to crisp. The fire gale also didn''t stay idle as it moved around, burning Demons here and there.
"Hah..hah..hah..." Jocelyn was gasping for air. Maintaining the fire gale naturally used Mana, and she couldn''t bear the burden any longer. "I can''t give up here ... Everyone¡ªI can''t let everyone down."
She forced herself to remain standing straight, but her vision became blurry, and her head became hurt due to overworking her Magic Circles. As she fell down the ground due to her fatigue, she subconsciously stopped supplying Mana to the fire gale.
The fire gale dispersed, allowing the Demons to not worry about getting burned. Jocelyn only realized that she was already staring at the ground while supporting her body with her hands after a few seconds.
Drip. Drip.
Her beads of sweat fell to the ground profusely, showing how much she had overworked herself. She tried to stand herself up, but found she had no energy to do so.
"Oh, no. I have to get up. Everyone¡ªthey will die if I¡ª"
"We won''t."
At the familiar voice, Jocelyn looked up and met Cray''s face. He had a grin on his face, and a Demon''s head in his hand.
"C-Cray?"
"My, my, Jocelyn. You look like crap." Cray chuckled humorously, before clearing his throat. "Kuhum! Anyway, you should rest. Join the civilians, and toy with them when you feel bored." Giving Jocelyn a wink, he said, "I''ll protect your arse."
Much to Cray''s surprise however, Jocelyn gasped in shock instead. "Are they exposed¡ªmy arse?!" She looked at Cray with pleading eyes as if telling him to say otherwise.
In response to that, Crayughed loudly. "Hahahaha! You are quite energetic, aren''t you?" Shaking his head in amusement, he looked at Jocelyn tenderly. "I hate your stupidity, but now I understand that you are not an interesting person."
Turning his back on her, Cray threw away the head of the Demon he was holding, and dashed towards the Demons that managed to pass Iliana. He killed them all, before joining her to fight the Demons side by side¡ªhe had rested his Magic Circles enough.
Jocelyn looked at Cray''s back with a smile, and muttered, "As I expected, Cray is cool ... And crazy, like everyone from Rehearsal ss."
On the other side of the battlefield, Whitney was trying his best to keep his concentration. Like Jocelyn, he also couldn''t think straight due to the fatigue his body was enduring.
The only saving grace was, Whitney had a stronger physique than Jocelyn¡ªhe had done some physical training. Despite so however, due to the different amount of Mana his Magic Circles could store, he felt more pain than Jocelyn.
Casting a simple Low Grade Spell was actually already painful for him, but he still forced himself to cast many Middle Grade Spells to support Thompson and Steven, who were already fighting solely with their pure physical prowess.
The two Knights had contributed the biggest in protecting the civilians, since they had to fight hundreds of Demons by themselves while Iliana was breaking through the rank of Demons for the past hour.
Knights or not, their fatigue must be unfathomable¡ªWhitney couldn''t let them fight by themselves without any support. Just having used up all of the Qi ini their Core must be painful already, and he wasn''t selfish enough to disregard it.
Thud!
"Huh? I''m on the ground? How?"
Unfortunately, no matter how hard he tried, Whitney eventually sumbed to the fatigue his body was enduring. He gritted his teeth as he tried to stand up, but someone''s hand immediately forced his body to stay down.
"Leave it to us." Thompson looked at Whitney with a small, tired smile. "We have recovered enough Qi to fight for, at least, another 15 minutes. You can rest here, and leave the rest to us."
"No, you must be¡ª"
"Yup! We are tired as hell," Steven chimed in with a grin. "But thanks to your support, we canst this long. So, take a rest and leave the rest to us, Whitney."
Whitney looked at Thompson, and couldn''t help closing his eyes in guilt when Thompson nodded his head dly. He then could feel the two Knights took off just a second after he closed his eyes.
As he bit his lower lip, he thought to himself. ''The only way to get out of this situation is leaving the civilians behind. However, if we did so, Iliana would also stay behind with them...''
¡ªThis is really Death Howl Dungeon.
There was a time, albeit very brief, where the Demons didn''t manage to catch up to them, and that was the time when Whitney had a small talk with Cray. He recalled about the thing said to him, and couldn''t help thinking about Basil.
''Are you in a situation where you can''t help us or are you purposely doing this, Basil?'' Whitney couldn''t help thinking so, as Basil¡ªtheir friend¡ªhad full control over Death Howl Dungeon, the ce they were currently in.
The Demons they were fighting were by no means strong, but their amount was simply overwhelming. Added by the fact that they were fighting to protect, not to kill, facing them was pretty troublesome.
As much as he couldn''t me Basil for not helping them¡ªprotecting the civilians was their choice after all¡ªhe really wanted Basil to have an initiative to do it. ''We are, after all, his friends ... Or that''s what I think he thinks of us.''
Whitney shook his head bitterly the moment he noticed he had just nted a seed of doubt in his mind. ''I can''t doubt Basil again. There is always this ufortable feeling whenever I am around him, but he really doesn''t have any bad intention towards us.''
Opening his eyes, he could see the smooth ceiling of the dark tunnel. His eyes quickly widened in the next moment as he noticed that the surrounding was only filled with people''s murmurs of confusion.
"What happened?" Whitney quickly sat himself up, and looked around. He was sure he had been lying parallel to the tunnel''s way, but he found that he was currently facing the wall of the tunnel. "This is... Where are the Monsters?"
"This part of the tunnel suddenly flipped around, separating us from the rest of them."
"Thompson?" Whitney tried to stand up, and Thompson supported him with his body. "Thank you."
"No problem." Thompson merely smiled.
"Where is Iliana?"
"She is there."
Looking at the direction Thompson pointed his finger to, Whitney found Iliana inspecting the wall on the other side.
"Can you...?"
"Of course, I want to rify about something too."
Whitney nodded his head, then both of them with Steven in tow walked towards Iliana. They found Cray sitting on the ground not far away from Iliana, and he merely gave them a simple grin as a greeting.
"You look like crap, Steve."
"You smell like crap, Cray."
Steven joined Cray by sitting on the ground beside him, and they bothughed while talking about how crazy the battle had been. Whitney and Thompson shook their head at the two, before turning to Iliana.
"Yes, this is Basil''s doing," Iliana confirmed even before Whitney opened his mouth. "Though why he did it just now, I don''t know." She frowned her forehead lightly, then turned away from the wall. "Do you find the ce now familiar?"
Receiving Iliana''s gaze, Whitney and Thompson looked at each other before turning to the new way the tunnel was leading to. They stared at the dark passage for a quite some time, then turned their head back at her.
"I think none of us know where it leads to, but the passage does feel familiar."
"Well," Iliana quirked her eyebrow then pointed towards the passage, "lead the way. I will be guarding the civilians from behind this time."
"Let''s rest for a moment here." ncing at Whitney, Thompson said, "Basil said that the whole tunnel is decorated with [Shadow Entrapment] Runes. Since we are exhausted, none of us will be able to look where we are walking."
Thompson expected Iliana to decline, but she epted easily. "Very well, take your time."
The group rested peacefully for half an hour, and walked through the tunnel right after. They luckily didn''t encounter any Demon in their way, but the ce the tunnel led to conpletely caught them off guard.
Chapter 227 Moving Forward (8)
A few minutes before reaching the end of the tunnel, Whitney and Thompson were leading everyone in the front, meanwhile Cray and Steve joined Iliana and Jocelyn behind the crowd.
They had been walking through the silent and dark tunnel for more than 10 minutes, but they hadn''t still reached the end of it despite being able to see the light on the other side.
The walk was pretty much silent; conversation only ured between the Knights and Mages. Due to the [Shadow Entrapment] Runes decorating the wall of the tunnel, the civilians were too anxious to speak.
Even though their vision was aided by the Knights'' Light Jade and the Mages'' lighting Spell, they still couldn''t see anything other than their own hands. If not for the fact they could hear the footsteps of the others, they would have thought they were alone.
Naturally, no matter how much the Knights and Mages tried to aid the vision of the civilians, the result would be the same¡ªuseless. Unless they could illuminate the entire tunnel, they would never be able to make the civilians see their surrounding.
"Hey, Steve. Do you remember that we have ever passed the tunnel before?"
"This tunnel or the first one?"
"Both of them are connected in a way, but you know what I mean."
Hearing that Steven and Cray were talking about something she was also curious about, Iliana paid close attention to their conversation. Of course, she was still focusing on the way while making sure none of the civilians were left behind.
"It seems familiar, but I don''t recall that we have ever passed it. Basil must know something about it, but he''s not here." Steven shrugged. "Thompson was with Basil at that time, but he also doesn''t know a thing about that tunnel."
Cray nodded his head in agreement, and scratched his head. "Well, it just urred to me that it is weird we don''t know a thing about that tunnel despite having explored this ce before."
"That''s just what Exploration is: we explore the ce that we encounter."
Cray hummed to himself, looked behind him, then frowned. "Hey, Steve. Hauler has 6 members, right?"
"Yeah? What''s the¡ª"
Steven''s eyes widened abruptly as he finally realized that he hadn''t seen Norman ever since entering the tunnel. Even as he recalled the moment when Whitney had a brief talk with Thompson before entering the Dungeon, he also didn''t see Norman there.
"Holy crap! We have just left Norman behind. That guy''s presence is so thin, I forgot about him," Steven cursed under his breath.
Cray blinked his eyes in surprise, then chuckled funnily. "I thought only Mages could forget their friends. It turns out, Knights are not so different, after all."
"Well, the situation was pretty chaotic back then. Forgetting about him is not that unusual." Steven shook his head, then said, "No matter where he is, Norman will be fine. We should think about whether we can get out of this ce or not Instead."
As Cray smiled bitterly at that, Iliana hummed to herself. The only thing she knew about Basil was the fact that he would never hurt her¡ªshe didn''t know anything about how he saw the world or the way he thought.
She also couldn''t confidently say Basil was a coldly good person despite howposed he was and how stable his emotion was. The only thing she could confidently say about him was, he was good towards her¡ªexceptionally so.
No matter how straight his face looked, and no matter how he tried to kill his emotion, she could always feel the tenderness he directed towards her whenever she was interacting with him. That''s why, she liked to tease him.
Although Basil had always been unfazed with the teasing, Iliana could tell that he was secretly enjoying it. With that being said, could she say that Basil was a good person?
''No ... I don''t understand him. I don''t know whether he would let all of us go, but I am sure he will let me go. The question is, when and what. When will he stop ying this game and what is his purpose of doing this?''
The more she thought about Basil, the more she realized howplicated of a person he was. Although she had seen many needlessly secretive and disgustingly shady Mages, she could still confidently say Basil held more mystery than them.
"Well... I''m not the one to speak, I guess..." Iliana smiled bitterly upon remembering about the secrets she was holding. "Everything will uncover when the timees." She stopped listening to the conversation between Cray and Steve, and focused to the front.
The walk continued for another twenty minutes, until they finally arrived at the end of the tunnel where they could see the light. They stopped right in front of it, and found out that the light came from an extremely vast and familiar room.
Looking to the opened gigantic doors of the room, Whitney gulped dryly. "Hey, don''t you think we have ever been here before?" He asked as he turned to Thompson.
"Yeah. We have visited this ce before." Thompson was looking into the room rigidly, and he couldn''t stop his hand from shaking. "We almost lost our lives here, after all."
Cray and Steven were curious about why Whitney and Thompson were just standing in front of the room, so they parted the crowd of civilians, and went to the two''s sides. Upon arriving there however, their reaction upon looking into the room was the same.
"Son of a biscuit eater, this ce reminds me of nothing but a painful memory," Cray muttered in astonishment.
"Even I prefer marrying my nightmare of a childhood friend over this," Stevenmented in dread.
At this point, Iliana was equally curious and irked. She didn''t like the way the four people acted like a group of PTSD veterans, so she parted the crowd, and directly strode into the room nonchntly, much to the four''s utter bewilderment.
"Iliana, stop! There is a¡ª"
"The Kinyer is dead. Basil has said it himself."
Whitney shut his mouth upon receiving Iliana''s cold gaze, before nodding his head in the next moment. He turned to the other three, nodded his head at them, and led the civilians into the room.
While the civilians were happy they could finally breathe freely once again, the four people, who had fought with Caesar in the room, were looking around cautiously.
They could see some stone pirs in the room, and many doors attached to the wall of the room¡ªjust like the way it was. They could also see another gigantic doors on the other side of the room that would lead them to the exit of the Dungeon.
They spent minutes looking around, and only heaved a sigh of relief when they couldn''t sense any presence of Caesar, the Kinyer who had traumatized them. Turning to Iliana, they could see she had already organized the civilians.
"There are only 72 of you now, and I don''t know where the 16 of you have gone to. I have only freed one of you, so I can only say the 16 people decided to free themselves."
The civilians lowered their head upon hearing Iliana''s word as they couldn''t help thinking about what might have happened to the sixteen people. Considering how fast Iliana had ordered them to move, it wasn''t improbable that they were left behind.
Iliana could feel the dissatisfaction the civilians felt towards her, but she didn''t even bat an eysh at that. Turning to Whitney and Cray, she motioned them to close the opened gigantic doors of the room.
"Whitney, Cray, close the doors! We will recuperate ourselves here."
"Yes, ma''am!"
When Whitney and Cray walked towards the door, Iliana turned Thompson and Steven. The two immediately nodded their head when they noticed her gaze, and Iliana motioned them toe over.
"Do you need something from us?"
"Food supply."
"Yes?" Thompson blinked his eyes, and quirked his eyebrow.
Iliana gestured her hands at the civilians. "Let''s distribute some of our food supply evenly to these useless meat. Ah, I want to entrust that job the two of you too; I am sick of them already."
Thompson smiled awkwardly at Iliana''s word as he thought about how contradicting her action and what she was actually feeling was. It was evident that she didn''t like being around the civilians, but she was also determined to save them on the other hand.
It was strange, to say the least.
"Ah, let me help you two. I have recovered most of my energy, so I will share some of my food too!"
"You will?" Thompson turned his surprised gaze to Jocelyn, who had suddenly chimed in. "That will be helpful. Thank you."
"Hehehe. There is no need to thank me. I''m just helping out leader Iliana, after all. I don''t want her to lose all of her food supply just for feeding these useless meat."
"O-Oh, so that''s the case? Hm."
Thompson was genuinely caught off guard by Jocelyn''s reason on why she wanted to help them. He had thought that she had an exceptionally kind heart amongst Mages, but it turns out that she just wanted to lessen the burden of her leader.
Shaking his head to put the thought aside, Thompson gathered their food supply along with Iliana, Steven, and Jocelyn. Iliana immediately left after the food was gathered and went to eat with Whitney and Cray, leaving the three of them to distribute it.
"We, Mages, you know, are good at setting up priority. We know that family is more important than friends, and friends are more important than strangers."
As they distributed the food, Jocelyn, who was close to Thompson, spoke to him. Thompson listened closely to whatever she said, and didn''tment a single thing about it.
"But most importantly, you know, we know that oneself is more important than the other people." Jocelyn stopped in front of a civilian, and stared at Thompson. "We rarely save people, because we know how to appreciate ourselves."
As Jocelyn gave the civilian in front of her his ration, Thompson couldn''t help biting his lower lip. He was instantly reminded of Basil and the puzzling things he had done.
After handing thest civilian her ration, Thompson walked side by side with Jocelyn on their way to join Iliana and the others.
"Say, what do you get from being selfish?"
"We can do much more things when we are alive. Added by the fact that we contribute the most to society, being selfish is a must, no?"
As Thompson was made speechless by Jocelyn''s answer, on the other side of the room, Cray and Whitney widened their eyes in shock at what Iliana had just informed them.
Chapter 228 Moving Forward (9)
Iliana nced towards Jocelyn, Thompson, and Steven who were distributing food to the civilians, before returning her gaze to Whitney and Cray. They were looking at her curiously with a hint of puzzlement in their eyes.
"Why does it have to be between the three of us?" Cray asked.
"If it''s something crucial, isn''t telling everyone the best course of action?" Whitney added.
Iliana quirked her eyebrow as she looked at them like they were mentally handicapped. "It''s because you two are the only people I can trust here." Sensing a responseing, she raised her hand. "I haven''t informed you anything yet, so debate me after that."
Whitney, who was about to say something, closed his mouth, and nodded his head silently. Iliana looked at the two people in front of her seriously, before opening her mouth once again.
"There is a Monster amongst us."
"Yes?"
"Holy cow."
The response she got from the two was, as she expected, shock and disbelief. They even stayed silent for a couple of seconds¡ªlikely thinking about the absurdity of the situation¡ªbefore looking at Iliana questioningly.
"From the way you said it, can I assume that this Monster is impersonating one of us?"
Iliana nodded her head at Whitney. "To be exact, one of the civilians, but you are right¡ªit is in impersonation."
"Is it a High Doppelganger?" Cray asked.
"No, it is not." Iliana shook her head. "Doppelgangers are categorized as a Magic Beast. They may look like a Monster, but they are not Monsters."
Magic Beasts, although some of them looked no different than Demons, were fundamentally different from Demons. It was a fact that everyone hade to ept after years of research that was done by Mages.
Unlike Demons who could mate with any of their kind, Magic Beasts had to mate with Beasts of the same kind. For example, a Unicorn could never produce an offspring with a Gryphon, and vice versa.
Other than that, while Demons had Mana Vein inside their body to use Mana, Magic Beasts relied on their Mana Core. The former utilized chaotic Natural Mana from the environment, and thetter utilized a well processed Mana.
"This Monster¡ªalthough has the same ability as a Doppelganger¡ªits ability is superior than a High Doppelganger''s." Iliana turned her gaze to the side and found that Thompson and Jocelyn with Steven in tow were already done distributing food.
Turning back to Whitney and Cray, she continued, "I can''t detect its presence, not even a trace of Mana. Furthermore, it is so good at imitating human, I can''t find anything abnormal from it."
Iliana actually had a rather special ability in recognizing a Demon; she could not only differentiate their Mana Signature from the other creatures, but also their smell. Therefore, it should''ve been easy for her to find the Monster amongst them.
''However, the scent of Silencer on them is so thick, I can barely differentiate between the smell of human and Monster.'' She wisely kept this thing away from the others as she didn''t want to paint a bad picture of Basil in their mind.
"Let me ask something." Whitney raised his hand. "How could you know, in the very first ce, that there is a Monster between us?"
Iliana frowned lightly, before quirking her eyebrow at Whitney. "It''s unusual of you to be this dull, Whitney. Think about it. How many civilians have we lost and where did we lose them?"
"I know what you want to say¡ªthere is no way they were left behind. However, that doesn''t make a Monster suddenly appear between us."
Iliana sighed in exasperation then shook her head in disappointment. "Though it was dark, I saw it myself. There was something killing the civilians while we were passing through the tunnel."
Whitney widened his eyes, and was about to ask something when Cray chimed in. "Oh, I think I know when that happened. I also heard that weird sound."
He rubbed his head awkwardly, then chuckled faintly. "I thought it was only me. I wasn''t sure since it was too dark at that time."
Normally, although they wouldn''t be able to see it as clear as day, the Mages would have been able to look what was 10 meters ahead of them, if they supplied enough Mana to their Magic Circles.
Since they had tired their Magic Circles out however, they didn''t dare to take a risk and gathered more Mana with their Magic Circles just to look at their surrounding better. Unless they were really in danger, they wouldn''t do that.
"Why didn''t the two of you say anything?"
"What do you expect from notifying you about it?" Iliana scoffed at Whitney. "We wouldn''t be able to fight it in our state either way. It was better to let it eat some people, rather than letting it endanger all of us."
"You didn''t even notice it, did you? It means that it is skilled at fighting in a dark ce." Cray shrugged lightly. "Iliana''s choice wasn''t wrong."
Whitney nodded his head at their exnation, then silently ate his food. He already understood what Iliana''s real reason of doing it¡ªto lessen the amount of victim on the civilian side¡ªand he couldn''t help shaking his head at that.
"Yo! Can we join too?"
"Of course, you can join us, Steve!" Cray''s eyes lit up as he patted the ground beside him. "Come, sit beside me, and share some of your food to me."
"Human rtionship is a give and take. Let''s trade instead of just sharing."
"Haha. That would be better, I guess."
"I knew you were nning about doing something dirty to me." Steven sat himself beside Cray, and clicked his tongue when he saw Cray wasn''t very happy about it. "I won''t let you steal all of my food!"
Thompson chuckled at the two''s exchange, and sat himself beside Whitney, meanwhile Jocelyn sat herself beside Iliana. Whitney offered his food to Thompson, and Thompson did the same¡ªthey ended up trading their food.
"Leader Iliana? I don''t need any of your food. You can have it yourself!" On the other side, Jocelyn was vehemently rejecting the food Iliana offered.
Of course, Iliana had none of it. "You should take care of yourself more, pipsqueak. You are as small as a 3 year old¡ªeat more."
"I am actually a year older than you, Leader." Jocelyn scratched her head awkwardly, before protesting. "Also, I am not that small! I''m as tall as any other 14 year old girl!"
Looking at Jocelyn''s reasoning, Cray couldn''t help shaking his head. "Ah, she''s a helpless idiot. What a lost cause..."
Everyone other than Iliana and Jocelyn, of course,ughed at that, before continuing their meal with some small talk.
The meal finished a few seconds after, but none of them moved from their seat as Iliana had said she had something to announce a few moments earlier.
"We will stay here a little bit longer." Iliana crossed her hand. "I am afraid some of us have already been infected with some kind of a disease from a particr Monster, and I don''t want to travel with infected people."
''Eh, so that''s what she is going with?'' Cray and Whitney couldn''t help cringing at how serious Iliana looked when she lied. ''Only idiots will believe this kind of lie.'' Much to their bewilderment though, the other three people believed it. ''Right... All of them are idiots.''
While they could understand the Knights''ck of knowledge, they didn''t expect Jocelyn to not question anything about it. After all, none of them wouldst a minute if they were indeed infected with a disease from a Demon.
"So, are you suggesting that we should separate the civilians to each of this chamber in the wall?" Thompson asked Iliana.
"Not only the civilians, but also us. Although we are far stronger than them, there is no guarantee that we are not infected."
"Hmm... What will we do after we found the infected?"
Iliana turned to Steven, who had just asked, and simply answered, "Nothing. They would die by themselves, and by that time, we have already secured the uninfected from them."
"From the way you said about your n earlier though, I can''t help but think that you are going to separate the civilians into groups, before putting them in the same room."
Iliana slowly pped her hand, and remarked, "That is a good analysis, Steve. So, what is your point?"
"Isn''t it unfair to the others?" Steven frowned. "What if they are not infected but became infected due to the others? What if the infected are evenly distributed to all the chamber?"
"They can only me their fate." Iliana shrugged nonchntly. Seeing that Steven was about to rebuke her, she put her hand up. "Hold your horses¡ªI am not done yet. There is a special medicine I put in everyone''s food that works as a poison and antidote."
"What do you mean by that?"
"It will worsen the symptoms of the people that are infected, but be an antidote to the people who are not."
Although Steven wasn''t very fond of the fact that Iliana had just basically given the infected a death sentence that way, he didn''t say anything about that. He was aware that they wouldn''t be able to heal the infected either way.
Seeing that the situation had calmed down, Thompson raised his hand, and asked Iliana. "Do you have any specific requirements for how we should group the civilians? I believe we are not just going to group them randomly, right?"
"Yes." Iliana nodded simply. "Look at theirplexion. Group everyone with the sameplexion; the people with the worstplexion are likely infected."
Thompson nodded his head, and all of them stood up to group the civilians not long after. They didn''t exin anything about the infection to the civilians, because they didn''t want to cause a ruckus.
Of course, they had to make a front so the civilians would willingly enter the chambers in the wall. They merely told that they were giving the civilians some time to sleep, so the civilians should use that time as effective as they could.
As they were pretty tired and obviously needed some sleep, the civilians easily bought their excuse. 15 minutes passed, and the civilians were already inside the chambers.
"I am surprised everyone bought the lie," Whitney whispered to Iliana.
Iliana turned to Whitney, and gazed at him silently before speaking after some time. "You will never know what people will believe, Whitney." Turning her gaze to the chambers, she thought to herself. ''Just like how none of you doubts me.''
Iliana knew she wouldn''t be able to lurk the Demon out by merely isting it, therefore she created a situation that would force the Demon out.
''You should know me better, Basil. I am not as naive as you think. I can fool my allies to get my enemy.''
The "medicine" she had fed everyone was a piece of Minotaur Warrior''s heart that stimted Demon''s appetite. Because of her, everyone''s stomach had be an irresistible delicacy to the impersonating Demon amongst them.
Chapter 229 Moving Forward (10)
While Iliana was running her scheme of finding out the Demon amongst the group in Death Howl, Effie, Sylvia, and Alexandra were already a few kilometers away from the secret entrance of the Dungeon.
They had been running for roughly half an hour, which was normally enough time for them to cover tens of kilometers, but they still hadn''t arrived at their destination due to their fatigue.
Added by that, they weren''t only running to their destination, but also escaping from the remaining Middle ss Demons Effie didn''t manage to kill.
Their travel was greatly hampered by the Demons, as they had to constantly send some attack at the Demons to distract them. Their fatigue became worse in each passing minute due to the distressful situation they were facing.
"Darn it! My Magic Circles¡ªI can''t utilize them any longer!" Alexandra gritted her teeth, and grasped Effie''s shoulder tighter. She had been being being carried by Effie for the past few minutes. "I can''t risk losing them, I am sorry."
"No worries. We just have to run faster," Effie replied as bright as she could, but she inwardly felt that it was unfortunate.
"I don''t like ruining people''s mood, but I am super tired already," Sylvia said to Effie as she ran beside her. "I even have many suicidal thoughts in my mind."
"You are weird, masochistic woman."
"Shut up, useless arsonist!"
"Hey, I am way better than your masochistic arse!"
"Quiet, you two!"
The banter between Alexandra and Sylvia didn''tst long this time; Effie had just done something she rarely did, which was intervening their banter. The two were visibly shaken due to how stern Effie had scolded them, but they kept quiet thanks to that.
"I am sorry, I shouldn''t have been that harsh ... It is embarrassing to say this, but I am also close to my limit already."
"N-No, it is all right, Miss. Effie. We should''ve been more considerate instead," Alexandra reasoned. "Yeah, Effie. W-We are the bad ones here," Sylvia supported.
"So be it." Effie shook her head faintly, and gave them a slight smile. Silence descended amongst them in the next moment, but it didn''tst long. ''These two people, really...'' Effie could already hear them whispering to each other.
"That was close, masochistic woman!"
"It was because of you, useless arsonist!"
In the end though, Effie decided to never tell them to keep quiet again no matter how irked she was by their banter. The two were pretty much a lost cause; telling them to behave would be as useless as telling Demons not to eat humans.
Besides, she couldn''t really me them. She had admitted herself that she was close to her limit. In this distressful situation, it might be their coping mechanism. She couldn''t stop them from doing that just because they had a different way to cope with the situation.
"Really though, I wish someone will appear to save us," Effie muttered as she nced to the Middle ss Demons running behind them. "The closest of them is not even 10 meters behind us. It won''t take it long until it reaches us."
Effie gritted her teeth, and focused her attention to the front once again. Since the situation was helplessly life threatening, she needed to stop thinking about it too much, unless she wanted to break her spirit.
"I''m on my limit..."
Crash!
Just when Effie thought things wouldn''t get any worse, Sylvia tumbled on her step. She rolled on the ground for a couple of times, before lying limply on it.
"Sylvia, hang on!" Effie immediately stopped running, and ran to Sylvia''s side. Shaking Sylvia''s shoulder, she eximed, "Hey! Get on my back. I''ll carry you on my back, while I carry Alexandra in my hands."
Sylvia turned her head weakly to Effie, and smiled weakly at her. "You should run with Alexandra. I don''t even have the power to lift my body¡ªit''s useless carrying me with you."
"What are you talking about, Sylvia...?" Effie didn''t know what to do. She hadn''t lost herrades for thest five years, and seeing that she was about to now, her mind couldn''t just ept it. "No, I won''t leave you behind!"
"Don''t act cool, masochistic woman! I know you just want to be vited by those disgusting, gigantic Monsters!"
"What?! I will never stoop that low!''
Seeing that Sylvia still had enough energy to retort Alexandra, Effie immediately scooped Sylvia up with her hands. The moment she did so however, she caught a glimpse of the Hog Orc that was already a meter away in her peripheral vision.
''Shit! We won''t make it¡ªwe''ll die!'' Effie was screaming in her mind, but she had quickly pulled Alexandra from her back, and embraced her tightly along with Sylvia. ''I hope you guys will be fine.''
She gave her back to the Hog Orc, hoping that it would be enough to protect the two girls in her arms. As she waited for the attack toe, she felt like having a deja vu; coincidentally, she also didn''t receive any attack this time.
"Tsk! It wouldn''t have happened if none of you moved impulsively. What''s up with ''gather and discuss?'' Have you guys forgotten about it? You are lucky that I arrived here on time. Just imagine the problem you would cause, if all of you died!"
Upon hearing the familiar voice, Sylvia and Effie couldn''t help blinking their eyes. They needed some time to remember whom the voice belonged to due to their confusion, but they were sure they had heard the voice many times.
"This grumpiness..."
"The unbearable cynicism in the tone."
"This voice is undoubtedly¡ª"
"Norman! Holy cow, we''re sorry we forgot about you!"
Sylvia finished Effie''s words as she looked up to Norman. She, like Effie, couldn''t immediately help the guilt over forgetting about him, and immediately apologized as sincere as she could.
The sharp looking, blond haired man, Norman, only clicked his tongue in annoyance, but he was inwardly d ... And sad. He was d his friends were genuine towards him, but he couldn''t just be happy that his friends had forgotten about him.
"Don''t worry, Norman. It is just further supporting the fact that you are the sneakiest Knight in our party; you have a very thin presence," Effie encouraged.
"There is something wrong in the way you choose your words, and you have to decide whether you want to praise me or mock me."
Norman''s face was sour as a mayonnaise, but both Effie and Sylvia knew he was just trying to hide his sweetness ... At least, that''s what they believed for all the time.
"Anyway, stay back. I will exterminate these guys, and then we''ll regroup with the others after." Only after Norman saying this did everyone notice the mutted body of the Hog Orc on the ground behind him that had been close to kill them.
"Move!" Norman turned his back on them, then immediately dashed towards the closest Demoning their way that was merely 8 meters from the girls. "[Shadowless de]!" He activated his Aura Ability as he covered himself with Qi Shell.
The first Demon he attacked was a 4 meters tall Hobgoblin. It had a simr look to Goblins, but with a way more muscr build and less pointy ears.
Holding a mace made from Reganum wood, it charged excitedly at Norman. Judging from the way it ran however, one could tell it had also exhausted its energy after regenerating its damaged body due to Effie''s attack.
Boom!
The Hobgoblin smashed the ground, but it was apparent that it wasn''t as strong as every Hobgoblin that Norman had faced before. He could easily dodge the mace, allowing it to hit the ground and create a small dent on it.
Norman swung his hand lightly, and in the next moment, many blue intersecting lines appeared on the body of the Demon. As Norman ran past it, its body was cut to pieces¡ªording to the blue lines on its body.
"Another one down¡ªtwo left."
Just as its name suggested, Norman''s Aura Ability allowed him to move any ded weapon in his hands so fast, it didn''t produce a shadow. Although it wasn''t actually the case yet for him, he would eventually reach that level some time in the future.
The remaining two Demons were 3 meters tall Orc Warriors. They were shorter, but it was apparent that they were stronger than the 4 meters tall Hog Orc Norman had just killed.
Norman dashed at the Orc Warriors as fluid as before; one couldn''t sense fear in his step. Arcing his rapier just a meter away from them, he sted the Qi in his sword at them, before disappearing from their view.
"Do you know why we, humans, have always triumphed over you, Monsters?" Norman reappeared behind the Demons, and swung his sword at them with an incredible speed. "It''s because we are not dumb enough to be tricked by such a simple diversion."
Countless of blue, intersecting lines appeared on the Orc Warriors'' body, before their body was cut to pieces. Norman sheathed his rapier the moment the two Demons mutted bodies touched to ground, and he walked towards the girls afterwards.
p! p!
"You are cool, Norman!"
"Don''t make a noise, airhead! You looked like a dying idiot just a moment ago, and now you are acting like a useless drunkard!"
Sylvia pouted her lips, and said, "Can''t you just ept apliment? You''re boring. Boo!"
"Shut up, idiot!" By the time Norman arrived in front of the girls, he quickly scooped Sylvia up, and carried her on his back. "Are you able to move?" He asked as he turned to Effie.
"Yes, I can, but not too fast."
"No problem. Regrouping is our goal, not being the fastest people to arrive there."
Effie nodded her head, put Alexandra on her back again, stood up from the ground, then ran beside Norman, who was matching her pace. Their travel was silent for a few minutes, until she asked something she really wanted to ask, but too embarrassed to ask it.
"So, where did you hide yourself?"
"I didn''t hide. All of you were just too busy to mind your surrounding."
Effie flinched, and didn''t ask anything afterwards. This is the reason why she was reluctant to ask: she was afraid she would further hurt Norman''s feeling.
"You don''t have to me yourself. None of you are wrong; I was also upied with fighting the Monsters that were running towards the north, after all. It''s normal for none of you to not notice me."
Effie nodded her head in understanding, but it didn''t lessen her guilt in the slightest. Of course, she wasn''t someone who would forever drown herself in guilt, so she was quick to move on.
Another 15 minutes or so, the group finally arrived at the ce where they had first battled the Demons to save the civilians. Basil, Deacon, Jake, and Robert were already there, standing facing their way as if weing them.
Basil''s and Norman''s gaze met, and a cold light shed in their eyes as they thought of the same thing.
''He knew something.''
Chapter 230 Moving Forward (11)
Norman squinted his eyes sharply at Basil as Basil looked at him as if he was dissecting Norman with his eyes. The stare contest between the two was so intense, the people in their surrounding couldn''t help getting nervous about it.
Luckily, it didn''tst long, because Norman immediately decided to back down. He had tried to figure Basil out, and he regretted his decision; his heart palpitated like crazy under Basil''s deep and mysterious gaze.
Everyone was immediately relieved at the conclusion as the thick atmosphere turned light once again. Robert immediately walked to Effie''s side, and took Alexandra in his arms as he could see the fatigue in Effie''s eyes.
"Thank you." Robert merely responded Effie''s thanks with a nod and a smile, before scurrying away with Alexandra to treat her. "Don''t cause a scene, Norman," Effie said as she turned to Norman.
Norman didn''t even look at her, but she knew he heard her. She walked towards Jake, sat on the ground beside him before taking out a jug of Clear Water to quench her thirst.
''As I expected, he knows something about what is currently happening.'' Norman gritted his teeth as he walked towards Basil and the others while trying to look as calm as possible. ''No wonder he looks so nonchnt¡ªhe knows about everything.''
Norman, though not as much as Basil, was an abnormally paranoid individual. He never thought everything just happened; he believed everything happened for a reason.
He didn''t believe in fate, because he was someone who believed anything could be nned. He, of course, believed that not everything would always go one''s way, but he also believed that he could control what he would be in the future.
This is the reason why he couldn''t just think everything that had happened was natural. He strongly felt someone had orchestrated the whole string of event: where the Demons ran to, Iliana''s choice to enter the secret entrance, and the way they split themselves.
Upon looking into Basil''s eyes, he could instantly conclude that everything had gone ording to what Basil wanted. He didn''t know what Basil''s purpose of doing it, but he could say for sure there was something big behind it.
''Hmph! I expected too much from him; he is not as sharp as he looked.'' Basil scoffed inwardly as he looked at Norman.
He had purposefully separated Norman from the others due to his sharp look. Norman''s sharp look had made him deem Norman as someone who could potentially hamper his n; he had isted him to prevent this.
He wasn''t afraid that Norman could actually figure out what he was orchestrating, because he could kill Norman when that time came. However, he wasn''t that eager to kill another unrted person who had no sin over him.
Luckily though, Norman wasn''t as bright as he thought. He had thought Norman still could figure out that he had done something underhanded, despite his extra effort, but it turns out Norman had only realized he had something to do with what had happened until now.
Knowing about that much was fine, because he had countless of reasons and a strong alibi to solve the "misunderstanding" between them. Despite so however, he was still annoyed; he had spent his energy on something useless.
"Where are Thompson and the others?" Effie looked at Jake.
Pointing his thumb at the now blocked secret entrance, Jake replied, "They are still inside, it seems. None of us knows when or how they will get out, and as you can see, we can''t also enter the ce."
Effie took a look at the secret entrance and hummed to herself. ''It is blocked by wreckages, so the Monsters must have caused it.'' It was actually Basil''s work, but she could never have any way to figure it out.
"Is there no way for us to enter it?" Her head instinctively turned to Basil.
"No, but we can figure where the tunnel is heading to," Basil lied as smooth as he breathed.
Effie''s eyes lit up as she immediately stood up and faced Basil. "By the way you are saying it, can I assume that you have already known where this tunnel is leading to?"
"Yes." Sensing an interruptioning from Effie, he quickly put up his hand. "Hold your horses. Before pestering me to lead you to the ce where the tunnel leads to, you should look at your state."
"Is it in a dangerous ce?"
"No, but there is no need to be hasty. They have Iliana with them, so they should be alright." Waving his hand in dismissal, Basil continued, "Your worry over your friends only needlessly make them look like ipetent individuals."
Effie was about to protest that wasn''t the case, but she soon realized Basil hadpletely got her. Having experienced debating with Basil more than once in Death Howl, Effie wisely chose to drop the matter, and sat down again.
Basil looked at Effie neutrally, before gazing silently at the others. He hadn''t received any information regarding the two girls from Eugene''s team, but he could already take a breather now; there was no need to worry over them too much.
"I am sure all of us are famished, so let us have a meal. I have enough delicacies for all of us." He didn''t do this because he cared towards them, but as a thanks for being the pawns in his game. "If you don''t mind eating my cooking, that is."
"Aha-ha-ha! Knights never refuse free food!" Jake eximed. "We don''t care even if it is poisoned; our body is strong enough to make the poison useless. Food is life, and refusing food is a sin."
Jake quickly sat himself on the ground right beside Basil, and looked at Basil expectantly. Basil looked at him back, shrugged lightly, then waved his hand after infusing his Mana to his Spatial Bracelet.
In the next moment, countless of delicacies, more than enough to feed the people, appeared on the ground that had been covered with a cloth.
Everyone immediately widened their eyes when the mouthwatering smell enters their nose, and could immediately tell the delicacies we''re good.
"I was nning to make a table for us to eat, but Jake''s gesture made me realize it is also not bad eating the meal the Knight''s way," Basil said as he sat himself beside Jake. "So, don''t hold yourself back."
Everyone immediately sat down surrounding the foods, except for Norman; he was still looking at Basil sceptically, thinking about what Basil was up to. Basil merely tilted his head at that Norman, before smiling softly.
"I am not that cowardly to kill all of you with poison." Basil patted the chibi Deacon, who was beside him, while giving him a steak. "Deacon is already enough to give all of you a hard time. Do you still think I need to poison you?"
Norman merely grunted, epting Basil''s exnation, before sitting himself down. Like the others, he immediately widened his eyes upon tasting the food.
Everyone ate their food silently at first, but immediately talked amongst each other the moment they took a sip of the liquor Basil provided them. Overall, the atmosphere was warm.
''Iliana, can your meal help you out of your predicament?'' Basil smiled in expectation as he thought about how things would unfold inside the Dungeon.
...
In the cell chamber inside Death Howl Dungeon, unlike the civilians, who were grouped based on theirplexion, the Mages and Knights were grouped based on their gender. Iliana was in the same cell with Jocelyn, Cray with Whitney, and Steven with Thompson.
While the Knights weren''t actually aware of what was actually happening, they had realized that there was something behind Iliana''s decision to group everyone. Despite so, they believed Iliana had a good reason to do it, so they questioned nothing about it.
"Leader Iliana, why do we have to use this particr chamber? I mean, it is so high up in the wall," Jocelyn said to Iliana, who was leaning on the wall, while making hand gestures like a child.
"Are you afraid of height?"
"No, but I am curious."
Iliana quirked her eyebrow before gesturing her hand at the room. "Can you smell it¡ªthis fragrant smell?"
"Ah, yes. It smells like hyacinths¡ªlike how Basil smells!"
Iliana''s eyes shed coldly, before looking at Jocelyn weirdly. "I''m surprised that you know it, but that''s the reason. This room reminds me of MY boyfriend."
She knew Basil must have stayed here while he was in the Dungeon, but she didn''t say anything about it to Jocelyn. Anything about Basil''s episode of being trapped in the Dungeon wasn''t something to disclose after all.
"How long are we going to stay in this room, Leader Iliana?
"You are a chatterbox, aren''t you?" Iliana sighed lightly, before walking towards Jocelyn and sat beside her. "We will wait for half an hour, until the medicine takes effect, and kills the infected."
"Okay."
Jocelyn shook her feet left and right, while humming a merry tune, further making her look like a child. Iliana sighed at that Jocelyn, before picking Jocelyn up and sat her on her thighs.
"Leader¡ª"
"Don''t ask."
"Okay."
Jocelyn nodded simply, and went back to humming a merry tune. Iliana caressed Jocelyn''s head like Jocelyn was her child, while trying her best to not make it look like she was treating Jocelyn like a child.
''This child should never have been a Mage¡ªshe won''tst long in this harsh world.'' She didn''t even realize she didn''t see Jocelyn as an adult anymore.
That way, half an hour passed, and the time to get out of the cell came.
Iliana stood up with Jocelyn in her arms, puzzling thetter, walked towards the door before kicking it open. She immediately jumped down from the cell, and smoothened hernding with Wind Magic, just like what Basil had always done.
Putting Jocelyn down, she greeted the other four people, who had alsoe out from their cell.
"How do you feel?"
"Other than bored to death? None," Steven replied with a shrug.
"From how everyone looks, I think it is safe to conclude that none of us is infected," Thompson added.
Iliana nodded simply, looked at them one by one, then gestured towards the cells that were filled with civilians. She had proven that the Demon was really amongst the civilians, and it was time to figure who the Demon was.
"It is the moment of truth."
Everyone nodded at Iliana''s word, before proceeding to open the twelve cells filled with civilians. It was much to everyone''s surprise, and Iliana''s bewilderment that there was one person had their gut opened in each cell.
When asked about it, the civilians said the same thing, "He/she is the culprit," while pointing towards each other.
Chapter 231 Moving Forward (12)
The Mages and Knights looked at each cell they had opened silently. The scene they saw inside was prettymon for them but still not a regr thing they would be able to see everyday.
Of course, for the civilians, the story was hugely different. Taking a glimpse of someone''s opened abdomen and their viscera littering the ground was enough to scar their psyche, let alone spending a couple of minutes staring at the gruesome scene.
The Knights and Mages could see the haunted look on their face, and Iliana understood well what had made them look so haunted¡ªthe impersonating Demon.
"Let''s get them out first. We will check what has happened afterwards," Iliana instructed.
The others nodded wordlessly, and immediately took the civilians out from the twelve cells. The civilians were kept in their group aftering out, and the cells were immediately closed to prevent the pungent smell of blood from wafting out of the cells.
The civilians sat on the ground, looking at everyone around them in horror with a pale face. They looked like someone who was intoxicated with drugs and thought that the world was their enemy.
Iliana walked towards the palest looking person, who had been in the first cell, and knelt on the ground when she was right in front of him. Grabbing the civilian''s head to make him look at her, Iliana stared at him questioningly.
"Tell me what happened."
The civilian was unresponsive at first, but the moment he registered what Iliana had just said, his eyes quickly widened as his pupils shrunk, indicating how terrified he was with the memory he was recalling.
"T-There was a ck¡ªshadow¡ªno... It was a ghost¡ªa Demon! It was amongst us. It was pretending to be us!" The way the civilian talked was pretty simr to a child who was exining his wrongdoing¡ªrandomly unclear.
Since Iliana knew, though not urately, what had happened however, she wasn''t mad at the civilian. "Calm down. I believe what you said, so tell me who the person you doubt as the Monster is?"
"He is the Demon. He is now just pretending to be human, so he can keep preying on us!" The man pointed his trembling hand at the person sitting beside him while staring at said person in horror.
Iliana turned her eyes to the used person, but said person was as absent-minded as the middle-aged man who had used him had been. The frail looking elderly man was staring nkly at the ceiling as if not believing what had happened to him.
"You are used of being a Demon by your roommate. Do you have anything to say to defend yourself?"
"Me? A Demon?" The frail looking elderly male slowly turned his head at Iliana. "He must have mistaken me with the person beside me. I saw him¡ªhe turned into a Demon the moment the door was closed!"
Iliana sighed in exasperation and tried her best to not roll her eyes at how annoying the situation had be, before looking at the person whom the frail looking elderly man had pointed his hand to.
The person was a gloomy young woman, whose entire existence screamed ''I am suspicious,'' and Iliana wouldn''t even mind saying the young woman was the Demon just by her look alone.
"This old fart here told me that you are a Demon. Can you convince me the otherwise?"
"I will not defend myself. I know that I am not, and I prefer dying as a human rather than living amongst Demons." The young woman''s gaze turned fierce as she looked at Iliana. "What about you? Can you prove that you are a human?"
Iliana clicked her tongue and immediately moved to thest surviving civilian of the first cell. Unlike the others, who were preupied with their thought, the woman was hugging her knees while silently crying.
"Are you a Demon?" At this point, Iliana was sceptical enough about whether the woman could provide her an answer. "If so, tell me how you ate the poor man in your cell."
"I am not the one," the woman whispered inaudibly.
Iliana heard it, but she decided to be petty due to her annoyance. "Talk louder¡ªI can''t hear you."
"I am not the Monster!" The woman eximed as she looked into Iliana''s eyes pleadingly. "It was that man! That man threatened to kill us if we made a sound while he was eating the man beside him."
The girl pointed her hand to the first person Iliana had questioned, and it left Iliana irritated. Iliana immediately stood up from the ground, swept her hair to the back in frustration, and called the others to gather.
While waiting for the others toe, she mused to herself. Everyone in the first cell that she had asked were all pointing to a different person, as if they were seeing something different.
''Is it because of the Minotaur Warrior''s heart?'' She started to think that maybe feeding them the heart gave them some kind of an illusion, which caused the different statements. ''Tsk. They are basically iming that all of them are Monsters.''
When the others gathered around her, Iliana looked at them silently. Those who already knew looked at Iliana in bafflement, meanwhile those who didn''t know yet but had somehow already got the gist of it were looking at Iliana questioningly.
"What are their responses?"
"They are iming the person beside them is a Demon."
There was no need for the others to stay anything else, as Thompson''s word had basically described everything about what they had heard. Iliana made a contemting look, but Thompson''s raised hand stopped her from musing to herself.
"Yes?"
"From the way they describe what they have seen, can I assume that this Demon they are talking about is a Monster?"
"That is right."
"I¡ªI see." Thompson slightly recoiled in surprise as he had expected Iliana to deny it. "Kuhum! Why didn''t you tell us earlier about it? If that had been the case, we might have been able to prevent all of this from happening."
Iliana quirked her eyebrow and scoffed. "Why are you so sure about that? Do you think you can find out who the Monster is now?" Thompson tried to speak, but no words came out. "That is right¡ªyou can''t. The result is the same, Thompson."
"But, at least¡ª"
"I don''t trust any of you; there was a possibility that one of you was the Monster. I didn''t tell all of you on purpose, so I can make sure that all of you are humans."
"So that is the case..."
Thompson understood Iliana''s reason, and merely nodded his head in eptance. He was actually a little bit disappointed by Iliana''s decision as he had thought all of them were friends, but he didn''t want to dwell on it too much.
Cray and Whitney were doing a good job making their face as straight as possible to hide the fact that they were the only people whom Iliana had told the information to.
Although it left a slightly bitter taste in their mouth, none of them felt guilty towards the people who hadn''t been told about it. No matter how friendly they were towards them, they were still a Mage after all¡ªthey acted logically not emotionally.
"Do any of you have an inkling of who the Monster is?"
"From what I observe, it is highly possible that there is a at least a Monster in each group, otherwise, there should be only one chamber had a victim."
"The Monster is only one¡ªI am sure of it," Iliana immediately rejected Steven''s guess. "It is its way to trick us. Killing only one person in a room should be the stupidest thing it did, if it didn''t want to be caught."
"It wants us to doubt everyone?" Whitney asked.
"It wants us to eliminate everyone else until it reveals itself."
Iliana wasn''t really sure about what she said, but she believed that everything was orchestrated by Basil.
She believed that Basil was testing her ability to make decisions, and the price of making a wrong decision was the civilians'' lives. Thus, misleading them was the thing the Demon did.
"Actually, I need something to confirm." Iliana directed her eyes to the only little girl in the group of civilians, who was in her grandfather''s arm. "She will give us a huge hint."
Iliana walked towards the little girl, and bent her body to pat her head the moment she arrived in front of her. The little girl looked up at Iliana nkly, before smiling emptily.
"Mind if I ask you some question?"
"What do you want to ask me, beautifuldy?"
The little girl responded Iliana clearly, but she could tell that the girl was heavily shocked at what she had seen, contrary to her grandfather, who was as calm as ever. Instead of being impressed however, Iliana felt the elderly man was suspicious.
"What did you see in the chamber earlier?"
"What I saw?" The girl''s empty eyes were immediately filled with horror the moment she recalled what she saw. "There was this big shadowing out of nowhere attacking us! Grandpa protected me, but that shadow bit the¡ª"
Iliana immediately prevented the girl from saying anything more as she couldn''t bear the terrified look on the girl''s face. ''Your grandpa protected you, huh?'' Iliana silently gazed at the elderly man embracing the little girl.
Her suspicion towards the elderly man became even stronger, but her purpose of asking the girl the question wasn''t to figure out who was the Demon.
She merely wanted to figure out whether the Minotaur Warrior''s heart had caused the people to hallucinate, and the answer she got was, no.
There was only one individual whose ration she didn''t mix with Minotaur Warrior''s Heart, and that was the little girl''s. Since the little girl had apparently said the same thing as the others, who had eaten the heart, it was proven that it didn''t make people hallucinate.
The reason why she didn''t give the girl the heart actually wasn''t for this kind of situation however. She wanted to save the little girl in the very first ce, and making her stomach be a delicacy for the impersonating Demon was not the way.
With that being said, the reason why the civilians saw a different thing was due to the Demon itself.
"Let''s split these guys into 10 groups," Iliana said upon regrouping with Whitney and the others. "This time, group them based on your prejudice."
"Is it really necessary?"
"We don''t have any other way, Thompson. I will hear you if you have any better suggestion."
"How about we also join one of the chambers?" Steven suggested.
Iliana merely waved her hand as if saying, ''Do what you do,'' as a response. The civilians were quickly grouped up right after, and the Mages and Knights also entered six different cells, joining the civilians.
Thirty minutes passed, and only then they could figure out who the Demon was. One cell was left empty, and the only alive person there was Cray.
Chapter 232 Moving Forward (13)
Mages and Knights alike looked at the cell with Cray in it silently. Possibilities of what had happened inside ran through their head as they grew suspicious towards Cray.
They didn''t only consider the possibility of Cray being the Demon himself however, they also considered the possibility that Cray had killed the impersonating Demon after it had killed the civilians inside.
Luckily however, Whitney could attest that Cray was not a Demon as he had been in the same cell with Cray before. Iliana had also said herself, the Demon was only one.
Furthermore, Cray was just as confused and bewildered as the others, so it even proved his innocence. Of course, since they had been done twice by the Demon, they couldn''t just immediately believe it.
"Should I cut him?" Steven asked tensely.
"Hold on, Steve." Thompson put his hand in front of Steven. "He is innocent."
"Monsters can act. We shouldn''t¡ª"
"He''s human¡ªI can guarantee."
Thompson and Steven immediately turned their head to Iliana at her interruption. Iliana merely nced at them before walking towards Cray, who was still looking around in confusion.
"Do you remember what happened?"
"I wish I could." Cray turned his head to Iliana then, chuckled emptily. "I saw nothing but a brief darkness, before finding the door was opened."
"You were Bewitched?"
"Simr, but it didn''t work like the Bewitchment I know..."
Cray was unusually quiet as he caressed his chin in contemtion. ''If the Demon had intended to kill me, I would''ve been dead.'' He shivered slightly as he looked at the bodies littering the ground around him.
Iliana turned to the others, and motioned them toe. Unlike the Mages who immediately came however, the Knights hesitated slightly as they looked sceptically at Cray.
They immediately came over upon receiving everyone''s gaze though.
"I wasn''t sure about it at first, but now I am absolute about it," Iliana spoke as she silently gazed at people. "The Monster has the ability to put an illusion on people."
She had expected something like this since the very beginning, but she wasn''t very sure about it because she had no definite evidence other than her intuition.
As she had fed the civilians and her colleagues something that she didn''t know well, she had attributed what they had seen as the aftereffect of eating the heart.
She only started to consider her intuition to be the truth after she had asked what the little girl had seen.
The little girl was the only person other than her, who didn''t eat the Minotaur Warrior''s heart, but like the others, she also saw the same thing. This proved that the Minotaur Warrior''s heart had nothing to do with what everyone had seen.
Now that Cray had be a victim too, she was absolute the Monster had the ability to create an illusion.
"Let me ask you something." Whitney raised his hand. "Are you saying that the Monster had been getting out of the chamber it was put into, and visited the other chambers for all this time?"
"I am surprised you have only figured it out now."
"It''s not that. I, like the others, also believed that the Monster was more than one." Whitney shook his head faintly. "That doesn''t matter anymore¡ªI am convinced it is only one now. So, how could it get in and out of the chamber without our notice?"
"Are you asking why it could do its deed without making any sound?" Whitney nodded his head along with the others, and Iliana continued with a scoff. "Maybe, it''s a part of its ability. What are you expecting?"
Whitney opened his mouth, and immediately frowned as nothing came out of his mouth. He sighed in the next moment, before directing his gaze to the appalled civilians in the cells.
"What are we going to do next?" Whitney asked as he gestured his chin towards the civilians.
Iliana tossed her hair gracefully. "We will exclude six groups¡ªthe groups that were with us¡ªand put the rest into the chamber once again. Maybe we''ll be able to find the rat this time."
"Since it has the capability to fool all of us, shouldn''t it have enough intelligence to not do anything when we do that?" Thompson pointed out.
"Don''t worry, Thompson. No matter how smart it is, it won''t be able to defy its nature."
Iliana was referring to the Demon''s lust for the alluring smell of the Minotaur Warrior''s heart in everyone''s stomach, but, of course, Thompson couldn''t know that. He, like Jocelyn and Steven, merely thought that Iliana was referring to the Demon''s lust for blood.
Although Iliana had said that she had fed them some medicine to figure out who had been infected, Thompson and the others believed that it was merely Iliana''s excuse to put the civilians inside the cells so she could find the impersonating Demon.
They had no idea that they were really fed something that amplified the Demon''s desire to eat them, and not even Whitney and Cray knew of it. In other words, Iliana still had everyone ying her game.
Slightly more than two minutes passed, and the remaining three groups of civilians had entered three different cells. The rest of the civilians were with the Mages and Knights outside of the cell, watching the people inside from afar.
"Alright, close the door." Iliana motioned her hand at Cray, Whitney, and Thompson.
"Beautifuldy, why is grandpa there?"
Iliana looked down at the little girl in her arms, and smiled softly. "Your grandpa seems to be sick, so we need to cure him."
"But... Won''t the Demone out?"
"There is no such thing as a Demon, silly." Iliana rubbed the girl''s head. "Your grandpa should be fine¡ªno, I am sure he will be fine."
"Okay."
Iliana moved her gaze to the closed cells, and stared at them silently. She held a strong suspicion towards the little girl''s grandfather, and whatever she had said towards the girl wasn''t meant tofort her, but a direct way to express her suspicion.
''After all, if this girl''s grandfather was the Demon, he would be the only person who was left uninjured.'' With this thought in mind, Iliana and the others waited for 10 minutes.
The moment the door of the cells was opened, everyone peeked inside in anticipation. They didn''t see anyone had gotten out of the cell, so there should be one cell that contained five dead bodies and one Demon.
"This is...?"
"Now things gotplicated."
"Hmm... As expected..."
The cell was fully opened and everyone could see the inside perfectly. It was much to the Mages and Knights'' disappointment that they found no one was killed¡ªeveryone inside the cell was alive.
"There is no way the Monster could hold its urge to eat them." Iliana frowned as she thought of an exnation about what had possibly happened. "Is the Monster really more than one?"
As she started to doubt herself, Iliana decided to doubt everyone once again. With how things were developing, there was a high chance that there wasn''t only one Demon, but many of them, and she needed to make sure of it.
Putting another three groups of civilians along with Cray, Whitney, Thompson in each three different cells, they waited for another 10 minutes. When the door was opened, the same result came out¡ªno one died.
"Alright, it is our turn."
"Are we going to enter the room again, beautifuldy?"
"Yes."
Iliana smiled at the little girl in her hand, and brought her to one of thest three groups of civilians before entering the cell together. Under everyone''s supervision, the door was closed.
Silence instantly engulfed the cell Iliana was in as the inside got visibly darker than before. She could see everything around her clearly, of course, but it wasn''t the case for the civilians; they were hugging their knees on the ground anxiously.
"Everyone is afraid. I wonder whether giving people their nightmare is one of every Mage''s hobbies."
"Do you hate Mages?" Iliana asked as she turned her head to the person beside her. "Are you feeling unwell being in the same room with me?"
"No, esteemed Mage. I have no hate towards Mages, especially the ones like you." The person beside Iliana shook his head. "The way you hold my granddaughter is enough proof of how caring of a person you are."
"Caring, huh? Interesting." Iliana scoffed at the grandfather of little girl in her hand. "I am just sane, unlike most of my fellows."
The little girl''s grandfather merely smiled at Iliana''s passive aggressive response, and stopped speaking right after.
Iliana also didn''t initiate any more talk as she wanted to watch him lose his control. Despite having put the elderly man to "trial," she still doubted he was the impersonating Demon.
Minutes passed, but nothing happened. Iliana was already irked at that point as she considered about killing all of the adults inside the cell, but something stopped her from doing so.
Her vision darkened, and only then she realized the Demon had gotten her. She immediately activated her Magic Circles, and burst the Mana inside one of them out.
Boom!
As her Mana overwhelmed the cell, she was awaken from her dazed state. Her eyes immediately turned cold as she saw the bodies and the viscera littering the ground, while the little girl''s grandfather was prying the little girl off her thigh in front of her.
"What are you doing?"
"Huh?! N-No! It is not as what you¡ª"
Bam!
Iliana kicked the little girl''s grandfather squarely in the chest even before he managed to finish his sentence, sending the elderly man outside of the cell. She picked the trembling little girl up, and went outside the cell in the next moment.
"What happened?!"
"Iliana, are you okay?!"
"Hold this girl for me."
Whitney and Cray had immediately run towards her the moment they saw her got out of the cell, but she merely gave the little girl to them before walking towards the elderly man who was lying limply on the ground.
"Was it fun ying with us?" Iliana put her foot on the elderly man''s chest. "You thought you would be able to get me back then, didn''t you?"
"N-No. There is a mis¡ªAAAHHHH!"
"There is no need to make an excuse. What you were about to¡ª"
"Hear me out... Please." Iliana immediately recoiled in surprise as she looked at the genuine pleading gaze of the man, then lessened the pressure she put on the man''s chest. "S-She is my granddaughter no more... S-She is-"
Swish.
One swing¡ªIliana cut the man''s head off with one swing of her sword. She had thought he would say something to defend himself, but he used someone else instead¡ªhis supposed to be granddaughter no less.
Iliana was disgusted by the Demon''s pathetic attempt ... At least, that''s what''s she thought, until she noticed the elderly man remained human even after he was dead.
"AAHHHHH!"
Not only that, but a chaos also unfolded in the back.
Chapter 233 Moving Forward (End)
"AAAHHHHH!"
As soon as Iliana heard the panicked scream of the civilians, she whipped her head around, and immediately widened her eyes in bewilderment the moment she witnessed the unfolding scene.
The impersonating Demon amongst them had showed itself in the middle of the crowd. It had only a mouth on its face, a fully ck skin, equally long, slender arms and feet, and a height of 3 meters.
Like Iliana, the Mages and Knights who were amongst the civilians, were dumbfounded by the development as they looked at the Demon in disbelief. The Demon, in turn, looked at them with a wide grin, exposing two rows of sharp and pointy teeth.
The civilians were already scattering around in utter terror, trying to get away from the abomination that had suddenly appeared. Unfortunately for them however, the Demon didn''t have any intention to easily let them go.
"Make a distance!"
As the Knights charged at the Demon which kind they didn''t know of, instead of running away, the Demon made time to swing around its slender hand towards the running civilians.
Whoosh!
One might think that such a hand wouldn''t be able to exert much strength, but the Demon''s was proven to be different as it easily bisected three civilians in one swing. If one carefully looked at its fingers, one would notice there were five knife like nails on them.
Since the distance between the Demon and the Knights weren''t that far, the Knights arrived right in front of it just a second after it had bisected the three unfortunate civilians. Right before it was attacked however, it disappeared from its spot.
"What?! Where is it?!"
"Darn it! It''s an agility type Monster!"
Pretty much everyone had thought that its hand was the only thing the Demon could move agilely due to its form, but on top of that, it could also move at a speed that could match the speed of two Green Core Knights.
At least, that''s what Steven and Thompson thought the only thing it could do.
"Behind you! Watch for its illusion!"
At Iliana''s urgent shout, the two Knights immediately turned around, and swung their sword at each other much to their dismay.
nk!
They only noticed the Demon had already gotten away from their peripheral vision a few seconds after.
"What has just happened?"
"I¡ªI don''t understand."
Unlike the onlookers, who had seen the two had been targeting each other''s throat since the beginning, the two was sure they had swung their sword at the Demon before realizing they were attacking each other after their sword shed.
Gulping drily to themselves, they finally realized why none of the Mages had directly attacked the Demon the moment it revealed itself: the Mages knew something like that would happen.
The Knights were slightly irritated that they had been tricked by a Demon, but they were still grateful none of them were injured.
"Thompson, Steven, help Iliana distract the Monster while we are securing the civilians!"
"Leave it to us!"
Upon regrouping with the rest of the Mages, Steven and Thompson immediately charged towards the Demon once again. They had their guard high against it this time.
The illusion the Demon created was strong enough to fool them, Green Core Knights, and it was more than enough to put the entire civilians into frenzy. In result, the civilians were running around the perimeter of the battlefield, thinking they were running towards safety.
Iliana was fully showcasing her skill on wielding her spear, avoiding the frenzied civilians while constantly shooing the Demon away.
She couldn''tnd a hit on the Demon, because the moment she tried to do so, it was reced with a clueless civilian, who was thinking they were running towards safety. She was absolutely irked whenever it happened, but luckily she had an admirable self-control.
"Let us help!"
"Don''t stare at its eye!"
"Understood!"
Thompson and Steven immediately joined the fray upon reaching Iliana''s side, shooing the Demon away with their casual attack. They didn''t even activate their Aura as they were afraid they would mistakenly attack a civilian under the Demon''s illusion.
On the other side of the battlefield, Cray was smacking the soul out of every civilian hended his eyes on; they kept running away from him when they were awake. It was the best course of action to secure all of the remaining 50 civilians.
"This is ludicrous! Who would''ve thought that a frigging little girl was the Monster?!" Cray knocked another civilian as he expressed his annoyance. "This is infuriating!"
He wasn''t mad at the fact that the Demon had dare to pretend to be a little girl. He was mad because he was the only person who was chasing around the frenzied civilians.
In the current state, the Spellcasters would never be able to join the fray, unless they wanted to endanger every frenzied civilian''s life. They could immediately shoot their Spells towards the Demon and kill it, but the civilians would be dead by then.
They honestly didn''t care about the civilians'' safety as much as they cared about themselves, but they had done so many things for the civilians¡ªthey couldn''t just let the civilians die. They didn''t want to let their effort end up being in vain.
"Do your best, Cray!"
"I don''t need encouragement, but thanks, Jocelyn!"
Jocelyn pumped her fist in the air while watching Cray intently as if her gaze could somehow help him finish his task faster.
Extending his hand forward, Whitney materialized his Grimoire before casting some Low Grade Earth Element Spells to change the structure of the ground. Some of the frenzied civilians tripped themselves over because of that, allowing Cray to "capture" them.
"Thanks for the assistance!"
Although some of the civilians had their nose broken or their lips split open due to their fall, it was better than letting them die. Unfortunately however, Cray still couldn''t save as many civilians as the Demon killed in a single minute in spite of that.
''Darn it!'' Iliana was cursing herself in her mind. ''I should have expected it! The girl is the only one I didn''t feed the heart¡ªI should''ve suspected her to be the one! That old man''s gaze too ... He already knew that his granddaughter was the rat.''
Iliana gritted her teeth in anger the more she thought about her miscalction. Her decision to not feed the little girl the Minotaur Warrior''s heart backfired on her, wasting everyone''s time and effort.
''If I had fed the little girl the heart, it would have shown its true self earlier. Just why? Why did I make such a decision?''
She thought hard about her decision as she kept swinging and thrusting her spear towards the Demon. She was so focused on her thought, she didn''t even realize she was overwhelming the Demon with her attack.
''Now that I think about it, the clue has been clear since the beginning. The way the girl recounted what she saw, the way she looked at the others, and the fact that no one died when she was with me¡ªeverything should''ve normally made me doubt her...''
The moment she realized how many things she had missed, she immediately realized that she didn''t actually miss them; she had been purposely ignoring them. She was always aware of them, but always discarded them due to the person in question.
Someone''s face immediately appeared in her mind, and she couldn''t help clicking her tongue bitterly. ''So that''s what he has been telling me with his gaze ... Naive, huh? I guess I am; things wouldn''t have developed this way if I didn''t rely on my emotion.''
Iliana abruptly stopped charging at the Demon, spun on her heel, and raise her spear to block the iing attack.
nk!
Thompson and Steven had been caught in the Demon''s illusion, and they attacked Iliana because of that. Luckily however, she could block their sword skillfully.
"Iliana?! Sorry!"
"Holy crap, that was close!"
"Just don''t look at its eye."
Instead of dilly-dallying, Iliana moved past them and chased after the Demon that was dashing towards some of the remaining civilians who were still running around in frenzy.
She closed her eyes in the process, before shing the back of the Demon the moment she was right behind it.
Swish!
Screech!
Although it wasn''t injured fatally, Iliana managed to cut open the back of the Demon with her spear. It stopped dashing towards the civilians in result, before taking some distance away from Iliana and the others.
Facing its head towards Iliana, it was apparent from its body gesture that it was extremely shocked by what Iliana had done to it. Its fingers twitched incessantly as if showing its dilemma about whether it should attack her.
Steven and Thompson arrived at Iliana''s side in the next moment, then observed the Demon along with her. It was their first time of seeing it stayed in one ce, and Thompson finally realized something because of that.
"Iliana... You have been telling us to not see its eye, haven''t you?" Iliana didn''t answer, but Thompson was sure she heard him. "If my eyes don''t fail me, it doesn''t have any eye."
Steven immediately widened his eyes as he muttered in realization. "Now that I think about it..."
"Impostors," Iliana softly said while keeping her eyes on the Demon. "They are the weakest Upper Middle Grade Monsters that specialize in possession and illusion. Their illusion is strong enough to trick a Sixth Circle Mage."
"I think I have ever heard of it before. But to think I would be able to see it..." Thompson muttered.
"It is unnoticeable at first, but once you see the eye, you can never unsee it." Iliana pointed to the center of the Demon''s chest. "You will notice the twitching eyelids as long as you look at it long enough."
Thompson and Steve didn''t need to look at it for long as they immediately saw the eye of the Demon just two seconds after. The eye was pitch ck, and they were immediately engulfed in darkness the moment they looked into it.
"Stop looking at it, imbeciles."
Iliana smacked the back of the two Knights to wake them up. When they were awaken from their daze, Iliana slowly walked towards the Demon.
"Just stay where you are."
Thompson and Steven were still confused at what had just happened to them, but nodded their head at her nheless.
Just before Iliana arrived in front of it, the Demon transformed itself back into the little girl.
"Beautifuldy...? Help me¡ªI am confused! There is something wrong inside¡ª"
"I know." Iliana patted the little girl''s head, interrupting her. "There is only one way for you to heal."
"That is...?"
The Knights and Mages watched the scene with palpitating hearts as they anticipated Iliana''s response to the little girl. They were all aware that the girl was merely possessed, which means she was still a human.
''It is hard to make a decision when one is caught in a dilemma. Every choice has a consequence, and it is one''s job to think of the way to face the consequence. I was afraid of the consequences, and therefore I was naive...''
As the little girl''s eyes grew darker, Iliana cut her head off in one fluid motion. Her widened eyes representing the Demon''s shock, and the smile on her face showed how relieved she was.
Thud!
The girl''s head touched the ground at the same time as the body fell to the ground, and along with that, Iliana finally realized her shorings.
At that moment, she could finally move forward.
Chapter 234 Earlier
Iliana stared at the lifeless body of the little girl whose head she had just cut off in silence. She didn''t understand very well what she was currently feeling, but she was sure regret must be the strongest of them.
One of her shorings as a Mage was the fact that she couldn''t kill just anyone. Just like what had happened, she had disregarded the possibility of the girl being possessed because she didn''t want to kill her.
She had also realized that she was not a deep thinker, but an indecisive Mage. She had thought many ways to solve the situation, but she ended up using the "safest" way because she had been focusing on rescuing the civilians, not solving the situation.
She was torn between her pride and her desire. On the one hand, she wanted to prove Basil was wrong¡ªthat she could save everyone¡ªbut on the other hand, she just wanted to save the little girl.
She couldn''t choose well between the former and thetter, resulting in her losing both. The girl she wanted to save was now dead, and the tens of civilians she wanted to take out safely now only remained a few people.
She had failed splendidly.
"Iliana..." Whitney put his hand on Iliana''s shoulder. "It was not your fault."
"I know, Whitney. I am not having a self-deprecating thought, but I am still disappointed in myself nheless." Iliana turned around, and looked into Whitney''s eyes deeply. "What do you see in me? Do you see a Mage?"
"I see someone great, who I admire the most."
"I see..." Iliana took Whitney''s hand off her shoulder. "Not the answer I wanted, but thanks for your confidence in me."
"Iliana..." Whitney clenched his fist helplessly, but nodded his head in the end. "We managed to save 30 people¡ªjust know that you still have managed to save lives."
Iliana turned her gaze back to the lifeless body of the little girl on the ground, meanwhile Whitney head back to the others. He knew Iliana was fine, but he was sure Iliana would forever consider this as her mistake.
He didn''t even know that he had also been tricked by Iliana, but he knew Iliana must''ve done many things to prevent this from happening to be that disappointed in herself. He couldn''t me her; he would act the same if his effort ended up being in vain.
Rumble.
Not even a second after Whitney regrouped with the others, the ground faintly shook as a sound of a stone rubbing against another stone was reverberated through the whole cell chamber. Everyone immediately looked up thinking that the ceiling was falling off.
It turned out to be their needless worry, since they didn''t see any sign of the ceiling falling off. As soon as they looked at their surrounding however, they noticed another door had just appeared in the room.
The door was immediately opened the moment they turned their eyes to it, revealing the dimly lit passage behind it. Even without checking it, they knew it would lead them outside, because they were sure Basil was the one who had done it.
"Let''s go."
"O-Oh, yeah."
Whitney was about to call Iliana when she suddenly appeared in front of him. She had no visible expression on her face, but she was exuding an extremely cold aura¡ªcolder than the one she usually exuded when she was pissed.
Whitney was not the only person who was intimidated by her aura; Cray, Steven, and Thompson also gulped drily at her. Even Jocelyn, who could still act bubbly in any kind of situation, was trembling at that moment.
Uncaring to everyone''s gaze, Iliana walked towards the passage by herself.
Thompson was the first one to regain hisposure, and he immediately cleared his throat to gather the civilians'' attention.
"Kuhum! Everyone, let''s move! We are going to get out."
The civilians were still too shocked by the predicament that they had gotten out of to properly react, but they still followed the lead of the Mages and Knights quite well. No matter how shocked they were, they still wanted to leave the ce after all.
Being ahead of everyone, Iliana was walking by herself in the front. No one dare to approach her, as they understood that she needed some time alone.
''I got your point, but you are doing it wrong, Basil.'' She looked ahead as if she could already see Basil from afar. ''It seems you don''t understand yourself well either.'' She clenched her fist tight as her eyes gleamed iprehensibly.
...
Basil and the others had just finished their meal half an hour ago, and they were now walking towards the ce where Iliana and the others would show up¡ªanother secret entrance.
Basil was leading them while pretending he was analyzing the structure of the underground tunnel, while in truth he was just leading them astray to stall them.
He could see every happening inside the Dungeon through [Visualization] that the Guide provided him, and he could hear everything the people inside said due to the Runes Carved on the Sealing Sword in his hand.
To simply exin it, he had been watching the entire event as if he was there all along. From the way the people inside the Dungeon acted, he could say for sure that not even Iliana knew he had been watching.
''Naivety equals to a weak poison: it doesn''t kill us immediately, but gives us the most painful death. You have it in you, Iliana, and I have removed it for you ... I am sure you will thank me for it one day, just like how I thanked you in the past.''
Basil had actually no intention of making Iliana aware of her shorings this way. He had merely baited her to go inside the Dungeon with the civilians, so he could kill Eugene without her intervention.
He was sure Iliana would''ve stopped him with all she got if he didn''t "throw" her inside the Dungeon. This Iliana wasn''t mature yet, so she wasn''t daring enough to y with risks and she still had little faith in him, unlike the Iliana he knew in his past life.
Basil had merely intended to change the structure of the Dungeon while Iliana was inside, so he could stall her until he killed Eugene. The moment he saw Iliana''s look when she volunteered to go with the civilians however, he immediately decided to root out the problem.
Her eyes belonged to an idealistic, stubborn person, who would rather die than admitting their defeat.
He had been like that too, and the Iliana he knew had also confessed she had been like that in her early days as a Mage. Her naivety had made her lose her invaluable friends, and live years of her life in guilt.
Basil was made aware of his condition¡ªthat he was already emotionally dead¡ªafter he had killed Eugene. He couldn''t sympathize with people other than those who were dear to him.
Naturally, he didn''t care about Iliana''s friends at all, however he couldn''t see Iliana got sad because of their death. This is the reason why he made Iliana aware of her shorings using the civilians instead of her friends.
''Do I care towards anyone though? What drives me treat all of them kindly? Sincerepassion or the need to pay the favor back?'' The more he mused to himself, the more he couldn''t understand himself. ''Human¡ªwhat aplicated creature...''
Hetely couldn''t help doubting his identity as a human. The fact that he Cultivated Mana Heart, Carved Ultimate Circles, and was connected to the Fragment inside him made him aware of the apparent difference between him and the other humans.
He had ever acted like he wasn''t himself¡ªbeing unusuallypassionate towards people¡ªprior to advancing to the Middle Realm. Things weren''t very different now, but whenever he acted ''out of character,'' he always felt that he was the closest to his true self.
Needless to say, he also considered all of the things happening to his personality were rted to the Fragment and the Guide in him.
''Well, no matter what it actually is, I am fine the way I am now.'' Basil stopped in his track, and stared silently at the cave in front of him. ''I can''t still fit in well in this day and age, but it is just a matter of time¡ªI am sure of it.''
The others also stopped seeing that Basil had stopped, then looked at the entrance of the cave in anticipation. They could faintly hear footstepsing their way, and they dearly wished the footsteps belonged to their friends.
"She is here..." Basil lightly smirked before stabbing the Sealing Sword into the ground. "I can feel the anger. Ah, how nostalgic¡ªI was like her too when she made me kill my betrayer of a party mates."
No one could hear what Basil was saying, partly because he was muttering to himself, and partly because they were too focused on the cave. They heaved a sigh of relief a few minutes after, as their friends came out of the cave safely along with the civilians.
They fist bumped, hugged each other, and expressed how d they were that their friends could get out of the predicament safely ... Except for Iliana and Basil. They were staring at each other silently, making the others nervous.
Tap. Tap.
The more Iliana inched closer, the more nervous everyone became. Although she had a neutral expression on her face, they all knew from the aura she was exuding that she wasn''t happy.
Basil was just standing her with his eyebrow quirked as if taunting her, and they were all worried about his safety. The moment Iliana stopped right in front of Basil, everyone didn''t dare to breathe.
"I don''t like your method."
"I know."
"Are you even human?"
"I am a person, but I am not quite sure about it."
"Do you have a heart?"
"It is full of Mana."
Iliana stared at Basil silently again, before abruptly materializing her four Magic Circles and channeled the Mana to her fist. Everyone turned aghast upon witnessing the scene as they fully believed the punch would take Basil''s head off.
''What are you doing? Dodge!'' They became even more bewildered upon noticing that Basil didn''t have any intention to dodge.
Whoosh!
Fortunately, the people''s imagination didn''te true as Iliana stopped her fist just a few millimeters away from Basil''s face.
"Can you... Even feel?"
Basil merely smiled at Iliana''s question as he took her in his embrace. "I don''t know, but you can teach me."
Iliana didn''t say anything, but she hugged him tightly.
Chapter 235 Earlier (2)
liana hugged Basil as if she was trying to crush him with her hug. Although she had a considerably sturdy physiquepared to the other Battle Mages of her age, her strength was still not enough to give Basil a hug that could crush him.
Of course, she also didn''t have any intention to hurt Basil since the very beginning. She was mad and disappointed at him, but she couldn''t bring herself to hurt him¡ªshe hugged him strongly to show her care while making it clear that she was mad.
Basil merely patted her back as if he didn''t understand that she was mad, then looked at the cave in front of him silently. Moving his left hand to the hilt of the Sealing Sword that was stabbed into the ground, he activated the Runes Carved on it.
Rumble.
The ground faintly shook, surprising everyone on the spot. Their gaze was immediately nted on the cave the moment they saw it was slowly submerging to the ground.
? While Whitney, Cray, Thompson, and Steven immediately turned their head towards Basil upon seeing the scene, the others didn''t have a single suspicion that Basil was the one who caused it.
Uncaring to the people''s eyes, Basil kept gently rubbing Iliana''s back, while keeping his Mana flowing into the Sealing Sword. The cave fully submerged to the ground roughly half a minuteter, signifying the closing of Death Howl''s secret entrance in Raneil Barony.
Basil initially didn''t have any thought to conceal the secret entrance as he deemed he would probably need it some time in the future. However, he couldn''t risk spoiling his own n by letting the Demons inhabiting the Dungeon out.
Although they normally didn''t have the courage to get out of there, given the chaotic situation outside, they probably wouldn''t think much to get out. Basil didn''t want to take a risk, and decided to close the entrance for the time being.
"Kuhum! I think it is time for us to n our next course of action."
Since the spot had been engulfed in silence prior to Robert''sment, everyone was surprised when they heard him speak. They immediately turned their head to him, including Iliana, who was peeking from Basil''s embrace.
Robert was slightly embarrassed because of their gaze, and he coughed once again to get rid of the awkwardness. Bowing politely at Iliana, who was gazing at him in mild curiosity, he pointed his finger towards the civilians before speaking.
"I am sorry to ruin your moment, Miss. Iliana, however I think we don''t have time to dilly-dally anymore, considering the fact that we haven''t finished our task yet. Also, it is time to take responsibility of them to."
The Mages and Knights immediately hummed to themselves the moment they heard Robert''sst sentence. They had been so focused on the thought of regrouping with their friends, they had momentarily forgotten that they had to take responsibility of the civilians.
Although the Knights'' main job as Mercenaries was to subjugate the Demons, not saving the civilians, they still had to take responsibility the moment they decided to save the civilians.
On the Mages'' side, they even had no obligation to save the civilians since their sole task was to investigate. Unfortunately however, the moment they involved themselves in the fight to save the civilians, they had the moral obligation to finish their task.
Taking responsibility of the civilians was not that hard of the task normally; they merely had to guide them to a ce where their safety was ensured. Given the situation however, this task became very troublesome.
"There is no need to think about it too hard," Iliana spoke while still hugging Basil. "It is not as if we don''t have any ce to bring them to."
"Do you have any idea where we can bring them to?" Whitney asked in surprise.
Iliana sighed lightly before letting go of Basil. She stared at him sharply for a couple of seconds, then turned him to face the others.
Basil didn''t retaliate even slightly as he merely yed along with her. He even let Iliana hug his arm, putting it between her bountiful mounds, which he had always avoided all the time.
''As I expected, they are smaller than the ones I know.'' Basil was reminiscing about his past life¡ªwhen he had first made contact with Iliana''s mounds. ''She ckmailed me because of that, but now that I think about it, it was a fairly amusing experience.''
Iliana in the past had made him "identally" touch her mounds, before acting like she had just been vited. She asked Basil to take responsibility for taking away her innocence, and being a naive young man he was, he immediately agreed to her.
He became herpdog for more than a month, before he eventually figured out that Iliana had merely been joking.
Though he called it bing herpdog, Iliana had actually just made him act like an overly loving boyfriend towards her. Therefore, when Basil found the truth, he didn''t get mad at her ... He ignored her for an entire month just to get back at her though.
"Here... My boyfriend is rich." Iliana pointed her finger at Basil. "He has the ce that is safe enough to contain these people."
Basil stopped reminiscing about the past and nodded his head lightly the moment he received everyone''s gaze. The civilians heaved a sigh of relief after seeing Basil''s confirmation, but tensed once again when they saw the Mages were still frowning.
"Miss. Iliana, may I assume you are aware of our task?"
"You are assuming the opposite right now, Robert."
Robert was about to deny Iliana''s im, but Whitney beat him to it. "It is actually not because of our task, Iliana ... We are already spent from the fight." Whitney looked at the people around him one by one.
"We may have Thompson and the others to help us, but I believe they are just as tired," Cray added. "I don''t think we can really guide these people to safety, considering what is currently happening."
The Knights didn''t say anything as the discussion was between the Mages. Whether the Mages decided to take the civilians along with them or not, the Knights still intended to take the civilians with them¡ªthey didn''t have the heart to leave the frail people behind.
"Tsk. Why are you making this as if it is a hard task to do?" Iliana frowned in distaste. "Have you forgotten how good of a guide Basil is? We didn''t encounter that dangerous of a Monster prior to saving the civilians."
"I don''t doubt Mr. Pacifer''s ability on looking for the safe path, however we can''t just return to the hotel before¡ª"
"If you are talking about the task, we have finished it. No," Iliana shook her head, "Basil has finished it. He has every information about the Monsters infesting the southern part of Raneil Barony."
Iliana turned to Basil, then quirked her eyebrow. She had honestly just bbered a nonsense as her way to get back at Basil, and she didn''t expect Basil to really have what she said.
Of course, she tried her best to conceal her surprise, the moment Basil nodded his head casually.
"I have one of my servants done it for me." He took out a piece of paper with the map of Raneil Barony''s southern part drawn on it. "I''ve got this in my hand since the moment we took off, but decided to keep it, so everyone could have some fun."
Whitney and Cray immediately hummed ufortably to themselves upon hearing Basil''s exnation, while the others merely gaped their mouth in astonishment. Robert, especially, didn''t really know what to feel about the revtion.
"We could have stayed in the hotel, and avoided all of these hurdles," Alexandra muttered emptily.
Even the seemingly eternally bubbly Jocelyn wasn''t really amused at the fact. "The experience was fun, but I prefer not having it if I could..."
Basil shrugged nonchntly at the people''s reaction, before turning to Iliana who had recovered from her dumbfounded state and gave her a faint smirk.
He didn''t have any n to further piss her off, but he couldn''t prevent her from doing what she wanted¡ªasking him for what he actually had.
He also had actually gotten the information about all of the Monsters upying the entire Raneil Barony from the Shadows he had spread all over the Barony, but he didn''t need to say it.
The Shadows were all the Assassins he had enved, and they were originally stationed there to look for his family¡ªDanzel and rissa.
He didn''t actually need them to provide any information regarding the Barony; he just needed them to protect his family. However, he didn''t want to stop the enthusiasm the Shadows showed after being his ves.
Even the death of Kreiss Raneil was something the Shadows had orchestrated ... Under Basil''s permission, of course. He was still amused whenever he thought about the righteous reason on why Kreiss should be killed that the Shadows provided him.
"If that is the case then, we shall¡ª"
Buzz.
Thompson, who was about to suggest that they should leave together, was interrupted by the sudden activation of the Mages'' Transmission Talisman. The Mages themselves were also surprised by that, and, shockingly, Basil wasn''t very different.
Upon taking out the Transmission Talisman out from their pocket, they immediately infused Mana inside it to listen to the message.
[To all of the students, this is Darius, your Student Council''s President. Imand all of you to abort your mission, and return to Familia Hotel as soon as possible ... Ruttenhale Barony has fallen, and the army of Monsters are now marching towards Woster County.]
Due to the security of Transmission Talisman, the Knights couldn''t hear a single thing the Talisman conveyed. However, they could immediately conclude it wasn''t something good the moment they saw the Mages''plexion.
''Something is not right...'' Even Basil couldn''t help frowning at the information.
Chapter 236 Earlier (End)
The silence overwhelming the ce was deafening. Coupled with the solemn look on the Mages and the scared civilians in the background, the atmosphere was anything butfortable.
The Knights were curious, but none of them immediately asked the Mages what they had received. They gave the Mages some time before eventually asking them when the look on the expression on the Mages'' face eased slightly.
Thompson acted as the representative. "Do you mind if I ask what made you guys so tense?"
"Ruttenhale has fallen."
Gasp!
The Knights and the civilians reacted the same way. All of them were shocked by Iliana''s quick and direct answer¡ªthey immediately looked at her as if she was lying.
"It is to be expected." Iliana lightly shrugged. "That stupid King decided to send the Royal Army''s Legions to BA-32 instead of sending them there¡ªwhat do you expect to happen? 30,000 or so people winning against more than 60,000 Monsters?"
Iliana sounded apathetic to the whole situation, but she was actually raging inside. How could she not? The rest of Rehearsal ss, her family, were deployed there¡ªshe was worried about their safety.
On the other side, the people who had heard Iliana''s aggressivement regarding the King''s decision were either shaking their head or clicking their tongue bitterly. They couldn''t¡ªthey didn''t want to argue with Iliana as they, too, were dissatisfied with the decision.
It would have been no problem if the King hadn''t broadcasted his decision through the whole Kingdom, leaving the others unaware of it, but he unfortunately had a different thought.
He had thought that broadcasting the Five Princes'' departure was a good idea, uncaring to the chaos he provoked.
They hadn''t heard any news regarding the Five Princes'' yet¡ªwhether they had arrived at BA-32 or died in their way there¡ªhowever, it was clear the Princes and the legions that went with them hadn''t contributed anything to the war.
"We shall move. Thinking about it won''t give us anything other than distress." Iliana turned to the civilians. "We will escort you to safety, and I hope you can keep up with our pace."
The civilians were rather ufortable with Iliana''s word, but none of them protested her as they knew they should be grateful of her benevolence to escort them.
Mages were generally morally twisted; they couldn''t just meet benevolent Mages everyday. Therefore, they had to be grateful for the fact that they met a Mage like Iliana, who was not very benevolent but kind enough to save them.
"Do you know the shortest way possible to go back to the hotel?" Iliana turned to Basil.
"You know my answer." Basil smirked, before instructing Deacon to return to his original size through their [Link].
Boom!
Mana overwhelmed the surrounding area the moment Deacon returned to his original size, turning the civilians aghast. Basil ignored the civilians'' look of admiration that was mixed with fear, and immediately mounted Deacon afterwards.
Iliana followed suit just a second after Basil, then pointed her finger to her petite fellow Mage before calling said Mage''s name.
"Jocelyn,e with me. I know you won''t be able to travel on your own."
"Huh? Me?" Jocelyn tilted her head in puzzlement. "I can travel by myself¡ªI have my Transportation Artefact!"
"You are tired, aren''t you? Just get on."
Jocelyn wanted to refuse again, but the moment she saw the look of dissatisfaction on Iliana''s face, she immediately propelled herself upwards to get on Deacon''s back. She was afraid Iliana would do something she didn''t want to experience to her.
Iliana caught Jocelyn even before shended on Deacon''s back, then positioned Jocelyn right between Basil and her. She then put her hand on Jocelyn''s waist to ensure that she wouldn''t fall off when Deacon moved.
"Am I... Being treated like a child?"
"It is just your imagination, Jocelyn."
"Is that so? Hmm..."
Jocelyn was musing to herself in genuine curiosity, and Iliana didn''t have the heart to tell her that she was indeed treating Jocelyn like a child. She couldn''t help doing so¡ªJocelyn''s demeanor and physique made her look like one.
"Basil, would you mind allowing Sylvia and Effie ride with you too? Tney are still spent from their fight."
"W-What? Thompson, we don''t need that¡ªwe are fine!"
"I agree with Sylvia, Thompson. As a Knight, our physical ability is superior than any Mage."
Iliana looked at the scene below with a quirked eyebrow; she was equally amused at Thompson''s care towards his party members and the two girls'' hypocrisy. She could see that they secretly wanted to ride Deacon.
"Hmph! Let them be, if they don''t¡ª"
"They can ride with me."
Iliana immediately looked at Basil in bewilderment the moment he agreed to take Sylvia and Effie with them. She understood that Basil merely didn''t want to prolong the matter, but she couldn''t help feeling something unpleasant in her chest.
''Why do they have to bother me now?'' Of course, Iliana was professional enough to keep everything to herself. She remained unperturbed on the outside.
"O-Oh, really? We may ride with you?" Sylvia was trying her best to suppress her excitement on the fact that she would be on the same mount with Basil. "Won''t you feel bothered by our¡ª"
"No," Basil answered curtly.
"O-Okay, then... Can I sit in front of you?"
"No."
"T-Then, can I sit behind¡ª"
"Just quit yapping and get on. There is still some space behind Iliana."
While Sylvia sighed in disappointment, Effie merely shook her head bitterly. Sylvia still couldn''t let go of her "first love"¡ªit was apparent¡ªand she didn''t know how to tell Sylvia to stop chasing him; he had a girlfriend already!
Both of them immediately hopped on Deacon''s back, then sat closely behind Iliana. Sylvia, who was just a few centimeters away from Iliana, didn''t dare to hug Iliana but she had Effie hug her waist to ensure that she wouldn''t fall when Deacon moved.
Seeing that everyone was ready, Basil instructed Deacon to move through their [Link]. Before Deacon could take off however, someone suddenly opened her mouth.
"Am I not considered a woman here?" Alexandra looked like she was about to cry. "Why am I the only woman who don''t get to ride Deacon?"
Basil lightly sighed in exasperation, then quirked his eyebrow as he looked at Alexandra. "Are you tired?" Alexandra was about to answer him, but he immediately cut her. "Then, get on. Don''t waste my time."
Alexandra''s eyes lit up, and she immediately propelled herself upwards with a Fire Element Spell¡ªa rather shy and annoying way¡ªto get on Deacon''s back. The moment she sat herself right behind Effie, Deacon immediately dashed forward.
Everyone was surprised, but luckily none of them fell off Deacon''s back. What Basil conveyed was clear, "Don''t mess around," so all of them stayed quiet the entire way ... At least, that is what they thought Basil wanted to convey.
''Has humanity turned so weak, even eight Legions of Royal Army can''t handle 11 Legions of Goap''s army? There is only one of the Goap''s Six Generals there, but all of them have already been defeated? Ludicrous!''
Basil was, in truth, thinking about the peculiarity of the development of the situation that had deviated from the way it should''ve developed in his past life.
He was aware he had changed many future events by killing Eugene, but he didn''t expect something like the early fall of Ruttenhale Barony would happen. Unless Goap had decided to go all out since the very beginning, something like this shouldn''t have happened.
''If that is the case... What is his intention of rushing things up?''
As he thought about what could possibly be Goap''s aim, Basil activated [Visualization]. His target was Ruttenhale Barony.
The moment he saw what was happening there, he couldn''t help humming to himself. Another one of Goap''s Six Generals had arrived there, along with the 11 Legions he led.
...
On the other side of Raneil Barony, Darius, along with his team, was already close to reaching Familia Hotel. All of them were riding their Transportation Artefact at an extremely high speed with an urgent look on their face.
Many things had happened in the few hours they did their investigation, and none of them was a good thing to hear.
The official news about the fall of Ruttenhale Barony hadn''t been broadcasted yet, but they luckily had their friends to inform them about it.
Unlike Darius and the group of students he brought, Annabeth and the rest of the students had only arrived at their destination, Ruttenhale Barony, a few minutes ago.
They had been shocked to find out that Ruttenhale Barony had fallen the moment they reached there, and Annabeth immediately informed Darius about the event, so he wouldn''t worry about them when the news came out.
Of course, it didn''t ease him in the least bit as he knew what Annabeth and the others would be forced to do soon¡ªfight the Demons. He was well aware of the urgency of the situation, so he made a quick decision.
Leave behind Raneil Barony that was already pretty much a lost cause, and go to fight the Demons in Woster County to prevent its fall.
An orange haired student with a lost expression on his face matched the speed Darius is traveling at, then spoke urgently. "President! I have just received another bad news! Team 3 ispletely annihted!"
"What?! How is that even possible?!" Darius was equally shocked and scared. "What about the Pdins? Aren''t they supposed to escort Eugene and the others?"
"They were caught up in a sh between Magic Beasts and the Monsters."
As they were just a few meters away from the hotel, Darius immediately stopped, prompting the others to do the same. He was frowning heavily the moment he turned to the orange haired student.
"Rupert, who found their bodies?"
"Team 1 ... They encountered Rose Summer, who was in herst breath. Rose said that the others were eaten by the Monsters, and she was the only person who had managed to escape the Monsters intactly..."
"Don''t hide anything, please."
"Marcus Shelby from Team 1 said Rose Summer died while holding someone''s hand that is believed to belong to ine Spring." Rupert took a deep breath. "The entire time, she¡ªRose Summer didn''t realize that she had lost her lower body."
"None of them died an easy death, is what you want to say, huh?"
Darius chuckled softly in disbelief as he didn''t know what to make of the situation. Although none of the things had happened because of him, he couldn''t help feeling responsible for what had happened to his fellow students.
"We shall think about itter ... The dead don''t matter as much as the living."
In the end however, he decided to act like a Mage¡ªfocusing on what was in front of him.
Chapter 237 Confounding Variable
Familia Hotel.
Roughly half an hour had passed since Darius and his team had arrived at the hotel. They were currently in the banquet hall, waiting for the others to arrive there.
Out of the four teams, only three teams managed to survive, and out of the three teams, only two teams had already gathered in the hall. Iliana''s team was still in the way as they also brought civilians with them.
Darius looked around the hall, the people inside it, and the staffs preparing for the food. The room was eerily quiet despite the activity, amplifying the solemnity of the already solemn mood.
While the staffs didn''t look like they understood what was happening, they could deduce something bad must have happened. On the other hand, the students wore a stiff expression on their face.
Every member of Team 1 was recounting their encounter with one of Team 3''s members to their fellow students, and none of them were amused upon hearing that. Mages were cowardly¡ªthey naturally didn''t want to suffer the same fate.
The solemnity of the situation was further amplified the moment they heard that Team 3 was demolished because they had been caught up in a sh between Magic Beasts and Demons.
They were afraid there was a greater reason for that to happen, like the appearance of a High ss Demon of Luci''s caliber. They were appalled merely at the thought that something like that could actually have happened.
After all, how else could a group of Pdins be demolished? Unless that person was a lunatic, no one would dare touch a single member of the Church.
"Just what is currently happening to our Kingdom?" Darius clenched the map in his hand tightly. The map was the result of his team''s investigation, but now it felt worthless in his hand. "Will we be able to pull through it?"
The fate of Raneil Barony was already decided: it would suffer the same fate as Ruttenhale Barony. With how things had developed, it wouldn''t be long until the King dered the abandonment of Raneil Barony.
The Kingdom could afford temporarily losing a Barony to the Monsters, but they would never be willing to give up a County.
Compared to Woster County, Raneil Barony was nothing but a small, underdeveloped area. It would be the dumbest decision a King could make in Braxtein Kingdom''s history, if Anthony decided to throw Woster County away.
Raneil Barony was indeed close to Fortescher County, the outermost defense of the Kingdom, but it was apparent by how things were going, there weren''t enough Demons to conquer the County.
Although there were some group of Demons that were heading towards the Three Sacred Grounds, which were essentially the most vital part of Fortescher County, the King had sent many incrediblypetent people to face them. They were already enough to defend the County.
Of course, none of the information rted to the Three Sacred Grounds were broadcasted, but the point stands: abandoning Raneil Barony to defend Woster County was a wise decision.
"Iliana, where are¡ª"
Bam!
Just as Darius mused about how much longer it would take Iliana to arrive at the hotel, someone suddenly mmed the door open. He immediately whipped his head around to look at the person¡ªpeople entering the room.
"The civilians slowed us down."
Iliana, with Basil on her side and Jocelyn in her hand, had arrived with the rest of her team. Other than Basil and her, everyone in her team looked tired; it was apparent that they just had a long day.
Letting Basil and the others had their seat, Iliana walked towards Darius before sitting beside him. No words were exchanged between them as they both understood pleasantries were unneeded in the current situation.
"Now that all of us are gathered here, I am going to talk about a few things before taking you with me to Ruttenhale Barony."
Murmurs of worry and slight dissatisfaction were immediately heard from the students, but none of them questioned Darius for the things he said. The minority of the students, who had expected something like this to happen, even decided to remain quiet all the time.
"Firstly, I am going to announce about our fallen fellows."
While the other teams were already aware of Team 3''s demolition, Team 4, who arrived therete, immediately looked around in confusion. It didn''t take them long, however, to realize that Team 3 was absent.
Knowing full well what kind of information would be delivered, Jocelyn, Alexandra, and Robert merely shook their head. They felt it was unfortunate that such a brilliant young man like Eugene died before reaching his full potential.
Different than the three students however, Cray, Whitney, and Iliana were frozen in their spot as they furtively nced at Basil. They were horrified with the possibility alone, but many things suddenly made sense, much to their utter bafflement.
Being a good friend they were however, they were quick to conceal their shock, and focused their attention on Darius once again.
"Team 3¡ªEugene, ine Spring, Rose Summer, Johnson Brew, Peyton, and Bremerton Verney¡ªwas caught up in an unexpected sh between Magic Beasts and Monsters. This is as much as we heard about from Rose Summer, thest member to die."
Iliana, Cray, and Whitney heaved a sigh of relief upon hearing the cause of the people''s death. Being caught up in a sh between Magic Beasts and Demons wasn''t something that could be nned after all.
''But, wait... Basil¡ªdidn''t he control...!''
The moment they recalled what Basil had done before entering Raneil Barony however, their suspicion on Basil returned and was even amplified. If there was someone who could herd a horde of Magic Beasts, he was the person.
At this point, it would be denying the obvious if they refused to believe Basil was the person behind the "ident." Still, none of them turned their head at Basil to avoid the others'' suspicion.
On the other side, Basil was well aware of the people''s gaze, but he didn''t mind their gaze in the slightest. He knew they had an inkling that he was the man behind Team 3''s demolition.
Aside from the fact that none of them had a solid proof, other than an inkling, he had a strong alibi to defend himself. Therefore, even though he confessed to them that he was the culprit, he would still remain innocent in front of the Court.
Basil had expected something like this would happen; his grudge with Eugene was pretty much amon knowledge to the people who had spent some time with him. It wasn''t a surprise for them to deduce that he had a hand in the matter.
Still, he didn''t make any precaution about it because he knew he only had to prove himself was innocent in front of the Court, not in front of them. Besides, he was sure none of them would be willing to sell him out.
"It is also informed that the group of Pdins also fell along with Team 3. Team 1 has ransacked the scene, but none of the bodies were found. It is assumed that all of them had been eaten by either the Monsters or the Magic Beasts."
While the other people hummed ufortably while thinking about the gruesome event, Iliana, Whitney, and Cray contemted about how Basil faced 10 Pdins on his own. Either way, all of them were astonished by the situation.
"Now that the fall of our fellows has been announced, I am going to address the next topic¡ªthe fall of Ruttenhale Barony and the order we received from our Magic Institute."
"Before that," Iliana interrupted Darius, "how about the students who have been stationed there since the very beginning? I heard they were merely helping the civilians, but judging from the situation, they must''ve also been forced to fight in the war."
"You don''t have to worry about them." Darius nodded his head. "So far, there have only been 9 students fell in Ruttenhale Barony, and none of them is from Rehearsal ss. Annabeth gave me this information, so it is urate."
Iliana, who was about to question the reliability of the information, nodded her head in understanding, then motioned Darius to continue his exnation.
"Ruttenhale Barony fell due to the addition of the new Monster Army, but there are some rumours circting around that it was also partly due to internal discord ... Either way, our Magic Institute has ordered us to defend Woster County and protect our juniors."
As soon as Darius stopped speaking, Robert immediately raised his hand. "President, may I know what does ''protect our juniors'' mean?"
"Due to the magnitude of the situation, the Top 200 are not the only students obligated to aid the Kingdom; every able student is instructed to also help the Kingdom face the Outbreak. Only Second Circle Mages and below are exempted from this."
"That means..."
"Yes, we are going to fight alongside our juniors and some of the weaker seniors."
A deafening silence engulfed the hall as the people inside looked at each other. As a part of the Top 200, they were well aware of their worth, and they immediately understood the reason behind the other students'' deployment.
"I know what you are thinking, but you have the option to run." Darius'' eyes turned colder in each every word as he pinned them with his gaze. "Don''t sacrifice any of your fellow student."
No one said a thing¡ªthey didn''t confirm they understood his instruction or deny it. They merely looked at him nervously as they understood what his eyes conveyed.
''I would kill you, if I found out you did what I told you not to.''
That way, the meeting ended. It was scheduled they would have to leave in an hour, so some of the students decided to enjoy the delicacies the hotel''s staffs had prepared for them before the time came.
"I bet you have something to talk about with me. Let us move to a more quiet ce."
As for Basil, he was leading Iliana, Cray, and Whitney to the Guest Room so they could have the "talk."
Chapter 238 Confounding Variable (2)
In the guest room of Familia Hotel, Iliana, Cray, and Whitney sat in the same sofa while looking at Basil tensely. All of them were anticipating Basil''s exnation, hoping that the very thing they thought Basil had done didn''t really happen.
On the opposite side of them, Basil was sitting in the bigger sofa with Chibi Deacon on hisp while calmly sipping his tea. He had Poppy, who was observing the solemn mood of the room, standing quietly beside the sofa.
"Let us have our talk over the tea. The mood is sour, but I assure you the tea is not." Basil gave the three people a light smile.
"I am a straightforward person, so I won''t dilly-dally. Did you kill Eugene?"
Cray and Whitney were slightly appalled at Iliana''s direct question as they turned their widened eyes to her. Iliana didn''t pay any attention to their gaze at all; her gaze was nted solely on Basil, who was still giving her the same smile.
"May I know how did you reach that conclusion?"
"Call it a gut feeling."
"That is very ironic considering who you are, Iliana."
Basil talked to Iliana the same way he always talked to her¡ªtenderly and calmly. He didn''t even make a face that indicated he was viewing her as someone below him, but she still felt slightly insulted at Basil''s word.
Knights were individuals who were known to prefer their gut feeling over logic. It is not that big of a deal, but when ites to Mages, those who preferred their gut feeling were an absolute failure as a Mage.
Basil didn''t have any intention nor did he want to insult Iliana in any way, however his word reminded her of the decision she made inside the Dungeon. She, who had thought with her heart instead of her brain, was a failure as a Mage.
What is worse, she was also a failure as a human for the things she had done while she was assuming her role as a Mage.
"Hating me is one thing, but hating yourself is an unforgivably stupid act, Iliana."
"Are you thinking that I am having a self deprecating thought right now?"
"Correct me if I''m wrong."
"..."
Basil gave another faint smile at Iliana''s silence, before putting down his teacup. Pushing the other three cups on the table forward, he motioned the three people to drink their tea.
"Am I misunderstanding something or have I never been considered a friend since the very beginning?" Basil quirked his eyebrow at Cray and Whitney. "Have a tea, both of you. I swear upon my ancestors, your tea is not poisoned."
While Whitney was looking at Basilplicatedly, Cray was scratching his head in frustration. He had never liked politics since the moment he was born, so the "talk" they were having was torturing him.
"Darn it, Basil! Let''s be honest here, Mate. We are just worried about you." Cray picked up his teacup, and gulped it at once. "Did you kill that bastard, Eugene?"
"Do you think I could do that?"
"Quiet blokes are mostly absurdly strong, and you are the most absurd quiet bloke I have ever met¡ªof course, I think you could!"
Basil shook his head faintly amusement and gave Cray a light smile. "Thank you for your confidence in me, but I am nowhere near as strong as you imagine I am."
ncing briefly at Iliana and Whitney, he continued, "I do admit that Eugene''s death is partly because of me though."
Silence engulfed the entire room at Basil''s confession. Whitney''s and Iliana''s face immediately darkened as they looked at Basil; they couldn''t believe what they thought had happened did happen.
"It was a coincidence to be honest." Basil lightly frowned in dissatisfaction. "I didn''t expect that the sh between the Monsters and the Beasts I caused would cost Eugene''s life."
"What do you mean by that?"
Basil turned to Whitney at his question. "Did you forget what I did before we entered Raneil Barony? I herded the Beasts here to cause conflict between them and the Monsters."
"Why did you do that?"
"Isn''t it obvious?" Basil quirked his eyebrow. "I don''t really care about this Barony, but it is still the ce where my family stays. I can''t just let the Monsters destroy it as they like."
"So, you are telling us that the sh between the Beasts and the Monsters you caused is just an effort to distract the Monsters?" Iliana stared into Basil''s eyes seriously. "Does that mean you really don''t have a hand in Eugene''s death?"
"I do. I have told you that¡ª"
"Are you directly involved in the matter?"
Iliana looked at Basil neutrally, and Basil immediately understood she was being serious; he had seen that look on her face countless of times in his past life. He smiled at that, and shook his head faintly.
"I find it reasonable for you to be that suspicious of me considering the grudge between us but sometimes you need to think rather than feel."
Basil took another sip of his tea before turning his calm gaze back to Iliana. "Do you think there is a way for me to go back and forth from Oster Forest to Raneil Manor in a span of half an hour?"
"..."
"I have Robert and Jake as my witnesses¡ªthey followed right behind me the entire time. Deacon might lie, but they wouldn''t, don''t you think?"
Basil stroked the back of Deacon, who was watching the rather tense exchange between the two sides calmly. Deacon was keeping an innocent face as if he didn''t understand what the two sides were actually talking about.
On the one hand, he waspletely aware of the fact that his Master was lying, but on the other hand, he knew his Master''s act must have been done for a reason. He felt slightly bad towards Iliana, but he would always choose Basil over her.
After some time, Iliana eventually sighed lightly in exasperation. "I am not mad even if you did kill Eugene¡ªI am happy even. That prick had never deserved to live, but you also have to think of the consequences."
"Our Kingdom is not always the Church''s yground, Iliana. I have witnesses and many other things to prove my innocence¡ªthe Court will not stay still if the Church just mes me out of nowhere."
Whitney sighed as he shook his head helplessly at Basil''s response, meanwhile Iliana merely kept her silence.
The purpose of the talk had been reached¡ªto make sure if Basil had something to prove his innocence. None of them really cared about Eugene''s death; like Iliana said, they didn''t mind if Basil had indeed killed Eugene.
They were smart enough to figure that the grudge between Basil and the Church had already been established. They had encountered a group of Executioners on their way to Raneil Barony, after all¡ªthat is why they couldn''t help but worry over him.
Now that they had found Basil could prove his innocence, they could already heave a sigh of relief. They still didn''t know whether Basil had killed Eugene, but it was fine since they weren''t too eager to know it either.
"Receiving the Church''s baseless usation is not the consequences I am talking about," Iliana spoke after some time. "Say, you have achieved your goal, but at what cost?"
Whitney and Cray slightly recoiled in surprise upon hearing Iliana''s bitter tone, meanwhile Basil merely sipped his tea as he looked calmly at her. He knew what she was talking about¡ªthe rest of Team 3.
He wasn''t very proud of the fact that he had sacrificed unrted people for his personal gain, however he didn''t regret his action in the least bit. That is just how life works¡ªit is unfair.
He had ever been in the rest of Team 3''s position¡ªa clueless pawn in someone''s chessboard. He knew how bad tasting it was to be in that position, but he had managed to be the yer with his own effort and a twist of fate.
The rest of Team 3 couldn''t, and they could only me their fate for that. He had heard about Rose''s and ine''s painful death, but he didn''t even feel a slight sympathy over them despite being the one who had Kuzo kill them.
No matter how gruesome their death looked, he was sure they didn''t even feel any pain. Kuzo had poisoned the two girls with a concoction that destroyed all of their nerves ending, before sending them to the Demons.
They had basically been sedated before they died, so none of them felt the agony of being eaten alive by the Demons. Even the encounter and the things Rose said to Team 1 was something Kuzo had orchestrated under Basil''s order.
"My goal is to kill my parents'' murderers. I haven''t achieved it yet, however I don''t mind killing those innocents standing in my way to achieve it."
"I see... Revenge matters to you that much, huh?"
"You will understand what I am talking about one day, but now you may think of me that way."
Basil had emptied his teacup by the time the room was engulfed in silence once again.
"You lot must be spent. There is around half an hour before we leave, so you shall have some meal to fill your stomach."
Basil gestured his hand at Poppy, and she Immediately nodded her head upon the gesture. She dragged the food trolley beside the table between Basil and the others, put the foods on it, then returned to Basil''s side once again.
"I have eaten earlier with the others, so I will give you the time to enjoy the meal amongst you." Basil stood up, but Iliana immediately stopped him.
"Where are you going?" She looked at Basil with a frown.
"I am not going to cheat on you¡ªdon''t worry." Basil smiled before gesturing his hand at Poppy who was beside him. "She can attest to my innocenceter."
Poppy immediately scrunched her neck the moment Iliana scrutinized her, but she could somehow nod her head reassuringly. Iliana stopped looking at her a few seconds after, then focused her attention on the foods.
Basil slightly smiled at that, before getting out of the room with Deacon on his shoulder and Poppy in tow. Thompson immediately greeted him the moment he exited the room, and they nodded at each other in acknowledgement.
"Have you decided what you are going to do with my offer?"
"We will only stay here for 6 days¡ªno longer than that."
"That is what I want."
"I am sorry to tell you this, but after what happened, my trust in you is not as strong as it used to. Therefore, we will leave the moment we deem you are harming us."
"I don''t mind."
Thompson quirked his eyebrow before eventually sighing helplessly. Basil extended his hand, and he grasped it firmly in his hand.
That way, the agreement between the two that no one other than Thompson''s party knew about was established.
Chapter 239 Confounding Variable (3)
Roughly an hour ago, when Basil and the others had just arrived at Familia Hotel, he briefly excused himself to have a little bit of a talk with some of his staffs. Iliana didn''t want to leave him behind, so she insisted on waiting for him.
Basil didn''t tell her otherwise; he told them to wait in the lounge room instead. As Basil had his talk with his staffs, the Knights and the unupied staffs helped the civilians settle themselves.
They brought the civilians to the unupied room, so the civilians could rest their tired body.
As soon as Iliana and the rest of Team 4 went out of sight, Basil concluded his talk with his staffs, then looked for Thompson. He met Thompson, who was still helping a civilian at that time, on the third floor.
"I have something to talk about."
Basil talked to Thompson formally, as if he was treating a business partner rather than a friend, and Thompson wasn''t veryfortable with that. Thompson looked at him hesitantly, while thinking about what his true intention was.
"What do you want to talk about?"
"An offer."
Thompson immediately shook his head. "I can''t trust someone, who doesn''t even trust us." Looking at Basil bitterly, he continued, "I still can''t even figure out what has just happened back then in the Dungeon."
"It is as you might have expected: everything is premeditated by me."
"I know that already. I have heard it from Steve who heard it from Cray."
Quirking his eyebrow, Basil looked at Thompson in wonder. "If you already know that much, why do you hesitate to take my offer?"
"I can''t read you at all, Basil. I can''t just trust someone who keeps almost everything to himself." Thompson sighed. "Those Monsters chasing us, and the impersonating Monster amongst us¡ªeverything ured in the Dungeon was all your n, wasn''t it?"
"Correct."
"You don''t even try to deny it..." Thompson was a little bit astonished, but he didn''t dwell in it too much. "What is your purpose of doing that? I believe, with the control over the Dungeon, you can save everyone."
Just as what Thompson said, Basil, due to his possession of the Sealing Sword, had full control over Death Howl. It was very apparent even if he didn''t exin about it; he had restructured the Dungeon to change Iliana and the others'' route after all.
''With that ability, shouldn''t it be easier for Basil to keep the Demons away from us?''
Thompson was extremely puzzled about what Basil had actually been thinking at that time. Consequentially speaking, if Basil had used his ability to control the Dungeon to keep the Demons at Bay, there would have been no civilians fell victim to them.
"It is very bold of you to assume that controlling the Dungeon doesn''t seem to burden me in the slightest." Basil scoffed lightly.
"Keeping the Monsters of Oster Forest at bay without utilizing Mana or Qi was taxing enough for me." Basil frowned lightly. "I am good at multitasking, but doing two equally difficult things at the same is not easy."
"I see..." Thompson slightly recoiled in surprise at the very faint annoyance in Basil''s tone. "Kuhum! I am sorry about my insensitivity. I don''t have any intention to me you here, but why did you keep the identity of the impersonating Monster a secret?"
"Me not telling any of you a word about it doesn''t equal to me keeping its identity a secret."
"So you did already know of its existence since the very beginning..." Basil didn''t respond Thompson''s word as he merely gave Thompson a ''So?'' look. "Do you have any reason for doing that."
"Iliana''s growth."
"What?"
Thompson was so dumbfounded by Basil''s answer, he didn''t know how to react properly. He understood what Basil meant; by the way she acted, it was apparent Iliana needed some character growth.
To think that Basil had sacrificed tens of innocent, unrted people to give Iliana the very growth she needed however, Thompson couldn''t help seeing Basil as a madman¡ªa typical Mage.
He looked at Basil like he was asking if Basil was really serious, and Basil was, of course, serious.
Thompson couldn''t help shaking his head when he noticed it. "You are mad, Basil."
"Naivety is a poison, Thompson. I would rather sacrifice tens of unrted people to remove that poison than losing someone I care to that poison."
"I... I don''t like your way, Basil." Thompson smiled bitterly.
He should''ve seen iting. From the day where Basil had saved them¡ªthe decisiveness Basil had showed them¡ªhe should''ve guessed Basil would likely do something like this.
He could easily see that Basil was a lot better than most Mages who treated lives like an exploitable resource, but he still couldn''t ept Basil''s way of doing things. In his opinion, Basil indeed did good things for his friends, but the way he did them was wrong.
"Do you want to hear my offer?"
"I will lend you my ears, but I won''t I guarantee I will ept it."
Of course, no matter how much he didn''t like Basil''s way of doing things, he couldn''t dictate Basil on that. Each person has a different outlook, and no one should force their outlook on another person.
"I want you to stay in the hotel for 6 days. I need you to protect my family." Basil took out a piece of small tablet stone from his Spatial Ring, and gave it to Thompson. "This Sound Tablet will notify you when my family is already nearby."
"Wait! I haven''t said anything about epting your offer." Thompson put up his hands.
"It is fine; I just want you to help my family someday. I hope you will be willing to answer my family''s request for help at that time."
A Sound Tablet worked the same way as a Transmission Talisman: both transmitted the voice of the owner to the receiver upon activation.
The only difference lies in the energy needed to activate them. A Sound Tablet was activated with Qi, meanwhile a Transmission Talisman was activated with Mana.
"Damn it, Basil!" Thompson clicked his tongue in conflict when he looked at the sincere care on Basil''s face. "Give me an hour ... Let me discuss this with my party."
"Thank you."
Thompson dismissed Basil''s thanks with a wave of his hand, but Basil didn''t mind that at all. He merely watched as Thompson''s back slowly disappeared, before his face turnedpletely neutral when Thompson waspletely gone.
"This is why Knights are prone to death¡ªthey are naive." Basil lightly scoffed. "You better thank your luck, Thompson. I am genuinely asking for your help this time."
Thompson ended up epting the offer without even asking what he got in return.
...
An hour had passed since the end of the meeting, and every student of Randalvine Magic Institute staying in Familia Hotel were now gathering outside of the hotel. They were ready to take off to Woster County.
Iliana, Cray, and Whitney were still inside the lobby waiting for Basil who hadn''t showed himself ever since he had excused himself from the guest room. Thompson said that he had encountered Basil before, but he, too, didn''t know where Basil was now.
"I think he is cheating on you right now, Iliana," Cray said surely. "That assistant of his, Poppy, is quite a heartthrob, no? I mean, I wouldn''t mind if I were... Sorry."
Cray squirmed under Iliana''s subzero gaze. He had intended to sow a seed of doubt in Iliana''s heart so he could cause the couple to fight as his way to get back at Basil, but Iliana''s trust on Basil was greater than he had thought.
If looks could kill, Iliana''s gaze had already reduced him to smithereens from the moment he received it.
"Hmph! I would make him eat the sausage he would never eat if it was the case."
"Ooh... That is a nightmare indeed."
Cray and Whitney cringed while imagining the gruesome scenario, and they couldn''t help covering their crotch when they looked at Iliana. Iliana gave them a light scoff, before smirking at them.
Silence descended upon the three of them, as they once again waited for Basil to show up. Each of them was thinking where Basil could possibly be, while hoping he wasn''t up to something again.
Unaware of the people''s hope, Basil had just finished carving a Magic Circle on the hotel''s rooftop, which was only essible to his family and him. The Magic Circle was the conclusion of his ns on Raneil Barony, and he was about to activate it.
Infusing his Mana to the Magic Circle he had carved on the floor with the blood he had collected from the Pdins he had killed, it quickly shone in ominous, dark red. Mana overwhelmed the surrounding as the Magic Circle emitted a sickening aura.
"[Elbor¨ªtja a vil¨¢got a s?t¨¦ts¨¦g: Bloody Mist]!"
Basil cast the Spell he had only cast once in this life¡ªat Lone Mountain¡ªand the Mana the Magic Circle was emitting was immediately spread all over the Barony.
Boom!
Everyone could feel the sudden influx of the Mana, and they couldn''t help themselves from having a goosebump. They could feel the difference in the Mana¡ªthe sickening aura the Mana carried was too thick to be overlooked.
As the topmost floor of the hotel was shining, every student outside of the hotel immediately looked up. They could easily conclude that was the source of the Mana, but they still couldn''t understand what it actually signified.
It wasn''t long until their question was answered as they saw a flow of blue and red blood floating in the air in the next moment. The blood was heading towards the rooftop, forming a dense sphere of purple colored blood above it.
Everyone was appalled at the scene, but unfortunately it didn''t stop just there. The sphere of blood exploded the moment it was wider than the hotel, covering the entire Barony in a thick, repulsive smelling, purple mist.
None of the people who had watched the entire scene knew what to make of the situation, but they currently had the same thing in their mind¡ªrun!
The one who had caused the phenomenon, Basil, merely nodded his head in appreciation at what he had done.
"With this, I can shoo the Demons and Beasts away from this ce. In exchange for being my family''s escort, you and your party got my permission to stay in this dome, Thompson."
Everything had gone ording to his n, and now it was time for him to pick up his family who were still in Randalvine.
Chapter 240 Confounding Variable (4)
Inside Familia Hotel, Iliana and the others didn''t feel anything wrong at all. They didn''t feel the sudden Mana influx nor did they saw what was happening outside; the situation inside the building remained as peaceful as ever.
It was only after all of the students outside suddenly barged in could they notice what kind of phenomenon was happening outside.
They still couldn''t understand what the purple mist did to the students, but judging by the look of terror on the students'' face, they could deduce the mist had mentally attacked the students.
"What happened?" Iliana shouted towards Darius.
"I don''t actually know..." Darius looked at Iliana nkly.
Clicking her tongue in annoyance, Iliana was about to dash outside to figure it out herself when Darius suddenly stopped her. She gave him a look of puzzlement, and he immediately shook his head.
"Stop. That mist... Is not a normal mist."
"Do you think I don''t know about it?" Iliana quirked her eyebrow. "The color is a dead giveaway."
"That''s not what I mean, Iliana. There is something sickening in the air that will hurt your stomach just by smelling it."
"Tsk. Here I thought you would say¡ª"
"You won''tst a more than a breath inside it."
Iliana frowned in dissatisfaction upon hearing Darius'' sure statement. She knew Darius didn''t mean to look down on her, but as a prideful Mage she couldn''t help feeling he was underestimating her.
"Hmph! Let me see it by myself."
"Iliana, there is no¡ª"
"Let her do it."
At the familiar voice, everyone in the lobby suddenly turned their head towards the owner of the voice. Basil, the owner of the voice, was leaning on the reception table with Chibi Deacon right beside him.
Basil''s unannounced arrival was not the reason the people had suddenly turned their head towards him however. There was something familiar yet frightening feeling they could feel from him; they couldn''t help but look at him to figure out what it was.
"Basil, where have you been?" Iliana frowned.
Basil pointed his finger outside. "I was busy preparing that."
Silence immediately descended upon the lobby as they doubted what they had heard. The students, who had seen the forming of [Bloody Mist], were baffled at Basil''s im, meanwhile Iliana, Cray, and Whitney wondered about what Basil was aiming this time.
Being the center of attention, Basil acted as nonchnt as ever. He really didn''t feel that his act of casting a Forbidden Spell with Demons'' and Humans'' blood as the media was something needed to admire or, in the students'' case, afraid about.
"What have you done?" Darius asked Basil rather harshly.
"Something that ensures the safety of the people around me."
"I am not asking about why¡ªI am asking about what you have done."
"What do you think I have done?"
Darius immediately stepped back in surprise and horror upon receiving Basil''s cold gaze. Basil didn''t have any intention to intimidate him or anything¡ªBasil was actually giving him the ''Are you retarded?'' look¡ªbut he was still intimidated regardless.
"I have just cast an Istion Spell I read on a book a few years back. It was iplete at that time, so I cast it now that I have finished it." ncing outside, Basil continued. "As you can see, it works splendidly."
"What ... What is this Spell actually?"
"Are you really asking a Mage the secret of his research?"
If Basil wasn''t intimidating Darius previously, he was now. Darius'' pupils immediately dted the moment Basil pressured him with his Mana, but luckily it didn''tst for long as he was quick to dissolve the situation.
"Wait! That was insensitive of me¡ªI am sorry!" Darius put his hands up. "I didn''t mean to ask you the form of your Spell; I am merely curious about what the Spell actually does. That''s all..."
"You should''ve worded it better." As Basil lightly frowned, the students gulped at him due to the fact that he could bend the stern Darius. "My Spell, as you have experienced it yourself, repulses any living creatures inside or close to it."
"So that''s why you surrounded this ce with it..." Darius mused to himself as he looked at Basil in astonishment. "Are you doing it to get rid off the Monsters and the Magic Beasts?"
Basil nodded his head simply without saying anything.
"Are you nning to keep all of us here?" Darius asked carefully. "Judging by the current situation, it is impossible for us to get out of Raneil Barony with this mist covering the whole Barony."
"That''s why I will give you an offer."
"An offer?" Darius lightly frowned.
As Basil gave Darius a light smile, Iliana, Cray, and Whitney, who were already pretty familiar with Basil''s shenanigans at this point, immediately clicked their tongue bitterly. They knew Basil was up to something again.
"I will lead all of you safely outside, in exchange for¡ª"
"Let me do it instead¡ªI''ll take the lead."
"Hoh?"
Basil gave Iliana a small smile of amusement at her interruption. She looked very sure that she could lead everyone pass through the mist without any hindrance.
Basil gave that Iliana a challenging look, and Iliana became even more sure she would be able to handle the mist upon seeing the look Basil was giving him. Without saying anything, Iliana immediately walked towards the opened door, and stepped outside.
Boom!
She, like Basil, was born with extremely sensitive sensespared to any other humans, so upon smelling the extremely pungent smell in the air, she felt like her nose had just been blown away¡ªshe even almost couldn''t stop herself gagging in disgust.
That wasn''t everything however, since she hadn''t stepped inside the purple mist yet. The moment she stepped inside the purple mist, she was immediately overwhelmed with extreme terror.
Still, she didn''t have any n to back down as she kept forcing herself to move forward. Basil, on the other hand, merely looked at the scene in amusement; he didn''t have any intention to save her even if she suddenly passed out.
"Woah! What is that purple mist?!" Steven, the nonchnt, eximed.
"Gosh! Someone close the door¡ªmy sensitive nose can already smell the unpleasant scent from here!" Effie, the Half Elf,ined.
"What happened?! What happened?!" Sylvia, the muscle brain, asked curiously.
The lobby turned rowdy the moment the Knights arrived there, but theck of response from the surrounding turned them quiet very quickly. Basil silently looked at Thompson before gesturing his eyes outside.
Thompson followed Basil''s gaze, and he immediately understood why Basil had given him an offer in the first ce. As someone who had dealt with many Demons for years, he understood what the mist did.
''We have to protect his family, in exchange of being protected by the mist, huh? We have epted a very great offer, but we won''t stay here forever unfortunately,'' Thompson mused to himself.
Bam!
At the sound, everyone immediately turned their surprised eyes to the doorway. Iliana, who had just angrily stomped the floor, was standing in the doorway while looking at Basil unhappily.
''Oopss... Someone has just poked a sleeping tiger. Kuhaha!''
While Cray was rejoicing about the fact that a couple fight would possibly break out between Basil and Iliana, the others worried about what the equally "quirky" people would do to their surrounding if the fight broke out.
Tap. Tap.
Each of Iliana''s step made the heart of Darius and the students sink to the bottom of their stomach. It was quite dramatic of them, but they preferred stepping outside rather than watching the couple fight.
"I underestimated you ... Sorry."
"I am used to it."
It was much to everyone''s surprise that the problem was solved civilly. Iliana admitted her miss with a light punch to Basil''s chest, and Basil epted Iliana''s sincere apology while holding Iliana''s clenched hand on his chest.
Of course, that was how it looked from the people''s perspective. In truth, Iliana, fully knowing that Basil would be able to block it, had just hit him with four of her Magic Circles that she had sneakily gathered on her fist.
It was a method that any capable Mage did to destroy their opponent''s Magic Circles¡ªshing their Magic Circles that were of a higher quality against their opponent''s.
Usually, anyone who was able to do it would always end up destroying their opponent''s Magic Circles, since they mostly had Grand Circles. The case was different, however, if Basil became the opponent.
No one in Braxtein Kingdom had a higher Magic Circle''s quality than his, so letting Iliana hit his chest would only destroy her Magic Circles instead. That was why he had held Iliana''s fist, despite knowing it wouldn''t hurt him in the slightest.
"Kuhum! We will hear your offer, then."
At Darius'' remark, Basil let go of Iliana''s hand as Iliana retracted her hand. They then immediately faced him like nothing had just happened.
Darius felt sorry he was interrupting the couple''s sweet moment¡ªin his opinion¡ªbut they couldn''t waste anymore time there. They needed to get out of Raneil Barony as soon as possible so they could arrive at Woster County before the Demons.
"I will lead all of you out safely in exchange of a permission."
"Permission? What kind of a permission?"
"I want to take my family, who are still in Randalvine, to Raneil Barony."
"You have my permission."
Darius immediately epted Basil''s offer. He didn''t need to think twice; Basil wasn''t a coward, so he was sure he wouldn''t run away from the battle.
Furthermore, he understood Basil''s reason of bringing his family to the Barony well. Now that the ce was safe from Demons, his family''s safety would be more guaranteed.
''It is shameful to admit it, but at this point, I am not sure that even Randalvine is as safe as it looks.''
Seeing that he could convince Darius easily, Basil immediately nodded his head in satisfaction. He was about to lead them outside, when Iliana spoke to Darius.
"I will follow Basil to Randalvine."
"Why?"
"To chase some harlots away."
"Okay."
Darius didn''t want to debate with Iliana, so he immediately agreed to her request. Basil wondered what Iliana was aiming for, but he didn''t stop her from following him.
Although he had another reason to go to Randalvine, which was retrieving the legacy in Arthan Library, he didn''t have to worry about Iliana spoiling his n. She would never do anything that could harm him.
Turning his gaze outside, Basil stretched his hand forward, then made a chopping motion in the air. The purple mist split at his gesture, much to everyone''s bafflement.
Uncaring to their gaze, he immediately led them walk through the passage in the middle of the mist with Deacon on his shoulder and Iliana on his side.
Chapter 241 Confounding Variable (End)
Randalvine.
While the students were still being led out of Raneil Barony by Basil, the news of Ruttenhale Barony''s fall, and the Demons'' advance to Woster County was finally broadcasted in the capital of Braxtein Kingdom.
Everyone was appalled upon hearing the news, before thanking their fate for being in the safest ce in the Kingdom, the capital city, Randalvine. Needless to say, there were also some people who were still rmed regardless.
Those people were mostly the Nobles of Woster County, who had abandoned their territory, and the people who had an extremely cautious nature.
The extremely cautious people were afraid of the oue of the war they had predicted. They judged that their King had made a mistake by sending the Five Princes to BA-32; it was nothing but a waste of resources.
The Nobles were, of course, now afraid of losing their territory. They had abandoned their territory to escort their family to Randalvine, fully believing that the Demons wouldn''t be able to advance to Woster County.
Now that the Demons were proven to be capable of doing the very thing they thought the Demons couldn''t do, all of them were urgently running in their way back to their territory.
They were cowardly in nature, but when they saw there were many people with them, they wouldn''t think much to participate. After all, the Demons were still in their way¡ªthey hadn''t reached Woster County yet.
There were still some time for them to prepare their Viscountcy or Barony for the uing battle as long as they were quick enough to arrive at their territory. Running away even though there was still a chance to win would be stupid of them.
To simplify the matter, they were driven by their greed, which was sadly a pretty normal urrence amongst Nobles.
As the saying goes however, not everyone is the same. There were also some Nobles, which means very few of them, who were genuinely worried about the fate of the people staying in their territory.
"Mother, why do you have to go?"
"I am sorry, sweetheart. I can''t just leave our people behind."
"But, Mother... We are supposed to spend our time together! It''s¡ªit''s not even a week yet!"
"I am really sorry, Julia. However, this is my responsibility as the Viscount of Chilston."
One of the Nobles who were genuinely worried about their people''s fate was Viscountess Diana Chilston, the mother of Julia Chilston who was a friend of Shirley Cobham, Basil''s step sister.
"Jules..."
Shirley couldn''t say much upon witnessing the scene. She, on top of no longer having a mother, also didn''t have that strong of a bond with herte mother.
,m She couldn''t understand Julia''s dilemma of letting her mother go to the battlefield; she knew she wouldn''t feel any of that if she was in Julia''s position. As such, the only thing she could do was reassuring her friend.
"Believe in your mother."
Looking at the undoubtedly attractive mature woman in front of her, Shirley couldn''t help but admire Diana''s look. Diana was covered in armor that still left her with some mobility¡ªshe looked like a Valkyrie ready to go on a killing spree.
One would think that having a Mage daughter meant being a Mage oneself¡ªit was normal to think that way, but the case was different with Diana. Unlike her daughter, she was a proud Peak Stage Yellow Core Knight.
"I still can''t believe that Miss. Diana is such an outstanding Knight..."
"Fufufu. There is no need to tter me, father-inw."
"I am not your father-inw."
Diana merelyughed softly at Danzel''s quick retort as she turned her gaze to Julia who was still hugging her like a ko. She smiled sadly, before caressing her daughter''s head.
"Listen, I am not going to fight all of the Monsters by myself¡ªI have many people to help me." Staring deeply into Julia''s eyes, Diana continued, "I will return safely, so can you give me your trust?"
Julia silently stared at her mother with eyes stained with tears for a couple of seconds, before eventually nodding her head. She let go of her hug afterwards, then wept silently in front of her mother.
"I¡ªI will trust you... So,e home safely."
"Technically, I aming home now¡ªokay, I am sorry for being insensitive here. Fufufu." Diana stopped her joke thenughed when she noticed Julia''s unamused look. "Kuhum! Let us meet again when everything ends."
Diana smiled softly, then gave a light kiss to Julia''s forehead. She then turned to Danzel and bowed politely at him.
"I will leave my daughter in your care."
"To think that this day has finallye..." Danzel reminisced about the talk they had in the hotel''s lounge room, before shaking his head bitterly. "Don''t leave your daughter too long¡ªshe is still your responsibility."
"I will keep that in mind."
Danzel hummed in acknowledgement and Diana bowed politely once again. Giving ast goodbye to Julia, she turned around then rode the High Grade Hexapod Horse she had specially purchased for the battle with the Demons.
Neigh!
As she kicked the horse, it galloped like a sh. It didn''t take long until the people lost the sight of her and the horse.
''Fufufu. Will I be able to meet my first love at first sight? He is such a capable person, there is no way he doesn''t participate in this battle. Ah, I will use this time as my chance to capture his heart.''
While the people Diana left behind admired her in their heart for the brave thing she was willing to do for her people, said person herself had her own purpose of doing so.
It was quite difficult to decide whether she came to Woster County to save her people or to meet her crush whose heart already belonged to someone.
...
Southevile Viscountcy, Fortescher County (South).
"Achoo!"
"How can a Mage catch a cold? Aren''t you embarrassed at yourself, Chester?"
"Ah, sorry, Master ke. I don''t have a cold; I just suddenly felt the need to sneeze. My sense was telling me something terrifying woulde in the near future."
"I heard that hallucination is one of the symptoms of cold."
"I really don''t have a cold..."
ke looked at Chester weirdly, and Chester merely shook his head bitterly. They were quick to forget the matter however, since they had already arrived at their destination¡ªone of the Three Sacred Grounds, Southevile Viscountcy.
Unlike what one would expect from a Viscountcy that normally, at least, epassed an area of 300 square meters¡ªtwo times than the average area Barony epassed¡ªSouthevile Viscountcy looked like a rice field.
"Well, are we going to harvest some rice here?"
"Amazing... I can''t detect the Magic Barrier."
Of course, the two Mages were fully aware that what they saw wasn''t actually what it was. [Reality Altercation]¡ªthe highest level of Bewitchment that was cast upon the Viscountcy was the reason of what they were seeing.
Unlike the others, who were still unaware of the Three Sacred Grounds, the two Mages were already made aware of the Grounds'' existence. ording to how the Bewitchment worked, they should be able to enter the Viscountcy with that information.
"Master ke, why are you hesitating?"
"Although my instinct says it is clear, I can''t fully believe my instinct this time¡ªwho knows what years of living peacefully can do to my once sharp instinct. I can''t help but doubt the existence of the Grounds now."
"What are you talking about, Master ke? The King has said it himself¡ªhe gains nothing by lying to you about such a thing!"
"Are you sure he won''t gain anything by lying to me about such a thing?" ke raised his eyebrow. "Look at me, Chester. Who am I?"
Realization quickly dawned on Chester as he recalled how Anthony viewed ke and many others.
ke was an outstanding Mage, who had refused the title of Nobility for 30 years straight. Having ruled the Kingdom for such a long time, it was normal for Anthony to develop an illogical paranoia.
There were manypetent individuals, though not as many as the existing Nobles, who had always refused the offer of being one of the people in power. While in their view they did that to have aid-back life, Anthony might view them as a potential group of rebels.
As such, using the current chaotic situation as an opportunity to kill them all, potential rebels, was the wisest thing a King should do. Forcefully telling them about the non-existent Three Sacred Grounds was one way to do it.
Upon reaching to that conclusion, Chester stepped back in disbelief. He had only thought to himself for three seconds, but he had developed an urge toe home in that just three seconds.
"That''s a good reaction."
"What?"
As Chester faced ke with an extremely confused face, ke merely smiled at him while nodding in satisfaction.
"I was just messing with you, but I like your decision of assuming everyone is your enemy."
"Were you messing with me, Master ke?"
"Do you think I would tell you if I wasn''t?"
"Huuh... Thank goodness! I thought you wanted to bring me to death with you for a second."
"You would have been gone a long time ago, if that had been the case."
ke shook his head in amusement before touching the Magic Barrier he could barely feel in front of him. He didn''t feel like he touched anything, but when he stretched his hand forward, he couldn''t see his hand any longer.
"Let''s go, Chester."
"Yes, Master ke."
"Remember, you can only trust yourself. When the timees where you think that you can''t believe the people around you, trust yourself¡ªdon''t even put your trust in me."
"... I will keep that in mind."
ke understood pretty well that Chester didn''t actually listen to everything he said, but he didn''t want to scold Chester for that. There woulde a time where Chester would do what he said instinctively¡ªhe was sure about it.
As they stepped into the barrier, they were greeted by a different wind, different atmosphere, different scene, and a different mood.
They had heard that the Viscountcy was filled with a hundred people or so, but the only people they could see inside were the tense unaffiliated Mages and Knights¡ªtheir fellows¡ªand the young man in his mid thirties greeting them.
He had a dirty blond hair that was neatly swept to the right, a handsome face, and a sufficiently muscr figure toplement his looks.
The people felt something familiar about the person in front of them, but they couldn''t tell who the person was until they heard his voice.
"Hello, everyone. Wee to Southevile Viscountcy."
Charles Blois, the family killer, had reappeared as a confounding variable after 10 years of disappearance.
Chapter 242 Arthan Library
Boom!
Two different types of Energy overwhelmed the surrounding air inside the hidden Viscountcy as the unaffiliated Mages and Knights intimidated the man in front of them.
All of them were either enraged at the man''s audacity to show himself in front of them or anticipating what the man would do from now on. In response to the people''s reaction however, the man merely smiled faintly in amusement.
"It seems the story people tell about me is rooted deep inside all of you, for you to be that mad at me."
"Charles, why are you here?"
One of the Mages in the group, who had been a good acquaintance with thete head of Blois Family, looked at Charles, his acquaintance''s son coldly. Much to his utter rage however, Charles tilted his head and smiled mockingly.
"I wonder, how can I be here?"
"Stop ying games!"
"Ku-ku-ku ... Don''t get so riled up that quick, old man Averill." Charles faintlyughed in amusement, making Averill grit his teeth in anger. "Every happening has an exnation to it¡ªwhat has happened does to."
"Are you going to justify what you have done?!"
"Which is why I am here." Charles smirked then spread his hands.
"Madness!"
Averill immediately materialized his Grimoire and Magic Circles as he couldn''t bear his rage towards Charles any longer.
He had thought he might be able to talk about why Charles had done the atrocity, but he immediately found out that Charles was an absolute lost cause. He wouldn''t get anything out of Charles, as he was sure Charles had done the atrocity just because.
With six Magic Circles ring brightly behind him, Averill cast a sure kill Spell he had thought he would never use on someone he knew. Charles merely stood there doing nothing, as if he was sure he wouldn''t get hurt.
"Burn in hell for what you have done, Charles!"
Just as Averill was about to send his Spell at Charles however, another person showed up that made him cancel his Spell. He immediately turned silent at the person''s appearance, and the rest of the people were no different.
The surrounding turned quiet, and the previously violent assault of Mana and Qi immediately disappeared like a lie. All of the people''s eyes widened in shock as they looked at the person who was now standing right beside Charles.
The person was an elderly man in his sixties. He had a white hair that was neatlybed to the side, a bright skin tone, a slightly wrinkled but still attractive face, and a kind smile on his face.
"It seems my son has messed with you quite a bit."
"Earl Redford!"
The family head of the fallen Blois family, Earl Redford Blois, who was supposed to be already dead 10 years ago, had showed himself once again in front of the people who actually knew him personally.
The people were so shocked, they couldn''t help widening their eyes. They wanted to erupt in joy, but disbelief and confusion still overwhelmed them.
"You seem to be confused with the situation." Redford smiled at the people, and the people nodded in response. "I have to apologise to all of you, but what happened to my family was all the King''s n to send me here."
Many of them still couldn''t properly digest the fact that Redford had just reappeared in front of them, so Redford''s word confused them even further. Redford noticed the look on their face, and he faintlyughed at that.
"In other words, my son here, the cursed eldest son of Redford Blois, is nothing but a scapegoat of the bigger picture the King has drawn."
"Can you exin it in more detail, my friend?" Avrill asked Redford.
"Of course, I can." Redford smiled lightheartedly. "I also want to clean my beloved son''s name in the mind of the people I know after all." Heughed as he patted Charles'' shoulder.
"Father, stop it. I am no longer a teenager¡ªstop embarrassing me in front of your colleagues!"
Charles looked a little bit flustered, contrary to his previously calm and collected demeanor. Redford couldn''t helpughing even louder at that, and Charles'' face turned red from the embarrassment his father had caused.
The scene was simr to the very scene the people who personally knew Charles had witnessed 10 years ago¡ªit was heartwarming. At that moment, Charles looked exactly like the same kid they had pictured him to be 10 years ago.
"Kuhum! I am sorry for letting all of you stand here¡ªhow unsightly of me! Let us go to my manor, and talk on our way there."
Redford looked at the people with a smile, and the people merely nodded their head in confirmation. Redford was about to turn his body around so he could lead the people when Averill suddenly stepped forward and hugged him.
"I''m d to see you still alive, mate."
"I''m d that we can finally meet again."
The two elderly men let go of their hug afterwards, then chuckled at how absurd their reunion was. Redford then told Charles to lead everyone as he joined the group to exin what had actually happened 10 years ago.
"The Three Sacred Grounds have existed since the age of the First King of Braxtein, which is roughly 1800 years ago. 10 years ago, the original Viscount of Southevile, who at that time suffered from an unknown disease, made a plea to the King."
Redford was recounting the truth behind the atrocity Charles had done while the people were closely listening to whatever he said.
"He said that he wouldn''t be able to live for long, and he wanted the King to assign someone else to own Southevile. You might wonder why he asked that, and the answer is, because he didn''t have any descendant."
The people hummed in acknowledgement, and some had even realized where the story was going.
"The King agreed to his request, and pointed a new family to be given the honor of being the new owner of Southevile¡ªthat happens to be my family. Since the existence of the Three Sacred Grounds is highly confidential, the King decided to ''end'' our family lineage."
At this point, everyone finally sighed in realization. They finally understood the reason of Blois family''s fall was Redford''s new responsibility of guarding one of the Three Sacred Grounds.
Like he said, the existence of the Three Sacred Grounds was highly confidential, so he and his family had to forever stay inside Southevile Viscountcy to avoid people''s suspicion.
Of course, the family couldn''t just disappear one day, so their King had decided a smart way to make Blois family disappear from Braxtein Kingdom. The King had decided to make Blois family a "betrayer," but Charles Blois had a different idea.
Putting one of the forbidden Spells he had learnt into practice, Charles made a scenario where he killed his family in cold blood. The genius seed splendidly, but his reputation suffered for his sess.
Thanks to him however, Blois family remained a respectable family until its fall, and Redford could finally own Southevile.
"I was also quite surprised at how simr the bodies lookedpared to us¡ªCharles even managed to replicate our Mana signature ... It''s no wonder the people ept what happened did happen."
Redford smiled sadly as he looked at the back of Charles, his son. The other people who had heard his story also couldn''t help shaking their head bitterly as they found the whole situation ironic.
The kid they had thought an absolute disgrace to his family had actually sacrificed many things for his family. Charles had regained their respect, but they still couldn''t help feeling guilty over what they had thought of him for all this time.
"We are here!"
"Oh, we have arrived at my manor, everyone."
Charles sighed as he turned his body; he had been listening to his father''s dramatical way of telling the story, and he couldn''t help cringing at that. He now found facing the old people embarrassing due to what his father had done.
"Hoh? Howe I didn''t notice there is a young man here?"
At least, until his eyesnded on Chester, who was right beside ke. Like the others, ke was interacting with Redford, but Chester was intently looking at him as if wanting to figure him out.
"This is troublesome ... I need to think of a way to get rid of him."
Charles faintly smiled at Chester as he mused to himself, but his eyes conveyed anything but pleasant feelings. Once again, the people had fallen into Charles Blois'' scheme.
...
Just a few meters outside of Raneil Barony, the students of Randalvine Magic Institute were standing right behind Darius, their Students Council''s President. They were facing the Barony and the couple standing in front of it.
They had just gotten out of the Barony under Basil''s lead, and they could finally see the magnitude of Basil''s [Bloody Mist]. They still couldn''t figure out what kind of a Spell Basil had used, but their admiration for Basil was amplified because of it.
"It is time for us to part ways ... Temporarily. I hope it won''t be long until all of us meet once again." Darius extended his hand.
Basil merely nced at Darius'' hand without taking it. "May the unexpected not ur, shall we meet sooner."
Darius smiled wrily at Basil, then retracted his hand to avoid making the situation awkward. Turning his head to Iliana, he told her with his eyes to take care of Basil.
As Basil turned his back on the people, Iliana said her farewell to Darius, Cray and Whitney before doing the same thing. Deacon had already assumed his 3 meters tall Saberwolf form the moment she turned around, and Basil was already on his back.
As Iliana jumped to Deacon''s back, Basil immediately instructed Deacon to take off the moment her butt touched Deacon''s back. Deacon immediately took off, and his speed was much faster as he didn''t assume his original size.
It didn''t take long until the people could no longer see the couple and the Saberwolf, and they heaved a sigh of envy at that. They wished they could also travel that fast.
Still, they knew many of them secretly wished they would never reach Woster County. They could already see in their mind how chaotic the current situation must be there.
Chapter 243 Arthan Library (2)
Just as what one might expect from the defeated side, 25 kilometers away from Woster County, the army who had fought in Ruttenhale Barony was running without minding the people on their back or their side.
They felt like they were the only person running there,pletely disregarding the thought of helping each other out. They were still traumatized by what had happened just a few hours prior.
The Legion Commanders had received an information from the scouting team stating that they had found a vulnerable spot in the Demons'' defense, and all of the people were really excited at the prospect ofnding a heavy blow to the other side.
An assault n was concocted, and new assault groups were formed. Everyone was ready to vent their frustration on the Demons as their fighting spirit burned brighter than ever.
Much to their utter bafflement however, out of the newly formed 9 assault groups with 3000 people in each group, five of them ran way even before they reached the vulnerable spot.
It didn''t stop there; to further amplify their bewilderment, the so called vulnerable spot in the Demons'' defense had been nothing but a lie. The moment they arrived at said ce, all of them were ambushed by thousands of Middle ss Demons.
The so-called scout team that was made of mostly Nobles had provided all of them a fake investigation just so they could distract them. They wanted to run away from Ruttenhale Barony so badly, they stooped that low.
Thousands of humans and one of the Vice Commanders had fallen because of the dirty scheme. That was the beginning of the fall of Ruttenhale Barony, and they could confidently say it had been a miracle they managed to survive this far.
Ansley Woster, as one of the 5 remaining Nobles, had contributed so much to the survival of many people, and once again, he gained the people''s respect for his undying spirit and bravery.
In order to buy the time for the people to retreat, Ansley Woster, along with the eight Vice Commanders had led some of the willing people in the very front line. Their effort wasn''t fruitless as they had saved many people due to their bravery.
"My Lord, stay awake! We will arrive at the County soon!"
Still, in everything one achieves, one has to sacrifice something for it. The Fifth Legion''s Vice Commander had fallen in the chaotic battlefield, and Ansley was left critical due to the heavy blow he had received in the stomach.
Sceptical as they might to another people, everyone who had seen how much Ansley had struggled didn''t even think twice to carry his weak body with them. Either they were a Noble or just an ordinary Mage or Knight, all of them were willing to take care of him.
They abhorred the dirty thing the 5 assault groups had done to them, and they didn''t want to end up the same. They knew how to thank the person who had helped them, so they did their best to save Ansley.
"I can''t hear any sound behind us. Where are they?!"
"Don''t look back¡ªkeep running!"
"O mighty Gods in the heaven, bestow upon us your grace, and save us from the Monsters chasing us!"
Exmations of worry resounded amongst people. They had been chased by the Demons for a quite some time, so when they saw that the Demons were no longer following them, their heart immediately sank to the bottom of their stomach.
''What are the Monsters nning to do? Where are they currently? Have they really stopped chasing us? Where would they possibly show up?!''
Those questions upied their mind, even making them temporarily forget that the goal was not to mind the Monsters, but staying alive. No one could me them however, since their survival also depended on their readiness on facing the Demons'' ambush.
They had to stay alert everytime to avoid losing their life; being paranoid was the best thing they could do for their survival. Lucky them, they managed to arrive at Woster County without facing a single ambush in their way.
"Bring the injured to the Church¡ªquick!"
"Prepare yourself for the uing battle!"
"Steady your breath!"
Upon reaching there, the army was busy once again. They immediately took the injured people to the Church so the Priests, who fortunately stayed behind, could heal them, before preparing their formations to face the Demons.
Some of the lightly injured soldiers were treated by the only 20 Healers in the army. They deliberately didn''t go to the Church for they knew they would just be wasting the Priests'' Miracle.
They understood that their injuries wouldn''t be fully healed by the Healers as the Healers were already extremely exhausted from the constant [Healing] they had done, but they didn''t need to have an uninjured body to be able to fight.
They, of course, wouldn''t normally fight like that¡ªignoring the small injuries on their body¡ªbut the situation gave them no choice. Unless they wanted the heavily injured people remain injured, they would never ask the Priests to heal their injuries.
Badump. Badump.
Their heart beat loudly in anticipation and slight terror; they were closely watching the forest where they hade from to look out for the Demons. All of them sensed movements, but none of them dare to feel the presences.
Knowing full well that Demons were very sensitive creatures, they didn''t want to extend their Mana Sense or Qi Wave that far. They didn''t want to expose themselves, which in turn, would expose the other people.
The Knights and Battle Mages held their weapons tighter the clearer they heard the sound of movements, meanwhile the Spellcasters were already casting their Spells.
It only took a few seconds for the first figure to show themselves. The people, who had intended to attack whatever wasing out of the forest, however immediately stomped their urge down, and sighed in relief the moment they saw who the figure was.
"We are the aides from Randalvine Magic Institute! Please, hold your attack!"
The help they had been secretly waiting for¡ªthe incredible students of Randalvine Magic Institute had finally joined them.
Many of them shook their head bitterly while smiling in disbelief at the joy they felt, but they still didn''t abhor themselves for depending on the younger people. The students were more than qualified to be depended on.
The moment the groups of students arrived in front of the people, the red haired girl with a delicate body but a maturely stern face, who had been leading the students, stepped forward.
"Allow me to introduce myself. My name is Annabeth, the Secretary of Randalvine Magic Institute''s Student Council." Annabeth bowed. "I am here under our President''smand to aid you in the uing battle."
The man, whom Annabeth had bowed to, Baron Ruttenhale, hummed in acknowledgement as he took a good look at Annabeth. Like anyone, he could see Annabeth had a very weak body, but he had a strong feeling he wouldn''t win a fight against her.
"May I ask you where the other 60 students our Magic Institute has sent here are?"
"That is..." Baron Ruttenhale''s face immediately turned sour. "They have run away with some of the Nobles ... I can''t me them though."
"I see." Annabeth nodded solemnly. "I am very sorry for the inconveniences our students have caused you."
Baron Ruttenhale immediatelyughed in disbelief the moment he looked at the expression on Annabeth''s face. ''They are definitely going to die,'' was what her face was conveying.
''As I expected, no matter how old they are, I can''t bring myself to be fond of Mages.''
Baron Ruttenhale, as an adult Knight, was terrified upon feeling the sheer killing intent Annabeth was exuding. He knew, in this kind of world, betrayal was an unforgivable scene, but only Mages could be that decisive.
He had seen how frightened the students had been in Ruttenhale. He had seen many of them had called their parents when they were eaten alive by the Demons.
Twenty three¡ªthat was how many students he had watched being eaten alive by the Demons. He perfectly knew what they had in their mind the entire time, and he didn''t me them for the choice they had made.
''This kid¡ªshe didn''t even ask why they ran, but she still decided to punish her friends simply because they had broken the rule.''
Everyone was aware of the rule Randalvine Magic Institute had applied to their students: never abandon your assigned post.
The students were given the privilege to retreat to the backmost line¡ªto "safety," but they were never allowed to leave the post they were assigned to. A heavy punishment would await them if they did that.
Regardless of the situation however, Mages kept being Mages, they would always stick to the rules. Just like how Annabeth had decided the students were punishable due to what they had done despite the understandable reason.
"I have only gotten ten bodies of our fallen students from the previous battlefield, Ruttenhale Barony. I wonder if you bring the rest of the bodies with you."
"You went to my Barony?!" Baron Ruttenhale''s eyes widened. "Howe we didn''t notice any of you?"
"We arrived there just a few moments after you left the Barony. We have also been following closely behind you for all this time."
"Then, the Monsters... All of you..." Baron Ruttenhale widened his eyes once again as another realization dawned upon him.
Annabeth nodded her head simply. "Yes, we were the one who had led them off course." ncing at the people behind Baron Ruttenhale, Annabeth continued, "Am I allowed to meet the Vice Commanders?"
"Of course, you are allowed to. They are currently being treated in the Church however, so you have to wait for some time."
"That is fine."
Just as Baron Ruttenhale was about to lead Annabeth to the Church so she could meet the seven Vice Commanders, they were all surprised by another group''s appearance.
This group wasn''t consisted of many members, but each of them had a uniquely undeniable aura surrounding them. They also had varied personality judging from the expression they had, but it was apparent they were already used to battles.
"We are the aides from Randalvine Magic Institute!"
The rest of the Rehearsal ss¡ªLitton, Monica, and Missy¡ªhad arrived at Woster County, along with a couple ofpetent people.
Chapter 244 Arthan Library (3)
Randalvine Magic Institute.
Marquess Lawson Lansdowne, the Vice Principal of the Magic Institute was smiling bitterly as he thought about the currently ongoing Outbreak. Things had developed to the direction no one had expected, and unfortunately it wasn''t a good thing.
Two days ago, Jacinda, the Principal of Randalvine Magic Institute, received a letter ordering her to prove her loyalty to the Kingdom. He, as a good friend of her, was the only person whom she told about that to, but she still didn''t say much about it.
She didn''t say anything about how she could prove her loyalty to the Kingdom or where she had gone to. As someone who knew Anthony, the King, in his younger days, Lawson couldn''t help but worry over Jacinda''s safety.
''That lunatic must be nning something to further solidify his position.''
Originally, Anthony allowed every unaffiliated Mage and Knight to bring one person with them to the Sacred Grounds, however knowing the real intention of Anthony to allow it, Jacinda had decided to put Lawson out of it.
She didn''t want to give Lawson the burden of keeping the existence of the Three Sacred Grounds a secret¡ªthe burden she had. This is the reason why Lawson waspletely clueless about Jacinda''s whereabouts.
Unfortunately, that wasn''t the only problem he had right now.
"Mr. Lawson, please, allow us to go to Woster County!"
"We beg you, Mr. Lawson! Let us meet our father!"
"Huuh..."
Lawson massaged his forehead as he looked at the two young men standing in front of his desk in his office. There were actually three young men standing in his office, but only two of them were giving him a headache.
They were the sons of the Earl of Woster, namely, Clovis, Oswald, and Harold from the eldest to the youngest. While the youngest seemed like he was just going with the flow, the two were pretty dissatisfied of what their father had done to them.
"Your father has exerted Exemption on you¡ªI can''t let you go meet him. Exemption is only given to individuals who have contributed many things to the Kingdom, and it is disgraceful to break it."
"Exemption can be refused, Mr. Lawson. We refuse the Exemption right!"
At Clovis'' heated deration, Lawson once again shook his head bitterly.
Exemption was a right given to the few chosen Nobles whose contribution to the Kingdom was too many to ignore. It was a right to plea to the King for exempting one''s family''s members from participating in the war.
Ansley, as an Earl who was actively contributing to the Kingdom, of course, had that right on him, and being a loving father to his sons, he didn''t think twice to use his Exemption right.
Unfortunately however, his sons didn''t like the feeling of being deemed they would not be able to help their father.
They understood pretty well their father''s worry and show of care, but their father''s decision didn''t sit quite right with them. Their dissatisfaction was further amplified the moment they saw their fellow students got deployed to the battlefield.
They weren''t jealous of the chance to go to the battlefield that Randalvine Magic Institute had given to their fellow students, but they couldn''t just stomach the fact they were amongst the hundreds of those who had to stay.
Different from Harold, who had merely been picked up from Stardust Academy a day ago, Clovis and Oswald were a senior in the Magic Institute. No matter how meager the ability they possessedpared to their outstanding fellows, they could still fight.
They felt like they were an absolute ipetent Mages as they had to stay behind with the students from Randalvine Preparatory Academy. They didn''t like that feeling, so they were vehemently refusing the Exemption exerted on them.
"I think it is better to respect our father''s decision, brothers." Harold opened his mouth for the first time, and his two brothers immediately turned their head to him. "I also wouldn''t think twice, if I was in Father''s position."
"Harold, I get what you mean. However, we are able to help Father¡ªnot doing anything despite so is a great mistake."
"Are you saying that I can''t do anything to help, Oswald?" Harold smiled weakly.
"A Second Circle Mage is not allowed to participate in the war. We are not looking down on you, but even if you were stronger, we wouldn''t let you go either," Clovis quickly exined as Oswald nodded his head in agreement.
"Aren''t you two just being like Father? Look at that selfishness..."
Clovis and Oswald were aware of the hypocritical thing they had just said, but they pretended as if they didn''t hear Harold''s muttering. Like their father, they just wanted the best for Harold.
"In my days, Subjugations were something we, young people, dreaded. Monsters still heavily popted many regions at that time, and a Subjugation was no different from a war."
Lawson, who had no more idea to convince the two elder brothers to stay, decided to talk about his experience. He didn''t know whether it would somehow change their mind, but he managed to draw their attention.
"I have seen many of my friends getting eaten alive by the Monsters¡ªsome had been good friends, and some had been close friends. Being assigned to a Subjugation at that time was a death sentence¡ªit was not a good thing."
Lawson gazed over the three young men standing in front of him, especially the two most stubborn ones, then sighed bitterly while faintly shaking his head.
"You are lucky that your father has a right to exempt you from the battlefield. Believe me, battlefield is not as romantic as you think; you can only die or suffer there."
"We are painfully aware of that, Mr. Lawson."
Lawson slightly widened his eyes the moment he heard Clovis'' direct response. He had thought Clovis and Oswald would, at least, contemte about what he said before giving him a response.
"You forgot one fundamental thing however: this is not the past." Clovis looked seriously into Lawson''s eyes. "We will go to the battlefield because we want it, not because we are forced to do it."
"We will fight not for the Kingdom, but to ensure the safety of our father," Oswald added. "I think it is a good enough reason to go to the battlefield."
Lawson didn''t know what to say as he looked at the face of the two young men in front of him. He could already see their look of determination since the beginning, but he still couldn''t bring himself to allow them to go.
He knew their ability well¡ªthey were pretty averagepared to his other students. Instructing his other students to go to the battlefield were hard for him, let alone allowing the sons of someone he knew quite well.
When he saw the look on their face however¡ªthe pure determination on their face¡ªhe also felt that he should respect the decision they made. No matter how young they looked, they, after all, were adults¡ªthey got to decide for themselves.
"Huuh... Your father will definitely be mad at me."
"Thank you, Mr. Lawson!"
"Hold on!" Lawson put his hand up the moment he heard their delightful exmation. "You only have my permission to meet your father, not to fight in the battle."
"Understood!"
Lawson immediately shook his head bitterly upon hearing their quick response. He knew they wouldn''t follow his order.
Furthermore, the moment they met their father¡ªthe moment they entered the battlefield, the Exemption would be annulled. Therefore, they still had to fight whether they wanted to or not.
Click!
Like a sh, the two young men exited Lawson''s office, leaving their younger brother there with him. Harold could only smile wrily at his brothers'' behaviour, and Lawson merely sighed in exasperation.
"Are you sure you didn''t make a wrong decision?"
"I am sure I made a wrong decision ... However, I am sure they will do right."
"I see..."
Lawson mildly looked at Harold from the corner of his eyes, and wondered about the next thing Harold would do. Harold ended up standing there silently for half a minute, before bowing at him.
"I am sorry for the inconveniences my elder brothers have caused." As he straightened himself, he continued, "I am going to the brothel, so I will excuse myself."
"... You may leave."
Click.
Although,pared to his brothers, Harold didn''t exit the room dramatically, he managed to leave Lawson speechless.
''He really respects his father''s decision, it seems...''
Harold''s nonchnce about the whole situation was admirable in a way.
...
Close to two days had passed since Iliana and Basil had departed from Raneil Barony. Since they were moving at a constant high speed, they had passed Woster County a day ago.
With the help of the Teleportation Gate stationed in Woster County, they were already in Crownveil Dukedom, which was just 200 kilometers away from Randalvine. In other words, they would arrive there in an hour and a half.
"Is there a need for us to go on a roundabout way? With our speed, we would have already arrived at Randalvine since yesterday, if you didn''t choose the longest route possible."
Iliana, who was tightly hugging Basil''s waist on Deacon''s back, couldn''t help but suspect that Basil was up to something again. She could feel his urgency, but he puzzled her by acting as if he was buying some time for something.
"You may be thinking that I am stalling for time, but I assure you this is nothing but a precaution."
"What kind of precaution?"
"I don''t want to attract unwanted attentions. I want my presence in Randalvine to be unannounced."
"Are you referring to the Church?"
"Them, and many others."
Iliana hummed to herself as she thought about what Basil was actually nning. She, of course, would never find out Basil''s real reason for doing that, because unlike him, she didn''te from the future.
Basil had actually been looking for the two Goap''s Generals who had been assigned to lead their armies to the capital city, Randalvine.
''Ah, there they are ... There are two of them, just like thest time, but their armies are smaller than thest time. Nheless, they will give the Kingdom a huge shock.''
They had dealt a very heavy blow to the Kingdom in the past, because they managed to remain undetected until they reached Randalvine. This is the reason why Basil had been looking for them.
He wanted to get a grip of their position to estimate their arrival, so he could use the chaos they caused better to his advantage.
Chapter 245 Arthan Library (4)
Although Basil had found the location of the two Goap''s Generals along with their 100 legions, Iliana and him weren''t actually near the Demons. They were 70 kilometers apart from the Demons.
The reason why Basil could see clearly that far was [Visualization]¡ªhe still didn''t have a high enough Magic Mastery level to allow him to see that far.
One might wonder why Basil didn''t ask the Guide where the Demons were since the beginning, but Basil had actually done that. Since he didn''t want to bother himself with manually looking for them, he had asked where they were to the Guide in advance.
He had been provided with an answer, but the answer had not been direct enough to give him the exact position of where the Demons were.
He had immediately activated [Visualization] afterwards, but unfortunately he still couldn''t see the Demons he wanted to see with it. He figured out not long after that he could only target someone he had met.
Since, in this life, he still had only met one Goap''s General, he couldn''t target the any other Generals other than Luci. In other words, he wouldn''t be able to watch over them whenever he wanted to.
This is the reason why he had been looking for the Demons with the clue the Guide had given him: he wanted to "directly" see the two Goap''s Generals, so he could target them with [Visualization].
Now that he had seen them, he could finally watch over them everytime he wanted. Since that goal of him was achieved, he eventually instructed Deacon to take the shortest route possible to Randalvine.
The way Basil suddenly changed their course was so smooth, Iliana didn''t even notice it. She still had a suspicion that Basil was up to something again, but she could never guess what Basil was actually up to.
20 minutes passed in silence, and they eventually arrived in front of the Gate of Randalvine. The guards didn''t stop them even though they were riding a Magic Beast, as the guards recognized what their uniform meant.
All of Randalvine Magic Institute''s students were given an instant ess to enter Randalvine. Despite so however, Basil and Iliana still chose to get down from Deacon to avoid unwanted attentions.
Deacon also immediately assumed his Chibi form, then hopped onto Basil''s shoulder. Like nothing happened, the two people and the Beast moved towards their destination afterwards.
"What is the name of the hotel you let my family stay at?"
"Grassjumper. It''s a 5 stars hotel, so don''t worry¡ªyour family is treated well."
"No, that''s not why I am asking¡ªI believe my family could survive even if they stayed at a nameless inn. I am asking you because I don''t know where they are."
"They are away from the Church, so it''s fine."
Basil slightly blinked his eyes at Iliana''s meticulousness, which he didn''t expect from the current her, before nodding his head in appreciation. Iliana merely smirked in satisfaction, as if she had beaten him on something.
As they walked towards the hotel where Basil''s family was staying at, they attracted many civilians'' eyes. A lot of them wondered how they, Randalvine Magic Institute''s students, could be there at the moment.
They had heard the news about the deployment of three thousands of Randalvine Magic Institute''s students to the battlefield. The civilians couldn''t even see any Academy student roaming around Randalvine, so seeing the two of them really puzzled the civilians.
Basil and Iliana stopped receiving the people''s gaze once they entered Grassjumper Hotel, but they still received a look of bewilderment from the receptionist on the table.
"Good day, sir." The receptionist immediately bowed at Basil. "I will notify our manager first, so I will have to make you¡ª"
"We are not going to stay here," Basil cut the receptionist. "I am here to pick my family up, so don''t waste my time."
Basil lightly clicked his tongue in distaste, and the receptionist slightly shivered in fright. Basil didn''t have any intention to scare her however; he was just irked at how much of a bootlicker the people in the business were.
He knew the receptionist had thought he and Iliana had fled the battlefield, and now they were looking for a ce to hide. This is the reason why she deemed Basil should meet her manager.
"I¡ªI am sorry for assuming things, sir." The receptionist bowed respectfully. "M-May I know who the family member you want to¡ª"
"Brother?"
At the interruption, Basil, Iliana, and the receptionist turned their head to the person the voice belonged to. The person was none other than Shirley, Basil''s stepsister, who was currently looking at him hesitantly.
"A-Are you really my brother?"
"You have forgotten your own brother?"
"Brother!"
Shirley''s eyes immediately widened at the familiar voice. She couldn''t help herself from running towards Basil and jump at him.
Although he looked different and his voice was heavier, she was sure it was him. He was the only person she knew, who could be condescending, charismatic, cocky, and respectable at the same time.
Basil smiled softly at Shirley, who had grown so much in the past two months or so he hadn''t met her, as he opened his hands. He caught her in his arms, then hugged her lithe body warmly.
While he mused about how small Shirley''s body felt in his arms, Shirley mused about how big her brother had be. She had only not seen him for two months, but it felt like she hadn''t met him in five years.
"My goodness, just how tall you have grown in the past months I haven''t met you?"
"Much taller than you could ever be."
"I have grown too, you know. Look how tall I have be!"
Shirley puffed her chest up, and raised her chin highly in a bragging manner. Basil merely put his hand on top of Shirley''s head, then made an imaginary mark on his chest to show how tall she was.
"168 centimeters?"
"Why do you sound so condescending?"
"That is just how I speak."
Basil smirked at Shirley''s sour look, and they bothughed softly afterwards. The two became silent once again as Shirley gave him another hug, before taking him to Daniel and rissa, who were chilling in the lounge room.
As Basil didn''t make a sound when he entered the room, he could observe the look of worry Danzel and rissa had on their face. He knew they must be worrying about his safety, and he couldn''t help but smile at that.
"It has been some time."
"... Basil?!"
"Basil!"
Unlike Danzel who needed a few seconds to ept what he saw was indeed real, rissa immediately jumped at Basil the moment she turned her head at him. Basil, like before, caught her in his arms, then hugged her warmly.
''Have I grown too much or my sisters are already this small since the very beginning?''
Basil couldn''t help but muse over the fact. In his past life, after hitting a growth spurt due to his Knight Training, he had never hugged someone that was significantly smaller than him¡ªhe didn''t have that much people around him.
His rtionship with Shirley at that time had been strained so much, he had even been closer to the baker near the inn he had stayed at. Hugging her, who had also been smaller than him at that time, was close to impossible.
The only person he had hugged closely in his past life like how he had hugged the two girls had been Iliana. Even so, at that time, Iliana hadn''t been that smallpared to him.
With that being said, he still couldn''t get used to the sensation of hugging someone who was significantly smaller than him ... He just still couldn''t get used to the sensation of hugging someone other than Iliana warmly.
"Kuhum! I don''t mean to ruin your family''s reunion, but Basil doesn''t have much time to spend here."
Basil immediately let go of rissa the moment he heard Iliana''s reminder. Shirley immediately stood beside rissa as Basil gazed at the three people he deemed his family and exined his purpose of meeting them.
"I want all of you to stay at Raneil Barony for the moment. Many unexpected things have ured in this Outbreak¡ªno one can predict the oue of this event anymore, so we need to take a precaution"
"Why do we have to stay there?"
"I have cleaned the site off any Monster, so you can stay there until the Outbreak is concluded." Sensing a questioning, Basil immediately exined. "No, you can''t stay here¡ªthe King is currently not in his throne."
Silence descended upon the room as the people looked at Basil in bewilderment¡ªeven Iliana was no exception. They understood what Basil meant by his word¡ªRandalvine had lost its greatest protector¡ªbut they couldn''t figure out how Basil knew of it.
"I don''t think we have been informed about that," Iliana said with a frown.
"I have a reliable source," Basil immediately replied.
Basil was, of course, referring to the Guide¡ªhe had seen where Anthony was at the moment through [Visualization]¡ªbut Iliana would never know that. Despite so, Iliana still believed him.
Basil had figured out so many things he shouldn''t know about, so she had no other option than believe him. Whether he was lying or not didn''t really matter; the goal was convincing his family to go to Raneil Barony.
"If that is the case, then... We have no choice, don''t we?"
"Yes. I don''t want to see any of you get hurt, so you have no option."
Danzel sighed at Basil''s answer, but nodded his head nheless. He knew the boy must be hiding something from them, but he didn''t want to pry about it upon looking at the genuine care the boy showed.
"Take this with you." Basil handed Danzel a Sound Tablet. "I believe you already know how to use it, so I want you to notify my friend when you are already close to Raneil Barony."
Danzel nodded his head silently, then kept the Sound Tablet in his Spatial Ring much to rissa''s bewilderment. She didn''t know Danzel had created a new Synthetic Core under Basil''s guidance.
rissa''s questioning look was directed at Basil and Danzel, but they wisely ignored her. Just as Basil was about to lead his family outside, someone suddenly came inside the room.
"What is happening¡ªoh, Senior Basil!"
"..."
"What are you¡ªI am in! Let me join you guys, please!"
Nothing had been exined to her yet, but Julia seemed to have already grasped the situation, so Basil didn''t have any other choice than allowing her to join his family to Raneil Barony.
Chapter 246 Arthan Library (End)
Basil, and the others had gotten out of the hotel. Basil along with Iliana were seeing his family off, since he had found a carriage that was willing to take his family to Raneil Barony.
Shirley had also begged Basil to let Julia go with them, so it had been decided that the girl joined his family to Raneil Barony. The girl was pretty grateful of Basil''s permission as she kept thanking him before they had gotten out of the hotel.
"We will be waiting for you at our house..." Danzel hugged Basil tightly as he knew that he wouldn''t see Basil in a quite some time. "Darn it, you have grown so big, I feel like I am the child here."
Danzelughed as he let go of his hug, then patted Basil on his shoulder. Basil, in the other hand, gave Danzel a small smile, before nodding his head in assurance.
"I¡ªI want to talk about something to you... But, it seems impossible now given the situation." rissa sighed to herself as she looked at Basil. "You know, I want to¡ª"
"I know," Basil cut rissa in the middle of her sentence, then put his hand on her stomach. "This is the only thing I can do for you now."
"T-This warmth...!"
Basil had figured out that rissa still had her Natural Core intact a few months ago when she had fallen asleep in the sofa beside him. He had merely checked it out of curiosity, and he had been rewarded with a surprise.
He had realized rissa''s desire to stand on the same spot as everyone else even before she realized it, so when she had shown her determination to pave her way as a Knight, he didn''t think twice to awaken her Natural Core.
"This is your Core heating up. Don''t resist the energy¡ªlet it flow through your body," Basil instructed as he saw rissa bracing herself.
rissa did what Basil instructed, and she spent the next two minutes or so sweating as if she was boiled in a pot. She immediately felt cool when the process ended as her body felt lighter than ever.
"You have a Middle Stage Orange Core, but you can''t still be considered a Knight, so you can''t go walk around challenging death," Basil warned as he looked at the admiring look on rissa''s face. "I have given pops the Body Forging Technique, so learn from him."
rissa nodded excitedly, before hugging Basil tightly. "Thank you! Just know that I will be as strong as you when youe back!"
"I will be waiting for that day toe." Basil smiled faintly as he patted rissa''s head.
After giving another heartfelt farewell, his family finally got inside the carriage that had been waiting for slightly more than 5 minutes at that point. Basil watched the carriage until it disappeared from his normal view, before turning to Iliana.
"Are you entranced by my otherworldly charm?" Upon turning to Iliana, Basil found that she was looking at him in wonder and a well hidden bafflement.
"You know that what you just did is not supposed to be real, right?"
"Seeing my family off is not supposed to be real?"
"Awakening!" Iliana slightly raised her volume. "There is no man should be capable of doing that ... Who are you, really?"
"Just a man who knows more than he should."
Iliana shook her head helplessly the moment she heard Basil''s answer. She knew Basil was hinting that she should also uncover all of her secret if she wanted to hear his.
She wasn''t ready yet¡ªshe wanted the moment tost a little bit longer¡ªso she decided to drop the matter entirely. The day where she told him the truth should be the day where she was ready, and now wasn''t the time yet.
"So, what are you going to do now?" Iliana quirked her eyebrow.
"I will make a good use of my reward." Basil took a thin golden card out of his Spatial Bracelet, then shed it to Iliana. "I am going to read about something."
"Seriously? You are going to visit a library now of all time?"
Iliana was simply dumbfounded at what Basil was going to do. She had thought he was really up to something, but she didn''t expect that ''something'' would be visiting the capital''s library, which he could visit any day.
"Don''t you know that as a Randalvine Magic Institute''s student you don''t need that card to enter Arthan Library? We are given a privilege to enter that ce whenever we want."
"Surely, the ess is limited, no?"
"It is, but if you only want to read... Hold on. You... Are you..."
Basil merely smiled at Iliana''s trailed off words, and let her guess whatever she liked. She wouldn''t be able to figure out what he was going to do in the library, except for the fact that he was going to visit the restricted sections of it.
As Basil walked towards the library''s direction, Iliana followed behind him quietly. Both of them were busy with their own thought, so none of them paid any attention to the bewildered gaze the people around them gave them.
Since the hotel where Basil''s family had stayed at wasn''t that far from the library, with a normal speed, they arrived at the library after 5 minutes of walking.
The library looked more like a parliament house rather than a library with its white color. It covered an area of 2 square kilometers, and was supported by countless of pirs made from onyx marble¡ªit looked ssy.
There was not a single guard guarding it, but no one dare to do as what they liked there. It was amon knowledge that the library was decorated with countless of High Grade Runes, so no one could mess with it.
Basil didn''t want to waste his time by admiring the grandiose library, which he didn''t think was grandiose enough to impress him, so he immediately climbed up the stairs with Iliana in tow.
Warp!
The moment he stepped his foot on the stairs to the library, he could immediately feel some resistance, which signified that the Runes were checking him out. He, of course, let the Runes "see" what he wanted them to see, so he passed the test sessfully.
"You are pretty sneaky, aren''t you?"
"I can say the same for you."
Basil replied Iliana''s implicit jab with his own, and both of them immediately smirked knowingly at each other afterwards. They were simply amused at how secretive they were living their life.
Upon arriving in front of the gigantic door of the library, Basil immediately put his golden pass on the part of the door that should normally be upied by a handle. The door opened slowly, and the two of them entered the library afterwards.
"You can just use our Student''s ID to enter this ce, you know?"
"I want to visit the forbidden sections, so I can''t do that."
"You can do it after entering the library."
Basil looked at Iliana curiously; he was wondering what Iliana was on about. He knew that using his golden pass before he entered the library would also allow whoever beside him toe to the forbidden sections, but he didn''t get why she was concerned.
"Why do I have to waste my time doing that?"
"Do you trust me enough to let me see what you are up to this time?"
"Of course. Why is that even a question?"
"..."
Iliana slightly recoiled in surprise, and she didn''t know how to properly react to Basil''s answer. She regained herposure quite quickly however, as she immediately frowned and thought hard about what Basil was nning to do to her.
"I don''t have any intention to do you any harm¡ªI will never do that to my girlfriend."
"I am not doubting you also. I am just slightly surprised my boyfriend trusts me that much."
Basil faintly smiled at Iliana''s sarcastic remark; he knew she was referring to what he had made her do in the Dungeon. Ignoring her slightly disgruntled look, he turned his body around then walked towards the forbidden sections.
He didn''t actually know where the legacy was kept in the library. He had heard the story of the random Mage who had found the legacy in his past life, but nothing had been mentioned about where that Mage had actually found it.
He was sure, however, the legacy wasn''t kept in a ce where everyone''s eyes could see it, so the forbidden sections fulfilled that requirement quite well. He would search for the legacy there first, before exploring the entire library when he didn''t find it.
One might ask why he didn''t ask the Guide, but he had done it prior to entering the library. He had asked where the legacy he was searching was kept, but the answer the Guide provided him hadn''t been satisfactory.
¡ªGuide, where is the legacy kept inside the library?
¡ªIn the most least expected ce inside the library.
As he mused about how irritating the Guide had be in his way to the forbidden sections, he could see many gigantic racks surrounding him. As a bibliophile, he was slightly amazed at how many books the library stored.
His appreciation towards the Guide rose slightly as the Guide contained more knowledge than the countless of books in the library contained.
"This is the ce."
Basil stopped in his track then looked at the ck door in front of him. Aside from having countless of Runes decorating it, there was also a ''limited ess'' sign attached to it.
It didn''t take a genius to conclude that the door was connecting to the forbidden sections of the library.
When Basil put his hand on the door''s surface, the Runes lit up in activation as they had registered his Mana as something that belonged to someone who was given the permission to enter.
The door opened afterwards, revealing a dimly lit room with an ominous aura. Like the unrestricted sections, there were also many racks, albeit smaller, decorating the room.
"Are they keeping a cursed Grimoire here?" Ilianamented funnily as she sensed the unpleasant aura.
"Yes."
"Seriously?" She quirked her eyebrow in caution.
Basil didn''t exin anything further, and it made Ilianae to believe that it was indeed the case. She got closer to Basil as she tried to figure out where the cursed Grimoire was possibly kept at.
Basil shook his head faintly in amusement as he couldn''t believe Iliana bought his nonsense. He kept looking at his surrounding, until his eyesnded on a particr section.
[Unforgivable Sinners]
There, he met an entire section dedicated to his biological father''s name.
Chapter 247 Halton Rothermere
"Unforgivable Sinners..."
Basil looked at the sign attached to one of the racks in front of him. It only took his eyes a few seconds to register everything in the racks, and his eyesnded on a particr section of the rack afterwards.
[Halton Rothermere]
There were a few journals on that particr section of the rack, and Basil couldn''t help humming in curiosity as he wondered about what would be in the content of the journals. As curiosity took over him, he moved his feet towards said section.
Badump. Badump.
His heart pounded as he was getting closer to the particr section for some reason, and he couldn''t help but wonder what he was anticipating. When he arrived in front of said section, he immediately took one of the journals in the section.
[Life Records]
He flipped open the journal immediately, and was greeted with a photograph of handsome man in his early thirties. Even without reading the caption written below the photograph, he knew it was his father¡ªHalton Rothermere.
A short brown hair, a handsome manly face with an angr jaw, dark brown eyes, and a muscr stature¡ªthe resemnce between the man and Basil was too apparent to be ignored. Even Iliana, who was also reading the journal beside him, could deduce the man was Basil''s father.
[He was a respectable man who was loved by his subordinates and his friends. He was a reliable man who was depended on by everyone, even his people. One might ask a hundred person who he was, and their answer would be the same¡ªa good man.]
As Basil read the introductory of the journal, he mused about how simr his father acted as how he looked. He had known his father was an honest man the moment he saw his father''s eyes in the photograph; they spoke no deceit.
Basil was actually quite surprised how the journal wasposed as he had never visited Arthan Library even once in his past life. He never knew something like this existed, so he also didn''t know what the content of the journal would be.
[Halton Rothermere was born in an ordinary family. His father and mother weren''t Mages nor were they Knights. He was basically the light of hope of the family the moment his family figured out that he was blessed with the capability to be a Mage.]
As Basil flipped the next page, he could read about the childhood of his father; he found out that his father had been an honest individual since he was a child. He was so engrossed in reading it, he didn''t even mind Iliana in the least bit.
The more Basil read the more he understood where he got his naivety from. He knew such such a thing wasn''t hereditary, but he couldn''t help musing about that thought considering how simr his youth in the past life, and his father''s.
Like him, his father had also been backstabbed countless of times, before he eventually learned of his mistake of believing just everyone. His father quickly rose in fame afterwards, and was given a Noble title when he became a Fourth Circle Mage at the age of 28.
Althoughpared to Basil, his father''s talent was not much, ording to Braxtein Kingdom''s standard, his father was considered a talented individual. After all, many people were stuck in the Lower Realm even after they passed their thirties.
Being a bibliophile, it didn''t take Basil long until he reached thest chapter of the journal. He had glossed over the chapter that talked about his father''s achievement¡ªhe didn''t care about it¡ªas he was more interested with thest chapter.
"The First and Last Sin ... It seems like something the Church would write," Ilianamented as she read the title of the chapter.
"It doesn''t take a genius to conclude that the Church was behind all of this."
Basil lightly snorted in disdain as he recalled about the other ridiculous things the Church had done in his past life. He had also been a victim, so he could rte to what had happened to his father.
[Somewhere in the Beyond, Third Month, 1995 ACE.]
[It was the time when Halton Rothermere met his first life-threatening predicament, and his "love of life." By the order of the King, he went to the Monsters infested area, but got heavily injured in the way.]
[He was lucky his life was saved by someone who he would wed in the future, but unfortunately, he was doomed forever as he encountered the wrong person ... A vile Witch, who did everything she could to brainwash him, Maya Pacifer.]
Iliana immediately clicked her tongue loudly as she read that particr part, as she couldn''t hold her dissatisfaction back. An unknown irresponsible jerk had just written something untrue about her mentor, so it was hard to not feel offended.
Basil, of course, had fully expected something like this would be written in the book, so he wasn''t fazed at the outrageous things the author of the journal imed his mother had done to his father.
Still though, the length the author went to tarnish his mother''s name was equally irritating and admirable. The author seemed to be a professional propagandist, as he was sessful in painting his mother in such a bad light, it looked believable.
[The Church decided to bless Halton Rothermere''s soul with mercy, so his sin of mingling with a heretic was forgiven the moment he was executed. Followed by that, five yearster, the Witch, Maya Pacifer, was also executed ... The sinner''s way.]
[As the sin Halton Rothermeremitted was too big for the King to let his name remain in the history of Braxtein Kingdom however, any record about him was destroyed...]
The journal ended with the Church''s effort of hunting his father''s descendant, him, who had been "bestowed" the title of The Cursed Child. His parents'' effort in hiding his identity was sessful, as it was clear that the author of the journal didn''t know anything about him.
The Church also seemed to not know whether his father''s descendant was a boy or a girl, but he believed the Church was still assuming his father''s descendant was a girl, considering the nature of Pacifer n.
They believed it was impossible for any woman of Pacifer n to bear a male child, therefore they would never think he was his father''s son, even though he attached Pacifer to his name.
The moment the Church was sure he was the descendant of Halton Rothermere, a male child born in Pacifer n, would be the day where he would truly go against the Church and the Empire that was secretly controlled by the Church.
Since he knew the people of the Church were an ignorant bunch, he was sure it would still be a long time until they epted the prophecy of the Fated Child. Therefore, they wouldn''t consider him a Pacifer until that day came.
He could easily reveal the Pacifer Seal on his forehead to prove his identity as a Pacifer, but he wasn''t that stupid to do that foolish act.
Tak!
As Basil put the journal back to its ce, he took another journal that was titled "The Execution." He had expected to be greeted with words describing about the day of his father''s execution, but he was met with the gruesome photographs of the day instead.
[Ding!]
[A piece of history is detected ... Initiating Visualization! Target: Supreme Court, 1998 ACE...]
Basil didn''t request the activation of [Visualization] to the Guide, but it had instantly reacted to the photographs inside the journal the moment he looked at them intently. His vision immediately warped, and in the next moment, he was looking at a different ce.
It was a grandiose room, which he could admit was grandiose enough to amaze him. The room was colored entirely in white, with a couple of golden ornaments on the ceiling.
There was a long majestic table upying nearly a half of the west side of the vast room, and empty seats on the north and south side of the room.
There was apletely injured man kneeling in the center of the room slightly away from the long table. He was facing the people at the table, while constantly pressing hisrgest wound to prevent his blood froming out.
The people who sat themselves at the long table were covered in white¡ªeven their face was well hidden beneath their veil. All of them were looking at the lone man in the middle of the room judgingly.
"Viscount Halton Rothermere, or should I say, the Demon Advocate Halton? You may be forgiven of your crime, if you¡ª"
"I AM NOT A FUCKING DEMON ADVOCATE!!!"
"Calm down, Halton. Retaliating here will further worsen our judgement about you. We know you are not a Demon Advocate, but your rtionship with the Maha Dmitra Maya Pacifer is enough to make anyone think you as one."
"Don''t make meugh ... Anyone? Did you mean the Church? Fucking hypocrite!"
Basil slightly blinked his eyes at his father''s rather wild behaviour as he didn''t expect his kind looking father would speak that vulgarly. However still, he was more surprised of the fact that he could not actually visualize the event, but also hear everything.
"Tell us about your child and wife''s whereabouts, and you will be freed of any consequences ... You will still be punished, but your life is more important than that Maha Dmitra''s and her Cursed Child, don''t you think so?"
At the words of one of the people in white sitting at the table, Haltonughed lowly in amusement. He knew that the people were telling him to kill his wife and his child the moment he handed them over.
"Do you really think I will hand over my priceless treasures to you? Dream on, bitch! I, Halton Rothermere, will die protecting my family and my belief. Curse you, and your nonsensical Gods!"
Silence greeted Halton, until one of the people opened his mouth a few seconds after. "Your wish is granted. You will die as Halton Rothermere, and your wife, Maha Dmitra Maya Pacifer, will join you soon."
"Don''t you dare motherfu¡ª"
sh!
It was just a sh¡ªeven Basil, who had been properly watching the entire scene, could only see a light hitting his father''s neck, before his father''s head fell to the ground. He didn''t know who had done it, but he knew the culprit wasn''t amongst the judges.
Ignoring his father''s headless body, the judges slowly stood up one by one, before leaving the room.
Basil''s vision also started to warp, but in a split second, he could see the face of one of the judges who, for some reason, had opened his veil. His eyes glinted coldly, as he figured he knew who the person was.
Chapter 248 Unexpectedly Unexpected
When Basil''s vision returned to normal, just a few seconds had passed. In Iliana''s eyes, he had merely been staring at the photographs in the journal nkly for the past few seconds, so she didn''t think much of it.
In her mind, Basil was just shaken at seeing what his father had experienced. She was also a little bit shaken at the magnitude of the atrocity the Supreme Court had done to Halton under the Church''s instruction¡ªit was normal for him to think that way.
It would have been better if they had immediately executed Halton, but they had tortured him by giving him many semi-fatal injuries. Iliana didn''t need to experience it¡ªshe could imagine what kind of pain Halton must have been enduring before being executed.
"Are you all right?" Iliana looked at Basil.
"I am all right."
"You currently look like someone who will reduce a Kingdom to ashes however."
Basil hummed lightly at Iliana''s words, and mused to himself. ''Why am I enraged? I don''t even know my father personally¡ªit is strange to think that I get mad for what happened to him ... Is this because blood is thicker than noodles?''
Basil was recalling the look of regret in the face of the person who had opened his veil just a moment before [Visualization] ended.
The person, who was also one of the judges, was the only person who seemed to know Halton personally, and knew he had done something wrong.
Basil could clearly see the look of guilt and self loathing in the person''s eyes. He was very sure the person would never forget what he had done that day.
Still, it didn''t mean Basil held no grudge towards the man. Like what the Church had said to his father, the man could only me his fate of being one of the judges who had judged his father; the man would still be his future target.
He was still puzzled about why he felt mad about what had happened to the parents he previously didn''t know he had, but he wasn''t stupid enough to forgive the people who had wronged his family.
He had heard many things, though not nearly sufficient, about his parents, and he could see how much they had actually cherished him.
His father, though had entrusted him to the wrong person, had saved his life. He wouldn''t be here, if his father had failed in protecting his identity.
Tak!
Basil put the journal back to its ce in the rack, and decided to stop reading the others. The other journals merely talked about the detailed journeys of his father as a Mage, and he didn''t need to know about it.
He wasn''t a child who was extremely curious about his parents'' journey anymore¡ªhe had never even been one. Knowing about how his father in general was, and what kind of atrocity the bastards had done to his father was enough for him.
Facing his head to the side, he was met with Iliana''s solemn look. Her face told nothing about what she felt like usual, but her Mana was unusually disturbed¡ªeven Deacon, who was on his shoulder, noticed it.
As he quirked his eyebrow in curiosity as a gesture of asking her what bothered her, Iliana pointed her finger towards one of the furthest sections from them. Basil faced the direction she pointed her finger to, and his face, too, immediately turned solemn.
Whoosh!
Iliana merely felt a gentle breeze, and in the next moment, Basil had already appeared in front of the section she was pointing to. She quickly followed suit, but unlike Basil, she didn''t utilize any of her Step Art.
[The Cursed Witch: Maya Pacifer]
As he read the title of the book dedicated to his mother, his hold on it immediately got tighter. He could already picture what kind of a person his mother was the day Iliana told him about her, and the way every author of the journal had written about his mother really irked him.
Unlike Danzel, his father figure, who he had mette in his past life, he had Irene, who had been on his side since he was a baby, as his mother figure. Therefore, regardless of whether he personally knew Maya, he had a stronger emotional attachment to her.
This is the reason why he reacted more "violently" when he saw how the bastards of the Church had treated his mother.
"These good for nothings..."
Basil''s eyes turned as cold as a bottomless abyss the moment he looked at the photographs in the journal. They were the photographs of the procession of his mother''s execution.
He couldn''t even admire his mother''s otherworldly beauty, and muse about how simr she looked to Iliana, as his mind was overwhelmed with the thought of the most painful death he could give to the bastards in the photographs.
How could he not think of that? There were photographs showing his mother''s naked upper body¡ªexposing his mother''s body that was full of injuries¡ªand some men who were smiling in satisfaction at what they had done.
He could instantly deduce the bastards had been the people who had whipped his mother''s body until it attained such gruesome injuries.
Not stopping there, there were even photographs showing the procession of his mother''s crucifixion.
[Ding!]
[A piece of history is detected!]
[Initiating Visualization... Target: The Great Church of Azarthan, 2003 ACE.]
The Guide also seemed eager to show him directly what the bastards had actually done to his mother, and his eyes turned colder at that fact. As his vision warped, he arrived at the reality the Guide had created¡ªthe site of the execution.
The ce was a secret underground room, located right below the Great Church of Azarthan. The ce looked as bright as the surface, but the aura filling it was sickeningly dark¡ªcreating an apparent contrast to the brightness of the room.
There were seven men and one powerless woman in the middle of the room, but only the men who could stand on their feet. The woman was lying weakly on the ground, while looking at the white ceiling emptily as if she wasn''t even there in the first ce.
"If not for the fact that this harlot is a heretic, I would have a go at her."
"Hmph! Just the thought alone is already disgusting. Aren''t you ashamed at the fact that you just had a thought of mingling with an animal?"
"Hahaha! I was just saying it was a pity that this kind of physique belonged to an animal."
The more Basil listened to the conversation between the two men about his mother, the closer he got to them. He was already right in front of one of the men when the man wasughing, and he had already swung his sword at the man''s neck by the time he knew it.
He immediately kept his sword the moment he regained hisposure. He knew whatever he did in the current reality would be futile as he couldn''t hurt the man even in the slightest.
Still, he couldn''t help but stare at the man he towered over in front of him like he wanted to kill the man and his descendants.
He properly engraved the man''s face in his head, so he wouldn''t forget the man''s face. He would definitely kill the man the moment he encountered the man in the future.
p "Huh? What is this?" The man, who was being stared at by Basil felt a chill in his spine. "Weird ... I think I felt a killing intent for a moment there."
"Are you all right?"
"Yeah... Did you feel that earlier?"
"What?"
"The killing intent..."
The other six men turned their head towards Maya, who was lying on the floor, thenughed at the man who was being stared at by Basil as they turned their head back at him. They were thinking that the man was intimidated by Maya.
"You just said that you wanted to mingle with this animal, and now you are afraid of her?"
"That is not the case!" The man retorted angrily. "I clearly felt something!"
The other menughed at their friend again, before moving beside Maya, who was still staring emptily at the ceiling. The man in front of Basil followed them not long after, and shivered the moment he passed through Basil.
Basil was sharp enough to not disregard what had happened, but he still attributed it to coincidence. After all, if he really had the ability to affect this reality, that means, he had just sent his soul to the past to watch the entire event.
He knew he had never had such an ability, and the Guide wasn''t capable of doing that.
Turning his body towards his mother, he walked towards her slowly. The men were lifting her roughly to a human sized cross, but she still remained motionless as ever.
His mother looked miserable with the injuries covering her body, but her beautiful face remained as wless as ever. The Pacifer Seal on the middle of her forehead was shining intensely in purple, adding a certain otherworldly charisma to her.
Tak! Tak!
His mother didn''t even flinch even when the men were nailing her limbs to the cross, and it was honestly painful to look at for Basil. He really hoped he could do something about it at the moment.
The emotions he had thought he had buried deep inside his heart resurfaced, overwhelming him as he looked at his mother''s helpless state. His eyes immediately shone in gold, and his Pacifer Seal appeared in the middle of his forehead afterwards.
Boom!
An otherworldly aura instantly surrounded him the moment the Seal shone intensely in gold, and he immediately felt connected to his mother. It wasn''t something superficial¡ªhe really felt connected to his mother.
It was as if he had established a [Link] with his mother: he could feel her agony, and the pain she had been enduring for hours.
Still, the connection with his mother didn''t attract his attention as much as the scene of his mother turning her head towards him. The previously emotionless face was now filled with emotion as tears profusely stream down her eyes.
"My son!"
Basil widened his eyes in bafflement, but his mouth was quicker than his mind. Just before he could rationalize what had just happened, he answered his mother''s call emotionally.
"Mother..."
"You are here... My son is here!"
Much to his bewilderment, his mother could really see him.
Chapter 249 Unexpectedly Unexpected (2)
''What in the world is happening?'' By the time Basil regained hisposure, he immediately frowned as he found the situation extremely peculiar.
He believed everything had been a coincidence, given what he was capable of, and strongly denied the possibility of what had happened did happen.
"My son... Come here, let me see you closer."
Basil''s heart immediately clenched as he saw Maya tried to extend her hand that was already nailed to the cross as if she wanted to hold him.
He remained firm on his opinion that everything was nothing but a coincidence however, at least, until he saw what one of the man was trying to do to his mother.
"Has she finally lost her mind?"
"Hah! No wonder she has been quiet for all this time!"
The room was soon filled with theughter of the men. One of the men looked at Maya when he had doneughing, raised his leg, then aimed his foot at her face.
As a Priest, of course, he didn''t posses much power, but considering the current state of Maya, she would feel a quite significant pain if his foot hit her face. Luckily though, the man''s foot failed tond on her face.
"Huh? What has just happened?"
The man was extremely confused as he found his footnded just a few centimeters away from Maya''s head. At this point, Basil was already beside him, and he was lucky he couldn''t see the terrifying look on Basil''s face.
Basil had been the one who had intercepted the man''s foot. He felt slightly excited at the fact that he could affect this reality, and he regretted he didn''t cut the man''s foot earlier.
Noticing that none of the men could see him even though he could affect the reality, Basil fully intended to kill all of the men. Unfortunately however, even before he could take out his sword, his mother called him once again.
"No, my son! Don''t kill them! You can''t mess with the history!"
Basil stopped his Mana flow to his Spatial Bracelet then turned his head slowly to his mother. His murderous eyes sank down calmly as he looked at her, before he violently pushed the Priest beside him backwards.
The Priest was thrown away like a bullet, and it horrified the other Priests inside the room, who were extremely baffled at the scene they were witnessing.
They immediately chased after the Priest who had just been thrown away, leaving Maya alone in the center of the room.
"You are rebellious, aren''t you?"
Maya looked at Basil, slightly dumbfounded at what he had done, but Basil barely reacted to her. He merely took his sword out of his Spatial Bracelet, then put it on her neck.
"Who are you?"
"Maya Pacifer, your mother."
"I don''t have a mother."
Basil''s hand slightly trembled when he noticed the look of hurt on his mother''s face, and he quickly sighed as he was finally sure he could really interact with his mother. Retracting his sword, he stabbed it into the floor beside him afterwards.
''So, this is my mother? ... She should be my girlfriend''s mother.'' Basil looked at his mother as he mused about how familiar she looked to another amazing woman he was close with¡ªIliana.
He knew however, Iliana was the one who resembled his mother. His mother had been Iliana''s role model¡ªit was not umon for one to have a desire to resemble the person one admired.
"Are you thinking about your lover?"
"..."
"It seems I''m right."
Basil blinked his eyes at how his mother could figure out what he had been thinking, but then was reminded of the connection he felt with his mother. He instantly deduced that was why his mother had been able to figure out what he had been thinking.
''Talking about being connected... Maybe, our Pacifer Seal is the reason.'' As Basil looked at his mother''s Pacifer Seal, he tried to think of an exnation of what was currently happening to him.
He still believed that he was still in a hyper-realistic artificial reality created by the Guide, but as soon as he remembered what his mother had said when had been about to kill one of the Priests, his eyes immediately widened in bafflement.
"Am I really in the past...?" He turned his gaze to his mother.
"You are not really here, but you are indeed in¡ªwhat are you doing?"
As soon as he heard Maya was about to give a positive answer to him, he immediately pulled out all of the nails nailing his mother''s limbs to the cross. His mother was was confused, but she didn''t stop him.
Basil immediately enveloped his mother in his embrace when all of the nails were pulled out, and murderously gazed at the seven Priests watching him and his mother from afar.
He was still invisible to their eyes, so they could only watch the scene of Maya floating in the air in horror and bafflement.
"I am sorry, but you can''t change a thing¡ªyou can''t save me. Everything happens for a reason, and you can''t change the moment you are not living."
"I know. I just want to feel my mother''s warmth ... Or theck of it."
Maya quirked her eyebrow, then smiled in amusement. "You really have a bad sense of humor, don''t you?"
"Like my father?"
"No. You don''t resemble him at all." Maya faintly shook her head in Basil''s embrace. "You don''t even resemble me¡ªah, but don''t worry, you are still our son."
Basil smiled faintly, then brought his mother''s body slightly away from him so he could see her face again. His mother gave him a smile the moment he did that, and he wiped the tears off her eyes afterwards.
"Where am I?"
"You are currently in a ce simr to Dreand. You normally can''t interact with anyone when your soul is in that ce, but you can interact with me because you have a Pacifer Seal ... A special one at that!"
"What does it do?"
His mother slightly pouted at hisck of reaction¡ªshe had expected him to be surprised when she said he had a special Seal¡ªbut still immediately answered his question.
"Pacifer Seal allows you to Cultivate your soul, travel in your soul, and pour your soul into anything."
"Can I nurture a Sword Soul that originates from my soul with the help of the Seal?"
"No, silly." His motherughed softly. "You can just pour your soul into your sword with the help of Pacifer Seal, and your sword will posses a greater ability than the greatest Sword Soul has!"
Basil developed a glint in his eyes as he finally found a way to get rid of the annoying Vagus. He had been reluctant to cast her away since she helped him greatly, but now that he had found a better recement for her, he didn''t need to hesitate anymore.
"Oh, my. I know what you are thinking, but I won''t forgive you if you dump that girl. She is doing her best for you¡ªyou can''t treat her that coldly." Maya frowned as he looked at Basil. "Furthermore, dumping her is the same as denying a part of you."
Basil hummed to himself as he contemted about how his mother could figure out the existence of Vagus even though he didn''t say a thing about her. From how she worded it, she also knew that Vagus was currently evolving¡ªhe was surprised.
His mother became more amazing and scarier the more he spent his time with her, and he couldn''t help but wonder whether every Maha Dmitra in Pacifer n was like her.
His eyes turned to his mother''s Seal, and she seemed to get what he was thinking ... Again.
"Every Pacifer is sensitive to Soul. Seeing that you have awaken your Seal, you must have realized that you can understand people better, haven''t you?" Basil nodded his head, and Maya continued, "That is also the reason why I know you have another soul residing in you."
Basil nodded his head in understanding then asked the next question he had been wanting to ask.
"What about what is happening? You say that I am not here, but how can I interact with you? Is this another ability of Pacifer n?"
"Indeed it is." Maya nodded her head. "What currently is happening however, is not you interacting with me, but me interacting with you."
"Pardon?" Basil quirked his eyebrow at how roundabout his mother''s exnation was.
"The reason why you can interact with me is because I am letting your consciousness possess a part of my soul by the help of the connection we build through our Seal. It seems like you are interacting with me, but technically, I am just interacting with myself that looks like you."
Basil was slightly embarrassed to say that he didn''t really get what his mother was talking about, so he quirked his eyebrow to express his confusion instead. He couldn''t help it; he had found out a moment ago he couldn''t ask the Guide about it in his current state.
Luckily, his mother was an understanding person.
"Imagine if you had 10 sses filled with red water, and you emptied one of them so you could lend that ss to your friend who needed a vessel to pour his blue water in. Once your ss was filled with your friend''s water, would it be his ss?"
"No."
"That is what is happening to us currently."
Basil finally got what his mother was talking about and he couldn''t help nodding his head in appreciation at how good his mother dumbing things down. He could easily conclude his incredible intelligence was something he got from his mother.
"If that is the case... How did you know that I needed a vessel? Did you feel my presence?"
"No, I couldn''t feel you until your Pacifer Seal resonated with mine, which is why I have been keeping mine active all the time."
Basil had just confirmed that his mother was the only person in the room who could detect his presence, but he found another peculiar thing that he couldn''t just ignore.
"Why did you feel the need to keep your Seal active? Did you know something like this would happen?"
"No, I didn''t expect something like this to happen, my son. I''m surprised you can''t figure it out despite possessing a Divine Artefact." Maya slightly quirked her eyebrow in surprise, then continued, "The God told me to do it."
At his mother''s unexpected response, Basil''s eyes sank down coldly.
Chapter 250 Unexpectedly Unexpected (3)
God¡ªan existence Basil had always refused to believe. There were more records about them than the happenings in the Age of Chaos, but Basil never treated any of them seriously.
As an exceptional Mage who knew well what he could achieve in the future, he refused to call an existence that only did what he had also been able to do in his past life a God.
It might be easier to ept the concept of God if he were a civilian, however he was not. Unlike civilians, who could do nothing extraordinary, he, as a Mage could do things that the civilians considered miraculous.
He could make water out of nowhere, he could make a snowfall in a specific ce, he could produce lightning, he could split mountains¡ªhe could do almost everything what people imed only a God could do.
He knew that those records about Gods (myths) told many other heaven defying things Gods could do, but everyone knew that stories tend to get exaggerated. It was not wrong to think that half of the stories were utter nonsense.
Could someone like Basil, who was good at doing what the "Gods" could do ept Gods? Of course not!
This is the reason why none of the Mages adopted a religion. Because if they did, they would no longer an in improving Mage, but a growing God as they were simr to the "God" people believed.
One could imagine how surprised Basil was when a family member of his¡ªhis mother said something about God. He was so baffled, he doubted his mother had indeed mentioned God in front of him.
? "This is nonsense..."
"You know that it is not, my son." Maya stared straight into Basil''s eyes. "I don''t know why you are vehemently denying their existence, but I assure you, Gods do exist, and we serve one of them."
"Mother..."
Basil gritted his teeth in disbelief at the development of the situation. He knew he was just denying the fact that Gods did exist; the Guide itself had even confirmed that they did exist, and they stayed in the Heavenly Throne.
Still, epting something he didn''t like¡ªbeing under someone''s control¡ªwas not something easy to do. Gods were described as omnipotent beings who held human''s lives in their hand¡ªBasil couldn''t ept that nonsense.
He, who tried his best to act independently without anyone forcing him to do something, would never ept that there was some being who could overwrite his whole life.
Of course, he realized he couldn''t shut his eyes forever from the truth the world had unveiled to him. What he had gone through¡ªhis reincarnation was not something a Mage could do ... It was something that was imed only Gods could do, and it did happen.
His mother had also said about the Divine Artefact in him; he was sure his mother was referring to the Guide or the Fragment inside him. The Fragment was a part of the Tablet of Truth¡ªan undoubtedly a Divine Artefact.
Given the evidence he had, denying the existence of the Gods any longer would be equal to running away from reality.
"Why... Why did the God told you to talk to me?"
"Because, she wanted me to die peacefully."
"Is looking at my face can make you feel better?"
"Definitely."
Basil sighed softly at his mother''s sure answer, then turned his head towards the seven Priests who wereing his way hesitantly. He took out seven blunt weapons out of his Spatial Ring, then sent the weapons towards them with [Master of Weapons].
Smack! Smack!
Basil threw the seven Priests away from him and his mother, before keeping them down with the weapons he had sent. The Priests were freaked out of their mind once again as they couldn''t see or figure out what was holding down their body.
"I want to ask you something. Do you know a child named Iliana Pacifer?"
"Iliana? Of course, I know thatss! She is¡ª"
"Your disciple?"
Maya tilted her head faintly then looked at Basil in wonder at his interruption. "Have you, by any chance, met each other?"
"Yes. ording to her, we are even dating now."
"Ah, thatss is really the type to do something selfish like that. Fufufu."
Maya covered her mouth as sheughed, and Basil could once again see the hole in her hand. He had been avoiding looking at it as he didn''t want to get himself angered, but now that he had seen it again, his great urge to kill the Priests resurfaced.
"Calm down, my son." Maya touched Basil''s cheek. "Being able to speak with you is already enough for me¡ªyou don''t have to do anything else. Even though I will die, I am happy for I can meet my son."
"Do you love me?"
Maya looked at Basil as if she was offended before responding him. "Of course! Why wouldn''t I? What kind of a mother doesn''t love her child?!"
"Then, why didn''t you ever call me by my name? Why did you never tell me that I have someone who loves me? Why ... Did you leave me alone?"
Basil''s frown turned heavier the more he spoke; he couldn''t believe he became emotional. Iliana had even answered his questions, and he understood his mother''s reason for doing it.
''However still, I feel the need to hear it from the person herself. I need to know why you treated someone''s daughter better than your own son.''
Maya merely smiled sadly as she stared into Basil''s golden eyes. Her son''s gaze was so deep and profound, she couldn''t believe that she had really given birth to such an outstanding individual.
She didn''t know what her son had gone through nor did she know what kind of burden her son was carrying, however she knew he was her son. Therefore, she felt the need to exin herself.
"What exactly Iliana told you about?" Maya raised her hand, then cupped Basil''s cheek. "Let me hear her story, Basil, my son."
Basil''s eyes glinted the moment his mother called his name, but the light sank down as fast as it came. Maya smiled bitterly at that as she understood what it meant¡ªit''s toote.
Basil recounted about what Iliana had told him¡ªabout how Maya had taken Iliana under her wings, and how she had been hiding herself in Randalvine for 5 years¡ªand Maya listened to his recount attentively.
"So, that''s what she is going with..." Maya sighed as she looked at Basil bitterly. "I guess that''s for the best¡ªI honestly would do that if that means I could stay with the person I love."
"I don''t like staying in the dark. I abhor deceit, so please tell me the truth." Basil looked at his mother intently.
Unfortunately, his mother didn''t have any intention to tell him as she shook her head and sighed.
Basil''s face turned sour¡ªhe was genuinely disappointed with his mother¡ªbut when his mother touched his Pacifer Seal, his eyes immediately widened in surprise.
"This is..."
"I won''t tell you much, for you will figure out everything soon. When that timees, please make a good choice." Maya smiled. "This is my first andst present for you as a mother, and I hope it can help you in your endeavor."
"Are you going to make me a Maha Dmitra?"
Maya giggled at Basil''s question, then said, "You are more special than a Maha Dmitra¡ªyou are the Fated Child! What I am doing is passing down my legacy to you ... I hope with this, you can bring Pacifer n back to its feet."
Maya closed his eyes as her Pacifer Seal shone brighter than ever, and Basil also did the same as informations and knowledge about how to use Pacifer Seal were poured into his head.
As Basil''s Seal shone brighter, Maya''s Seal kept losing its luster. Her face turned pale in each passing second, and when Basil opened his eyes, she could barely maintain her consciousness.
"I¡ªI can''t tell much about our n to you ... I don''t want to affect the future more than this, so you have to figure out the rest by yourself. Come to our n, and they will tell you everything."
Basil silently looked at his mother, whose breath was no longer as steady as before. His connection with her was getting weaker, but he felt closer to her than ever.
"You have learned... Everything about how to utilize your Seal, but don''t¡ªdon''t you ever contact our God while you are still in the Empire''s reach. They hate us to their core, and many of us have fallen in their hands. I want you to live, so¡ª"
"I understand."
"Good. I have a good son." Maya tried tough, but she ended up making a painful smile. "Take care of thatss too... She, after all, will definitely do the same for you."
"I will."
Maya smiled sweetly as her vision turned cloudy, and Basil grasped her hand on his cheek warmly. Her hand had lost its power, and it was getting colder in each passing moment.
Basil could feel his connection with his mother was getting fainter, and his ability to affect the reality was getting weaker. As his mother''s eyes were trying to track where he was, he put his right hand on her mother''s forehead.
"Your soul shall receive my utmost protection."
Basil''s Pacifer Seal shone brighter than ever as a profound aura surrounded his entire existence. He was performing something he had learnt from the knowledge his mother gave him for the purpose of lessening his mother''s suffering.
The Pacifer Seal on his mother''s forehead slowly disintegrated in each passing second as if it was absorbed by his palm, and his mother''s breath turned steadier the fainter the Seal on her forehead became.
"Basil... You can''t... Let me... Face... The..."
Maya tried to say something, but she didn''t get toplete her sentence. She had lost her Pacifer Seal, and her body immediately fell to the ground as Basil couldn''t hold her any longer.
Basil hadpletely lost his ability to affect the reality, so the Priests also had nothing to hold them down anymore. As soon as they noticed it, they immediately ran towards Maya, nailed her back to the cross, and proceed with her execution.
Driven by terror, they didn''t even register how motionless she had be as they immediately burned her along with the cross. They watched her burning whileughing, thinking that they had seeded in killing the Witch.
Basil looked at his mother''s burning body coldly. He was d he had made a quick decision to kill his mother in advance¡ªit would be painful to watch his mother go through that torture.
He managed to let his mother die peacefully.
His vision warped after some time as he returned to the current era.
Chapter 251 Unexpectedly Unexpected (4)
Pacifer n was known of its insanely talented n members. All of them were known for their undeniable prowess, but they were feared due to their power''s unknown nature.
Every Pacifer had a mark on their forehead called Pacifer Seal. They were born with it, and it would only appear only after they became an adult at the age of 17.
Those who could materialize their Seal on a whim became a Hina Dmitra, and those who could utilize the secret Art of the n became a Maha Dmitra under the guidance of the previous Maha Dmitras.
The Seal was the source of the unknown power every Pacifer had, and it naturally became the thing that the Church wanted. Of course, none of them could ever get it, since the method of obtaining the Seal remained unknown up till now.
They couldn''t even figure the method out after they killed the first Maha Dmitra¡ªthe strongest Maha Dmitra Pacifer n had ever had¡ªbut they managed to figure out that Pacifer Seal originated from the thing that was bestowed by the Lord.
Since they knew how powerful of an individual the Lord had been, they immediately understood that they would never be able to obtain the power that Pacifer n had.
This is why the betrayers of the Lord, who had now be a group called the Church, had decided to hunt every single Pacifer down.
Not only were they afraid of the n''s power, but they also didn''t like the existence of the people that reminded them of their greatest sin¡ªbetraying their saviour.
''In the end, who is the Lord? Is he Matheus, the first Patriarch of Pacifer n or the person that gave Matheus the Fragment? I can''t tell¡ªnot even the information mother gave me told much about the Lord.''
Basil was musing about some of the informations about his n that his mother had given him as he returned to the time he was living in.
He could feel someone''s hand grasping his as his vision returned to normal, and immediately saw Iliana''s worried look. She had been watching him staring nkly at the photographs for close to a minute, so she worried something had happened to him.
"Seriously, are you okay this time?"
"I am not. I am extremely enraged."
"Me too ... However, let''s forget we have seen this. Go get your thing and¡ª"
"Iliana." Basil put the book back into the rack, and grasped Iliana''s hand holding his as he stared into her eyes. "Tell me. Do you feel any affiliation towards our n?"
"Yes."
"I see..." Basil nodded his head faintly. "I don''t, but I am nning to lend my hand to our n."
"What are you..." Iliana trailed off her words as she noticed the cold glint in Basil''s eyes. "Why do you feel the need to?" She was honestly afraid of what Basil was actually nning to do.
"My mother suffered simply because of the fact that she was a Pacifer ... I can still feel the other Pacifer out there, and I am going to help them as a means to avenge my mother."
Basil''s eyes shed coldly as a faint cruel smirk adorned his face. "I am going to deliver hell to everyone from the Church indiscriminately."
Iliana hated the Church for the thing they had done to her Mentor¡ªBasil''s mother. The day where the people of the Church came to get her Mentor was forever etched on her mind; she could never forget the nightmarish scene of her Mentor being dragged to her doom.
For years, she had believed that she was the only person who had a deep-rooted hatred to the Church, but upon seeing the spine chilling light in Basil''s eyes and the expression on his face, she knew that her hatred on the Church could never match his.
She didn''t need to wait for the time toe to know what Basil would do. From his eyes, she could foresee the future where Basil killing the innocent devotees of the Church for fun, just like what the Church had done to her n.
"You can''t be like them. Our grudge is on the Church, not on the people unrted to them!"
"Calm down, Iliana." Basil smiled faintly. "What you think I would do would not happen soon. There is still¡ª"
"Are you really nning to do it?!"
"... There is still some time until I can take the Church by myself. Before then, I will judge who is unrted and who is not."
Basil calmly looked into Iliana''s eyes, and Iliana couldn''t help clicking her tongue bitterly. ''Soft. You are too soft, Iliana,'' he said in his mind as he mused about the aspect both this Iliana and the Iliana he had known had.
''It was also like this in the past¡ªyou gave everyone mercy. You didn''t have the heart to uproot the problem, and you regretted it ... You died because of it¡ªI suffered because of your death.''
Basil recalled the people of the Church who had attacked Iliana out of nowhere in the past. She had always spared those who had really been clueless of the grudge between her and the Church, only to end up being troubled by them in the near future.
She couldn''t ept the fact that an infected root would soon rot, thinking that she could somehow save it. She was wrong; she died due to her naivety, and she regretted it.
"The world is cruel, but I assure you I am kinder than the world."
Basil was fully intending on educating her about that, but he would do it slowly. Therefore, he took a step back now, and prepared another scenario where Iliana could learn what he truly meant.
"I just got too emotional when I saw that my mother had suffered under those bastards, so I didn''t really watch what I said." Basil smiled sadly, and caressed Iliana''s head warmly. "Will you help me avenge my mother¡ªour n?"
Iliana didn''t say anything but she nodded her head in confirmation. Basil softly sighed at her reaction, then looked at the hand caressing her head.
''I have just killed my mother with this hand, and now I am caressing the woman I care with it ... What a cruel joke life is.''
He had used an Art that could normally be used by a Maha Dmitra on his mother. It was an Art that was normally used to punish the sinner of Pacifer n, but he had performed it to end his mother''s suffering sooner.
[Severance]¡ªit was an Art exclusive to Maha Dmitras that allowed them to sever the connection between the soul and the body of the sinner. It was an Art that allowed Maha Dmitras to kill their fellow n members without letting them experience pain.
''Pacifer n¡ªa n that Cultivates their soul. Their souls are in tune with the world, making their body stronger than anyone. They have countless of secret Arts, and all of them are dangerous. In other words, a n of monsters.''
As he recalled about the nature of his n, Basil couldn''t help but smile at the new way that had been opened due to him knowing it.
He didn''t have any n to involve himself in his n too much initially, but now that Pacifer n had been proven to be not just an ordinary n, it would be stupid of him to just let the Church exterminate the entire n.
''Besides, that one ability of Maha Dmitra¡ªthe ability that I also possess... I can''t let it fall into those bastards'' hands.''
As his mother had said, Pacifer n served a particr God. Although he hadn''t made sure the God''s existence himself yet, he was sure his n had trulymunicated with said God; there was an Art that allowed a Maha Dmitra to do that.
Basil knew how to do it, and he would prove it himself whether the God his n served did exist or just an illusion that his n hade to believe.
He would call the God to descend to the world by letting said God possess his body, so he could see what kind of an existence the God was. Before that however, he had to make sure that his n was far from the Church''s reach.
''Asking for an aid, and power bestowal to the God¡ªevery Maha Dmitra can do this. If this power fell to the Church''s hand, only disaster would await.''
As the Church knew that Pacifer Seal couldn''t be bestowed nor could it be inherited, they must have had the thought of using the women of Pacifer n as breeding machines to give birth to girls they could brainwash.
Their aim was the girls'' Pacifer Seal, or rather, the birth of a Maha Dmitra amongst the brainwashed babies. Although it might take a long time, but when that happened the Church would be unstoppable.
Basil didn''t know what kind of an existence the God Pacifer n served was, so he couldn''t guarantee that the God wouldn''t fulfill the request of the Maha Dmitra that had been brainwashed by the Church.
He realized he was thinking too far, but Basil didn''t n to live short. He would live long enough to see the world crumble by itself, so he didn''t want something that bothersome to happen in the future, even though he knew the Church didn''t seed in his past life.
"Let us get out of this ce; I havee to realize that the thing I am looking for is not here. Furthermore, this ce gives us nothing but negative energy."
? Basil extended his hand at Iliana, and she only took it after a few seconds of hesitation.
"... Let''s go."
With a smile, Basil led Iliana outside the forbidden section. He could now openly treat Iliana warmly upon receiving his mother''s request, and Iliana was baffled at Basil''s sudden warm treatment.
Basil was aware of her confusion, but he didn''t care in the slightest. His mind was upied by the thing he would get.
He had inherited the legacy his mother had passed down to him, and now it was time to inherit the legacy he had been looking for.
Chapter 252 Unexpectedly Unexpected (End)
Basil was good at multitasking. While he had been digesting the information his mother had given him, he had also been scanning the entire forbidden section to look for the legacy of the unknown Mage of Braxtein Kingdom.
He had soon found that the legacy he was looking for wasn''t there, so he immediately asked Iliana to go with him. He still didn''t know where the legacy was, but he was sure he would eventually find it if he searched it outside.
Iliana, on the other hand, followed Basil willingly, but she was still curious of what Basil was actually searching for. Not only had Basil not tell her anything yet, but she also didn''t know there was something worth looking for in Arthan Library.
She had honestly thought that Basil''s aim had been the information of his parents since the beginning, but now that he had stated he was looking for something different, she didn''t have any idea of what he was searching for.
"My mother ... She was burned while being crucified. She was also executed at the Great Church of Azarthan, so how could her body travel to Parteron?"
Basil opened his mouth after a few minutes of silence, and Iliana tensed slightly at that. She kept her emotion in check, however, she couldn''t immediately answer Basil''s question.
"Parteron is just 120 kilometers away from Azarthan..." Iliana spoke after a few seconds of silence. "She actually didn''t leave anything behind, other than an urn filled with her ash."
Since Basil was walking slightly ahead of Iliana, he had to nce back to catch a glimpse of Iliana''s expression. He immediately found that Iliana was having a sour face upon doing so.
"They are respectful enough to keep her ash?"
"No, it wasn''t the case." Iliana shook her head faintly. "They were about to perform a ritual with it when I stole it from them."
"How did you do it?"
Iliana immediately let go of Basil''s hand, and stopped in her track. Basil also stopped in his track, then turned around to face her.
She gave him an iprehensible look, but he knew she was in turmoil as he could sense what she was feeling from her Mana. He slightly tilted his head at her before nodding his head in assurance.
"I know that you have some things hidden from me¡ªI have told you about it long ago¡ªso I don''t mind. You can speak freely without worrying that I might yell at you."
Basil, in the end, couldn''t confirm how much truth Iliana''s story held from his mother, but he didn''t actually mind it. He still had Iliana who could tell the truth herself, so he would wait until she was ready.
He was telling Iliana he knew she had been lying to him and she didn''t need to worry about that, but he knew that Iliana had another reason for hesitating to tell him about what had actually happened on the day she stole his mother''s ash.
Iliana was ashamed¡ªshe was ashamed of what she could not aplish that day.
"Her ash was about to be delivered to somewhere I didn''t know ... The Priest who was being entrusted to do the job was careless, so I exploited his carelessness to steal it. Even so ... I failed."
Iliana was clenching her fists tightly as if she was recalling the day when her parents were murdered. Contrary to her however, Basil was still calm as he looked at her with a small reassuring smile.
"I ran so fast that day, I didn''t even realize I had arrived at Parteron. Still, the Priest had also been chasing after me for all the time, so he managed to catch me when I was tired."
Basil noticed that Iliana became more emotional, but he didn''t want to stop her. "Tell me what happened next."
"I was being cornered, so my survival instinct kicked in. Being a child I was, I threw the urn I had been holding in my hand at the Priest. It didn''t hit the Priest, but it managed to distract him. I used that chance to kill him."
"What happened to the urn?"
"I identally threw it into the river, so it got submerged in the water."
Basil slightly blinked his eyes at how rather unimpressive the story was. He then stomped the urge to chuckle at what Iliana had recounted; he knew it must have been a great deal for her, so he didn''t want to ruin the mood.
"I, of course, took the urn back, but by the time I took it out of the water, not only had it been broken, but the ash had also mostly gone ... Some of the remaining was also mixed with the water!"
Basil, who had been calmly observing Iliana since the beginning immediately widened his eyes the moment he saw the tears in her eyes.
Although he regained hisposure quick enough to make it look like never happened, he was still in disbelief. He could somehow guess how close she had been to his mother, but he didn''t expect Iliana would give this kind of reaction.
Even in his past life, Iliana had only cried in front of him once, and it had been just a few moments before she died. He was as baffled as he was saddened by the fact that he could see Iliana''s tears this soon.
"Not only did I fail to prevent those bastards from taking her, but I also failed to bury her in the ce where she wanted! I¡ª"
"Enough. It wasn''t your fault. In the end, you managed to bury the urn at Parteron, so it''s fine. The dead will nevere back to life no matter how much you cry, so stop crying ... It doesn''t suit you at all."
By the time Iliana knew it, she had been enveloped in Basil''s warm hug. She didn''t know what to do at first due to how sudden the development was, but she still hugged Basil back in the end.
''So, this is what those girls have been feeling for all this time whenever they hug him ... No wonder they are addicted¡ªit feels like the safest ce in the world.''
Basil didn''t know what Iliana was thinking, but judging from how she snuggled into his embrace, she must''ve really needed him to say what he had said.
He had noticed she had been looking at him with guilt for all this time. Although he wasn''t necessarily sure that the matter regarding his mother was the cause of her guilt, he could see that his "mercy" helped her slightly.
Basil caressed Iliana''s back for another minute, before finally saying that it was time to go. Iliana immediately let go of her hug, but keep holding Basil''s hand until he finally found the rack that attracted his attention once again.
[Hydro Mage and What It Entails Upon Bing One]
There was a particr book that managed to attract his attention in the particr rack. Basil could see with his [Eyes of Mana Perception] that there was a Rune carved on the cover of the book, and he wondered how the creator of the Rune hid it so well.
"This Rune is iplete."
"I don''t know how to word it intelligently, but I don''t see any Rune on the book."
Upon taking the book in his hand, Basil could inspect the iplete Rune carved on the cover of the book better, meanwhile Iliana didn''t see anything on the leather cover of the book¡ªnot even a single letter.
Basil understood Iliana''s confusion, but he didn''t have any intention to exin to her why it happened, because he didn''t want to waste his time any longer.
The Rune was carved by, at least, an Eighth Circle Mage, so it was normal for her to not be able to see it. If he were to exin it to her, it would only lead to more questions.
''I am pretty sure however, this Rune wasn''t carved by one of the deceased famous Mages of Braxtein Kingdom. This Kingdom has never given birth to an outstanding Mage of this caliber after all.''
As Basil tried to understand what was written in the Rune, he soon realized that the legacy he had actually been looking for had gone, and the book he was currently holding was his way to get another legacy¡ªa better one.
He turned his head to Iliana, who was still trying to figure out where the Rune he had mentioned was, as he infused his Mana to the Rune carved on the book. The Rune was immediately activated, and her eyes widened at the scene.
"What the...? How is this impossible?"
"Iliana, I want you to help me collect the other books that have the simr Rune. There are seven of them in total, so it shouldn''t be hard to collect them."
"Yes¡ªI mean what has just happened? How can you activate a Rune that you don''t know where it is carved on?"
Just like what Iliana said, for one to be able to activate a Rune, one needed to know where it was located first. In case that the Rune was carved in such a way that made it invisible, one needed to find a way to find the secret "entrance."
Unless one had found a way to infuse one''s Mana inside the Rune, said Rune would never be activated, which was why Iliana had been surprised Basil could still activate the Rune even though it was concealed so well.
"To be exact, YOU don''t know where it is; I know where it is. Regardless, we don''t have much time, let''s start searching."
"Ah, understood."
Although she was still curious of how Basil had done what he had done, Iliana could see by the urgency in his tone that now wasn''t the time to ask. She immediately took off to look for the other books that had the simr Rune carved on them afterwards.
It took her a few minutes to find another two books, which Rune carved on it was resonating with the Rune carved on the first book Basil had found.
By the time she returned to Basil, she saw he already had seven books with a Rune that was simr to each other shining brightly on them in his hands.
Iliana handed him the two books she had found, then watched as he aligned the book in some kind of a formation.
Basil cast a Spell Iliana didn''t know under his breath afterwards, and each Rune on the books was immediately connected to each other.
Not long after, they were greeted with an unexpectedly unexpected scene.
Chapter 253 Too Much Rain Causes A Flood
Legacy¡ªit was anything that was left behind by every great Mage for the next generation. Some were passed down in their family, while some were passed down to anyone who was lucky to find it.
As for the Legacy Basil was looking for, although he didn''t know what kind of Legacy was kept there, he knew that it would be able to help the current him.
The Legacy should have been left by, at least, a Seventh Circle Mage, so it was definitely enough to help him. Although he knew where the more helpful Artefacts were located, he couldn''t visit the site yet, so the Legacy should suffice.
"This is ... Spatial Magic? That Rune earlier sent us to an Alternate Dimension!"
"Calm down, Iliana."
It was much to his bafflement that the legacy he found was something that had been belonged to an absurdly great Mage.
Although he didn''t know who the Mage was yet, just the fact that said Mage could pull something as ridiculous as sending them to an Alternate Dimension was enough indication that the Mage must have been from the Age of Chaos.
Alternate Dimension was the highest level of Spatial Magic that could only be utilized by a Ninth Circle Mage. Considering that none of the currently breathing Ninth Circle Mages used Spatial Magic, this Mage was definitely from the Age of Chaos.
''If his legacy is kept here, there is a high possibility that it belonged to one of the Betrayers of the Lord. Regardless, I am sure he must have been, at least, at the same level as Caesar,'' Basil mused to himself as he looked around.
An Alternate Dimension was usually created to be a secret vault; it was used to store some of the Creator''s important stuffs. Since it was also bound to the Created, it usually disappeared the moment the Creator died.
Although Basil wasn''t very versed in Spatial Magic in his past life, he had learnt how to create an Alternate Dimension to store his things.
He didn''t like to be robbed, so he had decided to cast away his Spatial Rings and Spatial Bracelets and moved everything inside them to his Alternate Dimension.
He was well versed in using an Alternate Dimension, but using it as a vault was the only thing he could do with it. Since he wasn''t very interested in learning it, he didn''t know that an Alternate Dimension could be maintained.
"Oh, so that is the case... This is a Temporary Dimension."
As Basil pondered about how this mysterious Mage could do something like this, he finally realized that the Alternate Dimension wasn''t maintained, but was newly created.
"To think that such thing can be achieved through Runes ... Amazing."
Basil rarely praised people, but he couldn''t help admitting the skill of the mysterious Mage. Although Temporary Dimensions had a time limit to exist, it wasn''t that easy to create it¡ªeven more if it was through Runes.
Basil''s curiosity of what was actually written in the Rune peaked, but he realized that he needed to do something first¡ªiming the Legacy. Although there was no direction in the nk, white Alternate Dimension, he knew where to go.
"Let''s go."
Basil took Iliana''s hand, and immediately turned to her the moment he felt she didn''t budge in the slightest. Iliana, on the other hand, was frowning to herself.
"My Mana Sense is not working, so that means the Alternate Dimension is blocking us from the rest of the world."
"It''s an Alternate Dimension for a reason, Iliana."
"No, that''s not what I mean." Iliana shook her head faintly. "I can''t find the exit of this dimension¡ªthere is no way leading us outside."
"Hoh? Then, you must not know of it yet."
"What? What do I not know?"
Basil faintly smiled at Iliana''s confusion, and silently dragged her with him to the direction that was calling him. He wasn''t actually being called, but his Mana Sense was sensing something interesting in the direction he was heading to.
''If the Legacy is being secured this much ... There might be a possibility that it is intended for a High ss Magician.''
As Basil walked to the direction that was calling him, he mused about how foolproof the Alternate Dimension keeping the Legacy was. For an experienced veteran like him, it was easy to notice that it was a Maze.
Although there wasn''t any wall obstructing them, as a former owner of an Alternate Dimension himself, he knew that he must choose the right "aura" that was calling him to be able to reach his destination.
There were so many of them he could feel around him, so it was simr to how a Maze worked. The only difference was, there was no dead end¡ªthey could still get lost though.
For someone like Iliana, who had only heard and read the theory about Alternate Dimension, she couldn''t feel the "aura" Basil was feeling.
She wasn''t even sure that they were moving forward, as there was no change of scenery since then. Everything was white just like how it was in the beginning.
"Where are we actually heading to?"
"Can''t you feel it?"
"I have told you that my Mana Sense doesn''t work."
"Don''t try to find the exit¡ªfeel what is inside."
Iliana still couldn''t get what Basil was saying, so she looked at him with an expression that demanded a more thorough exnation. Basil merely chuckled at that, then motioned at his surrounding.
Sighing slightly in exasperation, Iliana did what Basil had instructed her earlier. She spread her Mana Sense to her surrounding, and tried to feel everything that was inside the Alternate Dimension.
"These are ... What are these?"
Much to her surprise, she really did feel something. She couldn''t feel it earlier since she had been focusing her Mana Sense in one spot, but now that she had spread it to the whole dimension, she could feel something sucking her Mana Sense.
Basil gave Iliana nothing but a small smile when she noticed that they were heading towards one of the spots where she could feel her Mana Sense was being sucked into.
"An Alternate Dimension looks infinite, but it is just as limited as a room. The amount of things it can store makes us believe that it is limitless, but in actuality, it is still nothing but a patch of empty dimension we take from the Infinite Space."
"You seem to know about Spatial Magic, so please talk to me in Human Language."
"Theses spots you are confused about are called Dimension Sections. Each Section contains a dimension itself, and this is what makes Alternate Dimension special: you can create countless of another dimensions inside it."
Hearing no response from Iliana, Basil turned his head towards her. She blinked her eyes in confusion when their eyes met, and Basil couldn''t help shaking his head in amusement and bitterness.
He couldn''t me her for her confusion since what he had exined about was not something that a Senior Mage like her should know. However still, he didn''t expect that he would be able to see Iliana''s clueless expression this soon.
"Imagine an Alternate Dimension as a bubble, and you can create another bubble inside it. Each bubble you have created inside will touch against each other, and the area where each of the small bubble inside meets is what you call Dimension Section."
"Oh... So, that means we are inside one of the small bubbles now?"
"Correct."
"Doesn''t it make Alternate Dimension infinite then?"
"Dimension is limited¡ªspace is not. The space inside an Alternate Dimension is infinite, however we can still find the end of the dimension."
Basil stopped in his track, then extended his hand forward. Iliana, who was expecting Basil to exin more, was looking at what he was doing in curiosity; she didn''t know why he was extending his hand to the void.
It was only when Basil''s hand was blocked by something did Iliana know there really was something in front of them. Although, unlike Basil, she couldn''t see or feel what was in front of them, she knew that what Basil was looking for was ahead.
"Just like a bubble that is nothingpared to the universe, an Alternate Dimension is just a grain of sandpared to the Infinite Space out there ... Behind this Section, is the end of this Dimension."
As Basil infused his Mana to the Dimension Section in front of him, the space around them began to tremble. Iliana also felt an ufortable sense of distortion as she lost her control over her body.
She even almost fell to the ground, but luckily Basil was there to catch her before she fell. She then immediately gritted her teeth at how weak she had been portraying herself in Basil''s eyes for all this time.
Even though she didn''t do it intentionally, her pride was still hurt. She immediately closed her eyes as she tried to regain her control over her body, but the ufortable sense of distortion disappeared in the same moment.
"Are you all right?"
"Yes..." Iliana blinked her eyes. "I am all right."
"That is good. Dimensional Travel is not something that you can get easily used to after all."
"Dimension Travel? Do you mean like Teleportation?"
"Teleportation merely moves you to another ce in the same dimension, meanwhile Dimension Travel is equal to moving to a new world."
Iliana frowned as she couldn''t quite understand Basil''s exnation yet again, but the moment she looked around her, her understanding of what Basil had exined her raised exponentially.
The ce she was currently in was a vast hall, slightly simr to the Cell Chamber in Death Howl Dungeon. This ce however looked well maintained, and was filled with countless of treasures.
Everything about this ce was uncannily off, and it really made her feel like she was indeed in a different world.
"We only have another half an hour to collect all of these treasures, so we have to work quickly."
"A-Are you going to let me take them too¡ªthese gold coins?"
Although Iliana was by no means poor, unlike Basil who had owned everynd he stepped his foot on in his past life, she hadn''t seen that much gold in her life¡ªshe was overwhelmed!
"Your things are bound to be mine and vice versa. Why do you hesitate?"
"Ah... L-Let me prepare my heart first ... This guy, is he really serious?"
Iliana was about to ask Basil about how serious he was on their made-up rtionship, but he had immediately taken off to the middle of the room.
There was something that attracted his attention.
Chapter 254 Too Much Rain Causes A Flood (2)
As Basil walked closer to the thing that attracted his attention in front of him, Deacon, who had been silent as a statue, suddenly jumped down from his shoulder, then blocked his path.
Basil stopped in his track as, though Deacon looked cute, he was conveying a very solemn mood through their [Link]. Basil immediately got what he was worrying about, then shooed him away.
"Help Iliana collect the treasures¡ªI don''t need you to stand in my way."
"Master, although I don''t know what it is, I can tell that it is something Cursed. Just the aura it is exuding alone is enough indication of that!"
"I am not someone who you shall worry over, Deacon. Move away."
"What about if it is a trap, Master?"
Basil hummed lowly to himself as he mused about how adamant Deacon was. He could also already feel Iliana''s gaze on his back, so he was sure she would alsoe to stop him in any time.
Looking at the golden goblet in front of him, he calcted about the possibility of it being something dangerous to him¡ªhe found none. Although it looked dangerous, he was absolute that it was not something that would harm him.
Mages were naturally an efficient individual. Therefore when they died, if they really didn''t want their belongings to be found, they would destroy their belongings in a heartbeat; they would never make a dummy Legacy.
In other words, everything that was contained inside the Alternate Dimension was harmless ... At least, if it was utilized correctly.
''Since it is set on an altar, I believe the goblet is filled with something¡ªit''s a ritual. That means, I have to drink whatever inside it toplete the ritual, and get the Legacy that is kept here.''
Basil had seen a couple of things prepared to perform a ritual, so he was sure that the golden goblet on the altar contained the Legacy that was hidden in the Alternate Dimension.
He didn''t know whether he could actually handle this Legacy since this wasn''t the Legacy he had been looking for. The Legacy he had been looking for had belonged to a Braxtein Kingdom''s Mage, who hadn''t been a Mage of this caliber.
Regardless, he was determined to take it.
"Being cautious is good, but sometimes you need to take the risk."
"Master..."
"I need not your concern, Deacon. Move away before Iy my hands on you."
Deacon hesitated at first, but he moved away in the end. He knew his Master would definitely do what he said, and he didn''t want to ruin their rtionship that way.
''When I notice that the situation is not good, I will bring Master to safety,'' he thought as he watched Basil walked towards the altar.
Iliana arrived beside him not long after, and they watched the scene together, anticipating the worst toe. It didn''tst long however, as the moment Basil stopped right in front of the alter, he immediately looked at them.
"I am not suicidal enough to die. Stop worrying over me, and collect the treasures."
Basil said his words calmly, but the gleam in his eyes managed to make the two of them flinch. In the end, they nodded their head and proceed to do what Basil ordered them to ... Of course, they were still worrying over him.
''Hmph! I need not the concern from kids. This experienced man knows what he does.'' Basil shook his head faintly as he looked at Iliana and Deacon who were giving him furtive nces from time to time.
Basil turned his head towards the goblet on the altar that was just a few centimeters away from him, then hummed the moment he looked at the reddish ck liquid in it. He could smell nothing from it, but he was sure it was not something to drink.
Being not something to drink, however, doesn''t mean that it was dangerous for him. He was just disgusted at the thought of drinking it considering how it looked and how it would probably taste.
"It is good to see that this Mage is not superstitious."
Luckily, Basil didn''t have to drink the unknown substance in the goblet, since he found there was a Rune Carved on the inside of the goblet.
The substance was probably there to trick the imbeciles who believed too much in superstition to drink it, and the Rune was what hiding the Legacy.
Rituals, unlike Spells, they were not something necessary to Magic. Although sometimes Spells also weren''t needed to use Magic, it was something that really had something to do with Magic.
Rituals, on the other hand, were just a formality¡ªthe way of doing things. They were nothing more than an etiquette in Magic that conservative people believed would increase the effect of one''s Spell¡ªan utter nonsense.
The same case happened to the liquid in the goblet; drinking the liquid inside a golden goblet is a part of the ritual of inheriting a Legacy that conservative people practiced. It was unnecessary and stupid, so Basil would never do that.
Upon activating the Rune Carved on the goblet however, Basil immediately frowned as his thought was proven to be false. The original owner of the Legacy was as superstitious as those conservative people he ridiculed.
"Why do I have to drink this liquid?" Basil frowned as he stared at the message Carved on the altar. "The Rune does nothing other than stirring this liquid and give me this message ... To think that such a well Carved Rune is wasted this way..."
Basil sighed as he looked at the intricate Rune inside the goblet that was now shining in gold.
One definitely needed to be a Rune Grandmaster to Carve the Rune, and such a Rune was definitely Carved using, at least, a Seventh Grade Magic Beast''s blood as the Catalyst.
Basil couldn''t believe that such an intricate andplicated Rune merely functioned as something that stirred an unknown liquid.
"Hoh? It does more than it looks."
At least, the moment Basil keenly looked at what it was really doing, his interest was attracted once again. The liquid that was being stirred by the Rune was gradually turning clear, while simultaneously umting residue in the bottom of the goblet.
''Guide, what is the goblet in front of me doing?'' Basil didn''t have any particr reason to ask¡ªhe was merely curious of what was actually happening.
[Ding!]
[Solving the Host''s puzzlement...]
[Solomon''s Goblet of Concoction is now in the process of Concocting a Pill. The Pill that is being Concocted is called Pure Essence that...]
Just by hearing the name of the goblet itself was enough to make Basil''s eyes widen in shock. Therefore upon hearing the name of the Pill that was being Concocted, his eyes widened even further.
He knew how to make Pure Essence. Although he hadn''t made one even in his past life, the Guide had told him about it as one of the best Pills he could make.
He wanted to make it in the far future despite already knowing how to do it, simply because the ingredients needed to make it¡ªDragon''s blood. Although he knew where to find it, he simplycked the power to obtain it.
Killing a Dragon was not something he could do until he became an Eight Circle Mage or a Middle Stage Purple Core Knight. He had experienced how life threatening it had been to fight a Dragon in his past life, so he didn''t dare to bet.
This is the reason why the moment he heard what the Guide said about the Pill that was being Concocted, he felt like the world was joking with him. Too many good things happened to him at once, he was afraid of the future.
Gulp.
"Since Solomon''s Goblet of Concoction is here, the goblet must be the Legacy. There is no way that..."
Basil trailed off his word as he looked at the newly appeared message on the altar. He soon frowned in contemtion as he wondered whether to do what the message said or just be satisfied of what he had already obtained.
[Gulp the Pill of Pure Essence, and my true legacy shall belong to you.]
Considering who Solomon was, Basil was sure that everything belonged to Solomon that even Solomon himself imed was crappy would definitely be more than helpful to the current him.
He honestly didn''t care whether he got the true Legacy or not; getting the goblet was enough already. He could Concoct many Pills and Catalyst to assist him in advancing his Mastery in both Principles with it.
He wasn''t being greedy, but since there was a Legacy he could get without doing anything bothersome, it would be stupid of him to waste such an opportunity.
Therefore, when the liquid inside the goblet turnedpletely clear¡ªwhen the Concoction process was finished¡ªhe immediately took the marble sized Pill that was submerged in the now clear liquid, then gulped it in one go.
Pure Essence was a Pill that was specially intended for Knights to purge impurities off their Core, so it naturally contained a highly concentrated Qi. Therefore moment Basil gulped it, he was quickly surrounded by Qi.
Boom!
"Blimey! It kicks harder than I thought."
His Natural Core trembled, and he could feel his Qi that was stored inside was being stirred up and purified. His blood also rushed as his Core heated up along with his entire body.
The feeling was overwhelming, but instead of panicking, Basil handled all the Qi coursing through his entire body calmly. He even had a smile on his face as if saying that he was already used to it.
He was indeed¡ªdealing with an overwhelming amount of Qi in his body, that is.
As he had already gulped the Pure Essence just like what the message had told him to, he immediately turned his head towards the goblet. He expected the goblet to give out something, but such a thing didn''t happen.
He was slightly disappointed as he thought he had been tricked. He was about to leave, but another message appeared on the altar stopping him in his track.
[Shall thou wash thy face with the water in my goblet, may thou see great things.]
"Is this another one of his scam?"
Basil didn''t want to do what the message said at first, but he decided to bet his luck in the end. He washed his face with the liquid in the goblet, and he was d he did that.
Chapter 255 Too Much Rain Causes A Flood (End)
Ssh!
As Basil washed his face with the clear liquid inside the goblet, Deacon and Iliana, who had been watching him, blinked their eyes in surprise. They wondered what Basil was doing, but they didn''t confront him about it.
They knew Basil was the type of a guy who would do anything for a reason, so him messing around was very highly unlikely.
On the other hand, Basil himself didn''t know whether what he had done held some meaning or was nothing but a prank. He didn''t feel any change after washing his face with the liquid, and he inclined to believe that he had been pranked.
At least, that was until he looked ahead of him. His eyes immediately widened the moment he saw something that he didn''t see earlier.
There was a small chest that was surrounded by yellow light floating above the altar in front of him.
He was sure he didn''t see any Concealment Spell was cast around the area when he inspected it with his [Eyes of Mana Perception], but after he washed his face with the liquid, he could immediately see the chest that was hidden by the Spell.
He wondered about how his [Eyes of Mana Perception] couldn''t work despite how proficient he was in utilizing it, but immediately discarded the thought when he looked at the goblet.
He immediately realized that his [Eyes of Mana Perception] weren''t faulty, and instead, he was the one who had been fooled by the Concealment Rune Carved inside the goblet.
He had only noticed it now that there was also a Rune Carved on the floor where he was standing on. It was very sensitive to Mana, so he had unintentionally activated it the moment he stood on it.
Combined with the hidden Concealment Rune inside the goblet, it was no wonder that he couldn''t detect the floating chest. The Runes had reflected his Mana back at him, so he could only see what his normal eyes could see.
''To think that Solomon is also superstitious... I guess talent has nothing to do with beliefs.''
The reason why Basil called Solomon superstitious was because of what the water did to him¡ªwhat Solomon made him do. The water was nothing but an ordinary liquid, however Solomon made that as a requirement to break his Spell.
Only conservative people did that as they believed that water could purify one''s mind, just like what the water inside the goblet had done to Basil.
Although he did only see the chest after he washed his face with the water, in actuality, he could see the chest because the Rune, which Solomon Carved on the goblet, had deemed him worthy to see the chest.
Was he worthy because he was the intended sessor? No, he was worthy because he had followed what Solomon told him to¡ªwash his face with the water in the goblet.
Ridiculous it is, but that is just what being a Mage meant.
"Now, let me see what the chest has inside it."
As Basil extended his hand, Iliana and Deacon watched him in curiosity and puzzlement again. Unlike him, they still couldn''t see the chest, so the moment the chest appeared in his hand, they blinked their eyes in surprise.
Basil knew that he was being stared at by the two, but he was too curious of what the content of the chest was to mind them. There was also the fact that he was busy controlling the overflowing Qi in his body, so the two wentpletely ignored.
ck!
Contrary to Basil''s expectation, the chest didn''t have any Rune Carved on it to prevent him from opening it, so he could open it without a hitch. He could immediately see two ck metal rings with red linings inside the chest upon opening it.
He didn''t know what the rings were, but he was sure they belonged to Solomon. He could feel the simrity in aura between the rings and the amulet he was wearing.
''Guide, what are these rings?''
As he didn''t want to waste his time to guess what the rings were, he immediately asked the Guide about them. Like always, the Guide was there to answer him.
[Solving the Host''s puzzlement...]
[The rings are the part of Solomon''s 9 Seals. They are on the peak of High Grade Artefacts due to what they contain inside. There is...]
As the knowledge regarding the rings were carved in Basil''s mind, he couldn''t help blinking his eyes. Although he knew the rings were definitely High Grade Artefacts, he didn''t expect what their true identity was.
Solomon''s 9 Seals were the most sought after Artefacts that was said to contain an unimaginable power. They were the only Legacy of Solomon that no one had found in his past life, which made many people thought they never existed in the very first ce.
As their name suggested, Solomon''s 9 Seals sealed 9 different things in them. Although no one knew what specifically the things were, everyone believed they were something powerful.
''This doesn''t feel right. Something must be going on...''
The Guide had told Basil what the rings contained, and instead of feeling joy, he frowned in contemtion. What had happened to him up till now had been too good to be true, he suspected that everything was premeditated.
Considering that he had met Matheus whose identity was still unclear, and learning the existence of the Gods, it wasn''t an exaggeration to think that way. If his return to the past was also thanks to a God, that very God should also be able to do it.
Naturally, upon reaching that thought, he couldn''t help but anticipate what was about toe in the near future.
The fortunes Basil had gotten was like a rain falling down upon a barrennd. He was d about it, but now he was worried that the rain was too much for the barrennd.
Everyone knew what would happened to and that had rain endlessly falling down upon it¡ªit became flooded. He strongly believed that misfortunes would catch up to his fortunes soon.
It was highly likely the case, since the rings he got contained Caliburn, the Sword of Light, and the Soul Fragment of the First Lady¡ªpriceless Artefacts that were in the legend.
He didn''t know anything about thetter, but the former shouldn''t be something one would find even in ck market.
Many people imed the Sword of Light, Caliburn had been destroyed ever since King Arthur got Excalibur from the Lady of The Lake, so he didn''t know why such a thing still existed.
Furthermore, Caliburn should have been forged by Merlin, the Great Mage of Camelot. He didn''t know how it ended up in Solomon''s hand, considering that there was around 100 years gap between Merlin''s rise to prominent and Solomon''s death.
Although Solomon was imed to be missing, from Caesar''s story, it was highly likely that as one of the main supporters of the Lord, he had been killed by the people of the Church, which was why Caliburn in one of Solomon''s 9 Seals didn''t make sense.
''How could a dead man posses something that would only exist in the next 100 years? Unless Merlin traveled to the past, which is highly unlikely, this should have never happened ... It happened nheless.''
Basil sighed as he couldn''te up with an exnation how Caliburn could end up in one of the Solomon''s 9 Seals. He immediately tried his luck by asking the Guide about it, and he appeared to be lucky enough for the Guide to answer him.
[There are two Caliburns recorded in history: the first one that was forged by Solomon, and the second one that was forged by Merlin. While the first one is believed to be a legend, the second one is...]
It turns out, Merlin was nothing more than a copycat. He was inspired by the legendary Solomon''s Caliburn that had been blessed by a God, so he had tried to recreate it to arm his King with a befitting weapon.
The Guide made clear that while Merlin''s version of Caliburn could do many incredible things, it was still nothingpared to Solomon''s Caliburn. Solomon''s Caliburn was said to possess a Divinity, so it could do much more amazing things than Merlin''s.
Basil, despite knowing the credibility of the Guide, was still sceptical if there really was Divinity in the sword. He wanted to pull the sword out there and then, but he was still curious about what the other ring contained, so he chose to postpone it.
''Guide, what is the Soul Fragment of the First Lady?''
[The Soul Fragment of the First Lady, as its name suggests, is a Seal that contains a fragment of soul of the deceased First Lady.]
Basil sighed in exasperation at the information, since that wasn''t what he had wanted to know. He wasn''t mad at the Guide though; he med himself for the way he worded his question.
''Guide, who is the First Lady?''
[The First Lady was the strongest human who managed to capture the heart of the Lord. She was the Lord''s one and only wife, who was also the founder of Pacifer n.]
Boom!
Basil felt like his head was about to explode upon the revtion. The information was so mind-blowing, he didn''t know how to react.
Although he still didn''t know who the First Lady was, knowing that she was the founder of Pacifer n made it easier to figure out who the Lord was.
He could also easily deduce the Lord was a God from the way the Guide called the First Lady ''human'' as if the Lord wasn''t one himself, so that means, the God Pacifer n served that his mother had told him about was the Lord himself.
''The problem is, why did the Lord descend to the mortal world, leaving the Heavenly Throne, just to help humans and die by the hands of the humans he helped despite his power? Does this mean Pacifer n no longer has a God to be served?''
Basil couldn''t think of an answer to his question, but he didn''t mind it in the slightest. Looking at the ring containing the Soul Fragment of the First Lady, he knew he would be able to figure out that soon.
Since he had obtained the Legacies that were much more precious than he had thought, it was already time for him to leave. He wore the rings in his thumbs, and turned his back on the altar.
He was about to help Iliana collect the treasures when he felt his consciousness was sucked into the ring, and what he saw next caught him absolutely off guard.
Chapter 256 Flooded
As Basil felt his consciousness was sucked into the ring, he lost his control over his body. The feeling was different from the one that he felt whenever he connected himself with the Fragment however, since hepletely lost his control this time.
His vision turned darker in each passing second, until he eventually saw nothing but darkness. He soon regained his vision in the next moment, but what he saw wasn''t the scenery of the Temporary Dimension he had been in.
"This ce... It feels simr to my Mindscape."
He knew however this wasn''t his Mindscape, so he wondered who the owner of the Mindscape was while looking around. Compared to his Mindscape, the ce looked very in as it was only consisted of an endless fertilend and a blue sky.
The wind wasforting, however he couldn''t believe anyone would be able to stay in this kind of ce for a long time. It was simply too in; anyone would easily get bored seeing it.
"I wonder if I should turn my Mindscape into this ce too. I believe it will easily drive Vagus to insanity."
Basil smirked as he thought about his Sword Soul that was still Evolving in his Mindscape would react to this ce. She hadn''t been awake ever since he entered the Middle Realm, so he wondered if Vagus had unintentionally destroyed herself in the process.
Although he knew such a thing would never happen, Vagus looked clumsy enough to do that, so he couldn''t help himself thinking about that.
Of course, when it happened, he would curse Vagus for her stupidity instead ofughing at her stupidity. Not only would he lose his strongest weapon by then, but he would also lose a part of himself.
Basil wasn''t embarrassed to say that he had gottenfortable with Vagus'' presence in his Mindscape, but he didn''t mean Vagus being a part of him in a romantic way.
He was only reminded of it due to his mother, but he had almost forgotten he had established a Soul Bind with Vagus. That means, his soul and Vagus were bound, so when one of them was dead the other would also be dead.
Basil technically wouldn''t die since he was the "host" in this matter, but if Vagus somehow destroyed herself before he unbound his soul with her, which was undoable, his soul would suffer greatly.
He didn''t want that to happen, so he genuinely wished for Vagus to not dumbly destroy herself. His progress would be greatly hampered if that happened, and he would definitely look for her to torture her in afterlife.
"Well, it seems there is nothing here. I have been walking around searching for something, but I find none." Basil looked around with a light hum. "Whoever the owner of this Mindscape is, he is messing with me."
As soon as Basil finished saying his words, he felt someone''s presence behind him. He had intentionally acted like he didn''t know who this ce belonged to, expecting this to happen, and when it happened, he was slightly overwhelmed.
The First Lady, the founder of Pacifer n was right behind him, staring at his back intently. Just a fragment of her soul was enough to overwhelm him; it made him wonder just how strong she really was.
Of course, no matter how overwhelming her presence was, Basil had no mind to be scared. He reveled in the feeling of being above someone instead.
He had been someone''spdog and target of ridicules in his past life, so he wasn''t really ufortable with the feeling. He knew what he could be in the future, so he had no intention to lower his head.
Since the First Lady also didn''t show any ill intention towards him, he turned his body around to face her with a small friendly smile. He genuinely meant his smile in a good way, but the moment he turned around, he quickly lost his smile.
There was ady dressed in apletely white dress standing in front of him. She had a long and pretty azure hair, an otherworldly beautiful face that was hidden behind her veil, and clear, blue eyes that were staring at him calmly.
Basil was motionless for a couple of seconds as he silently stared at the First Lady, but it wasn''t because he was too overwhelmed by her beauty. There was something uncannily familiar to her, and he couldn''t wrap his mind around that fact.
The First Lady was now looking at him curiously as he had been motionless for half a minute or so, but instead of exining himself, he walked towards her. He stopped just a few centimeters in front of her, and wordlessly opened her veil.
"Vagus."
"W-What?"
The First Lady was confused at Basil''s sudden act, but he wasn''t having it at all. Looking at the woman, who was supposed to be the First Lady, he couldn''t help feeling sceptical.
''No wonder she feels familiar. She is just an older and taller version of Vagus!''
No matter where Basil looked at her, the First Lady was Vagus. Although she looked absolutely clueless about what Basil was on about, he was sure it was just Vagus, who had finished her Evolution, messing with him.
''There is no way that happens, right?''
Of course, Basil understood that such a thing didn''t happen. He could still feel Vagus'' Soul in his Mindscape, and see some apparent differences the woman in front of him had from Vagus, no matter how simr they looked.
Since he had made the situation awkward between the two of them, Basil took a step back, then activated his Pacifer Seal. The First Lady widened her eyes before a light of understanding shed in them.
"Ah, so the time has finallye. The Fated Child has finally been born." The First Lady smiled delicately. "I am your ancestor, Asia, in case you don''t know me yet." She extended her hand.
Basil looked at the extended hand briefly before grasping it in his. "I am Basil Pacifer. Nice to meet you, Lady Asia." He then deactivated his Pacifer Seal.
"Oh my. Such a polite young man." Asia giggled happily, then felt Basil''s entire torso. "Oh, you are not only tall but also strong¡ªgood!"
Since there was only ten centimeters of difference in height between them, Asia sizing Basil up didn''t look awkward at all. Basil didn''t know what to do in that kind of situation, so he just stood there rigidly like a child being dressed by his mother.
Once Asia finished sizing Basil up, she pinched Basil''s cheeks and stretched them to make a funny face. That was the bottom line of Basil however, so it didn''tst more than three seconds.
Basil took her hands of his face, then put it down while looking at her politely. There was something about her that made him couldn''t be mad at her¡ªshe was like his long lost friend¡ªso he didn''t show any displeasure on his face
"Judging by your reaction earlier, I can tell that you have an idea about who Vagus is."
"Zepar''s sword, isn''t it?"
"What the sword used to contain is what I mean."
"Oh... I can''t dodge this one, can I?"
Asia smiled awkwardly, but Basil kept giving her a pressuring gaze that forced her to tell what he wanted to know. She sighed in the next moment, then looked around to find somewhere to sit.
Basil tapped the ground once with his feet, and a fancy bench made of Earth appeared in the next moment. Asia seemed to be surprised at what Basil was capable of in her Mindscape, but didn''t fuss about it as she sat herself.
"Excuse me, Lady Asia."
"Yes, my descendant, Basil."
"Do you have any specific reason for sitting on myp?"
"Do you have the heart to let this olddy sit on a hard bench?"
"I can make it soft¡ª"
"No, I am fine with yourp."
"..."
Asia had already grasped Basil''s thighs with her hands, showing how adamant she was on the idea of sitting on hisp, and he couldn''t help but sigh at that.
If she were just anyone, he would''ve pped her to the heaven for sure. Unfortunately, not only was she his ancestor, but the familiar andfortable feeling he felt from her made him don''t want to disrespect her.
"The story dated back to 2000 years ago... I was killed by one of the fanatic followers of the Four Heroes¡ªthe betrayers. Ah, can youfort me, my descendant, Basil? I am feeling sad."
Basil gave an exasperated sigh at Asia''s request, but did what she requested nheless; he caressed her head tenderly. He needed to hear what had actually happened in the past from her, so he didn''t want to make her upset.
"Yes, that is all."
"What is all?"
"The story. What do you expect?"
"Don''t joke around with me, please, Lady Asia."
"Fufufu." Asia giggled softly. "Loosen up a little bit, my descendant. You are against your nature for being stiff and all."
"The story."
"Boo, you are no fun." Asia booed Basil like a child even though she knew Basil couldn''t see it since she was facing her back on him.
"Anyway, my soul was split in two by the First Prince. Solomon got his hand on the first half, and he sealed it here, meanwhile the First Prince sealed the other half in the sword of Zepar, Vagus, which is a great ce to seal souls."
"Can I assume that Vagus and Asia are the same person?"
"We are both Asia¡ªthere is no Vagus to begin with. Why do you sound so sceptical anyway?"
Asia felt something was wrong in Basil''s question, so she couldn''t help turning her body to the side. She was now face to face with Basil, and she immediately frowned when he noticed Basil''s slightly awkward smile.
"The Asia that was previously trapped inside Vagus is now in my Mindscape. She is chatty, immature, and insufferably dumb. To think that girl is you is a little bit... Unbelievable in my opinion."
"Huuh... That stupid me." Asia sighed as she massaged her forehead then looked at Basil awkwardly. "She must have lost her mind due to the thousands of years of confinement. Please, be nice to her."
Basil nodded his head as if he had been treating the Asia he knew nicely for the whole time.
Ignoring the fact how the Asia in front of him could still stay sane after also being confined for thousands of years, he asked a question.
"Who is the Lord, and what is the connection he had with Matheus?"
"That is..."
Asia seemed to be overwhelmed by the direct question, since she couldn''t immediately answer the question.
Chapter 257 Flooded (2)
"W-What? How did you know that?"
Asia looked at Basil in bafflement as her long eyshes trembled delicately. She didn''t expect Basil to ask that question, and she didn''t know how to react properly.
"I have met him¡ªMatheus."
"No, I mean, how did you know the Lord?"
Basil quirked his eyebrow in wonder as he didn''t expect the mention of the Lord got such a reaction from her. He didn''t even mention the Lord''s name, so it was clear that Asia was surprised Basil knew of the Lord''s existence.
Asia lowered her head, muttered some incoherent words to herself, before eventually looking at Basil again right in his eyes. Basil immediately knew that he wouldn''t hear the full truth of what he asked about when he looked into her eyes.
"Yes, what you think is right. It is still too early for me to tell you about everything." Asia briefly sighed. "Matheus was my husband''s, the Lord''s most trusted subordinate. Matheus was his right hand, the person who he entrusted the Fragments to."
"I heard from Matheus that the Fragments were originally the Tablet of Truth. Does this mean that your husband had purposely destroyed it to pieces before giving it to Matheus in Fragments?"
"You learned well, but no, that wasn''t the case. The Fragments weren''t handed directly to Matheus. My husband was killed by those ungrateful betrayers, and he destroyed the Tablet of Truth to prevent it from falling into their hands."
"Is that the origin of Fragment Bearer?"
"Yes. They exist to collect all of the Fragments scattered around the world to rebuild the Tablet of Truth. On the other hand, they also have to destroy it, and scatter the Fragments when it is about to fall into the wrong hands."
Basil hummed to himself at the information he had just gotten from Asia. He finally understood why there hadn''t been a single Fragment Bearer other than Matheus who had managed to collect all of the Fragments.
Considering how powerful the Pacifer n had been in the past, and how fearsome the power of the Lord was, it was normal for people to also hunt down every Fragment Bearer the moment the people caught the wind of their existence.
Still, Basil wasn''t really sure how many this cycle was repeated since Matheus told him nothing about the Fragment Bearers, other than him being the first one.
"May I know why none of the people in Pacifer n knows about Matheus?"
"You are asking the wrong person then. He was the only male child ever born into Pacifer n, and also the strongest human at that time. We couldn''t just announce the identity of our strongest person, so only Maha Dmitras should know of his existence."
"Does that mean¡ª"
"Yes, you are the second male child ever born in Pacifer n. Unlike him, who supported our n from the shadow however, I want you to stand in the front line..." Asia caressed Basil''s cheek as she recalled about the past.
"We learned itte, but hiding what we truly were capable of was the worst mistake we made at that time. Letting them know that we were harmless was a mistake; it was better to conquer them with our power."
Asia frowned in displeasure and her aura became fierce. Despite so, Basil was unbothered as ever, because none of the rage was directed at him.
Asia widened her eyes the moment she realized she had digressed, then cleared her throat to get rid of the silence. She nodded her head at Basil afterwards, prompting him to ask another question.
"Why were you surprised that I know about the Lord?"
"Well... What happened to my husband was our n''s darkest history. We, as his servants, failed to protect him, and he died protecting us instead." Asia''s eyes turned mncholic.
"I am pretty sure I had banned every Maha Dmitra from talking about my husband before I died¡ªit feels like insulting him¡ªso I was surprised that you, who awakened your Seal independently, could know about my husband."
"Can I have my Seal awakened by someone else?"
"Of course¡ªthat is the norm." Asia giggled at Basil''s cluelessness. "Your Seal should have been awakened by a Maha Dmitra since you were just a baby, but I can''t feel any trace of a Maha Dmitra''s Divinity from you."
"Divinity?"
"The power of the Gods. Mana that we use to fuel Magic is derived from Divinity, or rather, Divinity is the purest and most potent form of Mana."
"Can I¡ª"
"Hush! You don''t need to think about such things now." Asia put her finger in front of Basil''s mouth. "You are too weak to mind about such things, but yes, you will eventually be able to gain Divinity."
Basil put Asia''s hand down to remove her finger off his mouth. He had another question for her, and he didn''t want her to prevent him from asking it.
"Do I have to be a Maha Dmitra to be able to gain Divinity?"
"What? No." Asia looked at Basil weirdly. "Although Maha Dmitras are mostly talented, other than me, none of them have ever developed Divinity. The Divinity they have belongs to the Goddess that is a good friend of my husband."
"Is she the one whom Pacifer n serves nowadays?"
"Our n doesn''t serve that homewrecker¡ªwe ask for her help."
"I see..." Basil nodded his head. "Thank you for confirming that the Lord is really a God."
"W-What?! You sneaky child!"
Asia seemed indignant from her face, but her tone waspletely the opposite. It seems to Basil she was amazed at his way of extracting information, but she was amused at how loose her mouth was.
Basil didn''t care about it in the slightest, so he immediately opened his mouth to ask another question. This time however, Asia shook her head, showing that she really didn''t want to answer him this time.
"I haven''t even said anything yet."
"I know that you are going to ask about my husband''s name, but I think it is not the time for us to talk about that. Although I have never gotten out of this ce for 2000 years, I know that something is going on outside."
"Indeed."
"You have better things to do then. Knowing everything at the cost of losing everything is not a good bargain in my opinion."
"That is... Correct."
Asia smiled at Basil then caressed his cheek warmly. She looked at him as if she was looking at the most precious jewel in the universe, and he had to close his eyes as he couldn''t stand her intense gaze.
Not even Iliana had ever seen him like that in his past life, so receiving that gaze from someone who looked like the person he had bullied¡ªtreated coldly felt slightly awkward for him.
"Judging from your tone earlier, I can see how much you despise the Gods for what they can do. I can assure you however, our meeting is fate, not something that the God who gave you the chance to return to the past has orchestrated."
"While I acknowledge their existence, I don''t believe in both. If they who possess Divinity are Gods, that means, you are too, no?"
"Possessing Divinity doesn''t always make you a God."
"Can you¡ª"
"Geez. You really are a curious one, aren''t you? Let''s talk about it some other time. You''ve been here for two hours. The time rate here is just four times faster than the outside, so you have wasted your half an hour standing like an idiot."
"Does that mean you have spent 8000 years¡ª"
"I don''t know! I have been sleeping until I summoned you here."
"I see..."
Asia sighed in exasperation at Basil''s extreme curiosity, and couldn''t help covering his mouth when he was was about to open it again. She didn''t know if he was about to ask her something again, but she still did it to prevent it from happening.
Basil, of course, couldn''t let her cover his mouth forever, so he pried her hands off. She was pretty adamant on keeping her hands on his mouth, so he had a pretty hard time prying them off.
He could just use force to do it, but he weirdly didn''t feel it was right to exert force on her. It took a second for him to find an alternative way to pry her hands off his face, and he didn''t waste his time to do it.
"Kyaa! Pervert!"
Basil briefly grasped one of Asia''s bountiful breasts, and she immediately reacted by swatting him. She, of course, missed her target, and due to her choice to swat him, Basil was now free to speak again.
"No, no, no! I don''t want to answer your¡ª"
"I am just going to say a farewell. What got you so riled up?"
"O-Oh, is that so? Then, say it from the beginning!"
"You should have let me."
Basil clicked his tongue then looked at Asia in slight dissatisfaction. He couldn''t fully disrespect her due to her status of being his ancestor, so being sarcastic was the worst thing he could do to her.
He picked Asia in his arms as he stood up, then put her down to let her stand by herself. The earthen bench he had made returned to the ground as he stared deeply into her eyes.
"Can you extend your hand, Lady Asia?"
"Oh my!" Asia covered her mouth in surprise. "If you want to propose me, ring is not enough to¡ª"
"I don''t like someone''s wife."
"Kahak! It is right, but why does it so hurtful hearing it from you?"
"Just extend your hand."
Asia pouted, but extended her hand in the end. Basil softly sighed in exasperation at that, as now he could see the resemnce between this Asia and the Asia he knew.
Both of them became more irritating the more time he spent with them.
"What are you going to do, my descendant, Basil?"
"I want us to resume our talk in the future."
"In the future? How? Wait, are you..."
"I am looking forward to our future conversation." Basil smirked at Asia.
"This sneaky child!"
Asia could feel it¡ªBasil was binding his soul to her. Not only was he binding his soul to her, he was also in the process ofbining her soul to the other half of her soul inside his Mindscape.
She was amazed at how wicked her descendant was, but she couldn''t help clicking her tongue now that her n to destroy herself after Basil left the space failed splendidly.
Chapter 258 Flooded (End)
Soul Binding. Although it was actually a simple procedure of binding one''s soul with something¡ªusually a High Grade Artefact or Relic¡ªin Asia''s perspective, Basil was devouring her.
Technically, Basil wasn''t even binding his soul with Asia; he was merely reattaching a soul that had been split in two in the past. Of course, the result was the same as if he was binding his soul to her, since "Vagus" was already bound to him.
Asia, who had wanted to keep everything to herself, was extremely dissatisfied this happened to her. She had nned to self-destruct after Basil left the space to keep all the things he would eventually figure out in the future.
s, Basil had perfectly seen through her intention, so her n to self-destruct was nothing but a mere n. She, of course, didn''t just let him do what he was doing as she tried her best to break the procession.
Unfortunately for her however, Basil was much more experienced than she thought. All of her effort to break the procession did nothing to it; he could proceed with it without any difficulty at all.
"Aaahh! You sneaky child! Let your ancestor go now! I don''t want you to question me everyday!" Asia felt like crying¡ªno, she was already crying as Basil didn''t bat an eysh at her. "Basil, my descendant, please let this pathetic ancestor of yours go!"
"I agree that you are pathetic, but no, I won''t let you go."
"Can you, at least, not insult me?!"
Basil clicked his tongue in slight annoyance as he looked at his ancestor, who had lost her gracefulness. She really looked like "Vagus" now, and he dreaded how the two would be after their soul became one once again.
"Look at my eyes, Basil! Do you have the heart to let this frail woman¡ª"
"Yes."
"Insolent child!"
Basil nodded his head casually as if he agreed with Asia, and it further irked here. Unfortunately for her¡ªluckily for Basil¡ªshe couldn''t throw her protest at him, since right before she did, she had beenpletely absorbed by Basil.
Asia''s soul had now been perfectlybined with "Vagus," who was already close to finishing her Evolution. Basil hoped that her soul''spletion would elerate the process even faster, because he was curious of what the new Asia would be.
Having been separated from each other for thousands of years had apparently made them different. Not just from the way they behaved, but also how they looked.
The Asia he had been with for a decade, "Vagus" was a young woman who was just as tall as Iliana, 178 centimeters tall, meanwhile the Asia he had just met was a mature woman with a height of 188 centimeters.
Both of them looked otherworldly attractive, and were yful, however in terms of aura, "Vagus" could never match Asia. Being a true soul, Asia''s presence carried the weight of her original power.
Basil wasn''t saying that "Vagus" wasn''t a true soul, but considering that she had perfectly be a Sword Soul due to the long years she had spent being sealed in Zepar''s sword, her soul no longer carried the weight of her original power.
Rather than feeling like the soul of a powerful person that was sealed in a sword, "Vagus" felt more like a soul that was born from a sword. Her soul had adjusted to the vessel it had upied, as it was the nature of the soul.
Just like how Basil''s powerful soul when it upied his younger self''s body. If not for the fact that his soul had quickly adjusted to the body it upied, Basil would have exploded the moment he returned to the past.
That being said, he wondered what thebination of a true soul and a Sword Soul that belonged to the same person would result in.
"As expected, Vagus, or I should say, Asia''s Evolution is elerated. Unlike before however, I don''t know where her Evolution will lead her to anymore."
Basil could feel it: while Asia''s presence became more overwhelming than before in his Mindscape, her connection with him was not as strong as it used to. He couldn''t predict her any longer, as he had be weaker than his Sword Soul.
Basil was the type of someone who was ashamed of having a power he couldn''t handle, but Asia''s Evolution was something he was anticipating.
He had Caliburn with him now, so he didn''t need to be worried of destroying his sword whenever he used [Synchronization]. It should be enough to handle the burden of Asia''s soul.
The problem was him; whether he could handle the burden was depending on his Mastery level. He needed to be, at least, a Seventh Circle Mage or a Peak Violet Core Knight to execute [Synchronization] to its full potential.
He didn''t care even though Asia was already stronger than him, because he was even more motivated to get stronger faster, so he could pull out her full potential.
"Now, how do I get out of this ce?"
Although Basil was a tranquility lover, staying in such a tranquil ce while knowing that something must have been going out there was the least thing he wanted to do. He looked around quickly, while looking for the "exit."
"Oh? Since it feels like a Mindscape, can I just..."
Basil resorted to the way he used to eject himself from his Mindscape. He manded" the realm to take him out, and he was slightly surprised when he found it worked.
His body¡ªhis consciousness was slowly sucked out of the realm as he could gradually feel the connection between his body once again.
When his consciousness had fully returned to his body, Basil was assaulted with the familiar suppressing atmosphere of an Alternate Dimension. He had returned to Solomon''s vault, and he could feel two people standing in front of him in worry.
"I am sorry, I spaced out a little bit."
"A little bit? You have spaced out for half an hour!"
"I am back now, so it is fine."
Iliana looked at Basil''s nonchnt face weirdly, before sighing helplessly. It had been her second time seeing him spacing out for the day, and she still couldn''t tell what exactly was happening during that moment.
"Are you ok¡ª"
"Have you collected all of the treasures?"
"Is that what you should concern about?" Iliana was dumbfounded.
Uncaring to Iliana''s reaction, Basil turned to Deacon. "Have you collected all of the treasures?"
"We have only collected half of them. We were too worried about you to mind about such things."
"Worrying over me is nothing but an unnecessary action, but I appreciate it."
Basil smiled and rubbed Deacon''s head to show his appreciation. He immediately turned to Iliana the moment he felt her intense gaze, and also rubbed her head to show that he was grateful for what she had done.
"Do I look like a child to you?"
"Did you prefer a spank?"
"This guy..."
Iliana was speechless for a couple of seconds before eventually bursting inughter. She was amused by the fact that she could hear something like thating out of Basil''s mouth, so she couldn''t hold herself back from grasping his bottom.
"You have grown."
"... I would prefer you doing it privately."
"Hmph! You shall be grateful that I show my love openly."
"Being a pervert and a lover are two different things."
Iliana merely smirked and grasped Basil''s bottom once again at his words. Basil shook his head at her childish behaviour then looked around the vault that was already half empty.
Extending his left hand forward, he infused his Mana to the ring that had ever housed Asia''s soul in it. Since the ring was no longer upied, he was intending to keep the remaining treasures there.
He still had much empty space left in his Spatial Bracelet and Spatial Ring, but he intentionally didn''t use them because of what the Ring of Solomon''s 9 Seals could do¡ªthe long range absorption.
Different from any other Spatial Rings or Spatial Bracelets, the Ring of Solomon''s 9 Seals didn''t need to be near the object that he wanted to store to store it. As long as his eyes could see the object, it could be stored.
sh!
A bright light briefly enveloped the entire Alternate Dimension, and when it died down, all of the treasures that were previously there had gone. It was now nothing but a room with tiles flooring covering an area of 1 square kilometer.
The altar was still there, but all of the precious things had all gone. Basil had stored them in his new Spatial Ring in just a few seconds.
It was all thanks to the High Grade Rune Solomon had Carved on the Ring¡ª[Instant Stow]. It was the highest quality of Spatial Rune, and was also mostplicated one at that.
Although Basil could also make it with the slight help of the Guide, he simply didn''t have the catalyst that would allow him to do that. He couldn''t just Carve the Rune with a Third Grade Beast''s blood after all.
"Now that everything is done, let''s get out of here."
"Wait, how did you¡ªah!"
Uncaring to Iliana''s question, Basil enveloped Deacon with his left arm, and pulled Iliana to his body with his right hand.
He immediately activated his [Eyes of Mana Perception] to look for the Rune of the Alternate Dimension that would get them out, and he found it in just a few seconds. He also found there was not much time left until the Temporary Dimension self-destructed.
That means, if he were to stay idle any longer, they would be crushed to find dust by the pressure of the Infinite Space when the Temporary Dimension self-destructed.
Quickly channeling his Mana to the Rune, he activated it.
"Hold on tight."
"Wooooaaaah!"
A small vortex appeared in the air and all of them were immediately sucked into it. The Temporary Dimension also self-destructed after they disappeared from the ce, erasing any evidence that someone had ever visited there.
They returned to the outside world just a second after entering the vortex, and other than Basil, all of them felt like their soul was spinning inside their body.
"I can... Never get used to... Dimensional Travel!"
Iliana tried her best to prevent herself from vomiting as she felt it was unsightly to do it in front of her boyfriend, but the moment she looked at Basil''s face, she instantly lost her nausea.
"The world is being flooded by predicaments," Basil said solemnly.
She didn''t even bother to decipher Basil''s poetic way to describe the situation, as she could also feel the sickening aura overwhelming Randalvine from inside Arthan Library.
Chapter 259 Joining The Fray
Woof!
"There are Monsters here!"
Deacon, as a Magic Beast, was very ufortable with the aura full of malice overwhelming the air. Although technically the library was free from any of its influence, his strong senses could still detect it.
He, like Iliana, didn''t know how the Demons could arrive there, but he knew that for the Demons to arrive at Braxtein, something bad was going to happen and must have happened. There was no way such a highly secured city as Braxtein let this just happen.
Having the same thought as Iliana¡ªit wasn''t the time to dilly-dally¡ªhe immediately turned his head to his Master along with her. They were about to urge Basil to move, but they turned silent the moment they looked at his calm smile.
''Master... He knew it was going to happen.''
''This guy...''
They were sure that Basil didn''t make what happened happen, but they couldn''t help shaking their head at the fact Basil had even known it first-hand. After all, he could have helped many people if he had informed them something like this would happen.
Of course, they didn''t me Basil for his decision to keep everything to himself. They were aware even if he had been kind enough to warn the people, no one would believe him as he had no solid proof.
"Let us head to Woster County," Basil said calmly as he looked at Iliana. "The Royal Army will be concentrated here soon, so they will definitely abandon Woster County. We can''t just let the County fall that way."
Iliana looked sceptically at Basil. "Are you saying that you care about the County?"
"No, but I do care of the lives of my friends. Xiu Li and the others must have been already fighting there by now, and I don''t want to let them die."
"You know, for what you have done, I can hardly take your word as it is." Iliana signed softly. "Tell me, do you have anymore n to execute?"
"I just want to train myself by killing Monsters. Also, I haven''t used my full power for a while¡ªit''s frustrating."
Iliana was still sceptical of Basil''s answer, but shook her head in the end. The situation had developed into the direction she had never thought of, and it wasn''t the time to think about Basil''s hidden intention.
Turning her back on him, she rapidly walked towards the exit of the library. Funnily, she made sure to bring Deacon with her, leaving said Beast in a dilemma of whether to choose his Master or the person his Master cared for.
He knew that his Master was fine with it, but he felt just wrong doing it. On the other hand, he didn''t feel it would be right if he left Iliana for Basil because she would feel hurt if he did that.
Looking at Basil with his sorry eyes over Iliana''s shoulder, in the end, he chose Iliana. Basil, who was left behind by Iliana, merely smiled faintly then caught up to her in just a blink of an eye.
He knew Iliana wasn''t particrly mad at him for what he had done¡ªalthough a softy, she wasn''t that caring towards other people. He was aware that she was just disappointed he didn''t tell her anything about it.
He could understand her feeling welling from the same n that was close to be wiped out, it was normal for her to feel his secrecy was unnecessary. After all, she would never do harm towards someone who came from the same n.
Learning from his past, Basil understood well Iliana was the only person in the world who would never betray him, however he still couldn''t tell anything about his n to Iliana.
His ns were about the possible events in the future that hadn''t happened yet, and telling her about them had a risk of changing the future even more.
Just by meeting her this soon alone was enough to alter the future this much¡ªhe didn''t want to deal with any other unpredicted events in the future.
Havinge this far, Basil had learnt that a slight difference in the presence could cause a huge difference in the future. Just a p of a butterfly''s wings in the current time could cause a typhoon in the future.
He didn''t want to take risk, so he kept everything to himself.
Roar!
"AAAAHHHHH! Somebody help me!"
"No! No! No! Go away! AAAHHH!"
"These goddamn Monsters! How did they enter the city?"
"Darn it! Hold these ursed Monsters back for as long as you can!"
Basil, Iliana, and Deacon had just gotten out of the library, but they were already greeted by a chaotic scene that happened not far from them. This means a bad news, since the area around Arthan Library should be one of the safest areas in Randalvine.
They could see people, mostly merchants and rich civilians living in Braxtein were running their way, leaving the group of Mages and Knights behind to deal with the Demons. The people also saw them, and they looked d upon seeing the two.
"Let''s leave this ce." Basil immediately ran down the stairs.
"Aren''t we going to aid them a little bit?" Iliana asked as she caught up to him. "I believe you can also train using the Monsters here."
"It won''t do," Basil immediately replied. "I don''t want to let anyone know that we have been here.
"I am pretty sure there are many people who have seen us."
"That is correct." Basil stopped in his track, then turned his gaze to Iliana who was beside him. "That is why, I am going to let them die. Look at the situation¡ªyou should know how chaotic it must be in the Capitol''s area."
Since the Demons had arrived at one of the safest areas in Randalvine City, it was correct for Basil to say that the situation in the Capitol''s area that was right in the center of the city was helplessly chaotic.
Being in the center of the city made the Capitol as thest line of the defense. If the Demons had managed to get to the area around Arthan Library, that means, thest line of defense of the city was already overwhelmed.
"You... There is no need to be that heartless. You are a human too! Don''t you feel ufortable seeing your kin get ughtered by those mindless creatures?"
"Why would I? Aside from being my fellow humans, what rtionship do they have with me? My family? No. My lover? No. My friend? No. Do you think it''s worth to spill your blood for them?"
"Basil¡ª"
"Hey, you there! Don''t just stand there, and go help the Mages!"
Iliana, who was about to "knock some sense" into Basil''s head, was cut by the merchant who had just arrived in front of them. The merchant was panting heavily while clutching his beer belly.
Merchants were the only group of civilians who dare to look down on Mages and Knights, because they had money to move the Mages and Knights that were afraid of the Kingdom''sw. In other words, those who didn''t unt their power.
For the sake of not getting punished by the Kingdom, instead of having their way with anything they wanted, the Mages and Knights formed a good rtionship with merchants.
That way, they would have money to do their research or buy higher quality equipments. This is the reason why the merchant who had just arrived in front of Basil and Iliana had dare to talk like that to them.
"We are already assigned to another post. We can not¡ª"
"Who cares?! Isn''t protecting civilians your job? Go help your friends!"
Iliana clicked her tongue as she had been cut by the merchant once again. The merchant genuinely felt entitled enough to order them around, and it irked her to no end.
sh!
Of course, no matter how irked she was, she wasn''t as bold as Basil who had just cut the merchant''s head off. It happened so sudden¡ªthe merchant''s look of bewilderment was still even stered on his face.
Thud!
"Hmph! Not even my family feel entitled to order me around." Basil snorted disdainfully towards the merchant''s head, then turned to Iliana. "Are you saying that I should spill my blood for this kind of people?"
"That is..."
"I get that there is always a white grain amongst the thousands of ck grains, but looking for that white grain takes too much time. Rather than looking for random good people, I prefer ensuring the safety of the people I care about."
This time, Iliana couldn''t return Basil''s words. She couldn''t find fault in Basil''s logic since that what she had been doing for all this time: she didn''t actively look for good people, but she would help them when she encountered them.
"This... What is this?!"
"Oh my God! What happened to Mr. Boris?!"
As more civilians arrived in front of them, their surrounding became rowdier. All of the civilians were shocked at seeing Boris, the merchant''s headless body.
They were immediately looking at Basil and Iliana with suspicion and anger. Being merchants, they felt they would be able to punish the two heavily when their words got out.
sh! sh!
Unfortunately for them, it was nothing but their delusion. Basil''s wind des were fast enough to cut their head even before they could utter a single word.
Iliana wasn''t surprised this time, unlike thest time, but she shook her head helplessly nheless. She was simply astonished at Basil''s decisiveness.
"There are 3 Third Circle Mages and 4 Peak Yellow Core Knights there." Basil pointed to the group of people fighting the Demons ahead of them. "Who do you want to deal with? The Mages or the Knights?"
"... I don''t think¡ª"
"Indeed. I also think you shall not partake in this horrific act of mine."
Iliana had actually wanted to say there was no need to kill the Mages and the Knights. Basil knew it, but he still decided to "misinterpret" her unfinished sentence by concluding that she didn''t want to join his evil deed.
[Master of Weapons]!
Activating his Aura, Basil took out all of the ded weapons he had in his Spatial Ring and Spatial Bracelet. He sent all of them towards the fighting Mages and Knights, striking them right in the middle of their chest.
Due to their bewilderment of being attacked suddenly, they became prone to the Demons'' attack. That way, all of the people who had seen Basil in front of Arthan Library were eaten by the Demons.
Chapter 260 Joining The Fray (2)
Basil and Iliana were now already a kilometer away from the area around Arthan Library.
They could see the chaos inside Randalvine, which no one had ever thought would happen, but Iliana''s mind was still upied with the Mages and Knights Basil had killed.
She couldn''t believe even until now that Basil didn''t even hesitate when he killed them. He had done it so smoothly, she wondered if it was something he had always done.
Although she felt no emotional attachment to the people he had killed, she could put herself in their shoes. She didn''t empathize with them, but she could imagine herself being one of them.
They were just doing their job of protecting the people¡ªthey did nothing wrong. If she were one of them, she would definitely be pissed so badly after knowing the cause of her death, hell wouldn''t even ept her.
It all happened just because they encountered Basil. Talking about a cruel fate, unconsciously standing in someone''s way and getting killed because of it was one of it.
"Doesn''t killing them leave enough proof that you have been here?"
"Are you referring to the Qi Signature I left behind?"
Iliana nodded lightly. "Yes. Even though you used Qi, the Kingdom has many ways to figure that it belongs to you."
"Luckily, the thing is, they won''t. These Monsters have dense enough Mana to cover the already faint trace of my Qi."
Iliana lowly hummed to herself at Basil''s question, then decided to stop talking about it. She knew no matter how many times she asked Basil, she wouldn''t understand his way of seeing other people.
Deciding to look around her, she clicked her tongue bitterly as she looked what the vibrant, elegant, and joyful city had turned into.
Some of the buildings werepletely pulverized, some were burned down, and some were cut in half. The scene was chaotic enough to make one cry over it after seeing it just once.
Her mood turned sour as she thought about how much worse the situation in Woster County that had been under the invasion of the Demons for three days. She worried about her friend''s well-being.
"AAAAHHH! NO! NO! DON''T EAT ME! AAACKK!"
"Mother, no! Don''t leave me behind!"
"Father, wake up, Father!"
"I am sorry, Sophia. I''m sorry. I just want to live!"
"DARN IT! BURN IN HELL, MAGGOTS!"
Iliana could see many happenings even though she had just passed a certain part of Randalvine that didn''t even make up a tenth of its whole area: mothers leaving behind their kids and vice versa, friends saving friends, and friends sacrificing friends.
She was really bothered at the scene she witnessed with her very own eyes, but Basil didn''t even nce at it once. His eyes remained nted on the way ahead of him as if he was seeing into a far away ce.
Basil was actually monitoring the situation at Woster County, just like what he had been doing for the past two days, but Iliana had no way of knowing it. In her eyes, Basil was just turning a blind eye on the things people were forced to do due to the circumstance.
Roar!
Iliana''s eyes immediately lit upon seeing an 8 meters tall Minotaur Warrior was running their way. It was chasing a mother and daughter, and she was d she now had a reason to save the two as the Demon was standing in their way.
"Don''t engage in battle. Let''s find an alternative way."
"Tsk! I will do what I want!"
"Fine with me."
Much to her surprise, when Basil was about to change his course and she refused to follow him, he didn''t force her to do so. He left her to do what she wanted to do as he took another way to pass the Minotaur Warrior.
She was slightly dumbfounded at how unwilling Basil was in helping people out, but she was d Basil didn''t stop her. Exhaling softly to herself, she took Sinister Piercer out, then dashed towards the Minotaur Warrior.
"Take cover!"
"T-Thank you, o benevolent Mage!"
She didn''t like the way she was being thanked to, but she could pay no mind to it in the slightest. The Minotaur Warrior in front of her felt different than any Minotaur Warrior she had encountered, and she was slightly rmed because of it.
Boom!
Manifesting four of her Magic Circles, the surrounding air was immediately overwhelmed with the Mana her Grand Circles attracted. Infusing her Mana to her spear, she activated one of her favorite Arts.
"[Boulder Piercer]!"
Although its name was not as scary as her other Arts'', the destruction her Art brought wasn''t something one should scoff at. This Art of hers had even inspired Basil in his past life to create an Art of his own: [Boulder Cleaver].
As Mana coated around her spear, Iliana jumped at the Minotaur Warrior like a sh. She reappeared right in front of its head in the next moment, and was really close to piercer its head with her spear.
nk!
It was much to her bafflement that the Demon managed to redirect her spear with its giant sword. The power the sword held was also astonishing; she was thrown away to the back.
She skidded on the ground, and only stopped after she was 10 meters away from the Demon. Her hands were already trembling at this point, and she couldn''t understand what had just happened.
"How... How can the Minotaur be that strong?"
''It wasn''t supposed to be like this,'' is what she wanted to say. Unlike Basil who was aware that all of the Demons that came out from the Obelisk during the Outbreak were on a whole different level than the usual ones, she didn''t know about it.
She had been fighting the losing Demons that looked simr to the winning Demons in her whole life, so encountering thetter was a shock to her. She didn''t expect there would be such an apparent gap between the former and thetter.
Boom!
Of course, she didn''t n to back down here. As she materialized herst Magic Circle, she determined herself to kill the strong Minotaur Warrior in front of her.
Five Magic Circles were now floating behind her back and they were shining intensely as they gathered Mana from the surrounding air. Infusing her Mana into her spear, she dashed again towards the Demon.
The Minotaur Warrior was still looking at Iliana unimpressed even though she was now exuding a whole different level of pressure, but she didn''t let it bother her. Jumping to the air until she was higher than the Demon''s head, she mmed her spear down.
"[Mountain Splitter]!"
Her spear arced due to the power she put into it as it cut through the air. Iliana was intending to cut the 8 meters tall Demon in two as it had managed to irk her by acting all high.
Fully believing in its ability to survive, the Demon merely put its sword above its head to protect its head from being hit by the de of Iliana''s spear. Unfortunately for the Demon, this attack of hers really did something to it.
sh!
Boom!
Iliananded on ground with an explosion of Mana as her Art didn''t only cut the Demon in two, but also carved a deep and long trench on the ground. The Demon''s also great sword split in two not long after, but its body was still doing its best to remain intact.
Thud!
The Demon fell on its knees as it tried to reconnect its body with the absurd regeneration speed it had. Blood was ceaselessly pouring out of the open wound, but Iliana could see it was rapidly healing
"How do you like that, bastard? It must be ufortable¡ª"
"Don''t waste your time talking to your enemy, and just kill it."
"How?!"
Swish!
Basil cut the Minotaur Warrior to pieces just with his Qi des. Iliana didn''t manage to question how he had suddenly appeared beside her as the thing happening in front of her astonished her as much as it annoyed her.
She was amazed that he had already possessed such power, but she was annoyed he had just pulled a kill steal on her. Nheless, she still dropped the matter as she looked at the urgency on Basil''s face.
"Let''s leave this ce immediately. Deacon is already waiting for us just a few hundreds meters from here."
"Why did youe here? I thought you were going to leave me be."
"Ie here because you didn''t return after more than two minutes. I will let you do whatever you want to do, but I will never let you go meet your doom."
"It''s not like I am going to die." Iliana frowned in dissatisfaction.
"An abomination that both of us can''t handle is heading our way. We shouldn''t waste our life here."
Iliana''s expression darkened upon hearing Basil''s words. Hearing such a word from someone who was confident in his power like him didn''t bring any good news.
If someone like Basil deemed whatever wasing their way an abomination, that means, it was enough to tten the entire Randalvine by itself. She tried to think of what it was, and something immediately popped up in her mind.
"Is it one of the humanoid High Grade Monsters?"
"Yes."
To be exact, one of Goap''s Six Generals was heading their way, but Basil didn''t need to tell her that, so he merely nodded his head. He scooped her up afterwards, and was about to run when she stopped her.
"Wait! Let''s take the mother and daughter with us."
"I can only carry one princess."
"Wow. That was smooth, but I''m not in the mood to flirt¡ªI have just saved two civilians!"
"Don''t worry." Uncaring towards Iliana''s request to stop, Basil dashed towards the ce Deacon was waiting for them. "They won''t suffer anymore, for the Monsters have ended their pain eternally."
Iliana wasn''t even looking at Basil at this point since the moment Basil dashed like a sh, she immediately looked for the mother and daughter with her eyes. It didn''t take her long to find them being munched by three Demons.
"That''s what happens when you just save people¡ªyou waste your energy. I hope you can learn to let people be, and protect those you need to protect."
This time, Iliana couldn''t say anything back.
Chapter 261 Joining The Fray (3)
Familia Hotel, Raneil Barony.
While Basil and Iliana were running away from Randalvine with Deacon, in the purple mist covered Barony, the Knights of Hauler were waiting for Basil''s family to contact them.
They had been waiting there for 2 days, and although they were protecting the people there, they still felt ufortable for not participating much in the war.
They also didn''t receive any information about the happening outside the Barony, so it further amplified their anxiousness. They didn''t know what kind of state Woster County was now in or what happened to the Demons from Death Howl Dungeon.
"He asked us to stay here for 6 days, didn''t he?" Effie, who was checking on her arrow, looked at Thompson who was pacing back and forth. "He didn''t tell us to wait until he came back, did he?"
"Yeah... He just asked us to be his family''s escort, and guard the hotel for an extra three days after his family arrived."
"Did you ask his reason for asking us to guard the hotel for an extra three days?"
"No." Thompson stopped pacing back and forth. "Why should I? It was apparent¡ªto ensure his family''s safety."
Effie sighed at Thompson''s sure answer. "If that had been the case, he would have told us to guard his family until he returned instead." Sensing a questioning, Effie put up her hand. "Use your brain¡ªhow can three days ensure his family''s life forever?"
"Well, if there is a danger within those three days and we save them, they will survive ... I think I got your point." Thompson frowned the moment he realized their time limited protection wouldn''t ensure the safety of Basil''s family.
What if nothing happened within those three days, but something happened on the fifth day? Basil''s family would die as they didn''t have the Knights'' protection. Therefore it was clear that Basil had another purpose for telling them to stay there.
"I am d that you got what I mean, and you are right about one thing¡ªthere will be a time of danger within those three days."
"borate." Thompson''s gaze turned stern.
"Have you noticed the increasing amount of Knights who hide their power?" Thompson nodded his head at Effie''s question. "Judging by how they overlook the entirety of the hotel, I am sure they are all Basil''s subordinates."
"What if they are the danger?"
"No, that will never happen." Effie shook her head. "Beside the fact that they have no ill will, they are preparing for something. It is as if they are going to face something dangerous."
"We are not that something dangerous, aren''t we?" Thompson asked jokingly.
"Of course not." Effie looked at Thompson weirdly. "Have you noticed how ufortable outside has be?"
"I mean, that mist is already¡ª"
"We have the ''pass'' that Basil gave us to prevent us from being affected by the mist¡ªI am not talking about it. How do you feel the aura outside the hotel has be?"
Instead of immediately answering, Thompson kept quiet. He frowned as he thought about how ufortable the atmosphere outside the hotel had be for the past two days.
Basil had said that the Spell he used to cover the Barony with repelled any kind Demon and Magic Beast, but despite so, his party had encountered three strong Middle ss Demons whenever they went outside in the past two days.
They hadn''t even been intentionally looking for Demons that time, but they had still encountered three Demons in their way. Although they could deal with the Demons easily, now that he thought about it, it was quite concerning.
"You are right." Effie nodded her head the moment Thompson looked at her. "There is a possibility that Basil''s Spell only repels Low Grade Monsters."
"If that is really the case, nothing we should be concerned about though..." Thompson sighed as he thought about another possibility that came to his mind.
"Indeed. There is also a possibility that it attracts High Grade Monsters, but I am sure that won''t happen." Effie shook her head faintly as she recalled Basil''s way of treating his staffs. "He won''t let his family live in danger."
"Yeah... That is relieving to know that." Thompson sat down on the sofa in front of Effie. "This lounge room is sofortable, I don''t want to talk about this kind of stuff but... What you mean is, something that will put our lives in danger will happen soon."
"Indeed. That is the only reason Basil told us to stay."
Thompson smiled wryly as he shook his head. He was d that Basil trusted them enough to leave his family in their care, but he still couldn''t bring himself to like how vague Basil was.
After all, Basil could''ve just said that something were bound to happen in the time they were staying there, instead of letting them figure it out by themselves.
Thompson couldn''t me Basil however, for Basil''s instruction was clear¡ªprotect his family. Basil didn''t have any obligation to tell them what would their hardships be.
No matter how hard it would be, they had to do what they had promised to. Basil, though asked them something in return, had helped them recover by staying there after all, so they should hold on to their promise.
"Well... Before that dayes, let us also prepare ourselves, shall we?"
"That''s what everyone is doing."
"Oh? So they have been spending their time in the basement for that?" Thompson quirked his eyebrow. "Who told them to?"
"I did."
"Why did no one tell me anything about it?"
"You are also busy training like me, so I didn''t want to bother you."
"Oh..." Thompson chuckled as he rubbed his head awkwardly. "I am a little bit self conscioustely, you know? Can''t let my member surpass myself, can I?"
"You are already a leader for me. You don''t need to be stronger than me to remain one."
"Thank you for the kind words, but I, as a man, have pride." Thompson stood up as he smirked at Effie. "I can''t just let anyone surpass myself."
Effie smirked. "You can just say that you hate being surpassed by a woman."
"Hahaha. I am not a sore loser that only gets mad whenever he is below a woman; I am just apetitive man who doesn''t like being below everyone."
Effie shook her head at Thompson''s rare show of inted ego, but didn''t mock him for that. She understood that he had been on edge ever since her Body Forging Mastery surpassed his.
She knew however it wasn''t because he didn''t like the fact that he was below her, but he felt unworthy for being her leader. Having spent years being his party member, she already knew that he was that kind of person.
¡ªYou can find a better party, and I won''t me you for that.
Recalling the thing Thompson had said when she had broken through to Blue Core Stage, she couldn''t help a smile from forming. Thompson was confused when he saw that, but he was interrupted before he could say anything.
Buzz.
"Someone is reaching out to me through the Sound Tablet Basil gave me." Taking out the palm sized jadeite Relic, Thompson channelled his Qi into it. "... Oh, Basil''s family has arrived. It''s time for us to pick them up."
Nodding her head wordlessly, Effie stood up then headed to the basement where the rest of the Knights of Hauler were training.
Thompson, on the other hand, informed Basil''s family to wait for them in front of Raneil Barony''s gate, then headed to the lobby to wait for the his members to gather. He only waited for two minutes until his members were fully gathered.
Upon seeing the Knights gathering themselves up, the civilians who stayed in the hotel became slightly wary. They thought that something dangerous wasing their way, and couldn''t help dreading it.
Thompson looked at the people''s reaction and couldn''t help shaking his head bitterly. Even though the civilians misunderstood the current situation, their worry wasn''t unfounded after all; there would be a dangering soon.
Still, no matter what the reaction the people were showing didn''t capture his attention as much as the Shadows'' appearance. The people who Effie had talked about¡ªthose who intentionally hid their power¡ªwas slowly showing themselves.
Although they still didn''t fully reveal themselves, the fact that they had joined the crowd was enough to let the veteran members of Hauler notice them.
They were rmed at first, but the moment one of the Shadows signalled with his hand that he was on their side, they were immediately convinced all of them worked under Basil.
Thompson now pondered about who was helping who at their appearance¡ªthey helping the Shadows or the shadows helping them¡ªbut what he was sure about was, the fact that they were all going to protect Basil''s family.
"You sweat a lot, didn''t you." Thompson smirked as he looked at his party members who had just finished their training. "I hope you have enough energy to face the unexpected."
"You bet!" Sylvia pumped her fist meanwhile the others merely smiled.
"I am d you have such a spirit." Thompson smiled lightheartedly. "Very well. Our mission is escorting Basil''s family¡ªMr. Danzel and his daughter. Their safety is our priority, so I hope you keep that in mind."
"Understood, sir!" The party members responded in unison.
Nodding his head at his party members'' reaction, Thompson turned around and led his party outside. He didn''t know when the Shadows had disappeared, but the moment he opened the door of the hotel, all of them were already there.
Wearing a ck robe that concealed their face, aura, and physical features, they really resembled a shadow. Paying them no mind, Thompson channelled his Qi to the item Basil had given him.
The purple mist immediately split in two at the item''s activation, creating a kilometer long path that was free of mist for them to thread.
With Thompson in the lead, and the Shadows following closely behind them, the Knights of Hauler went on their way to pick up Basil''s family.
Contrary to the aura of their surrounding, the people didn''t encounter any problem like what they had initially thought. They had been expecting they would encounter a problem as soon as they got out, and they were d that didn''t happen.
At least, they were d until a gigantic creature stood in their way.
ROAR!
Just like what Thompson and Effie had discussed earlier¡ªas he expected, something dangerous was standing in their way. At that moment, he was d they had the Shadows to help them.
Chapter 262 Joining The Fray (4)
In this world, there were two kinds of Demons: those who stayed behind the Obelisk''s Barrier, and those who were expelled from it. Naturally, there was something apparent, aside from their size, that made the two different¡ªthe power they possessed.
As the living conditions of the Demons that stayed behind the Barrier were harsh, they were naturally strongerpared to those who lived outside.
Because of this, there was also a significant difference between Demons of the same ss and kind. The Middle ss Demons Hobgoblins that lived outside the Barrier would never be able to defeat those from behind the Barrier.
Such a case also applied to Spells: Demons that lived behind the Barrier received less damage from the same Spell one used to kill Demons that lived outside of the Barrier.
In Basil''s case, his [Bloody Mist], due to hiscking Magic Circles, could only repel those Middle ss Demons that lived outside and below. As for those that had just gotten out of the Barrier, the story was different.
ROAR!
Naturally, Basil didn''t cast a Spell that could harm his families on the Barony where his family would spend their days until the Outbreak ended, however he still couldn''t prevent something like this from happening.
The Spell he had cast was like a ma: it repelled some Demons and attracted some Demons. To say that it was calling the stronger Demons would be a stretch, but the fact that it attracted them was undeniable.
Just like people who believed in their power whenever they saw a strong individual¡ªthey would itch to exchange some pointers¡ªthe Demons also wanted to know what kind of being the mist was hiding.
They, who had lived a life full ofpetition, would naturally feel that they should defeat whoever being the mist was hiding that managed to repel the weaker Demons.
Basil couldn''t prevent that from happening, nor could he help his family when that time came, so he had asked Thompson for help.
3 days after their arrival¡ªthat was the time he needed them to protect his family from the Demons. Though he had said that, he didn''t mean that the onught of the Demons would stop after three days.
He had asked the Knights to protect his family for three days, because by that time, they would have killed enough Demons that could be used as a sacrifice to activate the Magic Circle he had Carved around the hotel.
That Magic Circle would then envelope the hotel,pletely isting it from the outside. Only he knew the way to cancel it, so that way, his family would be safe from any danger ... At least, if an unexpected thing didn''t happen.
He had also actually prepared many of his Assassins protect his family before that time came, but he had still asked Thompson for help for ''just in case'' situations to make it more foolproof.
He was right in doing so, because the amount of the Demonsing there were more than he had expected.
"These ursed Monsters! Just how strong are they?"
"Watch out for its attack, Sylvia!"
"AAAACKKK!"
While the others were paying close attention to each of their step so they didn''t receive any of the Middle ss Demon''s attack, Sylvia was trying her best to attack it. Of course, she failed miserably at that, causing her to be thrown away by a swing of its mace.
"Sylvia!"
"Don''t mind her¡ªfocus on the battlefield! She''ll be fine!"
Although it technically wasn''t the first time they had seen Sylvia got thrashed by a Demon, many of the Knights of Hauler still couldn''t get used to see it¡ªespecially Jake. He cringed everytime he saw it happened.
All of them understood well what Sylvia''s Aura Ability: [Anesthesia] could do¡ªnumbing her pain receptors and dramatically raised her regeneration speed¡ªbut seeing how she got used to being a meat shield saddened them a little bit.
Jake couldn''t even hold himself back from helping her most of the time as he couldn''t stand seeing her suffer, in spite of it not being the case. Most of the time though, Thompson was there to stop him from hampering Sylvia.
"I''ll kick this brainless creature''s arse for you Sylvia!"
No matter how saddened they were whenever they looked at what Sylvia had be, an undefeatable meat shield, they were still thankful of her nheless. Her "sacrifice" always helped them in defeating their enemies after all.
Boom!
Just like this Hobgoblin they were battling as a party, as Sylvia had distracted it by allowing herself to get struck by its attack, Jake was given the opportunity to strike its head with his humongous hammer.
His attack that was powered by his Aura Ability: [Unfathomable Strength] was enough to turn the Hobgoblin''s head into mush, despite it being a Demon who had survived the harsh life inside the Barrier of the Obelisk.
Everyone heaved a sigh of relief at the death of the Hobgoblin, but none of them lowered their guard.
Even Sylvia, whose foot was still mangled awkwardly, was still on high alert as she stood up from the ground. She couldn''t feel pain as long as her Aura Ability was activated, but she still didn''t want to waste her Qi on getting injured.
Looking at her surrounding just like the other, she saw the 10 Shadows had just managed to kill three Hobgoblins by themselves.
She could easily tell the strongest amongst them was probably just an Early Stage Green Core Knight, but despite so, they still managed to deal with three Hobgoblins, whereas her party could only handle one at a time.
The Shadows didn''t use any fancy Relics or anything; they relied purely on teamwork and an admirable coordination. Even though it wasn''t their first time seeing it, the Knights of Hauler were still astonished at that.
It had been their second encounter with the Demons from behind the Barrier, and so far they had killed 8 Middle ss Demons. Even though the Shadows were the ones who had taken care most of them, the party was still exhausted nheless.
To say that they were exhausted physically would be a tant lie; they were exhausted mentally as they mused about how much worse the situation would be for them in the near future. They could easily see it was just the beginning.
"Alright, we need to move. We can''t stay in one ce for too long, unless we want to risk the live of Basil''s family," Thompson said to his party.
He actually didn''t need to do that for his party didn''t have any intention toze around. He needed to reassure thepetent group of Shadows, however, that his party wouldn''t drag them down.
He could easily see they were already agitated at the fact that they traveled slower than they had expected. Being Basil''s loyal subordinates, they must be eager to arrive at the side of their master''s family as soon as possible.
There was more than one time Thompson had noticed the Shadows showing their intention to leave his party and him behind to move independently. He couldn''t let that happen, because he would put his party in danger if he let that happen.
Although the Shadows hadn''t directly helped them, just by facing the rest of the Demons that they couldn''t handle was already a significant help for them. If he let the Shadows go, his party would be having a hard time.
Parting the purple mist to create a new path to thread with the item Basil had given him, Thompson led his party once again, followed closely by the Shadows. Their travel this time was surprisingly smooth as they didn''t encounter any Demon in their way.
Due to their speed, they reached the destroyed gate of the Barony in 15 minutes. They could immediately see a single luxurious carriage there, and the Shadows immediately surrounded said carriage in the next moment.
? The Hexapod Horses tied to the carriage were surprised at the Shadows'' sudden appearance, but Danzel who had gotten out of the carriage didn''t even blink his eyes at the shady people''s appearance.
He seemed to already know about the Shadows, so instead of paying attention to the Assassins Basil had enved, he looked at the iing Knights instead.
"It is a pleasure to meet you, Mr. Danzel." Thompson extended his hand after he bowed politely.
Danzel smiled softly then grasped Thompson''s hand. "Thank you for your willingness to hear my son''s request. I didn''t expect that my son has just asked a bunch of Green Core Knights to act as an escort."
"I heard that you were no longer an active Knight." Thompson slightly recoiled in surprise. "Judging by how you have just figured out my level of Mastery means that it was lie, wasn''t it?"
"Hahaha. I''m just an old, ordinary man who loves his family." Danzel smiled mysteriously, then gazed at the purple mist covered Barony. "I heard that he had done something amazing but... What actually has he done?"
Thompson nced at the purple mist, then scratched his head awkwardly. "I honestly don''t understand much about it." He chuckled then said, "I think it is time for us to go, Mr. Danzel. It is not safe out here."
"Very well." Danzel nodded his head. "We will be in your care."
Danzel turned around, then entered the carriage. Thompson took the lead once again, then motioned the carriage to move when he and his party were ready to move.
The Shadows, like before, were guarding the rear, and also the sides that the Knights of Hauler couldn''t cover.
On their way back to the hotel, the aura from the surrounding was getting more sickening and frightening. They didn''t encounter any problem even after 5 minutes of travel, however they were still on edge due to how ufortable the atmosphere was.
They looked at their surrounding warily, anticipating for Demons to ambush them from the side as they couldn''t see anything other than the area that was not covered by the mist, which was highly limited.
They had been ambushed from the sides on their way to pick Basil''s family, so they didn''t want that to happen on their way to take Basil''s family to the hotel.
Much to their surprise however, even after 30 minutes of careful travel, they still didn''t encounter any problem. They were ted, but unfortunately it didn''tst long.
A trouble greeted them when they were just a few meters from their destination.
Chapter 263 Joining The Fray (5)
"What the..."
"...hell is happening?"
As the Knights of Hauler, along with Basil''s family they escorted and the ten Shadows following closely behind them, were just 15 meters away from reaching Familia Hotel, they were greeted by three Minotaur Warriors and a row of Middle ss Demons.
They had been wondering about why they didn''t encounter any Demon on their way to the hotel, but now that they had got the answer to their question, they couldn''t help gulping dryly.
Putting aside their intimidating appearance, the aura the group of Demons were exuding was terrifying enough to cause the Green Core Knights having goosebumps.
If not for the fact that all of the Knights were, at least, on the Yellow Core Knights, all of them would have crumbled under the pressure.
"What are we going to do now?" Sylvia whispered softly to Thompson. "I don''t believe that my distraction will work in this situation, so we need to think of a way to face them."
"They don''t show any intention to attack us yet, so we have to use this time to concoct a n to eliminate them," Steven suggested.
"No, you are missing the point why they are not moving." Effie shook her head bitterly. "We are already surrounded."
"What are you..." Thompson and the others looked weirdly at Effie at first. Upon looking at the direction she was pointing at however, none of them could say a single word.
They had been counting on their Qi Wave to detect the presence of the Demons, paying no mind to their surroundings, which ording to their Qi Wave had nothing that could endanger them, therefore, only now did they notice the Demons on their sides.
They didn''t know how the Demons hid their presence so well, they couldn''t notice it, but they reacted to the Demons'' appearance calmly. They could easily tell the Demons weren''t as dangerous as the ones standing in front of them.
"We need to take care of the Minotaur Warriors first," Thompson whispered to his party. "Steven, Effie, and I will take each one of the Minotaur by ourselves, so I will leave the rest to Norman, Jake, and Sylvia."
"Can''t youe up with a good n instead of just assigning us our task?" Sylvia asked nervously.
"I am sorry, this is the only way I can think of. We can''t fight in Formation in this situation since we fight the Monsters to protect, not to win¡ªwe have to also pay close attention to Basil''s family."
"What about those shady people?"
Thompson nced at the Shadows. "They are going to take the Monsters sandwiching us from the sides."
No words were exchanged between the people afterwards as they were too busy preparing themselves to engage in battle with the Demons in front of them. Other than that, they were also nervous about the oue of the battle.
Thompson grasped his sword tightly as he looked at the Demons standing a few meters away from he and his party. His heart raced as he imagined himself fighting one of the 8 meters tall Minotaur Warriors, but he didn''t have any intention to back down.
He was determined to y the Minotaur Warrior, so he could bring his party back to safety.
Like he had said earlier, they didn''t fight the Demons to win, but to protect. Their main objective was to take Basil''s family safely to the hotel, so they didn''t need to defeat all of the Demons to do that.
They only needed to part the Demon rank, so they could pass through it and enter Familia Hotel. They would be protected from the Demons by the Barrier surrounding the hotel as long as they managed to enter it.
Screech!
There was no warcry could be heard from the Shadows, but the Qi overwhelming the air and the scream of the Demons signified that they had begun their attack on the Demons.
The Minotaur Warriors also began to move afterwards, so Thompson, Steven, and Effie took that as a cue to engage in battle with the Demons. As for the rest of the party, they went for the Demons other than the Minotaur Warriors.
"[Archer of Doom: Chaotic Arrow]!"
Effie immediately used one of her sure kill Techniques that could not only harm the Minotaur Warrior, but also kill the Demons around them right off the bat. She wanted to help her friends by killing some of the smald Demons.
The arrow Effie sent that was made of the Qi her Blue Core produced, passed through the air like sh. It took the arrow less than a minute to hit the chest of the Minotaur Warrior she had targeted.
As said Demon thought that she could never hurt it in the slightest, it didn''t even try to block her arrow. Therefore, the moment the arrow in its chest exploded into smaller arrows¡ªfurther injuring its chest and the Demons beside it¡ªit was extremely baffled.
ROAR!
Screech!
Indignant due to the humiliation it had just experienced, the Minotaur Warrior that Effie had just injured immediately dashed at her. It didn''t even bother to watch for its fellows, as it crushed whatever was in front of it.
Compared to the Minotaur Warriors that she had faced in her entire life, Effie had never seen one that could run so fast with such a big body. Therefore, when it rapidly eliminated the distance between them, she widened her eyes in panic.
"I got you! [Matter Augmentation: Elongation]!"
Bam!
Luckily, just a moment before the Minotaur Warrior could reach Effie, Thompson, who had somehow arrived beside her, struck the Demon in its chest with his elongating sword that was also under the influence of Steven''s [Center of Gravity].
Said Demon was thrown away to the back due to the amazingbo¡ªcrashing onto the other Minotaur Warriors that were about to dash at the three Knights.
"This is exhrating as much as it is terrifying. We have only engaged in battle with them for less than a minute, but the amount ofbour these bastards put us into is ridiculous," Steve eximed.
"I think it''s because of their pressure." Thompson inhaled deeply to calm his racing heart down. "Effie will never know it since she is a long-range fighter, but the pressure the Minotaur Warrior is exuding is no joke!"
As the Demons living behind the Barrier of the Obelisk possessed much denser Demonic Mana, which was the most chaotic form of Mana, Steven and Thompson couldn''t handle the pressure they exuded up close.
It wasn''t that they were poisoned by the constant exposure of the Demonic Mana, but the Mana the Demons, the Minotaur Warriors in particr, exuded evoked a sense of inharmony within them. It was messing with their psyche¡ªufortably unbearable.
"I got a n, but it''s a crude one," Effie eximed. "Will you guys help me execute it?"
"I don''t care how crude the n is, a n is a n. I''m in!"
"Tell us what to do!"
At Thompson and Steven''s confirmation, Effie immediately pulled the string of her bow once again. Her Qi flowed into her hand, her fingers, then formed a blue string that rapidly turned into an arrow.
A huge amount of Blue Core Knight''s Qi overwhelmed the surrounding air, even causing Thompson and Steven, who were beside Effie, to tremble slightly.
Effie had just used a good chunk of her Qi to power the deadliest Technique she currently possessed in her hands. She was already sweating bullets at this point, but she still didn''t let go of the arrow.
The pressure the arrow was exuding was getting heavier in each passing second, even causing Effie, the one using the Technique, to tremble. The Minotaur Warriors were also rmed by the pressure, so they immediately dashed towards Effie to stop her.
"[Archer of Doom: Arrow of Annihtion]!"
At the same moment, Effie also let go of her arrow. Unlike her previous arrow that had moved so fast, no one could properly perceive it, this arrow was visible to the eyes of the onlookers.
The reason why everyone could perceive the arrow however wasn''t because it was moving at a slow speed, but the danger the people''s mind registered.
Minds work at an incredible speed in times of danger. As they sensed a doom that was close to them, their mind worked so fast to find an escape, they could even see the arrow that was moving extremely fast.
BOOM!
Regardless of their capability to see the arrow, it had nothing to do with the oue; none of them could stop the arrow. As the arrow touched the body of the Minotaur Warrior that Effie had targeted, an explosion of dense Qi ured.
The humans could heave a sigh at the scene as the arrow wasn''t directed at them, but the Demons were currently experiencing hell. Their strong body that had been cultivated since they were born allowed them to enjoy every pain the Technique brought them.
Screech!
Effie immediately kneeled on the ground in exhaustion as she had used up more than half of her Qi. Thompson and Steven wanted to help her stand, but she refused their help and motioned towards the Qi explosion instead.
"Once the situation calms down, immediately finish them! Their regeneration speed is so absurd, as long as their head is not cut, they can heal any of their injury in 20 seconds!"
"Holy crap! Is that the n you are talking about?"
"I have to agree with Steven¡ªit is way cruder than I initially thought."
"It was your decision to help me!"
Thompson and Steven chuckled lightly at Effie who they had annoyed, then grasped their sword tighter. Their heart raced as they looked at the gradually dissipating Qi in front of them.
As they didn''t want to waste Effie''s effort however, instead of waiting until the leftover Qi her Technique had left behind dissipated, the moment they could see the shadow of the three Minotaur Warriors behind the Qi, they immediately dashed forward.
Effie was absolutely terrified at the two Knights'' decision as she was sure they wouldn''t be able to handle her high pressured Qi that hadn''t dissipated yet.
''Instead of killing the Minotaur Warriors, they are killing themselves!'' She screamed inside her head.
Much to her surprise however, not only could the two Knights'' survive her high pressured Qi, they could also sessfully cut the three Minotaur Warriors'' head.
With the three Minotaur Warriors'' death as the beginning, the Demons were losing the battle in each passing second. In result, Basil''s family could reach the hotel safely.
Everyone was relieved at that, but they knew the battle hadn''t ended yet.
Chapter 264 Joining The Fray (End)
As soon as the Knights of Hauler, Basil''s family, and the shadows entered the hotel, they immediately heaved a sigh of relief. They were d that everything had ended earlier than they had expected and no one had lost their life.
The Shadows, different from the Knights, immediately disappeared when none of the people paid attention to them. They went outside of the hotel to monitor the state of the Barrier.
"Huuh... That was wild!" Sylvia eximed. "I have nearly been killed ten times! I was lucky that Jake had my back."
"Hahahaha! You can thank me by not recklessly jumping at any Monster you see next time. It is really dangerous¡ªeven though you have an amazing regeneration speed."
"Ah, I was just too excited. I am sorry." Sylvia bowed lightly.
Jake chuckled at that, but anyone who knew him well could notice that he wasn''t as bright as usual. In fact, other than Sylvia, who was oblivious to the grave mood, every Knight of Hauler didn''t look too well.
Other than the fact they had exhausted their energy by fighting all the Demons with their life on the line, they were weary because of what would definitely happen for the next three days they were there.
They dreaded the fact that they would be fighting the powerful Demons alongside the Shadows for the next three days.
"I thank you deeply for what you did out there, Thompson." Danzel extended his hand.
"Ah, yes. It''s my duty to protect the family of my friend." Thompson grasped the extended hand in his. "I am d that you are okay, Mr. Danzel."
"That should be my word, boy." Danzel looked weirdly at Thompson. "Come with us¡ªmy daughter will cook something for you. That was the longest 7 kilometers travel I have ever had, and I bet you are as hungry as I am, so let''s have a feast."
"I thank you for your care." Thompson smiled apologetically. "We will not hold ourselves back then." Turning to his party members, he motioned them toe with him. "Let''s fill up our stomach!"
"Let''s go!"
It was mean to slightly cheer up his party members, but the only genuine enthusiastic reaction came from Sylvia. She wasn''t experienced enough to know that the wave of Demons didn''t end today, so she could still keep up her spirit.
The older members of Hauler looked at at each other silently, then decided to never tell her. She had been tossed around many times by the Demons¡ªthey knew she acted that way to hide her stress.
She wasn''t strong enough, and that means she would also be tossed around for the next three days. Telling her about the uing Demon wave would only burden her mind¡ªshe had suffered enough, so there was no need to burden her mind with that thought.
"Relying on the Barrier alone will lead them to doom," Effie whispered to Thompson. "How can they survive after we leave them? Are we just going to turn a blind eye?"
"Effie..." Thompson sighed. "Let''s think about surviving tomorrow or tonight first. We don''t have any right to think about the future yet, as long as we can''t guarantee our survival."
"We will survive," Effie said surely. "We can just repeat our strategy from earlier. The Monsters seemed fond of underestimating us, so we can always defeat them with the surprise, all out attack tactics."
"I praise you for your confidence, but you have to note that our victory was pure luck. We were lucky they were dumb enough to underestimate us, and were not many enough to overwhelm us."
"I mean¡ª"
"I, however, got your point." Thompson put up his hand. "We will leave this ce after three days, just like the deal. Basil must have prepared something for this kind of situation, so let''s stop whispering to each other and forget it."
Effie wanted to say something, but the moment she noticed Thompson''s weary smile, she immediately stopped herself from asking.
''What if leaving the people behind is actually our choice? Just like what Basil did in the Dungeon, what if this time, he also leaves the choice to us?''
Effie wanted to say that badly, but she didn''t want to burden Thompson''s mind. It was actually a quite possible thing to happen considering how basil was, and she was honestly terrified by that.
If that was really the case, they would be leaving the helpless people to fend for themselves in three days. Thompson wouldn''t be able to look away, so she was absolute he would ask them to stay there.
She didn''t want that to happen; they couldn''t stay there. What if that was Basil''s n to hold them back? Even if that wasn''t in Basil''s intention, they would only die if they decided to stay there.
''I, for once, will believe in you, Basil Pacifer.'' Effie recalled the way Basil treated his staffs. ''I will consider you as a family man, who has not the heart to leave behind his family.''
She decided to never talk about her thought to Thompson in the end. However still, she couldn''t quite grasp the personality of the person named Basil Pacifer, so she wasn''t really sure whether it was the right choice.
...
A day and a half had passed since Basil and Iliana had fled Randalvine. They were already 10 kilometers away from Woster County, and they could already feel the chaotic sh of Mana from the battlefield.
Despite so, instead of looking ahead wondering about what the battlefield looked like, they were busy paying attention to their back. Anticipation and cautiousness were painted clearly on their face.
"Did we do something that somehow offended whatever is following us?"
"Maybe, it is the fact that we exist."
"Seriously? Is being a Pacifer a sin? There are too many people chasing our arse apparently."
"The greats are envied."
Basil and Iliana smirked at the same time as they thought about their ordeal. They had been chased by the same entity for the past a day and a half¡ªfrom Randalvine to their current position.
While Iliana only knew that the entity was someone they needed to be careful about, unlike Basil, she didn''t know that the entity was one of Goap''s Six Generals. Like Iliana, however, Basil also didn''t know why they were being chased.
The only possible reason Basil could think of was their identity as a Pacifer. Demons must hate them to their core, because Pacifer n had killed many of their kin in the past.
Still, thinking it was the case was a little bit silly. No matter how much said Demon hated a Pacifer, he wouldn''t dare to leave the post Goap had assigned him to.
In other words, a situation that required his presence had ured or there was something that was more important than staying in his post on Basil. Either way, the fact that he was chasing them was rming.
''Cabalen, Goap''s Fourth Great General...'' Basil mused to himself. ''If he joined forces with Luci, things will get out of hand. Luckily, he doesn''t bring his army with him. Still though, I wonder why he is chasing after me?''
Although he had been acting oblivious for all the time, Basil was painfully aware that he was the one being chased by Cabalen. He didn''t know, however, why Cabalen was chasing him.
''I only carry two of Solomon''s 9 Seals and Caliburn with me¡ªthere should be nothing that can attract his attention.''
Actually, he might know about the reason why he was being chased after, but he decided to y blind. He wasn''t entirely wrong however; Demons shouldn''t be too attracted to Relics that were at most on par with theirs ... Unless they weren''t.
"We are just 4 kilometers away from Woster County. Whatever chasing after us will join forces with the Monsters ahead of us, so prepare yourself," Basil said to Iliana.
"I don''t need your reminder, but thanks anyway." Iliana smirked then took out Sinister Piercer.
Due to Deacon''s speed, it didn''t take them long to eliminate the distance between them and the County. Deacon immediately notified his presence to the people by howling mightily so none of them would attack him.
Iliana''s eyes widened the moment she saw the state of the outer region of the County, and immediately jumped down from Deacon to dash at the Demon that was about to kill a Mage she didn''t even know.
Thrust!
She sessfully pierced through the chest of the Demon and even sting a good chunk of it in a matter of seconds.
The Mage that was being helped widened his eyes in shock at what had just happened, and his eyes immediately lit up by the time he saw the uniform Iliana was wearing.
He was extremely ted anotherpetent students from Randalvine Magic Institute had arrived to help them, so he cried while profusely thanking Iliana.
She was quite taken aback by the man''s un-Mage-like behaviour, but said nothing about it. Instead, she asked the question about the thing she wanted to know.
Boom!
She was interrupted by the explosion Deacon''s attack had caused, and it annoyed her slightly. She wasn''t mad at Deacon however; she knew he had done it under Basil''s order.
"Where are the other students?"
"Ah, they are at Wisselton fighting the humanoid High Grade Monster!"
Iliana''s face darkened at the information. "Thank you for the information."
"W-Where are you going?! Don''t go there!" Bewildered by Iliana''s choice to go to Wisselton, the Mage shouted at her. "Only death will await you there¡ªdon''t waste your life!"
Iliana paid no mind to the Mage''s warning¡ªshe didn''t care about it in slightest. Her friends¡ªher family were at Wisselton fighting the Demons, so she couldn''t just let them fight the Demons alone.
Basil also didn''t have any n to stay away from the fight as he kept instructing Deacon to move forward. Iliana jumped on Deacon''s back not long after, and together, they arrived at Wisselton in three minutes.
Everyone there was too busy to mind Deacon''s appearance; the situation was also too chaotic to let them pay any attention to anything other than their survival.
Iliana was about to join the fray, when an immense pressure from behind her caused her eyes to widen.
sh!
Boom!
Everything happened too fast for her to properly register it, but the moment she could see what was happening, she was already on the ground in Basil''s embrace. Basil himself was blocking the sword of Cabalen with his sword.
The battle seemed to stop as the people''s attention was nted on the two people. It was as if they were looking at the stars that had just joined the fray.
Chapter 265 Debut
The ongoing war between the humans and Demons in Woster County temporarily stopped at two people''s entrance. Both of them had a unique aura to themselves, and, of course, their power was exceptional enough to be admired.
From the human side, there was Basil, an extremely handsome young man with brown hair, who was ring his five Ultimate Circles.
Although the people thought his were mere Grand Circles, they could see his were exceptional even amongst the other Grand Circles people had.
From the Demon side, there was Cabalen, a devilishly handsome man with a long ck hair, a pair of horn on his forehead and a lizard like tail behind him. He was exuding a pressure that was enough to make a crater on the ground.
"Why are you so obsessed with me? Just to let you know, I already have my girlfriend to apany me." Basil gestured at Iliana in his embrace.
"You don''t look like someone who speaks nonsense, but I guess it was just my misunderstanding."
Boom!
Basil''s Mana and Cabalen''s Demonic Mana shed in the air. One was produced by an Amethyst Heart and was influenced by the Star Energy, meanwhile the other one was absorbed from the surrounding by the Mana Vein.
There was around 10 meters of distance between the two people and the rest of the people, but their mere sh of Mana Pressure was enough to knock an Orange Core Knight off his feet.
"You have to die here, human."
"Is that amand?" Basil quirked his eyebrow. "I don''t think I can follow that."
"Enough talking!"
Cabalen swung his sword roughly, and basil immediately threw Iliana away so she didn''t suffer from the aftermath.
"Stay as far away from us!"
"Wait, what are you to do with him?!"
Boom!
Iliana''s question was muted by the sound of the explosion that was caused by a mere swing of Cabalen''s sword.
Basil managed to block Cabalen''s sword that he had just blocked earlier, and couldn''t help but cringe when he saw the crack on the surface of his sword.
It was one of the swords Jacinda had given him as the prize of winning the Regional Tournament. It was a Middle Grade Magic Sword that only a few Fifth Circle Battle Mage could afford.
Although it wasn''t that expensive of a sword for him, it was still a high quality one. That just proved how absurd the power behind Cabalen''s casual swing was.
Crack!
''Tsk! It''s not going tost long.''
Basil was still holding back Cabalen''s sword from cutting him in two, but it was apparent to him that his sword would break in another 10 seconds. Therefore, he quickly infused his Qi into the sword to prevent the unwanted to happen.
He filled the crack in the sword with Qi, then also coated the sword with it to make a Qi de. He burst his Qi as he swung his sword afterwards, throwing Cabalen tens of meters away to the back.
Boom!
Other than the crater on the ground in front of Basil that his attack had made, there was another thing that caught the attention of the people around him¡ªhis sword. It was steaming and slowly disintegrating.
In the next moment, they realized they had just witnessed a Mage had just used Qi, something that only a Knight could have. Their astonishment was even amplified the moment they noticed Basil''s Qi belonged to that of a Blue Core Knight.
"You are living in the battlefield¡ªwatch your enemy, not me!" Basil shouted towards the dumbfounded people. "Don''t you ever stop killing your enemy even though your enemy doesn''t do a thing to you!"
Basil''smanding yet charismatic shout was like a wake-up call for the people. They immediately asked themselves why they had been watching Basil instead of killing the Demons, but they instantly got the answer to their question.
Basil''s entrance was too eye-catching to be ignored. His undeniable presence aside, there was also the fact that he was facing Cabalen, whose presence was as overwhelming as Luci, the Demon they dreaded to fight.
It was hard for the humans, and the Demons to not look at the two.
Luckily, due to Basil''s reminder, the humans immediately used the entranced state of the Demons that was caused by Cabalen''s appearance as a chance to kill as many of them.
"Open your eyes, soldiers!"
Screech!
Unfortunately however, the humans couldn''t kill as many Demons as they wanted, because not long after they started killing the entranced Demons, Cabalen''s shout immediately awakened them from their state.
The battle between the humans and the Demons were resumed¡ªno one paid any attention to Basil and Cabalen anymore. Even Iliana, who was about to rush at Basil, was immediately upied with the Demonsing at her.
They still stayed far away from the two, however, in fright of getting caught up in the two''s sh.
"Interesting... I knew that you had a lot of energy stored inside you when you were still in Randalvine, but I didn''t expect you could process all of the energy inside your body to refine your Core in just two days," Cabalen said as he slowly walked towards Basil.
"Surprising, isn''t it? I also didn''t expect that I could encounter a Quasi-Dragotaur this soon."
"Hoh? You know about my identity as a PURE Dragotaur too?"
Both of the people were smirking and quirking their eyebrow at the same time.
While Cabalen was trying to figure out Basil more, Basil was slightly amazed and irked that Cabalen could know his prior Core Stage even though he was sure he had hidden it well.
Like Cabalen had said, he had managed to use up all of the energy contained inside the Pure Essence Pill he had gotten from Solomon''s Goblet of Concoction. Thanks to that, he now possessed a Peak Stage Blue Core.
This had been the reason why he had broken his sword even though he didn''t use [Synchronization]¡ªit couldn''t bear the pressure of his Blue Core''s Qi that contained a dense Star Energy.
"You are just as promising as thatd, Charles, but I don''t see the future when you stand beside our Lord. Therefore, you have to die here."
"Hoh? So that bastard has already gone to your side."
Cabalen snorted coldly. "I would like to say that, but I can tell he is not really genuine." Pointing his sword to Basil, he continued, "I am sure, however, he will never stand in our way, unlike you."
''Indeed. Charles Blois is such a person. He is just as vile as these Demons. Even in my past life, he killed humans just as many as the Demons killed ... A Demon that is not Demon, is what I like to call him.''
Basil smiled disdainfully as he recalled the sickening deeds Charles had done in the past.
Although Charles had never worked with the Demons, unlike the Church who had done that the moment Basil reached his prominence, he had done worse things to humanity.
The Church might have done Basil dirty, but they had never killed the people that epted their Gods. Charles Blois however, he had killed everyone who he deemed would pose troubles to his ambition that Basil had never known about.
"Don''t me me for your death. me your weakness and your fate!"
Cabalen dashed towards Basil even faster than a sh. Basil could still see him in spite of that, and even though he didn''t hold any weapon yet in his hands, he could still p away Cabalen''s sword.
nk!
The sound of the sh between his hand and Cabalen''s sword was no different than the sound of a sword shing against a sword. Cabalen, who had expected he would be able to cut Basil in two, widened his eyes at that fact.
Stepping aside while simultaneously utilizing his Movement Technique to make a distance, Basil activated his Aura Ability: [Master of Weapons].
He took out the remaining neen ded weapons he had in his Spatial Ring, and controlled them with his Aura Ability.
Unlike when he was still a Green Core Knight, Basil could already envelop all of his weapons with his Qi, thus dramatically amplifying their destructiveness.
Despite having tens of swords that were ready to attack anyone who came closer to him floating behind him however, Basil didn''t have any intention to leave himself unarmed.
He took out Death Howl''s Sealing Sword from his Spatial Bracelet, and wielded firmly as he infused his Mana inside it.
Boom!
The air was also overwhelmed with Mana as his five Magic Circles attracted all of the Mana in his surrounding.
"A little bit too much for such a young human, don''t you think?"
"Is it not allowed to be young and above everyone?"
"It is not, but as the word goes, ''The nail that sticks out will be hammered down,'' I will be the hammer."
Basil scoffed disdainfully. "I guess you haven''t heard about the nail that splits the hammer yet."
"You may dream, foolish human."
"Watch carefully, ignorant lizard."
"I am a Half Dragon¡ªnot a lizard!"
Ignoring Cabalen''s remark of indignation, Basil dashed towards said Demonic Dragotaur. He also sent the weapons he controlled with his Aura Ability towards Cabalen, however he didn''t count on them to injure said Demon.
Although Cabalen was technically just a quarter Dragon, he knew Dragon was not a species that he could look down upon. No matter how little the Dragon blood flowed in someone''s body, said person would still be exceptional.
Basil knew of this fact, and this was the reason why he had decided to reveal all of his Magic Circles¡ªto go all out.
Dragon was such a scary creature¡ªthey could even control Magic with their words. They needed only to speak to make Mana move the way they wanted it to.
Boom! Boom!
Each time the weapons Basil sent reached Cabalen, they would always get parried to the side. The ground where theynded on would develop a crater, showing how much power they held, but it wasn''t enough to faze Cabalen.
Basil had expected something like this was going to happen, so he didn''t feel disappointed. His purpose was, after all, distracting Cabalen from noticing what he was up to.
Chapter 266 Debut (2)
Basil encircled Cabalen with five of the swords he controlled with [Master of Weapons]. All of them were covered with electricity that crackled everytime it detected metal.
Cabalen thought Basil was going to directly attack him with the swords from all directions, so he prepared to sweep all of them with his sword. Much to his surprise however, Basil sent them to the ground near him instead.
Thinking that happened because Basil had used up his Qi, he smirked disdainfully. Unfortunately for him, just as he was about to dash at Basil, he realized what Basil had done wasn''t as simple as it looked.
Zap!
The swords covered in electricity that were stabbed to the ground had created a barrier of a 3 million volts electricity by the time he knew it. Although he could just pass through it, he didn''t want to risk being momentarily paralysed because of it.
No matter how strong he was, Cabalen knew that such a high voltage of electric current could still immobilize him no matter how short of a period it was¡ªthree seconds was enough time for Basil to finish him off.
"Sneaky human! To think that he can force me into this situation..." Cabalen clicked his tongue.
He had thought about thousands of scenarios of how to get out of the situation in his head for the past three seconds, but the only way he could think of for him to survive his predicament was facing Basil''s attack head on.
He didn''t know what Basil was going to do, however he was sure entrapping him in an electricity barrier wasn''t Basil''s sole intention. Therefore, he would wait until Basil did what he was going to do.
True to Cabalen''s guess, in the next moment, he could see Basil pointing his sword to the sky. His sword was covered in a madly crackling electricity, and his five Magic Circles red intensely in blue.
Buzz!
A static could be heard reverberating in the air, and anyone who was within the radius of 1 kilometer from Basil had every hair in their body stood up due to the static electricity in the air that Basil''s Art caused.
Cabalen immediately understood what Basil was going to do, so he widened his eyes at the same time he pointed his sword to the sky. Basil seemed to know that Cabalen had figured out what he was about to do as he smirked at Cabalen.
[Execution Art: The Wrath of Heavens]!
Zap!
Boom!
A 300 millions volts strong lightning struck Cabalen faster than one''s eyes could blink. He was lucky however, since he could contain all of the electric current in his sword with the help of his Demonic Mana.
Still, although he could keep the lightning from electrocuting him with his sword, the swords surrounding him in the ground amplified the power of the lightning striking him. Therefore, it became harder for him to keep the electric current at bay.
"A mere human dares to y with me?! You shall regret what you have done!"
"Empty drums make a louder sound, people say."
Although Basil was slightly disappointed that his Art couldn''t, at least, scorch a part of Cabalen''s skin even though he had put his all in it, he was still satisfied with what he could do at his current level.
In his past life, he could only utilize the Art when he was a Seventh Circle Mage that had two Solid Realms and one Grand Circle. At that time, he utilized the Art only slightly better than what he had done earlier.
In this life, he was nothing but a Fifth Circle Mage that possessed one Absolute Realm¡ªa Realm consisted of three Ultimate Circles¡ªand two Ultimate Circles, but he could still produce such a result.
Even though he knew that Ultimate Circles were the perfect Magic Circles, he didn''t expect the disparity between them and Grand Circles was this big.
He became excited the moment he thought about how he would be when he became a Seventh Circle Mage. He wondered if he would be as strong as a Ninth Circle Mage when that time came.
''How strong will I be when I be a Ninth Circle Mage?'' Basil mused. ''Hmm... There is no use thinking about that now; my way is still long. It''s better to prepare for the thing Cabalen was about to do.''
He had used up three seconds of his time musing about how strong he currently waspared to himself of the same level in his past life. Although it didn''t seem long, for the two experienced individuals it was the same as wasting time.
"Eat this, human!"
"Hmph! What a futile attempt."
Basil had been watching each of Cabalen''s every move¡ªhe had never turned his eyes away from said Demon, even though his mind was on something else¡ªhowever he was still amazed that Cabalen could still point his sword at him.
''As expected of one of Goap''s Six Great Generals...''
Dealing with the electric current running through his sword should have been hard enough for Cabalen, but he still managed to reverse it. He was now redirecting all of the electricity from the lightning to Basil with his sword.
sh!
Boom!
Basil, who had anticipated Cabalen''s attack, canceled his Art at the exact moment Cabalen redirected the lightning at him. It was considerably weakened, but he still pped it with a sword that he controlled with his Aura Ability.
He had learnt from the knowledge the Guide had provided him that Demonic Mana did weird things to everything, so he didn''t want to take a bet and take the redirected lightning with his sword.
He couldn''t risk being momentarily paralysed by the electricity that was already tainted with the chaotic Demonic Mana.
Boom!
While the ground beside Basil was still in the process of developing a crater due to the redirected lightning, Basil and Cabalen dashed at each other like a sh.
They shed in the middle, and it was enough to make a bigger crater on the ground below them than the one the redirected lightning made on the ground beside where Basil had been at.
Whoosh!
A spine chilling pressure also swept the battlefield as the two people''s Mana that was tainted with a heavy killing intent shed against each other. There were even some Demons and humans that were paralysed due to it.
"You are a danger to us Demons that I feel unfortunate to kill," Cabalen remarked. "Join us, human. Join us, and we will let you taste how ting having everyone below your feet is!"
"Basil Pacifer."
"Oh, so that is your name?" Cabalen smirked, thinking that Basil had been bought by his words. "My name is Cab¡ª"
"Remember the name of the person who kills you."
"Audacious!"
While Cabalen''s face contorted in rage, it was Basil''s turn to smirk at Cabalen. He ignored Cabalen afterwards, then infused his Qi into the Sealing Sword he was wielding while simultaneously creating thousands of small Qi des in the air.
Boom!
He burst the Qi he had stored in his sword, pushing Cabalen three meters to the back. Said Demon skidded harmlessly on the ground, however he was soon overwhelmed by Basil''s thousands of small Qi des.
Seeing that as a chance, Basil sent one of the swords floating behind him at Cabalen. Powered by Qi, the sword that was covered in Wind Magic cut through the air even faster than lightning.
Stab!
"Kuhak!" Cabalen clutched his chest that was pierced by the sword Basil had sent, thus allowing the remaining small Qi des to cut his skin. "Human! How dare you use this kind of petty trick against me!"
Instead of answering, Basil merely tilted his head then snapped his finger. A dome of violently rotating wind instantly surrounded Cabalen as Basil simultaneously cast a Fire Element Spell.
[Hellfire]!
Five red Magic Circles suddenly appeared on the ground surrounding Cabalen and the wind dome.
A great fire explosion that was half as hot as the surface of the sun reced each of the Magic Circle, before bing one with the wind dome.
The wind dome became no longer a wind dome as it had turned into a burning red fire sphere that turned anything inside it to ashes. It was so hot, even the ground within the radius of 200 meters from the burning dome waspletely charred ck.
"God darn it! What has just happened? Is that kid a monster? What kind of a Fifth Circle Mage could produce that with [Hellfire]?!"
"Lighting, Wind, Fire¡ªhe can utilize three Elements proficiently... How can such a genius remain unknown until now?"
"He is the youngest Dual Principle Practitioner I have ever seen. Scratch that¡ªhe is the only Dual Principle Practitioner I have ever known who has managed to Cultivate his Core to the Peak Blue Stage!"
"This kid... Isn''t he the one from the Regional Tournament three months ago?"
As the sh between Basil and Cabalen had be too big to ignore, most of the Demons retreated to notify Luci who was fighting the Legion Vice Commanders turned Commanders on the other side of the battlefield.
Because of that, the people could take a breather and watch the fight between Basil and Cabalen. They were simply astonished at the two''s showcase of power, especially Basil, who was no older than most of the people''s sons.
"To think he is this exceptional..." Iliana muttered in astonishment as she looked at Basil from afar. "Even though we possess the same amount of Magic Circles, I can tell that his Magic Circles'' quality is higher than mine."
For the people who didn''t have Grand Circles, it would be hard to notice the subtle yet great difference between Basil''s Ultimate Circles and Grand Circles. Even Iliana, as someone who had Five Grand Circles, had only noticed it now.
Even though it was believed that Grand Circle was the highest quality of Magic Circle, Iliana could say for sure Basil''s were of a higher quality. This was the only exnation she could think of to justify the disparity between their power.
"No wonder he always acts irritating..." Iliana chuckled faintly. "I would even kick everyone I see in their bollocks, if I possessed such a power."
Being everyone''s target of admiration, Basil, on the other hand, frowned as he looked at the burning dome enveloping Cabalen. Unlike everyone who saw that he had the upper hand in the battle, he knew everything was just a warm-up.
Cabalen had yet used his nightmarish power¡ªthe Dragon Language.
Chapter 267 Debut (3)
On the other side of the battlefield, Luci, who was toying with the remaining six Vice Commanders turned Legion Commanders quirked her eyebrow as she felt her soldiers wereing her way.
She immediately looked towards the north, and frowned when she sensed a familiar presence and an exceptional pressureing from a human there. She was then immediately annoyed at herself because she had only realized such an obvious thing now.
Of course, it didn''t happen because her sense had be dull. It was the pressure the Legion Commanders were exuding that was dense enough to cover the two presences that were far from her.
The same case also applied to the Legion Commanders, as they only noticed the two newly appeared presences at the same time Luci did. If not for the fact they were in a momentary truce, they would have never figured it out.
"This pressure... Is a Violet Core Knight here?" Cassandra, the Second Legion Commander whispered towards the other Legion Commanders.
"No... Just look at the colour of his Aura¡ªhe is a Blue Core Mage," replied the Sixth Legion Commander, Glenn. "Still, I agree with you. This pressure is befitting of a Violet Core Knight."
"Look at that. That is... He is also a Mage?!"
"What in the bloody hell is happening? A Dual Principle Practitioner at such a young age?!"
"A Fifth Circle Mage on top of being a Blue Core Knight? What a monster!"
Although all of the Legion Commanders were 5 kilometers apart from Basil who was on the other side of the battlefield, they could still see him clearly due to what their Qi allowed their eyes to see.
None of them could believe what their eyes were seeing, but they were too grateful of Basil''s appearance to mind about how he could have such a power at such a young age.
They wondered who he was and why they had never heard about such a genius even once, but they were quickly awaken from their thought when they noticed Luci was heading towards Basil''s direction.
"Ah, crap! Don''t let her go! Chase after her!"
"Bloody hell! Are we not strong enough to catch her interest?"
Swish! Swish!
The Legion Commanders utilized their Movement Technique then chased after Luci like a sh. All of them were moving at a high speed, but none of them managed to catch up to her.
"There is something other than that young man that attracts her attention," Cassandra muttered to herself. "There is another High Grade Monster inside the fire sphere!"
The other Legion Commanders had also figured out what attracted Luci''s attention, so they couldn''t help dreading how hard the fight would be if Luci joined forces with Cabalen.
Urgency was clear in their eyes as they gritted their teeth, and they couldn''t help cursing loudly in their mind at their incapability to stop said Demon. They were simply too slow to catch up to her.
"Young man, move out of...!"
Bam!
Cassandra was dumbfounded at what she had just seen¡ªjust like the other Legion Commanders. Everything had happened too fast for her to properly process it.
She was sure Basil didn''t notice Luci until Luci was just a meter away from him. That was why she had shouted at Basil¡ªto notify him.
Despite so however, he had still managed to block Luci''s sneak attack. Not only that, he had alsonded a hit on said Demon, splitting her lip open.
Cassandra was as astonished as she envied Basil''s ability to do that. After all, she had fought Luci with her fellow Commanders, but none of themnd a hit on them.
"Sneaking on someone that is on standby is hical, you know?" Basil quirked his eyebrow. "However, what could I say? Your bunch is that type of unruly creatures after all."
"You have a smart mouth, human." Luci wiped her bleeding lip. "I wonder what you will say when I push you down."
"I don''t sleep with filth."
"Hoh? Can you still say that after seeing them?" Luci quirked her eyebrow as she pushed her voluptuous chest forward. "Or, are you just going to deny yourself?"
"That is funny." Basil scoffed disdainfully. "I don''t see filth as an object to lust at."
"This insolent¡ª"
Boom!
Basil interrupted Luci by sending one of the swords he controlled with his Aura Ability to the ground in front of her. The ground immediately developed a crater as soon as the sword exploded, and the explosion managed to make her bleed.
"I have already chosen my opponent, Luci." Basil pointed his Sealing Sword at Luci, who was ring at him in indignation. "Don''t bother our fight and y somewhere else."
"How did you know my¡ª"
"Look over there." Basil pointed his sword to the six Legion Commanders that were just five meters away from them. "They seem eager to fight you. You can y with them until I finish my fight with Cabalen."
Luci widened her eyes. "How did you also know¡ªhmph! Whatever." She immediately scoffed at Basil''s arrogance. "You don''t know what you are facing yourself against. There wille a time when you wish I was your opponent."
Basil merely smiled at Luci then motioned her to screw off with his head. Said Demon gritted her teeth in anger, but surprisingly did what Basil told her to.
''You will regret picking Cabalen as your opponent, human!'' Of course, she didn''t do what Basil told her to because she was afraid of him. She was just sure Basil would meet his end soon.
She immediately dashed towards the Legion Commanders who were anticipating her to attack them, and their sh was resumed as he arrived in front of them.
Boom!
"Tsk. Why do they have to fight here?" Basil frowned as he nced towards the seven fighting people not far away from him. "Are they really Legion Commanders? Don''t they know fighting nearby the weak soldiers will risk killing them?"
Basil immediately figured out the six people were not the original Legion Commanders not long after. He had momentarily forgotten that the original Legion Commanders had all died in Ruttenhale Barony.
"Anyway, what takes him so long?" Basil turned his gaze to the fire dome enveloping Cabalen. "I should''ve pissed him off enough, so he should be able to use his Dragon Language now."
Basil was still waiting for Cabalen to face him with Dragon Language. He had intentionally irked Cabalen for this purpose, and he was slightly annoyed that it didn''t happen as immediate as he had thought.
Basil didn''t force Cabalen to use Dragon Language because he thought Cabalen was too weak to amuse him however. Cabalen was already a force to reckon with the way he was, and Basil was honestly reluctant to push his button.
If Basil didn''t do that however, the fight would be dragged on for so long, he would definitely suffer a defeat. Dragotaur was known for their monstrous vitality, and he was sure he couldn''t match it.
As a Quasi-Dragotaur however, Cabalen didn''t posses something that every Dragotaur had¡ªa Dragon Heart. Although his Mana reservoir was still bigger than most Demons, it still wasn''t as much as those of the other Dragotaurs.
Basil reckon that the amount of Mana Cabalen could store was roughly the same as how much his Mana Heart produced, therefore he was going to exhaust said Demon''s Mana by forcing said Demon to use Dragon Language.
Even though the fight would be harder, Dragon Language would quickly exhaust Cabalen''s Mana. The more he used it and the higher the level of Magic he used, the more absurd the amount of Mana was consumed.
Of course, his Mana Vein would be able to replenish the used up Mana from his surrounding in a fairly short time, but such a repetitive action would burden him at some point. Basil would use that chance to kill Cabalen once and for all.
"Oh... Here hees."
Basil could already feel the pressure building up in the air around Cabalen. The fire dome enveloping Cabalen was "dying down," and he was sure Cabalen was going to redirect it at him like what Cabalen had done with his lightning a few moments earlier.
A few seconds passed, and the fire dome eventually disappearedpletely. Cabalen could now be seen once again, but he had lost all of the clothes covering his body.
Different than humans that would expose themselves when they took off their clothes however, Cabalen didn''t have anything to be ashamed about, because his lower body parts were covered with a ck, scaly armor like skin.
His ck, lizard like tail swayed menacingly as he looked at Basil murderously. He had a fist sized fireball floating above his palm that came from thepressed fire dome he had absorbed.
"You shouldn''t have sealed your fate, human."
"Are you talking about yourself?"
"Hmph! You will regret ever saying that to me."
"Prove it, Cabalen."
"As you wish, Basil."
Cabalen enveloped the brightly burning, fist sized fireball with his hand then pointed it at Basil. Basil readied his sword as he prepared himself to split the fireball when it wasunched at him.
As the pressure became even more overwhelming and the heat started to annoy him even though they were 200 meters apart, Cabalen let go of the fireball.
Much to Basil''s bafflement, instead of sending the fireball at him however, Cabalen sent it towards somewhere else. As he looked at the trajectory of the fireball, his eyes immediately widened in shock.
"Iliana!"
Basil channeled his Qi and Mana as much as he could to his feet before simultaneously utilizing his Movement Technique and Step Art.
[Feather Step]!
[Slip]!
He even added [Frictionless] to increase his speed. Far away as they may be separated from each other, faster than the fireball could eliminate the 1 kilometer of distance, Basil arrived in front of Iliana before it.
He arrived there in a sh, and he had almost exploded his feet due to the Mana and Qi overload. Quick in his movement, he immediately infused his Qi into the Sealing Sword and utilized the Technique he had simplified for all the time due to hiscking power.
[Mountain Splitter]!
Overwhelmed with the Qi his Blue Core produced, his Sealing Sword shone brightly in blue while exuding a pressure that terrified anyone within the radius of 500 kilometers from him.
Swish!
Basil swung his sword as if he was cutting the dimension, and the built up Qi in the Sealing Sword was released simultaneously.
BOOM!
When it shed against the fireball, an explosion that deafened everyone ured.
Chapter 268 Debut (4)
BOOM!
As the specially processed Qi that Basil''s Technique had produced shed against the fireball Cabalen had sent, an explosion that blinded the surrounding and deafened everyone ured.
Basil''s Technique cut the fireball in half, but other than himself and Cabalen, no one saw that happened. The remaining processed Qi still kept advancing towards Cabalen afterwards, but he could easily p it to the side.
While Luci and the Legion Commanders were busy with their own fight, the other people were too bewildered to properly register what was happening. They didn''t see the attack wasing, so no one had anticipated something like this to happen.
It wasn''t until the explosion died down did the people realize that Basil had saved hundreds of them by blocking Cabalen''s sneak attack. They, of course, didn''t know that Basil''s reason for doing that wasn''t them, but Iliana.
Nheless, all of them were very grateful of Basil for what he had done. They became even more considerate as they distanced themselves from him so they wouldn''t disturb his fight.
"Basil... What has just happened?"
"Stay far away from here."
"Your hand is bleeding, let me¡ª"
"Don''t make me repeat my words, Iliana." Basil looked at Iliana from the corner of his eyes. "I can''t lose the only person I know whoes from the same n as me."
Iliana frowned at Basil''s words. She realized that she would never be able to help him in his fight against Cabalen, but the way he worded it as if she was so helpless, she couldn''tst a second in the battlefield irked her.
Lacking as she waspared to Basil, she was still one of the best Fifth Circle Mages in the entirety of Arthean Empire. She stood above the majority of the existing Fifth Circle Mages!
Being seen like that by Basil didn''t amuse her in the least bit, and it provoked her to prove how wrong Basil was. She was about to dash at Cabalen when Basil held her shoulder with his bleeding right hand.
"I have only injured myself due to using my Technique once¡ªthat was when I was merely a Yellow Core Knight." Basil looked at his hands. "I am a Blue Core Knight now, but I still got hurt by my own Technique."
Iliana looked at Basil''s hand as she wondered about Basil was on about. She could see that his right hand was badly injured¡ªshe could the see torn muscles, the fissures in the bones, and the ruptured tendons¡ªbut it was rapidly healing.
Since it wasn''t her first time seeing it¡ªshe had seen Basil did it on the Regional Tournament¡ªshe wasn''t really surprised. Still, she was still amazed at the regeneration speed that was even faster than that time.
"For my own Technique to hurt me, you must have a rough idea about how much Qi I have overwhelmed myself with." Basil turned his head to Cabalen that was a kilometer away from them. "Despite that, do you spot any injury on his body?"
As Iliana looked at Cabalen, she noticed a deep crater with a diameter of 200 meters on the ground blow where Basil''s Technique and the fireball had shed earlier.
She could also see a 10 meters long trench beside Cabalen, but that was all; other than the visible destruction on the ground, Iliana couldn''t see anything on Cabalen''s body. He was just as fine as he had initially been.
"You are only going to drag me down, Iliana," Basil said softly. "You are my weakness, so I can''t let you be anywhere near that bastard who will use you against me."
Iliana gritted her teeth in frustration as heard Basil''s words and saw Cabalen''s smirk that was directed at her. It wasn''t embarrassing to admit her weakness, but she couldn''t just ept the fact that she couldn''t help.
"I... Call me when you need help," Iliana said through gritted teeth.
"I will, so take Deacon with you and stay as far away from here as possible ... Greet the others for me."
"Don''t die."
"I won''t."
No matter how bitter the reality was, Iliana still epted it¡ªeven though with a heavy heart. She immediately took Deacon with her, and left the vicinity to look for her friends from Rehearsal ss¡ªher family.
Basil briefly nced at her disappearing back before gulping a Pill of Morning Dew to to elerate his regeneration speed. Qi immediately filled his body; his hand was healed in 20 seconds.
"Getting rid of her is a smart choice, but useless nheless, Basil."
"You should only say that after you kill me." Basil smirked. "Sadly, that time will nevere."
Even though they were 1 kilometer apart from each other, they could still converse with each other as if they were face to face. Their voice was loud enough to allow not only them, but also a quarter of the people in the battlefield to hear what they were talking about.
That being said though, they weren''t shouting at each other¡ªthey were speaking normally. They were just using Wind Magic to amplify their voice.
"Being fearless is good, but overly confident is nothing but a stupid arrogance."
"Why don''t we see?"
"Hmph! That''s what I am about to do." Cabalen extended his hand. "[Pagyos kath¨®sak arf¨®un]!"
The dreaded Dragon Language was finally used. It wasn''t Basil''s first time of hearing it, but he still trembled when he heard those words came out of Cabalen''s mouth.
Basil could immediately see an ice spear materializing in Cabalen''s hand right after he had uttered those words. The air¡ªeverything in Cabalen''s surrounding seemed to freeze the moment the spear had perfectly materialized.
He was still 1 kilometer apart from said Demon, but he could feel the temperature around him dropping for a couple of degrees. That just showed what kind of a powerful Ice Magic Cabalen had used due to the Dragon Language.
Readying his Sealing Sword that was already in the brink of copse, Basil infused a part of Asia''s soul that hadn''t finished Evolving yet into it. The sword shone in a bright blue light, and the pressure Basil was exuding was instantly amplified.
Rattle.
"Darn it! This sword won''t hold for long." Basil clicked his tongue as he looked at the trembling Sealing Sword in his hand.
He had apparently forced it to its limit when he had used [Mountain Splitter], so it could no longer bear even 10% of Asia''s soul. Luckily, it was still enough to fend Cabalen''s iing attack.
As he saw Cabalen raised his hand that was holding the ice spear in a throwing motion, Basil immediately dashed towards said Demon.
Whoosh!
The spear traveled in the air even faster than the fireball from earlier, but Basil was even faster than the spear as he was prepared this time, unlike thest time.
nk!
Basil''s sword shed against the ice spear in a matter of seconds. He sessfully pped it to the side, sending it to the ground then froze it uponnding.
Basil didn''t even release [Synchronization] to do that, but using it to fend the ice spear had never been his intention in the first ce. He already knew it was nothing but a decoy for the real deal.
True to his expectation, Cabalen had another thing prepared for him. As he was just 3 meters away from Cabalen, Cabalen extended his hand and spoke in Dragon Language once again.
"[Diatyor]!"
Faster than one''s eyes could blink, a 30 centimeters ice stake materialized in the air. It was quickly heading towards Basil just as fast as he was dashing towards Cabalen.
Although he had never learned Dragon Language in his past life¡ªhe couldn''t, even if he had the chance to¡ªhe knew that there was something off with the words Cabalen had spoken.
Having killed 3 Dragons in his past life, his incredibleprehension had let him to understand a little bit of Dragon Language in the week he had spent killing them. Therefore, he could tell that the sentence Cabalen had spoken was iplete.
He anticipated something like this would likely to happen, so he wasn''t baffled in the least bit at the stake''s sudden appearance. He could swing his sword to fend the stake and released [Synchronization] on time.
Boom!
The Qi and Mana that had been mixed inside the sword by the help of a fragment of Asia''s soul burst out of it. The stake was disintegrated and the shockwave managed to push Cabalen for a couple of meters to the back.
Basil immediately took a step back instead of dashing forward this time. He could already see the Sealing Sword disintegrating, so he needed to find another sword for him to use.
As he had immediately rushed towards Iliana when Cabalen threw his fireball at her, Basil had left the ded weapons he had controlled with his Aura Ability on the ground.
Now that he needed them, he controlled them once again and brought them in front of him. He knew Cabalen wouldn''t stay still, so he was going to use them as a way to defend himself temporarily.
Stab! Stab!
Boom!
Just as the ded weapons were nted in the ground¡ªjust as the Qi Barrier was about to finish forming, Cabalen delivered a solid kick to the weapons protecting Basil. Many of them were destroyed, and in result, the Barrier was cancelled.
Basil was also pushed to the back due to the shockwave that was produced by the sh between Cabalen''s kick and his iplete Barrier. He was fine luckily, however he wasn''t given the time to breathe.
"This is our difference, human!"
Bam!
"Keugh..."
Cabalen delivered a kick to Basil''s side while he was midair, and it sessfully shattered his ribs. Basil silently groaned as he received the kick, but he was quick to counter it in spite of the pain he was feeling.
Of course, it could do nothing to hurt Cabalen¡ªhe managed to dodge Basil''s kick by a hair''s breadth¡ªbut hitting said Demon wasn''t Basil''s intention since the beginning. He just needed some time to prepare for his real counter attack.
s, Cabalen didn''t give Basil a single second to prepare his counter attack. In each moment he was about to distance himself, Cabalen was always already there to attack him.
Basil always managed to avoid fatal injuries, but he still got injured quite badly nheless. For the first time in his second life, Basil was overwhelmed by his opponent.
Chapter 269 Debut (End)
Bam!
Basil received another kick to his ribs that were barely healed from the previous kick. He didn''t feel any pain, but he still gritted his teeth due to his inability to fight back.
8 swords¡ªthose were the remaining weapons Basil were currently controlling. Out of the originally 20 ded weapons, he had destroyed 12 to either defend himself from Cabalen''s attack or shoo Luci''s attack away.
As focused as she might be in her fight, the six Legion Commanders apparently weren''t enough to make Luci sweat, so she would alwaysnd a sneak attack on Basil from time to time.
Basil, although he still had a card he had yet to pull out, still decided to face Cabalen with the Arts and Techniques he had in his repertoire. He also used [Synchronization], but didn''t use it all the time as it was energy and sword consuming.
Each time he used [Synchronization], he would need to sacrifice one of the swords he was controlling. Therefore, no matter how much time it would buy him, he wouldn''t use [Synchronization] carelessly.
''His control is better than I expected...'' Basil clicked his tongue. ''He is not toying with me, but none of the attacks he hasunched at me managed to drain his reservoir. Tsk. What a troublesome form of Magic Dragon Language is...''
Basil was counting on the crazy Mana consumption of Dragon Language to defeat Cabalen. He was reluctant to pull his ace card out because of this¡ªhe was expecting Cabalen to fall even before said Demon could corner him.
s, reality often disappoints. Not only did Cabalen utilize Dragon Language better than he had thought, said Demon also had an abnormal control over his Mana.
Basil, who didn''t expect Cabalen to be that careful in utilizing his power, was slightly overwhelmed by said Demon''s bombardment. Although he could avoid any fatal injury, from the way the battle flowed, there was little to no way he could win.
That was, if he insisted to not take his ace card out.
"You look horrible, Basil." Cabalen smirked as he pointed his sword at Basil from afar. "Your lips are bleeding, your ribs are broken, and many of your other bones are fractured¡ªdo you think you still have the right to smile like that?"
"Why are you so proud for being able to only damage me this much?" Basil sneered disdainfully. "Didn''t you say that you were going to kill me?"
"This ursed human..." Cabalen gritted his teeth, then extended his hand to the side. "Let us see if you can smile after this¡ª[Skotchen¨ª b¨¢il]!"
Right after Cabalen uttered those words, his Mana condensed in his left hand. A fist sized ck ball of energy appeared not long after, and it was even hotter than the fireball he had sent at Iliana.
Basil immediately gathered all of the swords he was controlling with his Aura Ability around him as he saw Cabalen pointed the ball at him, but he wasn''t going to use them as a media to create a Qi Barrier.
As he gathered the swords around him, he infused a fraction of Asia''s soul into each sword as much as the sword could handle. Since Cabalen was quick in sending his attack however, the process was hurried and erratic.
Swish! Swish!
Because of that, the Mana and Qi contained inside each sword wasn''t very stable. Despite so, although not as strong as it should be, Basil could still execute [Synchronization] just fine.
As Basil''s swords met with the ck ball Cabalen was sending at him, he quickly executed [Synchronization], sending a dense wave of Qi mixed with Mana.
BOOM!
The shockwave of the collision between the two energies swept everything below the point they collided, creating a deeper and wider crater than before in the ground. Mana and Qi overwhelmed the air once again, but none of the two remained idle.
None of them stopped to watch the masterpiece they had created even for a second. They went around the area where their attack was colliding and went at each other.
Basil, although he was mostly in defense, held his ground surprisingly well with Cabalen.
"You used quite a lot of Mana on that, didn''t you?"
"Hah! It is sad that I can''t use Miasma whenever I am using Dragon Language, but you are right."
nk!
"Still, no matter how much Mana I have exhausted, you will end up being dead, Basil!"
"Overconfidence is nothing but a stupid arrogance, you know?"
Boom!
Basil clicked his tongue as Cabalen''s sword broke his Qi de. This wasn''t his first time shing with Cabalen''s sword, but he still couldn''t help feeling bitter whenever his Qi de was broken by Cabalen''s sword.
Although he didn''t think being a Peak Stage Blue Core Knight was amazing¡ªhe didn''t think it was enough to defeat Cabalen either¡ªhe didn''t expect his special Body Forging Technique would lose to Cabalen''s physical attack.
He understood well Cabalen was overwhelming his body with the Mana that was influenced by Dragon Language, however it was still hard for him to ept that his Star Energy imbued Qi couldn''t keep match Cabalen''s prowess.
''So much for the "perfect" Body Forging Technique...''
Basil wanted to be grumpy, but he was aware that the Technique wasn''t to be med; it was his mistake for advancing too slow. If he had been a Violet Core Knight, facing Cabalen would be easy for him.
Bam!
"Keugh..."
"How about surrender, Basil?"
"Is that a suggestion or a request?"
"You shan''t act tough¡ªI can see you are close to your limit already."
"Close to my limit, huh?" Basil chuckled emptily.
Basil looked at his arm that had just been kicked by Cabalen. He had used [Body Strengthening] and [Reinforcement] on his already sturdy body, but despite so, Cabalen''s kick had managed to break his arm bone in half.
Basil chuckled emptily once again; he was amused that he would be faced with a helpless moment this soon. If not for the fact that Cabalen was specifically targeting his life, he wouldn''t have involved himself in the war.
He had been nning to observe the flow of the event after he had killed Eugene, but now that Cabalen was apparently lusting for his blood, he could not stay back and watch anymore.
He had been holding himself back to use his ace card even though it could greatly help him face Cabalen because he didn''t want to reveal his real prowess this soon. Given the situation however, he couldn''t do that anymore.
"Huhh... I have revealed much enough anyway¡ªwhat''s an extra power does to the impression?" Basil smiled sardonically. "The people''s impression on me wouldn''t change¡ªI am still the genius young Mage, Basil Pacifer."
He had been stomped down many times in his past life to the point he had gotten used to it. There was even some point where he didn''t even re at the person who had spit on his face, however it was all in the past.
The moment he learned how to fight back¡ªthe moment he knew the joy of ughtering his enemies, such a thing never ured anymore.
Basil had tried his best to keep evading Cabalen''s attack and forced Cabalen to use up all of his Mana, but he couldn''t do it anymore. He realized that ying weak wasn''t in his character, and he couldn''t hold himself back anymore.
He agreed with Cabalen¡ªhe was close to his limit ... He couldn''t act weak any longer. It was time to get rid of thecking Basil, who could barely fend Cabalen''s attack. He would show his monstrous prowess to the world, and announce his presence.
"Troublesome things are bound to ur but..." Basil roughly flicked his broken arm to the side, and it healed instantly. "...as long as I can put dirt in your mouth, I don''t mind them. No one can step on me."
"Hoh? Your regeneration speed is on par with some of the High ss Demons, but do you think you can defeat me by just counting on that?" Cabalen quirked his eyebrow then sneered. "You have lost your mind, haven''t you?"
Instead of responding Cabalen, Basil infused his Mana to one of the Solomon''s 9 Seals he was wearing. It was the Spatial Ring containing Caliburn that could be used by either Mages or Knights.
sh!
The moment Caliburn appeared in his hand, the atmosphere around him instantly changed. The pressure he was exuding was amplified drastically, even to the point of making Cabalen recoil in surprise.
As the person holding Caliburn that caused such a phenomenon, Basil wasn''t really impressed by the sudden increase of power the sword had caused. It wasn''t his first time experiencing such a thing after all.
He was more intrigued by how the sword looked, since it was his first time seeing it, so he took a proper look at it.
Caliburn was a double edged sword with a quite unique shape and intricate pattern carved on its hilt. Befitting of its Moniker, Sword of Light, it was glowing faintly in golden light.
Basil, however, couldn''t tell whether the light was golden due to the way the Rune was designed or due to the light reflected by the golden color of the de.
Either way, the way it handled his Mana and Qi was something that he could be satisfied with¡ªthe light didn''t do anything but add fanciness to it though.
Although it wasn''t as great as Vagus, the sword he had wielded until the end of his life in his past life, it was still great enough to allow him to defeat Cabalen.
Boom!
The ground below him immediately cratered as he infused as much Mana and Qi inside it, and much to his surprise, it could hold much more Qi and Mana than he had initially thought.
"Human.... How could you get that sword?"
"Hoh? Does it look familiar?"
"Don''t y with me! How could you¡ª"
"That is... A secret."
CLANK!
Cabalen''s eyes widened as Basil suddenly appeared in front of him. Basil''s insane speed, and the fact that he had healed all of his injuries didn''t even astonish Cabalen as he was too bewildered by Basil''s explosive power.
If not for the fact that he had used Dragon Language to strengthen his hand, Cabalen wouldn''t have been able to block Basil''s sword. His swing was too different from before that Cabalen couldn''t believe it came from the same person.
"You have enjoyed being above me long enough, so now it is time for you to get down." Basil smirked as he felt the newfound strength coursing through his body.
This would be his debut as the peerless young Mage, but he was already on his way to carve his name on the history.
Once he killed Cabalen, he would be the first person, after 2000 years, to kill a Dungeon Master''s Great General.
Chapter 270 The Birth Of A Monster
Basil swung Caliburn powerfully as he infused his Qi inside it. The Qi was immediately discharged the moment it shed against Cabalen''s sword, throwing Cabalen away to the back.
Boom!
Cabalen skidded on the ground due to that, and he immediately swiped the air with his sword in anger the moment he stopped skidding. He couldn''t believe that Basil, who he had thrashed around a few moments ago, could actually match him.
"That ursed sword! Just how could he get Solo¡ª"
"Stop speaking nonsense, won''t you?"
Bam!
Cabalen couldn''t finish his sentence as Basil interrupted him with a kick. Basil managed to kick him square in his jaw, and it was powerful enough to dislocate his jaw.
Being thrown away yet again, Cabalen wasn''t amused in the slightest, however Basil, like what Cabalen had done to him, didn''t give Cabalen a time to prepare for his ultimate attack.
For three minutes now, Basil had only let Cabalen speak Dragon Language for simple purposes: strengthening his body, elerating his speed, and improving his reflex. Because of that, Cabalen was overwhelmed.
Basil was already fast even before he wielded Caliburn¡ªit was enough to match Cabalen''s speed after being enhanced by Dragon Language. Now that he was wielding Caliburn, his speed became even more absurd.
Given Basil''s monstrous control over his Mana and Qi, and his quick thinking ability, he didn''t even stop for a second in attacking Cabalen.
He didn''t attack Cabalen with fancy Techniques or dangerous Art¡ªhe attacked Cabalen with his pure swordmanship¡ªbut the extremely short interval between each of his attacks and also his monstrous power could overwhelm Cabalen.
Cabalen didn''t like it in the slightest. He had many options to st Basil away, but to do that he needed to make distance between himself and basil first; s, he couldn''t do that at the moment.
He could just still use his Dragon Language to activate the Magic to st Basil away regardless of their distance, but he would also get hit by his own Magic by then.
He could recover fairly quickly even if that was the case, but he couldn''t guarantee if the Magic would work on Basil. There was a high possibility that Basil could dodge it, and thus he refrained himself to use such a Magic for the time being.
"[Kyx¨ª fous]!"
Cabalen swung his sword at Basil, discharging a Mana de that went towards Basil in the process. The Mana de amplified the power of his swing on top of preventing Basil to go any closer to him.
It worked the same like Qi de, but due to the influence of Dragon Language, it was more potent than Qi de. Of course, that didn''t mean it could hurt Basil; he could cut through it just fine.
Shatter!
Cabalen had expected something like that to happen, so he was ready to block Basil''s sword when it came at him.
Boom!
Just a sh between the two people''s swords was enough to make a crater on the ground. In fact, wherever they were standing on, a crater would form for sure¡ªeven if they were inside a crater.
Since their strength was roughly on par, both of their hands trembled as they kept each other''s sword at bay. While Cabalen was gritting his teeth due to his indignation, Basil was keeping a calm smile on his face.
''This is humiliating! How can a human match me?!''
''I need to end the fight quick¡ªthe Energy consumption is great!''
While having different thoughts about the situation in their mind, they were eager to kill each other. Basil, for his survival, and Cabalen, for the sake of eliminating someone that might endanger his Prince''s n.
As different kinds of Mana and Qi overwhelmed the air, the sword of the fighting Demon and Pacifer pair glowed brightly. One in a bright, menacing, crimson light, meanwhile the other one in a bright golden light.
"I will eliminate you, human!"
"I will take your head, Demon."
Boom!
The interval between the moment they retracted their sword and the moment their sword shed against each other didn''t even reach half a second. In fact, it happened so fast they didn''t even look like they had moved their sword.
As the two different Energies with also different natures shed against each other, the ground below where the two people were standing on developed a deeper crater that also swallowed another crater beside it.
The sh was exceptional this time, so both Basil and Cabalen were thrown away to the back. Despite so, all of them could quickly fix their posture before going at each other again.
"[Astra d¨¦pas]!"
As Cabalen extended his left hand, a lightning strike that looked like the roots of a tree went at Basil. It looked just like a normal lightning, but each of its root was heading towards Basil''s possible escape.
"[Skyscraper]!"
Basil, who knew that the best way to survive the lightning was to take it head on, also didn''t stay idle. Tapping the ground with his feet, he cast a Spell that could only be used by the people who had an Affinity with the Sub-Element: Iron.
A pointy, tower-like, iron structure instantly came out of the ground. It was only 10 meters tall, but it attracted the lightning heading towards Basil, preventing it him from striking him.
Looking at the scene, Cabalen couldn''t help blinking his eyes in bafflement. He knew Basil was exceptional, but he didn''t expect Basil to have another Sub-Element Affinity other than Ice and lightning.
''I wonder if he can use any kind of Magic regardless of hisck of Affinity?''
While Cabalen was right in assuming that Basil could use any kind of Magic, he was wrong to assume Basil was still bound by Affinity. Basil didn''t need any of that in the very first ce¡ªhe didn''t even have one.
On the first day he had arrived at Randalvine Magic Institute, Iliana had helped him test his Affinity as he waited for the making his student''s identification card. He found that he had none, and it extremely baffled Iliana.
Basil had never tested his Affinity even in his past life, but he could still use every existing Elemental Magic regardless. He had suspected he had an Affinity with all of the Elements at first, but it had been proven it wasn''t the case.
He didn''t react much to the revtion in spite of his inability to exin his situation, however he was sure it had something to do with his unknown heritage ... At least, that was what he had thought at that time.
Upon knowing that Iliana also came from the same n as him, he wasn''t sure if his condition was due to his heritage. After all, Iliana only had Affinities with the Four Main Elements, unlike him, who had none but could use everything.
"[Shredder]!"
"[Frogov¨®li]!"
As Basil created thousands of wind des to shred Cabalen to pieces, Cabalen shot fire from his mouth. The fire was big enough to burn a five storey building to ashes, but as it shed with Basil''s wind des, it went towards Cabalen instead.
Cabalen clicked his tongue at his wasted use of Dragon Language, then shot a water cannonball at the fire rapidlying his way.
Sizzle!
The water cannonball immediately evaporated due to the high temperature of the fire, but it managed to prevent the fire from reaching Cabalen. On the other hand however, his surrounding was covered with steam.
It posed no trouble to him since he could see just find, but he had never expected Basil to have a creative way to make use of the situation.
Crackle!
"Was that electricity?"
Cabalen frowned as he noticed the brief flicker of light in the moist air. He soon ignored it however, since he was still busy trying to locate Basil.
It didn''t take him long to decide to just blow away the steam with Wind Magic, but the moment he was about to use Wind Magic to do that was the exact moment he realized the absurd increase of static in the air.
Logically speaking, as the air had gotten hotter and more humid than before due to the steam, the static in the air should drop instead of rising, which means, the increase of static in the air was caused by something else.
"This ursed human!"
Cabalen realized what Basil was going to do at the exact moment he noticed a lightning strike wasing down the sky at him. It easily outssed the power of his lightning earlier, so it would paralyze him if he got hit by it.
Deciding to take a page out of Basil''s book, using Dragon Language to use Iron Magic, he crouched then covered himself with an iron case. He hoped it would be able to distract the lightning.
Boom!
As the lightning struck the iron case, the water vapour surrounding the case was overwhelmed with electricity. One could easily see the electricity sparkled in it, creating a scene that one would only see during a storm.
Basil coldly watched the scene from the ce where the electricity didn''t reach him, meanwhile Cabalen was gritting his teeth in rage inside his iron case.
Cabalen couldn''t feel his body as the case didn''tpletely protect him from the lightning¡ªhe dreaded what would happen to him.
"That human... He shouldn''t be able to do anything either." Through his gritted teeth, Cabalen forced a ridiculingugh.
He genuinely thought Basil couldn''t do anything to him either since the ce he was currently at was covered with a high voltage electricity that would also endanger Basil.
s, it wouldn''t be Basil if his power could hurt him. None of the small lightning hitting the case hit him as they all avoided him even though he was standing in their way.
Standing right in front of the ck iron case, holding Caliburn vertically, was Basil infusing a part of Asia''s Evolving soul into Caliburn.
Caliburn could handle more than 50% of Asia''s soul, however 50% was Basil''s limit in his current state. 50% was even him stretching himself, but it was the amount needed to kill Cabalen.
He might look uninjured from the outside, but his Core and Mana heart had been exhausted throughout his fight with Cabalen.
"Demons are gifted in terms of power. Sadly, none of you is bright enough in using it." Basil looked at the cage coldly. "Maybe this is also the reason why you have lost your Authority."
Caliburn glowed brightly in gold, illuminating the whole area that was covered in steam as a crushing pressure descended upon the whole battlefield.
Basil swung his sword down in the next moment, releasing the monstrous power contained in Caliburn.
[Synchronization]!
BOOM!
The whole battlefield¡ªthe world was temporarily colored in white as the explosion sound slowly faded, leaving everyone to enjoy an eerie silence.
Chapter 271 The Birth Of A Monster (2)
A few seconds before Basil used [Synchronization].
As Basil stood in front of the iron case Cabalen was hiding in, Cabalen immediately knew that his doom was near. Even though Basil wasn''t particrly exuding his crushing Mana pressure, Cabalen was still suffocating.
"This thick killing intent..."
Cabalen gritted his teeth as he felt the overwhelming killing intent Basil was exuding. He wondered just how a young human could have such an overwhelming killing intent, and what could possibly anger Basil this much.
He understood that he had toyed Basil for quite some time, but he was sure it shouldn''t have provoked his anger this much.
''It was his choice to y weak anyway¡ªhe had no right to be this mad!''
While he was right Basil was mad, he got it wrong about what had caused Basil to be mad. Basil wasn''t mad because he had toyed him; Basil was mad because he had dare to target his life.
It might seem weird that Basil was mad because of that, but he was that type of a guy. He would never get mad even if he was beaten by his opponent, but once he was about to kill his opponent, he would do it filled with rage.
He held no mercy towards those who targeted his life, but he wasn''t childish enough to be mad over a punch his enemy hadnded on his face.
Fighting is apetition. Getting hit is the norm; it shouldn''t be something to be mad about. Although Basil still got mad at his opponent in the end, it was still because of his opponent''s audacity to target him¡ªnot the their hits.
As Basil infused Asia''s Evolving soul into Caliburn, Cabalen immediately understood Basil was just seconds away from killing him. He tried to move, but his body didn''t listen to him as it was still paralysed due to the electricity covering the iron case.
When Basil swung his sword down and [Synchronization] was released, Cabalen''s indignation towards his situation was amplified. He couldn''t believe he would be killed by a mere human.
BOOM!
As the world lost its colour, and the people gradually lost their hearing, Caliburn carved a trench on the ground that was so deep it seemed like Basil had just cut the world in half.
Cabalen hadpletely lost his control over his body at this point, but his stubbornness allowed him to keep his consciousness.
The iron case covering him waspletely obliterated, but, in a humiliating position as he was, he still looked at Basil whose figure was covered entirely in golden light.
He instantly recalled someone''s face upon seeing the scene, and dread immediately colored his face. There had ever been someone, 2000 years ago, that had always been covered in golden light, and it was the person who every Demon hated to their core.
Realization immediately dawned upon Cabalen the moment he recalled Basil''sst name, and suddenly everything made sense to him¡ªBasil''s absurd power and how he could obtain the real Caliburn that was said to be unattainable.
He felt an extreme urgency to tell this to his fellow Demons, s his life wasing to an end. Slow as it might through his perspective, his body disintegrated in a matter of seconds.
"That ursed man! Just how powerful you are to allow a Fifth Circle Mage to destroy a Dragotaur''s body?!" Was what Cabalen mouthed right before his body waspletely disintegrated.
That way, the life of Cabalen was ended ... Carrying the information of Basil''s true identity away with him.
As the white color covering the world slowly dispersed, everyone regained their ability to hear once again. It wasn''t for long however; the moment they heard the huge explosion sound, their eardrums immediately ruptured.
They lost their hearing once again, but they could now clearly see Basil''s figure that was covered in the golden light from Caliburn. His upper clothes werepletely blown away, leaving him bare chested.
With his sturdy, muscr, and wless body exposed to the world, he stood like a deity overlooking the world he had conquered. The way he stood with his hands on the hilt of Caliburn that was stabbed in the ground especially captivated the people.
It felt like they were looking at the King they should have been serving.
They didn''t know when the sound of explosion stopped¡ªthey couldn''t hear anything¡ªbut when the color of the world hadpletely returned, their attention moved to the damage Basil''s Technique had caused.
They could see the trench that was so deep and long, it looked like it was separating the world in half. It was 4 meters wide, so it could swallow anyone who was stupid enough to "step" on it.
"Kuhak! My viscera..."
As the people''s attention was nted on the damage Basil had caused and the destructive Energy lingering in the air, none of them noticed Basil keeled over as he threw up a mouthful of blood.
He luckily got Caliburn to support himself, but unfortunately it didn''t help his condition much. He might look fine from the outside, but everything that was inside his body waspletely ruined due to the aftereffect of [Synchronization].
His veins were temporarily erged due to the great amount of blood containing Mana and Qi that had passed through it, meanwhile his Mana Heart was close to exploding as he had forced it to produce more Mana than it should.
Basil was used to pain¡ªhe didn''t think it hurt him much, however his body was honest. Maintaining his consciousness was currently very hard for him due to his miserable state.
"Hmmm... How long has it been since I suffered from injuries of this magnitude?" Basil chuckled lowly as he mused to himself. "A year maybe? Although it is not as bad as the day I died, both result in my immobilization."
A smirk adorned his face as he gripped Caliburn tighter. He infused the remaining Qi he had in his Core into Caliburn, swiftly turned his body around, and swung Caliburn at Luci who was swinging her short sword at him.
nk!
Boom!
As the swords shed against each other, the ground below the two people developed a crater. The crater, however, was overshadowed by the other craters on the ground and the deep, long trench beside it.
"Human! How dare you kill Cabalen?!" Luci looked fiercely at Basil.
"Was he your boyfriend?" Basil quirked his eyebrow and sneered. "I am sorry, but I don''t care."
"This insufferable bastard!" Luci gritted his teeth. "You will pay for your¡ª"
"I am not your only enemy here, Luci."
Luci was cut by Basil in the middle of her sentence, and she immediately widened her eyes as she got what Basil was referring to. Six powerful auras wereing at her, which belonged to none other than the Legion Commanders.
Clicking her tongue in dissatisfaction and rage, she immediately took a distance away from Basil. She flew to the sky, and once she was at a certain height, she ordered her army to retreat.
"Hear me, my soldiers! Retreat!"
Roar!
None of the Demons questioned Luci''s decision to retreat. Even though most of them that were far away from Cabalen and Basil couldn''t properly see the fight between the two, they could still notice that Cabalen had died.
The disappearance of such an overwhelming presence was too hard to ignore, so, of course, every one of them knew it was time for them to regroup and altered their n. The death of a Great General wasn''t something they could ignore after all.
"Young man, are you okay?!"
"Holy cow! You look younger closer!"
As the six Legion Commanders arrived at Basil''s side they either immediately fawned over him or poking his body. They meant good, but due to their ruptured eardrums, all of them were shouting each of their word, which annoyed Basil to no end.
"I didn''t know Randalvine Magic Institute was hiding such a monster... Thank you for being a good monster."
"Don''t swarm over him! He needs space to breathe!"
They merely wanted to make sure if Basil really was human since they couldn''t believe his prowess, while also thanking him for his endeavor.
Basil immediately distanced himself from the group of Legion Commanders the moment he regained his control over his body, then looked at them disdainfully as if he was looking at a group of child molesters.
"Don''t touch me."
"Uwah... This young man is just like our Cassandra," the green haired Legion Commander, Glenmented with a chuckle.
"It is normal to say that to the people who have touched you without your consent." Cassandra, the blond haired Legion Commander, frowned delicately. "Still, are you alright, young man?"
Receiving Cassandra''s gaze, Basil replied, "Do you think I look fine?"
"No, you don''t look fine." Cassandra shook her head faintly. "The flow of your Qi is in disarray, and I can tell that it is also the case for your Mana."
"Smart." Basil scoffed.
The six Legion Commanders blinked their eyes in surprise at Basil''s response and chuckled awkwardly. Uncaring to their reaction, Basil infused his Mana to his Spatial Ring where he had stored Morning Dew.
He wanted to take a Pill, so he could elerate his regeneration. s, the moment he drew his Mana, his Mana Heart immediately throbbed painfully.
"Keugh..."
"Young man!"
Basil immediately keeled over at the excruciating pain he felt in his chest. Cassandra immediately rushed to catch his falling body, but someone''s shout stopped herpletely in her step.
"Stay away from him!"
Iliana had arrived right at Basil''s side, just before he fell to the ground. She gritted her teeth upon seeing Basil''s condition as she knew how bad his condition internally was.
"Tsk. I''ve told you not to die!"
"Alright, don''t scream at me. You''ll kill me that way."
"This bastard..."
Iliana was simply speechless upon seeing the cheeky smile on Basil''s face. She was a tough person, but she couldn''t even guarantee if she could smile like that if she were in Basil''s position.
"Infuse your Mana to my Spatial Ring and¡ª"
[Darling, wait!]
''... Asia? Have you finished Evolving?''
[Awwhh... My husband has finally called me by my real name.] Asia sobbed. [I am touched ... Oh, yeah, I have fully Evolved too! I have be stronger and more pristine!]
''...''
[Anyway, use "Synchronization" on Caliburn, quick!]
''I can''t. I don''t have enough Mana to carry your soul out.''
[Caliburn has its own soul. Use "Synchronization" to connect with it!]
Basil''s eyes widened in realization the moment he heard Asia''s suggestion. Ignoring the peculiar gaze the people around him were giving, he immediately used [Synchronization] on Caliburn.
The moment he did so, he was greeted by surprise.
Chapter 272 The Birth Of A Monster (End)
[Synchronization]¡ªthe name of the Technique that bewildered Gorgophone in Basil''s past life. This was the Technique that Gorgophone couldn''t believe a human could ever master, but Basil managed to master.
What was [Synchronization]?
Essentially, [Synchronization] was a state where a Swordmaster was so close to his sword, it developed a consciousness, which people hade to call Sword Soul.
Sword Soul was originally a part of the Swordmaster''s soul that became independent, however didn''t do any harm to the Swordmaster, and instead greatly aided him in battles.
Sword Soul brought many benefits to the Swordmaster, but it still needed to be cultivated so it could keep growing stronger. [Synchronization] was the way to nurture the Sword Soul.
In Basil''s case, thanks to his genius, he could perform [Synchronization] with Vagus, which, at that time, had contained the half fragment of Asia''s soul that had been cursed to be forever bound to Vagus.
Asia had kept her true identity remain a secret by acting as a Sword Soul for all the time Basil had spent his life wielding Vagus, and in result, Basil doubted if he really had mastered [Synchronization] the moment he knew Asia was not his Sword Soul.
Therefore, when Asia told him to connect with Caliburn by performing [Synchronization], he felt a little bit sceptical. He, in the end, had never created his Sword Soul, so he couldn''t bring himself to believe he had been executing the right [Synchronization].
This was the reason why he had been refraining himself from synchronizing himself with Caliburn and instead poured Asia''s Evolving soul into it to execute [Synchronization].
When Asia kept nagging him to perform [Synchronization] with Caliburn, he, for a second, thought about a perfect way to kick Asia out of his Mindscape. The moment he thought so however, he suddenly recalled his conversation with his mother.
¡ªRejecting her is the same as rejecting a part of you.
Something suddenly clicked inside his head as he pondered about what his mother had said.
Basil had believed that he had never created a Sword Soul, which was the basic requirement to learn [Synchronization], since Asia was a Soul Fragment that had been pretending to be his Sword Soul.
Therefore, he couldn''t bring himself to believe that he had mastered the real [Synchronization] anymore.
Upon recalling his mother''s words however, he immediately understood what had happened: his Sword Soul must have had fused with Asia.
This was the reason why his mother had called Asia a part of him, and why the Asia in Vagus was very different from the Asia in one of Solomon''s 9 Seals. His Sword Soul had caused the other half of Asia''s soul to go dumb.
In other words, he could perform and had mastered the real [Synchronization]!
[Darling, can you stop insulting me unconsciously?!]
Ignoring the words that had juste out of Asia''s mouth, Basil concentrated on pouring his consciousness into Caliburn with the help of his Qi and Mana.
The process took faster than he had expected, as he lost contact with the outside world in just a couple of seconds. He also lost all of his 5 senses momentarily, but he immediately regained them the moment he could see again.
As he looked around, he found he was now in a vast grass field that seemed limitless. The sky and the grasses were colored in gold, giving the ce a majestic and ethereal look.
The warm wind gently breezed through the golden grasses, making them sway like they were dancing. The scene was so peaceful, anyone who saw it would immediately getfortable and fall asleep.
Basil was not anyone however; he kept looking around vigntly as he tried to figure out who resided in the realm. He knew looks could be deceiving, so he never let his guard down even though he was in the safest ce in the world.
"You have a great mindset, young man. You need, however, to let loose once in a while."
At the voiceing from behind him, Basil immediately turned around. The moment he did so, he saw a middle-aged man sitting on the bank of the river he was sure had never been there before.
"... I wonder if you are the owner of this realm."
Basil looked carefully at the middle-aged man. The middle-aged man had just appeared there undetected, showing how much control he had over the realm, so he couldn''t just treat the man the way he liked.
Who knows what the man could do to him if he somehow angered the man? Unlike the less bright Asia, the middle-aged man got the full control of the realm after all¡ªhe needed to be careful.
"As I have said earlier... You need to let loose." The middle-aged man turned around to look at Basil, showing his slightly wrinkled but still attractive face. "Come sit beside me and enjoy this golden river."
Since he suspected the middle-aged man might not be a Sword Soul, Basil silently stared at the middle-aged man to figure out the middle-aged man''s identity. s, he couldn''t figure out the man''s identity as he couldn''t ess the Guide.
"... I will take up on that offer." With a sigh, Basil walked towards the man, then sat himself down beside the man. "Is this river made of liquid gold?"
"... I thought you were the ''straight-to-business'' type of a guy," the man mused. "I am d that you are not."
Unamused, Basil snarkily responded, "I thought you might not like it if I be myself, so I decided to ask you a useless question to waste our time."
"Hahaha..." The manughed deeply. "What an interesting person you are." He turned his head to Basil. "Do you know who I am?"
"That''s what I have been asking you."
"I am Solomon..." The man, who was revealed to be Solomon, looked at Basil silently in expectation.
"So?"
"Huh?! Pardon?" Solomon was floored at Basil''sck of surprise. "Shouldn''t you freak out and be a fangirl?"
"Did you die single? It was what people who died single always said after all."
"I didn''t die single! I had a fianc¨¦, but I died without marrying her!" Solomon lost his temper when he realized it. "Kuhum! Anyway, who are you, young man? For you to see me here, you must be a special individual."
"My name is Basil Pacifer." Looking into Solomon''s eyes deeply, Basil materialized his golden Pacifer Seal on his forehead.
"T-This is... The Fated Child¡ªhe has been born!" Solomon widened his eyes as he abruptly stood up in shock. "I-It''s time! It''s time to regain our glory! Hahaha!"
Basil sighed heavily as he heard the mention of the Fated Child and the other mysterious things Solomon had said. He was already tired of being not in the know, but everyone seemed fond of hiding almost everything from him.
Basil''s most feared thing was being ignorant. He abhorred the idea of being ignorant, and hated to be left clueless. He didn''t like uncertainty, especially when it was regarding his life course. He hated the feeling of not being in control of his life.
"What is the Fated Child?"
"Huh?! C-Calm down, young man."
As emotion got the better of him, by the time Basil knew it, he was already grabbing Solomon, the Father of Magic, by his cor. He was ring coldly at Solomon while exuding his thick killing intent.
"Let go of my cor first," Solomon said softly. He was honestly intimidated, so he was careful towards Basil. "I will exin you as much as you can know."
As Solomon noticed the light of dissatisfaction in Basil''s eyes, he immediately added, "Ah, don''t get me wrong! It is not that I don''t want to tell you¡ªI can''t tell you. I don''t want to cause Butterfly Effect!"
"... Nonsense." Although Basil was dissatisfied by Solomon''s answer, he still let go of Solomon. "Just tell me that a certain being has prohibited you from telling me."
Basil had found himself more than once ignored by the Guide due to some topics he had asked. The Guide would sometime provide him answers, but it all had been repetitive answers that showed the unwillingness of the Guide to answer him.
That always happened whenever he asked about the Gods and Pacifer n''s history.
Since the only one who could forbid the Guide to answer him was the omnipotent being who had sent him to the past, he concluded that this omnipotent being was purposely keeping him in the dark about his n and himself.
Therefore, he deduced it was also the case for Solomon.
"There is actually no one that forbids me to tell you anything. I am just saying the truth, Basil." Solomon sighed.
As he righted himself, he muttered, "Gosh! Why do you have to be so tall? You almost killed me when you let go of my cor. Next time, refrain yourself from lifting up an old man by his cor¡ªit''s disrespectful!"
"Are you done?" Basil quirked his eyebrow.
"Kuhum! Yeah, I am done. Forgive me for my rumbling." Solomon looked straight at Basil then said. "Lucky bastard, your role as the Fated Child is to impregnate all of the incredible women of Pacifer n. Gah! How envious!"
"..."
While Solomon shed an envious tears, Basil looked at Solomon as if he wanted to strangle Solomon to death. He was sure the man was joking, and he didn''t like people who joked when he was being serious.
"Seriously though, you have to loosen up." Solomon patted Basil''s shoulder. "I was just joking, but not entirely. As long as your wife is kind enough to share, that thing might happen." He winked.
"Do you think my fist will fit in your mouth?"
"Kuhum! Anyway, Basil, the hope of our Lord," Solomon looked at Basil seriously, "being the Fated Child means to be the strongest existence that has ever been born to this world. Use that power wisely."
"..."
"What? I have exined as much as I can. I don''t have to tell you about your duty as a Pacifer n member, right? Defend it! Make your mother proud!"
"..."
At Basil''sck of response, Solomon cleared his throat. "Kuhum! Look at that golden river, Basil. Bathe yourself in the golden liquid, and you''ll find... Uh... What have you done?!"
"I enter the river, just like what you said."
"I didn''t tell you to absorb it, did I?!" Solomon scratched his head in frustration as he looked at the empty river.
He didn''t know how Basil could absorb all of the golden liquid that was previously in the river, but he was sure he had just witnessed the birth of a monster.
Chapter 273 The Change Of Flow
As Solomon looked at the emptied river, he gaped his mouth so wide, Basil''s fist could fit inside. He soonposed himself however; he didn''t think acting like that would fit for someone as old and great as him.
Now, looking at Basil who was standing in the emptied river calmly, he pondered about how what had happened happened.
Basil said he had just walked to the river, secretly implying that he didn''t know how to absorb the golden liquid, but he was a little bit sceptical about this. Therefore, he went with Basil purposely irking him by absorbing all of the golden liquid.
Still, even if that had been the case, he didn''t know how Basil could possibly absorb all of the golden liquid. After all, that liquid contained the essence of a Phoenix''s Mana Core, which should normally make people explode if consumed excessively.
"Do you know what you have just absorbed?"
"I do."
"You don''t even deny that you did it purposely..." Solomon sighed lightly in exasperation. "Anyway, what is the liquid?"
"It''s a heavily diluted Phoenix Core''s essence."
"... Oh, how could you..." Solomon blinked in surprise. "Do you even believe in Phoenix?"
Although Basil had never encountered one even in his past life, he had consumed¡ªabsorbed the essence of a Phoenix''s Core in his past life. He had retrieved one when he conquered The Sixteenth Obelisk, Obelisk of Zepar.
He had absorbed a far more concentrated essence at that time that was iparable to the one he had just absorbed. Coupled with his experience of handling overwhelming power, absorbing the heavily diluted essence was a breeze to him.
That, however, wasn''t really important to Basil. He didn''t do that just so he could irk or amaze Solomon, but to find out if Solomon knew that he had traveled back in time.
Judging by Solomon''s reaction, unlike his mother and Asia, Solomon didn''t know that he had traveled back in time. If Solomon did, he wouldn''t have been surprised by what Basil could do after all.
"You are a monster, aren''t you?" Solomon looked at Basil in astonishment.
"Tell me, what is the true identity of the Fated Child?"
"You are a stubborn one, aren''t you?" Solomon quirked his eyebrow. "There was one and only male child born in Pacifer n, and he was¡ª"
"I already know about that story."
"Then, why are you still asking me about that?"
"I believe there is more to the Fated Child." Basil looked at Solomon seriously. "There is no way he is only amount to the hero who will bring the n back to its feet."
"That is essentially what you are, Basil..." Solomon sighed. "Your talent, your wits, your gifts¡ªeverything about you makes you outstanding. You are a Pacifer that will only be born once after thest one."
"You didn''t deny that there was more to the Fated Child."
"Yes, and I can''t tell you about that."
Solomon entered the emptied river, then patted Basil''s shoulder when he was in front of Basil. "No matter what you are born as or where you are born into, you are yourself, Basil. No need to worry that someone will dictate how you will live your life."
"I guess there are also things you don''t know," Basil mused as he found that Solomon didn''t really get his question.
"Indeed. Like you, I also wanted to uncover the mysteries. s, I died while I was doing it. I did uncover some, but unfortunately I can''t tell you about them now." Solomon smiled wryly. "I still couldn''t uncover the bigger mystery until I died though."
"Is it about the Lord?"
"I... Am honestly surprised you know about the Lord already, but yes, it is about the Lord. I haven''t figured out why the Lord died even though I saw how he died." Solomon chuckled emptily.
"That''s a roundabout way to tell how stupid you were back then."
Solomon''s mouth twitched before he sighed helplessly. He then let his hand go of Basil''s shoulder to stare at him silently for a few seconds.
"I understand that you have faced many hardships in your life. Being born as the one and only male Pacifer mustn''t be what you wanted, and I believe the current Maha Dmitras also don''t want to burden you with responsibilities."
Solomon bowed at Basil. "However, please, avenge your n. Those bastards have done a lot to your n, and I believe they won''t let your n go anytime soon."
"... Why do you care?"
"Pacifer n upied a special ce in the Lord''s heart. As someone who is indebted to the Lord, I feel necessary to repay his kindness by taking care of the n he loved so much ... s, I can''t do that as I am dead already. Therefore..."
"Your reason doesn''t justify why I should do it in your stead. I was born a Pacifer, but none of them has ever helped me in my struggle¡ªI am not indebted to them."
"Indeed. Which is why..." Solomon extended his hand then touched Basil''s forehead with his index finger. "...I will not ask you to do it for free."
As a golden light covered the tip of Solomon''s finger, Basil saw many ces in his mind. These ces were all where Solomon''s Legacies could be found.
"I can not aid you directly, but I hope the things I left behind could." Solomon retracted his finger. "I am sorry I don''t know where the Lord hid the Fragments, but I hope you will be able to find them even without my help."
Basil took a pause at the mention of Fragments, then asked, "Have you ever heard of Matheus?"
"Of course. He was the only male Pacifer before you."
"Asia told me he was but the Lord''s right hand though."
"Oh, you have met Lady Asia?" Solomon slightly recoiled in surprise. "What a strange thing fate is..."
"Can you tell me more about Matheus?"
"Of course. It won''t affect the present too much anyway." Solomon cleared his throat. "Kuhum! Matheus was called the Lord''s right hand after he ''died.'' There were so many individuals who felt threatened of his presence, he was forced to pretend to die."
"He protected the n from the shadow afterwards, is what you wanted to say?"
"Yup. In fact, he was so good in being in the shadow, everyone forgot him by the end of the day. I also didn''t hear much about him after the Great War ended, but I think he also disappeared the day the Lord died."
"I see..."
Basil had thought that the First Patriarch and the Lord had been the same individual. Now that there were already two people that confirmed they were not however, he was finally convinced they were two different people.
He had initially found it odd the First Patriarch wasn''t known to the n¡ªhe had judged Matheus had simply lied about his status¡ªbut now that Solomon had given him an exnation, he found it reasonable.
The Lord was, after all, a God¡ªhe must have nned to leave the humans when the war had ended. Therefore, many people were cautious towards the people who were very close to the Lord¡ªPacifer n.
If Matheus, the strongest human at that time had remained in the strongest n, many factions would be afraid that Pacifer n, in his lead, would reign the world after the Lord left.
Although as stupid as he thought the way they handled the problem was, Basil agreed that it was the least bloodied way to vanquish the people''s worry.
Still, erasing the history of the First Patriarch of Pacifer n was a little bit overboard in his opinion. With a twist of fate, this, unfortunately, also didn''t end well since in the end, the Four Heroes betrayed the Lord, leaving the rest of Pacifer n hunted.
"I will take what you have offered me, but I am not going to support Pacifer n because of them," Basil said to Solomon. "I happen to have a problem with the Church, so my interest is aligned with the n''s¡ªnothing more."
"Hahaha... Whatever you say, Basil." Solomon smiled. "By the way, Caliburn''s Sword Soul is not me. You will meet him after I disappear, and you will meet me when you obtain my other Legacies. So... Until then, goodbye."
Solomon winked and slowly disappeared from the realm. Basil, in truth, still had much to ask him¡ªwho the Lord was, where he came from, and how he died¡ªbut he had still decided not to because he knew Solomon wouldn''t say a thing.
Everyone who knew something about what he wanted to ask had always said the same thing to him: "You will figure it out some day." He had been fed up with it, but the talk he had with Solomon had made him realize that he needed to slow down.
He had been looking too far ahead that he had overlooked the present. He already had so much in his hands, but he still chose to burden his mind with something that didn''t hold much significance towards his current situation.
"I need to live in the present, huh? It''s funny." Basil chuckled humorlessly. "It was the first thing I had reminded myself, but it is the exact thing that I am not doing."
As Solomonpletely disappeared from the Realm, Basil didn''t even wait for a second to expel himself from the Realm. He didn''t care if he didn''t meet Caliburn''s Sword Soul; he just felt a great urge to return to the outside world.
"Basil, are you okay?"
As he returned to the outside world, Basil could once again feel Iliana''s warm hand on his chest and also the pain that was torturing him internally. He immediately exhaled deeply, before drawing the essence of the Phoenix''s Core from his Core.
Unlike the inexperienced people who didn''t know how to properly absorb Phoenix''s Core essence, Basil knew he had to store it inside his Core. This was the reason why he had been able to dry the whole river.
As he drew the essence and spread it throughout his body, his internal injuries were being rapidly healed. In result, it took the essence only 10 seconds to bring him back to his healthy and battle ready state.
"I am okay. You can rest assured." Basil stood straight then put his hand on top of Iliana''s head. "Rather than that," he looked to the Legion Commanders, "let''s take the army back into the camp. It is time to give them the rest they deserve."
The people around Basil could only blink their eyes when he suddenly regained his health out of nowhere, but all of them nodded their head regardless.
By the time they knew it, they already treated Basil as their leader.
Chapter 274 The Change Of Flow (2)
Honk!
When the horn was blown, everyone who had been chasing for the retreating Demons stopped in their track. The horn was the signal to retreat, so upon hearing it, all of them immediately regrouped with the others and retreated orderly.
Confusion, bewilderment, and joy filled their eyes as they ran back to the camp. They had been fighting for a week nonstop, and they didn''t expect the day where they had to retreat after the Demons did first would evere.
"Uwahh!!! Glory for the humanity!"
"Royal Army! Royal Army!"
"God bless the young Heroes!"
"Long live the Kingdom!"
They were simply overjoyed by their very first victory. They had always thought the war was a hopeless one, and they were only there to stall for time.
They had expected themselves to all die in the battlefield, and never had they thought, even once, they would win the war. They had fully believed their fate was amount to a cannon fodder, whose sole task was slowing down the Demons until the backup came.
Lo and behold, miracle did happen in a form of Basil''s appearance. Basil''s victory against Cabalen had managed to push the army of the Demons back, and everyone was grateful of him.
"Pacifer! Pacifer! Pacifer!"
"Basil Pacifer!"
"Hero, Pacifer!"
News travelled faster than the wind. Everyone had gotten the identity of the person who had defeated Cabalen, another High ss Demon that had been as strong as Luci.
Everyone was looking for him excitedly as they retreated to the camp, but said person didn''t have the slightest intention to meet them. He was even doing his best in holding himself back from killing everyone who was hailing him as a hero.
He had ever been called that once in his past life, and it didn''t end well. He had enough of ying heroes in the past, so he didn''t want to be one in this life.
"Gosh! Look at them. All off them are very enthusiastic!" Glenn, the green haired Legion Commander was looking at the retreating Mages and Knights behind him. "Maybe you should greet them, Basil!"
He didn''t care even though his along with his fellow Commanders'' spotlight was taken by Basil; he was simply overjoyed that someone as capable as Basil had appeared. He was expectant towards the great things they could achieve together.
"Well, I guess it is good being famous?" Iliana asked. She was sitting behind Basil on Deacon''s back. "I still wonder though, why do you keep your chest bare?" She leered at the female Knights running beside them. "It''s distracting."
"I am dirty right now, so I have to bathe myself first, before I change into new clothes," Basil replied righteously. "Therefore, thank you for covering my chest from the unwanted eyes with your hands."
"Oh? That''s nothing..." Iliana scoffed lightly to hide her embarrassment.
She, after all, just wanted to put her hands on Basil''s extremely toned chest rather than protecting it. ''I did it out of curiosity, but I am enjoying it now.''
Still, Iliana had rarely denied herself. She would never deceive herself, so she was quick to ept what she hade to enjoy¡ªrunning her hands through Basil''s chest.
''She had always done it in the past but... It feels weird being touched like that by her now,'' Basil mused. ''She is still not as mature as the Iliana I knew.''
Basil was an experienced man. He had mature enough, so it was hard for him to treat girls below their twenties seriously.
He had, after all, experienced love when he was in his mid-twenties, so he couldn''t consider Iliana as someone who could be his genuine lover ... At least, not yet.
He was still waiting for the mature Iliana¡ªthe Iliana he had known to emerge. Until then, it was hard for him to see the current Iliana the way he had seen Iliana in his past life.
Nheless, it didn''t really matter for him. Romance was hisst concern; he still had many important things to do now that he had involved himself in the Outbreak. He couldn''t just disappear without a trace.
His talk with Solomon had made him realize that he needed to slow down a little bit, stopped looking at the future, and lived in the present.
Coincidentally, he also didn''t have anything to do yet¡ªhe didn''t have any big n to execute yet¡ªso he had decided to join the war to "live in the present."
He found no particr need to it, but it was a good way to improve his control over his newfound power. Other than the Secret Art of Pacifer n, which he couldn''t absolutely practice in public, he could learn to wield Caliburn better in the battlefield.
As he had said many times to himself, he was not a people person. His goal was to make a world where only he and the people he cared about could live carefreely.
He would only protect those he wanted to, and abandoned the rest while keeping those he cared about unaware about that fact. He didn''t care about any other people unrted to him, so he genuinely found there was no meaning in helping Braxtein Kingdom out.
He understood well that his family still lived in Braxtein Kingdom, but he had made sure to put them at a currently safe space. He didn''t care if Woster County was destroyed; he was absolute could keep Familia Hotel remain intact.
Therefore, the thing he would only do in the war was training himself. He didn''t care about saving people¡ªhe would only kill and gain as much mastery as he could from the power he had newly gained.
"We have arrived!"
"Hurray! We have arrived! We have arrived safely at the camp!"
"Today is a victory! Today is a victory!"
As they arrived at the camp, which was actually the biggest Church in Woster County, everyone erupted in cheer. They also cried afterwards, prompting the Priests and the injured people who had stayed there to also cry.
Their head was all facing towards the direction of the star of the war, Basil who was jumping down from Deacon. He was the only bare chested male right there, but he still looked regal and charismatic, even if the Legion Commanders were surrounding him.
The Legion Commanders were actually surrounding him under his "request," so thanks to them, no one dare to crowd around him.
They had wanted to tell Basil that even without their help, the pressure he was exuding was already enough to keep everyone away, when he had requested them to do it, but his quirked eyebrow was enough to stop then from saying anything about it.
"Iliana, you havee!"
"Holy cow, Basil! That was really you, mate?! Bloody awesome!"
"You... Just what have you done in the past four days? Don''t tell me... you were already that strong when you parted ways with us?"
"It''s nice to see you again, Basil. Can you slow down a little bit though? It''s pressuring us as your seniors."
"You bastards... Is Missy the only person who can see me?"
Right as Basil was walking towards the city hall, the ce where he could find a bathroom, Cray, Whitney, Darius, Annabeth, and the others from Rehearsal ss showed up in front of them.
Iliana was a little bit irked that Whitney and Cray were more interested in Basil than her, but she was d she could finally meet them. She couldn''t find them in the battlefield, so she had thought something bad had happened to them.
Missy immediately ran towards Iliana, and jumped at Iliana to hug her. She was d everyone from Rehearsal ss could now be one once again.
"Where is Litton?"
"Litton? Ah, he is helping out the Priests in the Church."
Iliana turned to Monica. "What are you doing here with Missy?"
"As you already know, Missy is not someone who can be overlooked for a second. I am here to prevent her from ending up in the Monster''s camp," Monica answered neutrally.
"Hey! I am not that stupid!" Missy protested.
"Good job as always, Monica." Iliana nodded her head in approvement.
"Iliana?!"
Basil, who had been looking at the interaction between Iliana and her surrogate family, smiled faintly, flustering the people who were paying close attention to him. They didn''t expect they would ever see a genuine smile on Basil''s face.
In their mind, after all, Basil''s smile was always condescending.
"I know that you have something to talk with me, but I need to do something important first." Basil gestured his head at the city hall. "We will catch upter."
Without exining that he just wanted to take a bath, he left with the six Legion Commanders as his entourage, making Whitney, Cray, Darius, and Annabeth wonder about what he had be.
"Psst. Has he been appointed to be the new Legion Commander?" Cray whispered to Whitney.
"Don''t be stupid." Whitney chuckled softly. "He must have a report to deliver to Earl Woster."
"I think that what Cray has said is highly usible..." Darius said seriously, flustering Whitney. "If Basil really wanted to report something to Earl Woster, he wouldn''t go to the city hall after all."
"Now that I think about it... Earl Woster is still being treated in the Church," Whitney mused.
"Hmmm..."
Whitney, Cray, and Darius hummed in unison as they thought about what Basil was actually going to do in the city hall. They then turned their head to Iliana, Basil''s girlfriend, who was the most knowledgeable about him.
Annabeth, who was looking silently at the three from the side, massaged her forehead as she could know that they would irk Iliana more than they already had.
Deciding to leave the scene, she excused herself as soon as the trio asked Iliana what Basil had actually been up to. Iliana merely smiled then gave them one answer.
Bam!
... Her fist.
In the city hall, the Legion Commanders were now pondering about why they had been following each one of Basil''s words as if their body was designated to do that.
They didn''t feel like they were being bossed around nor did they feel that Basil was exerting his power on them to order them around, but they still felt right doing what Basil asked them to.
"It is enough here... I am going to clean myself, and you can recuperate your used up energy."
At Basil''s exmation, the Legion Commanders blinked their eyes, then nodded their head reflexively. They sat themselves on the ce where they could sit on, and only then they realized what was wrong.
''He just wanted to take a bath?!''
... Or maybe not.
Chapter 275 The Change Of Flow (3)
While Basil was having his well-deserved bath time in the bathroom of the city hall, on the other side of the battlefield, Luci, who had just arrived at her camp, was gritting her teeth in anger.
"What is wrong with that human?!"
She couldn''t believe that Basil, a human, a mere Fifth Circle Mage no less, had the capability to kill Cabalen. She could see that Cabalen had done his best¡ªhe was fighting for real¡ªand that made it more absurd than it already was.
She got that Basil was exceptional amongst the other Fifth Magic Circles. She also had never even seen anyone that possessed the same Magic Circles as him.
Still, to be able to win against Cabalen was too good to be true. She was aware that he was also a Peak Stage Blue Core Knight, however, no matter how exceptional he was as a Knight, he still shouldn''t be strong enough to defeat Cabalen.
"There must be something on him that aided him to win against Cabalen." Luci''s eyes were bloodshot. "There can be no way a mere human can defeat our thousands of years of hardwork."
Out of the six of Goap''s Great Generals, only one of them had been a General since the Age of Chaos. Luci and the others were Demons who were born inside the Obelisk, and were exceptional enough to be the Great Generals.
They had trained harder than anyone ever since they found that they had the potential to be a High ss Demon¡ªever since they were a week old¡ªto be a Great General, and because of that, they were very confident in their ability.
They had proven their ability to everyone by bing a Great General, especially Luci, who had been underestimated due to her womanly lithe figure.
Added by theirck of knowledge about how capable humans had been in the Age of Chaos, none of them believed that a human could ever defeat them. This was why Luci was so confused.
"Prince Goap has said to never underestimate our opponents¡ªCabalen didn''t, but how could a human still defeat him? He is not even a Seventh Circle Mage that Prince Goap has said to be careful with!"
Luci paced back and forth while thinking about the possible cause of Cabalen''s defeat. Unfortunately, she would never be able to figure the variable that had caused Cabalen''s defeat was Caliburn that was in Basil''s hands.
Cabalen was the only Demon, who currently knew of Caliburn''s role in his defeat. He had heard some stories from the oldest General about an exceptional sword in the day Demons were still roaming the world freely, which really resembled Caliburn''s criteria.
Therefore, Cabalen who had deemed Basil dangerous enough even without Caliburn, had been baffled when he had spotted Caliburn in Basil''s hands. He wasn''t very sure about it, but he had raised Basil''s level of threat one level higher.
Still, at that time, he was determined to bring Caliburn back with him just to make sure if it was what the oldest General had talked about. s, he only found out that it was the real one but not what exactly he knew at the end of his life.
"Tsk. Anyway, what was Cabalen even doing here?" Luci frowned. "He should''ve been at Randalvine with Jerion."
Along with thete discovery of Caliburn being the real Caliburn, Cabalen, due to his eagerness to y Basil, had also forgotten to inform Luci in advance that Basil was an individual they had to be careful about.
He had been so sure of his victory, he had nned to talk about it after he had in Basil. s, his arrogance had cost him his life, and in result, Luci was left puzzled by his sudden visit to Woster County.
In the end, Luci didn''t think she should be careful about Basil since she still fully believed that Basil winning against Cabalen was nothing but luck. Even if he was reallypetent, she still didn''t think it was something to report to Goap.
From her view, what happened was a wild variable (Basil) that they had never considered about had appeared. She didn''t see Basil as someone that she needed to take extra care of, therefore she would deal with him herself.
"I am going to notify Jerion of Cabalen''s death first. I hope he will be able to handle the Legions Cabalen left behind."
Connecting her mind with Jerion with a special Spell that was only mastered by the Generals, she informed Jerion about Cabalen''s death. Said General reacted calmly, and it slightly surprised her how underwhelmed he was.
It seemed to her that said General had expected something like this to happen but not really expecting it to happen. It was weird, but she was d Jerion confirmed that he could still manage the Legions Cabalen left behind to conquer Randalvine.
"Now... I shall think about the next course of action I have to take to finish that human... I need to kill him in the next battle, otherwise I will lose my face."
With her fist clenched tight, Luci gazed at Woster County''s city hall that she could see from afar.
...
Basil, who enjoyed his bathing time, the only time he could truly rx doing nothing, took half an hour to finish his bath. He immediately dried himself with Wind Magic, but left enough water on his body to keep his skin moist.
Now cleaned, he took out a new set of clothes that were not his school uniform. He honestly liked the red color of his Magic Institute uniform, but he still preferred ck than red.
Therefore, his new outfit was consisted of ck shirt with golden linings on its cors, a dark grey vest on top of it, a pair of fitting ck trousers that were designed to give him a lot of mobility, a pair of ankle-high ck boots, and a ck waist length coat.
His new outfit gave him a whole new look of mystery, which ironically amplified the already mysterious aura surrounding him. Still, nine out of ten, anyone would still call his look impressive.
"With this, no one shall dare enough to carelessly approach me."
... Of course, he also had his own reason to look all dark.
Basil got out of the bathroom after he styled his hair a little bit to make him look more presentable than he already was. He just needed to walk a little more until he met the Legion Commanders again.
All of them were busy with their own thought, but the moment Basil announced his presence, they immediately stood uprightly, which slightly surprised him. After all, he didn''t announce his presence expecting something like that.
He had only announced his well-concealed presence because he didn''t want to startle them when he suddenly spoke to them. Therefore, he was genuinely puzzled when they treated him with such respect.
"Ah, you have done cleaning yourself it seems, Sir Basil." Glenn bowed politely, prompting the others to follow suit. "You look very impressive, Sire."
"... Feel free to call me my name. I have not taken any position in the Kingdom''s body, so I have not the right to be called ''Sir'' by you." Basil frowned lightly.
"We are aware of that fact, Sir Basil." Cassandra nodded her head as Basil''s eye faintly twitched. "However, this is our way to show our respect to someone whose prowess we admire."
"There is nothing good in worshipping and admiring power. You already have religion that forces you to do that."
Cassandra and the other Legion Commanders slightly recoiled in surprise at Basil''s answer. They didn''t mind Basil''s cold tone in the slightest, but they still couldn''t believe that Basil would address something as sensitive as that.
Uncaring to the people''s reaction, Basil walked towards the exit. The Legion Commanders parted the moment he passed through them, but followed closely behind him afterwards.
Basil immediately sighed lightly in exasperation, because he knew something that he had been dreading about was about to happen. Reluctant as he was to face it, he had no way to back away from it.
"I see not the need for you to follow me around, so may I know your reason for doing it?" Basil asked without turning around.
The Legion Commanders looked at each other at first, before telling Glenn to represent them. "We have decided to let youmand over us, Sir Basil. We have seen your capability to do so, therefore¡ª"
"I am not interested."
"... Yes?" Glenn slightly blinked his eyes at Basil''s rejection. "Do you perhaps think to retract yourself from the war, Sire? I am sorry to tell you, but¡ª"
"I am just here to kill Monsters. I have no interest inmanding people."
"..."
Basil was just being honest: he had only involved himself in the war to raise his mastery over the new power he had gained. Unfortunately, due to how righteous he had said it, the Legion Commanders misunderstood him.
They thought he just had a very noble mindset as a young man who held no interest in position, authority, and fame. They thought Basil was only fighting in the war because he deemed it was the right thing to do.
''So young, yet so admirable.'' They were so moved by Basil''s conviction, their eyes lit up in admiration as they looked at him.
"What a respectable man you are, Sir Basil," Glenn praised. "As much as we want to not burden you with a position however, we still need you to be a Legion Commander for our Royal Army." Glenn waited for an interruption, but Basil didn''t say a thing.
He continued, "This is all ording to thew of the Kingdom that allows us, Legion Commanders, to appoint someone we deem worthy, who is not from the Royal Army, as a Legion Commander¡ªto alsomand us¡ªin times of emergency."
Basil was well aware of thisw, and so he kept his silence. He could''ve avoided it by not showing any exceptional prowess in the battlefield, s Cabalen had been targeting his life at that time¡ªhe could not hide his power.
"I have only one interest and one condition."
"Pray tell, Sire."
"I am ONLY interested in killing the Monsters, and I will ept the role if you also appoint someone as a Temporary Legion Commander to help me."
"We heard it clear, Sire. We are d of your willingness to fight alongside us." Glenn merely smiled at Basil; he knew who the person Basil was going to choose.
Chapter 276 The Change Of Flow (4)
Basil and the Legion Commanders had reached to a consensus. In turn of agreeing to be the Head Commander, he would only provide them assistance with the strategy¡ªthemanding would be left to them.
He had spent almost a decade leading the most elite army in the entire Empires, Henosis in his past life. He was an extremely capablemander, however he currently couldn''t care less aboutmanding people.
He had stopped thinking about people he didn''t have an emotional attachment with, so his goal in this war was solely to improve himself. He would only kill for his own benefit, and therefore he couldn''t be dragged down by a responsibility.
On the other hand however, his appointment as a Legion Commander was a chance to let Iliana grow. He knew Iliana had an innate talent of being amander, and he nned to awaken it in this chance.
That was why Basil had taken Iliana as his aide¡ªwithout said person knowing about her involvement yet. Other than that, Basil also wanted to give her an opportunity to "decorate" her resume.
While Basil didn''t consider being the youngest Legion Commander for the past 1000 years was an achievement he needed to be proud about, for Iliana, even though she would merely act as a Vice Commander, this would be a good thing for her career.
Different from Basil, who didn''t have any ambition to be one of the top dogs of Braxtein Kingdom, Iliana, after all, wanted to secure a certain spot in the above. Therefore, umting as many achievements as she could from now was crucial.
Basil didn''t really know what required her to have a certain position in the Kingdom, but he would aid her in her quest. He had an inkling it was solely for investigating about his mother''s execution, and he didn''t n to prevent her from doing it.
Unlike him, Iliana still didn''t know about what had exactly happened that day. He could talk about what he had heard from his mother, but he wouldn''t be able to exin where he got to know about it, so it would be best to let her figure it out herself.
By the end of the day, Basil knew everything would be for naught. He could already picture the day when the whole world turned against them the moment they embraced their identity as a Pacifer.
Still, there was still some time until that time came. For the time being, Basil and Iliana still needed an important enough standing in the Kingdom that would make them look bound to the Kingdom to avoid suspicion.
Basil''s power was still insufficient, so he couldn''t just act like how he wanted to. He still needed to disy the front of being a loyal citizen¡ªthis was why he had yed along with the Legion Commanders.
"Brother! Oh I can''t believe it¡ªit''s really you!"
Upon getting out of the city hall, Basil couldn''t only see Iliana and everyone from the Rehearsal ss, but also another people that he was quite close with. They were his fellow students that he had acquainted himself with.
"... Xiu Li." Basil looked at the long haired young man scurrying over him with a small smile. "It is not within my expectation that someone like you will still be able to keep such a brightplexion in thi situation."
,m "Haha. I am just happy that I can help people." Xiu Li rubbed his head shyly.
It was apparent from his look that Wei Xiu Li, possibly the only existing Mage from the East, didn''t like war at all. He had also shown a strong repulsion at the idea of killing in the Regional Tournament.
With those reasons, it was not wrong to think that Wei Xiu Li would find the battle in Woster County distressful.
It turns out however, Wei Xiu Li was moreplex than what Basil had thought him to be. Wei Xiu Li found the idea of killing Demons eptable since he was helping people with it.
He was even enjoying himself in doing so, which means he wasn''t an idealistic pacifist like what Basil had thought him to be.
"It has been only 2 months, but I can barely recognise you, Brother." Xiu Li looked at Basil up and down. "You are even taller than Professor Alcott now!"
"Indeed, Basil. You are growing so quick, you are pressuring us, your senior." Clovis stepped forward and sighed. "You are already a Fifth Circle Mage now, but not even Iliana, who is in the same rank as you, canpare."
"The way you said it feels like you are putting me in the same boat as you." Iliana frowned. "Stop it¡ªit''s disgusting. I might not beparable to Basil, but I am still far above you."
"Gah! Why do you have to be so cruel?!"
The people in the surroundingughed at the exchange between Clovis and Iliana. It was the same like what they usually did at the Magic Institute.
Unfortunately, they were currently in the middle of the war, so the mood quickly turned solemn. As much as they wanted to joke around, the situation in their surrounding made it hard for them tough.
Every battle yearns for sacrifices. For each of those who survived today, there were two or three people that had fallen.
Some of the survivors were just fatally injured, meanwhile some were permanently crippled. Of course, their fate was better than those who had lost their lives.
The state of the body of those who had fallen was just pitiable. Some had lost a good chunk of their body, some had lost a few of their body parts, and some had only a part of their body remaining.
Still, those who still had a part of their body remaining had a better fate than those who didn''t even leave anything behind.
Some of them hadn''t met their parents or family for months, and it was saddening to think that the people who cared about them would only receive an empty grave with an honorary title carved on their headstone.
What would it do to those who were left behind?
"There is still some time until the next sh," Basil said, breaking the silence. "I suggest you to get plenty of rest, since the next sh will be much harder than the fight you have faced until now."
"What about catching up to each other over a tea?" Clovis suggested. "I believe you haven''t heard that we have joined Rehearsal ss." He smirked.
Basil hadn''t heard about it from Iliana, so he silently looked at her with a quirked eyebrow. She merely sighed in exasperation, making him shook his head faintly in amusement.
"Unfortunately, I can''t be joining you lot soon." He gestured at the Legion Commanders behind him. "There is still something I need to do, so I hope you can go on without me... And Iliana."
"Yes?" Iliana slightly recoiled in surprise at the mention of her name. "Do you need something from me?"
Basil merely nodded his head then motioned her toe over. "I will make sure to join you when the matter is settled, so see you until then."
Basil walked towards the building where the Legion Commanders gathered to discuss with Iliana and the six Legion Commanders in tow, parting the crowd of students.
They sighed audibly at Basil''s inability to join them, but he didn''t even pay any attention to them. He kept walking until his back finally disappeared from the people''s view.
"Ah... Can''t he even slow down for a second? This is our reunion!" Cray shouted in disappointment.
"Stop it. You know what he has be." Whitney patted Cray''s shoulder.
"To think it really happens... As expected of the monster of our beloved Magic Institute," Darius mused.
They had been staying silent for all the time because they were too embarrassed to speak in their current state; there was a fist mark on each of their cheek that they had gotten from Iliana. They didn''t want to be ridiculed by Basil.
Now that Basil was gone, they could finally talk freely again. Still, it didn''t mean they were pardoned from the others'' ridicule.
...
In the building on the opposite side of the biggest Church in Woster County, in the building where the Legion Commanders held their meeting to discuss about the war strategy, Basil sat at the head table with Iliana standing right behind him.
The atmosphere was slightly tense, as the Vice Commanders of the six Legion Commanders, who were standing behind each of them, were looking at Iliana intensely. They were silently questioning her qualification to stand there.
"It is good to see that everyone is being courteous," Basil remarked sarcastically, making the Legion Commanders smile wryly. Turning his gaze to the Vice Commanders, he continued, "May I conclude these are the best you have at your disposal?"
"Yes, Head Commander. They are currently the best Mages we have at our disposal," Cassandra replied.
"They might be young, but I can guarantee you all of them are highly capable," Glenn added.
"Age doesn''t hold any significance towards how capable you are. I am young myself, but I am capable enough to annihte everyone in this room by myself," stated Basil coldly
Boom!
Just as Basil finished his statement, he washed everyone in the room, except from Iliana, with his thick killing intent and Qi Pressure. All of their pupils immediately dted in terror as their body shook uncontrobly.
"Knowing one''s shorings is important," Basil stated as he alleviated his pressure at once. "Imagine being constantly exposed to that kind of pressure in the battlefield due to your overestimation over yourself¡ªwhat could you do?"
No one could answer him as they were still too busy calming their beating heart down. Their ears were filled with the sound of their crazily pounding heart, making it hard to concentrate on his words.
The moment they had calmed themselves, they immediately turned their head to Basil and looked at him in disbelief and slight fear. They couldn''t believe such a young man could produce such an overwhelming pressure that couldpletely immobilize them.
"Iliana is the person who I have appointed as my Vice." Basil nced at the other Vice Commanders. "She is here to make you realise your shorings."
Basil turned to Iliana, and Iliana gazed at him in puzzlement. He just nodded his head lightly, hoping Iliana got that he was telling her to do her best.
Luckily, Iliana didn''t disappoint. She materialized her five Grand Circles in the next moment, overwhelming the air with her Mana, then snapped her finger to cast the highest Middle Grade Spell, [Teleportation].
Everyone was bewildered at the disy, and Basil was actually caught off guard too.
Chapter 277 The Change Of Flow (End)
Basil blinked his eyes lightly at Iliana''s unexpected disy of Spell mastery. He knew that using [Teleportation] that way was already achievable for the current her, but he didn''t expect her to already master it.
For normal Mages, casting [Teleportation] while still being a Fifth Circle Mage alone was already a hard work. For Iliana who had five Grand Circles however, it was nothing but a breeze to her ... That is, if she just cast it normally.
What Iliana had disyed, however, was simr to what only senior Sixth Circle Mages could do. One didn''t just cast [Teleportation] like her; a certain degree of mastery towards said Spell was needed.
For those who didn''t know Iliana''s identity as a genius on top of being a Pacifer, this was highly shocking¡ªan unprecedented event. However for Basil, who knew of her insaneprehension ability towards Magic, it was not that shocking.
He had figured out what Iliana had actually done. Although it looked like she had cast [Teleportation] as wless as senior Sixth Circle Mages, she had actually just brute forced her way.
Rather than counting on efficiency, she had counted on her monstrous amount of Mana to force herself to teleport. It did sessfully teleport her, however it had drained her Mana more than necessary.
In Basil''s view, she had failed miserably at that. Iliana also seemed aware of this fact since she had never used it even once in battle.
Basil wouldn''tin nheless; she had managed to impress the people she should impress. Still, it was slightly disappointing that none of the Legion Commanders had noticed it.
"She doesn''t look like she has the capability to stand to toe with any of you, but I can assure you, nine out of ten, you will never beat her in terms of Magic." Basil looked at the crowd seriously.
sh!
Iliana reappeared once again behind Basil using [Teleportation], further supporting the mysterious mood Basil had set. The Vice Commanders had now lost their intense gaze as they looked at Iliana in disbelief and wonder.
"Let us talk about how we should proceed in this war." The moment Basil spoke, everyone gulped dryly. "I will leave behind themanding to my vice, so I hope you can cooperate well."
"Commander," Iliana interjected, "I believe it is not the right choice to entrust themanding right wholly to me. I am not confident I have the ability to do it."
"It is not what you can do, but what you have to do, Iliana," Basil answered simply. "You have the other Legion Commanders to help you, so I hope you can take care of the Legion while I fight the head of the enemy''s army."
"That is right, Vice Commander Iliana." Cassandra smiled. "For such apetent person like you, I believe you will not findmanding the army hard."
Iliana frowned lightly at Cassandra and chose to not say anything. In truth, she was confident that she would be able to take on her role splendidly, however she was slightly irked by the way Basil had dragged her into the matter.
It is normal to take responsibility for something that one has done¡ªshe had believed Basil would fight alongside her after dragging her with him. She couldn''t just ept that he would be leaving her behind with his responsibility.
"Now that it is settled, I want you, the outstanding Mages to coordinate with Iliana to n the best way to demolish the Monsters with the long ranged Spells you have at your disposal."
"About that, Head Commander..." One of the Mage Legion Commanders looked at Basil hesitantly. "We only have around 3,000 Spellcasters left at our disposal... The remaining 8,000 are Battle Mages."
"Hmph! Are you saying that Battle Mages won''t be able to cast a Spell properly?" Iliana scoffed coldly. "Have you forgotten what I am?"
The Mages inside the room widened their eyes in bewilderment as they looked at Iliana in disbelief. They had only realized that Iliana didn''t only chant the [Teleportation] Spell, but also didn''t use a Grimoire to help her.
Iliana was a Battle Mage, and she was still better than them in terms of Magic. They could only imagine how good she would have actually been, if she had pursued her career as a Spellcaster instead¡ªit was jaw dropping.
"Battle Mages are just as capable as Spellcasters ... In their own way. If that hadn''t been the case, the amount of the dead Spellcasters and the dead Battle Mages would have been the opposite."
The Spellcasters in the room shook their head faintly with a bitter smile at Iliana''s words. It was something obvious that they didn''t want to admit.
"Still, I won''t say that they are just as good at casting Spells as Spellcasters. Luckily however, their amount will make up to theirck of efficiency." Iliana gazed at Basil. "That is your n, isn''t it, Commander?"
"Pardon? Did we miss something?" Glenn asked in confusion, representing the others.
Ignoring Glenn Basil said, "Tell me how many people left we have at our disposal."
"It is around 30,000 people, Head Commander," Cassandra answered. "25,000 of them are our subordinates,which means we have lost 23,000 of ourrades in the past week." She shook her head bitterly.
"That is a huge number¡ªthe loss, I mean," Basil remarked neutrally. "Assuming that all of those 25,000 are able bodies, that means, we have around 14,000 Knights at our disposal ... Too many of you have sacrificed yourself for the Mages."
Basil''s words came out filled with more dissatisfaction than he had intended¡ªit shocked the people. He was too carried away in his role that he momentarily forgot this was not the Legion that he had used to lead in his past life.
"Allies shall never drag each other down. If a situation urs when one''s sacrifice is needed to save the other, the more able one shall leave without hesitation." Basil looked at them coldly.
Everyone gulped upon receiving Basil''s look. They could faintly see a shadow of someone great behind Basil¡ªthe shadow of a great general, looking over them with his unfathomably deep eyes.
"To think that other''s life is more important than one''s life and vice versa is detrimental to the army. Everyone has the same worth; there is no priority in the army. Once you are crippled you are as good as dead." Basil leaned his body slightly to the front.
"There is also no such a thing as Mages aremodities that you should take extra care of. If you find a Mage who has used up his Mana and has no way to run, don''t sacrifice yourself to save him ... You have more worth than him."
Looking at each of the Legion Commanders in their eyes, he continued, "Make sure to ry it to your subordinates."
The room descended into silence at Basil''s cold deration. The way he viewed everyone equally while being so cold astonished them as much as it frightened them.
Basil was someone who held onto his principle¡ªthat they could easily tell. He was an efficient person that would either be hated or loved by people, and that made them d he wasn''t an enemy.
One wouldn''t dare to imagine what would happen if a person with such a mindset became their enemy. Only nightmare would await them.
Tap.
"I have digressed too much." Basil tapped the table with his finger, awakening the others from their thought. "I am supposed to talk about how we should move every Mage to the back, and send the Knights forward."
"... Wouldn''t it be more efficient to let the Battle Mages aid the Knights in the front line, Head Commander?" One of the Mage Legion Commanders asked.
"That would indeed be the case, if the Spellcasters were more than 3,000 people. Only some exceptional Battle Mages can fight without being aided by Spellcasters from the back." Basil nced at Iliana.
"With how many Spellcasters we have left, sending the Battle Mages to the front line will be the same as sending many of them to their death. We don''t need useless death."
"Is that the reason why we are going to let them fight in the back? Because they will be better at supporting us from afar?" Cassandra looked at Basil curiously.
"That, and also the fact that we won''t have to worry about the Spellcasters'' safety. I am sure the Battle Mages have enoughpetence to protect the 3,000 Spellcasters."
"That is understandable." One of the Mage Legion Commanders turned to Iliana, and beamed. "We will be looking forward to fight alongside you, Vice Commander Iliana."
"Too bad that you won''t be able to join us." Glenn snickered at the Mage Legion Commanders. "Have fun fighting in the back, while Head Commander Basil and us fighting in the front line."
"I don''t need your assistance," Basil coldly stated.
"Huh?" Was Glenn''s intelligent response.
"You will only get in my way." Basil frowned lightly. "I just need you to take care of your Legions and face the Monsters that my de can''t reach."
"B-But... Head Commander, it is our chance to witness history..." Glenn sighed in disappointment. "Why does every one of the Commanders I respect always behave like that?" hemented.
Iliana looked at the other Legion Commanders who were ridiculing Glenn for his unfortunate fate silently. Looking at their interaction, she could tell that they were expectant towards the uing battle.
She could still see the fatigue on their face, however it was hard to spot the weariness that she had seen when she had first met them. As she turned her eyes to Basil, she looked at the cause of their optimism.
Being in the presence of a reliable person in times of danger is a heaven for anyone. Just like everyone, the desperate Legion Commanders who had seen too many deaths for the past week, too, were relieved at Basil''s emergence.
Basil, however, wasn''t a reliable person. He was an extremely selfish person who only thought about the people he cared about, and was aloof towards the other.
Given the situation where he wasn''t given any choice to refuse a responsibility, instead of being everyone''s leader¡ªbeing the pir that supported everyone¡ªhe guided them.
Iliana was amazed at this quality of Basil, and this was also what had made the Legion Commanders expectant towards the oue of the uing battle.
"Let us talk about the detail of the n..."
As they resumed their meeting, the news about humanity''s first victory against Demons reached everyone''s ears. Many were ted at the news they had been waiting for, and because of that, Basil Pacifer was known by everyone.
That day was the day the day when the flow of the battle changed permanently, and much to the people''s pleasant surprise, that turned out to be not theirst time of hearing Basil Pacifer being paired up with victory.
Chapter 278 Heating Up
The news of the King''s absence had been known by everyone, but no one knew where he had actually gone to. Many people suspected he was following his sons to BA-32 to help them conquer the Obelisk of Goap.
In truth however, Anthony Lionheart Braxtein, the King whose presence was now questioned by his citizens, was in one of the Sacred Grounds, Westerheis Viscountcy. He had been there for four days defending thend from the Demons.
For him, protecting his ancestors'' treasures was more important than protecting his citizens. This was why he didn''t think twice before going to Westerheiss the moment he had heard the Demons from Death Howl Dungeon were going there.
"Basil Pacifer? Oh, that child has finally made a name for himself..." Anthony quirked his eyebrow in interest at the report that one of the members of The Eyes had delivered.
"He really wasn''t joking when he told me he didn''t want something that was given on a silver tter..." Anthony caressed his beard with a hum. "To achieve rather than receive, huh?"
He turned his eyes to the figure dressed entirely in white kneeling before him. "He is an asset whose loyalty we should ensure as soon as possible."
The figure was one of the agents of The Eyes, which was a spy organization that was established by the Kingdom and was ruled by the King. Knowing about every uring thing in Braxtein Kingdom was their job.
Since he was isted in Westerheiss, a Sacred Ground, Anthony couldn''t stay up to date with the happenings outside, therefore their intelligence was crucial.
Because of them, even though he had never stepped outside of the Sacred Ground even once, he could monitor the outside world as if he was out there. He knew about every event that had happened for the past four days.
"What about the Five Princes? Is there a visible progress that can be rejoiced about?"
"That is... Your Majesty, there is no progress, but the situation is under control."
"So that means, they are just going to fail in no time." Anthony scoffed coldly. "It is something that I have expected, but is stil disappointing."
It had been three days since the Five Princes had arrived at BA-32. They had been battling the army of the Demons ever since, but they couldn''t even force a Great General to show up despite the military power they had.
There had been also no sign of Goap''s presence there, so Anthony had immediately concluded that his sons could never be able to conquer the Obelisk, which he had already known in advance was impossible for them.
Just like any father however, Anthony had expected his sons to, for once, exceed his expectations and did something he hadn''t foreseen. Therefore, when he found out they didn''t achieve anything impressive, he was slightly disappointed.
They did, however, something he hadn''t foreseen: trying to reduce each other''s military power by using the Demons. He hadn''t foreseen it because he had believed his sons weren''t stupid enough to do it.
He had expected them to race in umting as much achievement as they could, but what had been happening so far was, them reducing each other''s chance of survival.
Anthony understood very well that they were like that because of their goal, but he still couldn''t believe that none of them was smart enough to see the bigger pictures.
He had believed one of them, at least, would be able to think like him, but once again, he was reminded that his sons weren''t him. They weren''t wicked and goal oriented like him; they were greedy and simple-minded.
"From how things are going, do you think they will choose to go home or stubbornly stay there until they die?"
Anthony looked at the kneeling agent of The Eyes. Said agent merely lowered his head and said nothing.
He merely smirked at that, and silence descended upon them. The silence was preserved for a few seconds, until he spoke once again.
"How long will Randalvine be able to hold on?"
"Another 2 days maximum, Your Majesty."
"Hmmm... I think it is time for me to leave this ce to those people." Anthony nced at the door of the room he was in. "I have stayed here long enough, and I can''t lose my Kingdom from some mindless creatures."
Anthony stood from the chair he was sitting in then looked at the agent. "You have done your job well. You may return to your post."
"Thank you, Your Majesty."
The agent of The Eyes disappeared in a sh without a sound. Anthony was left alone in the room, looking silently at the spot that had been previously upied by the agent as he thought about the situation on outside.
He sensed something fishy from the flow of the war and the movement of the Demons. It seemed to him there were more than one person controlling everything behind the scene, and it made him extremely excited.
"Basil Pacifer''s emergence and the loss of one of our Mages'' Legacy¡ªthese are two notable things in this Outbreak that attract my attention." Anthonyughed deeply. "I wonder... What is actually happening behind my back?"
A cold grin was stered on his face as he thought about the idea of people messing around behind his back, but the grin immediately disappeared the moment he stepped outside of the room.
Looking around him, he could see the people, who he had stationed in Westerheiss with him. They were the unaffiliated Mages and Knights, who had refused the title of Nobility that he had offered them in the past.
"Did you have a good rest, Your Majesty? I suggest you to rest a little bit more, since you don''t look really fine to me. The situation is already under control, so you can leave everything to us."
Anthony turned his head to the person who had just spoken with the most melodious voice he had ever heard. It was a blue haired, well-endowed, mature woman with a youthful look and a powerful presence.
"It is not the rest that I have not enough, but the thought that burdens my mind, Jacinda," Anthony answered calmly. "I do agree, however, I can leave everything to all of you."
"Does this mean you are going to leave, Your Majesty?" Jacinda, the Headmistress of Randalvine Magic Institute asked. "Has Lawson finally used up all of his energy to fight?"
"While Lawson might be apetent Mage, defending Randalvine by himself is a hard task. Even though he is an exceptional Seventh Circle Mage, the enemies are also not something we can scoff at."
"Isn''t it better to let some of us go to Randalvine to aid him then?" Jacinda smiled politely, but the temperature of the room suddenly dropped dramatically.
"I am enough, Master Spellcaster Jacinda. All of you still need to stay here until the Outbreak is concluded¡ªwe have to take extra care of our Kingdom''s treasures." Anthony red at Jacinda coldly.
"As you wish, Your Majesty." Jacinda bowed politely.
Anthony scoffed lightly before leaving the building he and the unaffiliated Mages and Knights had been staying at for four days. The others heaved a sigh at that, then turned to Jacinda with admiration and respect.
Just like ke who had figured out Anthony''s true purpose of forcing them guarding the Sacred Grounds, all of them also knew that they were nowpletely in Anthony''s grasp, which made staying there really hard for them.
The amount of Demons attacking Westerheiss had also lessened greatly, so many of them had been wanting to ask when they would be able to leave the Viscountcy. The cold way Anthony had treated them, however, had made them hesitant to ask.
Jacinda, who was also the strongest of them, had been the first person who had dare to ask, and they admired her for that.
Although the answer they had gotten wasn''t what they had wanted to hear, it was still enough for them since they had already figured out when they would be able to leave the ce.
Until then, they would wait patiently.
"Our King really has many things to think about, doesn''t he?"
"Ah, Viscount Westerheiss."
As soon as Jacinda called the name of the person who had just spoken, everyone immediately turned their head at said person. It was an elderly man with a white hair, whose kind face was riddled with wrinkles.
"You must be concerned for your family''s wellbeing out there¡ªit must be frustrating. I am sorry that you are entrapped here due to my inability to take full responsibility of the ce I have been entrusted to." Viscount Westerheiss smiled sadly.
"It is not your fault, Viscount Westerheiss. No one has expected something like this to happen; it is normal for all of us to be overwhelmed by the situation," Jacinda responded kindly.
The others smiled at Jacinda''s words¡ªthey agreed with her wholeheartedly. Although they didn''t like being trapped there, the fact that Viscount Westerheiss appreciated their effort made their stay there slightly more enjoyable.
They still wanted to get out, however they also didn''t feel bad working with someone that trusted them and was also trustable. It wasn''t as nerve-wracking as working with Anthony who looked like he was about to kill them in any second.
...
Southevile Viscountcy.
The people in Westerheiss weren''t the only ones who thought working with someone they could trust made their stay at the ce they were stationed at more enjoyable.
Those who were stationed at Southevile¡ªthe people who were reunited with their old friend, Marquess Redford Blois, found their stay at Southevile extremely pleasant. Even though they were fighting Demons there, it felt like they were just having fun.
At least, that was the case for the people who knew Redford quite well, which were the older people. For the young Viscount Chester Cowdray however, it was really hard for him to enjoy his stay there.
"There is something off about Marquess Blois, or should I say Viscount Southevile?"
... Something was making him ufortable.
Unlike the others who seemed oblivious to it, Chester noticed something on Redford that could only be noticed if one held a suspicion on him: he had never used Magic even once.
For the three days Chester had spent there, he had never seen Redford descended into the battlefield even once. One might argue that Redford was already old, but he found it unreasonable since the other Mages were also old and they still fought.
"You are spending your time here brooding alone again, Chester."
Chester was awaken from his thought by the familiar voice. He raised his head to look at the speaker, and instinctively gulped as he met Charles Blois'' cold and empty gaze.
Chapter 279 Heating Up (2)
As Chester looked into Charles'' iprehensible, empty eyes, he unconsciously gulped dryly. Other than the fact he had never seen Redford used Magic, this strange behaviour of Charles was another thing he found suspicious.
The first impression he had got from Charles when Charles had greeted them the moment they had stepped their foot in Southevile Viscountcy wasn''t good. He didn''t like the way Charles was so into his "act."
Although Redford had exined that Charles had done that just to mess with them¡ªthe person had also been embarrassed when he was called out¡ªChester still couldn''t get rid off the sense of incongruence he had felt that time.
There was something off-putting from Charles'' "genuine" flustered reaction. It had felt so deliberate¡ªit was like he was forcing himself to agree with Redford that he really didn''t do what he had said he had done.
Still, saying that Charles had really done what everyone had heard he had done 10 years ago would be quite farfetched since Redford and Charles'' family were still breathing and alive ... At least, until he could prove they were not.
"Kuhum!" Knowing that he hadn''t given a response to Charles for a quite some time, Chester immediately said, "Oh, I am just enjoying the moment without feeling left out."
"Ahaha. I can see that." Charles smiled knowingly. "Everyone tends to forget their surrounding whenever they are ''reminiscing'' their old time."
"Yeah, I wish I was older... Or maybe not. It sucks being old." Chester shivered lightly. "Speaking about old, I don''t mean to be rude, but does Marquess Redford have an ailment or a special circumstance? I haven''t seen him use Magic."
"Is it your way of saying old people shall work too?" Charles teased.
"No, you got me wrong." Chester waved his hand lightly in denial. "Old folks have a right to rest after all. I am just wondering why such a great Mage has decided to not lend a hand at all ... I mean, Marquess Redford could have helped a lot."
As Chester smiled at Charles, Charles gradually lost his smile. He stared at Chester iprehensibly with his cold, empty eyes, making it harder for Chester to keep his smile.
The silence was preserved that way for a couple of seconds. Chester became more jittery in each passing second as he heavily considered attacking Chester the moment he noticed Charles'' finger twitched.
"Huuh... About that, huh?"
Luckily, Charles stopped looking intensely at Chester not long after. He sighed then sat beside Chester, making Chester heave a sigh of relief, but still not made him let his guard down.
"Well... As a Mage yourself, you must know that while age matters to us, it is only in terms of how far we will go: the older we get the more we master Magic, but the less step we have to further our research. There is no such case as getting bad due to old age."
"That is indeed the case..." Chester lightly nodded his head.
"My father doesn''t suffer from a certain ailment, but he has indeed a certain circumstance." Charles put his pointer finger to his head then tapped it lightly. "Something is preventing him to do it."
"... Do you mean it literally?"
Chester slowly turned his head to Charles, and met Charles'' emotionless face. He kept his face straight, but his suspicion towards Charles had been more than doubled.
Considering how wicked Charles was depicted in the story he had heard people had talked about, it was possible that Charles was secretly hinting that he was controlling his father''s mind.
Such a thing was easily achievable since many Spells were made for that purpose. That was still, in the end, hypothetical; he still couldn''t prove if Charles was truly up to something.
"It depends on how you see things, Chester. People like me, who never believe in mental shackles, will take it figuratively, meanwhile people who try to understand human mind will take it literally."
"Did something happen to Marquess Redford that scarred his psyche?" Chester asked carefully.
"Just a little ident." Charles smiled lightly. "He identally did something that he wished he would never do to his family, and it scarred him for eternity."
"What happened?"
"He..." Charles looked up to the sky then sighed. "My father once tried teaching my sister a Spell. My sister was so enthusiastic about it, so he had no choice but to listen to her request. He is a loving father after all."
Charles frowned lightly then continued, "My sister''s enthusiasm got my father hyped, and that made him forget that his daughter had just learnt how to use Magic ... In result, an uncontroble Spell had almost taken my sister''s life that day."
"Marquess Redford med himself for that?" Chester quirked his eyebrow. "That is not something that one should be able to predict. It was not his¡ª"
"I have said the same thing to my father many times, but he still keeps ming himself. He believes that being an experienced Mage should have allowed him to predict something like that to happen, so his guilt remains strong."
Charles sighed forlornly. "He always calls himself a failure as a Mage for not being able to handle a rampaging Spell from a Third Circle Mage. He believes he can''t do anymore Magic, and thus he never uses Magic anymore."
"That is... Wayplicated than I thought," Chester remarked softly. "When did this happen if I may know?"
"It was around 7 years ago, if I recall correctly."
"Has your sister decided to stop practicing Magic ever since?"
"Yeah, she has stopped years ago." Charles nodded lightly. "She has been traumatized, and she also doesn''t want to make our father remember about what happened that day."
Chester sighed then shook his head bitterly. Standing up from the ground where he had been sitting on, he stretched his stiff body, then stood right in front of Charles.
"That was too bad, Charles. We didn''t only lose one great Mage, but also a future great Mage." Chester smiled, but suddenly his eyes turned cold. "As far as I know however, Charissa Blois had not the talent to be a Mage."
Charles instantly turned rigid, meanwhile the temperature suddenly dropped dramatically. He looked up at Chester with widened eyes, and Chester greeted him with his cold look.
"You shouldn''t have widened your eyes, Charles Blois." Chester sneered coldly. "No, you should have remembered your family better. What kind of brother who forgets his little sister?"
"What are you talking about? I don''t¡ª"
Boom!
As Charles was trying to talk his way out, Chester, who had been preparing himself sneakily,unched the Spell he had cast beforehand at Charles.
Charles, unfortunately, didn''t get hit, but it was enough to make him drop his farce. As he stood right beside the ground that had been damaged by Chester''s Spell, he looked at Chester with his cold, murderous eyes.
"I have been worrying about you for the past three days, but who knows you are sharper than I have expected, Chester? You got me." Charlesughed coldly.
"What are you nning, Charles? Who are those people we see?!" Chester called out his Grimoire, preparing tounch another Spell.
"Oh, you suspect the people too? I thought you were only suspecting me." Charlesughed cheerily. "Ah, you cane at me if you want to know about those people." He motioned Chester toe with his finger.
"Your deed will never remain unpunished, Charles," Chester said coldly. "To think that I have ever sympathized with someone like you..."
"There is no need to look at me with such hatred. As a Mage, you, too, have ambition, don''t you?" Charles looked knowingly at Chester. "Well, I am just on my way to achieve mine."
Having enough of Charles'' nonsense, Chester sent a Fire Element Spell towards Charles. His fury for being yed around made him fuel his Spell with more Mana than necessary, allowing the ordinary Spell to be an extraordinary Spell.
Boom!
Charles, once again, could dodge the Spell easily, but he was still impressed by how quick Chester could cast his Spell. He couldn''t even help praising Chester inwardly as he looked at Chester''s five Magic Circles that were ring intensely.
They might be all Major Circles, but Chester was utilizing them so effectively, they functioned no differently from Grand Circles. Of course, it still doesn''t mean Chester''s Major Circles were on par with real Grand Circles.
"I reckon from how it looks and how it feels, you have just gotten your fifth Magic Circle not long ago." Charles smirked. "It is impressive to think that you can already handle it that well."
"[Hellfire]!"
"Oh, crap."
Burst!
A pir of a brightly burning fire emerged from the ground where Charles was standing on. He, once again, managed get away from it, but Chester didn''t have any n to let him go; Chester kept spamming [Hellfire] at him.
Each time Charles stepped his foot on the ground, a red Magic Circle would appear on it, then a fire pir would emerge in the next moment. He always moved quicker than the fire pirs, however it was clear that he was annoyed as much as he was having fun.
"Alright, it is my turn to pay him back." Charles smirked as he dodged another [Hellfire]. "Have a taste of my Art, Chester! [Hands of Sinners]!"
A sickening pressure immediately surrounded Charles and overwhelmed the surrounding. Ten ck, ethereal hands came out of his back before entering the ground and headed towards Chester.
As he had been rmed by the sickening aura he had felt the moment Charles activated his Art however, Chester made a distance instead of blocking the Art. He wasn''t sure what could stop it.
"A great choice to avoid it, Chester. However, I must tell you in advance that the moment you decided to stand in my way, you have only one fate¡ªdie." Charles grinned manically. "You should''ve pretended that my Bewitchment splendidly works on you!"
Chester was sweating coldly. He had been using his Mana without reserve as he had been nning to alert the other Mages in the vicinity.
It was much to his shock and utter bewilderment that not only none of the Mages had sensed his raging Mana, but also none of them heard themotion themotion yet.
p That was the moment he realized Charles had gotten him.
"I have to leave."
He felt bad for leaving ke behind, but for the current him, nothing mattered more than his life. s, getting out wasn''t as easy as he had pictured.
"Where are you going, Chester?"
... What could he do against a Seventh Circle Mage after all?
Chapter 280 Heating Up (3)
Bam!
"Kuhak!"
Chester received a solid kick in his sr plexus that threw him away for a few meters. Being a Mage means he didn''t train his physique much, so he could only let his body helplessly roll on the ground.
When his body stopped rolling, he righted himself up, and immediately writhed in pain as it was hard for him to breathe. Still, with gritted teeth, he red at Charles murderously and delivered Charles another Spell he had quick cast.
Boom!
"Hmph! What is that pathetic attempt?" Charles scoffed disdainfully after he swatted Chester''s Spell with one of the ten ethereal ck hands. "I admire your tenacity however, since you still don''t lose your fighting spirit despite knowing our gap."
"One''s amount of Magic Circles doesn''t equal to one''spetence." Chester stood from the ground while clutching his stomach. "My most brilliant student said that to me once."
"He sounds like a sore loser who makes up excuses for hisck of talent." Charles sneered as his seven Magic Circles red intensely.
Chester scoffed disdainfully. "A sore loser? He has never been one ever since the day I know him." He smiled as he recalled the time when Basil hadn''t "bloomed" yet. "He has shown me that one''s conviction and dedication will always bear results."
"What are you trying to say?" Charles quirked his eyebrow. "Are you saying that you can defeat me by simply believing that you can do it?" He scoffed. "Laughable, yet I know where you areing from. Talentless people like tofort themselves that way."
"You are full of yourself, aren''t you?"
"I just appreciate those with talent."
As the two were talking to each other, both of them were secretly preparing their Spell while looking for the opportunity tounch it. The moment they saw an opportunity to attack, theyunched their Spell at each other.
Boom!
Their Spell shed in the middle, producing an explosion that was enough to carve a crater on the ground. Of course, that didn''t end just there; Charles'' ten ethereal ck hands were immediately rushing madly towards Chester.
Knowing that something like this would likely to happen, Chester had prepared his Motion Spell in advance. In result, he managed to move away before the hands reached him, and thus allowing the hands to catch nothing but air.
"A slick one, aren''t you?" Charles smirked.
Although he hadn''t gotten serious yet, Charles was still impressed by Chester''s tact. He had expected Chester to be extremely clumsy and naive due to his young look, but Chester had proven himself to be just as capable as any other veterans.
From the way Chester moved and the direction he went to dodge each one of his attack, Charles could easily see that Chester was nning to run away. He wouldn''t let Chester do that, but he was curious about how far Chester could go.
"Let''s y along with him for a while," Charles muttered.
He wasn''t worried in the least bit about the other people figuring the wholemotion out. He had made sure to iste the area they were fighting in from the rest of the Viscountcy, so anything that happened there would remain there.
He had also noticed that Chester had realized this fact, and therefore he was curious about how Chester would get himself out of the ordeal. He wanted to properly watch if Chester could figure his way out before he decided to kill him.
ying around was never his hobby, but Chester was too intriguing for him; he couldn''t bring himself to immediately kill Chester. Thus, while keeping his guard up, he observed Chester carefully.
"You are panicking, Chester."
"Am I?" Chester quirked his eyebrow. "I would like to say that I am pretty calm, but my body is too honest to prove my im. I can''t me my body though; it is normal to tremble in front of an overwhelming power."
"Hahaha! Are you finally admitting that you are afraid of me?"
Chester was trying his best to keep his heartbeat level as he smiled sardonically at Charles. The pressure Charles was exuding slightly overwhelmed him, so it made it hard for him to think straight or remain calm.
He was but a Fifth Circle Mage. Outstanding as he might be,pared to Charles who was a Seventh Circle Mage on top of having 5 Grand Circles, as a Fifth Circle Mage who only had 5 Major Circles, he would never hold a candle to Charles.
Still, as long as one never stops believing in oneself, one will always be able to ovee one''s difficulty.
With that being said however, Chester was not naive enough to think that his sheer will to survive would allow him to win the fight against Charles. In fact, he was pretty desperate about the situation he was in.
Therefore, although he was sure he wouldn''t win his fight against Charles, Chester believed he could escape Charles. That was why he had been looking around while stalling for time.
"Seriously though... I can''t help but wonder." Chester extended his hand to the side, flipping the pages of his Grimoire. "What have you done to Marquess Redford¡ªor should I say, who is pretending to be Marquess Redford?"
"Hoh? You are even sharper than what you have shown earlier." Charles quirked his eyebrow in interest as he mobilized his ethereal hands. "I have told you toe at me if you are that curious. What about¡ª"
Whoosh!
Boom!
Charles'' smirk was cleanly wiped off his face the moment Chester sent an Earth Element Spell that wasbined with a Wind Element Spell at him. The earth was shaped like a spear with a peerlessly sharp edge, and it moved like a sh.
Although he managed to dodge the attack splendidly, it still managed to nick his cheek. He didn''t expect that at all¡ªhe waspletely caught off guard.
As he had seen Chester extend his hand as Chester was speaking, he had fully believed that Chester was just about to cast his Spell. Therefore, he had also only prepared his ck hands at that time.
What had happened however, Chester didn''t cast a single Spell¡ªhe was sure of it¡ªbut Magic had still ured. Charles hardly believed that it was an extremely quick casting, so he believed Chester had just managed to trick him.
His guess was spot on; Chester had actually cast his Spell way before he had extended his hand to make a gesture of casting. Charles had failed to detect Chester''s Mana fluctuation, since he was overwhelming the area around him with his Mana.
This time, his action that was intended to hamper his opponent had bitten him in his arse, and he was as annoyed as he was disappointed in himself.
"Interesting... What an interesting person you are indeed, Chester." Charles nodded his head in amusement as he realized what Chester had actually done. Touching his bleeding cheek, he continued, "What a very keen person."
"Sometimes, it takes the simplest to beat the strongest," Chester said calmly. "Or maybe, you are just not as bright as you believe yourself to be." He was referring to Charles'' inability to figure out his trick in advance.
"Has anyone ever said to you that you have a smart mouth?"
"I just like to say the truth."
Charles smirked at Chester''s wittyment as he understood that Chester was just returning his response, which he had given to Chester when Chester said he was full of himself.
"I havee at you, so may I know how you managed to fool everyone?" Chester asked calmly.
"Well, it''s as you have already figured¡ªBewitchment." Charles smiled helplessly.
"You know that it is not what I am talking about."
"Well... There is no need to doubt me that much¡ªI am not lying." Charles waved his hand nonchntly. "It really is the work of Bewitchment. It is not your average Bewitchment though¡ªI assure you."
"That''s what I am asking about¡ªwhat kind of Bewitchment did you use?"
"It''s a Spell...?"
Chester''s face contorted in exasperation. "Quit ying games with me¡ªit is not worth it." He sighed. "I already know that my time is close, so just let me die without any curiosity."
"Oh, that''s a rather strong statement, yet I can''t help but doubt you." Charles looked into Chester''s eyes deeply. "People who know they are about to die will never look at me with those burning eyes."
"It is the hope that allows me to look at you with these eyes."
"Well... Whatever." Charles shrugged lightly, then looked around. "I am sure you have heard about how this ce remains hidden for so many years. As long as you understand how the Spell cast on this ce works, you will understand how my Bewitchment works too."
Chester gave no response.
"[Reality Altercation]." At this, Chester widened his eyes in shock. "As long as one believes that one is not bewitched, one will never be able to free oneself from it. Once one starts doubting it, the Spell will crumble."
"Y-You... But h-how?"
Chester was too speechless to properly react to the revtion. Charles had, after all, admitted he had cast [Reality Altercation], the forbidden Spell that was cast on Southevile Viscountcy to hide it, on everyone in Southevile.
Chester didn''t need to ask when Charles had cast the Bewitchment on them. He knew that Charles had gotten them in his hands the moment they entered the Viscountcy.
What was more important, however, was the fact that Charles could master the Bewitchment, which Braxtein Kingdom had hidden extremely well from the public. Even just the fact that he could figure it out was mind boggling!
Furthermore, the Bewitchment was not only forbidden, but also one of the hardest High Grade Spells to master. For that, chester could only admit that Charles Blois was indeed a genius.
"It''s too bad that you have never met my father in the past. If it wasn''t for that, you would have fallen for the Bewitchment." Charles faintly smiled. "Still, I need to praise you for your keen eyes. It is not easy to see through my disciple''s Art after all."
"Is it [Transformation]?"
"Well... Isn''t it surprising that you even know about it?" Charles slightly chuckled. "Unfortunately, my disciple''s Art is nowhere near that high leveled."
"My student has said that people who use [Transformation] on themselves, not for the sake of Alchemy, are creeps." Chester looked at Charles in disappointment and shook his head faintly. "Like master like disciple, I guess."
''This cheeky bastard.'' Charles'' mouth twitched as he looked at Chester.
"It is unfortunate that I can''t figure out why you are here, but anyway, thank you for the information." Chester winked.
sh!
Charles was once again surprised by Chester, because right after he said his thanks, Chesterpletely disappeared from the vicinity.
He had sessfully escaped Charles'' grasp without even sustaining any injury by using [Teleportation], and Charles couldn''t even immediately figure out how it was possible.
Chapter 281 Heating Up (4)
Charles looked at the empty spot that had been previously upied by Chester silently in wonder. He was surprised by what Chester had done as much as he was annoyed at himself for being fooled twice.
Once again, figuring out what Chester had done wasn''t hard for him; he only needed a couple of seconds to do that. What Chester had done was very simple, and it really surprised how it had still managed to fool him.
Apparently, Chester wasn''t as carefree as he looked. Just like him, Chester was an extremely cautious person whose cautiousness could cause many people to call him paranoid.
Due to his cautiousness, just right before entering Southevile, Chester had set a [Teleportation Point] as a precaution to increase his chance of survival if something that wasn''t wanted to happen happened.
Charles didn''t know how a new Fifth Circle Mage could already possess that level of mastery over [Teleportation] Spell, but he attributed it to Chester''s genius.
He didn''t even really care about how quick Chester mastered [Teleportation], since he, too, had already mastered it when he was a mere Fifth Circle Mage. For him, it wasn''t as impressive as what people might think.
What had gotten him intrigued, though, was the fact that Chester could still manage to escape his Istion Spell. After all, no matter how well Chester had mastered [Teleportation], his five Magic Circles would never allow him to forcefully break free from the Spell.
In other words, the [Teleportation], which Chester had cast, shouldn''t have worked as it was apparent that the Istion Spell wasn''t broken yet.
It took him awhile to to figure why this had happened, and when he did, Charles'' interest was piqued even more.
"To think that he can see the gap in my Spell and use it to his advantage ... Should a Fifth Circle Mage be able to do that? How could I never hear about his name? It is a sin for not giving someone aspetent as him his due recognition."
As simple as the trick might be, he still had to give Chester the appreciation he deserved.
Being a genius himself, Charles treated the other geniuses with respect. Although he was more "daring" than the other geniuses¡ªalthough they had a different mindset, he still believed geniuses like him should be the rulers of the world.
Therefore, when he had first met Chester, who had been showing a very keen sense towards his surrounding, he wondered about why he had never even heard Chester''s name being mentioned by the King.
His eyes had never failed him. He needed to only nce at someone once to know they were exceptional.
Chester was one of the most brilliant young Mages he had encountered, and it was quite absurd to him that Chester didn''t get as much recognition as those mediocre Mages from the Noble families.
"Well, it has been the case since a decade ago." Charles scoffed coldly then looked to the direction where he could sense Chester was running to. "What matters is that I have just encountered an interesting fe."
Charlesughed coldly as his eye gleamed iprehensibly. Someone showed up from behind him not long after, then kneeled respectfully in front of him.
"I greet my Master."
"Drop the disguise¡ªit is not needed anymore."
The person kneeling in front of Charles, who was none other than Redford, raised his head. He then slowly transformed into someone else, or rather, assumed his true appearance once again.
The white hair was reced with a violet hair, the wrinkled manly face was reced with an unblemished feminine face, and the muscr stature was reced with a lean but fit stature of a woman.
Redford was no more as he was reced with a beautiful violet haired woman, who was none other than one of Charles'' remaining two disciples. She looked at him neutrally, but it was apparent that she would always do what he ordered.
"How did it feel when you found your Art wasn''t as great as you thought, Ione?" Charles asked with a smile.
"Since this is not the first time, I feel nothing other than the urge to develop my Art better," Ione answered emotionlessly.
"Indeed. That is the spirit that a genius like you shall posses." Charles nodded his head. "I have a task for you, and I believe you already know what it is.
"I do, but may I know what you will do with the other people?"
"Oh, don''t worry about them. What do you think I cast [Reality Altercation] on them for?" Charles quirked his eyebrow. "Your Art was nothing but a mere precaution. Even without you disguising as myte father, they will still see him."
"I see..." Ione nodded her head faintly. "I have initially thought that you cast [Reality Altercation] on them to make them feel they are really in the presence of yourte father, while using my Art to fool their eyes."
"You are as sharp as I expected." Charles chuckled faintly, then looked at the direction where he could sense Chester was heading to. "That man is as keen as you, which is very rare, and I want him to be on my side ... Don''t fail."
"I will not betray your expectation, Master."
Ione lowered her head in respect, and with a hand gesture from Charles, she disappeared from the vicinity. She was determined to aplish her mission, which was no other than bringing Chester back.
"You attracting my attention might either mean an opportunity or a bad omen, Chester ... Choose well¡ªto willingly join my side or painfully be mine."
Expecting things would go his way, Charles smirked coldly as he pictured the day when Chester served him as one of his loyal disciples.
...
BA¡ª32 (2 kilometers from the Obelisk).
The news about Basil''s victory against Cabalen reached the ear of the Five Princes when they were having a strategy meeting. All of them immediately looked at each other in surprise when the messenger ryed the news to them.
The situation in Woster County, after all, was way worse than the situation in BA-33. Although the amount of Demons there was astronomical, they had not yet encountered a single Demon that was strong enough to immobilize 10 Knights by itself.
That doesn''t mean they were having it easy there, butpared to the hopeless situation in Woster County, the situation there was iparably manageable.
This was the reason why they were wondering just what kind of person who had managed to bring the close to copsing Woster County back on its feet.
Other than that, they were ashamed of theirck ofpetence as much as they envied Basil''s achievement.
"Are you absolute that thisd is a Fifth Circle Mage?" Aldrich, the First Prince looked at the messenger questioningly. "Is there not a possibility of it being just an exaggeration?"
"No, your Highness. I have seen him myself and he is indeed a Fifth Circle Mage," the messenger answered surely. "If you still have any doubt about it, I can provide you with the recording of the fight."
"I believe you still don''t have it in your hands."
"Indeed, your Highness. It will be avable in a few days." The messenger bowed politely at Aldrich.
"A Dual Principle Practitioner, huh?" Edward, the Fifth Prince mused. "Is there currently even a Blue Core Knight that is as young as him?"
"The youngest Blue Core Knight in our Kingdom is 21 years old, your Highness."
"Hoh? Our Kingdom really hit a jackpot this time, didn''t it?" Cameron, the Third Prince smirked. "I wonder why we have only heard about thisd now."
"That is not a surprise." Edward scoffed. "People with superiorityplex like you will never pay attention to amoner after all."
"Do you care to exin, my brother?" Aldrich looked at Edward in interest. "It seems to me that you have some idea about thisd named Basil."
Edward smirked. "He is my soon to be right hand person."
As soon Edward said that, the entire tent descended into silence. All of the other Princes, along with some of the Legion Commanders were looking at Edward in disbelief, wonder, and astonishment.
It was clear to them that Basil would definitely be someone big in the future. As a King candidate, to merely have Basil openly supported them would dramatically increase their chance of being elected.
Therefore, after they heard that Edward had already had his hands on Basil, they couldn''t help looking at Edward cautiously. Now with Basil supporting him, Edward had be their biggest rival after all.
... At least, that is what they believed.
"Calm down, my brothers." Edward smirked. "Like all of you, I haven''t coerced Basil to my side ... Yet. Ah, in case you wonder about who this Basil is, he is thed who refused his stepfather''s title of Nobility."
"Oh, so he is the son of thete Viscount Cobham..."
"It''s thed who killed his own father," Aldrich mused. "I wonder if he knows not to bite the hand that feeds him."
"Hahaha. Like what our little brother has said, Basil is amoner, not a dog." Cameron waved his hand with a smirk. "He won''t bite the hand that feeds him. He will onlye up to the hand that feeds him."
Each of the Five Princes was extremely obsessed with the thought of seeding the throne. Even if they were in the middle of a war, as long as a topic about who would likely to seed the throne came up, they would ignore their surrounding.
They knew Basil hadn''t bloomed perfectly yet, but the thought of how great he would be in the future fueled their desire on him greatly. It was enough to make them forget about what they should be concerned about.
"Alright, brothers. You have digressed too far."
... At least, it wasn''t the case for Edward, who was really focusing on the task Anthony had assigned them.
"It is time to think of a strategy to breakthrough the rank of the Monsters. We have been here two days, and it is embarrassing that none of us has reached the Obelisk yet."
The Princes stopped talking about recruiting Basil at Edward''s words. They looked at each other for a few seconds, then nodded their head as if they had just mutually agreed about something.
"I have a suggestion." Aldrich slightly leaned forward, then inteced his fingers. "What about you go ahead first, little brother? We, as your big brothers will support you from the back."
As soon as Aldrich finished his words, Edward''s eyes immediately turned cold. He could see the smirk Aldrich was hiding behind his hand.
Chapter 282 Heating Up (End)
Edward Enderheart Braxtein was a 24 year old young man who had a shoulder length ck hair that was partly tied in high ponytail. He had slightly nted eyes and a sharp jaw, which made many people mistaken him as someone from the East.
Currently standing in the frontmost line with the two Legion Commanders that had been assigned under him, he had a light frown as he looked at the situation ahead of him.
Just like the days before, the Demons were busy doing their things on the other side of the battlefield. He was sure the Demons could see him and his Legions, but none of the Demons batted an eysh at them.
It had always puzzled him why the Demons had never made the initiative to attack them first, but now he realized that their goal was just to protect the Obelisk. This was the reason why the Demons had never chased them when they were retreating.
Still, considering that Luci could take down eight Legion Commanders by herself in Woster County, Edward found it weird that Goap, an Obelisk Master, needed Lower Middle ss Demons to guard the Obelisk.
After all, if he was really the Obelisk Master, he must have more than enough prowess to wipe them all out. This made Edward ponder about what Goap was exactly doing inside the Obelisk, and it made him worry.
"If the Obelisk Master is really up to something, we need to stop him as soon as possible. He is already dangerous as is¡ªwe can''t afford to let him grow any stronger."
ncing at the soldiers behind him and the two Legion Commanders beside him, Edward heaved a sigh. As confident as he was in his ability and the Royal Army''s, he couldn''t help wondering if they would be able to seed.
The three days they had spent battling the Demons had proven that the Demons were just as strong as they were many. Breaking through the rank might be feasible, but he couldn''t guarantee if they could prevent themselves from being surrounded afterwards.
"Those bastards, after all, are nning about something..." Edward''s eyes turned cold as he gazed at his older brothers, who were a few hundred meters apart from him. "I doubt they will help if things turn south."
He immediately recalled the result of their strategy meeting, which had just been concluded an hour ago. It was agreed that he and his Legions would be the spear of the army, meanwhile his brothers and their Legions would support him from the back.
Being a bright young man, it was a child''s y for Edward to figure out what his brothers were actually aiming for. Unfortunately, he didn''t have any choice to refuse it, since all of his brothers were on the n together.
Even if he had vehemently rejected the strategy, he believed the way he was treated would remain the same. Since they were on this together, they must have agreed to leave him alone.
While Edward was actually very grateful for being left to his own devices, he knew that they wouldn''t do it without giving him problems.
Just like what had been happening for the past four days, he was sure his brothers would do their best to reduce his military power.
He was absolutely disgusted by his brothers'' choice to involve the Royal Army in their family matters. He didn''t want to do the same thing, but he still needed to see the light of tomorrow to seed the throne.
In result, many of the outstanding Knights and Mages of the Royal Army had died because of their sneaky war. Although none of them had killed the soldiers directly, they contributed heavily on the soldiers'' death for the situation they had created.
"What a childish mindset!" Edward harrumphed in frustration. "They have spent half of their lives being nurtured by the best mentor in the Kingdom for naught! They possess the wickedness of the King, but not his intelligence¡ªwhat a shame."
Edward didn''t know his father well. He had never spent a quality time with his father, nor did he want to.
He hated his father for how cold he treated his mother, but he respected his father as a Mage and for what his father was capable of. He had heard many stories about what his father had aplished when he was young, and all of them were amazing.
Because of that, seeing how stupid his brothers were behaving really made him question whether they were really Anthony''s descendants. The faint resemnce in their appearance aside, they didn''t inherit Anthony''s tact at all.
If they had inherited even a little bit of that, they wouldn''t have done any of this stupid scheme, which in turn wouldn''t have forced him to y along with them. He was frustrated because of this; he didn''t want to be like them.
Sighing lightly to himself, he turned to the Legion Commander beside him, who had been watching him suffer from his inner turmoil.
"Commander Aaron... Do you think we will be able breakthrough the rank of the Monsters?"
"With the other Princes'' support, yes, I believe it is highly feasible, your Highness."
"Then, what about breaking through the rank without the help of the other Princes?"
"... Pardon me, your Highness?" Aaron immediately turned awkward. "It is embarrassing for me to say this, but despite our power, with how many people we got, such a thing will not be possible."
Aaron smiled apologetically, but the moment Edward briefly nced at the other Princes, his face immediately darkened. He had instantly figured out what Edward was anticipating, and he couldn''t help gulping dryly.
The purpose of this strategy was to send Edward and the Legions under him to the Obelisk, which waspletely surrounded by the Demons from all sides. For this, the other Princes and the Legions under them would clear the way for them.
There was nothing wrong with the strategy at first nce, but once Aaron considered about what had been happening to his soldiers for thest three days, he couldn''t help but worry over their survival.
''What have I and my Legion gotten ourselves into?'' Aaron clicked his tongue bitterly as he thought about the situation. ''Why do these Royal brats have to settle their feud now?''
The moment Aaron turned to his Legion, the soldiers greeted him with a nod or a smile. His heart tightened at that, and he immediately looked at them with an apologetic smile.
There was a possibility that they would die today because of the ongoing feud between the Princes, and he couldn''t do anything about that. He really wanted to tell his soldiers to run away, but he didn''t want to make them die as traitors.
''Even though they will die today, at least, they will die with honor. It is still unfortunate, but it is way better than being hunted for the rest of their life before dying as traitors.''
With conviction, Aaron looked into Edward''s eyes. He was immediately surprised once again however, since the moment he did so, Edward''s eyes gleamed iprehensibly.
"Commander Aaron, for your survival, are you willing to end the others'' life?"
"... If that guarantees the survival of me and my people, I will not think twice to do it."
Aaron''s answer didn''te immediately, but when it was uttered, it managed to bring small but bright smile on Edward''s face. His eyes, however, conveyed nothing but coldness.
...
Wisselton, Woster County.
While the Five Princes were ready to execute their n, Basil and the Legion Commanders had just finished their strategy meeting.
Unlike the situation in BA-32 that had just begun heating up, the situation in Woster County was beginning to calm down. The people who had fought endlessly for the past week were now having their well-earned break.
While Basil was someone who held strike while the iron is hot to his heart, he still knew how to rest. Therefore, even though now was the perfect time to attack the Demons, he still let everyone to enjoy their rest.
Nothing was more dangerous than letting exhausted soldiers fight, so giving them the time to rest was the best decision he could make.
With that being said, unlike the others, who had exhausted themselves by fighting the Demons, Basil didn''t spend his recess by resting. He was not exhausted, so he spent it catching up with his fellows from Randalvine Magic Institute.
"Oh my, it''s been only a few months, but look at how much you have grown! You look more mature than you did a few months ago."
... And some other people.
"Who is thisdy that doesn''t even hide her infatuation with Basil?"
"Uh... Maybe it''s his number two?"
"Hush! Stop it! We can''t afford to get pped twice by Iliana in a day."
Whitney, Cray, and Darius furtively nced at Iliana, who was frowning at Diana, who had suddenly joined their gathering. It was apparent that Diana saw no one but Basil in her eyes, and it made them watch the entire scene in dread.
They had never seen Iliana acting lovey-dovey with Basil even once¡ªshe looked like she wasn''t really into romance, but they didn''t need to read her mind to figure that just like any other women, she didn''t like seeing her man with another woman.
Since they could do nothing about it, they could only put their hope on Basil. He was the only one who could do something about the situation, however he looked just as calm and insensitive as ever.
They immediately sighed bitterly at how calm Basil was taking the whole situation. At that moment, they became sure that a conflict would soon break out between the two women.
"It is not my first time seeing you, but it will be the first time we shake hands." Iliana extended her hand to Diana. "Nice to meet you, I am Iliana, Basil''s girlfriend."
"Oh, my! So, you are the girlfriend that Shirley has talked about." Diana covered her mouth in surprise while shaking Iliana''s hand. "She didn''t say anything about you being a peerless beauty¡ªI am pleasantly surprised."
Iliana''s eyebrow twitched faintly. "Oh, same here. I am also a little bit surprised that one of my boyfriend''s suitors is a single mother."
"I''ll be in your care. Fufufu."
"I am afraid I don''t quite get what you are talking about. Fufufu."
Both of the women wereughing, but one of them was looking at the other with eyes as cold as the abyss. Just like that, the situation in Woster County, too, began heating up.
Chapter 283 Honourable
As Basil looked at the heated gaze being traded between Iliana and Diana, he quirked his eyebrow in interest, and decided to intervene.
He needed to hear about some things that he might have missed from the people gathered there, so he didn''t want Iliana to waste the time he could use to gather information by having an unnecessary staredown contest with Diana.
"It is fancy meeting you here, Viscountess Diana." Basil smiled politely. "Never have I expected myself to be able to see the Valkyrie of Chilston this soon."
"Oh my, you don''t have to be that formal. Just call me by my name." As he had expected, Diana immediately ignored Iliana''s gaze. "Also, how do you think I look in my armor? Have I lost my charm because of them?"
"You look just as stunning as you are in your normal outfit, Diana."
"Awh, that is very sweet of you. Thank you."
"That was just me showing some courtesy. There is nothing to be thanked for."
While the other people watching the exchange between the two choked in surprise, Diana merely smiled at Basil''s blunt response. She knew that Basil didn''t mean it negatively, and he was just expressing his disinterest in what she was wearing.
She liked that part of Basil, which looked at people for what they were, not how they looked. He didn''t care about what she was wearing, because he looked at her, not the way she presented herself.
... At least, that was what Diana was thinking.
While she was right that Basil didn''t care about what she was wearing, he wasn''t really looking at her. He did properly look at her, but it was nowhere near close to the way she thought he was looking at her.
Basil had just politely dered his disinterest in developing a romantic rtionship with her. Iliana understood this, and therefore she smiled the moment Basil said what he had said to Diana.
Unfortunately for the two, the moment they looked at Diana''s unconcerned reaction, they misunderstood Diana''s misunderstanding as Diana just acting shameless.
At that moment, Iliana, like Basil, came to believe that Diana was just messing with them, so none of them considered that Diana was being genuine with her feelings.
"I am very curious about what has actually happened for the past week, so I will be very grateful if you can fill me up on it."
Basil opened his mouth the moment everyone was seated. He looked at them one by one, and noticed how eager they were on recounting about what had happened for the past week.
While he could see that they were actually more eager to hear about his story, he also noticed that they couldn''t wait to brag about what they had achieved in the war, which was something that made him nod his head.
The moment the soldiers only know how to be grateful for their survival is the beginning of an unavoidable loss.
Seeing that all of them still had the mind to be proud of something they had achieved in the battlefield, Basil couldn''t help smiling softly at that. He had honestly expected most of them to have lost their hope of winning¡ªhe was d he had been wrong.
"Oh, about that... I think it is important for you to hear that some of the Nobles have ''backstabbed'' us by running away to Randalvine," Darius said in dissatisfaction. "Some of our students are, unfortunately, also amongst them."
"Well, how unfortunate for them." Basil coldly scoffed. "Going to Randalvine doesn''t make them free from the Monsters after all."
"Yes?"
At the people''s cluelessness about what he was talking about, Basil quirked his eyebrow then nced at Iliana. She immediately nodded her head the moment she noticed his gaze, then proceed to exin what he meant.
"Randalvine is currently under the attack of the Monsters. They managed to teleport themselves inside the city while remaining undetected, and now the city is in chaos."
"..."
"In fact, the High Grade Monster that Basil has killed was one of the High Grade Monsters leading the Monster army invading Randalvine ... Why do all of you look surprised?"
Iliana, along with basil, was now frowning in wonder. They wondered whether the people were just shocked by the running away Nobles'' crappy fate or the fact that Randalvine was under attack.
They looked like they were surprised by both, and it puzzled them why such a thing could happen. After all, it wasn''t the Age of Chaos; information traveled faster than heroes.
They had many means ofmunication¡ªTransmissiom Talisman, Sound Tablet, Visual Orb, and so on¡ªso it was quite bewildering that such a big event could remain unknown for so long.
"H-How long has it been since Randalvine is attacked?" Diana asked in worry. "M-My daughter¡ªJulia is still there!"
"It has been close to three days, but you don''t have to worry about that." Basil looked at Diana reassuringly. "She left with my family when I visited Randalvine to pick them up, so she is safe with my family now."
"Oh, that''s a relief." Diana sighed as she patted her chest in relief. Looking at Basil with a sweet, grateful smile, she said, "Thank you for saving our¡ªmy daughter."
"... You should thank my sister for loving her dearly. I wouldn''t have paid a single mind to her, if my sister didn''t insist to bring her with them."
There was a few seconds of pause before Basil responded Diana''s gratitude. He started to worry if he had identally gotten himself in trouble, but he was d that Diana had merely said something she shouldn''t have due to her worry driven state.
He could also feel the emotion her Mana¡ªher soul was conveying, and it was nothing but a genuine gratitude. Therefore, once again, the notion of Diana bearing some feelings for him was dismissed.
''She really means it. Thisdy seems dangerous!''
... At least, that was what Iliana and Basil, who relied on their keen sense towards souls, thought.
As for the others, who were not as clueless as the two regarding romance, they thought differently. They had known quite some people, and they found that look on Diana familiar.
"Moving on, how could none of you know about this?" Basil quirked his eyebrow as he gazed at the sky. "I am pretty sure I don''t see any Istion Spell... Oh, so that was the case."
As expected of Basil, just right before he finished his question, he had already figured out the answer for his question. The people honestly didn''t know about that either, so they were pretty eager to hear his exnation.
"Selective information spreading. It''s a strategy that any Kingdom uses in times of war to prevent the enemy Kingdom to find out about the severity of the situation of the Kingdom, while also keeping the moral of the people high," Basil exined.
"In other words, any news about the Invasion of Randalvine is purposely not broadcasted to prevent the people fighting in Woster from feeling nervous, and also to keep the bordering Kingdom unaware of our situation," Darius added.
Everyone at the gathering, except from Basil and Iliana, hummed to themselves. They found the reason of the Kingdom for doing that reasonable, but they still couldn''t help feeling dissatisfied.
They got that hearing such a news while they were still having a hard time against the Demons in Woster County wouldn''t be good for their psyche, but thinking that there would be a possibility of suddenly hearing the news of the capital''s fall was scarier.
Reality often disappoints. Although it is hard to ept the bitter truth, it is better to be hurt now than suffer from from the lie in the future.
Just like the moment the people heard about the invasion of Randalvine: they had been utterly shocked at first, but now they could heave a sigh of relief since they were already aware about the problem waiting for them ahead.
"I wonder if my brother is fine though..." Clovis chuckled awkwardly as he recalled about Harold, whom they had left in Randalvine.
"Let''s hope he is, since father will never let the matter slide if anything were to happen to him," Oswald, Clovis'' first younger brother, muttered in dread.
"I really thought we were abandoned because of theck of attention the Kingdom put on us, but it is just that the capital is under attack." Whitney shook his head faintly. "What a twist."
"The Kingdom doesn''t abandon you, the King does," Iliana coldly stated. "That stupid man decided to assign 10 Legions under 5 snotty brats and sent them to BA-32, instead of sending them here to aid you."
Uncaring to the awkward look the people around here were giving, she snorted coldly, and continued, "We also heard that he wasn''t there while we were still in Randalvine, since he was apparently busy with something."
"What about now? Where is he currently?" Cray asked carefully.
"I don''t know." Iliana shrugged, then condescendingly said, "Probably regretting his decision for sending his five snotty brats to the dangerous yground."
"Iliana, you should be careful of what you say," Darius warned. "Nowadays, wind has ears, and bad-mouthing a royalty, is the least pleasant reason for being executed."
Iliana merely scoffed and everyone could tell that she wasn''t having it. Crossing her hands while looking at Darius lowly for his fake respect towards the Royalties, she stopped speaking ever since.
The talk about what they had experienced for the past two weeks was resumed without any of them asking how was Iliana''s week, and Basil didn''t find anything interesting other than the first two information he had heard about.
Most of the things they recounted were about what he had seen through [Visualization]. The only difference this time was, he was given the context of what he had already seen.
"Congrattions for earning your third Grand Circle, Xiu Li." Basil looked at Xiu Li with a small smile.
"Hehehe. Thank you, brother. I really didn''t expect that the method Professor Brayden had taught me would really work." Xiu Li scratched his head in embarrassment. "Who knows that a Magic Circle can be upgraded?"
As Xiu Liughed cluelessly at what he had managed to achieve, the people who wanted Grand Circles but couldn''t get one sighed in envy.
In truth, one''s Magic Circle couldn''t be upgraded; it could only bepleted. For that, one needed a talent, and Xiu Li possessed that necessary talent, which made Basil wonder why he had never heard of Xiu Li in his past life.
Chapter 284 Honourable (2)
The three qualities of Magic Circles: Minor Circle, Major Circle, Grand Circle, and Ultimate Circle. Only three of them were known to the public, and one of the three was said to be only something that lucky individuals could ever have.
Everyone knew that once one had a Grand Circle, one''s worth would rise exponentially along with one''s prowess. They believed, however, only those blessed children of the heavens could ever possess Grand Circles.
Knowing that having Grand Circles was pretty much a fleeting dream that would nevere true for most of them, they only aimed to fill their Realm with as many Major Circles as possible.
... At least, until it was revealed that Magic Circles could be "upgraded." Since then, many tried their luck in attaining a Grand Circle.
While it did seem like Magic Circles could be upgraded, in truth, the upgrade process was thepletion of a close toplete Magic Circle.
The idea of categorizing Magic Circles in three different qualities that was found by the people was embarrassingly wrong, as the "quality" that they hade to call was actually a Magic Circle''s stage ofpletion.
Basil, who was possibly the only possessor of Ultimate Circles, even with his vast knowledge regarding Magic, also didn''t know anything about this in his past life. Like the others, he had also believed that Grand Circle was the highest quality of Magic Circles.
Upon returning to the past¡ªupon being the host of the Guide however, he immediately found out the whole truth about Magic Circle''s qualities. The Guide had allowed him to know that the quality of one''s Magic Circles didn''t depend on one''s talent.
What mattered was one''s way of Carving one''s Magic Circle and one''s understanding towards it. Once one got everything right, one would get theplete Magic Circle¡ªthe perfect Magic Circle that was on the pinnacle of Magic Circle''s quality.
... Ultimate Circle.
There were many conditions that needed to be fulfilled to have one, and one of them was having a Mana Heart, which one cultivated naturally.
It was allowed to use a Dragon Heart, but normally, not a single beginner Mage would be able to withstand the overwhelming Mana stored inside the Heart.
Only Senior Mages could have a Mana Heart, and by then, possessing an Ultimate Circle was a waste of time, because they had to sacrifice their existing Magic Circles and restart all over to have Ultimate Circles.
This was the reason why Ultimate Circles needed to be cultivated since one started paving one''s way as a Mage, and for that, one also needed to know about how to cultivate one''s Mana Heart.
Since not everyone was as lucky as Basil, who had the Guide to provide him with the best Mana Heart Cultivation Technique, very little of them could ever possess an Ultimate Circle.
They didn''t even believe that one could create one''s Mana Heart due to theirck of knowledge regarding Mana Heart Cultivation Technique, so that further diminished the probability of Basil encountering another Ultimate Circles possessor.
With that being said, what was actually the difference between each of the four qualities of Magic Circles?
As what had been mentioned earlier, the difference between each Magic Circle of different qualities was their stage ofpletion.
Ultimate Circles, theplete Magic Circles, had 9 Sub-circles, meanwhile Minor Circles, the premature Magic Circles, had 3.
Major Circles, the halfpleted Magic Circles, had 5 Sub-circles, and Grand Circles, the pseudo-Ultimate Circles that were hailed as the perfect Magic Circles by the people, had 7.
Appearance wise, only the first three stages ofpletion made Magic Circles look different from each other. Grand Circles didn''t look that different from Ultimate Circles, since the two extra Sub-circles on Ultimate Circles weren''t very noticeable.
The only thing that made the difference between the two apparent was their performance.
Ultimate Circles could process and hold way much Mana than what Grand Circles could. In other words, on top of being able to allow the possessor to fuel their Spell with an unusual amount of Mana, it also helped them control their Mana better.
Ultimate Circles were actually what made a true Mage, but unfortunately, not many people knew about the way to attain them, nor did they really care about it.
For the people who had epted an iplete Magic Circle as the lowest quality of aplete Magic Circle, possessing Ultimate Circles was something that they couldn''t even ever dream of.
For them, being able to use Magic was already enough to make them a Mage.
What about Magic Circles upgrade, then?
With all things regarding the truth behind the quality of Magic Circles having been exined above, at this point, it should be easy to figure that the quality of one''s Magic Circle would change once one had a higher stage ofpletion.
As long as one knew how to resume Carving one''s Magic Circle, which required one''s understanding towards it, one would be able increase the amount of Sub-circles one''s Magic Circle had.
In turn, one''s Magic Circle''s stage ofpletion would raise a level higher, which equalled to one''s Magic Circle being upgraded. To simplify the matter, upgrading one''s Magic Circles was the same as picking up where one left off.
Of course, a certain condition still needed to be fulfilled for this to be possible: only those who had deep enough understanding towards their Magic Circles could have an "upgrade."
For those, who had only relied on a Circle Carving Manual¡ªthose who didn''t understand their Magic Circles at all, could only dream of ever getting a higher quality Magic Circle.
One''sck of understanding equals to ignorance, and anything that is built upon ignorance will never posses a meaning.
Those who couldn''t rte with their Magic Circles¡ªthose who didn''t feel a strong connection with their Magic Circles had definitely Carved their Magic Circles wrong, and because of that, they would never be able toplete a single one of them.
"How long did it take you toplete it?"
"My Magic Circle?"
"Hm."
"I think it took me around two weeks toplete it."
"Were you helped by Professor Brayden in those two weeks?"
"No, I did it all by myself."
As the others heaved a sigh of envy, Basil and Iliana stared at Xiu Li intently, making said person sweat nervously. Although for different reasons, the two were intrigued by his talent in Magic.
After all, "upgrading" one''s Magic Circle didn''t only require the correct method, but also one''s meticulousness in handling it. Xiu Li''s sess to raise his Magic Circle''s stage ofpletion means that he was better than most Mages.
''I wonder just how much of this boy''s potential that still remains unawakened,'' Iliana mused.
''Wei Xiu Li... His eastern name should have made him stand out enough amongst Mages, but I can''t recall if there was a Mage named Xiu Li on my past life.'' Basil frowned. ''Is his emergence caused by my intervention?''
Since the two were thinking quite hard about what they had in their mind, their intense gaze on Xiu Li was intimidating him. The others also felt like the two were trying to figure him out, and they were conflicted about what to do.
"Oh, you don''t have to worry. I don''t have any intention to bully you," Iliana remarked calmly with a smile. "You have just managed to pick my interest, and I can''t simply hold my curiosity back."
"O-Oh, is that so?" Xiu Li put his hand on his chest and sighed in relief. "That was a relief. I thought you havee to hate me for a second."
"Don''t overestimate yourself, Xiu Li. You have nothing on you that we should envy of," Basil stated bluntly. "I do want to [Soul Scourge] you however, since I am curious about something," he muttered fairly audibly.
"T-That! Do I look that suspicious to you, Brother?!"
Basil merely quirked his eyebrow at Xiu Li''s bewilderment, and waved his hand nonchntly. The matter was easily dismissed, but it still made Xiu Li curious about what Basil and Iliana had been actually thinking about him.
As they had already been caught up to each other, their talk for the next few minutes was about trivial things. They eventually decided to end their gathering afterwards, since Basil''s presence was needed in the sudden Legion Commanders'' meeting.
They actually still had many things to ask to Basil, but they still didn''t want to bother Basil, who had just gained a new responsibility after what he had done a few hours prior (defeating Cabalen), so they let him go without a fuss.
"That kid, Xiu Li... His existence will be a problem in the future."
"Heaven favours the genius, meanwhile earth condemns them."
On their way to the meeting of Legion Commanders, Iliana and Basil were talking about what would possibly entail Xiu Li''s sess as a Mage. It wasn''t a good thing unfortunately, and it made them slightly pity him.
"Wei family is one of the prominent families in the Country of Hua. Having a descendant who possesses no talent of being a Daoist must be a huge humiliation for them."
"How did you know about this? Has he opened up to you? If my memory serves me right, the East is pretty tight-lipped about their internal matters." Iliana quirked her eyebrow at Basil.
"I have many ears and eyes," Basil replied mysteriously. He, of course, had figured Xiu Li''s background out by asking the Guide about it. "We are close, but I don''t think he is ready to open up about it, so I made an initiative."
"Well, look at you. I won''t consider breaching someone''s privacy something that a close friend normally does." Iliana smiled in amusement.
"No one shall be used of peeking if he sees something that is out in the open," Basil replied calmly. "He can only me his family''sck of meticulousness for it."
"That is so you..." Iliana shook her head helplessly with a smile. "Anyway, what happened to the kid? Did he escape his family''s assassination plot? Is that why he came here?"
"He is a castaway, to be exact. His family, who see no worth in him, sent him here so he could keep a low profile¡ªso they could make everyone forget about the disgrace of Wei family ... Apparently however, that castaway makes a good Mage."
"What a twist of fate..."
By the time they stopped talking, Iliana and Basil had already arrived in front of the room where the meeting would be conducted.
They could already sense the solemn mood from the outside, and they immediately understood that the battle would be resumed soon.
Chapter 285 Honourable (3)
Thud.
Even before Basil pushed the door of the room where the Legion Commanders meeting would be held open, it was opened by someone else. It was Cassandra, who thought Basil didn''t get the news.
Technically, Basil wasn''t informed of the urgent matter, however he had been informed to immediatelye to the city hall. He had taken a little bit of time toe there, thus Cassandra was worried that the call didn''t manage to reach him.
"Thank goodness, I thought my subordinate had failed to deliver the news." Cassandra sighed the moment she saw Basil. "Ah, I am really sorry to interrupt your reunion with your friends, but¡ª"
"Let us talk about it inside." Basil put his hand up. "The time is moving¡ªwe can''t spend it uselessly here."
"Very well. Please,e inside, Head Commander." Cassandra let Basil and Iliana pass through.
Upon entering the room, all of the Legion Commanders who were sitting inside immediately stood up to greet Basil alongside their Vices. Basil lightly waved his hand, and all of them immediately sat down.
Everything happened so naturally, it made some of the Legion Commanders, who hadn''t quite gotten used to Basil''s abnormalities, wonder if this was actually Basil''s first time being a Head Commander.
"Let us talk about what they are actually nning." Upon sitting down, Basil immediately addressed the matter he hadn''t been informed yet. "Has the other side just gotten their reinforcement?"
"That is... Yes, they have." Glenn was as amazed as he was freaked out. He didn''t expect Basil to be able to guess what had happened. "They got an extra 20,000 Monsters on their side."
"So, that makes this fight 30,000 against 60,000," Basil mused. "It won''t be easy, but victory is a sure thing."
"Pardon?" Every Legion Commander in the room looked at Basil in bafflement. "Are you sure about this, Head Commander?"
"Hoh? You lot have the opposite reaction to your soldiers." Basil lightly frowned. "Are you that sceptical about our victory? Should I fight on my own to show how wrong you are?"
"Ah, no, Head Commander. We were just surprised you said that so confidently." Glenn scratched his head as the others nodded their head. "Considering our circumstances... It is quite touching that you still hold such confidence towards our soldiers."
"What kind of Commander doesn''t believe in his subordinates?" Basil clicked his tongue in distaste. "They look up to you and follow you because they believe in you. For you to doubt them... It is no different from spitting on their trust."
The other Legion Commanders widened their eyes in realization and shame. Basil looked at the scene neutrally, but he was smiling inside¡ªhe had achieved what he wanted.
Basil was someone who believed in absolute individual''s power. For him, as long as it wasn''t the person he cared about, a man who possessed the strength of a thousand had more worth than a thousand people.
He thought nothing of teamwork¡ªhe had forgotten how to cherish teamwork ever since he had lost his soldiers in his past life. Then after Iliana died, hepletely forgot how to trust his life to others.
What he had said to the Legion Commanders¡ªthepassionate, seemingly genuine words he had said were nothing more than empty words. He believed not in a single thing he had said, because he couldn''t believe anyone but himself.
Given the role of the Head Commander, Basil, who had fought by himself for more than a decade, could never trust his life to the people he was going to lead. Therefore, he needed the Legion Commanders to believe in the soldiers in his stead.
That was the reason why he had delivered them such a heartfelt speech about camaraderie. Even though he didn''t really mean it, the way he had delivered it had still managed to provoke something the in the Legion Commanders'' heart.
"To even forget such a thing after a decade of being in the Royal Army... How embarrassing!" One of the Mage Legion Commanders shook her head. "Thank you for reminding us, Head Commander." she looked gratefully at Basil.
"We will always keep your words in our mind!" Cassandra added with a sure nod.
"Well, it''s good that you have already regained your spirit." Basil calmed the people down once he saw they had regained their optimism. "Let us talk about how we should battle the Monsters."
"Ah, that''s right. Kuhum!" Glenn stood up then nced at his Vice briefly. "Our scouting squad has reported that there are at least 300 High Minotaurs and 1,200 Minotaurs on the other side. There are also..."
He ryed everything that his scouting team had reported in detail, and that made everyone in the room frown. Theposition of the Demon army was a little bit more overwhelming than they had expected.
By the time he finished rying what he had to ry, he immediately looked at Basil to see his reaction. He had expected Basil to, at least, have a quirked eyebrow, but he was pleasantly surprised when Basil didn''t show much reaction.
The next discussion was about the strategy they should use to win the battle, and surprisingly, Iliana was the one who stepped forward this time, unlike thest time.
She exined the strategy she had concocted a few minutes earlier that she was sure had a very high rate of sess, and it baffled the people how she could think of it in such a short time.
"Stop looking at me like I''m a freak. You are just too stupid to think of this solution," was what she said when she had gotten irked by the people''s gaze.
By the time the meeting came to an end, the Legion Commanders wondered about who Basil and Iliana actually were.
They suspected that the two of them were actually the illegitimate children of the Emperor due to their brilliance, but the silly thought was immediately discarded since Basil didn''t even inherit a tiny bit of the Emperor''s physical trait.
... They would have believed the otherwise, if that hadn''t been the case.
"Pardon me if this sounds rude, but what are you going to do, Head Commander?" Cassandra asked respectfully.
"The Legion I ammanding is consisted of Mages. They are not going to fight in the front line, and therefore I can leave them to Iliana." Basil nced briefly at Iliana, who was clicking her tongue in dissatisfaction. "I will fight on my own."
"Despite the situation... Are you sure you are still going to fight on your own, Head Commander?" Glenn asked carefully. "I don''t want to underestimate your capability, however, I think it is better to let us support you."
In response to that, Basil smirked lightly then leaned forward. "Should an adult be afraid of getting hurt in the fight amongst babies?"
Basil wasn''t exuding his Mana pressure¡ªhe was merely staring straight at Glenn, but all of the people inside the room, aside from Iliana, felt pressured. They felt like Basil was staring right at their soul.
Basil scoffed scoffed lightly as they gulped in astonishment and slight fear, then turned his gaze to the door of the room.
Bam!
The door was opened just a few seconds after Basilid his eyes on it. Everyone''s eyes immediately turned to the opened door, and there, they saw a Knight of the Royal Army panting heavily with a fear-stricken face.
"C-Commanders... The Monsters... T-They are attacking!"
"What?!"
The Legion Commanders immediately stood up in shock, whereas Basil merely looked at the Knight calmly. He even had the leisure to wonder why none of them didn''t predict such an easily predictable urrence was going to ur.
Like Basil, Iliana was also calm, however she couldn''t help quirking her eyebrow at Basil. He was too calm for her taste, so she wondered if Basil was behind this.
Of course, Basil didn''t have any role in the sudden advancement of Luci''s army. The reason why the army moved a little bit faster than what they had expected was because the Legion Commanders'' misconception.
Although they had spent decades fighting Demons, the Legion Commanders, after all, had never fought the Demons who grew up inside the Obelisk prior to the Outbreak¡ªthey didn''t know how crazy the Demons were.
They possessed more stamina and much faster regeneration than the Demons who had been kicked out of the Obelisk. For them, even fighting restlessly for a week straight was not an issue.
This was the reason why the Legion Commanders had miscalcted the time of their advancement.
"Put this on." Basil gave Iliana a golden armband with a lion symbol colored in red on it. "You will need this to make your status as a Vice Commander clear."
"The color is too bright for my taste, but luckily it''s just an armband." Iliana lightly smirked at Basil. "Sucks that you have to wear the coat."
"I don''t have to make myself more stand out than I already am." Basil waved his hand lightly. "I just have to put this insignia on my shirt."
He showed Iliana the Head Legion Commander badge he was holding in his hand. Iliana clicked his tongue at that, and it was Basil''s turn to smirk.
sh!
The Legion Commanders who had been too panicked to remember that Basil was also in the room, remembered himte. As soon as they turned their head to Basil to ask for confirmation, they could only see the disgruntled Iliana.
"Don''t ask me where he is... He is already in the frontline." Iliana sighed faintly in annoyance. "He will stall some time for us, so move your arse. I won''t let every single one of you live if he dies because of your tardiness."
"U-Understood!"
The Legion Commanders and their Vices were just as astonished as they were bewildered. They were utterly amazed by the fact that Basil had just teleported to the front line, but they wondered why he had to choose someone as scary as Iliana as his Vice.
Also, who, in their right mind, would go to the front line facing thousands of Demons by themselves? Only Basil.
While Basil indeed went to the frontline by himself, he, however, didn''t do that because he really wanted to stall them some time. He had received a transmission from Chester a few moments earlier, and he was curious about its content.
Chester, after all, had sent the transmission in a special way, so he believed the content must be unusual enough for it to be sent that way.
[Basil, my student. I, your beloved teacher, may or may not lose my life today. There is a rat amongst us, and you are the only person I can trust ... Charles Blois has infiltrated one of the Sacred Grounds.]
True to his expectation, the moment he listened to the message, its content was baffling enough to make him widen his eyes.
Chapter 286 Honourable (4)
"Charles Blois? What is that lunatic doing there?" Basil quirked his eyebrow as he pondered about the information he had just heard. "He shouldn''t have intervened until the Fifth Outbreak..."
As he wondered whether his actions had caused some changes or, in fact, there was nothing changed¡ªit was just him figuring out the urrence he didn''t know in the past¡ªBasil hummed to himself.
He was convinced that it was something different from the past however, since he had never heard that Chester had ever been to the Sacred Ground in his past life.
If the Chester of the past had indeed ever visited the Sacred Ground, after all, he would''ve also encountered Charles at that time.
It might be a little bit harsh for Basil to say this to someone he respected, but if that had been the case, Chester would have died sooner.
One might wonder what about now¡ªhow Chester could escape Charles¡ªbut Basil knew that Chester didn''t actually escape Charles. Charles was just temporarily letting him go; Basil was sure Chester was currently chased after by Charles'' disciple.
"Mr. Chester didn''t say anything about which Sacred Ground Charles is in, however luckily, I can look for him myself."
As curiosity got the better of him, Basil decided to use [Visualization] to look for Charles'' whereabouts.
He couldn''t, however, directly look for Charles, since he hadn''t seen Charles directly yet in this life, so he needed to check all of the Sacred Grounds one by one.
Starting from Northonham Viscountcy, he found many interesting things along the way. One of them was Jacinda being in Westerheiss.
Since he had also seen the other Mages and Knights who were crowding the Viscountcy, he could immediately understand what was happening¡ªwhy they were there.
Anthony was using the existence of Sacred Grounds as. a pretext to bind them to the Kingdom. He made a really good move, but unfortunately, the existence of the Sacred Grounds was soon to be public due to Charles.
In other words, the shackle he had put on the unaffiliated Mages and Knights wouldn''t work after the Outbreak ended.
Basil couldn''t help sneering at that, but he soon forgot the matter entirely since that wasn''t the reason why he had used [Visualization].
Moving on to check Southevile Viscountcy, he soon found what he had been looking for. He could see Charles Blois smiling in front of the unaffiliated Mages and Knights stationed there... With Redford on his side.
The fact that the people could ept Charles'' existence was weird enough, but Basil didn''t even blink at Redford''s appearance. He knew that Charles had a capable enough disciple that could transform into anyone they wanted.
What made him wonder however was how crappy the impersonation was. If his memory serves his right, after all, the disciple that could transform into anyone utilized an Art to do that.
What he was seeing, however, was definitely not Art. It was a mediocre Bewitchment that would be able to fool the eyes of the dense Mages, but not the eyes of the sensitive Mages.
For people like ke, it should be easy to see through it, which made it strange, because ke waspletely fooled by it.
''What is fooling the people''s eyes?''
[Bewitchment: Reality Altercation. It is a Bewitchment Spell that allows the caster to put an inescapable Bewitchment...]
It wasn''t until Basil asked the Guide what was actually happening to the people did he understand why the crappy Bewitchment worked: there was a stronger Bewitchment cast on them.
For the old people who had met Redford directly, appearance alone wouldn''t be able to fool them, therefore Basil was sure [Reality Altercation] was cast to make them "feel" Redford''s presence.
That was the reason why the Bewitchment that was used to imitate Redford''s appearance was such a half-hearted one.
It still made Basil wonder however, since he was sure no matter how unimportant imitating Redford''s appearance was, he was sure the disciple of Charles he knew would still utilize their Art.
Curious, he saw through the Bewitchment, and figure out the real appearance of the person behind it.
He had never met this disciple of Charles directly, but he had heard that his only disciple that was good at impersonating people was a woman. Therefore when he found that the person impersonating Redford was a man, he couldn''t help quirking his eyebrow.
''Now that I think about it... Mr. Chester must be being chased by Charles'' disciple right now. Charles is supposed to have only three disciples. I have killed two of them in the Regional Tournament, so he should have only one disciple left.''
Basil wondered why Charles still had a disciple beside him. He was sure Charles wouldn''t let Chester just go away like that¡ªhe must have sent his disciple to chase after Chester¡ªso going by that logic, he shouldn''t have had anyone beside him anymore.
Basil didn''t even consider Charles not sending anyone to chase after Chester¡ªit was impossible, so the only possible exnation for this was, Charles had just gotten his fourth disciple.
In other words, there was another change he had caused.
It still amazed him how his action could affect so many things¡ªsometimes even unrted to what he had done¡ªbut he didn''t muse long about it. In the next moment, he quickly used [Visualization] to find where Chester was.
When Basil found Chester, he was moving very quickly and it was very clear that he had been exhausted. Sweat covered his entire existence, and the color of his face was pale enough to make him look like a ghost.
It was apparent that Chester was fearing for his life, but his expression remained tranquil as ever. Basil smiled lightly at that, and immediately looked for the chaser in the next moment.
It took him a few seconds, but when he found the chaser, Basil couldn''t help blinking his eyes. He wanted tough in amusement and disbelief at the same time, but he eventually shook his head calmly.
"To think that she is the famous Wicked Impersonator ... No wonder she holds so much contempt for the people of this Kingdom. What a funny thing fate is..."
Basil didn''t know the woman personally, however he knew who she really was. He didn''t know her name, however he knew her true identity, and therefore he couldn''t help smiling.
Taking out his Transmission Talisman, he sent a message to Chester. "You got apany, Sire. I have notified my family of your expected arrival, so may you head towards the east."
Basil had just basically told Chester toe to Raneil Barony. He might risk exposing his family to Charles, but that was currently the only way he could save Chester.
One needs not to be afraid of Basil disregarding his family''s safety for Chester; he knew what he was doing. He could do something about the chaser¡ªthis was why he had dare to tell Chester to join his family.
"With that settled, now I have to focus on the problem in front of me." Basil looked at the horde of Demonsing his way. "All of them seem to be specifically aiming for me. Isn''t that funny?"
Basil smirked as he took Caliburn out of one of the Solomon''s Rings. Swinging it lightly to the side, he carved a shallow trench on the ground.
As he infused his consciousness inside the sword, he could, once again, see the Sword Realm he had visited a couple of hours earlier. The only difference now was, he could take himself out whenever he wanted.
Other than that, he could also see someone there, who wasn''t the annoying Solomon. It was a young man with a glowing golden hair, and an extremely pale skin, which made him look like he was dying.
Basil didn''t need to ask who the young man was; he knew the young man was the Sword Soul of Caliburn. Judging by his features however, the young man was a Fairy, so Basil wondered how could there be a Fairy based Sword Soul.
''Was Caliburn previously held by a Fairy or did Solomon put a Fairy''s soul inside of Caliburn?''
As Basil pondered about the origin of the Sword Soul, said Sword Soul extended his lithe hand. Basil didn''t even think twice to grab it¡ªin the next moment, he could finally hear the voice of the Sword Soul.
"It is an honor to meet my first Master." The sound of the Sword Soul was as soft as how he looked. "My name is Caliburn, and I hope I am strong enough to help you, Master."
"I am your first Master?" Basil quirked his eyebrow. "Do you mean it as you having a second Master or me being your very first wielder?"
"It is thetter, Master." Caliburn lightly bowed. "I have never been wielded ever since the day of my creation, and I have been waiting for this moment toe. I am so ted that my day of being wielded by the Fated Child has finallye."
"How did you... Tsk. Let us know about each other better." Basil was about to ask about how Caliburn knew of his "status," but he shook his head in the end. "There is a battle I need to win, so I hope you can help me."
"You can count on me, Master." Caliburn bowed politely with an ted smile on his face.
Basil looked at Caliburn for a couple of seconds before eventually deciding to get out of the Sword Realm. He was still curious about how Caliburn knew of the Fated Child, but he had promised himself to slow down.
He still had many things he could do in the present¡ªlike fighting the horde of Demons that were already just 100 meters away from him¡ªso he should temporarily stop looking far away to the future.
Everything will eventually fall into ce, so he just needed to be patient.
"Were you a Fairy before bing a Sword Soul, Caliburn?"
[I am still a Fairy, Master. I have just chosen to live inside a sword.]
"Is there a reason why you chose to live inside a sword?"
[For the greater good, Master.]
"Is that what your view on serving me?"
[Indeed, Master. I am sure that you yourself know that you are carrying the fate of the world in your hand. For me, to be able to serve such a person is a great honor.]
"Enough about that." Basil lightly frowned. "Did Solomon know you only wanted to be picked up by the Fated Child?"
[No, Master.]
"How did you know I was the Fated Child?"
[You have the scent that is unique only to a God, Master.]
Basil went silent afterwards, and the conversation entirely stopped. He gave a light scoff, which conveyed amusement, bewilderment, and ridicule not long after, then immediately dashed towards the Demons who were already 10 meters away from him.
Befitting of its name, Sword of Light, Caliburn illuminated the entire battlefield with its light the moment Basil swung it at the Demons.
Chapter 287 Honourable (5)
Basil was still familiarizing himself with Caliburn, his new sword. Despite so however, the Demonsing at him could do nothing when he swung Caliburn at them.
Basil''s Aura Ability: [Master of Weapons] allowed him to do two things. First, it allowed him to master any weapons heid his hands on, and second, it allowed him to telekically control every ded weapons heid his eyes on.
Although he was still not that familiar with Caliburn, due to his Aura Ability, his fight with the Demons wasn''t hampered at all. Coupled with his more than a decade of battle experience, he was unstoppable in the battlefield.
One might wonder then what ''Familiarizing'' actually means if Basil could already wield Caliburn so well, and the answer was slightlyplicated: to know more about Caliburn, who was an existence with consciousness he had to acknowledge.
Basil had expressed his desire to know Caliburn better right before he started his sh with the Demons. The only way to do it was through having a battle, which was the reason why Basil had immediately engaged in battle after saying it.
The more Demons he cut with Caliburn¡ªthe more he connected his soul with Caliburn, the more he knew about Caliburn. shes of memories of the past passed through his mind, telling him things about what and who were Caliburn.
Caliburn, or to be exact, the Sword Soul of Caliburn had originally been a member of one of the members of the Fairy Elders. He was a Spirit of Light, who had represented every existing Spirit in the Great Forest of Yitoupheo roughly 2200 years ago.
He was one of the most influential individuals from the Fairy side, who had directly met and seen the Lord closely. He had immediately pledged his loyalty the moment he met the Lord, and he had been one of the Lord''s loyal followers ever since.
Saddened by the news of the Lord''s death, which he had unfortunately heardte, he sought many ways to once again bring the Lord back¡ªto bring the true peace that the Lord had brought upon the world.
He, unfortunately, couldn''t find a way even after years of searching.
In one fated morning however, a man covered in a ragged cloak came to the Great Forest of Yitoupheo to meet him. The man was Solomon, who looked no different from a beggar who had been starving for months.
The Spirit of Light, who had heard the news of Solomon''s disappearance a few years ago, was shocked as much as he was ted. He immediately expressed his concern over Solomon''s state, however Solomon silenced him with one sentence.
"Thy Lord won''t return, yet you can help his sessor reach for glory."
He didn''t understand what Solomon meant at that time, but at the mention of the Fated Child, everything suddenly made sense to him. Solomon then offered him a deal to live inside the Artefact he had forged, a sword named Caliburn, so he could aid the Fated Child.
He, who had been saved by the Lord, yet had not been by The Lord''s side when the Lord needed help, hadmitted a great sin. Given the chance to redeem his sin, he didn''t think twice to take the offer.
That day, he threw away his identity as the Fairy Elder, the Spirit of Light, and lived as Caliburn the Sword of Light.
He broke one of his vows to Solomon however, which was epting anyone who passed his test to wield him. He wanted to only ept the Fated Child, the one whom the Lord had chosen to shine the glory back upon his people.
Although the first person to find him was the Fated Child¡ªthanks to Solomon''s way too hard to find ce to hide his Legacy¡ªit still counted as breaking his vow to Solomon. He, after all, didn''t have the willingness to help humans anymore.
The only humans he was willing to ept were the Pacifer, whom he didn''t know where they were at that time. Once the strongest n in the world was reduced to nothing because of the greediness of the ungrateful people they had helped.
He, who had respected the Pacifer dearly, could no longer see humans as the creatures he should help. Humans were already helpless, and therefore, he would never lend them a hand.
That was why he and the rest of the Fairy Elders had cooped themselves up in the Great Forest of Yitoupheo when the humans slowly brought themselves to destruction. They could no longer see the point of helping the already corrupted race.
Boom!
As Basil sted a Middle ss Demon with a swing of Caliburn, the information stopped flooding into his brain; he could no longer see shes of Caliburn''s early life memories. He faintly clicked his tongue at that as he could do nothing about it.
Throughout all of the shbacks, he couldn''t figure out about two things: the Lord''s true appearance, and Caliburn''s real name. Knowing them wouldn''t really help him currently, but it was still unfortunate regardless.
"What have you known about me, Caliburn?"
[... I, unfortunately, couldn''t see anything in your mind, Master. There is a veil covering your memories, which prevented me from essing them.]
"Do you want to see them?"
[I am truly curious about that, but I believe I won''t be able to see them soon.]
"Indeed. I can''t be the only one opening up, can I?" Basil lightly scoffed, and Caliburn could only smile in the Sword Realm.
Although he knew that revealing his secret to Caliburn wouldn''t endanger him in the slightest, Basil was still unwilling to do it. He, after all, believed in equal exchange, so he would never do that as long as Caliburn still hid things from him.
He would have done that to Asia too¡ªhiding most about himself from her¡ªbut unfortunately, she had been with him too long to not know anything about him.
He was still curious, however, how the Asia who had been sealed in one of Solomon''s 9 Seals could immediately tell he had returned to the past the moment he met her. Just like his mother, he could only suspect Asia had been notified in advance by some random God.
"Speaking of Asia, why is she hibernating again?" Basil mused. "I thought she had finished her Evolution."
Basil would like to ponder about the matter more, however he still had to focus on the situation in front of him. The Demons had regained their momentum¡ªthey wereing at him again.
Infusing his Qi into Caliburn, the sword was immediately covered in golden light that burned the skin and the eyes of the Demons exposed to it. Others might think he was using Miracle, but in truth, it was just the Spirit of Light''s power.
[Synchronization]!
Basil had been leaving the Technique half activated since he hadn''t familiarized himself with Caliburn yet¡ªhe had only used it mainly to figure Caliburn out. Now that he had known Caliburn to a certain extent, he could finally use it for offense.
Holding Caliburn horizontally, Basil looked at the rabid Demonsing at him. He sneered in disdain at the pitiful creatures foolishly charging at him as his entire existence exuded an overwhelming pressure that cratered the ground below him.
Boom. Boom.
The twenty Minotaur Warriors running at him produced a loud boom in each of their step. Anyone would easily be intimidated by that disy, yet Basil didn''t even look impressed by that.
As the destructive aura surrounding him became so overwhelming, it began to bother him, he finally decided to release the Technique.
"Show me what you got, Caliburn."
[I shall not disappoint you, Master.]
A golden light suddenly covered Basil''s entire existence, giving him an aura of might and holiness. Some of the weaker Demons faltered at the scene, meanwhile the others became hesitant in their step.
Still, many of them didn''t stop in their track regardless.
"[Light of Glory]!"
... At least, until Basil swung Caliburn.
Other than sweeping the entire battlefield with a golden light, Caliburn''s Hidden Ability didn''t do any other shy things. It didn''t produce a mighty sound of explosion or crack open the ground.
The Hidden Ability was just like a silent breeze passing through the battlefield: it was brief, yet everyone could feel it. One might also think it did nothing to the Demons, but once the golden light died down, one could instantly know how terrifying it was.
"It exceeded my expectation."
[Thank you for the praise, Master.]
The thousands of Demonsing at Basil, all of them without exception, were reduced to ashes. No damage was dealt to the ground, since Caliburn''s Hidden Ability had only affected Demons, who were weak to Light Magic.
Looking at the scene in front of him, Basil mused about how simr Caliburn''s power to the power of the High ss Pdins. He had seen them fight Demons with Miracle in his past life, and they had killed Demons in the exact same way.
It made him wonder if the ''Miracle'' the Church was referring to was actually just Spirit Magic, but he soon discarded the thought since Asia had told him clearly what the people of the Church were actually using¡ªDivinity.
He didn''t know how they could use that, but one thing for sure was, there was a real God backing them up. What made him wonder though, why their God didn''t even show up when they were desperately praying for help in his past life.
"I guess, that''s what makes God a God." Basil sneered disdainfully. "What about you, Luci? Do you believe in God?"
Luci who had just arrived in front of Basil stared at him silently. She had immediately decided to face him herself after seeing none of her soldiers had managed to scratch Basil for the past 15 minutes.
No matter how skilled Basil was, facing thousands of opponents by himself unscathed without a sufficient power was impossible. Being able to do it means he had that power, thus Luci had decided to step in.
"You... What kind of power are you using?"
Upon inspecting basil herself¡ªthe moment she stood in front of Basil, the hair on the back of her neck immediately stood on end. Basil was exuding an aura that terrified her, and that made her understand why many of her soldiers had faltered.
"Have you ever seen a Magician reveal his secret?" Was the only thing Basil said before Caliburn reached Luci''s neck.
Chapter 288 Honourable (6)
Whoosh!
With eyes widened in disbelief and slight horror, Luci stared at the sword that had managed to graze her neck. Touching her bleeding neck in disbelief, the pink-haired beautiful Demon looked at the ground where she had been standing on before.
There was a meter wide and 10 meters long trench carved on the ground, which had been the work of Caliburn.
Luci involuntarily trembled as she imagined what would have happened if she hadpletely failed to dodge. Cabalen had died with a fight¡ªit was not that humiliating¡ªbut she could''ve been dead without giving a fight.
Gulping dryly as she stared at the unimpressed Basil, she wondered what Basil true identity was. She didn''t have any suspicion that Caliburn might have contributed to Basil''s overwhelming power.
She had heard about Caliburn, mind you, however she had never seen or been in its presence before, so she didn''t have any idea about it.
Luci, after all, was a new generation of Demon who was born in the Obelisk after the Age of Chaos had ended. Her knowledge was limited to the things she knew after she was born.
She had never encountered any legendary figures like Solomon or any other outstanding humans. She had little to no knowledge about ancient Artefacts and Relics¡ªit was impossible for her to recognise Caliburn.
It wouldn''t have been the case however, if she had been close enough with Jerion, the First Great General, who had been on Goap''s side ever since the beginning of the Age of Chaos.
Jerion, after all, liked to tell stories, so there was a huge chance that she would be able to somehow figure out Caliburn''s identity ... That was, if she had heard any of his stories like Cabalen.
"What a strange human." Luci frowned. "You shouldn''t have possessed that power. I don''t sense Divinity or the Spirit''s Blessing inside you¡ªhow can you use True Light Magic?"
"You don''t look like someone who likes to think, so you really surprised me with your observation." Basil lightly chuckled in ridicule. "Still, I believe you won''t figure anything out of me¡ªyou can stop thinking about it."
"You should get down from your horse, human." Luci scowled. "Just because you have almost caught me off guard doesn''t mean¡ª"
"I have killed one of your fellows¡ªwhat is up with the denial?"
"... This arrogant human." Luci clicked her tongue in annoyance.
Smirking lightly at Luci, Basil nced over his shoulder. Since there were no longer Demons charging at him, all of them wereing towards the army, who had just finished positioning themselves in formation.
It wasn''t up to his expectation, but he was still satisfied with how Iliana had organized the Mages. He lightly smiled as he deemed the army ready, then returned his attention to Luci.
His thorough observation had taken him only a nce, which didn''t take up more than 2 seconds, so Luci didn''t even think Basil had been observing the army when his gaze returned to her.
"You see, I am actually curious about what makes you so adamant on ying around in Woster County," Basil said with a smile. "You have a quite overwhelming amount of soldiers after all¡ªthere is no need for you to y safe."
Basil tilted his head as he looked at Luci with a small, curious smile. He wasn''t trying to figure Luci out, but his gaze was enough to make her face turn rigid.
Like Basil said, she had enough military power to wipe the entire human army in Woster County out. She was also a capable General, so it was bewildering she hadn''t been able to take Woster County down even after a week.
There was no other exnation about this than, she and her army had been ying around with the humans. It was quite a pricey game since it had cost them thousands of Demons.
It was still worth it however, since it served its purpose¡ªstalling for time.
It was already apparent for Basil that there was nothing Luci could get in Woster County. There was already a Demon army stationed in Randalvine, so Luci bringing her army to Woster County was nothing but a distraction for the Kingdom.
It was honestly surprising how no one hadn''t realized this fact, but no one could me the people, who couldn''t think right due to the situation they were in. Their mind was full of the thoughts of survival, so it was hard for them to see the bigger picture.
Basil, who had been in countless of big wars, however, could easily detect the underlying motive behind Luci''s decision to attack Woster County with her army. Still, he couldn''t figure out why they needed to stall for time.
"You should mind your own business, human," Luci said coldly. "You might be able to kill Cabalen, but there is no guarantee that you can kill me. Unlike him, I don''t underestimate you, so you should be concerned of your survival."
Basil chuckled sarcastically. "Thank you for the reminder. I will make sure to keep that in mind." He waved his hand nonchntly, then smiled mysteriously at Luci. "I wonder though, where is Goap now?"
nk!
Boom!
"Don''t call our Prince''s name so casually!"
Basil had managed to irk Luci merely by yfully saying Goap''s name. She had immediately came at him right after he said Goap''s name, but he could easily block her attack without breaking a sweat.
"Ah, have I identally found the reason why you are stalling for time?" Basil smiled in wonder.
"Shut your hole, human!"
"It seems I have."
Luci gritted her teeth as Basil looked at her with his disdainful smirk. She tried to push her sword forward but she couldn''t, since Basil''s strength still outssed hers even after she used her Demonic Mana.
nk!
Even worse, she was thrown away to the back instead. Basil''s strength was too much for her to handle, so she couldn''t keep her feet remain on the ground.
She skidded on the ground for a few seconds, but the moment she stopped, Basil immediately came at her.
Boom!
As the two different types of Energy shed against each other the moment Luci''s and Basil''s sword shed, an explosion that was loud enough to temporarily deafen one''s ears could be heard.
Basil, once again, swung Caliburn at Luci''s neck. Although she managed to block it, Caliburn''s golden light still managed to burn her skin.
She couldn''t keep her feet on the ground, but instead of being helplessly thrown away, she used the momentum to distance herself from Basil this time.
Touching her neck for the second time that day, she sweated coldly the moment she found it was still scorched.
A few seconds had passed since she received the injury¡ªnormally, with her regeneration speed, it was more than enough time to heal it. Finding that it wasn''t healed yet means that Basil''s power was really dangerous for her.
"How can he use the power of a Light Spirit?"
Luci clicked her tongue in dissatisfaction as she wondered if Basil was a Spirit. After all, only Spirit''s True Light Magic could harm Demons.
nk!
Luci''s thought was interrupted by Basil who had suddenly appeared in front of her. She was genuinely caught off guard since he had eliminated the distance between them even before she managed to blink, but she still managed to block his sword.
"This ursed human!"
"Do you think you are in the position where you can freely think to yourself whenever you want?"
Basil had never overly expressed himself unless he was in a situation that really riled him up. Just like now, he didn''t find fighting Luci stimting enough, so he had never clearly shown his smirk at Luci.
Despite so, he still managed to provoke her. She could see that he didn''t really think she could do him any harm, thus he wasn''t taking her seriously¡ªit was humiliating.
That, of course, was just Luci''s thought. In actuality, while he did think his fight with her would be easier than his fight with Cabalen, Basil never let his guard down even for a second as he faced her.
He wasn''t the type to underestimate his opponent no matter how helpless they looked in front of him, and this was the reason why he had always managed tond a hit on her.
"I will wipe that smirk off your face!" Luci said spitefully. Processing her Demonic Mana into Miasma, she cast a Curse in the next moment. "Writhe as you call my name: [Skin Crawler]!"
As the Curse was cast, the Miasma Luci had gathered around her immediately enveloped her short sword that was still making a direct contact with Caliburn.
A sickeningly dark aura overwhelmed the surroundings air¡ªit was enough to make every hair on one''s body stand on end. Basil merely quirked his eyebrow at that, and before he managed to distance himself, the Miasma covering Luci''s sword exploded.
Whoosh!
It felt nothing like having a dusty wind crashed into one''s body. The only difference was, it was not a normal dusty wind¡ªit was Miasma, which was the fuel of a Curse.
Basil''s entire existence was enveloped by the Miasma that had covered Luci''s short sword, and she could immediately feel her Curse take effect. She sneered disdainfully at that, but she still took a distance away from the Cursed Basil just in case.
The moment the Miasma covering Basil gradually melted away, Basil could be seen once again. Luci had expected him to writhe in pain on the ground while having all of his skin peeled off, but what she saw didn''t amuse her in the slightest.
"What? We''re you expecting me to fall for your pathetic Curse?" Basil smirked. "You have to try harder, Demon."
Basil was covered in a golden Barrier that was produced by Caliburn. He waspletely unaffected by Luci''s Curse, since the Barrier had done a good job protecting him.
"It''s time to return the favour. I can''t do Curse, but I can make you writhe in pain."
,m Deactivating the Barrier as he faintly smirked at Luci, Basil pointed his index finger at Luci. Mana immediately condensed on the tip of his finger, and its destructive aura was enough to provoke Luci''s flight response.
She immediately took off to the direction where Basil''s pointer finger was not directed to, however the moment she did that, she could also see Basil turning his finger to the exact direction she was heading.
"What the¡ª"
As she turned her head to her front, to the direction Basil was now pointing at, she was greeted by Basil, who was swinging Caliburn at her.
sh!
She didn''t know how it was possible for Basil to instantly appear there, but the moment her blood churned out of her opened abdomen, she finally realized she had been yed by him the entire time.
Chapter 289 Honourable (End)
Stter!
As Luci''s blood painted the ground in blue, she looked at Basil with widened eyes. She had been injured for the first time ever since getting out of the Obelisk, and it was hard for her to believe it.
Paying no sympathy to Luci''s confusion ridden face, Basil swung Caliburn at her neck. A Barrier immediately appeared in front of her, unfortunately, so he ended up striking it.
Crack!
Since the Barrier wasn''t strong enough to handle his swing, it immediately broke the moment Caliburn hit it. Caliburn still didn''t manage to hit Luci despite so; the Energy explosion threw her away.
Thud. Thud.
Rolling on the ground helplessly, Luci clutched her opened abdomen in bewilderment. She had never expected to get injured this soon¡ªit was somehow hard for her to cope with the reality.
She knew, however, she needed to live¡ªshe couldn''t remain idle. Immediately standing up, still with disbelief filling her eyes, she immediately dropped to the ground when her organs almost spilled out of her opened abdomen.
Cringing at the pain she had thought she had gotten used to, Luci cursed when she found her regeneration speed was reduced greatly. She could still fight, however she wasn''t sure if she could fight properly.
Boom!
Still, despite the odds, she needed to stand her ground. Basil didn''t have any intention to let her rx even for a second, so she needed to fight using another way that didn''t involve much of body movements.
Whoosh!
Basil sent a Qi de that was imbued with True Light Magic at Luci. It managed to graze her right upper arm, since her injured abdomen made it hard for her to dodge on time.
"This human bastard!" Cursing loudly, Luci cast another Curse. "Scratch your skin in agony: [Blood Boil]!"
Miasma immediately covered her right arm¡ªthe arm she wasn''t using to clutch her abdomen. As the Miasma condensed into a thin needle, she threw it to Basil so the Curse could do its work.
What the Curse would do to Basil was, as its name suggested, manipting the Mana in his stream to heat up his blood to the point of boiling it. The Curse would then cause his body to explode as the blood inside his body evaporated.
Luci genuinely hoped for the Curse to hit Basil; she really wanted to see Basil peel his skin off by scratching it as he couldn''t bear the heat his own body produced. Unfortunately for her, a swing of Caliburn was enough to neutralize her Curse.
"If you really want to hit me, you should try not shouting your Curse out loud." Basil scoffed lightly.
Luci didn''t want to let Basil''s provocation rile her up, but she couldn''t hold herself in the end.
"Fuck you and your mouth, ursed human!"
How could she not explode? Basil, after all, had suggested something which she could definitely not do. Casting a Curse without saying it out loud? She needed to be as spiteful¡ªas loud as she could to produce a strong Curse.
It was one of the conditions to produce cast a Curse¡ªnot doing so was the same as handicapping herself. Sure, she might be able to catch Basil off guard that way, but it would mean nothing if it still did nothing to Basil.
Looking at Luci''s frustrated face, Basil smirked and said, "You want to cry? I am sorry, but I won''tfort you. Ah, don''t worry though¡ªI will send you to Cabalen, so he will be able tofort you."
"... I will definitely make you regret ever saying that to me," Luci said through gritted teeth.
Basil scoffed lightly at Luci''s words as he wondered how a Great General could be that clueless about her situation. Ignoring the fact afterwards, he charged at her with Lightning Magic surrounding him.
[Thunderp]!
Boom!
Basil had just used a Motion Spell, which had been Eugene''s favourite. It gave him the ability to move as fast as a lightning, but left a very loud sound after its execution, which could risk exposing his position to his enemy.
In normal situations, he would never use this iplete Spell, however given Luci''s current confused state, he used it to even further confuse her.
Since the Spell left a very loud sound after execution, Basil used that sound to fool Luci. He was using it to make here up with apletely missed prediction of where he would show up next.
Using wind Magic to control where the sound should reverberate, he managed to mislead her into thinking that he would reappear in the opposite direction where he had let the sound reverberate.
"Where did he¡ªkuagh!"
Luci, who had beenpletely tricked by Basil, could only nce at the direction she had mistakenly thought as the direction where Basil would reappear, when she received a solid kick to her sr plexus.
She luckily had already some of theyers of her abdominal wall healed, so the kick didn''t manage to spill her organs out. Still, it was hard enough to cause an internal bleeding.
Basil immediately twisted himself in the air to cut Luci''s neck with Caliburn, but at the exact moment, she teleported away.
sh!
Caliburn ended up carving a wide trench on the ground. It was unfortunate, but Basil still smirked due to Luci''s quick action.
Upon regaining his footing¡ªthe moment he turned to look at Luci that was already a hundred meters away from him, he could see two notable scenes. First, Luci kneeling on the ground in pain, and second, 9 Minotaur Warriorsing at him.
Slightly quirking his eyebrow as he wondered why the pink-haired Demon didn''t do what she had done to the Minotaur Warriors¡ªteleporting them there¡ªsince the start, Basil swung Caliburn horizontally.
A Qi de that was imbued with True Light Magic was sent at the Minotaurs, and it easily bisected them.
Immediately dashing at Luci, who was still kneeling on the ground in pain, he sent another Qi de at the 9 Minotaur Warriors he had bisected earlier to cut their neck the moment he jumped over their bodies.
"Your sword... That''s why you can hurt me."
When he was 3 meters away from Luci, Basil found that she had figured out the major contributor of his power. It was a little bitte for her to figure that out, so he faintlyughed at that.
Luci''s face contorted, but immediately turned calm when Caliburn was just a few centimeters away from it. The moment Basil was about to cut her head in half, her face was reced with a random Knight''s.
Not only her face that changed, but also everything about her. Basil could immediately deduce she had reced herself with a random soldier of the human army using [Teleportation].
s, he couldn''t stop Caliburn''s advance, so with eyes widened in bewilderment, the Knight whose name Basil didn''t even know lost his head.
Basil didn''t even tremble in guilt at what he had done, however he still clicked his tongue bitterly as Luci had managed to trick him.
"Now you feel what I felt. Do you like it?" Upon turning his head to the left, Basil found Luci smirking at him from 50 meters away.
"I am not sure if you felt this, but I am pleasantly surprised you can pull the same trick I have done to you," Basil replied with a faint smirk.
"Tsk. You can stop acting high¡ª"
Whoosh!
Luci was interrupted mid-sentence as Basil suddenly appeared right in front of her. He almost cut her neck off, but she luckily managed to teleport herself away before Caliburn touched her neck.
"Damn you, human!" Despite so however, her close to healing scorched neck was scorched once again by Caliburn''s True Light Magic. "Gah! I will definitely make a furniture out of your head!"
"That is a rather strong word for a helpless rat."
"Watch your mouth!"
Waving her hand widely, Luci teleported thousands of bewildered Low ss Demons in front of Basil. They immediately understood the situation however, so all of them didn''t think twice to charge at him.
Seeing that, Basil took out all of the ded weapons he had in his Spatial Ring and sent them to cut all of the iing Demons with [Master of Weapons].
Ignoring the Low ss Demons afterwards, he dashed at Luci. When he reached in front of her however, he was immediately blocked by a 10 meters tall Minotaur Warrior.
He could easily cut it in half, allowing him to see Luci, who was standing behind it, however he knew it wasn''t the real Luci the moment he saw her.
Immediately turning his body around, Basil dashed towards his right. There, he saw Luci widening her eyes disbelief as she saw himing at her.
He slightly scoffed as he mused about how stupid the pink haired Demon was to think that the same trick would work on him twice.
He soon widened his eyes in surprise however, when he stepped on the Magic Circle Luci had sneakily Carved on the ground a few meters in front of her.
A bright blue light enveloped Basil, and he was soon greeted by the bewildered face of Iliana.
"Basil? What are you doing here? You have almost make me cut you in half!"
"Head Commander Basil?!"
"Head Commander! It''s d to see you here, but why the sudden visit?"
Iliana wasn''t the only one greeting him¡ªthere were also the Legion Commanders fighting beside her.
Quirking his eyebrow in wonder as he thought about why the pink-haired Demon had teleported him to the rear, Basil nced at the ce where he had fought Luci ... He could immediately see her flying away from the battlefield.
He assumed she was going to Randalvine to join her fellow Great General, but despite the possibility, he waspletely calm about it.
"Iliana."
"Move out of my way if you want to talk to me, boy."
Shrugging lightly at Iliana''s warning, Basil continued, "Is this why you didn''t use [Teleportation] since the very beginning¡ªto prepare for this scenario?"
"Are you high?" Iliana quirked her eyebrow. "Quit daydreaming¡ªwe are in the middle of a battle!"
Shaking his head calmly, Basil lightly waved Caliburn before jumping at Iliana. Swinging Caliburn at her neck, he cut it in one swift motion.
The Legion Commanders surrounding him immediately shouted at him in bewilderment and absolute shock the moment Iliana''s head fell to the ground, but Basil''s facial expression remained tranquil.
Even as the Legion Commanders asking him what he had done, he still looked at the eyes full of disbelief sitting in the eye socket of Iliana''s cut head calmly.
"You know, sparing the loved ones who have crossed path with them is the act of people who think they are honourable. I don''t think myself is honourable, nor do I believe anyone will think that I am."
Silence greeted him after he said that to Iliana''s cut head, but after 10 seconds, he could finally see a scowl forming on her face.
The face then slowly changed to Luci''s face at the same moment his surrounding faded away, and he soon found himself grabbing said Demon''s throat.
Chapter 290 Wrapping Up
Luci red at Basil with her bloodshot eyes. Her teeth were tightly gritted, and it didn''t take one to be a genius to know that she was utterly mad.
Her hands were trying their best to loosen up Basil''s hold on her neck to no avail. She wasn''t actually suffocating, however for such a prideful Demon as her, being lifted above the ground by her neck was utterly humiliating.
She had killed a numerous amount of Demons to get to her current position¡ªit had taken her hundreds of years to be this strong. It was really disbelieving as much as it was humiliating that she could be defeated quite easily by a human.
"Curse you, pretentious human! Ptooi!" Luci spat at Basil, but he easily dodged her saliva. "You are a Ninth Circle Mage pretending to be a Fifth Circle Mage, aren''t you?!"
Basil scoffed in amusement. "Is being born inside the Obelisk makes you that clueless of how incapable you actually are?" He couldn''t believe what he had heard. "Stop overestimating yourself, Demon¡ªyou are not that hard to beat."
"This ursed human...!"
Basil sneered disdainfully at Luci''s reaction. Her face turned shade darker since her blue blood was madly coursing through her veins as her emotion got the better of her.
She overwhelmed her hands with Demonic Mana to increase her strength, but despite so, she still couldn''t make Basil''s hand choking her budge. It infuriated her greatly, and it amused Basil even more.
He simply couldn''t believe the Sixth Great General of Goap, whose name had been carved in Braxtein''s darkest history in his past life was this pathetic.
For the terrifying things she had done in his past life, he had thought she would actually have some capability, so he was really surprised as much as he was disappointed when he found out that she didn''t even understand power levels well.
The reason why she suspected Basil as a Ninth Circle Mage in disguise was probably because she had never fought someone as strong as Basil before, but for her to think a Ninth Circle Mage would only amount to that triggered Basil.
He, after all, had been a Ninth Circle Mage in his past life¡ªhe knew what he could do with the power, and how much power he had. Seeing that Luci thought he had to be a Ninth Circle Mage to be able to defeat her was utterlyughable.
He wondered just how much the pink-haired Demon had actually overestimated herself.
"I heard you were good at Bewitchment." Basil quirked his eyebrow. "I don''t find your Bewitchment as good as the rumour makes you to be though. It is above average, of course, but still too lousy to be considered amazing."
"Hah! You want to see how magnificent my Bewitchment is? Release me this instance, and I''ll show you!"
"Have I hit your head too hard?" Basil sneered. "You don''t look really right in the head anymore."
Infuriated, Luci tried to kick Basil with her dangling feet. Her feet possessed a strength that was enough to reduce a building to dust, but despite so, it couldn''t break the thinyer of Mana Barrier Basil had put slightly in front of him.
She became even more infuriated because of that, so she let out a scream of frustration to express her distress. It was loud enough to rupture the eardrums of the people within the area of 1 kilometer from Basil.
It still did nothing to Basil''s eardrums, however it still annoyed him. Since he knew shutting her mouth wouldn''t really fix the issue, he mmed Luci down the ground violently.
Boom!
The ground where Luci was mmed on immediately caved in. Small cracks were created on the ground along the way, and as the one who had contributed to the making, Luci didn''t look so fine.
She had stopped screaming like a Banshee as she was now having a difficulty to breathe. Shock and bewilderment was apparent in her eyes, but resentment burned the brightest in them as theynded on Basil.
"Do you know what makes you easy to defeat? You resemble a human greatly¡ªbeing a human is a great disadvantage," Basil remarked calmly. "No matter who you are¡ªa Mage or a Knight¡ªas long as you are human, you posses weaknesses."
He gave Luci a mysterious smile. "I once learned everything about human body from the Doctor who said those words, and it surprised me how many things I could do to damage it without using Magic."
Basil''s hold on Luci''s neck tightened, and with Mana, he closed her windpipe. In result, Luci waspletely unable to breathe.
"I still prefer to use Magic however¡ªI find Magic does a better work." Basil coldly looked at Luci. "How does not being able to breathe feel like? How does being a human feel like?"
Luci could only re at Basil as she tried to expel all of Basil''s Mana clogging up her throat to no avail. She was also doing her best to strengthen her neck so Basil''s hand couldn''t crush it, and it was a hardbour since it wasn''t something she normally did.
15 seconds passed, and Luci''s face, her blue skin was darker than ever. The blood from her neck and above couldn''t circte well, burdening her veins that were now bulging visibly.
Her eyes began to roll back in her head a few seconds after as the strength she put on her hands weakened gradually. Her feet stopped kicking the ground after 3 seconds, and at this point, she was close to lose her consciousness.
Basil lightly scoffed at the scene. It wasn''t his first time doing a simple trick to his enemy to defeat them, but he still found it amusing, as much as it was disappointing, Luci could be defeated with one hand choke.
"Well, it is time to¡ª"
Whoosh!
"This tricky Demon."
Basil lightlyughed at what had just happened. It turns out, Luci had been preparing a Curse for all the time he was choking her.
She had tried to p the Curse to Basil''s face, but since she wasn''tpletely conscious, he had easily dodged the hand swat.
"I''ll give you an A for your tenacity, but E for your will." Basil chuckled. "You should''ve blown yourself up, if you really wanted to take me down. Beggars can''t be choosers¡ªknow your situation well."
Luci snarled at Basil as she could faintly hear his ridiculing voice. It was hard for her to remain awake, but her indignation towards Basil allowed her to maintain her consciousness that along.
"I would like to kill you immediately, but it will be wasteful," Basil calmly said. "Be grateful for you have earned the chance to be my Art practice subject."
Just as Luci considered about blowing herself up to bring Basil down with her¡ªan idea which she wasn''t really sure she liked¡ªBasil surprised her by loosening his hold on her neck.
The blood trapped in her head could finally circte again, and she slowly regained her vision that had been colored in ck for the past 2 minutes or so. Basil''s Mana was also no longer clogging up her throat, so she could breathe once again.
Smirking to herself while thinking how stupid Basil was to let his guard down, the moment she fully regained her vision, she looked at Basil in ridicule as she cast another Curse to surprise Basil.
The moment she looked at him however...
"Y-You... What are you... Really?"
... She immediately lost her ability to cast her Curse¡ªto do anything.
She could only silently stare at Basil, who now had his Pacifer Seal glowing in gold in the middle of his forehead, in bewilderment. Basil''s brown eyes had turned golden, and his aura was so profound, she was sure it didn''t belong to a human.
"W-Why does a Celestial Being leave the Heavenly Throne?!"
Luci trembled uncontrobly as Basil looked into her eyes with his deep and cold golden eyes. She felt like Basil was directly looking at her soul, and it was by no means pleasant in any way.
She knew she wasn''t held by anything anymore¡ªBasil had let her neck go, but she couldn''t muster the courage to move, let alone casting a Curse.
"Celestial Being? I am not one yet," Basil neutrally said. "I do believe, however, I shall rule over the entire Heavenly Throne in the future."
"T-This is i-impossible! H-How can a Celestial Being interfere in our matter this soon?!"
Basil lightly scoffed. "Methinks thou hast lost thy mind. Thou hast no more the capability to understand me." Extending his hand, he put his palm on Luci''s forehead. "Hence, I will directly ask your soul."
"No, no! Stop! Stop whatever you are¡ª"
As soon as Luci''s head was covered in the golden light Basil''s hand was exuding, she lost her consciousness. Her eyes turnedpletely white, and her body was motionless.
Basil looked like he was merely looking into her eyes neutrally, but he was actually looking for the connection her soul had with Goap and the other Generals, which allowed her tomunicate telepathically with them.
Basil had never met Goap in person in this life or in his past life. He couldn''t ask the Guide where Goap was, and he was for sure didn''t have any idea where Goap could possibly at currently.
He was lucky, however, he had made a decision to visit Arthan Library. The knowledge his mother had given him¡ªthe Pacifer Arts had finallye in handy.
Using one of the Arts to investigate Luci''s soul, he looked for Goap through the connection her soul had with Goap''s. It didn''t take him long to find where Goap was, and he immediately quirked his eyebrow as soon as he saw what Goap was doing.
"He is integrating himself with an Artefact ... I wonder what the Artefact is."
Finding Goap''s whereabout doesn''t mean he wanted to face Goap himself¡ªhe was merely curious. He knew he didn''t have the capability to do so, even more after Goap finished integrating himself with the Artefactter.
"Oh, he has noticed me."
Basil was about to deactivate his Art when Goap suddenly opened his eyes and red at him. Goap immediately severed his connection with Luci, and it resulted in Basil''s consciousness being expelled out of her soul.
The surprise didn''t only end there however, since the moment Basil returned to the outside world, Luci''s head immediately exploded. Brain matters scattered in the air, but none of them hit him as he had his Mana Barrier protecting him.
"Well, whoever the person facing himter is definitely going to have a hard time." Basil lightly smirked.
Goap was giving his best. Basil didn''t know if it had been also like this in his past life, but he was sure the fight with Goap would sacrifice many.
Chapter 291 Wrapping Up (2)
Looking at the headless corpse of Luci, Basil could only scoff in amusement. He was amused at how Luci''s life had ended.
In his past life, Luci had only died after she had demolished Woster County. She even had had the time to decorate half of the County with countless of humans skewered by a pointy pole from their bottom to their mouth.
It had been a haunting experience for the people who had seen it, and it had remained as one of the unforgettable tragedies that had ever happened in Woster County.
If it hadn''t been for Ansley''s quick initiative in the past, there would have been more of Woster County''s citizens died. It still reduced the poption to a third of the original poption, but many of them were thankful for Ansley regardless.
In his second life, Basil was sure there were not that many civilians had fallen during this Outbreak. Everyone was indeed caught off guard by the Outbreak, but he could confidently say they did better than in his past life.
With that being said, one should have already understood why Basil found the situation amusing. Just because of his return, after all, Luci whose name should have be the most fear inducing name, had ended like a side character.
Fate is a funny thing¡ªa slight ripple can cause everything to change. Basil''s return didn''t only cause Luci to die earlier, but also had caused the evacuation of Woster County''s citizens went without a hitch.
In his past life, the caravans of the evacuating citizens had faced some difficulty in the way. Many of them had ended up getting caught up in the battle despite their effort to stay away from the battlefield.
It didn''t happen this time, and Basil could only attribute it to his return. He, for sure, unlike Luci''s early death, didn''t involve himself in the people''s smooth travel, but it still happened due to the butterfly effect.
That is how absurd butterfly effect is, and that made him more careful in his action. Changing too many things in the present might end uppletely changing the future¡ªhe didn''t want that to happen.
Once everything became unpredictable, after all, his return to the past would be meaningless.
"She sure really hated losing." Basil lightly smiled as he slowly turned his body to the back. "Look at all of these creatures¡ªdriven by their instinct, none of them has enough intelligence to know when to stop."
Basil looked at the Low and Middle ss Demonsing his way ... Trying toe his way. The ded weapons he was controlling with his Aura Ability had been preventing them to do so, and it was slightly painful looking at their futile attempt.
Basil and Luci had been actually fighting quite far away from the others¡ªno small fries should have been around them. The Demons had all been teleported there by Luci with all of the Mana she had left in her body before she died.
He didn''t actually get what was the point of doing that since it was apparent none of the Demons could pass through his weapons. He was sure Luci had understood this, and he assumed she still did that as her way to say she died with a fight.
"Tsk. It is too bad that I wasn''t the one who killed her, but as long as she died, who cares?" Basil lightly shrugged, his Pacifer Seal had long gone. "I have to to go to Raneil Barony as soon as I can, so I need to wrap things up as quick as I can."
Dashing at the horde of Demons trying futilely fighting their way through the barrage of attack of his weapons, Basil swung Caliburn horizontally.
A Qi de that was imbued with True Light Magic was sent at the Demons, turning a quarter of them to ashes in the next moment.
The other Demons were immediately alerted of Basil''s presence, but the moment they turned their head to Basil, they immediately froze like a statue.
Basil was entirely covered in True Light Magic, and the pressure overwhelmed them greatly. None of them could move properly due to that, so Basil wiped them off as easy as sweeping the dust off the floor.
Aided by his other ded weapons, all of the Demons could only helplessly be murdered.
This was the reason why Luci didn''t fight Basil close to her soldiers that were fighting the human army, even though she could do more damage to the human army that way.
She knew her soldiers wouldn''t be able to withstand Basil''s pressure, and would only result in them getting helplessly murdered by Basil¡ªjust like now.
Other than that, it was also to prevent her soldiers from seeing her pathetic state, in case she was defeated, which, unfortunately for her, had really happened.
She had actually been killed by Goap, but that was still a defeat nheless.
...
On the other side of the battlefield, 5 kilometers away from the spot where Basil was fighting the Demons Luci had teleported before her end, Iliana was killing every Demon that her eyes could see while mounting on Deacon.
They really made a greatbination, and it made them stand out enough to be the center of attention. They fought violently but effectively, and it actually repelled both sides.
The way Iliana thrust and swung her spear as if she was dancing and Deacon''s way of shooting extremely condensed Wind Spheres here and there were as fascinating as they were terror inducing.
They didn''t look like they actually differentiated between enemies and allies, and thus for safety reasons, many of the soldiers stayed away from them ... Just like the Demons.
"Hm? They can do just well without memanding them." Iliana smirked as she looked at the Legion she supposedly had tomand. "They listen to my instruction well¡ªI don''t think my presence is actually needed."
ording to Basil''s order, Iliana actually had to spend her timemanding her Legion while casting Spells to support the Knights like the other Mages in the army. She definitely didn''t like this, unsurprisingly, so she left the rank and joined the Knights.
Being young, in spite of possessing such a power already, made many people doubt her. It had been the case when the Mage Legion Commanders had seen her left the rank¡ªthey were absolutely bewildered.
Even none of the older Battles Mages dare to get out of the rank, so seeing Iliana recklessly left the rank had really made their heart skip a beat¡ªnot in a good sense.
It wasn''t only until they saw Iliana fight better than some of the Knight Vice Commanders did they stop urging her to return to the rank. Worry turned into astonishment, and astonishment turned into bewilderment.
Just how in the hell could she even do that?
That question filled their head as they saw Iliana kill the Demons as easy as breathing. It seemed to them Iliana had just returned to her natural habitat.
They soon got over their bewilderment however, so now, although they were still amazed by Iliana''s prowess, they didn''t gape at her anymore ... They did be afraid of her due to her way of fighting though.
"Deacon, is it me or you can''t also sense that sickening presence anymore?"
"I was about to ask you the same question, Mom."
Being called Mom by Deacon didn''t fluster Iliana in the slightest. She was the one who had asked him to call her that way after all, so unlike Deacon, who slightly cringed whenever he called her Mom, she didn''t even blink her eyes.
Her reason for asking Deacon was actually heartfelt. She had pitied Deacon whose wish to call Basil Father had been rejected, so she had offered Deacon to call her Mom instead.
Deacon actually still preferred calling her Big Sister, but since Iliana had asked him so seriously, he immediately took up on the offer. He didn''t want to risk angering her at that time¡ªhe was afraid of getting beaten up.
"Does this mean Basil has defeated that High Grade Monster?" Iliana mused. "This soon? It''s still less than half an hour."
"I will say that is highly probable, Mom. I mean, it''s Master we are talking about!" Deacon eximed excitedly. "He probably didn''t even lift his finger to defeat that filthy woman."
"Although I admit Basil is exceptionally strong, he is not that strong yet." Iliana shook her head faintly. "Have you seen his fight with the first guy? He really had a hard time against that guy."
"Did you watch the entire fight though, Mom? I did, and I can say for sure Master had that guy dancing in the palm of his hand since the very beginning."
"Is that the reason why I couldn''t find you anywhere? You were busy watching the entire fight?"
"... I think it is time to check ourselves whether Master has killed that filthy woman."
Iliana lightly snorted in amusement as she found out that the reason she couldn''t ask for Deacon''s help at that time. She had thought he had been busy fighting somewhere else, so she was slightly dumbfounded upon finding the truth.
Shaking her head not long after, she turned to the direction that Deacon was looking at. It was the direction where Basil was fighting Luci.
Upon closer inspection, they found Basil no longer fighting the pink-haired Demon. He was fighting a bunch of Low ss Demons, which made them wonder if Luci had escaped somewhere since they couldn''t see her or her body anywhere.
Both of them were about to look around, when they felt the ground rumbled. Immediately turning their head to source of themotion, they found slightly more than a hundred Minotaur Warriorsing their way.
"They have been observing the battlefield for the past half an hour, haven''t they?" Iliana quirked her eyebrow. "Why are they only moving now?"
The 10 meters tall Minotaur Warriors that Luci had teleported there from Randalvine were intimidating the Knights. Even though they had their Legion Commanders with them, the Demons'' not so little amount still made them nervous.
"They are probably riled up."
"Basil?"
"Head Commander Basil!"
"Sir Head Commander!"
At Basil''s sudden appearance however, the overwhelming pressure the Minotaur Warriors were exuding was suppressed drastically. He was surrounded by Spirit''s True Light Magic, and it calmed the people down.
"Look at their vengeful face." Basil smirked. "They probably couldn''t believe their General has died."
As the people''s eyes around him widened at his revtion, Basil further bewildered them by throwing Luci''s headless body like a trash to the front.
That action further riled the Minotaur Warriors up, and it made them wonder whether Luci''s defeat was a good news or a bad news.
Chapter 292 Wrapping Up (3)
"Here." Basil presented Iliana a ck chest te with an intimidating design. "You should wear this."
"What is that?"
"A Vanadium armour."
Iliana slightly widened her eyes. "... That''s a rather high quality armor. Where did you get it?"
"Luci¡ªthe owner of this dead body." Basil nudged Luci''s body in front of him with his foot. "I would like to wear it myself, but, as you can see, I amcking something."
Basil looked at Iliana''s chest and the mounds on the chest te alternatingly. "The bumps¡ªthey don''t look proper on me."
"... I am still amazed that you, given how hard it was to fight her, still had the time to think about looting her possession after killing her," Iliana remarked slightly in astonishment.
"The fact that you two can talk leisurely despite knowing a danger ising our way is more amazing in my opinion."
At the unexpected interruption, Basil and Iliana turned their head to the back. They were met with Glenn''s anxious look, and the trembling Legion Commanders behind him.
Immediately understanding their worry, both Iliana and Basil nodded their head at the nervous people. Turning their head to the front, as Basil immediately dashed towards the hundreds or so Minotaur Warriors, Iliana put her chest te on.
The size was actually slightly too big¡ªonly her chest that fit well¡ªbut luckily there was an [Adjustment] Rune Carved on it, so the chest te immediately resized itself to fit Iliana.
While the others were still wondering what actually the nod Basil and Iliana had given earlier meant, Iliana, who was mounting on Deacon, instructed him to also dash at the Minotaur Warriors.
Further bewildered, Glenn and his fellow Legion Commanders wondered why it was so hard to expect an order from the two. They couldn''t possibly know what the nod possibly meant after all!
"Move your feet, maggots!"
... At least, until Iliana made herself clear that they should follow after her.
Immediately following the instruction, the Legion Commanders, along with their Vices, dashed towards the iing Minotaur Warriors. Following closely right behind the Pacifer couple, they wondered whether it was really a good idea.
The pressure they were exuding aside, the Minotaur Warriors were rabidly running their way, showing how furious they were at the death of their General.
Basil had also deliberately stepped on Luci''s body when he was about to dash at the Minotaur Warriors, so it further riled the already riled up bunch up. Dashing at such a rabid bunch looked no different from courting death in their opinion.
"Holy... Is our Head Commander really not the Emperor''s illegitimate son?!"
Of course, when they saw what Basil could do to the Minotaur Warriors, all of them gaped in bewilderment.
Basil swung Caliburn once, sending a Qi de that was imbued with Caliburn''s True Light Magic. It managed to cut the legs of half of the Minotaur Warriors charging at them.
That caused those who had lost their feet to fall, and in turn, tripping those behind them, who didn''t have time to dodge. The flow of the Minotaur Warriors were disrupted because of that, giving the people the chance to attack.
Knowing the insane regeneration speed of Minotaur Warriors however, unlike Basil, and Iliana who was mounting on Deacon, the Legion Commanders and their Vices didn''t dare toe any closer.
They preferred to attack the Minotaur Warriors lying on the ground from afar, because they were afraid of suddenly getting jumped at by the Demons.
They would have definitely called the couple idiots for fighting the Minotaur Warriors so close if they hadn''t known what the couple were capable of, but since the couple had shown how capable they were, they could only admire the two for their boldness.
Waving Caliburn as fluid as a conductor conducting an orchestra, Basil beheaded one or two Minotaur Warriors who had stood back up again in each of his swing.
On the other side, Iliana, together with Deacon, put a hole through the chest of the Minotaur Warriors whose legs had been cut by Basil. The Demons werepletely immobilized, so none of them could fight back.
The Legion Commanders looking at the scene were too astonished to focus solely on their task. They had also been sending Qi des at the Minotaur Warriors, but it still took them more than one to sessfully cut the Demons'' neck after all.
This happened partly because they were slightly far away from the Demons. Their Qi des collided with the Mana Barrier covering the already extremely durable skin of the Demons, so it weakened their attack quite significantly.
They really wanted to go closer to the Minotaur Warriors, but they still worried about getting suddenly jumped at. Therefore, they could only keep spamming Qi des towards the Demons who were still lying on the ground.
"Wait... Why none of them is standing up yet?"
It wasn''t until they saw how helpless the Minotaur Warriors who had lost their legs did they wonder why none of the Demons had regrown their legs yet. It was, after all, already more than two minutes.
Usually for that type of injury, it shouldn''t take the Demons more than a minute and a half to recover. They could regrow their cut limbs quick enough to boggle one''s mind due to their insane regeneration speed.
With that said, by this point, the Minotaur Warriors whose legs had been cut by Basil a few moments earlier, should have already been able to join the fray. The reality was different however, and that made them wonder.
Deciding to stop sending their Qi des for a moment just so they could properly see what Basil''s could do to the Demons, the Legion Commanders soon realized the reason why none of the Minotaur Warriors on the ground could stand up yet.
"Just... Who is our Head Commander? Is he one of Zeus'' illegitimate sons?"
All of them had been in the army for more than a decade¡ªthey had seen people whose attack could hamper the regeneration of Demons, but they had never expected, in the slightest, Basil to be able to achieve the same feat.
The people who could do that, after all, were the Pdins and the Executioners that they rarely encountered, so it was really bewildering to see Basil could do it.
That made them wonder if Basil was secretly a Seminarian, but they immediately discarded the thought after recalling Basil''s view on God. Someone as realistic as him would never be a part of the Church.
"This is our chance. Let''s finish those bastards on the ground!"
"Understood!"
Having been in the field for so many years had allowed them to develop professionalism. Astounded as they were, they didn''t forget what they should do.
Rather than wasting their time pondering about how Basil could posses such a ridiculous power at his young age, the Legion Commanders decided to seize the opportunity Basil had created for them.
There were still more than 40 Minotaur Warriors lying helplessly on the ground¡ªrather than attacking them from afar, it was better to attack them up close like Iliana. None of them would get up anytime soon anyway, so it was definitely the best decision.
"Took you long enough to realize you have been pitied by Basil." Upon eliminating the distance between them and the Minotaur Warriors, the Legion Commanders and their Vices were greeted by Iliana with a smirk.
They chuckled in slight embarrassment at that, before immediately jumping at the Minotaur Warriors. Channeling their Qi into their Sword, they cut the neck of the Demons without a hitch this time.
They still had to constantly dodge the attack of the other Minotaur Warriors who were already standing on the ground, but they could still reduce the amount of the living Minotaur Warriors quickly.
It was mostly thanks to Basil however; he did a really good job to distract the gigantic Demons. His lethal attack that was coupled with his agility really irked the standing Minotaur Warriors, so their attention was mostly on him.
While their soldiers, aided by the Knights and Mages who hade there by the order of the Kingdom, fought the tens of thousands of Low ss Demons, Basil, Iliana, and the Legion Commanders slew all of the Minotaur Warriors.
They soon joined the others after all of the Minotaur Warriors were in, and after two hours and a half, the battle was concluded.
For the second time that day, humanity achieved a victory ... Under Basil''s lead.
...
"What?! Woster County has won the fight?"
"That is what out informant has said, Your Highness."
"Is that urate?"
"You can cut my neck, if this turns out to be a hearsay, Your Highness."
The news of the victory of humanity in Woster County was immediately broadcasted as soon as the battle ended. Some of the people had even broadcasted the news a few minutes before the battle ended as they had been so sure of the victory.
Upon hearing the news ryed by their subordinate about the victory in Woster County, the Princes were both ted and shocked. They had predicted the victory in Woster County wasing soon, but not this soon after all.
"Basil Pacifer, huh?" Edward, the Fifth Prince, mused to himself. "It is still less than 5 hours since his name was brought up in the strategy meeting, but he has already achieved yet another victory."
Edward''s eyes glinted at the same moment the other Princes expressed their desire to meet Basil in person. All of them were serious about asking Basil to join their side now, since it had already been proven Basil wasn''t lucky, but trulypetent.
"Ku-ku-ku... I am sorry, my brothers, but the only one who will have Basil on his side is me," Edward muttered under his breath as he looked at the horde of Demons in front of him. "All of you have to suffer greatly here."
He and the Legions he led were already close to reaching the Obelisk. He knew he would be left behind once he reached there, so he had made a n to get back at his brothers.
Just as he was about to order his soldiers to abruptly turn around so they could disrupt the formation of the Legions behind them, an overwhelmingly sickening pressure descended upon the battlefield.
All of the people''s eyes widened in horror as their soul trembled in fear¡ªnone of them could move their body.
"Hmph! Filthy humans."
Uttering the word softly yet contemptuously was Goap, who had just finished integrating himself with an Artefact.
Chapter 293 Wrapping Up (End)
A pair of pointy horns with blue veins running through it; a silky, long blue hair; a very youthful, handsome look that made him look like a teenager who had just reached his adolescence¡ªGoap hardly looked intimidating.
Given his white skin and not so muscr, lean body; his overall appearance made him look slightly like a woman. One would never consider such a person dangerous, if not for the fact that his Mana pressure could silence the entire battlefield.
Demons and humans alike could only silently stare at Goap in terror. Goap''s current Mana was so ferocious, even without him actively exuding it, it disrupted the flow of the Nature Mana in the air, causing the wind to swirl around him.
His subordinates felt something different from him and that made them, too, feel ufortable. They knew, however, he was still the Prince they knew, so they didn''t only fear but also admire the new stronger him.
"Look at all these eyesores¡ªall of them think they are amount to something." Goap sneered disdainfully as he gazed over the crowd of humans. "To think that your King only sent you to face me... Laughable."
At the same moment he scoffed at the nervous crowd of humans, Goap extended his hand to the front. His Demonic Mana immediately swirled around the extended hand, putting an overwhelming pressure on the crowd.
Every Mage and Knight in the Legions the Five Princes were leading hastily generated a Barrier at that. They didn''t even care about the grade of the Barrier they generated; they didn''t have the leisure to generate a high grade Barrier.
Goap''s attack was ready to hit them, and it would reach them in less than two seconds.
"You are lucky you are many."
As a dome covered the entirety of the Royal Army, isting thempletely from the Demons surrounding them, Goap sent a dark ball of processed Demonic Mana at them.
The ball collided with the dome protecting the people inside, producing a huge explosion as the two contradicting energy pushed against each other.
As the Knights and Mages of the Royal Army didn''tbine their Qi and Mana to make one big Barrier, the dome protecting them was actually thousands ofyers of Barriers generated by thousands of different of people.
The dome was by no means solid¡ªthe Barrier they individually had generated itself couldn''t even be considered descent, but due to the amount of the individual Barriers, the dome still managed to prevail.
Crack! Crack!
Despite knowing that though, their heart still skipped a beat each time they heard ayer of Barrier broke.
The collisionsted for roughly ten seconds. By the time Goap''s ball of processed Demonic Mana dispersed, only threeyers of Barriers remained protecting the army.
All of them were d that they were unscathed, but none of them felt it was appropriate for them to heave a sigh of relief. After all, they had been threeyers of Barriers away from being obliterated by one person.
Gulping dryly as they watched Goap scoff lightly at them, they figured he had expected something like this to happen since the beginning, which was why he had said they were lucky they were many.
"You did fairly well, didn''t you, humans?" Goap smirked at the people. "It was not that honourable, I know, but you still shall rejoice, for I, Goap, The Great President of Hell, will give you the chance to back away because of that!"
Goap was greeted with silence. Both sides, humans and Demons alike, were wondering what he was on about, and they were too bewildered to give a proper reaction.
While the Demons were wondering why their Prince would give the humans a chance to go away instead of immediately killing them, the Five Princes and the Royal Army were wondering about why Hell was brought up.
If their memory serves them right, after all, Hell was nothing but a ce that religious people believed to be the ce where all sins would be cleansed off sinners. It was something abstract¡ªsomething that existence couldn''t be proven.
Therefore upon hearing Hell being suddenly brought up¡ªwhen Goap proimed himself to be the Great President of Hell, the people couldn''t decide how they should react¡ªwhether tough or be afraid.
"Ah, you are doubting me¡ªI see." Goap nodded his head in understanding. "Worry not, you shall. Your Prince was really touched by your tenacity to live, I have decided to reward you a chance to live a couple of days longer."
The Five Princes quirked their eyebrow as Goappletely misunderstood their doubtful look.
"I, for one, unlike humans, never break my promise. You may leave this ce, and use the remaining days you have to spend it with your loved ones¡ªI won''t kill you here."
Squinting his eyes lightly as he washed the Royal Army with his overwhelming pressure, Goap smirked coldly.
"Of course, that chance will immediately disappear, if you decide to stay here and fight me. I can assure you, you will all die if that turns out to be the case." Spreading his hand, he continued, "Now, decide, humans!"
As the Royal Army personnels gulped dryly, they looked at their Legion Commanders, who were looking at the Prince leading them in anticipation. While all of them had pride to maintain, they unironically saw Goap''s offer as a great deal.
shing once with him was already enough to deduce how strong he was if he used his full power. Every one of them was experienced enough to tell that, and because of that, they knew they would definitely lose.
Dying in the battlefield was an honor for Knights¡ªdespite so, none of them wanted to die in vain. They could easily predict the uing fight would hardly be able to be considered a fight, so they really wished their superior would decide to back away.
Looking hopefully at the back of the Prince leading them, the person who had the right to decide their fate¡ª
"Hmph! Who do you think will take up on your offer, if you give it so easily? We can''t help but doubt there is something to it."
¡ªthey were faced with a disappointment.
Even though only the Third Prince, Cameron who had shown his intention to refuse the offer, their face immediately turned sour. They were absolute that none of the other Princes would be willing to back away after that deration.
"Now that I look at it carefully, given how powerful you are and how pitiful we are, there should be no reason for you to spare us," Aldrich remarked calmly. "You giving us that offer makes us think that you really are hiding something."
True to the Legion Commanders'' and the soldiers'' expectation, Cameron quickly gained a supporter. The supporter was a rather unexpected person on top of that.
Aldrich, unlike the brass Cameron, wouldn''t normally act recklessly after all. As the oldest brother, he had always been the voice of reason when his three brothers were about to something stupid.
Therefore, the soldiers and Commanders were really surprised to see him agreeing with Cameron this time.
"A strong enemy doesn''t offer¡ªhe ignores. Your reason for giving us that chance is either because you are not that confident in your ability or there is something preventing you to fight at your full power."
"We shall not take up on the offer!"
Soon enough, the Second and Fourth Prince also dered their decision to not take up on the offer. None of the Royal Army personnels under them could protest, but they still sighed very faintly in despair at that.
''This is the end,'' they thought as they looked at Goap''s unamused face.
Turning their head to thest Prince who hadn''t dered his decision yet, they looked at Edward bitterly as they saw him discussing with Aaron and the other Legion Commander he was leading.
They wished the Prince in charge of them had also asked their opinion before deciding what to do with the offer.
Although they didn''t know what the decision Edward would make, the moment they saw Aaron smile lightly, they knew it was something that Aaron and his subordinates liked. At that, they could only click their tongue bitterly.
"How many days will you give us to spend with our loved ones?" At Edward''s question, the other Princes widened their eyes, whereas Goap smiled gleefully.
"Finally, a human who uses his brain!" Goapughed lightly in delight. "That will be as many as the days humanity canst against me, young human. Worry not however, I can assure you, you will get 5 days of peace if you leave this ce now."
"Can I assume that your reason for giving us this chance to leave is because you want to go somewhere? You want to do something more important somewhere else, and thus you don''t have the time to y with us?"
"That is... Wonderfully correct." Goap smiled lightly. "You are not the brightest young human I have ever seen, but seeing you amongst these donkeys is really ting."
"I thank you for viewing me that highly." Edward put his hand on his chest humbly.
"Now, decide, young human." Goap gestured at the Princes who had refused his offer. "Be these donkeys or be a smart human? I will tell you in advance that I will help you leave this ce if you decide to ept my offer."
"Edward, my little brother, never should you listen to the word of an immoral creature, who ims it is superior to us!"
"Edward! ept it, and we shall stop being brothers!"
"Royal Brother Edward, shall you ept the offer, you will bring nothing other than shame to our Kingdom."
"Younger Brother, you shouldn''t be fooled! Have faith in our soldiers, and stay here!"
Hearing the encouragement to not ept the offer from his brothers, Edward merely sighed and shook his head helplessly. ncing at Aaron briefly, said Commander immediately nodded his head resolutely.
"What a bunch of imbeciles with inted ego," Edward muttered to himself. "Believe in the soldiers? Have they even listened to the soldiers."
Scoffing in amusement, Edward raised his hand. "Take me and my subordinates away from here, and let us meet again in the future."
"Splendid!" Goap eximed with a bright smile.
"Edward!"
"What does this mean?!"
"Disgraceful!"
"Take your words back, Edward!"
Being red at with such hate by his brothers, Edward didn''t even flinch. "You are digging your own grave. This is a chance for me to wrap my problems up¡ªto remove my obstacles in one go, so I can''t let this pass."
As Goap snapped his finger, Edward, along with the two Legions he was leading disappeared in a sh ... Thest thing his brothers could see on Edward''s face was a smirk¡ªa gleeful smirk.
Chapter 294 Hero, I Am Not
"That brat! Where are his balls when they are needed?!" Cameron eximed angrily. "How dare he just left like a coward?!"
Angered, Cameron''s Mana overwhelmed the air surrounding him. Some of the soldiers near him, despite being a member of the Royal Army, even trembled upon being exposed to his Mana pressure.
All of the five Princes were talented. Amongst them, in terms of raw power, Cameron was second only to Edward.
He had three Grand Circles on top of being a Fifth Circle Mage, so his Mana pressure could definitely overwhelm some of the soldiers, who were mostly Fifth Circle Mages with two Grand Circles or Early Stage Blue Core Knights.
"To think Edward chose to scurry away from a mere possible danger... What a shock," Aldrich muttered to himself with a frown. "He has failed to see what I can see, and it is his loss this time."
Shaking his head helplessly, Aldrich lifted his hand. Cameron immediately calmed himself down upon seeing it, and the other Princes nodded their head in understanding.
Making a hand gesture to order the soldiers to fill up the space Edward''s soldiers had left behind, Aldrich looked at Goap carefully. Goap smiled at him in ridicule, but he didn''t feel anything about it.
Aldrich had never considered Demons sentient. He treated whatever they did as something like what nature did¡ªsomething what they were designed to do.
Even though they barked at him, he would never consider it as their way to express their hate towards him. That was just what they were, and thus he couldn''t care less about them.
Aldrich treated Goap no different from the other Demons, so whatever Goap did or what he was capable of, Aldrich would never put his words into ount.
That was the reason why he had refused Goap''s magnanimous offer. In his mind, Goap was no different from an animal who had just learnt how to speak a humannguage, but already tried to act smart.
"Look at how confident this human with his ability." Goap sneered in amusement as he looked at Aldrich.
... That, unfortunately, was just his misconception.
"Aldrich, how we should proceed?" Cameron rode his horse closer to Aldrich''s. "Now that we have lost 4,000 people, we can no longer use the same strategy."
"I am very aware of that, my younger brother, Cameron." Aldrich put his hand in front of Cameron. "I have been thinking about the best way to defeat that Monster, and the best way I can think of is to focus on attacking it."
"... You can''t be serious, can you?" Cameron looked at Aldrich in bewilderment. "What are we going to do with these bastards surrounding us." He gestured at the Low and Middle ss Demons.
"What Royal Brother Aldrich means is, we should join our forces and focus on eliminating that creature."
Receiving a response that didn''te from Aldrich, Cameron turned around to see the person who had just spoken. It was a brown haired, handsome young man with a fairplexion, and a tall stature¡ªhis brother, Dwight Draconart Braxtein.
The Fourth Prince rode his horse close to Cameron''s as Cameron quirked his eyebrow. Cameron, however, wasn''t showing his displeasure towards Dwight''s presence; he was merely curious about what Dwight had meant.
"borate. You know I am not as smart as you and Aldrich."
"It is not that hard to understand, Brother. Brother Aldrich has just said we should do what we have done earlier, but way more organized¡ªy''knowbining our power to overwhelm that bastard while also killing these bastards."
This time, instead of Dwight, a blond haired young man with sharp eyes and a cocky smile eternally etched on his face was the one who answered Cameron''s request. He was the Second Prince, Brenton Brasenheart Braxtein.
He was the most unruly and problematic Prince, but had the second highest probability to seed the throne after Aldrich. He inherited many of Anthony''s traits, except for discipline.
"Is that correct, Aldrich?" Cameron looked at Aldrich for confirmation.
"That is definitely correct..." Aldrich nodded his head lightly as he nced at Brenton who had ridden his horse beside him. "I want us to make a Barrier around our soldiers, so we can fight that thing without worrying about getting hit."
"To do that, we need tobine our Mana and Qi," added Dwight. "In other words, we are going to fight that creature with a Mass Formation."
"Which makes me curious how we will manage," Brenton remarked as he nced at Aldrich. "I have no idea that any of us has learnt anything about it."
At that, Aldrich smiled lightly. "You don''t have to worry¡ªthis is what has always made me better than the rest of you." Extending his hand forward, he continued, "I have always been prepared."
As soon as the soldiers under his lead saw his hand gesture, they immediately moved to their designated position. None of them looked confused about what they should do as they had practiced it together for a few days.
Aldrich, whose knowledge regarding anything rted to Magic, had prepared himself for times like this, so he had made the Legions he led learn the Formation for thest three days.
He knew that Royal Army rarely used a Formation in battle¡ªthey were strong enough to not need it¡ªso he had predicted none of them knew anything about Mass Formation, and it had been on spot.
When he saw how well the soldiers under his lead organized themselves after the days he had spent teaching them the Mass Formation, he smiled in satisfaction.
He very much enjoyed the baffled look the other Legions gave his Legions as they wondered how his Legions could assume the Formation they had never learnt in the Royal Army.
"Very well, brothers. You can tell your soldiers to fill the remaining space." Aldrich smiled as he looked at his brothers one by one. "For those who are not needed in the Formation... Let''s use them as a distraction."
The other Princes weren''t actually very happy hearing Aldrich''s decision to use their soldiers who weren''t a part of the Formation as a distraction, but they didn''t say anything about it.
They understood their current situation well: winning the fight against the Obelisk Master who had finally shown himself was more important than thinking about their throne session war.
Furthermore, they also didn''t care that much towards the soldiers. They had been seeing them as their contribution points for all this time¡ªthe more of them remained, the higher the points.
Given the current situation, as long as they won the fight, they wouldpletely get rid of Edward, their greatest obstacle to seed the throne.
Edward had, after all, left the battlefield after deeming the battle unwinnable, so if they could prove him wrong, all of them would be appreciated greatly by their father.
As long as Edward''s loss became a sure thing, it was a win-win for all of them.
"Oh, you have finally gotten into a Formation." Goap looked at the Royal Army positioning themselves in a lotus like Formation in disinterest. "I''m tired of waiting, so can I kill you now?"
"I don''t know if you are just ignorant or overestimating yourself, but you should have prevented us from getting into a Formation while you can," Aldrich replied calmly.
"As you wish!" Shrugging lightly, Goap gestured at his subordinates.
The Demons, who had been merely watching the Five Princes had their discussion for the past minutes due to Goap''s instruction, dashed at the soldiers to disrupt the Formation.
Even before they managed to attack any of the soldiers inside the formation however, those who weren''t a part of the Formation immediately blocked them in their way.
A fierce fight immediately broke between the hundreds or so Mages and Knights and the Demons trying to disrupt the Formation. The Mages and Knights held their ground very well, but it was easy to see how overwhelmed they were.
Fighting thousands of Demons with just that many people, after all, was by no means easy. That, however, was their job¡ªto protect the soldiers in the Formation¡ªso they had to prevail.
There was some time before the Formation was activated, so they had to hold on until that time.
Their fate had been sealed the moment they became distractions¡ªthey knew it, and it made them fight more vigorously. They were fully determined to let their fellows finish the Formation, so they fought to the best they could.
They didn''t want their death to be in vain.
The soldiers inside the Formation still focused onbining their Mana and Qi, but they couldn''t help gritting their teeth as they looked at their fellows outside the Formation.
Many of them were indignant at the fact that they had to sacrifice their fellows to win the fight, but because of that indignation, the process of activating the Formation was faster.
Hum!
"For the Kingdom!"
As the giant Barrier rose up to the air, covering those inside the Formation, the soldiers outside the Formation shouted in tion. Raising their hand to the air, all of them immediately exploded themselves to bring the Demons around them down with them.
Boom! Boom!
The soldiers inside the Barrier saw the scene in detail, and they could only grit their teeth as they properly witnessed the honourable sacrifice their fellows had made.
"For our fallenrades!"
"Uwohh!!!"
Warcry immediately filled the battlefield once again, making Aldrich, who was in the lead of the Formation smile. Pointing his sword at Goap as soon as the Barrier fully isted them from the outside world, he ordered the Mages tounch their Spells.
Countless of explosive spheres were sent outside the Barrier, at Goap. Said Demon still remained calm in spite of that; he merely swiped the air to cancel all of the Spellsunched at him.
The soldiers'' eyes darkened at Goap''s showcase of power, but Aldrich merely quirked his eyebrow at that. Raising his hand once again, he instructed the Knights to attack this time.
Whoosh!
The Knights sent their Qi des at Goap this time, but once again, Goap merely swiped the air to cancel all of the Qi des. Bewildered everyone turned to Aldrich to ask what they should do next.
"Aldrich!"
"Your Highness!"
"Bloody hell, are you okay, Brother?!"
As they turned to him however, they found that Goap didn''t only cancel the Qi des earlier, but also send something that managed to pierce Aldrich''s chest.
The chaos began afterwards.
Chapter 295 Hero, I Am Not (End)
Ruttenhale Barony, Woster County.
,m A few moments before a misfortune befell upon Aldrich, Edward and his Legions arrived at the ce where Goap had just teleported them to. Bafflement immediately riddled their face as they noticed where they had been teleported to.
Although they were teleported not that far from the ce where they had been before¡ªthe distance between BA-32 and Woster County was roughly 120 kilometers¡ªthe amount of people Goap had teleported was not small.
He had teleported 4,000 people without breaking a sweat and any preparation at all. It also had happened in a blink of an eye, and it was really bewildering to Edward and the Royal Army in spite of their experience.
After all, unless one had already prepared a [Checkpoint], which was usually arge scale Rune that would react upon a [Teleportation] Spell casting, such a thing wouldn''t be possible.
Even with a [Checkpoint] ready, the Mana consumption would be sorge, one person wouldn''t be able to handle it¡ªnot even Seventh Circle Mages after exhausting their Magic Circles, which was the reason why it was baffling.
"He didn''t trick us..." Edward looked at the equally baffled and ted soldiers behind him in astonishment. "He really teleported all of us intact ... That Monster is dangerous."
Edward had never underestimated Goap''s prowess even once; as soon as he felt Goap''s presence, he knew Goap was the real deal. Still, he couldn''t help bing more rmed after what Goap had done.
He, although had always taken Goap seriously, didn''t consider Goap''s word about taking over the Kingdom to be a promise after all. He believed it was nothing more than a boast, so he was anxious currently.
With that kind of power Goap had just disyed, he was sure Goap would be able to not only take the Kingdom down, but also take over the world. No one knew about it yet, and he feltpelled to tell them.
"Commander Aaron..."
"Yes, Your Highness?"
"Ry every single thing that has just happened to us to the public," Edward ordered calmly. "I want you to exaggerate the threat level of that Monster, but make it in a way that it won''t cause amotion."
"... Wouldn''t delivering it as is still works, Your Highness?" Aaron asked carefully.
"We haven''t seen the cards he is hiding up his sleeves yet. Who knows what else he is hiding from us?"
Upon hearing Edward''s words, Aaron''s eyes darkened at the same time Edward''s eyes did.
Aaron had initially wanted to say that telling how much dangerous Goap was or what he was capable of doing was enough, but as soon as he heard what Edward said, he immediately realized what Edward was worrying about.
No matter what part of the world it is, there is, after all, one idiot that will not believe what people say before seeing whatever they have heard about by themselves.
In other words, there was still a chance that there would be people who would not heed Edward''s warning and think Goap was as manageable as the other High ss Demons. This would bring nothing but a disaster, so it should be prevented at all cost.
By exaggerating the threat level of Goap and what he could do, they would be able to make people think twice before underestimating Goap, and thus would prevent some idiots from overestimating themselves.
Of course, since the public was the target, they had to announce it in a way it wasn''t going to cause a panic. Their effort to keep everyone on high alert would be useless, if many of them were too scared to fight.
They hadn''t seen Goap''s full power yet, but thinking that they would fight such an abomination in the future already made them weary. Surviving wouldn''t be an option if they didn''t gather as many people as they could to fight Goap together with them.
"I have ryed the news, Your Highness." After a few minutes of silence between the two, Aaron finally opened his mouth again. "What should we do next, Your Highness?"
"We are going to head to Woster County¡ªI have someone I want to meet." Edward nced at the soldiers behind him. "But first, let us summon the rest of our soldiers."
"I understand, Your Majesty."
Edward, who had known his brothers were up to something in advance, had made a precaution to reduce the casualties from their stupidpetition.
He had put 4,000 of his soldiers "on hold" in his way to BA-32. He had ordered the 4,000 soldiers to hide themselves in the forest that was just 10 kilometers away from BA-32, and wait for his order to get out.
Now that Edward and the Legions under him were already away from BA-32 due to what Goap had done to them, he needed to summon the 4,000 soldiers he had hidden in the forest.
He was d he had made a choice to hide some of his soldiers in the forest, and none of his brothers had really paid any attention to him.
They had only paid their attention to him and his soldiers when the battle began, but at that time, due to the intensity of the battle, all of them had ridiculed him instead of getting suspicious of him when they noticed he had the least soldiers amongst them.
"I have notified the rest of the soldiers. They are on their way now."
"Thank you for your work, Aaron."
"Your Highness..."
"Yes?"
Edward looked at Aaron with a quirked eyebrow as Aaron looked at him hesitantly. He honestly already had an ide about what Aaron was going to talk about, but he waited until Aaron opened his mouth.
"About the other Princes... And ourrades¡ªare we just going to leave them behind?"
"I don''t know. What do you want to do?" Edward smiled calmly at Aaron.
Aaron''s eyes widened as he thought about how he should answer the question. "I... Honestly don''t know too."
"Surviving doesn''t make you guilty, Aaron." Edward put his hand on Aaron''s shoulder. "It is the proof of yourpetence and luck. You shan''t be ashamed for that."
"I just can''t bring myself to turn a blind eye to what is possibly happening to them currently..." Aaron sighed forlornly as he gazed at his fellow Legion Commander beside him. "Although we are in a different Legion, we are still a family after all."
"Don''t worry," Edward responded reassuringly. "I don''t want to let my brothers die either. We will ask for reinforcement as soon as we arrive at Woster County."
Aaron widened his eyes in surprise. "Is that why... Very well, Your Highness."
As the 4,000 soldiers Edward had hidden in the forest rushed in their way to regroup with them, Edward turned his gaze to the east, where he could sense an uncountable amount of Mana signatures overwhelming the air.
He was looking at the battlefield where humans achieved their first victory¡ªthe ce where the person he wanted to meet was at.
...
Wisselton, Woster County (60 kilometers from Ruttenhale Barony).
"Basil Pacifer!"
"Shout his name loudly¡ªBasil Pacifer!"
"The Hero Pacifer!"
"Long live our Hero!"
"Hurrah!"
Basil was being cheered at on his way back to the camp, and he didn''t look amused by that. The battle had just finished a couple of minutes ago, but the news of their victory had reached pretty much everyone''s ears fifteen minutes before it.
He didn''t me them though; it was already apparent at that moment they were going to win the battle, so whoever spread the news earlier didn''t make a mistake. Because of it though, many people were expecting him upon his return.
If they had announced their victory only after they returned to the camp, the people greeting him upon his return wouldn''t be this many. He preferred that way as he didn''t like people crowding around him.
Looking at the people genuinely looking at him in gratitude, he could only click his tongue bitterly. Most of them were the less fortunate citizens of Woster County, who couldn''t evacuate from the County because they couldn''t afford to.
Many of them had lost their lives as they had been caught up in the battle, so they were really thankful someone had finally put an end to the battle.
"How funny," Basil remarked silently. "I was once someone who believed in their smile too... Until they betrayed me when it was convenient for them."
Basil scoffed disdainfully as he turned his head away from the people and focused his gaze on his front. He had carried the burden¡ªhe had forcefully been titled a Hero in the past, and he didn''t want to go down the same path.
He had bled and cried for the people only for them to leave him behind in his past life. Those had been the same people, who had genuinely said they would always be there for him when he needed him.
Words, however, are sweeter than sugar; all of them had immediately turned their back on him the moment the Churchbelled him a Heretic in his past life. His status turned from Hero to the greatest sinner in a day.
He knew many of the people weren''t actually bad in nature. He knew they had done what they had done to him because they didn''t want to make an enemy of the Church.
They, after all, were powerless¡ªthey had nothing on them to protect themselves. Given the guarantee of staying alive just by shunning the person who had saved them, they did it without thinking twice.
This was the reason why Basil would never ever be a Hero again. Being a Hero means having to carry the soul of thousands of weaklings on his back, and he didn''t want to do such an unbeneficial act anymore.
The only weaklings he would carry on his back were his loved ones, and therefore, no one whom his eyes decided not to see should receive his help.
"Hear me out, the people of Woster!" Basil eximed as he ordered Deacon carrying him to stop walking. "You standing here in this moment is due to your luck. I have done nothing for you!"
Some people wanted to protest, but Basil stopped them as he raised his hand. "I wouldn''t have contributed to the war, if I wasn''t given a responsibility. Thanks your luck for I was, and stop calling me a Hero. I am but a killer¡ªa hero, I am not."
Deacon resumed walking as soon as Basil stopped speaking, s, contrary to Basil''s expectation, the crowd cheered even louder than before.
All of them had misunderstood him greatly.
Chapter 296 Early Encounter
"I don''t think they got what you are trying to say," Iliana remarked from behind Basil.
"I don''t deserve to be called a genius if I can''t even understand that." Basil shook his head faintly.
"Have people told you that you are... Narcissistic?" Iliana quirked her eyebrow lightly. "You got skills and all, but aren''t you too full of yourself?"
"Prove me wrong then." Basil smirked.
"Well, I can''t. You are indeed a genius¡ªjust like me."
"Talking about being narcissistic..." Basil snorted lightly in amusement.
Iliana just shrugged, then didn''t say anything else. She just hugged Basil''s waist as she gazed at the people around them cheering his name in delight.
She had expected Basil to be an amazing fellow ever since her eyesnded on him at the Regional Tournament, but she had never expected, in less than half a year, the young man who had managed to gain her interest could turn out to be a Hero.
Basil himself actually didn''t like to be called a Hero¡ªshe understood his reason well, and very much agreed with him¡ªbut from the perspective of the people, he was indeed a hero.
They might stop hailing him as a Hero once they knew what he was willing to do to achieve his goal, but there was no way that would ever happen. Basil would never leave anyone who had seen the underhanded deeds he had done alive.
She was the lucky person, who he had allowed to witness him doing his questionable deeds¡ªshe could tell people about it, but she would never do that. He would be harmed if she did that, and she didn''t want that to happen.
"It is weird, isn''t it?" Iliana mused to herself about why she had such a fondness for Basil. "I''ve been putting off asking about it, but what are we actually?"
"What do you want us to be?" Basil asked back.
"I have a weird desire for you to be my disciple."
"Then, so be it."
"I don''t have anything to teach you though." Iliana frowned slightly. "Well, there may be something we can learn together."
"I need to stop you right there." Basil put his hand on top of Iliana''s hand that was already just a few millimeters away from touching his member. "Let''s do it when you are 24."
Iliana clicked her tongue in annoyance, and muttered, "I knew it¡ªhe must be into older women! No wonder he let that sleazy Viscountess cling on him."
"... That was the quickest and worst conclusion I have ever seen someone make." Basil chuckled lightly. "Don''t worry. I am only into you, but I will only pluck you when you are mature enough."
"You sound like an old man¡ªa perverted old man," Iliana said dryly.
"I am not old¡ªjust an experienced man. An experienced perv¡ªforget it."
Iliana blinked her eyes in surprise, beforeughing humorously. "So you know how to joke too! I thought your sense of humour was as dry as a desert¡ªI am d it is not."
Basil merely shook his head and smiled softly at that. He knew Iliana was just trying to cheer him up; he must have let his emotion seep through his Mana, and Iliana had sensed that.
He was just actually irked that the crowd didn''t get what he had wanted to say, but Iliana must have sensed the faint sadness he was feeling.
He didn''t know where that feeling even came from, but he strongly believed that he felt it due to the faint influence of the Fragment he was was connected to. It felt so strange, since he felt it was unfortunate that he had chosen to abandon humanity.
He also didn''t know what Iliana thought he was currently thinking about, but he wasn''t that curious about it. He was sure it was better to not ask about it, rather than risking causing a bigger misunderstanding.
"Hey, are you going to wash yourself when we reach the camp?"
"Actually, we have already arrived, but yes. Why though?" Basil quirked his eyebrow faintly.
"I want to wash myself too, so let''s do it together."
"No mature activities until you are 24," Basil reminded calmly.
"I get it," Iliana said dryly. "Seriously though, what do you see me as now?"
"A family that I will hate to lose."
"... Have I just gotten sister-zoned?"
"Would it satisfy you if I mother-zoned you instead?"
"No, I''m fine staying as your girlfriend."
Chuckling lightly at Iliana''s response, Basil patted Deacon''s head as he told Deacon to enjoy himself while he was taking a shower. He then swiftly turned his body around, surprising Iliana in the process, before jumping off Deacon with her.
Everyone was surprised when Basil suddenly jumped away with Iliana like that, but no one questioned what they were going to do as they disappeared into the city hall.
They had an idea what the couple were going to do ... Though not all of them got it right.
"Wow... He really is a clean freak, isn''t he?"
"Well, who doesn''t want to enjoy a bath after having a tiresome day?"
"Ah... It reminds of the days when I was young."
"Mate, you are 30."
"I mean, younger. I was like them too with my girlfriend."
"You never had a girlfriend."
"Who are you, who are so knowledgeable of my life?!"
While the Legion Commanders had the right idea about what Basil was going to do in the city hall with Iliana, the other people could only assume things. His friends were no different from most of the people there as they shook their head bitterly.
Unaware of and uncaring to the people''s misunderstanding, Basil and Iliana took their time washing their body.
...
As Basil and Iliana got out of the bathroom looking fresh 20 minutes after, they were greeted by the equally fresh looking Legion Commanders and Vice Commanders, who had been waiting for them in the hall.
"It is good to see you again, Head Commander!"
"Did you enjoy your bath time, Head Commander?"
"You look great, Vice Commander Iliana."
Basil quirked his eyebrow at them, but they greeted him first instead of directly addressing what was the matter. He nodded his head lightly at that, whereas Ilianaplimented Cassandra back who hadplimented her.
"Someone wants to meet you, Head Commander," Glenn said seriously. "You can''t unfortunately refuse this as¡ª"
"Edward is here?"
"Pardon? Uh, yes," Glenn answered in bewilderment. "How can you..."
Glenn was wondering how Basil could possibly know Edward hade, but he would never figure that Basil had known it because of the Guide. Scratching his head in confusion, he eventually shook his head to forget the matter afterwards.
"Anyway, Prince Edward says he wants to talk to you about something."
"Just me?"
Glenn''s eyes moved towards Iliana briefly. "He wants to see all of the main stars of this battle."
"I see..." Basil turned to Iliana, then nodded his head lightly. "I will see youter, so you can go ahead and join the others without me."
"I''ll be waiting for you." Iliana nodded her head lightly. "The others will wait for you even until the world''s end this time, so make sure to join uster. See you."
"Ah, Vice Commander Iliana, wait! The Prince also... Wants to see you..." Glenn sighed helplessly as he looked at the disappearing back of Iliana, who didn''t pay any heed to his words. "Head Commander..."
"My girlfriend is allergic to Royalties." Basil waved his hand nonchntly. "It''s better to not let them meet each other."
None of the people there understood what actually Basil meant by his words, but they nodded their head nheless. Basil and Iliana were, after all, both hard to understand, so it was better for them to not question anything that came out of the two''s mouth.
Instead of getting an answer that would clear up their confusion, they would get more confused after all. Walking silently behind Basil, the Legion Commanders went out to meet Edward together with him.
They could see many people surrounding the city hall to greet them the moment they got out of the city hall, but none of the people dare to make a noise as Edward was also there standing not far away from the city hall''s door.
Quirking his eyebrow as he wondered how Iliana had avoided Edward, who he was sure had already been there even before they finished showering, Basil soon found her talking with the students from Randalvine Magic Institute a few meters away from Edward.
He smiled in amusement as he could imagine Iliana ignoring Edward''s gaze the moment she got out of the city hall. He was sure it was the case, since there was no way Edward didn''t recognize Iliana''s face.
"I have heard many things about you, Basil Pacifer," Edward remarked with a smile as Basil arrived in front of him. "Everyone here is also talking about you¡ªI can''t find a single person not talking about you."
"It''s nice to meet you, Edward."
Basil extended his hand under everyone''s bewildered gaze. Edward also blinked his eyes in surprise, but he immediately grasped Basil''s hand with a chuckle afterwards.
"It''s nice to meet you too, Basil." Edward smiled pleasantly. "You really are as... Unique as the rumours make you to be."
"I, unfortunately, can''tment anything about you, since there are not that many rumours circting about you." Basil lightly smiled. "You have a strong grip however¡ªI can easily say you are more than the rumours make you to be."
"Thank you for your kind words." Edward let go of Basil''s hand, then said, "What about having our conversation in a more quiet ce?"
"You should have waited there instead of meeting me here."
"Hahaha! I was just too excited to meet the Hero of Woster County."
"I am Basil, not a Hero. Get it right, Edward."
As Basil and Edward walked away together while merrily talking to each other as if they were good friends, the people watching the exchange between the two could only blink their eyes in bafflement and utter bewilderment.
They had initially thought Edward would throw a Royal tantrum when Basil had called him without addressing his status as a Prince, but he had taken it extremely well.
Not only did Edward not get mad at Basil, but he had also responded Basil like he was childhood friends with Basil. He looked too pleased with how Basil treated him, so it further bewildered them.
Chapter 297 Early Encounter (2)
With the two Legion Commanders put under Edward''s lead and the six Legion Commanders stationed in Woster County walking behind them, Basil and Edward talked to each other as if they were the only people in the world.
"I have seen your girlfriend earlier, but she seemed to be more interested in a fly than me."
"That is unfortunately true. As long as you are talking about formal meetings, she will find flies more interesting."
Sighing to himself, Edward said, "I am d you want to meet me."
"Honestly, I am just avoiding my annoying fellow students'' interrogation."
"... You really are interesting."
Edward chuckled merrily the entire time despite the rather disrespectful things Basil said from time to time as if he really enjoyed talking with Basil.
ncing to the young man walking beside him, Basil smirked faintly. Edward was really enjoying his talk with him despite how casual he treated him.
He wasn''t even surprised at that; he had known in advance that Edward was that kind of person. He had been an acquaintance with Edward in the past, and he had bantered more than once with him.
Edward didn''t like formality at all, so he had always been yful whenever he interacted with anyone. He would only get serious when the situation forced him to.
Although Edward wasn''t currently as blunt as he had been in Basil''s past life, Basil could still see the Edward he had known. He wa sure it because Edward was currently still a Royalty, so he was still careful about his mannerisms and all.
''Edward Enderheart Braxtein... The most promising sessor of the throne¡ªthe Prince whose Royalty status was stripped due to a ridiculous usation of having an illicit rtionship with his mother.''
Basil mused about the Edward he had known in his past life. Although he hadn''t been that close to Edward, he, at least, knew that Edward was a decent person¡ªenough to be hated by his brothers.
He had seen Edward do some questionable things when he was in the Army, butpared to what everyone had done in the Army by the order of the Kingdom, Edward was nothing but a good man.
"If my memory serves me right, you should be at BA-32 trying to conquer the Obelisk currently. Why are you here, Edward?"
"... Something happened, which is the thing that I want to talk with you." Edward mildly looked at Basil from the corner of his eyes. "Have you predicted we would never be able to conquer the Obelisk?"
"I am moved that you are admiring my intelligence, but please don''t even look at me in astonishment for this," Basil said calmly. "Anyone with enough history knowledge will know that once an Outbreak urs¡ª"
"¡ªa group of Fifth Circle Mages will never be able to conquer the Obelisk," Edward continued. Shaking his head bitterly, he said, "I said the same thing to Aaron before we departed to BA-32."
An Outbreak only ured when the Demons filled the entire space behind the Barrier of the Obelisk. An Outbreak would only ur when the Obelisk Master had deemed himself and his soldiers ready.
The main reason why Obelisk Masters decided to coop themselves up in the Obelisk was due to the battle of the past. Their fight with the Lord, and the talented humans had injured them greatly¡ªthey had to recuperate.
Conquering an Obelisk before the Outbreak equals to attacking the Obelisk Master while he was recuperating, which would make them easier to defeat. Attacking it in the middle of an Outbreak, however, was a different story.
Only Seventh Circle Mages and above had the qualification to conquer an Obelisk in the middle of an Outbreak, and even then, there was no guarantee that a group of Seventh Circle Mages could always win.
With that said, what Anthony had ordered his sons to do was ignorantly ridiculous. Basil didn''t know whether Anthony was really that stupid or he was just overestimating his sons¡ªit wasughable nheless.
"No one really knows what that old man is thinking..." Edward mused bitterly. "If he had ordered us to help here instead, we would have saved many valuable assets to the Kingdom."
"It''s ridiculous being a Royalty, isn''t it?" Basil smiled softly as he recalled one of Edward''s words that Edward used to say in his past life. "Competing in one''s house like a harlot thirsting for a client."
Edward immediately snorted in amusement upon hearing it, then burst outughing afterwards. Hisugh still sounded like a chuckle, but it was distinctly louder than the small chuckle he had let out before.
"You... You really are something, Basil." Edward shook his head in amusement. "I didn''t expect us to have so many things inmon. How can you even think like me?"
Smiling lightly, Basil said, "I am d you are not offended."
"People who have dignity shall never be offended." Edward smiled. "Nothing shall offend them if they have nothing to be ashamed of."
Basil and Edward stopped walking at the same time as they had arrived at the their destination. It was the only garden in Wisselton that was not that far from the city hall, which was a quiet ce where they could talk.
Turning to Basil, Edward seriously said, "I have been talking to you as Edward the human for the past minutes, and now I want to talk to you as the Fifth Prince of Braxtein Kingdom, Edward Enderheart Braxtein."
Extending his hand, Basil calmly said, "Temporary Head Commander Basil Pacifer greets you, Prince Edward."
"It''s a pleasure to finally meet you, Head Commander." Edward grasped Basil''s hand firmly.
As the others watched in astonishment and bewilderment at how quick the atmosphere between the two changed, uncaring to the people''s bewilderment, Edward discussed the matter he had been eager to address with Basil.
A few minutes passed with the Legion Commanders treated like air, and the discussion finally reached a conclusion. Edward was frowning however, so the Legion Commanders afraid things didn''t go as nned.
"Are you saying that you are going to abstain from this battle, Head Commander?"
"That is essentially what I am going to do."
"But... Why?" Edward looked at Basil weirdly. "You know what will happen if that abomination reaches here¡ªyour hometown!"
"My home is wherever my family is, Prince Edward. I appreciate your confidence in my capability as a warrior, however I also have priorities."
"Please, consider it once again, Head Commander," Edward begged politely. "Your victory against two High Grade Monsters in a day has been known by everyone. You are their light of hope¡ªtheir motivation!"
Edward was basically saying Basil''s absence would lower the moral of the soldiers, however Basil wasn''t having it.
"It is unfortunately a misunderstanding on your side, Prince Edward." Basil''s eyes sank down coldly. "I am not a Hero¡ªI am a human, who is selfish like everybody. No one can expect me to sacrifice my happiness for other people."
Edward tried to say something, but eventually shook his head. He couldn''t find anything to say that would be able to persuade Basil.
Basil had decided to not participate in the uing battle because he was going to fight in another battle, so he had no right to stop Basil. Doing so would be the same as viting one of the militaryws.
"I will leave themand to my Vice Commander, Iliana, so you can rest assure." Basil gazed to the direction where he could sense where Iliana was. "She might be not as strong as me, but she is more capable than you."
Edward blinked at Basil''s sure statement.
"You may make a great team with her, but do bear in mind, don''t get too close to her. I am saying this for your sake¡ªshe will put you into an infinitea if you do."
"... Does this mean you are going to join our battle at the end of the day?" Edward''s eyes lit up in tion. "You wouldn''t risk losing your precious girlfriend, would you?"
While smiling coldly, Basil patted Edward''s shoulder. "Of course, I would never want to risk losing her. I hope you are not the one endangering her though."
"D-Don''t worry¡ªI won''t." Edward sweated coldly as he looked into Basil''s eyes.
Without any prior discussion with Iliana, at that moment, Iliana was officially appointed as the temporary Temporary Head Commander as long as Basil spent his time fighting in Raneil Barony.
It was also decided that Royal Army stationed in Woster County would depart to BA-32 with the two Legions under Edward''s lead after having a strategy briefing with the 4,000 soldiers Edward was expecting to reach there in half an hour.
As the matter was settled, Basil left the garden to say his farewell to Iliana and the others. He then left to Raneil Barony without answering any of their questions.
Iliana couldn''t even chase after him this time as she was immediately summoned by the other Legion Commanders at the same time.
One thing for sure was, no one was amused with what Basil had done.
...
Fortescher County, Raneil Barony.
Chester was shivering coldly even though his body was hot due to running around Fortescher County for hours to get rid of his chaser. He failed however, since he could still said chaser''s presence.
"Darn it! Just who is this person chasing me?!"
Although his beloved student, Basil had basically given him the right to bring whoever chasing him with him to meet his family, Chester could never bring himself to risk endangering the life of Basil''s loved ones.
He had been trying to get rid of his chaser because of that, yet he had failed miserably, so he was mad at himself.
Left with no choice however, upon arriving right in front of the destroyed gate of the Barony, he eventually went inside without thinking.
He was extremely disgusted by the aura and the smell of the purple mist covering the Barony, but he soon did something that Basil had told him to do. Chanting a certain Spell under his breath, the mist immediately stopped bothering him.
"Oh, wow. I wonder if my beloved student is secretly the reincarnation of an ancient monster; everything he does has never ceased to make me afraid!"
Chuckling lightly to himself, Chester dashed as fast as his feet allowed him to. He had exhausted his Magic Circles, so he could no longer utilize Mana.
He was lucky he had trained his body to a certain extent, however still, his physical prowess unfortunately didn''t allow him to get away from his chaser. Halfway to Familia Hotel, his chaser managed to pinn him down to the ground.
Chapter 298 Early Encounter (3)
"Gah! W-Who are you?!" Chester frantically eximed as he was pinned to the ground.
"You don''t have any right to know me, Scum," answered the person who was pinning Chester to the ground.
"... A woman?"
Chester was slightly surprised as soon as he heard his soon to be killer''s voice. He didn''t feel the woman utilizing her Mana, but in spite of that, he still felt a great force pushing him down to the ground.
? He wouldn''t have thought any of it if she was a Knight, but since she was also a Mage like him, he was as amazed as he was embarrassed. He, after all, still couldn''t match her power despite the physical training he had undergone.
"Let go of me, woman. I won''t say a word to anyone about your master¡ªI swear!" Chester said as he was flipped over.
"I just want to be alive so¡ªwow... You are pretty." Chester was dumbfounded as soon as he saw the appearance of his soon to be killer.
She has a long, violet hair; a pair of clear, blue eyes; a delicate mole under her left eye that further amplified her charm; a fair skin tone; and a beautifully sharp chin. She was definitely one of the most beautiful women Chester had ever seen directly.
"Keep that word to yourself, Empire scum." The violet haired woman, Ione, scrunched her nose up in disgust. "Keep looking at me like that, and I''ll let you know how it feels having your eyeballs in your arse."
"... Now that I think about it, you are not as beautiful as I thought, ma''am," Chester politely said.
Ione clicked her tongue, then punched Chester''s chest, right on the ce where his heart was located at.
Crunch!
Chester held back an undignified scream as soon as his chest bone was broken. He gritted his teeth as he endured the pain, but he couldn''t help widening his eyes as soon as he found what had happened to his Magic Circles.
"W-What have you done?! I can''t ess my Magic Circles anymore!"
"To not even know such a thing¡ªas expected of an uneducated Empire scum." Ione scoffed in disdain. "I, for your information, have just sealed your Magic Circles, so I can y with you without worrying about you attacking me sneakily."
"I am not into that kind of y unfortunately." Chester looked at Ione''s cruel smile in horror.
Quickly losing the cruel smile on her face, Ione sighed lightly in exasperation. She knew Chester wasn''t purposely annoying her, but everything that hade out of his mouth so far had managed to annoy her.
She initially wanted to extract some information about the internal of Braxtein Kingdom from Chester by torturing him, but now that she had figured how annoying he was, she thought it would be better to perform a [Soul Scourge] on him.
Clenching her fist, she strongly punched Chester in his lower jaw. Chester couldn''t even flinch as her fist was so quick, he only realized he was being punched after he started feeling dizzy.
He only managed to blink his eyes for a couple of times to get rid of the stars he was seeing, before he went unconscious. Thest thing he had in his mind was, ''This type of woman is the reason why I don''t date.''
Smack!
Ione pped Chester''s cheek once to make sure he was really unconscious. Although she knew he was from the beginning, she just suddenly felt the urge to do it¡ªshe felt strangely offended.
"This man is not surrounded by many negative energy, but I still can''t spare this man ... Many of our own were killed by this type of man," Ione muttered bitterly as she looked at Chester.
She put her palm on Chester''s forehead, and was about to perform [Soul Scourge] when something fell out of his coat. It was a clear crystal sphere that was used as a media tomunicate by Mages¡ªa Visual Orb.
Wondering briefly why Chester would keep such a thing outside of his Spatial Bracelet, Ione then turned her attention away from it ... At least, until she noticed there was someone connected to the Visual Orb.
"I highly rmend you to not do anything that may do harm to that man."
"Who are you?"
Ione turned to the image projected by the Visual Orb, and quirked her delicate eyebrow. She could see an extremely attractive young man with a brown hair that was smiling faintly at her in the projection.
"Why don''t we know each other when we can meet directly?"
"Such a thing will never happen." Ione scoffed coldly. "The day we meet will be the day when I end your filthy life."
"You sound like someone from the Church." The young man in the projection lightly smiled. "It is very ironic considering your true identity, isn''t it, Ione?"
"..."
The moment the young man called her name, Ione''s eyes widened in shock. She had never told her name to anyone who was born in Braxtein except for Charles, the person who she hade to serve.
Even then, not even Charles knew who she really was. Basil, from how it looked, really knew who she really was, and therefore she couldn''t help clenching her fist in fury and slight fear.
She didn''t want to be exposed, because that would endanger all of the people who had raised her. They didn''t even know what she was currently doing, so she couldn''t afford to involve them in her problem.
"What do you want?" Ione said through gritted teeth.
"Take that man to the ce where the mist was originated from," the young man said calmly. "You will see many people fighting Demons around the ce, and in case they got cautious of you, you can say that Basil sent you there."
"Basil...?"
Receiving Ione''s puzzled look, the brown haired young man, who was none other than Basil smiled mysteriously. "That is my name¡ªBasil Pacifer."
As soon as he said that, Basil activated his Pacifer Seal. His eyes turned golden at the same time his Pacifer Seal glowed in gold¡ªhe looked more charismatic and regal than he already was.
"Thou lookest perplexed, youngdy."
"H-How...?!" Ione widened her eyes as if she had just seen something that should never happen. "Y-You... You are the¡ª"
"We shall talk when we meet," Basil interrupted. "I am aware thou art curious, however the time is not now." Motioning his hand towards Chester, he said, "Bring that man with thee, and expect mine arrival."
Ione was about to say something, but Basil immediately deactivated his Pacifer Seal and cut his connection to the Visual Orb. Ione''s face immediately turned sour, but a beautiful smile bloomed on her face not long after.
"Our hope for glory has been born..." Ione chuckled in disbelief. "It is unfortunate that I can''t talk with him now, but I should be patient for I will be able to meet him soon."
Ione''s heart beat faster in excitement. "I don''t know if he is the real deal, but I can already see the hope of our Pacifer n''s revival in his eyes ... In case he turns out to be a trickster, I, Ione Pacifer, will kill him myself."
As the light in Ione''s eyes sank down coldly, her Pacifer Seal appeared in the middle of her forehead. The Seal briefly shone in white, before disappearing in the next moment.
...
After walking for a couple of minutes towards the direction where she could feel the mist was originated from, Ione, while carrying Chester in her arms, could finally see Familia Hotel.
There were 20 people fighting with the Middle ss Demons outside the High Grade Mana Barrier covered hotel, just like what Basil had told her earlier. 6 amongst the people were the Knights of Hauler.
"They are already exhausted." Ione frowned. "Considering how weak they are however, I am not even surprised."
She unconsciously scoffed as she thought about how generally weak the people living under the Empire''s rule were.
She, of course, knew that the people of Pacifer n were different, but she still couldn''t help ridiculing them for howcking they werepared to everyone from Pacifer n from time to time.
"For Basil to protect the hotel this much, he must have something precious inside it," Ione mused. "To think that he let these people protect the hotel... He must have been left with no choice."
Extending her hand as she decided to lend a hand to the people protecting the hotel, Ione sent a Spell towards the Demons overwhelming the Knights of Hauler.
Her Spell shot towards the Demons like a sh, and upon contact with them, it immediately made them explode.
The Knights of Hauler were immediately perplexed the moment the bits of the Demons'' flesh hit them, and it didn''t take them long to turn to Ione.
"They can only notice me after such a direct approach?" Ione snorted in amusement. "Howughable."
Receiving the people''s cautious gaze, Ione strode confidently as if she was the owner of the world. Some of the Demons that noticed her presence came at her, but they were immediately obliterated before they even reached her.
Unlike when she was helping the Knights of Hauler however, she didn''t even extend her hand this time, thus creating an image of her being untouchable.
"Basil sent me here." Upon arriving right in front of Thompson, who she had correctly deduced as the leader, Ione gestured at Chester in her arms. "This man is important enough for Basil, so you shouldn''t waste my time, and let me in."
"... Who are you?" Thompson asked hesitantly. "You are beautiful, but if you are going to pose as Miss. Iliana, you look slightly older than her."
"Iliana, huh?" Ione quirked her eyebrow in interest. "Is this just a coincidence? There are so many things that make me feel curious now," she mused before throwing Chester at Thompson. "Just take him inside yourself."
"Wow wow¡ªcalm down,dy! I was just asking!" Thompson eximed after barely managing to prevent Chester from falling to the ground.
"I have told you that I was sent here by Basil¡ªyou don''t believe me, and I am sick of it." Ione waved her hand nonchntly. "You can take that man inside in my stead. I am going to fight some Demons until Basil arrives here."
Blinking his eyes at how simr Ione''s behaviour to Iliana''s and Basil''s, Thompson wondered if the three were somehow rted ... They were.
Chapter 299 Early Encounter (4)
Thompson and his party had been protecting Familia Hotel¡ªBasil''s family for six days. In other words, this was thest day they would stay in Raneil Barony.
The deal he had made with Basil only obligated his party to protect his family for six days, and whatever would happen to his family after six days wouldn''t be their responsibility.
Judging by the current situation however, Thompson was sure that something would definitely happen the moment he and his party left Raneil Barony¡ªhe was anxious because of this.
Up till now, six Shadows had lost their lives. The sh was getting more intense in each passing day, and it doesn''t show any sign of stopping anytime soon.
Thompson would even consider themselves lucky to be able to hold on this long, because the Middle ss Demons that grew up behind the Obelisk''s Barrier they were fighting really had an exceptional power.
If it wasn''t for the fact that they could coordinate well with the Shadows and the fact that Basil had really trained his Shadows well, they would have be natural fertilizer days ago.
"Mr. Chester! What happened to him?!"
"I don''t know, sir. One of Basil''s... Friends brought him here in that state."
"My son''s friend? Is he here¡ªBasil?!"
"Uhh... No, sir. He''ll be here soon however¡ªthat''s what thedy outside has said."
Thompson had just brought Chester inside after receiving said Mage from Ione, and he was immediately greeted by Danzel with worry. It also turned out that Danzel knew about Chester, so he heaved a sigh of relief at that.
He had slightly suspected Ione was just pretending to be someone who knew Basil, so he was d it wasn''t the case. With that said, he was amazed by Basil''s ability to attract beauties.
Shaking his head at the thought, Thompson said, "Anyway, sir, can I entrust this man to you? I still need to assist my party out there."
"Oh, of course! You can leave him to me," Danzel responded instantly. "I will bring Mr. Chester to his room myself. You can go and assist your party."
Nodding his head in appreciation, Thompson handed Chester over to Danzel. He excused himself, then went outside the hotel to fight again.
He was immediately surprised the moment he opened the door, because it was so quiet outside as if no one was fighting.
"What the heck?" He was immediately dumbfounded upon looking at the surrounding. "Where are all the Monsters?"
Every one of the Demons he was sure had been alive before he had entered Familia Hotel was now lying on the ground, either with their heart pierced or head blown away.
He couldn''t exactly tell what had just happened, however he knew who had possibly done it. Turning his head to a particr direction, he was immediately greeted by the person who he suspected to be the culprit of the Demons'' death.
"You have missed the party, Mr. Knight. All of the Demons are dead now."
"... Did you kill them all¡ªthe Monsters?"
Quirking her eyebrow in wonder, Ione mused, "Is that what you call them here¡ªMonsters? You lot really don''t know anything about the truth, don''t you?"
"Ah, are you perhaps religious?" Thompson asked carefully. "We are not followers of the Church, so we don''t address Monsters that way."
Ione immediately scoffed coldly at the mention of her being a follower of the Church¡ªthe notion was too ridiculous for her not to.
She knew it was just a misunderstanding on Thompson''s part, but she still couldn''t help staring at him coldly for a few seconds before turning her gaze away.
Staring at the Mist as if she was staring at a far away ce, she remained silent ever since. Thompson didn''t know if he had identally offended her, but he didn''t dare to bother thereafter.
"Yo, Thommy. What the heck is wrong with thatdy?" Steven asked as he approached Thompson. "She has helped us greatly, but she has almost killed us with her Spells!"
"So, she really did this by herself..." Thompson sighed in amazement.
"Under a minute too¡ªyou have to note that," Steven added. "I heard she is Basil''s friend. I am sure she wasn''t amongst the students whom we have met here, so I am really curious of who she actually is." He wiggled his eyebrows.
"We shouldn''t pry too much about Basil''s life," Thompson warned. "We all know how crafty he is... I don''t want to make an enemy of someone like him."
Upon recalling what had happened in the Death Howl and how Basil had led them to enter it the second time, Steven nodded his head seriously.
None of them knew what was Basil''s motive for doing all of that, but from how he had made them dance on his palm, not once but twice, was enough reason for them to not make an enemy of him.
"Let''s rest for a moment," Thompson said to his party members, who wereing at him. "We have only been sleeping 4 hours a day for the past 5 days, so let''s use this chance to rest. I don''t rmend you to sleep though."
All of the Knights of Hauler nodded their head silently at Thompson''s warning. None of them also wanted to sleep; they knew they wouldn''t be ready if things suddenly turned south, so they only wanted to sit down and rx their muscles.
They drank a lot of water to keep themselves hydrated, and also gulped down some pills of Crystal Clear that Basil had provided them to elerate their recuperation.
"You have a surprisingly good Alchemist," Ione suddenlymented.
"Woah! Please, don''t suddenly appear like that¡ªwe might mistake you as an enemy!"
As Ione had suddenly appeared amongst them, she really shocked them by her appearance. She didn''t think she had done something wrong however; she just shrugged at Thompson''s exmation.
"It is not my fault all of you are cowards." Ione even had the audacity to scoff in ridicule. "Rather than talking about that, what about telling me about this?"
Ione sat down beside Thompson, and took the pill of Crystal Clear Sylvia was about to gulp down, irking the owner of the pill greatly.
"Hey,dy! I don''t care how strong you are or who you are to Basil¡ªyou can''t just take whatever he has giv¡ª"
"[Paralyze]!"
Zap!
Sylvia couldn''t manage to finish her sentence as Ione electrocuted her with Lightning Magic that made her immediately fall to the ground and convulse for a few seconds.
She groaned after her body stopped convulsing, and that was the only thing she could do. She couldn''t talk, and when she tried to, all she could say was gibberish.
"Aw fwa''ng ill u, beuh!" (I''ll fucking kill you, bitch!)
"Sylvia, just... Just don''t talk," Effie said as she held herugh back. "W-We might not be able to hold ourselves back, if you do."
"Uwah uwah te''in bweau?!" (What are you talking about?!)
? "Pfft...! Just stop, Sylvia. None of us understands you!"
The eyes of every Knight of Hauler turned to Steven as soon as heughed, and it instantly silenced him. His face immediately turned ugly, however, since he could see them also holding back theirughter.
Harrumphing in annoyance, he stoppedughing ever since. He realized it wasn''t proper tough at a friend who was (somewhat) suffering, while he couldn''t do anything to help her.
"Where did you get this Catalyst?"
"We don''t know unfortunately," Thompson answered. "Basil just gave some Pills of it to us, and didn''t tell us how or where he got them."
"Hmm... Interesting," Ione muttered. "This is personally concocted, so that means he is the one who made it ... Amazing."
Thompson and the others looked at Ione in wonder as she stared at the pill of Crystal Clear she was holding in admiration. They couldn''t understand what made her so fascinated.
They got that Basil was amazing for being able to concoct a Catalyst by himself, but it wasn''t that amazing for them. They had, after all, seen much more amazing things Basil could do, so they weren''t as amazed as Ione.
"Can you tell me what kind of person Basil Pacifer is?"
"... If my memory serves me right, you should be¡ª"
"His spouse."
"No no no¡ªhis friend," Thompson corrected.
"So?" Ione quirked her eyebrow. "Am I not allowed to know how others view him?"
"That is not what I mean, I just¡ª"
"I just want to know things I might have missed about him, so you can tell me now."
"... Very well," Thompson said with a sigh. "I have to warn you in advance though, I am not as knowledgeable as his family about Basil, so you will only hear what I know about him."
Ione waved her hand as a gesture to tell Thompson to speak, and speak he did. She listened keenly to whatever Thompson said, but as she had expected, Thompson couldn''t satiate her curiosity about Basil.
The more she heard about Basil from Thompson, the more she was curious about Basil. He was just so mysterious, she wondered how much about him people had actually gotten right.
She also asked the other Knights of Hauler about their impression of Basil, and it ended the same¡ªshe became even more curious about Basil.
Basil might be seen as a "unique" individual by them, but unlike them, she could see Basil was doing something. She didn''t know what it was, but it was definitely something big¡ªsomething that might align with her interest.
"Ah, he has a family here?"
"Yes, an adoptive family. I heard he had abandoned his Noble family and thrown away his status of Nobility, because he finds sce in them."
It wasn''t until Ione had heard every Knight of Hauler''s impression of Basil¡ªexcept for Sylvia¡ªdid she remember about Basil''s family. Basil, after all, was a Pacifer, so she had initially thought they also wouldn''t know a thing about him.
Upon hearing how close Basil was actually with his adoptive family however, she immediately felt the need to inquire about Basil to his family.
"No wonder my ears are hot¡ªyou guys are talking about me."
Even before Ione stood up to meet Basil''s family though, Basil himself suddenly announced his presence.
"Hoh? Why do all of you look surprised?"
Their heart jumped out of their chest the moment they felt Basil''s overwhelming presence. Even Sylvia, who had been paralysed due to Ione''s Spell, could abruptly stand up to look at Basil, who was smiling faintly at them.
Chapter 300 Early Encounter (End)
Quirking his eyebrow at the people''s tense expression, Basil hummed to himself in wonder. He had announced his presence clearly because none of them could detect him even though he had been faintly exuding his Mana.
He had just wanted to not shock them by suddenly appearing amongst them, but contrary to what he had expected, announcing his presence had shocked them quite greatly.
Since there was a possibility that they were just shocked at the fact they couldn''t sense him until he announced presence, Basil immediately shrugged it off, and walked towards them with a smile.
They immediately stepped back the moment he did so, and that made him think what made them so cautious towards him.
Frowning lightly, he retracted all of his Mana and Qi. The moment he did so, the people rxed visibly, and that made him chuckle in amusement.
"Has the Monsters exhausted you that much¡ªyou can''t even recognize your ally?" Basil quirked his eyebrow. "Have you forgotten who your Master is?"
Ione and the Knights of Hauler blinked their eyes at those words, but they immediately realized those words weren''t directed at them in the next moment. Basil was addressing the Shadows kneeling respectfully behind him.
Kuzo, who was amongst the Shadows, pulled his hood down, and represented the others. "We were too overwhelmed by your presence¡ªwe thought you might be not the Master whom we have pledged our loyalty to."
"Is that your other way of saying that you can not believe your Master will ever move forward?" Basil smiled lightly.
"We never have the audacity to think like that, Master."
Snorting lightly, Basil said, "Take a rest. You lot are tired."
"We will!"
The exchange between Basil and Kuzo, who was representing the other Shadows happened without Basil facing Kuzo. He kept looking at the people in front of him, who were looking at him in wonder and silent amazement.
Basil had painted an image of someone who was only good by himself in their mind, but they were sure Basil had an amazing leadership. Despite so, upon seeing directly how Basil''s rtionship with his subordinates was, they couldn''t help sighing in admiration.
To possess such a charisma at such a young age¡ªto be able to instill such a respect in his subordinates, Basil was surely amazing.
"Now, you can also rx your muscles." Basil smiled at the Knights of Hauler and Ione. "I know you are surprised, but I am not your enemy¡ªyou can rest assured."
They immediately heaved a sigh of relief and sat back down on the ground as they rxed themselves. They looked at Basil with trust now, but none of them struck a conversation with him.
"I have been waiting for you."
... Except for Ione.
"It is a great pleasure to finally meet you." Ione put her hand on her chest, and lowered her head. "Now, can we talk privately?"
Basil silently gazed at Ione before nodding his head casually. "Let us go inside first." Turning to the Knights of Hauler, he said, "The next wave of Monsters wille in three hours, so you can use that time to rest."
The Knights of Hauler had actually been resting for two hours and a half. That was the time they had spent talking about Basil with Ione, and that was also the time Basil had used to reach Raneil Barony.
Ione, who knew how fast one could travel alone didn''t question how Basil could arrive there so quick, but if the Knights of Hauler knew how long it had taken Basil to arrive there, they would definitely be shocked.
Since they didn''t know anything about it, they were only shocked at the fact that Basil could know the next wave of Demons woulde in three hours. None of them questioned Basil; they knew his prediction would be right.
Everyone entered the hotel with Basil in lead. As soon as Basil opened the door, Danzel was seen standing not far away from him.
"You havee back, son." Danzel went to hug Basil.
"Don''t get your hopes up though¡ªI won''t be here for long."
"I know, my son is a busy person after all." Danzel smiled as he let go of his hug. "I have heard what you did in Woster County. I am proud of you."
"Good." Basil nodded his head lightly. "Being proud of me is the only thing you should do."
"I know you hate being called a Hero." Danzel smirked. "I hate my son being a Hero too, so I''ll never call you a Hero. Only idiots can be a Hero, and you are too smart to be one."
Chuckling lightly to themselves, the father and son duo bewildered the people behind them with what they had just talked about. They had never thought Danzel had such a Basil-like mindset.
"Greetings, father." Ione stepped forward and bowed politely at Danzel. "My name is Ione, your son''spanion."
"... Is this my second daughter-inw?" Danzel blinked his eyes.
"Ione is my childhood friend, who hase from a farawaynd to meet me," Basil lied as easy as breathing. "Our bond is indeed special, but still nowhere near as special as my bond with Iliana."
Danzel sighed in relief. "I am d, son." He patted Basil''s shoulder. "You are still too young to die after all."
Basil, who didn''t quite get what Danzel was talking about, blinked his eyes, and Danzel smiled lightly at that. Turning to Ione, Danzel nodded his head at her, but immediately felt dread as soon as he saw her brief mischievous smile.
"... You can call me Danzel, prettydy." Danzelughed awkwardly. "I hope you get along well with my son ... Not too well though¡ªhe''s already taken."
Basil blinked his eyes as he wondered what Danzel had been talking about, but immediately shrugged it off, since he knew what kind of a "unique duck" his surrogate father was.
"We will need a room," Basil said, shocking Danzel to the core. "Assign some maids to leave a few things to apany ourselves with."
"O-Okay... J-Just do it safely, okay?" Danzel stammered.
"I feel like you have misunderstood something, but I will let you entertain yourself with that fantasy a bit longer." Basil passed Danzel with Ione in tow. "Oh, tell Shirley and rissa to meet me in two hours."
Leaving not only Danzel but also the Knights of Hauler in misunderstanding, uncaring towards whatever they were thinking, Basil took Ione to the topmost floor.
...
Basil and Ione had entered one of the biggest rooms on the topmost floor of Familia Hotel¡ªBasil''s room. He had initially wanted to take Ione to the guest room, but his extreme paranoia made him worry that their conversation might somehow leak out.
Unlike his room, there was no Istion Rune Carved there after all, so he deemed his room the more proper ce to talk, which was why he had brought Ione there.
"Your adoptive father... He is an interactive person," Ione remarked as she sat herself down.
"There is a sofa here, in case you can''t see it, so you don''t have to sit on my bed," Basil responded calmly as he sat himself in the sofa in front of his king-sized bed.
Shrugging lightly, Ione smirked. "It will be my first time, but I prefer doing it in bed."
Quirking his eyebrow at Ione, Basil snorted in amusement at how simr her behaviour was with the Iliana he knew. It made him wonder if every woman of Pacifer would behave like that once they reached 24.
"Let''s cut to the chase." Basil waved his hand. "What is a Pacifer doing here?"
"Before I answer that, show me what you are capable of."
As soon as Ione smirked, she disappeared from Basil''s view. Basil merely quirked his eyebrow at that, and tilted his head to the side to dodge the dagger Ione was thrusting from behind.
Ione smirked at how nonchnt Basil was throughout the time, and decided to spice things up a little bit. Activating her Pacifer Seal, she infused a part of her soul into her dagger.
Her dagger trembled, and she swiftly swung it horizontally.
Swish!
The dagger made a white line in the air as it cut through Basil''s neck, and Ione was left disappointed at that. She, after all, hadn''t gotten that serious, so she didn''t expect Basil to lose that soon.
The moment she directly saw Basil, she could feel Basil was the real deal, thus why she had treated him politely. She, however, wanted to make sure if her judgement was right, and she was d she did.
Now, she knew her judgement was wrong, and Basil was nothing but a fraud.
"You should never let your guard down."
"How?!"
... At least, until she saw the Basil she had cut swayed like a screen of smoke being blown by air and heard his voice behind her.
She could also feel a prick on her back, right behind where her heart was located, and she was sure it was the work of a Mana Needle. That utterly amazed her, since not just anyone could have such an absurd control over their Mana to make it.
"Is this enough proof?" Basil asked as he dispersed his Mana Needle.
"Yes, that is enough." Ione turned around and bowed politely at Basil. "Pardon this one from her insolence, O the Fated Child."
"I have a name¡ªBasil. Address me as such." Basil frowned lightly.
"As you wish, Lord Basil," Ione answered respectfully as she raised her head. "Can you... Bless me, my Lord?"
Sighing lightly in exasperation at how Ione called him, Basil eventually nodded his head. He didn''t think he had earned the right to be called Lord¡ªhe was slightly ufortable with it, but he soon shrugged it off since it wasn''t his first time being called Lord.
Activating his Pacifer Seal in the next moment, Basil put his palm on top of Ione''s forehead as soon as his Seal glowed in gold. Looking into her eyes with his golden eyes, he gave his blessing.
"My blessing shall apany you."
Basked in Basil''s extraordinary Soul Power, Ione closed her eyes in awe and excitement. The Fated Child had been born, and he was right in front of her¡ªthere was no reason she shouldn''t be excited.
The glory of her n could be regained sooner than she had wished, and it was all thanks to her choice toe to Braxtein Kingdom. If it wasn''t for that, this earlier than she had ever wished encounter with Basil would never happen.
Chapter 301 Off The Course
"Ah... This feeling... How strange¡ªso different yet so familiar."
Basil slightly frowned at Ione, who was revelling in the sensation of being blessed by him. She had been moaning quite sensually for the pas 10 seconds, and Basil couldn''t help wondering if she was messing with him.
He had blessed Iliana more than once, after all, and she had never once reacted that way. She had revelled in the unique sensation too, but she had never shown the urge to let out some unique noises like Ione.
ng! ng!
Ione was awaken from her half dazed state at the sound, and Basil heaved a light sigh of exasperation as he deactivated his Pacifer Seal.
He had sensed that a person wasing since half a minute ago, and by the looks of it, said person had just jumped into a wrong conclusion. Turning to the door of his room, he waited for the person behind the door to enter.
He waited for a few seconds, but the person still didn''t show any intention to enter. Unwilling to waste anymore time, he walked to the door, opened it, and was greeted by Poppy''s horrified look.
A tray filled with foods had fallen to the floor, littering it with cutlery, some broken porcin tes, and, of course, well cooked delicacies.
"I-I-I am sorry! I-I didn''t mean to interrupt your p-p-perv¡ªprivate moment!" Poppy turned her body around to dash away as soon as she said this, but Basil caught her wrist, keeping her in her ce.
"This is a misunderstanding."
"N-No, don''t worry, young master. I won''t say a single word to your girlfriend!"
"It is fine even if you tell her¡ªthere was really nothing happened."
"A-A fiend!"
"... Do you want me to show you how an actual fiend behaves?" Basil''s eyes turned cold as he pulled Poppy closer. "I will make you cry in pain and ecstasy at the same time."
Eyes widened in horror, Poppy reflexively responded, "L-Let''s do it gently! I-I am not into hardcore!"
"..." Blinking his eyes in surprise, Basil let go of Poppy''s wrist. "I didn''t think you would really take it seriously ... I was just joking."
"..." Poppy turnedpletely red¡ªshe lost the courage to open her mouth.
"Whatever you are thinking we have done, you are definitely wrong." Ione stood right beside Basil as she looked at Poppy mischievously.
"Basil has just performed a Mana powered massage on me, and he is really good at it. I was just surprised, so I made some strange noises, which I believe aren''t that strange ... What do you think we were doing though?"
At this point, Poppy, who were not that clueless in this kind of matter, already figured that Basil and Ione were teasing her. Despite that however, she still couldn''t think of a perfecteback.
She didn''t know whether the two were lying or saying the truth, but judging from how eager they were to tease her, she was inclined to believe they were saying the truth. In other words, they didn''t do what she had thought they were doing.
"I-I will return with another batch of foods." Poppy bowed. "I will make sure to not spill all of them this time¡ªexcuse me!"
In the end, Poppy decided to be professional and acted as if what had happened didn''t happen at all. With face as t as the surface of a new sheet of paper, she walked away while ignoring Basil''s and Ione''s look of amusement.
Basil shook his head faintly in the next moment, then closed the door. Infusing his Mana into the Istion Runes he had Carved on the wall of his room, the Runes immediately created a Mana Barrier thatpletely isted them.
"We shall not be bothered any longer with this," Basil remarked as he retracted his Mana.
"What about your maid? Wouldn''t she be unable to enter your room this way?" Ione asked curiously.
"If you are that concerned about your stomach, I have a good news for you. I can take whatever Poppy brings us inside without opening the door."
Nodding her head in understanding, Ione then gazed at Basil suggestively. "Are you ning to do something to me, my Lord? Even if you didn''t iste us, I could keep it quiet, you know?"
"Quit yapping nonsense." Basil waved his hand with a light frown. "We are here to talk about why you are here, and some things about Pacifer n I should know about."
Quirking her eyebrow at how serious Basil was taking her words, Ione nodded her head lightly before sitting down on his bed. Basil sat down on the sofa right in front of his bed, and they stared at each other silently before Ione finally opened her mouth.
"My interest... Destroying the Empire for what they have done to our n is my interest," Ione said calmly with a hint of emotion. "I came here solely for the purpose of evoking chaos in Braxtein Kingdom."
"Is that why you joined Charles Blois?"
"... I was actually nning to do it myself, but that man just suddenly appeared in front of me out of nowhere." Ione frowned. "He is strong¡ªunebelievably so for someone who is not a Pacifer."
Basil lightly nodded his head at Ione''s statement. Although he had never fought that seriously with Charles in his past life, his first andst sh with Charles had made a strong impression on him.
Charles deserved his title of genius¡ªno, it was more proper to call him a monster. He really had an absurdprehension ability, which made his advancement in Magic second only to Basil.
Aside from the descendants of the Human Emperor, very few people outside Pacifer n could have such a talent, which was the reason why Charles could impress Ione.
"He is not that impressivepared to our n''s genius, but he managed to impress me at that time." Ione shrugged. "He asked me to join him after asking what I am going to do in Braxtein, and I epted his offer right away."
Genius as he might be,pared to the monsters of Pacifer, however, Charles was still nothing. This was also the reason why Charles had immediately retreated as soon as he figured how strong Basil was in the past.
He was, however, currently still stronger than Basil, so unlike in the past, Basil couldn''t afford to have a sh against Charles yet. It was also the case with Ione: she had been defeated by Charles, and that was the reason why she had joined him.
"What is that lunatic going to do?"
"I am actually not quite sure about it, but it has something to do with the Artefact buried in Southevile¡ªone of the Sacred Grounds," Ione said with a snort at the mention of the Sacred Grounds.
Basil didn''t know what Artefacts were buried there¡ªthere was also no mention about them in his past life, so he was curious to know. Asking the Guide for information, the Guide surprised him by giving him the information about each of the Artefacts.
"Do you have any idea about which Artefact he is interested in?"
"The one that requires the blood of 666 innocent virgins."
"Cursed Artefact: Red Coffin," Basil muttered with a frown. "That lunatic... Is he going to be a Warlock this soon?"
Warlock was a term used to call a male Mage who practiced Dark Magic. Warlocks were the equivalent of Witches, and all of them were hunted by every Mage and Knight in the world.
One only needed to know one Dark Spell or being seen casting a Dark Spell to be called a Warlock.
Dark Magic made one emit a sickening presence, and most of the time, the Spells required a sacrifice. They were easy to detect, which made finding Warlocks not hard at all.
With that being said, however, not every convicted Warlock was a Warlock. Some of them were Apostles, who practiced ck Magic, instead of Dark Magic¡ªthe difference between the two lies in the energy they used to fuel their Spells.
Warlocks¡ªDark Magic practitioners used their Mana and the Mana they had extracted from the people they and killed, meanwhile, Apostles¡ªck Magic practitioners used the Mana their Master, a Demon, provided them.
Both of the nature of their Mana was sickening, but only Apostles, who utilized Demonic Mana would suffer each time they cast a Spell. They were, after all, humans, so they wouldn''t be able to control the chaotic Demonic Mana.
Apostles were the loyal dogs of Demons, however due to their Magic nature, people confused them a lot with Warlocks, which was the reason why very few people knew they had just encountered an Apostle.
All of them just wanted to see the world burn, which was the reason why all of them joined the Demons: no matter how painful it was for them, as long as they could see everyone suffer, it was worth it.
"What kind of Artefact is that¡ªRed Coffin?" Ione asked, awakening Basil from his thought.
"It''s an Artefact that will amplify your regeneration speed by 10 times, and increase your life span by 1,000 years. It''s a really beneficial Artefact for an already strong individual."
"What is he going to use it for?"
,m "Taking over the whole world, obviously."
"Ambitious, isn''t he?" Ionemented with a small ridiculing sneer. "Still, it can actually happen, if we just let him be." She nced at Basil reverently. "Not that it''s going to happen¡ªwe already have you after all."
Basil put his hand up. "Sure as you may be in my identity as the Fated Child, I still don''t know much about it. I''ve heard some people recount the prophecy, but none of them exined to me what it takes to be the Fated Child."
"My Lord... Were you perhaps raised outside of the n?" Ione asked in bewilderment.
"That''s a little bitte to realize it, but yes." Basil nodded his head lightly. "I was raised outside of the n."
"Your mother¡ª"
"A former Maha Dmitra, Maya Pacifer."
Ione''s eyes widened in absolute shock as she eximed, "Then, the Iliana you have been mentioning about¡ª"
Boom!
Unfortunately, right before she managed to finish her sentence, something powerful hit the Barrier covering Familia Hotel. She and Basil immediately widened their eyes in surprise¡ªthey immediately looked outside through the window.
Standing just a few meters away from the hotel, there they saw someone they had never expected toe to Raneil Barony ... Charles Blois.
Chapter 302 Off The Course (2)
Charles looked at the hotel in front of him in interest and wondered, "How can a High Grade Barrier be used in this kind of ce?"
Raneil Barony was a rural area considering where it was located at. It was close to the Outer Region, which was a vastnd uninhabited by humans.
Surely, such a ce shouldn''t have a very great human source¡ªthey were far from the capital, and the education system was not as good¡ªso seeing a Mana Barrier of that caliber really surprised him.
Since he was sure no ordinary Mage could do that, the one who cast the Barrier must be, at least, someone at his level, which made him curious why such an individual spend their time here.
Looking up to look at the direction where he sensed someone looking at him, Charles saw a pair of familiar eyes looking at him through the window.
"There you are, Ione," he said casually. "I was worried you might have betrayed me, but you are just here chilling. I am d, but I am also disappointed since I have expected you to uphold work ethic."
Charles was smiling throughout the time, however he conveyed anything but good intentions. His eyes were as cold as a deep abyss as he looked into Ione''s eyes, as if he was saying she would have a painful death.
"Have you gotten our target?" Charles asked curiously. "No, before that, did you erect this Barrier?"
Ione just kept staring at him silently, and that made Charles slowly develop a frown on his face. Making a displeased face this time, he ordered Ione to get down and meet him.
"You insolent disciple,e down and greet your Master!"
Again, Ione didn''t say anything, but she did step away from the window, indicating she woulde down to meet him. Still frowning however, Charles wasn''t in the least bit amused.
He hade to the Raneil Barony as he wanted to make sure if Ione was fine. She had, after all, gone for a quite long time; although he believed she was capable enough to protect herself, he had been worried something might have really happened.
Chester was quite quirky, so he had thought Chester might have somehow gotten Ione. He couldn''t afford to lose Ione, his currently most precious asset, so he had immediatelye to Raneil Barony.
He had left the matters in Southevile to his remaining disciple for the sake of making sure Ione was fine, so he was greatly pissed when he found her chilling in the hotel as if nothing happened.
"You look... Fine, Ione." Charles looked at Ione up and down as soon as she got out of the hotel. "Something is slightly different from you, but I guess it is trivial enough to be ignored."
"What is different from me?" Ione asked neutrally.
"Your mood¡ªit''s not as heavy as it used to." Charles frowned lightly. "Have you finally released your frustration? Did you do it with Chester?"
"What are you talking about?" Ione scrunched up her nose in annoyance. "I thought you were not a pervert."
"I am not," Charles vehemently denied. "I am just a little sad that I couldn''t help my beautiful disciple to release her sexual frustration. Of course, I won''t deny this desire to help is tainted with my lust over you."
Ione clicked her tongue at Charles'' words. This wasn''t her first time of hearing theme out of his mouth, and she still couldn''t tell whether he was serious or joking; his expression was too nd to indicate anything.
"That is just your misunderstanding." Ione waved her hand in denial. "I will never give my virginity away to some stranger I don''t even adore."
Charles immediately nodded his head in understanding. Ione was that type of person; she had even rejected to perform the Secret Art he had created to increase the amount of her Magic Circle through sexual intercourse.
She really held her principle to her heart even though she had many things waiting for her if she let go of that principle.
Unlike his other disciples who, despite being male, still had chosen to have a sexual intercourse with him to obtain their extra Magic Circles, Ione wasn''t interested in it in the slightest. This was what made her special.
Other than that was also the fact she had obtained the right to be not marked with his ve Mark. Unlike his other disciples, whom he had branded with a ve Mark so he could control thempletely, Ione didn''t have it.
She was his only disciple who had joined him willingly, and the only disciple he couldn''t control. She was his only disciple, whom he couldn''t prevent from betraying him.
He had still given her the right to not be marketed nheless, because he was sure, despite being a loose cannon, her interest was still aligned with his.
He also knew who she really was, and how much hatred she held towards the Empire, so it greatly diminished the risk of her betraying him. With how she had been behaving for the past minute however, he started to doubt her.
"Did you cast this Magic Barrier?"
"No."
"Who did then?"
"The owner of this hotel."
"Who he might be?"
Instead of answering, Ione stepped aside, and let Charles see the person behind her. She was, after all, 2 centimeters taller than Charles, so he wouldn''t be able to see who was behind her if she didn''t do that.
"Oh... You are..."
Upon seeing the person who had been obstructed by Ione''s body, Charles frowned lightly as he found the face of the person familiar. The person was an extremely attractive brown haired young man, who had a quite overbearing demeanor.
Sitting in the impressive earthen throne, which he had built himself, the young man, who was none other than Basil stared at Charles silently. His left fist was supporting his left cheek, making it apparent that he was bored.
"It''s the Hero of Woster, isn''t it?" Charles smiled. "I have heard that you left Woster County to go to BA-32 in advance¡ªit''s a surprise meeting you here ... Basil Pacifer."
Charles emphasized the ''Pacifer,'' and it made Ione slightly tremble in worry. She, after all, was sure the only thing Charles knew about her was her name¡ªhe was clueless of her identity as a Pacifer.
Charles noticed Ione''s slight tremble, and it made him grin sadistically ... At least, until he saw Basil''s unperturbed expression.
"Do you perhaps have any business here, Charles?" Basil asked calmly.
"I do¡ªI want to bring back my disciple, and pick up my soon-to-be disciple."
"Hmph! Your obsession towards your disciples is just as the same as ever." Basil smirked as he leaned his body to the back. "Here is a little information: no matter how many you have, none of them will call you brother."
"You should shut your hole, Pacifer." Charles'' eyes turned murderous.
Being stared with such intensity by Charles made Basil chuckle in amusement. He didn''t expect Charles to get riled up that quick.
''I guess it''s because I said it sooner than it should,'' Basil mused. ''It has only been ten years since that day after all¡ªthe wound hasn''t been closed yet.''
The day Basil was referring to was the day where Charles murdered his entire family, obliterating the entire Blois family in a night. It was the day when Charles lost his little sister¡ªhis first and most unforgettable disciple.
Standing up from his throne, Basil opened his mouth. "Born as a genius¡ªyour parents had high hopes on you. You didn''t disappoint them, but your sister unfortunately did."
"You don''t know what you are talking about, Pacifer."
"Shut it, Blois! I know what I am talking about." Basil waved his hand with a frown. "Let me finish recounting my story ... Born as a normal human, unlike you, your sister wasn''t as loved."
Basil made a sardonic smile. "Thinking that simply having Magic Circles would make your parents lover her, you tried finding a way to make her posses Magic Circles. Learning Dark Magic, you found a way to."
"This motherfucker really has ways with words, doesn''t he?" Charles said as he clenched his fist tightly.
"Shush! Here is the interesting part, Blois!" Basil eximed. "You found a Secret Art that allows one to have an extra Magic Circle by simply having a sexual intercourse with someone who has more Magic Circles than oneself."
Sneering disdainfully, Basil continued, "Guess what? You wooed your sister to perform the Secret Art with the hope of having a Magic Circle¡ªyou did it, sisterfucker!"
"Pacifer!" Charles summoned his Grimoire, and flipped it open. "Stop, and you shall live¡ªkeep going, and taste death!"
"Intoxicated with the feeling of gaining power through a quick method, your sister kept begging you to perform the Secret Art in every chance she got. You refused, but your love of your sister was so strong, you couldn''t bring yourself to keep refusing her."
At this point, Charles was so enraged, he was casting the most destructive Spell he had in his Grimoire. A sickening pressure overwhelmed the air¡ªit even made Ione to retreat behind Basil.
"My Lord, I suggest you to not rile Charles up any further. When he is mad, he¡ª"
"The stronger she became¡ªthe more suspicious your parents became everyday. She became your most precious disciple, however it ended the moment your father found out the truth."
Uncaring to Ione''s warning, Basil kept recounting about Charles'' past calmly. He even had a small smirk that indicated how ted he was with the situation; in spite of the overwhelming, sickening aura pressing down on him.
"Ashamed of the illicit rtionship his children had with each other, your father decided to erase one of them ... He, however, surprised you by choosing you¡ªhe wanted to end your life, the genius of Blois family!"
Chuckling in amusement, Basilmented loudly, "Ah, this is unfair. Why shall I, a genius should be killed for what my genital has led me to do? Why doesn''t father just kill this useless meat of a sister ... Oh, wait? Why don''t I just kill them all?"
"DIE, YOU BASTARD!"
Charles'' Spell was ready as soon as Basil finished acting out the exaggerated part of Charles'' decision to kill his family. Charles needed only a blink of an eye to obliterate Basil, but Basil still kept his calm in spite of that.
In fact, he even walked closer towards Charles, as if he was weing his death. Ione shouted in bewilderment at Basil, but he paid no heed to her suggestion to go back.
Just as Charles was about tounch his Spell¡ªjust as Ione thought Basil would be a goner, Charles was suddenly knocked out cold.
At that, Basil''s smirk got wider.
Chapter 303 Off The Course (3)
The previously sickening pressure overwhelming the air instantly vanished the moment Charles lost his consciousness. At least, that was how he looked currently with his eyes rolling into the back of his head.
The only thing one would see when one looked into his eyes was the white part. He still stood strongly however, so it made him unnecessarily more eerie than he already was.
"What happened...?" Ione wondered as she looked at the scene in front of her. "Why did he suddenly stop?"
Turning to Basil, who was gradually eliminating the distance between himself and Charles with his right hand extended, she immediately concluded that Basil was the cause of the phenomenon.
She immediately sighed in admiration, since that means, everything that had led to this point had all been nned by Basil. She didn''t actually know what Basil had actually done to Charles, but it didn''t stop her from admiring.
On the other side, Basil, although he looked extremely calm outside, was actually walking on a tightrope. He was, after all, performing one of the most burdensome Pacifer Arts that he had just learnt¡ªit was hard to maintain it.
Said Art relied on one''s carelessness in guarding one''s consciousness to work. It was an Art that allowed the user to momentarily take over the soul of the person whom the Art was used on.
There were still some conditions that needed to be fulfilled, of course, and the most important of all was, creating a situation where the soul was unprotected.
Creating such a situation was very hard if one''s opponent was a Pacifer¡ªall of them practiced a special Art to guard their soul¡ªbut luckily, Basil was fighting against Charles, so he didn''t encounter any problem at all.
Of course, it hadn''t been as easy as it sounded. Although Charles didn''t practice any Art to guard his soul, his body still had a defense mechanism that guarded his soul whenever it sensed a danger to his soul.
It was not that hard to breach¡ªBasil was a Pacifer, thus capable of such¡ªhowever, Basil had refused to use such a direct approach. Charles was, after all, smart enough to figure out the way to defend his soul the moment he knew it was being attacked.
With that reason, Basil decided to create a situation where Charles'' body unconsciously dropped its guard down over his soul.
As one might have already known, body and soul are different yet inseparable. The moment the soul is separated from the body, one will lose one''s right to live.
One''s soul and one''s body is connected by one''s mind. The stronger one''s mind is, the stronger one''s soul, which also makes the vessel¡ªthe body stronger.
One''s mind is the only way for the soul tomunicate with one''s body¡ªit shows how beautiful and ugly one''s soul is. Without it, the body will inly move like a machine as the soul can''tmunicate with the body to give it some colours.
Going by that knowledge that he had also gotten from his mother, Basil riled Charles up so he could destabilised Charles'' mental state. He seeded, and because of that, the link between Charles'' body and soul was weakened.
Charles'' soul was prone to any attack at that point, and that was when Basil had used the Art on him. [Soul Confinement]¡ªthe Pacifer art that allowed one to gain a full control over another''s soul.
"Tsk... He is really hard to control, isn''t he?" Basil muttered under his breath.
Basil might look like he was just making a dramatic walk. In truth however, he was doing his best to prevent Charles'' soul from regaining his control over his body.
Basil was reluctant to activate his Pacifer Seal, so performing the Art was three times harder than it already was. He really wanted to activate his Pacifer Seal there and then, yet he was afraid the slightly different him would do something he didn''t want.
He noticed he always had a change of demeanor the moment he activated his Pacifer Seal. He became softer yet as fierce, and morepassionate yet as merciless.
He wouldn''t be concerned about it if he didn''t have a Fragment attached to his soul, but he had¡ªthe moment he activated his Pacifer Seal, his soul''s connection with the Fragment strengthened. That always made him feel like he wasn''t himself.
It was hard for him to actually describe how he felt during the activation of his Pacifer Seal. He could still think clearly enough to know he wasn''t himself, but he was reluctant to behave like usual despite so.
Nheless, he didn''t want to risk letting go of Charles because of that.
"... All right, let us see what he has in his mind."
Basil sighed lightly in relief upon arriving right in front of Charles. He immediately put his right hand on Charles'' forehead, and closed his eyes in the next moment.
He was performing the next step of the Art after breaking the connection between the soul and the body, which was invading the Mindscape.
Basil slowly poured his consciousness into Charles'' mind, and the moment he opened his eyes, he was already in a different world¡ªCharles'' Mindscape. It was a in, nk, white space with two flowers covered graves in the distance.
Basil was actually curious about how beautiful the graves up close, but he immediately turned his gaze away from them as there was something, or rather, someone that attracted his interest more.
"Pacifer... It''s your doing, isn''t it?!"
Turning to the left, Basil could see Charles being crucified. All of his limbs were nailed to the cross, whereas his neck was tied to it with a chain.
Charles didn''t look happy if his red face was any indication¡ªwho would be happy being in such a state in one''s own Mindscape anyway?
Instead of paying attention to how enraged Charles was, Basil quirked his eyebrow at the shackle on Charles.
Since [Soul Confinement] didn''t specify a certain kind of shackle on the soul, depending on how the Mindscapeprehended it, it would be different for everyone. Mindscape, after all, aligned with the way the owner saw things.
Considering Charles'' personality, Basil had never expected him to choose crucifixion as his shackle. He had thought it would be a room filled with Sealing Runes, due to Charles'' love of Magic.
What made Basil quirk his eyebrow, though, was the irony; he had just seen his mother crucified a few days ago, but now there he was crucifying someone. It was just ironic to think that he would do what his abhorred enemy had done.
"Is it fun to be here?" Basil asked with a quirked eyebrow.
"Fuck you!" Charles growled.
Basil smirked at how "fiery" the current Charles was. In his past life, the Charles he knew hardly even reacted when something didn''t go as he wanted, nor was he as sensitive as the current Charles.
It might be because of the fact that the Charles Basil had known in his past life was already an experienced man¡ªhe was in histe forties¡ªbut it still amused him how "immature" the current Charles was.
Comparing how the current Charles behaved and how the Charles he knew had behaved made him doubt if they were indeed the same person. He knew they were¡ªstill, it was amusing.
"I will wipe that smirk off your face once I regain my control over my Mindscape!"
"Oh, you know that it is your Mindscape? Interesting!" Basilmented. "Those two graves... They are your mother''s and sister''s, aren''t they?"
Charles'' eyes turned cold as he looked at Basil, and Basil merely smirked at that. He had hit another one of Charles'' nerves, and it was amusing to look how easily triggered Charles was.
Besides that, there was also the fact that the shackle on Charles was getting stronger, which in other words, Basil''s hold on his soul had gotten firmer¡ªhe couldn''t help smirking at that. It was too easy to make Charles dance on his palm.
Thinking of a great idea, Basil decided to rile Charles up to further fortify his hold over Charles'' soul.
"You know, I actually know what exactly happened that day," Basil whispered into Charles'' ears. "Rather than you, the problem was your father, wasn''t it? I mean, it was technically you, but your father was the reason why you lost everything, wasn''t he?"
"Shut your hole, Pacifer! What do you know about me?" Charles retorted spitefully. "The truth shall be buried with me¡ªno one will ever know what really happened that day."
"Oh, I know more than you think," Basil remarked yfully. "It was, after all, a simple story of a father''s jealousy towards his genius son''s sess that eventually drove the son into the wrong way."
Widening his eyes in shock, Charles thought hardly how Basil could know what had actually happened on the day of Blois Family''s disappearance.
He hadn''t heard theplete story from Basil yet, but Basil had summed it up correctly. He needed to only hear that to know that Basil really knew what had happened that day.
"Redford Blois, known as a good man by all of his fellows, was actually a narcissist. He had an abnormal thirst for fame¡ªhe even wanted to kill his son just so his son''s fame didn''t exceed his."
"Stop while you still can, Pacifer."
Charles looked at Basil with face bereft of any expression, however Basil could see from his eyes, Charles was secretly begging for him to stop. Paying no mind to it, of course, he kept talking.
"The day he figured out his son practiced Dark Magic, he used it as a chance to taint his son''s name ... He tried to. He failed miserably however, because his son managed to cast a mind controlling Spell on him..."
Curiosity was the cause why Charles didn''t prevent the problem, which he had known could possibly happen, from happening that day. He had turned his father into an experiment subject, and it cost him his family.
A failed Dark Spell had caused Charles'' father, Redford to lose his mind, which in turn made him do things he would never do. He had raped her sole daughter and killed his wife, all the while his son was watching.
Charles could do nothing to stop his father¡ªhe could, but he was too curious to see what his failed Spell would do to a person. He only killed his father after his father killed his sister, and that was how Blois family actually disappeared.
Finding himself ridden with guilt when everything had ended, to erase it, Charles fabricated a story painting him in a bad light, which he would spread in the next 10 years.
It was a story about how he killed his entire family because of his father''s choice to punish him after finding out his illicit rtionship with his sister.
Chapter 304 Off The Course (4)
Weird as it was¡ªthe way Charles quelled his guilt¡ªone couldn''t expect less from someone like him. No one could ever know the way he thought things.
Not even Basil, who had heard many things about Charles in his past life, could exactly tell how he thought. Charles was aplicated and secretive individual¡ªlike Basil himself, it wasn''t easy to figure him out.
"How... Did you know about it?" Charles spoke with difficulty as the chain tying his neck to the cross had been tightened. "There should be not a single person know about it."
Giving Charles a faint smile, Basil said, "I can''t tell you how I know it¡ªwe all have secrets, don''t we?"
Although Basil had heard many things about Charles in his past life, he didn''t actually know about what had really happened on the Blois Family''s disappearance. He had only figured it out after he asked the Guide about it.
Charles was a good liar and a great thinker. The lie he had fabricated, which he had spread in Basil''s past life had managed to convince everyone it was the truth.
If it wasn''t for the fact that Basil had the Guide with him, he would likely never find out about it.
The truth didn''t actually matter to Basil, but the fact that Charles had managed to fool him for years was something that amazed him.
"What are you actually aiming for?" Charles asked through difficulty.
"Reading your mind," Basil answered simply.
Charlesughed in disbelief at Basil''s answer, but his eyes immediately widened the moment Basil put his hand on his forehead. As soon as he felt lightheaded, he could tell Basil was going to steal informations from his mind.
Charles tried his best to prevent Basil from doing to no avail. He was alreadypletely under Basil''s grasp and he was panicking¡ªhe couldn''t find a way out of his situation.
Basil only looked at that Charles in silent amusement. He wondered how long it would take Charles to realize the more panicked he became the stronger his grasp on his soul.
Just like how different Ilianapared to the Iliana he had known in his past life, this Charles was more ipetent than the Charles he had known. If it was the Charles he had known, he would have figured out the way to get out of his predicament by now.
Since that wasn''t the case however, Basil could finallypletely take over Charles'' soul. His hand that was touching Charles'' forehead shone, and Charles'' eyes immediately rolled to the back of his head.
Informations about what Charles was nning and going to do flowed into Basil''s brain in the next moment. He, however, didn''t focus on each of the informations; he just focused on absorbing as many informations as he could.
He couldn''t pay any attention to a specific information, otherwise he would risk losing his control over Charles'' soul. Despite so, he could already draw the outline of Charles'' ns in his head.
Undoubtedly, it wasn''t pretty.
Boom!
"Let go of me, Pacifer!"
Unfortunately, Basil''splete control over Charles'' soul didn''tst more than a minute. Proving himself to be the genius people hailed him as, he had found the way to get out of Basil''s grasp.
He slowly regained his control over his soul, making Basil click his tongue bitterly.
"I will kill you, Pacifer!"
"Hmph! Don''t keep entertaining yourself with delusion¡ªit''s bad for your mental."
After half a minute of power struggle, Basil finally decided to let go of him, thus releasing him from his shackle.
Charles charged at Basil with killing intent, but Basil didn''t even flinch at that. In fact, he was sneering at Charles, who was really sure that he would be able to somehow hurt him.
Though not as experienced as most older Pacifer yet, in terms of handling soul, Basil was still better than Charles. Because of this, just as Charles reached him, he simply extended his hand to st Charles away.
Charles, undoubtedly, didn''t expect that to happen at all, so he was really surprised when he suddenly found his vision tilted upwards. Rolling on the ground once, he regained his footing in the next moment.
"This bastard..."
At that point, however, Basil''s body had already half faded from his Mindscape¡ªBasil was getting out of his Mindscape.
Immediately expelling his consciousness out of his Mindscape as he worried what Basil might do to his body outside, he was greeted with surprise the moment he opened his eyes.
Swish!
Charles'' eyes widened the moment a needle wheezed pass him, scratching his cheek in the process. He was intelligent enough to know that Basil didn''t actually miss, but had just done something more dangerous to his body.
Gulping his nervousness down as he looked at Basil calmly, he touched his bleeding cheek. As he had expected, he couldn''t feel the area where the cheek was bleeding as half of his face was gradually bing numb.
"Three hours... You can try concocting the antidote in three hours," Basil said with a smirk.
Charles couldn''t speak¡ªhe couldn''t move half of his face, so he relied on Magic to open his mouth. "Do you think a simple [Purification] can''t solve the problem?"
Charles really wanted to smirk, but he couldn''t. Therefore, the only thing he could do was staring at Basil with as much ridicule as his eyes could convey.
Basil gave him a contemptuous snort instead, which made his eyes instantly turn rigid. "Do you think someone like me will use a simple poison on a Mage like you? Cast [Purification], and see what will happen." Basil sneered.
Sneakily casting [Purification] to see what Basil was talking about, Charles immediately found the more he used his Mana, the more the poison spread. Proving his thought wrong, the poison wasn''t in his bloodstream, but in his Mana.
[Purification], which was a Spell that allowed one''s Mana to neutralize the poison in one''s body, could never be able to neutralize the poison in his Mana.
He needed to even fuel the Spell with his poisoned Mana, which means casting it would further endanger his life.
"Let us meet again, Basil Pacifer..."
Swallowing his pride down, Charles took the humiliation, and turned his back on Basil. Casting a Motion Spell, he immediately disappeared into the purple mist surrounding the hotel.
Basil didn''t chase after Charles nor did he have any intention to do so. He merely looked at the direction Charles had disappeared to silently with a faint smile of amusement.
Ione approached Basil, and politely asked, "My Lord, should I chase after him?"
"No, you don''t have to." Basil shook his head faintly. "He is more than capable topletely obliterate you, which is also the reason why I don''t bother to chase after him."
"... Even though he is having a Mana poisoning?" Ione quirked her eyebrow in wonder and astonishment.
"That guy is quirky. He won''t even think think twice to blow himself up as long as it means he can take his enemy down with him."
Basil lightly huffed. "Of course, I could still survive if it happened, but there is no need to bother myself with an unnecessary problem that could easily be avoided."
For the current Basil, fighting Charles and won, unless there was a certain catch to it, would be simply impossible. Charles had many things under his sleeves that he could use against Basil, and it was troublesome for Basil.
Basil could risk it all and bet his life on the line to y Charles, however he didn''t dare to because his family was nearby. He didn''t want to get them involved in his fight, and lose them like how he had lost Irene.
This was the reason why he had refused to engage in a confrontational battle against Charles and used poison instead. That was the only way he could think of to shoo Charles away for the time being.
Nodding her head silently in agreement, Ione stopped speaking. She turned around the moment Basil turned his body around, and they were greeted by Basil''s worried family standing in front of the door and the nervous Knights of Hauler surrounding them.
Basil walked calmly towards them as if nothing had happened, and it instantly calmed the people down. He didn''t say anything yet, but from how light the mood he was exuding, they could tell he had gotten everything under control.
"I guess everything is fine?" Danzel quirked one of his eyebrows.
"Indeed."
"That man... He is Charles Blois, isn''t he?"
Quirking his eyebrow in interest, Basil asked, "How could you know about him?"
He, after all, had isted the area around him when he was talking to Charles, so no one other than Ione should be able to hear their conversation¡ªDanzel shouldn''t know who Charles was.
"I met him once when I just became a Knight," Danzel said offhandedly. "He was around 12 at that time, and still had no fame. That was the first andst time I saw him directly, but I can still recognize him even though he is a lot older now."
"Hoh? I didn''t know about that¡ªI thought you had told all of your stories of journey to me." Basil lightly smiled.
"Well, I am already old." Danzel waved his hand mildly. "Such a trivial encounter with a criminal isn''t that memorable to me."
"... Aren''t you going to ask why he showed up here and what kind of business he has with me?"
"Nah, I won''t." Again, Danzel waved his hand. "I have learned through time that the best thing I can do for you is to believe in you." Putting his hand on Basil''s shoulder he continued, "You''ll always make it like usual, won''t you?"
Danzel nced briefly at Ione before giving Basil a smirk. Ione noticed the slight cautiousness in Danzel''s gaze, but she acted as if she didn''t notice it.
She understood Danzel''s worry, and she didn''t me him at all. Charles'' visit to Raneil Barony was, after all, caused by her.
"How long are you going to stay here, Brother?" Shirley asked when she found it appropriate to.
"Yeah, we haven''t talked to each other for two months now," rissa added.
"Why don''t we spend some time to catch up to each other then, Senior?" Julia suggested.
Basil wouldn''t normally pay attention to what they said and told them to wait for a little bit longer, however he needed to sort the informations he had just extracted from Charles'' memory¡ªheplied to their request.
Charles was nning to do something ambitious, and he needed to think a way to prevent it from happening.
Chapter 305 Off The Course (5)
A few moments before Basil confronted Charles¡ªjust as he arrived at Raneil Barony, Iliana and the other Legion Commanders who hadbined forces with the Legions under Edward''s lead arrived at BA-32.
Edward was the one who had concocted the counterattack strategy, so everyone let him, rightfully, lead the army.
Iliana and the six Legion Commanders who had been stationed in Woster County actually led and brought more people than Edward with them, but none of them was willing to lead the army even though they had the qualification to.
All of them, knowing that Basil woulde join them soon (ording to Edward), were reluctant tomand the army because they didn''t want to mess the situation up.
They preferred letting Edward lead the army ording to his strategy rather than leading their soldiers independently and risked causing trouble for Basil when he took over.
Edward had also proven himself to be a capable enough leader, so they deemed entrusting their life to him was worth a try ... At least, that was the case for the six Legion Commanders and the others.
Iliana, who only believed in herself and her friends that were no different from her family, didn''t feel the need to entrust her life to anyone.
She had dered her intention well: she would move independently and leave the soldiers she should lead following the strategy. No one could say anything, because she did fight more effectively alone.
"Well, they look like that random feces on the ground you identally step on on a beautiful Sunday morning."
"... What does that even mean, Miss. Iliana?"
"Losers that one doesn''t even bother to trample on."
Edward coughed in astonishment and slight amusement at Iliana''s bluntness. She had justmented about how the other Princes looked while fighting against Goap.
Insulting a Royalty actually had a sanction. Since it was in the battlefield however, such a thing didn''t exist; except for the King, everyone was equal in the battlefield, which was why Basil had casually called Edward only by his name.
Looking at the state of his brothers, Edward actually agreed with Iliana. They were really close to be defeated¡ªit was actually amazing how they could survive for such a long time in that state.
The Mass Formation they were using looked strong, however it was apparent from how small the amount of people inside, everyone was already exhausted from sustaining it.
At this point, Goap killing all of them at once was just a matter of time.
"How should we proceed, Edward?"
"I ... Honestly don''t know." Edward smiled bitterly at the situation¡ªnot at the fact Iliana had just called him by his name. "They arepletely surrounded by Monsters¡ªsuddenly barging in will risk injuring them too."
"What about targeting that bastard instead." Iliana pointed at Goap. "I can easily tell he is the biggest trouble here."
"You are absolutely correct¡ªhe is also the guy who teleported us directly to Woster County." Edward nodded lightly. "With that said, going for that guy is..."
Edward''s eyes widened in absolute shock as he turned his head to the side. Iliana, who was supposed to be by his side, had instructed Deacon, her mighty King Saberwolf mount, to run straight towards Goap.
The previously 3 meters tall Deacon had also assumed his true form, which made him as tall as 6 meters. He ran unbelievably quick for his size, but his big size attracted everyone''s attention.
Goap even turned his attention away from the four Princes and their army he was fighting to Deacon running at him. He looked amused if the faint smile on his face was any indication¡ªthat was not a good news.
"Follow our Goddess! Charge!"
"Uwoohh!"
Edward became even more bewildered the moment the Legion Commanders who had fought in Woster County instructed their soldiers to charge as soon as they saw Iliana dash towards Goap.
He had thought all of them had fully entrusted theirmanding right to him, so he didn''t expect them to suddenly move independently like that.
"Has Basil''s girlfriend created a new sect or something?" Edward remarked in astonishment as he saw the others catching up to Iliana. "Or did she be a Goddess after Basil imed himself to be a God?"
Edward and his soldiers were the only people that hadn''t moved yet. Although they were actually the ones that were right, they couldn''t help feeling wrong because of that.
Sighing helplessly in the next moment, taking a quick decision as he made a change to his original n, Edward eventually ordered his soldiers to charge. Like the Legion Commanders, he lead them in the front.
Watching in anticipation as Iliana quickly eliminated the distance between her and Goap, Edward gulped nervously as soon as Goap turned his attention to Iliana. His heart tightened even though he wasn''t the one who was going to face Goap.
His heart was telling him that something was going to happen, and it wasn''t a good thing.
"Darn it! I have to save those four dumbarses quickly. I can''t afford to let anything happen to Iliana, or else Basil is going to kill me the next time we meet." Shaking his head to clear the bad thoughts off, Edward urged his horse to gallop faster.
While Edward was worrying about Iliana''s survival, the person herself, who was just a few meters away from Goap, was admiring how powerful Goap''s presence was. She wasn''t, in the least bit, worried about her survival.
She knew she was well outssed, however, her confidence in her ability made her sure, even though she had to sacrifice her limbs, she would be able to survive her fight against Goap.
She hoped, however, Goap would y around with her, so she wouldn''t have to really put her life on the line. Her reason for choosing to engage in a battle against Goap was to distract him after all.
The goal of the operation was clear¡ªit was to rescue the four idiotic Princes¡ªso she would only hold Goap off until they managed to reach the Princes, which she was sure shouldn''t take that long.
"We''ll survive a couple of strikes, won''t we?" Iliana eximed.
"We sure will, Mom!" Deacon answered ecstatically.
Gathering Mana in his mouth as he opened it, Deacon created a high pressured air sphere made with Wind Magic. He shot it at Goap as soon as they were just 10 meters away from Goap.
Whizz!
Deacon''s air sphere moved towards Goap at a high speed¡ªit was simply impossible for anyone to get away from it from that distance ... At least, that was the case for any people other than Goap.
Goap merely swiped his hand to the side, swatting the air sphere away easily. It ended up hitting the Demons surrounding his left side, killing hundreds of them at once.
Iliana immediately instructed Deacon to stop as soon as she saw that. She then lightly gulped in nervousness as she could finally feel the pressure Goap was exuding up close.
"It''s ufortable around him..." Even Deacon already had a great urge to stay away from Goap.
"Let''s exchange some blows with this bastard before fleeing," Iliana said quietly. "We have to hold on until that idiot saves the other idiots."
Deacon nodded silently, and immediately focused on Goap at the same time Iliana did. They merely stared at Goap silently without knowing what to do.
They wanted to attack Goap first, but they didn''t want to risk getting trapped in one of Goap''s traps. Therefore, they were anticipating for Goap''s attack by observing him, and they were bewildered when they found Goap didn''t show any intention to attack them.
"I didn''t expect to encounter a Pacifer here," Goap said offhandedly.
At that, Iliana widened her eyes in absolute shock. She had never expected those words toe out of Goap.
"Surprised that I know who you actually are? Have you forgotten where your n currently is?" Goap scoffed. "We interact with the Pacifer more than the Pacifer interact with the other humans."
"... Who are you?" Iliana asked with a frown.
"Me? I am the Prince of the Southern Region of Hell." Goap smirked. "I was formerly the Great President of Hell back when I still had my Authority. I am someone whose power you can never fathom."
"You WERE." Iliana scoffed, surprising Goap. "You are no more the Great President of Hell, aren''t you? Where is Hell anyway? I don''t know any ce named Hell here. Unless you are a weakling, you will never find Hell here."
"That tongue... Every Pacifer sure has that sharp tongue, don''t they?"
"How can I know? I haven''t met that many Pacifer in my whole life." Iliana shrugged nonchntly with a sneer.
"And, you are just as irritating ... Let''s see how long you can keep that smile one your face."
As Goap spread his hand, his sickening Demonic Mana immediately overwhelmed the air. Iliana even had to grit her teeth just to prevent her body from trembling in fear.
Deacon didn''t show as much reaction as Iliana, which was actually a mild reaction at best, however his Mana was in disarray. As a Magic Beast, after all, he was naturally more easily affected by Mana.
Luckily, the intelligent Deacon knew what he should do, so he didn''t run away like what any other Magic Beasts would do. Still, it would be impossible for him to fight while thinking clearly.
"Just assist me as much as you can, Deacon."
"Yes, Mom."
Iliana would be greatly helped if Deacon could spam his air sphere at Goap, but she knew he couldn''t do that. She understood Deacon''s state well, which was why she didn''t ask much from Deacon.
Schwing!
Iliana spun Sinister Piercer, her spear, in the air before swinging it roughly to the side. She was armed with a Vanadium armour and a Vanadium spear, so she was confident she might be able to do something to Goap.
Whoosh!
As soon as Goap sent his Spell at her however, she immediately cursed herself for being so confident in her misconception. Goap merely sent her an energy ball the size of an adult head, but the pressure was already suffocating.
She thrust Sinister Piercer at the energy ball as she kept infusing her Mana into it. She couldn''t run, so taking it head on was the only thing she could do.
It was at this moment that she realized what kind of trouble she had gotten herself into, and the fact that she wasn''t Basil. She couldn''t do miraculous things like him.
Chapter 306 Off The Course (End)
Boom!
The whole battlefield was surprised by an undeniably loud explosion. Turning their head to the source of the explosion, the people found Iliana, who was on Deacon''s back, with her spear thrust forward.
She had managed to split Goap''s energy ball in two with her spear, causing it to carve two trenches on the ground.
Everyone, especially those who and tasted how fearsome Goap''s energy ball, sighed in amazement at what Iliana had managed to achieve. They could tell it wasn''t easy to do that¡ªthey couldn''t even guarantee if they could do that.
With that being said, they wondered how long Iliana would be able tost against Goap. The people who had been fighting him in a Mass Formation, after all, couldn''t evenst more than 10 minutes without no one dying.
Of course, no matter how interested they were in Iliana''s fight against Goap, they still had their own fight. Turning their attention away from Iliana after a few seconds of looking her way, they focused on their fight again.
"We need to hurry¡ªI reckon blocking another two more attacks is her limit," Edward eximed at the two Legion Commanders beside him. "We need to pierce this rank of Monster as soon as possible, and get inside the Mass Formation to save my brothers."
There were many Demons¡ªmostly Low ss ones¡ªsurrounding the Mass Formation that protected the other four Princes, Edward''s half-brothers.
It was easy to kill them, but their not so small amount made killing them take time. Time was, unfortunately, the most crucial element in the sess of the rescue operation, and the Low ss Demons were ruining it.
No matter how many they killed¡ªno matter how quick they killed the Demons, there seemed to be always more Demons filling up the space of the dead Demons. Edward and the others were frustrated because of this.
Their main objective in the operation, as its name suggested, was rescuing the Princes. As long as it was achieved, everything would get easier; they would be able to slowly retreat while fighting off the Demons chasing after them.
Boom!
It wasn''t as easy as they thought it would be unfortunately. Even after counting on Iliana to distract Goap, they still couldn''t pierce the rank of Demons surrounding the Mass Formation.
"Darn it! It''s already the second attack!" Edward eximed nervously as he nced at Iliana. "Soldiers, put your soul into your attack! Let us pierce this rank of Monsters, and take home everyone safely!"
Edward was mostly a quiet person. He didn''t talk much; he would only talk when he felt the need to. Even whilemanding the two Legions entrusted to him, he had never shouted even once¡ªhe didn''t feel the need to.
"Uwoohh! For the life of ourrades!"
That was the first time they had heard Edward shout out loud, and, naturally, they were all excited because of that. They had, after all, only been hearing their Legion Commanders shout, so hearing Edward shout evoked something in them.
There was something special in his shout. They could feel the urgency, but also the encouragement; it burned their spirit in a unique way.
"Great! The spirit is higher than before." Edward nodded dly. Looking at Iliana''s direction, he muttered, "I hope, like Basil, you will exceed our expectation, Miss. Iliana."
Extending his hand to the front, Edward summoned his Grimoire. His Grimoire materialized itself in seconds, and was immediately flipped open when it hadpletely materialized.
Choosing one of the hardest Spells he had written in his Grimoire, Edward cast it as quick as he could without minding the Mana consumption in the least bit.
It was a wide range Spell¡ªhe was nning to kill all of the Low ss Demons blocking his way with it.
As Edward''s Mana overwhelmed the air, his five Magic Circles shone blindingly. Four of them, which were Grand Circles, shone the brightest, faintly distorting the air around them as they attracted the Natural Mana in it.
"[Pit of The Tortured]!"
As he finished casting the Spell, Edward said out loud the name of the Spell to finally activate it. The ground in front of him immediately caved in, creating a pit with a diameter of 70 meters.
Shriek!
Thousands of Demons fell into the pit that had devoured the Demons that had been there before the ground caved in. The other soldiers also helped pushing the Demons into the pit, gradually filling it with Demons.
The 20 meters deep pit was gradually filled. Just as half of it was filled with Demons, who were stacked on top of each other, Edwardmanded the soldiers to stop pushing anymore Demons.
His Spell wasn''tplete yet, so he wanted toplete it.
Snap!
Snapping his finger loudly, the circumference of the pit suddenly shot out fire at the Demons trapped inside. The mouth of the pit was also gradually closing up, allowing everyone to hear the Demons'' scream of pain louder.
Some of the soldiers visibly cringed as they heard the scream of the Demons trapped in the pit. Many of them involuntarily thought what if the Demons had been them, and they couldn''t help getting goosebumps.
Of course, none of them had any intention to stop in their advance because of that. Ignoring the loud scream of pain that seemed toe from the underworld, they pierced through the now panicked rank of Demons.
"This Spell... It reminds of what Basil did back in Raneil Barony, when we were rescuing the civilians who were held hostage," Whitney remarked under his breath.
"Basil cast two Spells instead of one though," Cray added. "I can''t tell who is more impressive between the two¡ªboth of them are¡ªbut I can tell they are both violent."
"... Don''t you feel ironic saying that?"
Cray, who received Whitney''s gaze, merely shrugged as he threw the head of the Monster he had just plucked. His cheeks were painted with the blue blood of the Demons he had killed.
If it wasn''t for the fact that Randalvine Magic Institute had made his uniform Hemophobic, it would have already been drenched in blood.
"Enough of that." Cray waved his hand. "Thing is controble here¡ªour strength is not really necessary."
"What are you talking about?"
Cray took a quick nce at Iliana. "Darn it, Whitney! You are usually quick-witted¡ªwhy are you acting dumb now?" He clicked his tongue. "Iliana¡ªjust look at her! These people won''t be able to save those four idiots before she is killed!"
Whitney immediately frowned at Cray''s exmation. It was a little bit too harsh for his taste, but he strangely could deny it; there was, unfortunately, a possibility of Iliana losing her life by how things were going.
Pondering about what he should do for a second, Whitney immediately nodded his head at Cray. The proposer of the idea, immediately enveloped his back with Wind Magic, ready to fly at Iliana.
"Wait!"
At that moment however, someone, or rather, some people stopped them.
"We will join too!"
"You guys..."
As Whitney and Cray turned around to look at the people who had stopped them, they were met with the faces of the students who attended Rehearsal ss. They were Litton, Monica, and Missy¡ªtheir family.
"Why the hell all of you have only shown up now?!" Cray eximed angrily. "Our big sister is risking her arse right there! Don''t grin¡ªmove your arses now!"
Whitney, Missy, Monica, and Litton smiled wryly at Cray''s enthusiasm, but nodded their head regardless. They knew he was just worried about Iliana''s safety, and they were too.
Separating themselves from the rest of the army, they went to Iliana''s side with their own way.
...
Boom!
"Keugh! This bastard¡ªeach one of his moves is explosive."
Iliana gritted her teeth as she clutched her stomach in pain. She had been kicked down from Deacon by Goap, and now she was kneeling on the ground while trying to get up.
Deacon, who was worried about Iliana''s safety, immediately dashed to her side. He then tried helping her up by nudging her with his muzzle.
"Mom, are you alright?!"
"I am fine¡ªmostly." Iliana chuckled as she stood herself up while using Deacon''s muzzle as a support. "Some of my bones are broken, which is not a good news."
"We shall retreat!"
"Well, we can''t." Iliana frowned. "I have taken this challenge by my own choice¡ªI have to aplish it."
"Swallow your pride and admit your defeat!" Deacon eximed. "This is war, Mom¡ªyou can lose your life! I bet you my head, Master won''t like it if you die!"
Instead of agreeing with Deacon, or at least, listened to him, Iliana shook her head with a chuckle. Looking at him with a small smile, she patted his muzzle in reassurance.
"You are too consumed by your fear, Deacon. Trust me, I will survive¡ªwe will survive."
Deacon looked at Iliana bitterly¡ªhe knew he couldn''t change Iliana''s mind. Just like his Master, she was stubborn in her beliefs.
He, in the end, had to nod his head reluctantly and picked Iliana up. He let her mount him once again¡ªthis time, with his worry over her survival, filling his mind.
He looked at Goap with anticipation. There was a hint of fear in them. Goap returned his look with a smirk, and it made him tremble. He still didn''t stop however; Iliana was adamant on confronting the abomination.
"You know, you are definitely different than any Pacifer I have met," Goap remarked. "Power-wise, you are not the best, however... Your spirit burns the brightest."
Goap suddenly appeared in front of Deacon. The King Saberwolf had anticipated that to happen, so he shoot his air sphere at Goap, surprising the Demon in the process.
Boom!
Goap, of course, could swat the attack away easily, however right after he swatted the air sphere away, Iliana appeared in front of him. She infused a huge amount of Mana into her spear, fully intending to make a hole in his chest.
Swish!
Goap, despite so, could still catch Iliana''s spear with his bare hand. His stance remained firm, even though her thrust couldpletely st the ground behind him.
"You know, I actually have a need for a Pacifer. Do you want to be that lucky Pacifer?"
As soon as Goap smiled mischievously, his sickeningly overwhelming pressure descended upon the entire battlefield. Everyone in the battlefield¡ªhumans and Demons alike froze like a statue upon being exposed to it.
Iliana, who was the closest to Goap, felt it the most. She couldn''t help widening her eyes in shock at how powerful Goap actually was as she finally feared for her life now.
Unexpected things lead to another¡ªthis is how Basil''s n went off the course.
Chapter 307 Adapt And Overcome
"Stay away from our big sister!"
"What the...?"
Just three seconds after Goap exuded his sickeningly overwhelming pressure, he was surprised by a group of peopleing at him. The others were, after all, still too shocked to move, so he didn''t expect this group to be able to.
Boom!
Not only that, this group of people that seemed to be led by a skinny blond brat couldunch attacks at him. They were nervous¡ªhe could tell¡ªhowever none of them were afraid of him.
It was highly fascinating for him. He had seen this show of camaraderie often 2000 years ago, but seeing it now, after 2000 years surprised him pleasantly.
He didn''t expect there were still humans who could still trust¡ªwho could be that genuine to each other after what their ancestors had done to their own kin when Demons were overthrown 2000 years ago.
Swish!
"Oops. I shouldn''t have been too caught up in my mind." Goapughed as he easily dodged Iliana''s spear that was close to split his head.
He watched casually as Iliana took a distance from him, and smiled in anticipation as soon as she regrouped with Cray and the others. He was expecting them to be able to do the impossible¡ªto show him the power of camaraderie.
Cray and the others had, after all, managed to break free from his Mana Pressure''s influence the fastest because they were extremely determined to save Iliana. Going by this fact, Goap hoped they would be able to surprise him more.
"What are you doing here?!" Iliana shouted harshly.
"Whoa! Chill out, big sis¡ªwe''re just trying to save your arse," Cray answered with a smirk.
Smack!
"Who are you calling big sister? Call me Godmother!"
"For Akasha''s sake, Iliana, stop hitting my head so easily! I lose a hundred neurons each time you do that!" Cray eximed indignantly.
,m "It''s alright. Compared to the 10,000 neurons you lose everyday, 100 is nothing."
"That extra one hundred might cause me to have brain damage!"
Blinking his eyes in surprise, Goap wondered what actually the rtionship between Iliana and Cray. Judging by how they behaved towards each other, he was inclined to believe they didn''t have that good of a rtionship.
People who are close to each other, after all, don''t hit each other¡ªor so he thought from his basic understanding of human rtions. He didn''t know that sometimes the closer we get to someone, the more "disrespectful" we be.
It took Goap another couple of seconds to finally conclude Iliana and the others were close despite how badly they treated each other. He attributed it to one of the weird things humans did to each other.
"Alright, calm down." Whitney, the voice of reason, finally interrupted. "You two can continue your quarrel when everything has ended." He sighed. "We got an abomination we should run away from."
"That guy is giving us time because he is fascinated by us," Littonmented as he looked at Goap. "I look Monsters that attract my interest the same way before I kill them."
"..."
Iliana and the others from Rehearsal ss were conflicted as they looked at Litton. They couldn''t decide whether they should be worried about what Goap was currently doing or the fact that he behaved simrly to Goap.
They knew since long ago Litton was an odd duck. He was the quietest person amongst them and he had had his fair share of doing strange things for no reason, but never once had they thought he had a slightly sick mind.
"I am just weird¡ªnot sick-minded."
"... Ah, okay."
Litton was also blunt, so since he knew what they were thinking about, he didn''t hesitate to clear the misunderstanding. It also wasn''t the first time for the others, so they epted his statement immediately.
"Kuhum! Let''s do a Reverse Battle Formation," Iliana suggested as soon as she felt Goap starting losing his interest in dilly-dallying. "We are going to flee to the rear, while doing our best to distract this guy."
"We aren''t going to have a Madman then?" Cray asked.
"Of course, not. That role is unnecessary."
There were four roles in Mage Battle Formation: the Overseer, the Guardian, the yer, and the Madman. Each of them had a task that aligned with what their name suggested.
Reverse Battle Formation, or in short, Reformation, was a Formation that had its positions and roles reversed. Many roles were also often not used in the Formation¡ªthe Madman and the Overseer¡ªwhich made it simpler than the usual one.
In this Formation, the Guardians, who usually protected the Overseers, protected the yers instead. Their aim was to let the yers kill as many enemies as they could without sustaining any injury.
"Whitney, Missy, and Monica will be the Guardians." Iliana pointed her finger to each of the people she had called. "Litton, Cray, and I will be the yers. Do you have any objection?"
"No, let''s do that!" Everyone nodded their head.
"Alright, assume your position!"
Whitney, Missy, and Monica immediately lined themselves up in a row upon Iliana''s order. Iliana, Cray, and Litton also lined up in a row four meters behind them.
Boom!
Materializing their Magic Circles at the same time, all of them were shining intensely. A Magic Circle that was big enough to fit them all inside appeared on the ground, and they shared their Mana to each other from that point onwards.
"[Earth Skate]!"
Whitney immediately cast a simple Earth Element Spell that would help them greatly to escape from Goap. The ground below them rose, lifting them up, before separating itself from the ground below.
The six Mages were now floating in the air with the help of the Earth Element Spell Whitney had cast. Snapping his fingers once, Whitney brought all of them gliding above the ground.
"Hoh? Interesting," Goap remarked. "I am a little bit disappointed however¡ªI have expected more than this."
Shaking his head once, Goap was about to to teleport himself right in front of the six Mages when he felt somethinging from behind him. Turning around abruptly, he was greeted by Deacon''s air sphere.
Boom!
Goap could swat the air sphere easily, but he was still surprised. "This Saberwolf is really quirky, isn''t he? He can erase his presence so well, he has made me forget about his existence."
Upon facing Deacon, who was now just the size of a puppy, Goap developed a desire to own him. He could guarantee there was not a single Saberwolf out there could change their size as easily as Deacon, let alone controlling their Mana that well.
Deacon was well trained¡ªhe could tell that easily¡ªbut more than that, he was special. Something had turned him special, and he wanted to uncover that.
Boom! Boom!
Just as he thought Iliana had left Deacon behind, he was attacked by Iliana and the others. Their floating piece of earth was flying towards him¡ªit was apparent they were going to pick up Deacon.
Sneering at their direct approach of doing it, Goap ignored thempletely and... Regretted it.
Swish!
Just a second after he swatted the attacks of Iliana and the others, Deacon suddenly assumed his original size, and swing his paw at Goap. The hidden ws in his paw, imbued with Wind Magic, created two wind des.
"This ursed dog!"
Goap had to dodge the wind des in panic. He could have just taken them with his body, but due to how close he was with Deacon and how powerful the wind des were, he could risk opening his skin.
The injury wouldn''t do much to him¡ªhe could heal it in a second¡ªhowever his pride as a Demon Prince didn''t allow him to. It was too embarrassing for him to be injured by a mere Magic Beast.
As for why he had been surprised, it was because he had initially thought Iliana had forgotten to take Deacon with her. He had thought Deacon attacking him with his air sphere a few moments prior was just a futile attempt to defend himself.
He was absolutely wrong in his guess; Deacon and Iliana had nned it beforehand. The air sphere he had sent at Goap after Iliana had gone with the others was just a distraction for the other distraction.
"Darn it! Let us see how well you canst against my Cerberuster, little dog," Goap muttered in annoyance as he saw Deacon in Iliana''s arms.
Deacon had used the time Goap had taken to dodge his attack to escape. He had shot past Goap like a sh after shrinking his body, andnded in Iliana''s arms.
It was so quick, Goap even wondered if Deacon had been specifically trained how to escape ... He was, indeed, by Basil.
"I am not going to let you go, Pacifer. I need your special ability to summon our Seven Princes¡ªthe true kings of Hell!"
As Goap saw the piece ofnd carrying Iliana and the others away, he, of course, didn''t have any intention to let them go. Now that he needed Iliana to do something for him, he was determined to capture her.
Stepping forward once, he instantly appeared in front of Iliana and the others. At this, Whitney and the other Guardians of the Formation immediately erected a Barrier to protect themselves.
Goap swept the air once, producing seven energy balls that Iliana had had a hard time defending against. Iliana and the other yers also didn''t stay idle as they alsounched their attacks at the same time Goap''s wereunched.
Boom! Boom!
Each time one of Goap''s energy balls hit the Barrier, all of them were pushed 5 meters to the back. The impact drastically caused the yers'' aim to turn bad, and because of that, none of the attacks hit Goap.
It was even only thanks to Deacon''s help that they still managed to stay afloat. His strong Affinity towards Wind Element allowed him to support the price ofnd.
Unfortunately, that was the only thing he could do. Attacking Goap with his air sphere was impossible for him, since helping Whitney controlling the floating piece ofnd turned out to be enough chore for him.
Crack!
When the energy balls stopped hitting the Barrier, everyone could see a crack in it. Their expression immediately darkened, since the Barrier they had produced was the strongest they could produce.
Quickly fixing up the crack by adding more of their Mana, the crack started closing at a very visible speed. Unfortunately for them however, Goap was not kind enough this time to let them rest.
Shatter!
"Come with me, Pacifer!"
With the Barrier destroyed, Goap could finallyy his hands on Iliana, much to everyone''s horror.
Chapter 308 Adapt And Overcome (2)
Everything happened so fast¡ªby the time everyone could properly register what happened, Iliana was almost grasped by Goap.
None of them thought at that time¡ªthe moment they saw what was happening, their body instantly moved. In their mind, they knew, however, Goap would be able to take Iliana away, because their speed couldn''t match his.
"Move away, dickhead!"
Thud!
"This ursed human!"
Just as when they thought they would lose Iliana forever, the "sanest" person of the group, Whitney, who had rarely cursed or called people names, surprised them by mming his body into Goap.
In result, Goap was thrown off their piece of floatingnd and Iliana could prepare herself to defend herself from any other of Goap''s attempt to assault her.
"Move this thing quick, Whitney!" Cray shouted.
Although Goap''s attempt to take Iliana away had failed, he was still close to them. Having the ability to fly, after being thrown off the floating piece ofnd, Goap floated in the air a few meters away from them.
With that said, there was a need to take a distance, since they would only endanger themselves if they didn''t. They, after all, needed some time to create another Barrier to protect themselves.
"Holy cow, mate! How did you move so fast back then?" Cray asked heatedly.
"Have you already forgotten what we are standing on due to your fear? Magic moves faster than your body¡ªI propelled myself using Earth Magic."
"Darn! You should be a Geo Mage¡ªyou''ll be good at it."
"Thanks, but I am better at creating Barrier." Whitney smirked.
Goap didn''t immediately chase after them for some reason. Rather than making them feel d however, it made them worry¡ªthey were wondering what kind of dangerous scheme he was up to.
Thankfully though, they were already surrounded by the Mana Barrier again at this point, so their worry slightly diminished. They knew something wasing¡ªit was still worrisome¡ªbut they were all ready to take it.
Gulp!
Iliana was nervous¡ªmore than she had ever been. She had never felt this nervous ever since she was left alone in Randalvine after fleeing away from her vige when the Pdins were racking it.
There was something simr between that day and this moment: there was a chance of her getting captured and never seeing the light again.
One might wonder if she was afraid, and the answer was no. Contrary to that, she was rather excited. She was no longer a helpless littless; she already had power to protect herself. She was sure she could somehow ovee the situation.
Was she naive for thinking that way? No one could tell. At this situation, optimism, confidence, and naivety would look no different. Both, after all, have something inmon: the believe of winning.
"Behind us!"
Boom!
Like before, Goap suddenly appeared behind them. He had teleported himself there in less than a second, but their Barrier could luckily hold off his attack.
Quickly turning their body towards Goap, the yersunched their attacks at him the moment their eyes met his. The Guardians did their job in fixing the Barrier, restoring it to its perfect condition in a second.
Goap, who was receiving many kinds of attacks from the Spells and Arts, dodged all of them easily by moving pivotally. He would swat the attacks that he couldn''t dodge, so none of them could hurt him in the slightest.
Of course, giving Goap an injury was never their intention since the beginning. They just wanted to retreat to the rear¡ªto the "safest" spot in the battlefield so Goap would forget about chasing them.
The rear had so many soldiers, even Goap would think twice before receiving the bombardments of the soldiers ... Or so they thought.
"Bloody hell! This guy is persistent¡ªhe is still chasing us!" Cray looked at Goap and the rear alternatingly. "We are just a few seconds away from the rear, but he''s still chasing!"
"Why is that a problem?" Monica asked with a frown.
"The soldiers¡ªhe will kill many of them!" Missy answered even before Cray opened his mouth.
"They won''t!" Whitney eximed. "There are too many of them. I am sure he is not stupid enough to take all of the attacks head on."
There were, after all, ten thousands of Fifth Circle Mages, Sixth Circle Mages, Peak Green Core Knights, and Blue Core Knights in the rear, so Whitney''s statement was reasonable.
No matter how strong Goap was, he would definitely be injured taking the soldiers head on. He, after all, couldn''t even break the Formation protecting the four Princes after two hours¡ªwhat could he do to ten thousands of soldiers?
... He could do many things, unfortunately.
"Come with me, and there shall be no more sacrifice in this battle, Pacifer!"
"Yo, what in the hell is this bloke is talking about?" Cray eximed. "He''s mistaking you with Basil, Iliana!"
Everyone had only realized the fact that Goap was calling Iliana Pacifer after Cray pointed that out. They immediately wondered how Goap could mistaken her as Basil, but then remembered there was no way Goap could know Basil.
Full of curiosity, they looked at Iliana, but that was all they did. They wanted to know¡ªwhat she was hiding¡ªbut they didn''t ask her right away.
They knew she would tell them when the time came, and they were aware now wasn''t the time. There was, after all, Goap that still they needed to watch out.
Goap suddenly stopped chasing them and raised his hand. He pointed his finger to the sky, and everyone in the battlefield, even those who weren''t looking at him, could tell something was going to happen.
"He is doing something, prepare for impact!" Whitney warned.
Boom!
"Bloody hell! This ursed pressure¡ªhe really likes to unt it, doesn''t he? What a cunt!"
Cray had been cursing more actively than usual, but no one could me him. Given the situation, all of them, after all, were also cursing inwardly¡ªthey didn''t curse out loud because of their nature.
The pressure Goap was exuding was just as overwhelming as the time when he got a hold of Iliana''s spear. He didn''t do anything back then however¡ªhe was going to now, so they wondered what kind of nightmare he would deliver.
Gulping dryly in obvious nervousness and slight fear for their life, they watched as the armlet around Goap''s left arm shone intensely in blue.
Countless of droplets formed around him in the next moment, and they could tell it was water. The droplets didn''t onlye from the air, they also emerged from the ground before rising to the air.
Snap!
Goap snapped his fingers once, and suddenly, an extremely huge amount of water¡ªenough to cause a tsunami¡ªappeared in the air. Everyone''s eyes widened in shock¡ªthe battlefield turned silent as they nted their gaze on the water.
"Come with me, and no one should die any longer."
No one other than the students of Rehearsal ss knew whom those words were directed to, however they knew they were already standing in front of the door of doom at that moment.
Magic Circles shone intensely and Qi Cores were exhausted¡ªevery Mage and Knight in the battlefield did their best to increase their chance of survival.
They had been fighting against the odds in their entire life, and most of the time, they had always lost to the nature. Never had they thought that someday they would see someone who could control nature.
Who in their right mind, after all, would think that there woulde a day when they died due to a tsunami in the middle of a in, far away from the sea?
Crash!
"Hold tight!" Whitney eximed.
As the water fell down from the sky, Whitney and the others pumped all of their Mana into the Barrier protecting them. They no longer thought of conserving Mana toter fuel their offensive Spells, because surviving was more important to them.
Crack!
Surely they were not wrong, since the moment the water fell upon them, the Barrier almost couldn''t stand against the impact.
The piece of floatingnd they were standing on was also constantly pushed down by the water. Whitney and Deacon worked really hard to keep it afloat¡ªespecially Deacon, who, despite being in the Formation, was not a part of the Formation.
"Ugh... This is draining my Mana." Missy groaned.
"Technically, OUR Mana," Cray retorted.
Iliana chuckled. "If you ignore the bad things, you''ll be able to see the beautiful things." She gestured at the water pressing down on the Barrier. "It looks like a gigantic aquarium, doesn''t it?"
"Basil has really rubbed off on you, hasn''t he? Your sense of humour is just as dry now!" Cray remarked.
"Those are indeed his words¡ªthe advice." Iliana shrugged.
All of them wanted tough but grinning softly was the only thing they could do. They couldn''t lose their concentration on the Barrier for a second, or else they would end up dead, crushed by the manmade, or rather, Demonmade tsunami.
Crack! Crack!
Spurt!
"Ah, fuck it! There is a leak everyone!" Cray eximed jokingly.
All of them turned nervous as they could see the Barrier protecting them was just a few seconds away frompletely crumbling. They didn''t know when the water would stop pushing them down, but they hoped it would end soon.
They had, after all, exhausted their Mana, so if the Barrier was broken, they wouldn''t be able to do much to protect themselves.
"I wish Master was here," Deacon muttered wryly.
Everyone heard Deacon, and they couldn''t help smiling bitterly. They had all seen how capable Basil was, so they were sure he would be able to do something in this situation.
The mood turned depressive as they realized how pathetic they were for counting on somebody to keep their lives.
Crack!
Just as they stopped thinking about what if Basil had been there, the Barrier protecting them was finally broken. The water immediately crashed down on them, causing their eyes to widen in shock due to the power.
They were worried about each other, but they didn''t get the time to save the other. They were busy coating themselves with Mana¡ªbusy saving themselves.
Gasp!
It wasn''t until they came out of the water, or rather, passed by the water could they finally think of saving the other. Looking behind them, they could see the huge wave of water sweeping the ground off everything alive on it.
They sighed dly at what they had managed to survive, but as soon as they turned their eyes to the front, they widened their eyes for what they saw.
Goap was lifting Iliana by her throat.
Chapter 309 Adapt And Overcome (3)
A few moments before Goap cast his mass scale Water Element Spell.
Edward was gritting his teeth in annoyance and slight worry. He was annoyed by the amount of Demons that didn''t seem to decrease after what he had done, and he was worried about Iliana as he could faintly see what was happening to her.
He couldn''t hear what Goap was saying¡ªsaid Demon, unlike what he had been doing, didn''t amplify his voice with Magic this time¡ªhowever he could somehow understand Goap was specifically targeting for Iliana.
At this point, unless they were mentally handicapped, the rest of the people in the battlefield should also be able to tell that. When they were petrified by Goap''s overwhelming pressure, they, after all, could properly see what was happening.
At that time, even though he had already gotten hold of Iliana, Goap didn''t do anything¡ªhe just kept exuding his pressure and intimidating her and everyone in the battlefield with it. It implied that he didn''t want to hurt Iliana if it was possible.
Edward couldn''t tell what Goap needed from Iliana or what he was going to do with Iliana, but he was sure if he ever let Iliana to fall on Goap''s hand, it would deal a great damage to the human side.
Iliana was, after all, one of the brightest young Mages whose potential was second only to Basil. They couldn''t afford to lose such a gem to a Demon, or worse, let her turn into an enemy.
"Darn it! Is defending all they can do¡ªthose stupid bastards?!" Edward cursed as he kicked his horse harder. "Why don''t they lessen our job slightly by moving towards us?!"
Edward was talking about the four Princes and their soldiers in the Formation. He was frustrated by the people''s decision to stay in one ce even though they knew what he and many others were doing.
Together with his soldiers and some of the Royal Army from Woster County, he was, after all, trying to break through the rank of Demons surrounding the Formation.
He believed if the people in the Formation really wanted to live, instead of doing their best to defend themselves, they should have utilized the Formation to attack the Demons while also moving towards him.
They didn''t do that, and that was why he was mad.
"These bloody fuckers¡ªthey can never let my blood pressure stay level, can''t they?"
Aaron, who was close to Edward, could hear what he said, and couldn''t help cringing. Edward, after all, was a Prince, so he didn''t expect Edward to be able to curse like that¡ªit was unsightly for Royalties.
"I will have them properly thank me after this!" Uncaring to his image as a Prince, Edward flipped the pages of his Grimoire and shouted, "Out of my way, you twat! [Absolute Repulsion]!"
With the help of his Grimoire, Edward instant cast a Middle Grade Spell that young Mages rarely learned due to itsplexity. A red Magic Circle appeared on the ground where he was pointing his hand to, and it immediately did its job.
As its name suggested, the Spell created a repulsive force by sucking the air around where the temporary Magic Circle it generated was Carved on before suddenly expelling it, pushing anything in the area away.
Boom!
It sounded like an explosion, but instead of fire, what everyone in the battlefield was seeing was Demons being sted away. Due to their amount, it looked exactly like what one would see when one dropped a big rock into a puddle.
"Pierce through the rank!"
"Uwoohh!"
Everyone was excited by what they had seen¡ªit was apparent. Edward didn''t want to spend his time dilly-dallying, so while the Demons were in disarray, he led the soldiers to invade the gap in the rank.
A sh, heavier than the previous ones, ured but none of them was bothered. They didn''t mind getting a hit or two; no matter how intense the sh was, as long as they could get everything done quicker, they were okay with it.
Shriek!
nk!
Spells, Techniques, and Arts were sent towards the Demons as they pierced through the rank of Demons. The Demons were attacking them as if they were a pirate ship passing through a canal between two peacefulnds.
Boom!
Edward and the Royal Army persevered in spite of that. None of them thought of backing away even though there was a risk of them not being able to get out after this.
The goal was clear¡ªit was already close. The Formation that was protecting the four Princes was just ten meters away from them.
"Don''t keep over, soldiers! Kill every single one of them!" Edward shouted.
It was well known that Edward was not a loud type of a person. He always lookedposed, making him look apathetic.
With his nature, it was very hard to imagine him to shout like that while leading the army. He had even previously told Aaron and the other Legion Commander to do the shouting; he had only participated actively in making strategies.
Him shouting like that to rile the soldiers up indicated one thing: he was extremely serious about it. On the other hand, it also implied how urgent the situation was.
Aaron and the others couldn''t tell what made the situation so urgent, but they knew it wasn''t the four Princess.
Boom!
"Die, you bastard!"
"Uwoh! We made it! We made it!"
"Haha! Eat that, bastard!"
When they managed to pierce through the rank, the soldiers¡ªeveryone was instantly ted. Edward, on the other hand, still had a serious look, but he was sighing in relief inwardly.
Stopping in front of the Formation while the Royal Army were killing off the Demons trying to approach them, he got down from his horse, put his hand on the Formation, and infused his Mana into it.
For some reason, there was no one giving him immediate ess into the Formation. No one even seemed to pay attention to him, so he wanted to notify them that way.
"It''s Edward! Open the Formation!"
Weirdly enough, Aldrich wasn''t the one who had ordered the people to give him ess. It was a well known fact that Aldrich was the most tactful out of the four, so for Cameron to do that, something must have happened to Aldrich.
"Bloody hell, Mate! I thought you already ran away!" Cameron immediately went towards Edward and hugged him, surprising him.
"... I was calling for backup," Edward answered after he recovered from his surprise. "What happened? No one seems to be in any mood to fight."
"Aldrich..." Cameron''s face turned sour. "That Monster, Goap¡ªhe... Put a hole in Aldrich''s chest."
Edward slightly frowned then put his hand up when Cameron was about to exin in detail. Walking past Cameron, he could see the other three Princes powering a Mana Circle on the ground that had Aldrich inside it.
He could see the hole that was the size of a golf ball in Aldrich''s chest, and couldn''t help shaking his head. The Magic Circle was helping Aldrich''s crushed heart circte blood, but he could easily tell Aldrich would die soon.
Unless there was a Priest present, saving Aldrich would be impossible. Although his blood was circted perfectly, it was clear that he was getting weaker in each passing second.
Just as Edward was about to bend down to put the God''s Tear Amulet, which a kind Pdin had given him in the past, around Aldrich''s neck, a crushing pressure descended upon the world.
BOOM!
Eyes widened in shock as soon as he figured out the pressure wasing from behind him, he turned around only to be greeted by a tsunami¡ªa Demonmade tsunami.
CRASH!
Edward had never even seen a wave that tall when he came to the beach, so seeing it on thend bewildered him greatly. He was hit by a panic attack, and that caused him to immediately dash outside the Formation.
There were ten thousands of soldiers there¡ªwhere the tsunami was happening¡ªand most importantly, Iliana and her friends, the gems of the Kingdom. He had to make sure if they could survive.
"Your Highness! Stop it! You won''t be able to do a thing!"
Edward red at Aaron viciously for what he said, but he soon realized that Aaron was right. "Darn it, Aaron! Just what is that Monster actually made of?" He muttered bitterly as he watched the tsunami wiped everything off the ground.
"Your Highness... Look! It''s Vice Commander Iliana!"
"Huh?! I knew she could survive it!" Edward turned excited. " Where is...!" As soon as he found Iliana however, his eyes couldn''t help but darken.
Held by the throat by Goap, the goddess of Woster County, Iliana couldn''t do a thing.
...
Present.
Looking at the Demon holding her by the neck, Iliana scoffed disdainfully. She could actually hardly breathe, but she remained as unyielding as before.
"Your spirit is really in another levelpared to the other Pacifer..."
"Are you into choking? You seem very experienced in it," Iliana retorted ndly.
"Hoh? You can tell?" Goap quirked his eyebrow. "Maybe, you are also into it if you can tell."
"Hmph! I''m into everything what my man does to me. You are certainly not my man, so you can stop fantasizing."
"You really do believe in your man that much, huh?"
"I choose my man carefully. When he does me harm, it is not his fault¡ªit is my fault for choosing him," Iliana said surely.
"... You really are interesting," Goap mused in fascination. "It is slightly unfortunate to dispose of you after you fulfill your purpose, so what about be my woman? You will, however, no longer be a hum¡ª"
Ptooi!
Iliana spat on Goap''s face. "I said stop fantasizing. You can never woo me to fancy you nor can you force me to fancy you."
"This is... Strange..." Goap wiped Iliana''s saliva off his cheek. "I am mad, but I am also excited ... Although I am not as knowledgeable as Zepar about this, I can tell this is love."
"This bloody vile pervert..."
Iliana looked at Goap in astonishment and visible disgust as he smiled at her. Sighing to herself quite heavily, she grasped the wrist of the hand holding her by the neck.
Infusing Mana to all of the Magic Circles Carved on her heart, she materialized all of them at once, and crushed Goap''s wrist.
Boom!
"What the...?"
Surprising Goap and anyone who was looking at Iliana, six Magic Circles floated in the air behind her. The air faintly distorted due to the amount of Natural Mana in it that was attracted by her Magic Circles.
Chapter 310 Adapt And Overcome (4)
Neen years old, a Sixth Circle Mage¡ªIliana was the fastest person in the entire Braxtein Kingdom''s history to ever be a Sixth Circle Mage. Not even the first King of Braxtein had be a Sixth Circle Mage at her age.
It was simply an incredible achievement, one that people could hardlyprehend. Her talent was simply too godly for any other youth to match, even for those from the Pacifer n.
The Pacifer were known as the monsters of Magic. They were so talented at Magic, it was simply mind boggling to think they existed.
Iliana was a genius Pacifer. Being in an unfavorable situation, she found a way to ovee it.
She pushed thepletion of her Sixth Magic Circle. It was a gamble on her side¡ªshe could lose everything if she failed¡ªbut she managed to seed.
The situation made her more meticulous than she already was, temporarily unlocking her yet to be awakened potential. At this point, it was guaranteed no one her age would be able to match her ... Except for Basil, of course.
"Let me go," Iliana said coldly.
Boom!
Crack!
On top of crushing Goap''s wrist, Iliana also kicked him right in his chest while simultaneously pulling her body to the back. Goap skidded on the ground, and she managed to free herself of his grasp.
Quickly taking a distance, she took out Sinister Piercer that she had stored in her Spatial Bracelet earlier. Twirling the spear in her hand as she infused her Mana into it, she looked at her surrounding.
Other than her friends, who had just gotten passed by the tsunami wave, she couldn''t spot anyone from the Royal Army behind her. In front of her, she could see Edward along with those fighting in the front line, and the Demons.
Squelch.
The ground had turned soft due to the water that had been dropped on it. It was mind boggling that what she had experienced indeed happened.
Clicking her tongue in annoyance, she returned her gaze to Goap. She had now realized what kind of an abomination he was, and now she wondered if sacrificing her limbs would be enough to survive fighting against him.
He, after all, had possibly killed ten thousands of not so week individuals with a single Spell. She could tell he was pretty exhausted, but she wasn''t sure if it was enough to increase her chance of survival.
"I am indeed weakened, Iliana, however I can assure you that even in your current state, you will never be able to win against me."
Scoffing, Iliana said, "Winning has no definite form¡ªeveryone has their own take of winning. In my case, surviving is winning. I do agree with you however: I will never never be able to defeat you ... Yet"
sh!
Suddenly appearing in front of Goap, Iliana arced Sinister Piercer widely.
Whoosh!
Goap dodged the spear quite easily, allowing a trench to form on the ground behind him due to Iliana''s Mana infused attack.
Iliana knew from the beginning she wasn''t going to be able tond a hit on Goap right off the bat. She had expected herself to fail, so she was not surprised when Goap dodged her spear.
She had even prepared herself for that situation, so right after Goap dodged the first attack, she quickly swung her spear at him. Goap, of course, managed to dodge it again, but she had anticipated it so she could still swing her spear.
As Iliana swung her spear relentlessly, Goap dodged it nonstop. Their feet didn''t even move a step from their spot¡ªthey were in a stalemate and none of them knew how long it wouldst.
None of them, however, showed annoyance on their face like how people would normally do if they were in that kind of situation. Goap was smirking the entire time, and Iliana looked bored.
Both of them were looking at the situation differently, but it was clear that both were determined to get what they wanted.
"Why don''t we just stop this unnecessary fight? If you don''t want to be my woman, that''s fine¡ªI wasn''t serious about it in the very first ce¡ªbut I want you toe with me."
"My mother once told me to never trust a Demon''s words."
"Hahaha! Your mother was a wise woman." Goap smiled while still dodging Iliana''s spear. "But hear me out, Iliana. I am not proposing you to believe in my words¡ªlet''s make a deal."
Iliana looked at Goap with a quirked eyebrow as she wondered why he seemed so genuine in his words. Rather than making her want to believe him however, it further convinced her she should never take up on his offer.
If he was willing to do that much, she believed there must be something disastrous about what he was going to ask her to do or what would happen after she did what he asked her to do.
"... I have a proposal," Iliana said softly.
"What is it, Iliana?"
"Die."
Iliana abruptly stopped swinging her spear and thrust it at Goap. The tip of the de was now shining intensely in blue along with her six Magic Circles that were actively gathering Mana.
Screech!
Not stopping there, to impair Goap''s ability to dodge her attack, Iliana used Wind Magic to vibrate the air in his surrounding. An extremely ear grating sound invaded his ear, threatening to rupture his eardrums.
Widening his eyes in surprise as he didn''t expect Iliana to be this crafty, Goap quick cast a Spell that would allow him to protect himself from Iliana''s attack.
"[Mountain Piercer]!"
He was surprised once again however; even before he managed to finish his Spell, Iliana''s spear had reached his chest. Starting from a light prick, he felt an intense burn on his chest in the next second.
Boom!
Iliana''s thrust was not simple. She didn''t merely st the Mana she had gathered at the tip of her spear''s de, but also rotated it so as to make it more controble and destructive.
The sted Mana ended up being a spinning beam that drilled a hole through Goap''s chest as well as charring it.
"Darn it! The burden is just too much."
The Art was actually something she couldn''t quite control however, so right after thrusting her spear, Iliana immediately took a distance from Goap. He was still gaping in disbelief for what had happened, and she was sure he would react violently.
When the beam finally disappeared and the Mana overwhelming the air dispersed, Goap finally keeled over. Having a coughing fit while throwing up a mouthful of blood from time to time, it was easy to conclude he was suffering.
One could see through the hole in his chest. It was amazing to think Goap could still breathe despite practically having destroyed lungs.
Seeing it as a chance, Iliana utilized her Step Art, and suddenly appeared beside Goap. Swinging her spear swiftly, she hit him with the staff right in his stomach, lifting him off the ground.
Goap couldn''t react much; he could only groan and let Iliana m his body to the ground. He was then kicked in the stomach andunched like a bullet to the back.
Gritting his teeth, Goap nted his hand on the ground as soon as his body started rolling on it. His body immediately stopped rolling, but still kept skidding for a couple of seconds.
Iliana appeared once again in front of him, this time, with her spear targeting his head. Goap''s eyes widened at the amount of Mana he could feel being umted at the tip of the de, but he smirked in the next second.
"Hm!"
Iliana was immediately alerted as soon as she noticed the smirk. Her back was drenched in sweat, and she dreaded what Goap was about to do.
She had, after all, intended to end Goap with this attack of hers that had almost exhausted her Magic Circles. Just the thought of failing to hit Goap was nightmarish enough, let alone the possibility of him going to do something.
sh!
Reality, however, often disappoints¡ªwhat happened was the least wanted scenario she had expected to happen. Goap was really up to something: he disappeared just as soon as her spear was about to pierce his head.
BOOM!
With Goap disappeared, the ground took the brunt of Iliana''s Art. A pit that was deep enough to be a well and wide enough to be a small pond was created on the ground, showing how powerful Iliana''s Art was.
One didn''t need to be a genius to be able tell Goap would have to kiss a goodbye to his life if he had been hit by it; one could tell from the pressure alone. s, it didn''t hit him, so no one was able to admire it much.
When Iliana and practically everyone wondered where Goap had disappeared to, they soon found where he was. While the others could see him, Iliana could feel he had just reappeared behind her.
"Iliana, behind you!" Her friends from the Rehearsal ss warned her about Goap at the same time they were dashing at her.
They had been reluctant to interfere before, because they were afraid they were going to disturb her flow. Now that they could tell she was in a tight spot, none of them hesitated any longer.
"Darn it!"
s, none of them was fast enough to reach Iliana before Goap struck Iliana''s head, possibly beheading her ... Except for one person.
Aided by Earth Magic, Whitney propelled himself towards Goap, and reached Iliana right before Goap. He was now right behind Iliana¡ªin the space between her and Goap.
"Watch out, Whitney!"
None of them¡ªnot even Whitney himself¡ªknew, however, what he should do next in that situation. Goap was rapidly closing in, making it simply impossible to erect a decent Barrier to protect himself.
Squelch!
With eyes widened in shock, in the end, Whitney could only watch as Goap''s hand pierced his chest. He could feel Goap''s hand beside his heart as it beat, and it was surely not a pleasant sensation.
"Kuhak!"
"This bastard of a human," Goap muttered spitefully as he pulled his hand out.
"Whitney, no! What have you done, you vile creature!"
Iliana reacted violently by thrusting her spear as soon as Goap pulled his hand out of Whitney''s chest. She wanted to take away Whitney as soon as she saw him keel over, but she knew Goap wouldn''t let her.
She kept attacking him to keep him distracted, so the others could take away Whitney somewhere. s, her effort ended up in vain the moment Goap snatched Sinister Piercer from her hands and threw it away.
"I am tired of ying¡ªlet''s go with me, Iliana."
"You can never ta¡ª"
Thud!
,m Goap hit Iliana in the back of her neck swiftly, knocking her out. He then wrapped his hands around her and disappeared from the scene in a sh.
The development was too wild and quick. It was only at this point did the people could properly register what had happened.
Chapter 311 Adapt And Overcome (End)
Familia Hotel, Raneil Barony.
"I wish I could be there. I would never forget what I saw if I had been there."
"Indeed. Seeing Basil wipe the floor with that High Grade Monster must have been amazing."
"Going to the battlefield just to witness one historical moment is not worth it ... I have never been to war, but from the many Subjugations I have gone to, I can say that facing those Monsters is unpleasant."
"It''s easier to kill them than another human though?"
"It is... But seeing them munching on the person from the same unit whom you are close with has always been heart rending ... If you are not ready to see your close friend die in the next hour, you should never go to the battlefield."
"... Wow. Dad, you have just sessfully ruined our lunch."
While Iliana and the others were still fighting against Goap in BA-32, Basil and his family were having a meal together. The Knights of Hauler and Ione also joined them¡ªeating together as if a one big family.
Basil, for most of the time, merely nodded his head and listened to the story of his sisters about what they had managed to aplish for the time he was gone. He rarely participated in the conversation, but he was immersed in it.
... At least, that was how it looked from the outside.
Basil was actually thinking deeply about what he should do to prevent Charles from executing his troublesome n. He didn''t know how long Charles had been keeping a close tie to the Demons, but Charles had managed to make a deal with Goap.
In return for aiding Goap to summon the Seven Princes, Goap would give Charles one of his precious Artefacts. Basil didn''t what the Artefact was, but he was sure it was the one that could elerate Charles'' Circle Carving process.
Supposed that Charles had managed to help Goap summon the Seven Princes, the Artefact he was given wasn''t that impressive considering what he had managed to do. Still, giving him such an Artefact would not result in any good.
Charles, after all, was already a genius; after getting the Artefact, Basil was sure he was going to disappear to umte power. When he returned, he would have enough power to instill fear in the mind of the world''s habitants.
"I was just talking about how ugly the battlefield is," Danzel harrumphed. "There are some memorable things about it, but seeing you talk about it like it is a good ce toe to makes me want to tell you the harsh truth."
"Well... We didn''t actually wish we could go to the battlefield, Mr. Danzel," Julia said. "Heck, I even hate the fact that my mother has to be there. But... You know, it would be awesome if we could see Senior''s fight directly."
"I am sure I can learn many things from it," rissa remarked. "Dad''s teaching is good, but I am sure seeing Basil''s fight will be more... Enlightening."
Danzel nodded his head in agreement at rissa''s word, then turned his gaze to Basil along with the others. Basil hadn''t spilt anything about his victory in Woster County, so they were still eager to hear about it.
"If you are that curious about how I fought, you will be able to see the recording in three days. You will not be able to see it clearly because of the intensity of Mana back then, but you''ll still be able to make out what happened."
"How did you know it was recorded?" Ione, slightly surprising Basil, asked in wonder. "It must be hard to detect the activation of a Visual Orb in that kind of situation, and I am sure whoever recorded it was secretive enough about it."
"It has always been the case since the past." Basil took a sip of his tea. "There will be those idiots who are daring enough to record a Mage without asking for permission and sell it to those who are interested¡ªthe Kingdom."
"Ugh... I can already tell politics must be involved in this," Sylvia groaned. "Why are Mages so obsessed with figuring each other out?"
"Information is power," Shirley answered. "I believe the reason why the recording of Brother''s fight will only be released on the next three days is because the Kingdom is too busy analysing his power."
Shirley turned her head to Basil for confirmation, and Basil easily nodded his head. His sisters had grown; they were still curious like before but all of them could already figure most things out by themselves.
ck.
After putting his teacup down, Basil softly said, "I think it is about time I end my visit. Unfortunately, I still have many things to do."
"That is unfortunate." rissa sighed in disappointment. "I haven''t asked you to teach me some of your Techniques."
"I''ll be able to teach all of you about many things when the Outbreak ends." Basil looked at Shirley and rissa before taking out his Head Commander badge. "I am tied with a responsibility, so my presence is needed."
"Oh my! You have be a Legion Commander?!" Julia eximed in excitement. "No, you are a Head Commander!"
"What does being a Head Commander mean?" rissa asked in confusion.
"It means, Brother is leading all of the Legion Commanders who are stationed in the same battlefield as him," Shirley answered in astonishment. "In other words, Brother''s authority over the Royal Army is second only to the King."
While the young ones were expressing their amazement directly, the experienced ones could only widen their eyes in shock. They knew how hard it was to be admitted to Royal Army¡ªlet alone being a Head Commander.
Merely being a Peak Stage Green Core Knight didn''t guarantee one a position in the Royal Army. One would be no different than a normal a soldier if one only amounted to that.
For Basil, reaching the Blue Core Stage might not be a big deal, however for the other people, reaching the Blue Core Stage equals to more than a decade of hardwork.
That was why for the Knights of Hauler and Danzel, Basil being appointed as a Head Commander was a great deal. Simply saying wow was not enough to express admiration and astonishment.
"Are you going to head to BA-32?" Thompson asked.
Basil nodded his head lightly. "I am, but before that, I have to clean this ce first."
"When it ends, does that mean we can consider our task here is done?" Thompson looked at Basil carefully.
"Yes."
"Can we go together to BA-32 then? We haven''t participated in the Outbreak yet¡ªit doesn''t sit quite right with us," Thompson stated, representing his party.
"... As long as you can keep up." Basil turned to Ione. "You can choose to stay here ore with me. I am fine with whatever your choice, but I will be less concerned if you are with me."
"I''ll be going with you," Ione answered instantly.
At Basil''s poor choice of words and Ione''s instantaneous response, the people watching their interaction slightly frowned. They had erased any thought about Ione and Basil being a thing, but now it returned in full force.
In truth, Basil said that because he didn''t to risk Charles being able to execute his n. The key to the n was, after all, Ione, a Pacifer, so he didn''t want her to fall into Charles'' hands once again.
Charles was really crafty; Basil didn''t even think about using a Pacifer to summon the Seven Princes. He, despite knowing very little of them, could still arrive to the conclusion that a Pacifer could do that¡ªit was scary.
Basil didn''t know if Charles knew anything about the Fated Child (him), but judging from how casual Charles had reacted when he had revealed he was a Pacifer, he was inclined to believe Charles didn''t know that the Pacifer could only give birth to females.
Still, the risk of Charles exposing his identity as a Pacifer still remained, so Basil felt a great need to finish Charles off. He couldn''t afford to have the Church after his arse yet.
"Very well, let us settle the matter here quickly." Basil stood from his seat. "I have a feeling I should hurry."
"I... Never thought I would hear it from you of all people," Danzel remarked in surprise.
Shrugging lightly, Basil left the dining room afterwards. Ione was the first person to follow suit; she was the second person who had finished her meal after Basil.
Walking slightly behind him, Ione looked at Basil''s back silently. Even if she couldn''t detect any emotion from his soul, she could feel that Basil was worried.
She didn''t know what he was worrying about: whether it was the thing that made him think hard or a sudden premonition he had gotten. Whichever it was, she hoped Basil would be able to figure a way out of his problem.
"Are you going to cancel your Spell, My Lord?"
"Yes, and I will activate another Rune to seal the entire Barony off."
Upon reaching outside, Basil spread his Mana Sense to cover as much area as it could so he could roughly count the Demons remaining there. At the same time, he was also slowly dispersing the purple mist.
With his hands extended, he split the purple mist apart, before scattering it through the entire Barony. The air was now cleaned off the purple mist, and, once again, the surrounding scene could be seen clearly.
"Hmm... There are quite many of them."
"It will take us a quite some time to eliminate them all."
As Basil had expected, he could immediately see many Middle ss Demonsing their way. Neither Basil nor Ione was worried about the Demons, but the fight would still be troublesome.
Whoosh!
Ten Shadows, the Assassins Basil had enved due to their request, suddenly appeared behind him, ready to help him and Ione. Basil didn''t pay much attention to them, but he still nodded his head slightly to acknowledge their presence.
A few seconds after, the Knights of Hauler joined them, meanwhile Danzel, rissa, Shirley, and Julia watched them from behind the Barrier.
It took only ten steps for the Demons to reach Basil, but at that moment, his Transmission Talisman was activated. Quickly taking it out to hear the message, his eyes turned into a bottomless, cold abyss in the next second.
[Iliana... She''s captured by that Monster, Goap.]
Basil had been ready to ovee the situation he had been in. Now that the situation had changed once again however, he was forced to quickly readapt before oveing it.
Chapter 312 Seek, He Doth Not; Make, He Doth
Sensing the sudden change in Basil''s aura, Ione slightly recoiled in surprise. His aura had been tranquil even though he was thinking deeply about something, so the sudden change intrigued Ione.
''Has hee to an undesirable conclusion or... Has he just heard something unpleasant?''
Ione had only seen Basil take his Transmission Talisman out briefly before putting it back into his pocket. There was no way she could hear what the Talisman had transmitted, but she believed it was the reason why Basil turned like that.
She would like to think about it more, but now wasn''t the right time to do it. The first Demon was, after all, already three steps away from Basil, so she needed to focus on the battle right in front of her eyes.
Shriek!
"Cha¡ª"
BOOM!
Thompson, who was about to order his party members to charge at the Demons, was stunned by the scene he was looking at. He couldn''t even blink as he didn''t want to miss the magnificent scene he was witnessing.
Basil had merely swung Caliburn once, but he didn''t only obliterate the Demon that was just a few steps away from him, but also those far behind it.
The golden Qi de that came out of Caliburn cut the air, and reduced the Demon it touched to ashes. It wasn''t even one of Basil''s most destructive Techniques, but it had still produced such a result.
The people witnessing what it could do were already gaping in astonishment despite it being merely Basil''s regr attack, so it was safe to assume they wouldn''t know how to react if they figured out that Basil didn''t even prepare himself tounch that attack.
"I will immediately depart as soon as I deem this ce clean." Basil looked at his family from the corner of his eyes. "I will also activate an entire Barrier to protect the whole Barony. Those from the inside can get out, but never get in again."
There would be no proper farewell was what Basil was saying. Danzel and the others weren''t stupid; they could easily conclude there was a sudden urgent matter, so they didn''t ask anything.
It was also a reminder for the Knights of Hauler, who had been warned they might not be able to keep up with him.
They understood that fact well before, but now they weren''t sure if they would be able to keep up with him, given the urgency in his tone. The usual Basil was, after all, already fast; they could only imagine how fast the agitated Basil.
Boom!
Kicking the ground once, Basil dashed towards the Demons without waiting for a response. He didn''t even expect once, since his mind was already busy thinking of a way to ovee the situation.
He had expected everything to run smoothly now that he could guarantee Ione would never fall into Goap''s hands. He had, however, forgotten there was another Pacifer around him other than Ione, and things gotplicated now.
Now, there might be a possibility that Iliana was captured because she had irritated Goap¡ªgiven her nature. Basil was sure, however, Goap was old enough to be able to instantly tell Iliana was a Pacifer.
Basil also believed Goap was smart enough to know that a Pacifer could help him summon the Seven Princes. In other words, Iliana''s capture was the beginning of chaos, which he wasn''t even sure he could survive without leaving everyone behind.
... That is, if he just let everything happen and did nothing.
Nheless, he was extremely enraged. Regardless of Iliana''s identity as a Pacifer, she was his lover¡ªhe had even gone to the past because he was motivated to keep her alive.
"Your presence is unwanted, you vile creatures."
Channeling his Qi into Caliburn, with the help of [Synchronization], Basil coated Caliburn with True Light Magic. The pressure it was giving out was immense¡ªit even burned the Demons that were standing a meter away from him.
Quickly looking for the perfect direction where he should deliver his attack to, Basil arced Caliburn widely. The world shed once, and the Demons whom Basil wasying his eyes on were bisected afterwards.
Thud!
The only sound one could make out was the sound when the bisected Demons fell to the ground. It was as if Basil had ordered the Demons to bisect themselves by arcing Caliburn.
The people watching him, who were still nted on their spot, could only doubt their eyes at what had happened. Usually, bisecting a Demon was not enough to kill it, so they couldn''t understand how it worked for Basil.
They, for sure, knew Basil wasn''t a Pdin nor was he any part of the the Church. His Technique, however, was simr to the Pdin''s and some of the Priest''s, so they wondered how it was possible.
''Has he decided to be a Priest when he was away?'' they thought funnily. They knew, however, Basil would never do it even though he was offered the world, so they immediately discarded the thought.
Whatever Basil could do, they would never be able to tell¡ªthat was a given. They had better things to do, and that was, join Basil in the battlefield.
Roar!
nk! nk!
When the Knights of Hauler and the Shadows shed against the Demons, the sh wasn''t as impressive as Basil''s fight, but one could easily tell they were handling it professionally.
They didn''t let the Demons pass their guard¡ªany Demon that their eyes wereid upon would be killed immediately. They didn''t kill as many as Basil did, however they were reducing the amount of Demons quickly.
"My Lord... He is Blessed by one of the Fairy Elders."
Unlike the other people who didn''t know what was actually happening, being a Pacifer, Ione knew how Basil could kill Demons easily.
"That sword is the medium between the Fairy Elder and him," Ione mused. "As expected of the Fated Child, he could already find great things even though he had no one to guide him."
Smiling to herself, Ione, who had been watching the others in her ce, finally utilized her Magic Circles. "I don''t know what kind of urgency that agitates him, but as his servant, I shall not question him, and aid him."
Boom!
Six Magic Circles materialized in the air behind Ione. All of them were Grand Circles, which means they were of the highest quality of Magic Circles that the world currently knew.
The air faintly twisted as the Natural Mana in it was attracted to her Magic Circles. The pressure she was exuding was enough to slightly dent the ground she was standing on.
Crack!
When she kicked the ground, it immediately caved in; disappearing for a few seconds, she reappeared not far away from Basil. As soon as she reappeared, she swept the air with her hand, conjuring fire in the process.
Burst!
The fire swept through the bunch of Demonsing at her like a tsunami of fire. The Demons screeched as soon as the fire touched their skin; they were charred to crisp just a few seconds after.
With everyone fully intending to obliterate all of the Demons as quick as they could, Raneil Barony was liberated after twenty minutes. Without saying a proper goodbye to his family this time, Basil left Raneil Barony.
...
With Basil and Ione leading in the front, the Knights of Hauler were on their way to get out of Raneil Barony. They didn''t purposely slow down to give Basil and Ione some space; they really couldn''t catch up to him.
They could even see that Ione was a few steps behind Basil, which means Basil was really moving at a speed they would never be able to match soon.
With that said, they really wondered if they could even follow behind the two people''s back. They were, after all, 10 meters away from the two, so they worried they would lose the sight of the two as soon as they took a breather.
"Haah... I have never run faster than my whole life." Sylvia took a deep breath as soon as they reached Raneil Barony''s gate. "Why does he have to run so quick?"
"You''ve heard him¡ªhe is a Head Commander ... Something must have happened in BA-32," Effie answered while calming her breath down.
"I hope it is not that bad, but judging from his expression..." Steven smiled bitterly. "I hope it is not something that will prolong the Outbreak."
Thompson and the rest of the Knights of Hauler nodded their head quietly at Steven''s words. Passing through the destroyed gate of Raneil Barony, they found Basil casting something under his breath right in front of the gate.
Stepping away as soon as they remembered Basil''s mention of him activating a Barrier before leaving the Barony, they watched as the Runes Basil had had his subordinates Carve on the ground surrounding the Barony were activated.
The Runes lit up in gold, before an ethereal dome gradually covered the entire Barony. Basil waited until the dome wasplete, then moved his foot away from the Rune he had been stepping on.
Saying nothing, he suddenly turned around and dashed to the direction of Lone in. The Knights of Hauler didn''t know why he was going there, but they knew he was going to the Death Howl Dungeon.
They gulped dryly as soon as they remembered what had happened there. They wondered what Basil would do this time.
''Has the Kinyer really died?'' They thought. ''Is he going to finish us off because we know that he has the entire Raneil Baronypletely under his control?''
They were naturally worried due to Basil''s secretive nature, but none of them stopped following him regardless. About Basil, they were sure of one thing: he wouldn''t bite before he was bitten.
They were very sure they hadn''t done anything harmful to him. Contrary to that, they had even helped him by protecting his family.
In their opinion, they should already be able to consider themselves on Basil''s good side, so they didn''t need to worry that Basil might do harm to them ... They weren''t wrong.
"I can feel it here."
Storing Caliburn, Basil took out the hilt of Death Howl''s Sealing Sword. He activated the Runes Carved on it, and immediately stopped in his track as soon as he felt a secret entrance nearby.
Extending the Sealing Sword, the ground in front of him immediately opened up. It was one of the secret entrances of Death Howl Dungeon that were scattered around the area of Lone in and Raneil Barony.
This was Basil''s shortcut to BA-32.
Chapter 313 Find, He Doth Not; Make, He Doth (2)
Upon entering the secret entrance of Death Howl Dungeon, the atmosphere turned tense. Basil didn''t say a single word of exnation, and the Knights of Hauler didn''t dare to bother him.
All they could do was, wonder why Basil went to the Dungeon. They didn''t know that there was a tunnel connecting Death Howl Dungeon to the Dungeon in BA-32, so, of course, they were bewildered.
''Did something happen between them in this ce?'' Ione wondered as she noticed the strange way the people behaved. ''They look wary, but I don''t know which they are wary about: My Lord or the Dungeon.''
There was a story to it¡ªshe was sure about it¡ªbut she immediately ignored them afterwards. She was more interested in how Basil could gain the control over the Dungeon.
Although she didn''t know much about Dungeons, she, at least, knew only those who understood the Runes Carved on the Sealing Sword could pull it out. Those who didn''t would only kill themselves if they did.
Ione knew how exceptionally knowledgeable Basil was, however she was utterly baffled at the fact that he even knew about such a thing.
Considering his age, after all, unless he had been learning since he was in the womb, to be that knowledgeable was impossible. That just proved how amazing and exceptionally exceptional he, the Fated Child was.
Like anyone else, Ione absolutely didn''t know about Basil''s return to the past, thus why she thought that way.
Shriek!
A sudden Demonic scream made everyone stop in their track. Basil quirked his eyebrow in wonder how there was still a Demon in the Dungeon, whereas the others prepared themselves to engage in battle.
The Demon was undetectable. Unlike Basil, who had theplete control of the Dungeon, the others were desperately trying to locate the Demon, which was why they were wary.
When they saw Basil facing his body to a specific direction, they immediately turned to that direction and prepared tounch an attack.
Rattle.
They could immediately hear the sound of the Demon''s light and quick footsteps. They wondered what kind of Demon they would be facing against, since they couldn''t see anything other than a dark tunnel.
Just as they suddenly felt an impending doom, Basil swiftly turned around. Taking out Caliburn in the exact same moment, he swung it upwards graciously.
The ce was briefly illuminated with a golden light, and they heard a loud thud behind them afterwards. Turning to the back, they saw a giant spider with a half body of a woman on its head split in two.
The giant spider was a Knitter. They liked to wrap their prey with their silk so the silk could liquidize whatever inside before eating it.
It moved slowly so it was fairly easy to kill it, however it was sneaky enough to not be easily detected. Messing with the sense of its prey¡ªit was the only thing it was good at.
"I definitely heard it wasing from our front," Thompson muttered as he looked at the Knitter. "It really messed up with our sense, didn''t it?"
The others might wonder how the Knitter had been able to fool their sense, but Basil was still thinking about why there was still a Demon left in the Dungeon. He, after all, had made sure to let all of the Demons out.
Attributing it to hisck of meticulousness, he turned his back on the Knitter, and resumed running through the passage. The others immediately followed him¡ªthey had be warier after what had happened.
Looking around constantly to watch for a sneak attack, the Knights of Hauler''s worry of Basil nning to do something to them disappeared.
Their worry turns out to be unnecessary: they didn''t encounter a single danger on their way. They wanted to heave a sigh of relief, but at that moment, they were immediately reminded about Basil.
Looking at Basil in worry as soon as they stopped running, they find him frowning while looking at the wall in front them. They were immediately swept with an unpleasant aura as soon as they turned to the wall, and their expression couldn''t help turning solemn.
They could feel many presences behind the wall, and all of them were hostile, to say the least. They didn''t know for sure if the presences belonged to strong Demons, but they were sure they wouldn''t be able to handle them.
"What are we doing standing in front of it?" Effie asked sternly.
"We are going to pass through the tunnel hidden behind the gate," Basil answered simply.
"Gate?" Effie lightly frowned. "You know what are behind this gate, don''t you?"
"I do."
"Despite knowing that, you are suggesting we should still pass through it? Are you confident enough to survive whatever behind this gate?"
"I am," Basil answered coldly. "Haven''t you heard what I have killed?"
With eyes as bottomless and cold as an abyss, Basil stared into Effie''s eyes. Being stared with such coldness made Effie recoil in shock, and, of course, fear.
She had never seen such coldness in a human''s eyes. She had only seen those eyes once, and that was when she saw the Elf executioner behead her father.
She was sure the Elf executioner had been hundreds of years old at that time and had killed many people, but not even those eyes could match Basil''s.
It made her wonder how someone as young as Basil could possess those eyes, and what he had gone through to have those eyes.
"You don''t have to follow me if you you are worried about you party''s safety." Basil extended his hand that was holding the hilt of the Sealing Sword to the side. "I can take you out now if that''s what you really want."
Rumble.
The wall beside the Knights of Hauler suddenly caved in before revealing a tunnel. There was a light at the end of the tunnel, which means it was really leading to the outside.
Effie could sense Basil wasn''t lying as she looked at him. He just wanted to do things quickly, so he didn''t want to be bothered, which was why he had immediately given them the option to shoo away.
''We have to choose well,'' Effie thought as she turned to Thompson. He immediately shook his head, and the quick decision honestly surprised Effie.
She was already sure this time that Basil didn''t have any thought to get rid of them, but she didn''t expect Thompson to immediately decide it was better to go with Basil.
She was sure their travel would be a lot harder, but considering it was Basil leading them, she was sure he had something in return for the danger. If she would like to guess, it would be a shorter traveling time.
"In other words, he will take us to BA-32 through a shortcut," Effie muttered softly.
"We will still go with you," Thompson stated. "It is toote to back away now that we havee this far."
Basil looked at Thompson silently for a few seconds before closing the tunnel that led to the outside. Effie stepped back at the same time Basil turned his gaze away, and watched as he put his hand on the wall in front of them.
The Runes Carved on it immediately shone, indicating they were now activated. Gulping dryly in anticipation, their body turned tense the moment they felt the sickening presence behind the wall getting stronger.
Rumble.
When the wall shook, a set of lines forming a rectangr shape appeared on the wall. The wall, following the lines, caved in before sliding to the side.
The people were immediately greeted by thousands of Demons when the way to the other side was opened. The Knights of Hauler''s eyes immediately darkened, whereas Basil smirked at the scene.
Unlike the Knights of Hauler who couldn''t tell the difference between Demons, Basil knew what the Demons in front of them were. They were the weakest of their kind¡ªthose that were hunted by the other Demons.
They were the Demons that had chosen to live inside the Dungeon because of the harsh living conditions of the outside world.
Basil knew he didn''t have to worry of this kind of Demons. Even the reason why they were there was because they were intimidated by the presence of the Demons of the BA-22 that had visited Death Howl Dungeon.
Basil was slightly confused how they could get there, but he knew it was their hiding ce.
For him, there are two types of those who feel the need to hide themselves: cowards and people who are nning a revenge. In his opinion, the Demons were clearly the former.
... He wasn''t wrong.
Shriek!
As soon as he infused his Mana into Caliburn¡ªas soon as Caliburn was enveloped with True Light Magic, the Demons in front of them stepped back in fright. Some of them even got charred as they couldn''t handle the pressure.
Boom!
Wasting no time, Basil kicked the ground, cratering it in the process, and dashed towards the group of the scared Demons. Ione followed suit in the next second, also leaving a crater on the ground she had kicked.
Basil swung Caliburn once, and tens of Demons were obliterated. Ionebined Fire Magic and Wind Magic, charring the Demons standing in her way to crisp.
Basil had five Ultimate Circles shining intensely behind him, meanwhile Ione had six Grand Circles. Basil''s overshadowed Ione''s for obvious reasons, but together, theirs overwhelmed the air with Mana.
Seeing how quick Basil and Ione reduced the amount of the Demons, the Knights of Hauler were snapped out of their daze. Drawing the Qi from their Core, they, too, dashed towards the Demons.
sh!
Boom!
They were immediately surprised by how easy it was to kill the Demons, and it made them excited. They utilized their weapons more vigorously, further quickening the extermination of the Demons
The Knights of Hauler had actually fought Dungeon Demons, but they had forgotten how easy it was to fight them after fighting the Middle ss Demons that had onlye out of the Obelisk after the Outbreak.
They had been fighting a hard fight for an entire week while putting their lives on the line, so facing easy opponents like the Dungeon Demons was actually refreshing for them.
While constantly killing any Demon standing in their way, with Basil and Ione in the lead, the Knights of Hauler arrived in BA-32 after an hour and a half.
Chapter 314 Find, He Doth Not; Make, He Doth (3)
Basil and the others had arrived at BA-32, however they were still inside a copsed Dungeon. Because of this, they were running through the tunnel that led them outside.
Basil was looking around the tunnel, while also spreading his Mana Sense to check if there was any Demon inside the copsed Dungeon.
Although Basil was sure the Demons they had killed on their way here were from Death Howl Dungeon, it didn''t hurt to be extra careful. There was always a possibility that an unexpected variable might show up after all.
After knowing the real identity of Dungeons from Caesar, Basil naturally knew he couldn''t find a Kinyer, or to be exact, one of the Lord''s followers inside a copsed Dungeon.
Copsed Dungeons were Dungeons that had served its purpose¡ªjailing the real Kinyers¡ªbut had also been utilized by the Demons as a way to infiltrate human''s territories back in the Age of Chaos.
Copsed Dungeon were formerly usable Dungeons that were destroyed due to that reason. This was the reason why there was not a single one of the Lord''s followers jailed there.
Despite knowing that, Basil still suspected there was someone purposely sending the Dungeon Demons they had exterminated to Death Howl Dungeon, which was highly unlikely considering the requirements to do that.
First of all, for that thing to happen, there should be someone living in the Dungeon. Second of all, that person needed to gain the control over the Dungeon, which could be done by pulling out the Sealing Sword of the Dungeon.
Obviously, a "Kinyer" could and would never do that. Pulling out the Sealing Sword, after all, means they were announcing their intention to get out of the Dungeon to the Empire.
The Empire wouldn''t stay still if they did that, which means they needed to get out of the Dungeon right before the Empire officials came for them. The oue of this decision would be predictable: death.
No "Kinyer" wanted that to happen, which makes them being thest person to do it. In other words, the person who could pull such a stunt was a Church official.
The Empire officials would never do such a stupid thing, because they didn''t want to unnecessarily sacrifice the life of their people.
Basil had been looking for the trace of this Church''s official, but he, fortunately, couldn''t find it. This indicates that the Dungeon Demons they had fought had been really from Death Howl Dungeon.
In other words, the Church wasn''t involved much in this Outbreak.
"I can see the end of the tunnel..." Thompson looked at the light at the end of the tunnel. "Look at how bright yet gloomy the outside is."
"Don''t be poetic so suddenly¡ªit doesn''t suit you at all," Sylvia remarked. "I am rather disgusted."
"Darn it! The girl has a sharp tongue," Stevenmented with a chuckle.
"She is just upset because someone has taken her sweetheart," Effie stated nonchntly.
"W-What are you talking about?! It''s not like that!" Sylvia eximed.
The rest of Sylvia''s party matesughed, and that made her harrumph in annoyance. They knew of Sylvia''s infatuation with Basil; it was just a puppy love, and they wanted her to realize it.
Said person herself was, of course, aware of it. It was still hard for her, however, to forget her infatuation with someone as attractive as Basil.
Whoosh!
The moment they stepped out of the Dungeon, they were immediately greeted by a strong yet pleasant wind. They ceased theirugh as soon as they smelled the air outside, and frowned as soon as they saw the scene in front of them.
A pungent smell of blood could be smelled strongly in the moist air. The ground was wet, and they could even see a fairly huge puddle on the ground not far away from them.
Bodies littered the ground, colouring the water with the blood oozing out of them. The Demons coloured the water blue, whereas the humans colored the water red.
Dashing towards the camp that was a few hundreds meters away from them, the Knights of Hauler stared at Basil''s back silently. He had be more solemn than before.
"H-Head Commander Basil!"
"Head Commander Basil?! He has arrived!"
"It''s Head Commander Basil!"
The moment the people arrived at the camp, the people who had survived battling against Goap and his Demon Army immediately greeted Basil. Most of them were the people who had fought in Woster County.
Basil''s expression was unchanged. While exuding an aura that made him unapproachable, he looked at the people with his eyes that were as deep and cold as a bottomless abyss.
Everyone naturally stepped aside and didn''t make much noise upon seeing that. He had already towered over most of the Knights there, so given his aura, he was even more intimidating.
"Where are the other Monsters?" Basil looked at Glenn, who was scurrying over him with his head lowered in shame.
"I am sorry, I couldn''t¡ª"
"Your apology won''t fix anything, Glenn. Forget it, and tell me where the rest of the Monsters have gone to," Basil interrupted coldly.
Widening his eyes slightly in shock, Glenn stammered, "T-They have retreated into the Obelisk. We are p-nning to clear it soon, however..."
"However?"
"We don''t have enough personnels." Glenn looked at Basil carefully.
Knowing what Glenn was actually suggesting about, Basil scoffed and walked past him. Glenn looked at his back in hesitance for a few seconds, before deciding to follow him.
The people in the camp parted to make a way for Basil, and whispered about what had actually happened. They had heard that his girlfriend had been kidnapped, so they wondered how Basil would react to it.
Basil, of course, could hear what they are talking about, but he didn''t pay any mind to it. Contrary to what they believed, he wasn''t ming anyone for what had happened to Iliana.
He was merely pissed that what he had been trying to prevent had happened, and frustrated that he still couldn''t think of a way to take Iliana back without involving anyone.
He, for sure, wouldn''t be able to face against Goap by himself. Even with Ione''s help, the two of them would not be enough to kill Goap.
The only way to rescue Iliana was to ask the help of more than two Seven Circle Mages, which was something Basil didn''t want to do. Goap would definitely spout unnecessary things, which could risk exposing Iliana''s true identity.
Basil didn''t know any Seventh Circle Mage that he was sure didn''t have any tie to the Church, which was why he was frustrated. He couldn''t even guarantee if Lawson, who was close to Iliana, wouldn''t snitch on them.
Although Iliana had depicted Lawson as someone trustworthy in her story, he knew that most of her story was a lie. He didn''t dare to bet on Lawson, which made him feel slightly helpless.
Once the Church got the whiff of it, he, Iliana, and Ione would be forced to run away from Braxtein Kingdom. The outside world was still too dangerous for Basil, which means only doom would await them.
They could go to the vige of the Pacifer, however instead of saving themselves, they would only drag the others to the grave with them. At that time, after all, everyone would be on their asses.
"You havee... Darn it, Basil. What took you so long?"
"... Whitney."
Basil had entered the tent where Whitney was being treated. He could see all of the students who attended Rehearsal ss there¡ªall of them had a solemn and forlorn look.
Looking at the hole in Whitney''s chest, he could immediately tell how long Whitney could survive. Immediately taking out a pill, he put it inside Whitney''s mouth without saying anything.
"You look like a battered loser," Basil said with a hint of smile as he took a sit right beside the bed. "It is honestly surprising to see you like this. I have never expected you of all people to be reduced into this state."
"... First of all, thank you for the Catalyst." Whitney chuckled after swallowing down the whole pill. "As for why I am in this state, let''s just say, your girlfriend has brought us some problem."
Whitney chuckled, meanwhile Basil scoffed. Whitney and the others weren''t the only people Iliana had troubled; by being captured she had also troubled Basil.
Still, none of them minded it, because they knew Iliana had done what she had done, which had led to this point due to a good reason. She was, after all, still softhearted enough to risk her life for the people she didn''t even know.
"I honestly can''t make up of the situation... Everything happened too fast for us to properly register it¡ªwe don''t even know how could what happened happen."
"Can you tell me what you can recall about the event?"
"Of course..."
Whitney started to recount about what they had gone through in the battlefield and Basil listened to it attentively. The others in the tent, although they also knew what had happened, let Whitney recount everything.
They noticed how more talkative Whitney had be, and it made them wonder whether his condition had gotten better or it was him spending the remaining life force he had.
Although he was already treated, it wasn''t proper enough since the Healer who had treated him couldn''t focus solely on him.
It brought tears to their eyes¡ªeven though they already knew this oue¡ªas they watched Whitney''s presence slowly disappearing, even though he could still talk like he wasn''t even injured.
"... You have to save her, Basil. I know¡ªI am sure she is still alive. That prick seems want to do something with her, so he won''t kill her ... Please, save her before the prick forces her to do something she doesn''t want to do."
"I will."
Basil grasped Whitney''s extended hand firmly and that made him smile delightfully. He had never thought the day he could act like buddies with Basil woulde.
In the next moment, he felt the others'' hands on his other hand. He chuckled at that, but also teared up slightly at the warmth he felt from his friends'' hand.
"I can''t see you bastards anymore, but I can feel your love. Darn it! Never thought I would say it."
Whitney''s eyes got droopy. His hands got colder, and his voice became fainter.
"I came to this world without a family, but I leave with one. Everyone... Thank you for being my family."
"My blessing shall apany you," Basil muttered faintly as he put his hand on Whitney''s forehead.
The students of the Rehearsal ss teared up as soon as they heard Whitney''sst breath, but Whitney himself was smiling. He had left the world in peace, knowing that he could entrust everything to Basil.
Chapter 315 Find, He Doth Not; Make, He Doth (End)
As the tears from the students of Rehearsal ss dropped to the ground at Whitney''s death, Basil silently left the tent. He didn''t want the others to notice that he was the only person that didn''t cry.
Although he appreciated Whitney''spany for the time they had spent together, he wasn''t as close to him as they were. It was hard for him to feel anything, but he could still respect Whitney as an acquaintance.
He had shown his kindness by blessing Whitney before he passed away. It was a big deal considering that Whitney wasn''t a Pacifer.
Not only that, Basil had even quickened Whitney''s death. He knew Whitney would have to suffer for another week before eventually passing away from his rampaging Mana, and he didn''t want Whitney to go through that.
Whitney''s heart was already damaged, and the reason why his condition had kept deteriorating was the fact that his heart couldn''t fully control the Mana in the Magic Circles Carved on his heart.
The pill Basil had given Whitney the moment he entered the tent had slowed down Whitney''s heart rate while also expelling all of the Mana trapped in his blood stream. It was originally a pill for detoxification, but it ended up relieving Whitney of his pain.
Everyone would be mad if the truth ever got out, but it was obvious that Basil had just shown his consideration towards Whitney by doing that. It seemed cold, however because of him, Whitney didn''t have to suffer for long.
"I have tried my best to not allow myself and you to have a regret. s, I can''t tell you what not to do." Basil clicked his tongue bitterly. "I have lost the mother who had raised me, and you have lost one of your family members due to your choice."
Looking far away, Basil muttered, "The only difference is, you couldn''t witness his end."
Ione, who had been following Basil around, had been keeping her silence ever since Basil entered the tent. She had watched how Basil had interacted with Whitney, and how considerably genuine it waspared to his interaction with others.
She could see that her Lord didn''t have any attachment to the people inside the tent. She could also tell, however, the people inside had earned the right to be treated as allies by her Lord.
She had been sure her Lord was a cold-hearted person who was hellbent on never treating people that didn''t have any spiritual connection with him or benefit him seriously, but she was proven wrong from what she had witnessed.
His master just chose people extremely carefully, which was why he treated most of the people coldly ... At least, that is what she got from her observation; she still couldn''t tell if there was an underlying reason for Basil to do what he had done.
"Your army is waiting, My Lord," Ione whispered as she looked at the crowd standing in front of them. "I think this is about the Demons in the Obelisk."
Basil, who had expected something like this to happen since the beginning, naturally didn''t need Ione to tell him. He had known the moment Glenn greeted him, Glenn was meaning to ask him to lead the army into the Obelisk.
He had immediately walked past Glenn at that time¡ªthus he could avoid talking about the matter. Now that he had concluded his matter, he didn''t have any reason to avoid talking about the matter anymore.
Looking at the crowd, Basil''s eyes were focused on the four Princes standing amongst Glenn and his fellow Legion Commanders. All of them, except Edward, were looking at him haughtily.
Basil couldn''t help sneering upon seeing their look. It was amusing to him that the three of them dared to make a face as if they had achieved something amazing in the battlefield.
They had lost splendidly. Even from Whitney''s recount, it was clear that Edward had contributed the most, and yet they were shameless enough to give him that look.
"11,191 people have fallen in the battle against an opponent that none of you can handle," Basil said loudly. "It might sound like a great battle, yet in reality, it was just a massacre of 11,191 people."
Turning to Brenton, Cameron, and Dwight, Basil solemnly eximed, "It is unfortunate. The sacrifice is wasted on four people that can''t even survive in the battlefield for a day by themselves!"
As the soldiers and the Legion Commanders widened their eyes in shock, the three Princes whom Basil was nting his eyes on creased their face.
Edward smiled in amusement, on the other hand, and he was curious how Basil would handle the situation. There was no way, after all, the three weren''t going to fire back at Basil.
"A mere peasant dares to look down us? Ludicrous!"
"Watch your mouth, bastard! Know your ce!"
"Being a Temporary Head Commander doesn''t give you the free right to insult Royalties!"
Instead of showing the face of someone who regretted what he had said, Basil''s sneer even got more apparent. This caused the three Princes to be even more riled up.
"Pray tell me, which part of what I said is wrong?" Basil asked disdainfully.
"This cheeky little bastard!" Cameron clenched his fist in rage. "Listen here, you¡ª"
Bam!
Once again, everyone''s eyes widened in surprise as Basil suddenly appeared in front of Cameron and punched him right in the sr plexus. Cameron immediately dropped to the ground, gasping for air while clutching his dented armour.
The other Princes who had acted as if they could put Basil under their feet instantly shuddered the moment Basil turned his head to them. Their soul trembled as they looked into his iprehensible and cold eyes.
Boom!
It didn''t stop there. Basil also materialized his five Ultimate Circles, pressuring everyone there with his overwhelming Mana.
Thud!
Everyone instantly kneeled on the ground upon feeling the pressure. Some of them even kissed the ground because they couldn''t handle it.
Ione, the strongest person there after Basil, was even forced to materialize her Magic Circles to fight off Basil''s pressure. She didn''t mind to kneel for Basil, however she didn''t want to do it when it was clear that those who knelt were those in fault.
"Tell me, how can you have the audacity to put on the face of someone who has won?"
Basil''s voice was echoed throughout the entire camp. All of the people staying in the camp, except the people in Whitney''s tent, were kneeling around him as if he was their Lord.
It was a very epic scene to look at from the onlooker''s perspective. Only those who were kneeling, however, knew how excruciating it actually was.
"People lost their precious friends¡ªfamily. Those who have fallen lost their lives, leaving their wives, children, mothers, and fathers behind." Basil gazed at the kneeling three Princes. "All for the sake of rescuing you."
At this point, none of the Princes wanted to argue with Basil. Seeing how Basil could put everyone under his control, they knew they could be killed then and there, and no one would say a thing about it.
They didn''t want to waste their life that way¡ªthus why they didn''t argue with Basil.
"... Because of you, I can''t even tell if my lover is still alive," Basil said bitterly.
At that mention, everyone''s eyes darkened. The news about Iliana being taken away by Goap was, after all, already widespread; they knew who she was, and they were anticipating this moment.
Seeing how things were going, they expected Basil to kill some of them before ceasing his anger. Contrary to their expectation however, Basil immediately retracted his Mana Pressure.
Thud!
They immediately dropped to the ground as soon as the pressure was alleviated. They didn''t know they were that fatigued until theyid their body on the ground.
Looking at Basil with curiosity in their eyes, they immediately turned their gaze away in shame. They had seen Basil shaking his head as if he was regretting what he had done.
They were right about him regretting his action, but they weren''t the reason why Basil regretted what he had done. He regretted venting his frustration on them because he knew he had just wasted his time.
He had thought he was already professional enough to not let his emotion get the better of him. He had only just found, however, that wasn''t the case if it was pertaining to Iliana.
Without even saying anything, Basil left the camp to clear his mind. Ione immediately followed after him, and the people could only wonder if Basil would return.
"W-Where is he going?"
"T-That is..."
They immediately widened their eyes when they saw the direction where Basil was walking to, and they couldn''t help immediately standing up. He was walking towards the Obelisk, indicating he was going to clear it.
The soldiers and the Legion Commanders naturally didn''t want to let him go alone. They had disappointed him once, and they didn''t want to disappoint him twice.
"Stay in your ce."
Right before they followed after Basil however, Edward, who had been the first person to stand up, held the people back.
"Give Head Commander Basil some time. He is not going to just enter it."
No one objected what Edward said. All of them immediately sat down again, and mused about what had happened to them.
Never in their wildest dream had they ever imagined a Fifth Circle Mage could pressure them with such an unbelievable amount of Mana that should never belong to a Fifth Circle Mage.
"Are we going to waste our time in the Obelisk instead of rescuing Iliana, My Lord?"
"I am still making a way to save her, Ione."
Ione was slightly confused about what Basil had said, but nodded her head nheless. Her Lord was hard to understand at times¡ªshe knew the only way to handle it was to pretend as if she knew what he was talking about.
''It has been a while.''
[Basil ... Why do I have the urge to call you darling?]
''You don''t have to call me that way, Vagus, or should I say, Asia?''
[Asia is fine ... Also, I will call you darling from now on.]
''... You can call me whatever you want, but I need your help.''
[Tell me.]
The Evolution of "Vagus" was finally done. Vagus had now turned into aplete Asia; with a new card in his arsenal, Basil finally got a way to take Iliana back.
Chapter 316 Retrieval
''I am going to need you to aid me with everything you have ... I have to face against an opponent that I will have a really hard time against.''
[By everything I have, do you mean... That?]
Basil was having a conversation with Asia in his mind. While sitting on the porch of the wooden house in his Mindscape, Asia had been listening to what he said keenly, and couldn''t help frowning the more she listened to it.
She was really curious about what kind of enemy he was going to face against, and why he had to fight that enemy. He hadn''t told her about any of that, so she could only specte.
''Yes, I want you to lend me some of your Soul Power.''
[It''s not a big deal, but you know the requirements, don''t you? I need a¡ª]
''I can lend you my body. I am not going to like it, but I will use [Vacant Vessel] so you can posses it.''
Blinking her eyes in surprise, Asia couldn''t believe the length Basil was willing to go through. She became even more curious about what caused someone as careful as Basil to be willing to let a stranger possess his body.
On the other hand however, she was also excited as she thought about what she could do upon possessing Basil''s body. After being one with "Vagus," of course, what she was nning to do were rted to indecency.
Just thinking about how helpless Basil when she did this and that to his body made her grin stupidly. If Basil had also been in his Mindscape, he would definitely bully her on the stupid face she was putting.
[Kuhum! Knowing that you have such a strong determination, I can not possibly refuse you.] Alreadyposing herself, Asia looked dignified again. [I still need to remind you, however, about the consequences. Are you aware about any of it?]
''I am already aware about the fact that my body won''t be able to handle the burden of hosting your soul for a long time. I can''t measure how strong you are however, so I can''t tell how long I willst.''
[You already know when your body indicates it is time to stop, don''t you?]
''When all of my veins explode.''
Asia already had Vagus'' memory about the decade she had spent together with Basil. She could already tell what kind of person Basil was, so she could somehow predict his answer to her question.
Still, she immediately scrunched up her nose upon hearing the answer. Knowing what Basil would answer beforehand, after all, didn''t make her like the answer.
She understood well how tenacious Basil was and how resistant he was towards pain, however saying it like that made him look like he didn''t care about his life.
Saying he would fight until his veins exploded was the same as saying he would fight until he was dead. It was not something she didn''t want to happen, because of her fondness for him.
''You don''t need to react like I was a lunatic.'' Basil faintly smirked. ''I don''t have any n to die, and I am really hard to die ... At least, for an extended period.''
[What are you... Oh! The Phoenix Essence! You have plenty of it in your core.] Asia''s eyes lit up. [You will be able to host my soul a lot longer that way.]
A drop of Phoenix Essence could heal any type of injury one had¡ªeven if it was as fatal as having one''s heart pierced¡ªand put one back into a healthy state.
As long as one still had a breath remaining, no matter how fatal one''s injury was, with a drop of Phoenix Essence, one would still be able to walk like a person who had never been injured in one''s life.
In his Core, although Basil was keeping extremely diluted Phoenix Essence, its real worth was still more than ten drops. It would allow him to take many fatal injuries, and survive them.
[You know, you can actually just put my soul into a sword, and I can still help you that way. I am, after all, technically your Sword Soul; I believe we will be able to perform decently together.]
''I know. That is why I am standing in front of this Obelisk.''
[... Yes? I am afraid I couldn''t follow.]
''In this Obelisk, there is a quite durable weapon that can be your vessel. It is said to be the sharpest and most indestructible weapon human has ever made¡ªthe ymore of Rnd, Durendal.''
[Oh, yeah. I guess it is decent enough.] Asia shrugged lightly.
If the one who heard what she said hadn''t been Basil, that person would surely throw up a mouthful of blood. That was how outrageous what she had said was.
Durendal was forged two hundred years after the end of the Age of Chaos. Its ability was earth shattering enough for the second King of Braxtein Kingdom to desire it.
It belonged to a person named Rnd, who was a quite sensational General from Frachtenhein Kingdom.
During his time, there was a territorial war going on between Braxtein and Frachtenhein. Wielding Durendal, he was one of the strongest figures in the war.
The second King of Braxtein had seen himself how powerful of a weapon Durendal was, and he couldn''t help the urge to own it. He had evene for Rnd himself, but he didn''t return with it even after killing Rnd.
Many people wondered where it went, until Charlemagne, the King of Frachtenhein Kingdom at that time wielded a weapon that rivalled Durendal, Joyeuse.
Ever since the emergence of Joyeuse, it was believed that Durendal was taken away from Rnd before the second King of Braxtein managed to get it. It was then reforged, which was the reason why Joyeuse performed like Durendal.
In truth however, Durendal had never been reforged. Joyeuse had existed even before Durendal went missing, however it wasn''t used until the sword of Charlemagne, Rnd died in the hands of the second King of Braxtein.
The second King of Braxtein had actually managed to get his hands on Durendal. Due to his not so pure mind however, Durendal cut his index finger off, which waster reattached, the moment he tested its sharpness.
It was clear that Durendal hosted a Sword Soul. The second King of Braxtein knew he wouldn''t be able to ever wield it, so he threw it away and imed that he had never gotten it.
He, of course, wasn''t stupid enough to throw it just anywhere. He had looked for a Middle ss Demon, and forcefully put Durendal inside its stomach, of course, with its sheath on.
The Demon knew it had just devoured a quite precious weapon, so the moment the second King of Braxtein let go of it, it immediately went to present it to Goap, the owner of the Obelisk it was born in.
Goap unfortunately didn''t like Durendal that much, so he killed the Demon, ignoring its plea to be allowed to live behind the Obelisk''s Barrier once again. This was how Durendal had ended up rotting in the Obelisk of Goap.
Considering what kind of weapon that Asia had seen on her days as a living person, it was normal for her, who was even stronger than Goap to not be impressed. Not even Goap was impressed, so why would she be impressed?
[Did you ask the Guide about it?]
''There is no other way for me to know about it other than asking the Guide.''
[Fair enough.]
Ceasing the conversation with Asia now that he had nned everything, Basil turned to Ione. It was time to enter the Obelisk, and as the only person he could currently trust his life with, he wanted her to know about the n.
"Ione."
"Yes, My Lord." Ione bowed politely.
"I will have to ask for your help."
"Tell me, and I shall aid you even if it costs my life."
Nodding his head simply, Basil said, "Here is what we are going to do..."
Basil had already known about Iliana''s whereabout. He had figured her location out using [Visualization], and he already knew the quickest way to get to the ce where she was, sort of, held captive.
Iliana was on the peak of one of the highest mountains in the Northern Mountain Region with Goap. It was a region filled with mountains that was known to be eternally snowing.
Apparently, Goap had been nning to go there, so he had carved a Teleportation Magic Circle in the Obelisk''s secret chamber. Basil was going to use this Magic Circle to get there.
Of course, it wouldn''t be easy to do that, since he had to clean the Obelisk off Demons first to get to the secret chamber. The two of them wouldn''t be enough, so here is where the soldiers came in handy.
Raising Caliburn to the air, he could immediately feel the ground shake faintly. The soldiers back in the camp were already marching at him, ready to apany him into the Obelisk.
"Our main objective is to get to the secret chamber¡ªremember that, Ione."
"Yes, My Lord."
"I will look for Durendal as soon as we enter the Obelisk, so I need you to impersonate me. I want our disappearance to be as discreet as possible, so make sure to never engage in a conversation with anyone while you are impersonating me."
"I will keep that in mind, My Lord."
Nodding his head lightly, Basil turned to the Obelisk. His heart beat faster for some reason, even though it wouldn''t be his first time to enter an Obelisk.
He was nervous¡ªhe knew it¡ªbut it wasn''t because he was going to enter an Obelisk after a year of not entering one. It was because he was racing against time.
The life of someone precious to him was, after all, put at stake. It was hard for him to not get nervous.
No matter how considerably faster it was to go to Northern Mountain Region through a Teleportation Magic Circle, Basil still estimated it would still take them, at least, an hour to clear the Obelisk.
He could only hope Goap wouldn''t do a thing to Iliana in that one hour. He, after all, couldn''t prevent Goap from doing whatever he wanted.
"On yourmand, Head Commander!"
The soldiers reached the Obelisk after five minutes. Basil didn''t even turn to them; he merely pointed Caliburn towards the Obelisk, before dashing into the Obelisk.
The others immediately followed suit, and since then on, what they were looking ahead of them was the back of Ione, who was impersonating Basil with her Art.
Chapter 317 Retrieval (2)
Somewhere in Fortescher County, Charles, who had been concocting the antidote for the poison that was in his bloodstream, finally finished it. Like Basil, he had also been racing against time.
The poison that had been gradually destroying his body from the inside only allowed him to live for two hours. It was already more than two hours since he got the poison, and because of that, almost all of his skin had turned blue.
Due to his magnificent control over his Mana, he managed to slow down the spreading of the poison. That was actually a gamble on his side; the poison in his body was stimted by the usage of Mana after all.
Luckily, he won the bet, thus why he could get away with just having a blue skin.
"That ursed brat!" Charles hissed as he picked up the bottle that contained the antidote he had made. "How dare he humiliate me this way? I will definitely pay him a hundredfold worse!"
For any other people, unless they were an Eighth Circle Mage, if they had been Charles, they wouldn''t call what Basil had done to them as an attempt of humiliation. They would call it a murder attempt.
Not many people were as talented as Charles. For him, finding an antidote for such a potent poison in less than three hours was possible; it would be close to impossible for any other people.
Anyone other than him would think about how hard it was to create the antidote. Him, on the other hand, thought about how unsightly he had looked while he was concocting the antidote.
Gulp. Gulp.
Drinking the antidote in one go, Charles immediately threw the bottle to the ground. The bottle immediately shattered upon contact, and the antidote took effect at the same time.
"Kuugh... That little turd! I will not let him go!"
Charles groaned as he felt the antidote cleansing all of the poison in his bloodstream. He regted the antidote with his Mana, and brought it to his heart to cleanse the poison that managed to reach there.
His insides felt burned¡ªit was as if someone had injected a boiling water into his veins. It was excruciating, however he didn''t thrash around.
He knew doing that would be futile. In addition to that, he could also visibly see what the antidote dod to his body; he was too fascinated by how it worked to thrash around.
"Huuh... I can finally feel my hand again." After a few minutes, Charles'' retained his original skin color. "Now that I think about it, that brat is able to create such a potent poison at that age ... He is talented."
After he cleansed all of the posion off his body, Charles'' lost his ferocious look. His face turned neutral¡ªhe looked as unreadable as he usually was.
Straightening his clothes that had been crumpled while he was concocting the antidote, he took out his Transmission Talisman. He infused his Mana into it, and sent a message to his disciple in Southevile Viscountcy.
"How is it going?" Was the simple message he sent.
[The Mages are all asking about your whereabouts, Master. They are starting to get suspicious of you, since they can''t find Chester anywhere.]
The reply came quickly, but it wasn''t the reply he wanted
"Tsk. Why do they have to turn attentive suddenly?" Charles clicked his tongue in distaste. "I could just order Ione to go there and impersonate Chester if she was here; however, not only she is not here, she has also betrayed me."
Frowning, Charles muttered, "I should have put my ve Mark on her." Sighing lightly, he shrugged. "s, the die has been cast. She earned the right to not be marked due to my promise¡ªit was all on me."
When Charles encountered Ione for the first time, he could immediately tell she was a loose cannon. He still took the chance to bet however, and everything had been going smoothly until her coincidental encounter with Basil.
He had given her the right to Act independently due to her skill. Ione was the only disciple he had that had managed to almostnd a hit on him.
She had earned the right to not be marked that way, and now Charles regretted he had ever made the promise. He was a realist however; he was quick to move on, and stop thinking about the if onlys.
Boom!
As Charles materialized his seven Grand Circles, he immediately quick cast a Motion Spell on himself. He kicked the ground in the next second, shing through the ground faster than one''s eye could blink.
He was rushing to Southevile Viscountcy, so he could somehow salvage the situation. He couldn''t let the Mages to figure out that something was wrong this soon, since it would mess up all of his ns.
He had spent quite a lot of effort to take over Southevile Viscountcy. It had also been a tough job to look for the 9999 virgins to be sacrificed, so he didn''t want his effort end up in vain.
He had done all of them to utilize one Artefact¡ªRed Coffin. He hadn''t been able to utilize it even though he had fulfilled all of the conditions to utilize it; it would be maddening to lose it after all of his effort.
Because of that, the Mages in the Southevile Viscountcy couldn''t know his identity yet.
"Tsk. What should I do to convince those old men that Chester''s disappearance has nothing to do with me?" Charles frowned. "I guess I will have Tristan apany them to look for Chester together."
Although their Bewitchment skill was nowhere near as good as Ione''s, due to [Reality Altercation] that Charles had cast, he and his disciple, Tristan, could still fool every Mage stationed in Southevile.
Of course, now that the truth was close to be revealed, he didn''t want to spend his time any longer in Southevile Viscountcy. This is the reason why he nned to have his disciple impersonate him as soon as he arrived.
He would then have his disciple convince the Mages he didn''t have anything to do with Chester''s disappearance by apanying them to look for Chester. During this time, Charles would be utilizing Red Coffin.
After Red Coffin did its thing¡ªafter he gained the benefit of using it¡ªhe would leave the Mages and Southevile behind. He would then seek for Basil, and pay him back for what he had done.
The n was simple; however, after having one of his ns spoiled by the unexpected, Charles prevented himself from thinking that things would go smoothly. He would be more careful and decisive this time.
...
Southevile Viscountcy, Southevile Manor.
"We do believe you wholeheartedly, Viscount Redford; however, we can''t help doubting your son. It is hard to think he is still the good kid we knew after what we saw 10 years ago."
"I understand your concern, Master ke. You can rest assured however; I am sure it is much simpler than what you think."
"Master Averill..."
ke was confronting "Redford" about Chester''s disappearance, meanwhile Averill was trying to calm him down. He was insistent that Charles must have done something to Chester.
Ironically, Averill also didn''t fully believe what he said. He was, after all, merely being considerate to Redford who was giving them a forlorn look.
He had a son himself, and he would definitely look like that if someone suspected his son was a criminal. He sympathized with Redford¡ªthus why he had said words he himself didn''t believe.
"I am sorry, I can''t say much, except trust me." Redford bowed politely. "My son has a bad reputation, but I can assure you he is nowhere near what the rumours you have heard describe him to be. I know him well."
ke smiled bitterly as soon as he saw Redford bow once again. He didn''t want to make someone he admired bow, however he also didn''t want to lose the young man that was like a son to him.
He had seen Chester grow from a Beginner Spellcaster to a Senior Spellcaster; he had also been the one who invited Chester to teach at Stardust Academy. It was hard for him to not get agitated when he thought about the possibility of Chester being dead.
"I need you to show Viscount Redford some consideration, Master ke." Averill pulled ke aside. "I very well understand your concern, however you should also understand that Viscount Redford has nothing to do with it."
"I am not so sure about it now, Master Averill." ke looked at Averill bitterly. "Despite having the aura of a warrior, have you seen him fight with us once or, for some instances, being near the battlefield?"
"It has nothing to do with¡ª"
"Have you seen thedy of the household? What about the daughter, and the citizens? Have you encountered any of them?" ke shook his head. "All I have encountered have been maids and all of them look frightened."
Averill was a little bit overwhelmed. After hearing ke''s argument, despite being one of Redford''s closest friends, he could not help doubting Redford.
He still believed that Redford didn''t have any hand in it however. Even if it was the case, he believed everything was under the force of Charles.
"I think you are just overthinking, Master ke," Averill said calmly. "We have encountered many of the citizens for the past few days. You can''t just doubt everything after what happened three hours ago."
"Look for them." ke stared into Averill''s eyes solemnly. "Look for them, and tell me how many of them are real."
Frowning lightly in confusion, Averill immediately spread his Mana Sense to scan the area. He wanted to prove ke wrong, so he sensed the presence of all of the citizens around the area.
What he found however made his eyes bulge outward. He almost couldn''t hold himself back from cursing as he found how small the amount of people in the area he could sense.
''Where are the crowds that we have seen a few hours before?'' Averill asked to himself. ''What have we been seeing for all this time?''
As he turned his gaze to ke, he noticed ke widening his eyes in shock. His eyes immediately darkened, but he was immediately assaulted with a violent Mana Pressure even before he turned around.
"Step aside or die¡ªchoose wisely, people."
Charles had finally arrived at Southevile Viscountcy. He had decided to stop being discreet about his deeds after hearing a pleasant news from Goap.
Chapter 318 Retrieval (3)
A few moments before Charles arrived at Southevile.
Charles, who was rushing towards Southevile while rehearsing his n in his mind, suddenly stopped in his track. He felt a prick in his head, and he could tell someone was trying to reach out to him through Telepathy.
Normally, he wouldn''t feel a prick if someone was trying to reach out to him through Telepathy. After what had happened when he was fighting Basil however, he became even more careful with his mind defense.
He protected his mind well now to prevent the same thing from happening. Because of that, any form of mind rted Magic would trigger the Spell he had cast to protect his mind.
Charles knew, however, who was reaching out to him, so he immediately let that person send his voice to his head.
''I thought you were trying to cut me off.''
"No, I have just be extremely careful."
''Something has finally happened, huh? Hahaha.''
"What do you need of me, Goap?"
The one who was reaching out to Charles was his coborator¡ªpartner in crime, Goap. Charles didn''t seem he was amused if the frown on his face was any indication, whereas Goap sounded like he was on cloud nine.
When Goap was asked what he needed from Charles, he kept silent for a few seconds. That slightly irked Charles as Goap was wasting his time that he treasured.
''Northern Mountain Region,'' Goap finally said. ''Come here.''
"... That is far from here." Charles'' frown got deeper. "Fortescher County is 20,000 kilometers apart from Rancuser Dukedom. It would take me, at least, half a day to reach there in my top speed."
''You can use [Teleportation] toe here.''
"I haven''t set any checkpoint yet. Do you think I will be able to teleport myself without it?"
''You have Red Coffin in your hands, don''t you?''
Charles indeed had Red Coffin his hands; however, instead of immediately answering yes, he kept his silence. He wanted Goap to exin himself about why it mattered if he had Red Coffin.
He was sure Goap will have him do something with it, and he wanted to see if it would be a fair trade. If it turned out that Goap just wanted Red Coffin without giving him something equal in return, he would really cut Goap off.
''Kukuku. You don''t need to be that sceptical about me.'' Goap chuckled eerily. ''We have established a contract, therefore I won''t lie to you.''
"What do you want me to do with it?" Charles said curtly.
''Other than increasing one''s lifespan, Red Coffin can also be used as an escape Artefact; its core¡ªthe Blinking Eye can allow you to teleport from one end of the world to the other end of the world for ten thousand times. I want you to use it toe here.''
"Do I have to destroy Red Coffin to get Blinking Eye?"
''Absolutely.''
"... Why should I do that? What can you offer me in exchange for my 1000 years worth of lifespan?"
''A thousand years worth of progress.''
Charles'' immediately hummed to himself at Goap''s daring im. He wasn''t absolute if Goap was saying the truth, however, considering who Goap was, he was inclined to believe that Goap really had what he promised.
Initially, he wanted to increase his lifespan so he could use it to figure out a way to Carve his ninth Magic Circle. There were very few Ninth Circle Mages nowadays; he was sure none of them would tell him how.
Of course, there was no guarantee if he could seed, and because of this, Goap''s offer was alluring. If Goap was really saying the truth, he would be willing to destroy Red Coffin.
"Tell me, what is the thing that will allow me to possess the progress of a thousand years worth?"
''The heart of Bahamut, the former ruler of Southern Sea, which I slew slightly more than 2000 years ago.''
"B-Bahamut!" Charles widened his eyes in shock. "Such a Mythological Creature¡ªhow could it even exist?!"
Goap scoffed. ''Hmph! You humans are funny. You believe in Divine Beasts but not Dragons? Is that also the reason why none of you believes in Demons and Hell?''
"That is..." Charles frowned as soon as he noticed how excited he had be. Containing his excitement, he sighed and regained hisposure. "Tell me what do you want me to do."
''I want you toe here and forget out initial n; I know you have lost the Pacifer girl. Luckily, I got a Pacifer girl myself, so the summoning can be done sooner.''
"You want me to supervise her?"
''Yes.''
Charles couldn''t help chuckling. "Many Pacifer have been showing up themselvestely. I have just encountered another one myself. It''s a brat named Basil. He was the one who had managed to prate my mind defense."
''Don''t joke around, Charles.'' Goap sounded serious. ''There is no male Pacifer. Even if you encounter one¡ªhe is likely a fraud.''
"Do I not know something here?" Charles asked, surprised.
''... When a male Pacifer is born, a nightmare descends upon this world. He is a vengeful soul that will bring vengeance to anyone who has wronged his ancestors.''
"Sounds like a prophecy."
''It indeed is.''
"It''s a twaddle then." Charles waved his hand simply.
''... Whatever. Juste here quick.''
Goap immediately cut his connection and it confused Charles slightly. Goap acted like it was a sensitive topic, so he wondered what caused him to be so sensitive about it.
He could hardly believe the prophecy was real¡ªhe wasn''t that type of person¡ªhowever Goap''s behaviour indicated that he believed in the prophecy. Charles found it funny, but immediately put it aside.
Regardless of whether the prophecy was true or not, he was getting more excited to kill Basil.
...
Present.
"Charles! I knew you couldn''t be trusted since the beginning!" ke shouted indignantly. "Where is Chester?!"
Being the center of the people''s attention, Charles scoffed in amusement. All of the Mages there were circling around him while pressuring him with their five or six Magic Circles.
He could feel the pressure, of course; however, it was nowhere near enough to intimidate him. Amongst the people, only two people that he was careful about¡ªAverill and ke.
While the former was a Seventh Circle Mage, thetter had lived long enough to know all kinds of tricks. He was a person who valued his knowledge highly, but he never underestimated those with experience.
About the Knights, he couldn''t care less. None of them was strong enough to rm him.
"It''s time, Tristan. We are going to get out of here," Charles whispered to "Redford" standing beside him.
In the next moment, everyone in the room witnessed how Redford turned into a grey-haired young man with green eyes and delicate appearance. They saw how Redford turned into Tristan, and it bewildered them greatly.
"B-Bewitchment!" Many of the Mages eximed.
"Choose, people! Step aside or die!" Charles eximed at the crowd who were ready to attack him.
Boom!
Just a second after Charles'' exmation, one of the Knights in the room jumped at him. Said Knight''s sword was ready to cut his neck, however with a wave of his hand, said Knight immediately exploded like a balloon.
Boom!
Seven Magic Circles floated behind Charles, exuding a pressure that was enough to crater the ground below him. The other Knights immediately jumped at him at once at that disy, meanwhile the Spellcasters cast their most destructive Spells.
Tristan, who knew he wouldn''t survive the sh even for a second, was hiding behind Charles. He was not merely hiding however; he was busy activating the Rune Carved one the floor below them.
The Rune was the key to open the door to the Treasure Vault of the Kingdom¡ªthe Sacred Ground. When the Rune opened the door to the Sacred Ground, a circr portal appeared on the floor.
Nothing could be seen in the portal except for a bright white light; it looked like a paper that was cut into a circle and sticked to the ground. Tristan didn''t hesitate, however, to put his hand into it.
"Kuhak! This bastard!"
"Watch out for his hands!"
"What in the hell are these hands?!"
At this point, Charles almost killed all of the Knights jumping at him. The remaining ones were already retreating since they knew the Mages had already finished casting their Spells.
Knowing that Tristan hadn''t pulled Red Coffin out yet, he pulled as many Knights as he could towards him with the Dark Spell had personally created. He did that to make the Mages hesitate to attack him.
Charles smirked in the next moment as he could see the hesitation in their eyes.
"Kill us with him!"
"Don''t hesitate to execute your Spell!"
"Take this bastard down with us!"
s, he forgot that Knights were naturally not right in their head. Losing his smirk, he clicked his tongue in annoyance.
Turning to Tristan, he shouted, "Have you taken it out?!"
"Give me another ten seconds!"
"You dunderhead, I wouldn''t have asked you urgently if we still had another ten seconds!"
Deciding that Tristan would never be able to pull Red Coffin out, Charles erected a Mana Barrier in front him. The Mages had alreadyunched their Spells at him, and he wasn''t sure if his Barrier could hold against them.
Gritting his teeth in anticipation as he watched the Knights outside his Barrier were disintegrated by the barrage of Spells, his view was suddenly obstructed by a coffin made with a bright, red jade.
"I did it!"
Tristan had managed to take out Red Coffin from the vault. Charles immediately cancelled his Mana Barrier and opened the coffin in a split second.
All of the Spellsunched at him were devoured by the coffin. At the same time, in the back of the coffin, he could see an eye made from jade gradually opening.
The more the coffin absorbed the processed Mana from the Spells of the Mages, the wider the eye opened.
Crack!
When Charles spotted fissures in the coffin, the eye hadpletely opened. He immediately plucked it out from the coffin, and infused his Mana into it.
The coffin trembled, indicating that it could no longer hold the barrage of Spells. At the same time, the jade eye in Charles'' hand¡ªBlinking Eye finally blinked.
sh!
Shatter!
The moment the coffin was destroyed to pieces, Charles and his disciple, Tristan had already disappeared from the ce.
Everyone''s eyes immediately darkened. They had not only destroyed one of the Artefacts that had been kept in the vault for years, but also killed their friends in vain.
Chapter 319 Retrieval (4)
The Southevile Manor, where the brief sh between Charles and the unaffiliated had just ured, was silent. Half of it was blown away¡ªthe remaining people there looked at the empty spot that was previously upied by Charles solemnly.
Two things bewildered them: how quick Charles had disappeared from the ce; and the destruction of Red Coffin, one of the Artefacts that had been stored in the Kingdom''s Treasure Vault for thousands of years.
They could figure the reason why Charles could disappear that quick¡ª[Teleportation]¡ªhowever they couldn''t understand how it was possible.
In a Sacred Ground, after all, unless it was used within it, [Teleportation] wouldn''t work. In other words, one could still freely teleport oneself to any other ce within a Sacred Ground, but not to the outside.
Charles had just done the impossible¡ªteleporting out of Southevile. It wasn''t the only bewildering thing he had done however; he also didn''t Carve any Teleportation Magic Circle.
Teleportation Magic Circle was needed when one wanted to teleport oneself to a faraway ce or to a specific ce. They were sure they couldn''t spot any on the ground, which adds to their astonishment.
,m "Do you know what that Artefact is capable of?" ke referred the destroyed Red Coffin.
"None of us can possibly know what each of the Artefacts kept here can do. We don''t even know what Artefacts are kept here¡ªhow could we even know about their function?" Averill retorted.
"Bloody bastard!" ke cursed under his breath. "He has yed us for days, and he left just like that." He gritted his teeth in rage. "He has even possibly killed Chester!"
"Calm down, ke. You are not young anymore," Averill reminded; though, he looked just as angry. "How about contacting him first through Transmission Talisman? We can track his whereaboutster."
Widening his eyes, ke immediately took out his Transmission Talisman. "Darn it! Howe I only remember about it now?!" Quickly contacting Chester, he cursed afterwards, "Fuck! There is an Istion Spell cast around us!"
The Transmission Talisman couldn''t work. The transmission couldn''t be sent, which means there was something preventing it to be sent to the receiver.
Only one thing could cause such a phenomenon to happen, and that was an Istion Spell.
Charles had cast more than oneyer of Istion Spells on the Viscountcy topletely cut off any contact with the outside world. He made it so the people trapped inside became oblivious of the happening outside.
"I found the Rune that sustains the Spell!"
The Rune to sustain it was Carved in the guess room. It bewildered them that they had passed by it more than once for thest couple of days.
"Let''s break it!"
Boom!
Being experienced Mages, of course, all of them could immediately break theyers of Istion Spells.
"Darn it! We have missed so many informations."
"Ludicrous! What is wrong with the King? Why does he have to send the Princes and the Royal Army to BA-32?! Doesn''t he know how dangerous that ce is?"
"What a mess¡ªwe have lost more than twenty thousands of Royal Army personnels for the past week!"
When the Istion Spell was broken, the news that was broadcasted to every Transmission Talisman owner in Braxtein Kingdom was received. Many of the people clicked their tongue bitterly as soon as they heard what had happened.
Although they had been worried of how the people outside fared against the Demons for the past four days, they didn''t think much of it because they didn''t receive any news. Therefore, when they got the news, they found it hard to swallow.
"Wait, what? Is this seriously?"
"Holy cow! We won the battle in Woster County?"
Of course, bad news wasn''t the only thing that they got. They also got the news of humanity''s first victory, and Basil''s role in it.
"I will be very mad if this turns out to be a twaddle."
"No, seriously. A seventeen year old¡ªa Fifth Circle Mage singlehandedly defeat two High Grade Monsters? Bloody awesome!"
"That''s my boy! Hahaha! My former disciple, the peerless genius of Woster has led people to victory!"
While the others simply couldn''t believe what they heard, ke was taking a pleasure in hearing the news. He was simply overjoyed by the fact that Basil, the genius he had cultivated had finally made a name for himself.
The others were surprised by hisughter. They turned to him, and wondered whether he had forgotten about Chester whose whereabouts was unknown.
"Have you gone mad, old man?" Averill, who had seen how furious ke had been, couldn''t be more bewildered. "You still have something to worry about, don''t you?"
"Hmph! I canugh like this because I already have none." ke snorted faintly. Waving his hand, he said, "Stop looking at me as if I have lost my mind. Chester is safe; he is in Raneil Barony, at my former disciple, Basil''s house."
"Why is he there?"
"He told me through the Transmission Talisman that he had a brief sh with Charles before he escaped this ce. He thought that there was a traitor amongst us, so he notified Basil about Charles."
"And...?" Averill quirked his eyebrow.
"Basil told him to take shelter at his family''s hotel¡ªhis house." ke hummed lightly. "Chester wasn''t awake yet at that time, but Basil''s adoptive father told him that Basil had a brief sh with Charles and managed to fatally injure him."
"... Is that kid a super Mage or something?" Averill asked funnily. "Well, it seems the kid is our silver lining in this dark cloud. It''s great to know that we have someone that can match Charles Blois."
Averill sighed at the same time ke did. The excitement suddenly left everyone in the room as they looked at the destroyed Red Coffin and the half disintegrated bodies of the Knights who had sacrificed themselves for naught.
They didn''t know how Anthony would react to this, but all of them would still report what had happened there. Infusing their Mana into their Transmission Talisman, the news about Charles Blois'' reappearance was spread.
Anthony, who had been on his way to Randalvine immediately made a U turn and head to Southevile Viscountcy. He wanted to know what had happened in detail and make sure nothing too important had missed from the Treasure Vault.
At the same time, he gave an order to the unaffiliated Mages and Knights, except for those stationed in Southevile, to leave the Sacred Grounds and hunt for Charles Blois.
...
BA-32, The Thirty Second Obelisk, The Obelisk of Goap.
When Charles was still on his way to Southevile, way before his sh against the unaffiliated, the Royal Army, the Knights and Mages outside the Army entered the Obelisk with Basil in the lead.
There was no door opened for them¡ªthey just passed through the wall like it was a semipermeable membrane. Since this point on, they were no longer led by Basil, but Ione, who was impersonating him.
They didn''t even realize Ione''s disappearance, or rather, Basil''s disappearance as they were too upied by the scenery inside the Obelisk.
"To think that such vile Monsters live in this kind of ce... How enviable."
"No one will think this ce hosts mindless creatures like those Monsters."
The people found themselves crossing an extremely long and massive bridge. Looking around, they could see an endless sea¡ªthe bridge was just a few centimetres away from the water.
A cozy wind constantly blew towards them, giving them the feeling of being really at the sea. They knew more than half of what they saw was just a Bewitchment, but they still couldn''t help it.
"Be careful, everyone," Glenn and the other Legion Commanders warned. "No matter how beautiful this ce is, it is still the enemy''s territory."
"Watch your left and right. The Monsters will surely attack from those sides," Edward added. "Stay as far away from the water as you can. It won''t be pretty if you identally drop yourself into it."
While everyone nodded their head, Ione, who was impersonating Basil with her Art, couldn''t help shaking her head in astonishment. She waspletely unbothered by the potential dangers, but she was still not as daring as her Lord.
It was apparent that the only passable way this ce had was the bridge that led to the big gate at the end of it. There should be no way for Basil to escape the people''s view without passing the gate at the end of the bridge.
... Or that was what most people thought.
Basil, who had stood strong when countless of storms of ordeals passed him in the past, however, thought differently. Although he already knew the water was a dangerous ce, he still dived into it.
Unlike the others, he had explored tens of Obelisks in hisst life¡ªa third of which had been cleared by himself. He knew many things about Obelisks, and Goap''s was no exception.
He knew there a was shortcut to the treasury room under the water. He was going to get to the shortcut, so he could retrieve Durendal that had been rotting in the Obelisk faster.
"I don''t know if he is nuts or just fearless." Ione shook her head helplessly. "Whichever it is, that''s what makes him ahead of everyone." Sighing to herself, she focused her attention to the gate ahead of her.
The bridge was 20 kilometers long. It was not a distance Ione couldn''t cover under 10 minutes¡ªespecially when it was a straight way¡ªhowever she knew reaching the end of the bridge wouldn''t be easy.
20 kilometers could be covered under 10 minutes, however it would be a different story if there was something in their way. She could already sense the Monsters hiding in the water gradually going up to the surface, and this was a trouble.
She immediately took out her sword¡ªit had a red de, a red hilt, and a length of 145 centimeters¡ªand swung it once to get used to it.
It had been years since she had swung a sword. She preferred not to swing anymore sword, however she needed to for the sake of having a sessful impersonation of Basil.
"Prepare yourself!"
"Watch your sides!"
"Keep a tight guard!"
"Stand in your position!"
Ione''s simple gesture of swinging her sword alerted the others. They viewed Basil''s judgement highly, so they were sure Ione, who was impersonating Basil, had sensed a dangering.
"Bloody hell... Are you serious?!"
They weren''t wrong; their preparation wasn''t for naught. The Demons immediately revealed themselves in the next moment.
They showed up to the surface... And fell down from the ceiling. It baffled the people greatly¡ªno one had expected it to happen.
Chapter 320 Retrieval (5)
Everyone knew they were in an enclosed space; however when they looked up, instead of seeing the ceiling, what they saw was the sky. It was a Bewitchment¡ªthey knew it¡ªbut they didn''t think much of it.
They believed it was made that way to fit the vibe, so they had never expected there would be a dangering from there. It was much to their utter bafflement, however, when they saw the "sky" split, and spew Demons out of it.
All of the Demons could fly, and many of them even carried more than one Demon that couldn''t fly on their back. Not stopping there, the Aquatic Demons had alsoe up to the surface; they were climbing up the bridge.
All of the people were smart enough to know that stop moving equals to getting themselves killed. They kept running as the Demons were chasing, while, of course, attacking the Demons that got too close forfort.
sh! sh!
Whoosh!
Ione, who was at the front swung her sword left and right gracefully. She imbued each one of her attacks with Wind Magic, so her sword cut through Demons as easy as a hot knife through butter.
Her Sword Style wasn''t as destructive or elegant as Basil''s, however, it was still better than most of the Legion Commanders''. It was really saying something since sword wasn''t the weapon of her choosing.
Good as it was though, anyone who knew Basil well, would still be able to notice how uncanny the way Ione used her sword. Basil''s swing was always soundless, whereas hers was screechy due to the Wind Magic she imbued her sword with.
Fortunately, the people''s knowledge about Basil was too shallow to allow them to notice it. None of them found anything strange from Basil; Ione''s impersonation of him perfectly fooled them.
"Hmm... Clearing this ce will surely take a long time." Ione looked at the way in front of her that was filled with Demons. "Luckily, clearing this ce has never been our intention."
sh!
Swinging her sword once, Ione''s sword produced a wind de. Said wind de traveled in the air so quick, by the time the Demons in front of her blinked, they were immediately bisected.
Picking up her pace, she cast a Fire Element Spell and sent it towards the crowd of Demonsing at her. The fire she had conjured immediately disappeared as soon as it touched their body, prompting her to click her tongue in annoyance.
Although the Spell she had just cast was by no means a High Grade one, she still didn''t expect it to not work against the Demons. She was aware they were Aquatic Demons, but she had never thought they would have such a high fire resistance.
Obviously, she also couldn''t hurt them with Water Element Spell, so she decided Wind Magic was the best way to hurt them. She wasn''t an abnormality like Basil; she couldn''t use Lightning Magic, which was actually the best way to hurt the Aquatic Demons.
Unlike the Four Main Elements, one needed to posses the Affinity towards the Sub-Element, whose Spell was going to be cast.
Lightning was one of the many Sub-Elements¡ªIone didn''t possess the Affinity towards it¡ªso she couldn''t cast any Lightning Element Spell.
"Tsk. It will be easier electrocuting these trash to death than cutting them one by one with my sword." Ione clicked her tongue, exasperated.
Although her main adjective was to reach the Secret Chamber while the others were busy fighting Demons, Ione still had to race against time. She had to be there before Basil did, and she thought it would be hard given the situation.
As the frontmost person, her role was currently no different from a way opener; she had to deal with the Demons blocking the way. They were too many for her to get rid of them in a rtively short time.
Her current goal was to reach the gate before anyone else. In the current situation, casting a wide scale Spell was the fastest way to clear up the way to the gate.
The two Elemental Magic she mastered the most were Fire and Wind. She could cast any wide scale Spell of these two Elements, however she wasn''t willing to do it for an obvious reason¡ªgreat Mana consumption.
One of the most effective wide-scale Wind Element Spells Ione could think of was [Dancing Cyclone]. It was a Spell that produced a massive and controble cyclone, but consumed a veryrge amount of Mana to maintain.
She could think of many low Mana consuming, wide-scale Fire Element Spells; however none of them would be able to leave a mark on the Aquatic Demons due to their fire resistance.
To be able to hurt the Aquatic Demons, she had to increase her Mana output, which means, she had to use yet a great amount of Mana.
"The only wide scale Arts I know are those of the Pacifer. I can''t possibly use them."
The only way for her to clear the way in a short time was by utilising her Pacifer Art. She couldn''t expose herself, as well as Basil however; in the end, she relied on her swordmanship and Wind Magic.
"Beware of the aerial attacks!"
"Watch the sky! These bastards spitva!"
As soon as Ione heard the warning, a smile decorated her face. She had found a way to reach the gate before anyone else.
Looking up, she found Aerial Demons looming above her, ready to strike her when she showed a gap in her defense. Ignoring the Demonsing at her from the front, she stopped in her tracks, and gazed upwards.
The people following behind her were bewildered upon seeing what she was doing. They shouted at her frantically when they saw one of the Aerial Demons swooping down at her.
"Head Commander Basil!"
"There is a Monstering at you, Commander!"
"Get ahold of yourself, Commander Basil!"
The people who were looking at the motionless Ione thought that she had been somehow Bewitched by one of the Demons. They tried to wake her up, but their effort was all in vain.
The Demon was already just a few meters from grabbing Ione with its long hands. At this point, all of the people had already lost hope; they thought it was the pathetic end of the Hero who had defeated Cabalen and Luci by himself.
sh!
"Got you."
Thud!
"Kyaaak!"
Much to the people''s bewilderment, just a second before the Demon grabbed Ione, she she swung her sword, and cut off one of its wings. Said Demon screeched as it fell, meanwhile Ione immediately jumped on its back.
Touching its head, Ione chanted a simple mind controlling Spell; it waspletely under her control in the next second. When its wings regrew, which didn''t take long, Ione ordered it to take off.
There were still some obstacles in her way, but fighting the Aerial Demons were easier than fighting the Aquatic Demons. None of them had a high fire resistance, so she could burn them to crisp easily.
Leaving the people on the ground dumbfounded, just like that, Ione became the first person to reach the end of the bridge.
...
While the people on the bridge were already engaged in battle against the Demons, Basil, was still diving deeper into the water to look for the hidden door that was the entrance to the shortcut.
He was using Mana to manipte his lungs, so they could extract the oxygen in the water and separate it from the carbon dioxide. It was a tedious and Mana consuming task¡ªbut it still allowed him to be hours underwater.
Normally, anyone would use Wind Magic to create an air supply for them to breathe in while underwater. The more air supple they brought, the longer they could stay underwater.
Resorting to this way, depending on how much air one brought, would create an empty space around oneself upon entering the water.
Basil needed a lot of air because he didn''t know how long it would take him to find the entrance to the shortcut, so doing it would definitely attract the Demons'' attention.
Stealth was his main focus; he wanted to be as undetectable as possible. Because of this, Basil resorted to the more tedious yet safer way. Sure, it was Mana consuming, however he had plenty of it, so he could easily shrug it off.
"Hmph! Look at these creatures." Basil scoffed as he looked at the Demons passing by. "None of them could detect me just because I wrap my body with ayer of water that doesn''t reflect light."
Demons had a very sensitive sense. Because of that, many of them didn''t need to rely on their eyes to fight.
Although Basil was hiding not only his body but also his presence, he still had expected some of them to nce his way, at least, once. None of them did, which proved how great his stealth was and how inattentive they were.
It was something to rejoice, of course, however it was as amusing as it was disappointing nheless.
"Oh, here you are."
Not even a few minutes passed, Basil finally found the entrance to the shortcut. He could see a human sized tunnel in front of him; he was slightly taller than the tunnel, but he could still fit in.
Stopping right in front of the closed entrance of the tunnel, Basil put his hand on the wall covering it. Infusing his Mana into it, the Rune Carved on it lit up.
The water surrounding the wall boiled up. Basil didn''t react much upon seeing it; he just kept waiting until the Rune had done its job.
Slurp!
When the Rune lost its light, Basil was immediately sucked into the tunnel.
He knew that would happen in advance, so he had lowered his head before the Rune finished its job. In result, he didn''t have to bump his head into the ceiling of the tunnel.
Upon entering the tunnel, Basil immediately looked around. He had expected it to be a dark ce since the tunnel had a cave like structure from the outside; what he saw, however, was the exact opposite of what he had expected.
"It is pleasantly surprising."
Basil could see the water outside the tunnel as if the tunnel was made of ss. It was also very bright in the tunnel, so he didn''t have to bother using any Light Magic.
Of course, no matter how beautiful it looked, it was still a dangerous ce. He could already feel somethinging at him at a high speed.
Chapter 321 Retrieval (End)
"Kyaaak!"
Basil could hear an ufortably ear grating screech of Demoning from ahead of him. He also heard rapid footsteps, indicating that it wasing at him.
He couldn''t help clicking his tongue at that; the tunnel that wasn''t tall enough for him to stand straightly wasn''t a good ce to fight. It was also not wide enough for him to fully swing his sword, so the fight would definitely be annoying.
At least, that was the case if Basil decided to engage in close range fight with the Demon. Basil was, of course, experienced enough to not do that, so he cast a Spell which he thought would be enough to st away the Demon.
"[Air Burst]!"
It was a Spell that incorporated Fire Magic and Wind Magic. It allowed one topress the air to reach a certain pressure, and add fire into it to create an explosion that was strong enough to st a boulder the size of a hut.
Boom!
As soon as the Spell was executed, a powerful st traveled through the tunnel to the Demoning at Basil. It carried some fire that was hot enough to immediately burn one''s skin to crisp upon contact.
Screech!
A second passed after the Spell was executed, and the st finally reached the Demon. Basil couldn''t tell how much injury it received, however judging from its shrill scream, it was quite fatal.
Unfortunately however, that also means that the st wasn''t enough to kill the Demon in one go. It was stronger than Basil had initially thought. It was still not a problem luckily; it had been immobilized, so killing it should be easy.
"Oh, I thought I wouldn''t encounter one of these guys in this kind of ce."
Basil reached the point where the Demon had been injured after a few seconds and took a good look at it. It had lost its limbs and half of its stomach to the st, however it was still breathing and in the process of healing its injuries.
The Demon was called Hole Dweller. Hole Dwellers were a humanoid Demon whose head looked like a sloth''s with hands that were twice longer than their feet.
They had strong and long nails that could be used to cut metal, and they had feet that allowed them to overrun some Peak Stage Yellow Core Knights. They couldn''t see well, however they were very attracted to light.
They preferred to live in cavities in the ground due to theck of light; they felt safe in the dark. Because of this, many people would encounter them in an abandoned underground tunnel.
On the surface, many Hole Dwellers ran up to Knights or Mages that had shiny things on them¡ªarmour, des, crystals, gems, etc.¡ªto snatch the shiny things. Due to their nails'' strength however, that ended up tearing the unlucky people''s body.
Hole Dwellers were also very sneaky, because their main objective was to steal. They hid their presence well, so they could hardly be detected by inattentive people.
"Why were you running at me?" Basil asked the Hole Dweller funnily. "I shouldn''t have anything shiny on¡ªoh... There is this badge."
Basil took off the Head Commander Badge he was wearing on his coat, and kept it in his Spatial Bracelet. Sighing to himself as he infused his Mana to his foot, he stomped on the head of the Hole Dweller, turning it into mush.
Looking to the front, he immediately frowned and clicked his tongue faintly in annoyance. He could sense more than one Demon approaching, and he knew what they were¡ªHole Dwellers.
It was one of their characteristics¡ªtravelling in group. They did it only whenever they were in their living ce, and it was their way to express their intention to eliminate their enemy.
They fought well in an enclosed space, especially their home, so facing them would definitely be a hassle.
"Tsk. That slimy bastard¡ªhe knows his game well."
Basil could take tens of thousands of Hole Dwellers by himself, but he didn''t have the time for that. He needed to retrieve Durendal as soon as possible, so he couldn''t help but be pissed finding Hole Dwellers standing in his way.
Boom!
Materializing all of the five Ultimate Circles he had, he quick cast [Air Burst] and fueled it with an inappropriate amount of Mana. He was going to make a huge st that would kill thousands of Hole Dwellers at once.
Anyone in their right mind wouldn''t dare to do the thing Basil was going to do in such an enclosed space; there was a high risk of them also getting blown away. Basil was aware of this fact, however he couldn''t care less. Time was more important.
BOOM!
Encapsting himself with his extremely hard Qi Shell, Basil utilized [Feather Step] to pierce through the shockwave. He heard loud screams of agony ahead of him, but they immediately disappeared after a few seconds.
He knew that indicated the death of the Hole Dwellers, but he knew there were still many of them remaining. Casting [Air Burst] the same way again, he st away the remaining Hole Dwellers.
BOOM!
"Now I know why Goap keeps such weak Demons in the Obelisk." Basil clicked his tongue in faint annoyance. "They breed as easy as blowing bubbles. Their amount alone is simply overwhelming."
No matter how far he had run and how many times he had cast [Air Burst], Basil still found himself killing Hole Dwellers. They seemed to be endless¡ªit made him wonder if he had to exhaust his Mana Heart to kill all of them.
Luckily, he didn''t have to exhaust his reservoir to eliminate all of the Hole Dwellersing at him. After some time, he found a way that would take him to the treasure room of the Obelisk.
The bodies of the Hole Dwellers were starting to clog the tunnel at this point, so that was a good news.
Turning to the right, he ran through the passage until he met a tightly locked metal door. He frowned slightly when he saw there was no Rune carved on it; he wondered if the only way to open it was to break it.
Basil, obviously, couldn''t do that. It was clear, by its characteristics, the door was made of Vanadium; he would need a quite long time to break it.
"Stupid me. There is a lever to open it."
Basil ridiculed himself as soon as he noticed the iron bar sticking out above the door. He had been using Magic too long; he forgot that such a simple and primitive mechanism still existed.
Stepping to the side of the door, he took out one of the swords he stored in his Spatial Ring. Using [Master of Weapons] on it, he controlled it to pull the lever for him.
Boom!
The door opened with a strong st, and the sword that had pulled the lever was disintegrated.
There was a Curse on the lever and a trap that would be triggered when the door was opened. Knowing it in advance, Basil was harmless.
Stepping inside the room behind the door, Basil immediately looked around the dimly lit room that was filled with gold, weaponry, and armours. He could detect many trap Runes Carved on each tile of the floor, so he watched his step carefully.
"Creative. All of them are Selective Runes, so only intruders will trigger them," Basil remarked. "Unfortunately, these Runes are not¡ª"
"Kyaaak!"
"Blimey!"
Basil immediately jumped to the air as soon as he heard the shriek of the Beast that had just whizzed past him. He widened his eyes in shock as he couldn''t notice its presence until it decided to shriek.
Taking out his widest sword midair, he controlled it with his Aura Ability and put it under his feet. He now flew through the air; he took a good look at the Beast that had almost torn his head off.
"Bloody hell!" Basil cursed lowly. "What is this bastard doing here?"
The Beast had a very long neck, a head that looked like a crab''s w, a hard ck skin, two wings like those of a bat, a pair of legs, and a lizard like tail but with a skin structure of a crocodile.
It was one of the Magic Beasts that people thought had extinct ... A Wyvern.
It was flying quickly through the air. Basil found it hard to spot in the dimly lit room even though he could see the room as clear as day; its skin allowed it to repel Mana, so Basil''s [Eyes of Mana Perception] couldn''t detect it.
"Kyaaak!"
Basil immediately nned a course that would allow him to avoid the Wyvern while also exploring the treasury room as soon as it came at him. Durendal was there, so he couldn''t just escape because there was a Wyvern guarding it.
Flying away from the Wyvern chasing him as soon after he decided the course, he thought funnily to himself. In the past, he had been able to scare away Wyverns by merely stomping down his foot lightly¡ªthe current situation was ironic.
"What a strange thing fate is... If there is even any."
Huffing lightly to himself, he swiped the surrounding with his Mana Sense to spot Durendal. Asia was also helping him, so he expected to find it in a fairly short time.
He didn''t count how long he had spent his time sting through the horde of Hole Dwellers in the tunnel, so he was quite agitated.
Squirt!
Other than their ws, Wyverns relied on their saliva. They had an unlimited amount of it, so they could spit it out as much as they wanted.
The Wyvern was doing the exact same thing that any Wyvern would do to its opponent, and it annoyed Basil to no end. He wanted to electrocute the Wyvern to mobilize it, but he knew his lighting would spark fire.
A spark of fire was a nightmare when it met the Wyvern''s saliva, so Basil avoided it at all cost.
Squirt!
Maneuvering to the right, Basil dodged the Wyvern''s corrosive saliva. He had been hit by it once in his past life, and the pain it had caused was enough to be a must remember lesson.
"Tsk. This annoying bastard..."
[Husband, I have found it! Above you!]
Luckily, Asia managed to found Durendal even before Basil did something crazy. It was embedded in the ceiling, so Basil had to go up to take it.
Shiing!
The sound Durendal made when Basil pulled it out was amazing. The de hummed each time Basil moved it as if it was cutting the air in a molecr level.
That way, Durendal was retrieved.
Chapter 322 Tangled By Fate
Durendal was a ymore with a length of 150 centimeters. Its hilt was made of a dark blue colored metal. Its grip was was wrapped with a soft yet not slippery fabric. The cross guard was shaped like a pair of wings, adding a certain charm to it.
The pommel was made of a mix of gold and Vanadium, making it look way darker than any gold. Without question, it was sturdy enough to bash anyone''s head to pieces.
The most interesting part of the ymore was, of course, the de. The thin de of Durendal was made from an unknown material that was imed to be stronger than Vanadium, which was a seriously ridiculous im.
The de didn''t have a definite color; depending on where one saw it, one would see a different shade of color. One might see a light pink colour on one side and a dark blue color on the other side, but when it was tilted, the color would be swapped.
For Basil, the de looked like it was made out of bismuth, which was not in any way a suitable metal to be made into a weapon. He had seen a fool attempted to make a sword out of bismuth in his past life, and it didn''t end pretty.
"This is a good ymore."
He knew, however, Durendal''s de wasn''t made of bismuth. No matter how simr they looked, it feltpletely different from the fragile bismuth de he had destroyed in his past life.
It was heavier, denser, stronger, and of course, sharper. The de sung each time Basil moved it in the air, and it made him can''t wait to see its performance.
"Kyaaak!"
Luckily, he had a perfect subject that he could test Durendal on. The Wyvern was getting hotter on his tail ever since heid his hands on Durendal, so it was time to test how well Durendal would fare against it.
Abruptly making a U-turn, Basil flew towards the Wyvern with Durendal held beside his waist. The Wyvern was taken aback at Basil''s action, however it didn''t slow down its flying speed in the least bit.
When Basil was already three meters away from the Wyvern, he channeled his Qi into Durendal. It hummed excitedly as if it was ready to unleash its power, however Basil immediately scrunched up his nose at that.
Schwing!
As it was swung, Durendal missed the Wyvern, cutting one of the pirs supporting the ceiling instead. It did happen not because of Basil''s bad aim however; he had purposely dodged the Wyvern.
Basil could finally understand the reason why Goap didn''t even give it a second thought before throwing it way. Something was wrong with Durendal, or rather, the Sword Soul upying it.
"This insolent Sword Soul!" Basil eximed furiously. "How dare you trying to take over my hands!"
The moment Basil channeled his Qi into Durendal, instead of forming a connection with him, Durendal absorbed the Qi and used it as a bridge to take control of itself and the hands wielding it.
For any other people, it might not be a problem. Durendal was, after all, doing that to let the wielder fight and kill their enemies better.
It wasn''t the case, however, for people as experienced as Basil. Having a sentient weapon that controlled the way he behaved was absolutely something he abhorred.
He was confident in his Sword Style and Combat Technique. He didn''t need a mere Sword Soul that overestimated itself to control his hands so he could fight; he was better than the Sword Soul.
[Ku-ku-ku! It has always been the case with the people who are confident in their skills.] Durendal started speaking. [Charlemagne and that brat, Mordred, too, let go of me for the same reason. Only Rnd had the most sense. Ku-ku-ku.]
"Know your ce, you talking piece of metal," Basil retorted coldly. "Who are you to think you are greater than me? Not even Caliburn that is a hundred times better than you dare to view himself better than me."
[Ka-ka-ka. What a funny guy! Caliburn? That sword was destroyed when Arthur received¡ª]
When Basil let go of Durendal, and took out Caliburn from his Spatial Ring, Durendal''s Sword Soul immediately turned silent. He let it float beside him afterwards, and didn''t pay much attention to it; he needed to focus on the Wyvern.
Channeling his Qi into Caliburn; True Light Magic, one of the purest forms of Magic that could only be used by a Spirit Elder; covered Caliburn and Basil. The Wyvern widened its eyes at the disy, and shrieked panically.
"Kyaaak!"
If it didn''t feel intimidated when Basil swung Durendal at it, it now did when it saw Caliburn was going to be swung at it. There was something unexinable about Caliburn that intimidated it.
"[Path of Glory]!"
Basil swung down Caliburn at the Wyvern that was about to turn around. Caliburn''s de discharged a burst of True Light Magic imbued Qi at the Wyvern, which spread out like a path upon contact with the Wyvern.
"Kyaaak!"
The Wyvern screamed in agony as it fell to the ground. It had used its wings to block the attack; it hadpletely obliterated its wings and charred some part of its abdomen.
Boom!
It reached the ground after a few seconds, and at the same time, Basil alsonded on the ground. He immediately approached the Wyvern with Caliburn in his hand.
[... That is not the Caliburn I know. It is not Caliburn, but it deserves to be Caliburn ... I am confused. Have I been mistaking the fake Caliburn as the real one for all this time?]
[You are still young¡ªa foolish andpulsive one. That''s why you don''t know much. Your ignorance leads to your arrogance. That is the weakness that makes you inferior to the others.]
As Basil didn''t have any intention to respond to any of the words of Durendal that was now floating uselessly beside him, Caliburn decided it was time for him as the "senior" to butt in.
He knew what Basil would do to Durendal, and because of that, he couldn''t just stand and watch. His nature didn''t allow him to let Durendal remain drown in his foolishness even until he withered away from the world.
[Better as you may be than your wielder, it is all but in your mind. Your wielder still has something that makes them better. Although in some cases, you are indeed better, that is not how to prove it.]
[... What is a Spirit Soul doing inside a sword?] Durendal was dumbfounded. [What kind of situation have I found myself in? Things have really gottenplicated after that little bastard Mordred put me in a bloody Demon''s stomach!]
[A good sword is not determined by what it can cut, but what it can do along with its wielder.]
[Tsk. Do you not know what I have allowed Rnd to achieve? I turned him from an ipetent Knight to a Knight that anyone from Braxtein was afraid of. What are you talking about? I am a good sword!]
Boom!
The Wyvern suddenly attacked Basil with its ws when the argument between Caliburn and Durendal became heated. Luckily, Basil had his Barrier ready, so he could shrug off the attack easily.
Upon reaching the helpless Wyvern, Basil swung Caliburn once and sessfully decapitated it. He was slightly bewildered at how easy killing it, but he immediately found the reason why it was the case.
"What makes a weapon great is what it has allowed the wielder to pull through," Basil remarked, recalling about Vagus. "It is great because of what it allows the wielder to achieve, not what it forces the wielder to do."
[How can a human everpete with my perfectness? Achieving something great by relying on a human skill will take a long time. I give my wielder the opportunity to achieve it sooner¡ªI am the best because of it.]
"How funny," Basil sneered. "No weapon is perfect; every weapon has their plus and minus. Even you, which is definitely inferior to Caliburn, have something that still makes you better than him."
[Hoh? Have you finally realized my greatness? Tell me¡ªtell me what makes me better than Caliburn.]
"Unlike Caliburn, I can remove you anytime," Basil answered coldly.
[Huh?! What do you¡ª]
Even before Durendal''s Sword Soul finished his words, Basil had already grasped Durendal and quickly poured Asia''s soul into it. A heavy presence invaded Durendal''s Sword Realm, sending the Sword Soul in terror.
"Whoso hath not the goods, hath not the reason to bark," Basil muttered in disinterest.
Although the reason why he hade here instead of immediately going to the Secret Chamber was Durendal, he didn''t have any n to rely on Durendal. He just needed it to be a vessel for Asia, so he had no use for the Sword Soul.
What he had initially nned to do was letting Asia upy the sword and coexist with Durendal''s Sword Soul in the Sword Realm.
He had no intention to obliterate the Sword Soul; however, after what had happened, he decided it was best to eliminate him. Durendal''s Sword Soul was problematic enough to someday stand in his way.
Basil didn''t like leaving a potential problem alone, so eliminating Durendal''s Sword Soul was the best course of action.
"You should have listened to my husband," Asia said to Durendal. She had already upied half of the Sword Realm.
"W-Who are you? How can you get into my Realm?!" The silver skinned boy with a pink hair, Durendal''s Sword Soul was panicking. "What have you done to my Realm?! Why can''t I do anything anymore to it?!"
sh!
Suddenly reappearing in front of the Sword Soul, Asia stared into his eyes murderously. "Oh, can''t you tell that I am slowly eating you up? I am going to overtake this ce, and make it mine."
"N-No... That''s not possible! I am born in this ce! There''s no¡ª"
Asia interrupted the Sword Soul by suddenly picking him up by his neck. "Like a frog living under a coconut shell¡ªyou know nothing about the real world. What can you do about it now, boy? Are going to Cry?"
Asia smiled coldly¡ªit was uncanny seeing it on her beautiful face. Durendal''s Sword Soul, on the other hand, widened his eyes in fear as he could finally sense his impending doom.
Outside of the Sword Realm, Basil watched as Durendal trembled incessantly. A faint smirk adorned his face as he could finally feel his connection with it was gradually establishing.
Chapter 323 Tangled By Fate (2)
Overwhelmed with fear of losing his qualification to remain in the world, Durendal panically eximed, "Are you not going to regret your decision, young man?! Once you erase me, you will also erase Durendal!"
Sword Soul was the essence of a good sword. It possessed the unique ability that made it better than any other swords because the wielder whom the Sword Soul was originated from had nurtured it throughout his life.
Erasing a Sword Soul out of a legendary sword was the same as taking away the abilities of the sword that made it special in the first ce. Doing so would only result in giving one an ordinary sword that had no extraordinary aspect.
In Durendal''s case, Basil would no longer be able to enjoy its peerless sharpness or the Hidden Abilities, which he hadn''t explored yet. Durendal would be a mere well crafted ymore that was sturdier than most.
He, however, didn''t mind that in the slightest, nor did he even care from the beginning. He had Asia, a Soul who was more than 2100 years old, to upy the empty Durendal.
Asia''s Soul was unquestionably stronger than Durendal''s; so, of course, he would be able to do more with Asia''s soul in Durendal.
"He is not going to hear you," Asia said in disinterest. "I have taken control of the three fourth of your Realm. What do you expect I can''t do in this ce?"
Durendal was, of course, aware of that fact; he couldn''t, after all, feel anymore connection with the outside world. Despite so, he still kept talking due to his panic, while knowing how futile it was.
Anyone in his position would do the same: they would hope their futile attempt would be able to do something if they kept doing it.
"Once you erase me, you will no longer be able to cut a mountain with one swing! Durendal will no longer be Durendal without me¡ªit will be no different from an empty vessel!"
"Hoh? This confidence..." Asia couldn''t help smiling in amusement. "I wonder from whom this Sword Soul was born. This attitude is just..." She chuckled helplessly as she couldn''t find the right expression.
"I will never take control of you¡ªI will turn you so strong, you can cut the sun! Keep me, and I will show you the glory!"
Sighing in exasperation, Asia tightened her hold on Durendal''s neck, causing him to lose the ability to speak and also breathe.
Souls didn''t need to breathe in normal circumstances, however when dealing with a Pacifer, anything could happen. Durendal widened his eyes in absolute fear as he started suffocating.
"I have taken control 90% of the Sword Realm. I just have to kill you to fully take control of this ce¡ªdo you see how small your worth is?" Asia sneered. "It hurts to know that you are not amount to that much, huh?"
Asia would only need to squash Durendal''s neck to make him disappear entirely from the world. It was an extremely easy thing to do, however she didn''t immediately do it, and waited for Basil''s next order.
Although he had stated his intention to erase Durendal''s Sword Soul clearly, he hadn''t told her anything to do anything yet. She believed, like usual, he had something nned in mind.
... She wasn''t wrong.
[My Lord, I beg your benevolence to entrust that child to me.]
Outside of the Sword Realm, Basil was frowning lightly at Caliburn''s request. It was, of course, just a front, because he had expected it to happen since the very beginning.
"That Sword Soul has a potential. Even after how much effort I put topletely dodge this Wyvern, it still managed to cut that part."
Basil looked at the cut on the Wyvern''s neck, which was a few centimeters from where the head had previously been attached to.
"It is where its salivary nd is located. It is a very hard to hit part in normal circumstances, and also the most protected area. When it is cut, any Wyvern will not be able to spit their corrosive saliva out anymore; it will weaken Wyverns significantly."
Said area was well protected; it wasn''t even an exaggeration when people imed a Green Core Knight even needed to swing their sword at it for a full day to cut open the skin.
That, however, wasn''t what had amazed Basil. The amount of precision Durendal had was what had amazed him.
He could achieve the same thing, of course, but it was extremely impressive for a Sword Soul to be able to do that.
"What are you going to do with it, Caliburn?"
[I will guide him so he can be useful to you.]
"How will a Sword Soul have any of use after being taken out of its vessel?"
[We can coexist in my Sword Realm. On top of having my ability, Caliburn will also posses Durendal''s sharpness and indestructibility ... I believe it will be very helpful to you, My Lord.]
"Why are you so interested in taking care of it?"
[... Seeing someone so young has taken the wrong path, I can''t keep watching. Guiding the youngsters was my duty as a Spirit Elder; I guess, old habits die hard.]
Basil kept silent for a few seconds before snorting lightly in amusement. Aligning Caliburn and Durendal, he brought his hands closer and made the des of the two swords touch each other.
Wooong!
A shrill hum could be heard as soon as the two des touched each other. Durendal trembled even more intensely, meanwhile Caliburn let out an intense golden light that gradually wrapped around the former.
"Kick him out," Basil softly muttered.
It was the cue that Asia had been waiting for, and she didn''t waste any time to do what Basil had instructed. She let go of the silver skinned boy she was lifting by the neck, and kicked him powerfully in his abdomen.
Caliburn''s face was riddled with bewilderment and terror the entire time, and he could do nothing but ept things the way they were. He was flying away to somewhere he didn''t know, and he had lost his connection with his Sword Realm.
Outside of the Sword Realm, Basil watched as Caliburn''s light gradually left Durendal''s de. His connection with the ymore was fully established, however he wasn''t connected to the previous Sword Soul of Durendal.
It was Asia who was inside Durendal. The ymore felt different from before; it felt more like Vagus, which he had wielded for a decade in his past life.
"Being a Pacifer certainly has its perks," Basil muttered in faint amusement. He found it funny he could swap Sword Souls so simply. "Oh, there you are. I hope you can learn many things from your mentor."
Although Durendal now didn''t feel like Durendal any longer, Basil could still feel Durendal''s former Sword Soul. It didn''t disappear¡ªit had now found a new ce to dwell in, which was Caliburn''s Sword Realm.
Basil could feel Durandal''s Sword Soul inside Caliburn. Caliburn gave some part of the authority of his Sword Realm to it, and because of that, Caliburn felt slightly like Durendal.
[I¡ªI am still alive... I am still alive!] Durendal eximed hysterically.
"Not for long, if you do something that pisses me off," Basil stated calmly. "I can erase your soul whenever I like, Durendal."
[... I¡ªI will never¡ª]
"Also, listen your mentor, Caliburn, well," Basil interrupted. "Your existence depends on his judgment."
Durendal had many things to say to Basil¡ªmostly promises of how well he would behave¡ªhowever Basil immediately tuned him out. He had something more important that needed his attention, which was checking up on Asia.
"How do you like it there?"
[I think it will be better to ask how much I hate it here.] Asia answered with a huff. [It''s so in in here. It is nowhere near as beautiful as your Mindscape.]
"You can ess my Mindscape whenever you want¡ªyou know it. What I am asking is, how well it holds your soul."
[Fine, I guess. We can do some amazing things together with it. Ah, I don''t rmend you to use full ''Synchronization'' though; it will explode by the time we know it.]
"That is fine." Basil nodded his head simply. "By the time I am already capable of fully using [Synchronization], I will already have a better vessel for you."
Ceasing his conversation with Asia, Basil exhaled softly. Looking to the front, he spread his Mana Sense to figure out the way to the Secret Chamber.
Although he knew many things about Goap''s Obelisk, he had never visited it in his past life. He knew what kind of things were there and what it had to offer, but he didn''t know much about the way he should take to reach a certain ce.
Finding the shortcut had also been a gamble on his side¡ªthat was why he had been prepared for the ''just in case situation, which was not finding any shortcut¡ªbut he luckily could find it fairly quickly.
"Hmm... There are so many Demons there," Basil mused as his eyesnded on Durendal. "Well, it is time to see how stronger we have be, isn''t it?"
Smiling lightly, Basil dashed to the door that was a few hundred meters from him. He, of course, carefully watched his step to not trigger any trap Rune Carved on the floor tiles.
It was extremely easy for him, of course; he had his [Eyes of Mana Perception]. After just 15 seconds, he reached the ck door that would take him out of the treasury room.
He didn''t need to worry for any Curse or trap this time, since he couldn''t sense any. He was also nning to cut the door with Durendal to test how well it fared against Vanadium, so he wasn''t going to push it open.
"Oh, right. How could I forget that?"
Just as he was about to cut the door with Durendal, Basil turned around to look at the treasure inside the treasure room. Although there weren''t many decent weapons and armours there, there was a mouth watering amount of gold there.
As someone who didn''t like to waste things, Basil, of course, didn''t want to leave them alone. Although he was already satisfied with the Wyvern''s Mana Core, which he had taken out, adding some more wouldn''t hurt.
Extending his hands, his two Solomon''s Spatial Rings shed briefly. In the next moment, everything inside the room was emptied.
Turning to the door again, he raised Durendal and infused his Mana into it. Faintly shining in blue as he swung it diagonally, it surprisingly, cut through the Vanadium door with barely any resistance.
Chapter 324 Tangled By Fate (3)
In another ce within the Obelisk, thanks to Ione, the people who followed behind her had passed through the bridge in a fairly short time.
The moment she opened the door at the end of the bridge, all of the Demons there instantly disappeared. The others were freed from the Demons because of that, allowing them to catch up to her, much to her annoyance.
As soon as they set foot in the ce behind the door, they found themselves at a dock. There were three ships docked there, and they immediately knew they had to sail the sea to proceed.
They quickly split themselves into three groups, and got on the ship without any hesitation. Ione was on the biggest ship; she was standing on the bow looking far ahead to look for another dock where they could anchor their ship at.
Just as they were about to sail the ships, the ships suddenly moved by themselves. They tried to take control over the ships, however to no avail.
They stopped trying after a few seconds. It was already apparent to them by that point that they could only board the ship and face whatever hardships waiting for them.
True to their expectation, just a few minutes after sailing, they were surrounded by Aquatic Demons.
While some were sessfully put down in the water, those that were still alive were climbing the ship. None of them had managed to get on the ship, however the amount of people they had lost was still astonishing.
"Laaaa~aa~a~ What is there to live when you can''t find enjoyment? What is there to fight if you can never find peace? Life is tough¡ªit is meaningless! Jump you shall, and let me show you happiness!"
There was a certain annoying type of Aerial Demon that couldn''t fight at all hovering above them. Sirens¡ªDemons that could lure anyone sailing the sea to jump out of their ship and end their life.
Sirens had a human head with a very beautiful female face, and a female torso. They had scaly bird-like feet, and bird wings, obviously.
They liked to sing with their enchanting voice; it was hypnotizing enough to lure people to jump into the sea. The Royal Army had lost many of their personnels this way as many of the Knights had a weak mental defense.
With the Aquatic Demons waiting in the water, the people who jumped out of the ship due to the Sirens'' influence would then be eaten. To prevent it from happening, many of them purposely ruptured their eardrums.
Most of the Mages chose to Seal their hearing instead of rupturing their ears, however they had to reseal it from time to time since the Siren''s voice could actually wear the Seal down.
Turning themselves deaf was obviously the right decision to tune the Sirens out, however because of that, they couldn''t coordinate with each other. All of them were fighting individually as they couldn''t hear each other.
"Hmmm... This battle is just going to wear us down."
Amongst the people, Ione was the only person who could still hear everything clearly. She didn''t rupture her eardrums nor did she Seal her hearing; her mind was secured from any mental attacks from the Sirens.
That was one of her benefits as a Pacifer who nurtured their soul since they were a child. A mere singing from the Sirens couldn''t sway her even slightly, and because of that, she was constantly killing Sirens while the others were upied.
"The ship moves roughly 100 meters each time I kill a Siren. There are hundreds of them, so does that mean we will reach the dock after I kill them all?" Ione mused. "I have killed probably more than a hundred, but I can''t still see anything ahead."
They had been battling on the ship for more than an hour. At this time, Basil had just arrived at the treasure room to retrieve Durendal.
Although Ione definitely knew they were moving, no matter how far she looked ahead, all she could see was the endless sea. There was nothing there, so she felt sceptical if boarding the ship held any meaning.
"Darn! I am just wasting my time here." Harrumphing in annoyance, Ione pointed her sword at the sky. "I hate the fact that you are messing with me."
Her Mana surged at the same time she cast a Spell on her sword. It was a Spell thatbined Wind Magic and Fire Magic.
As Mana wrapped around her de, the Spell was executed. A violent wind whirled around the sword, before a spark of fire lit it up, creating a mini firestorm.
"Aaahhh!"
Some of the Sirens stopped singing as soon as they saw what Ione was about to do¡ªthrowing the firestorm at them¡ªand let out a melodious scream. They were flying away as far as they could from her.
Ione, of course, didn''t have any intention to let them go. Creating a pair of wings with Wind Magic, she jumped to the air and flew amongst the Sirens.
Many of the Sirens were astonished she could fly. Their eyes widened afterwards, when Ione swung her sword around to release the mini firestorm wrapping around her de at them.
The mini firestorm turned into a ring of fire mixed with wind. It shredded and burned all of the unlucky Sirens as it expanded its diameter.
Ione was in the middle of it as she watched the Sirens fell down and screamed melodiously. She was quite amazed at how beautiful their voice was, and also how bad they were at fighting.
Shaking her head as she turned her gaze to the direction where the Sirens were flying to, she couldn''t help noticing something that she couldn''t notice before. There was a faint tear in the sky, and she instantly knew it was the escape.
Looking down to look at the people fighting on the ship, she turned her head away as soon as she noticed none of them was paying any attention to her. In the next moment, she flew towards the direction of the tear.
"Tsk. These bastards are getting in the way," Ione muttered as she noticed the Sirens surrounding her. "What are they going to do? Drive me into the sea with their singing? Not a chance."
True to her guess, the Sirens surrounding her from all sides sang her a song together. Their enchanting voice made a great harmony; anyone would feel like they were in heaven by listening to it.
Ione was, of course, different. She still thought it was pleasant to listen to, however she wasn''t in the mood to listen to a choir.
Enveloping herself with Mana, she used Wind Magic to st them all. There were also wind des in her attack, so some of the Sirens were also perfectly shredded.
Boom!
Increasing her speed, Ione flew straight to the faint tear in the sky as she hoped it was really what she thought it was. There were no longer Sirens after her; all of them were traumatized by what had happened to the group that had surrounded her.
"Here we go..." The closer Ione got to the tear, the stronger she felt the suction force be. "Darn! I have to¡ª"
Slurp!
Even before she managed to properly cover herself with a Mana Barrier, the tear in the sky had already sucked her in. She was undoubtedly surprised as she felt she had just warped to another dimension due to how quick it had happened.
"Hoh? This is?" Upon opening her eyes, Ione find herself flying through a tunnel. "What a strong suction force. I am afraid I won''t be able to control mynding when I get out of here."
She wasn''t technically flying. She was being pulled by an extraordinary sucking force, which forced her to encapste her entire existence with Barrier just to prevent her skin and flesh from being separated from her bones.
She didn''t know where the tunnel would lead her to; however, she was content with wherever it would lead her to, as long as it wasn''t a wall. She would definitely survive the impact, however the pain it brought her wouldn''t be pleasant.
"Hmm... I have finally arrived."
After a couple of minutes of being pulled by the suction force, Ione embraced herself for impact. The suction force had been weakening significantly for the past minutes¡ªit could barely pull her body now.
Whoosh!
She got out of the tunnel after a few seconds, and she found herself falling from the sky. Immediately looking down to determine where she was, she could see someone fighting gigantic frog like Demons that came out from the ponds in his surrounding.
The person wielded one sword in each of his hand¡ªone of them was gold colored and the other was silver tinted dark blue colored. He swung them fiercely, but his movements still looked elegant in her eyes.
Each of his swing didn''t only kill the Demons but also cut the ground and the ponds. His hands and his swords were the only things that moved; his body was still like water.
p Wooong!
The closer she got to him, the clearer she could hear his swords singing. It wasn''t singing a particr melody, however it still managed to make the person''s fight more captivating.
In fact, Ione was so captivated, she forgot to prepare herself tond. She only remembered it in thest second, and by that time, she was only three meters away from the ground.
"Aah!" She yelped.
She knew she would hurt her butt since she couldn''t slow down her fall enough. She channeled more Mana into that particr area to strengthen it, however it ended up being in vain since she never touched the ground.
"I am d I didn''t make an oath to marry the girl that falls on me from the sky."
"M-My Lord."
"Hello, Ione."
Ione had fallen right into the arms of the dual wielder she had been watching; in other words, Basil. She smiled awkwardly at him, but luckily, he immediately put her down, pardoning her from the embarrassment.
Upon being put down, Ione cleared her throat before erasing the blush on her face. She turned to Durendal, which was in Basil''s right hand, then turned to Basil to ask something.
"Is that¡ª"
"Yes, it is. There is no time to chit-chat." Basil waved his hand. "The Secret Chamber is there." He pointed his hand to a certain direction.
Nodding her head in understanding, Ione dashed towards where the Secret Chamber was, following Basil''s lead. They had to y many Demons in their way, however they could still reach it in no time.
Chapter 325 Tangled By Fate (4)
Standing in front of the ce, which Basil said to be where the door to the Secret Chamber was, Ione gazed at his back silently.
She didn''t doubt Basil''s judgement at all. She just wanted to properly see with her eyes how well the door was hidden, which was why she paid her attention to him keenly.
She could only see a human-sized boulder in front of them; she wondered where was the door. She had scanned her surrounding, however she couldn''t find any Rune or any Bewitchment that possibly hid it.
Wooong.
Basil powerfully thrust Durendal at the boulder while simultaneously infusing his Mana into it. Durendal hummed as Mana enveloped it; immediately twisted it as if he was unlocking a door with a key.
Swish!
Instead of shattering to pieces, the boulder swirled as if it was merely a painting on water. As the vortex gradually became bigger, the suction force it possessed became stronger, meanwhile the scene was also gradually changing.
Ione looked around in wonder as she felt they became more and more isted. Rather than feeling the scene that was changing, she felt it was them that were slowly moving to another ce, which was the Secret Chamber.
She was right on that matter: they were indeed gradually transported to Goap''s Secret Chamber.
Instead of hiding the door to the Secret Chamber, Goap made the Secret Chamber in his Alternate Dimension. There was no door¡ªonly entrance that one only had to enter.
That was, of course, if one could ess the Alternate Dimension in the very first ce. Therefore, to enter the Secret Chamber, they had to find the bridge that connected the world to the Alternate Dimension first.
One''s Rune Mastery would be useless in this matter. One had to have a certain understanding of Space Magic to be able to spot the gateway.
Basil, as a former Ninth Circle Mage¡ªalthough he had never delved that deep into it¡ªknew quite a few things about Space Magic. Finding the gateway to an Alternate Dimension was a simple job, thus why he could find it quickly.
"When I heard this ce had an Alternate Dimension in the past, I was amazed. For a mere Middle Grade Obelisk that was really impressive," Basil mused with a faint smile. "Now that I havee here myself, I am embarrassed by how wrong I was."
In Space Magic, finding the entrance to an Alternate Dimension was considered basic. Anyone who knew the outeryer of Space Magic would be able to find it quickly if they were fairly talented.
In other words, Goap''s decision to make the Secret Chamber in an Alternate Dimension was useless ... At least, for people like him.
Whoosh!
A few seconds after watching the vortex reached its maximum size, it slowly got smaller before it eventually disappeared. At this point, the scene hadpletely changed, which in other words, they were already inside the Secret Chamber.
Expecting it to be a dark and gloomy room, unlike Basil, Ione was amazed when she found themselves in a majestic throne room. When she looked around, everything that greeted her eyes was enough to make her sigh in amazement.
The floor of the room was made of ss. There was water underneath it, giving them the feeling of standing on top of a big aquarium with all of the fishes swimming in it.
Shiny things decorated the room. The gems, themps, the chandelier, and even the wall paint were blue.
Just by that, they could tell how much Goap fancied blue color. They had to give him the credit though, since it really suited the atmosphere.
"Where is the Teleportation Magic Circle?" Ione asked.
"There." Basil pointed his finger to the dented part in the ss floor in the middle of the room. "We have to fill it up with blood to activate the Teleportation Magic Circle Carved on the entirety of the floor."
"The entirety of the floor?" Ione quirked her eyebrow, slightly confused.
It was only after she took a good look at the floor did she finally realize that Basil was true. She could see faint scratches on the ss floor that resembled a Magic Circle.
"How are we going to fill up that part with blood?" Ione lightly frowned. "I didn''t think I would find myself in this situation, so I didn''t collect any blood from the people I have killed ... We are not going to fill it up with our own, are we?"
"There is a free blood pack here, in case you haven''t realized." Basil turned to Ione. "Besides, Demon blood works better at activating a Magic Circle¡ªit contains more Mana."
"But, there is no¡ª"
HISS!
Ione, who was about to tell Basil that there was no Demon they could y there, was interrupted by a Demon announcing its presence. It washed them with its heavy pressure, and it managed to make her sweat coldly.
Turning her head to the Demon, she thought for a second before determining what she was seeing was indeed what it was.
With a head and torso of a human, the rest of the Demon''s body was that of a snake. It was 3 meters tall when it "stood," and 7 meters long if itid t on its stomach.
It was covered fully in armour except for her head¡ªits hair looked like a twisted iron bar clumped together that was strong enough to protect her head¡ªand its snake-like lower body part.
The Demon was called Lamia, one of the strongest Higher Middle ss Demons.
Slithering towards Basil and Ione while constantly hissing. It flicked its tongue as it stared them with its malicious eyes.
|I didn''t expect to encounter a Lamia this soon. I have only seen your kind thrice. Thest Lamia I saw was a mental Lamia called Echidna, who imed to be the mother of all Demons and a half-Dragon.|
Basil was speaking in Lesser Tongue, which made the Lamia stop in its tracks as it was greatly bewildered. Ione also couldn''t help turning to Basil in bafflement as she couldn''t think fathom how Basil spoke the Demonnguage.
|She made many crazy ims when I fought her, but I guess she was just nervous because she knew she was going to die. I have to admit, though, she had the right to boast about her beauty.|
|What are you talking about, human? You are talking as if our mother has died.| The Lamia scrunched up her nose. |Our mother is still alive. I can feel her¡ª|
|Who is talking about the present? I am talking about the past.| Basil waved his hand nonchntly. |You don''t have to think much about it. You will never get what I am talking about.|
Humphing coldly, the Lamia stopped minding Basil and twirled its 4 meters long spear. She tapped the floor with the butt of the shaft in the next moment, summoning Ice Golems from the floor.
Quirking his eyebrow as he wondered if the spear was just a Magic Staff with a de, Basil smirked while simultaneously activating [Synchronization]. Caliburn and Durendal glowed at the same time, making him exude a very destructive pressure.
"Take a distance, Ione. I am going to let loose," Basil warned. "Just support me from behind only when you see the chance to."
Basil was basically saying Ione would get in his wayz in a soft way. Ione didn''t feel underestimated even in the least bit though as she merely nodded her head, and took a distance from him.
She knew her ability well. The pressure Basil was giving off before the battle alone already bothered her; she could immediately tell the fight would be out of her league.
"Alright, let''s finish this off quickly." Utilizing his Movement Technique: [Feather Step] and Step Art: [Slip] at the same time, Basil dashed towards the Lamia.
sh!
He reached the Lamia in a blink. Sadly however, he couldn''tpletely eliminate the distance between them as the Lamia blocked his advance with its spear.
nk!
Their sh created a spark and split the air. Both of their weapons hummed as they pushed against each other, however it was apparent that the Lamia couldn''t match Basil''s raw power.
Boom!
Of course, the Lamia wasn''t alone. She had her Ice Golems with her, so Basil had to dodge its attack, giving her the chance to make a distance.
Luckily however, he was also not alone. Ione immediately took care of it, so he didn''t have to waste his time killing it
Covering Caliburn with True Light Magic while simultaneously covering Durendal with Asia''s power, each of the de sang as Basil raised them to the air.
Swinging them at the Lamia at the same time it thrust its spear, Basil activated one of Vagus'', his former sword''s, Hidden Ability. At the same time, he also activated Caliburn''s, which was technically a Spirit''s Art.
"[Haywire]!" Basil swung Durendal down.
Vagus'' Hidden Ability, or rather, Asia''s special Art messed up with the Lamia''s sense. It wanted to swing its spear to the the left to block Durendal, but it tilted its body to the right instead, allowing Durendal to cut through its armour.
"Kyaaak!" The Lamia shrieked painfully.
"[Path of Glory]!" Basil swung Caliburn diagonally.
Just as it was distracted by the pain from almost getting its armpletely chopped off, Caliburn discharged a Qi burst that was imbued with True Light Magic at the Lamia.
Swish!
An ethereal path made from a golden light stretched out in the air, uncaring to the Demon standing in its way. It passed through the Demon without any problem; however, it, of course, didn''t just leave the Demon harmless.
"KYAAAaaaak!"
sting the Lamia away, Caliburn''s Hidden Ability cut and burned it at the same time. The True Light Magic was really harmful to the Lamia, so the pain Caliburn gave it was immeasurable.
Thud!
The Lamianded on the ground as soon as the ethereal path in the air disappeared. She could barely stand up on her own; her armor, along with half of her torso was badly charred.
Having none of it, Basil dashed at the Lamia, shattering the thick ss floor below him. The water underneath sshed into the air, and just as the first drop of water touched the floor, Basil had already put the Lamia right above the dented part of the floor.
"Rejoice, for thou hast finally found thy worth."
With his foot on top of the back of the Lamia, Basil cut the Lamia''s head off. Blue blood churned out of the neck, filling up the dented part of the floor.
The Rune Carved on the floor lit up after a few seconds. Ione returned to Basil''s side, and the moment the Magic Circle shed, they arrived at Northern Mountain Region.
Chapter 326 Tangled By Fate (5)
Before Basil entered the Obelisk, right after Charles'' sh against the unaffiliated stationed in Southevile Viscountcy, Charles and hisst disciple, Tristan, arrived at Northern Mountain Region.
They came there utilizing Blinking Eye, the Artefact they had extracted from Red Coffin, which they had stolen from the Sacred Ground. It had allowed them to cover 20,000 kilometers in less than 3 seconds.
"I have to say that was rather disorienting," Tristanmented.
"Everything has their plus and minus¡ªthis Artefact is no different." Charles looked at Blinking Eye in his hand. "It has a very long reach of travel and doesn''t require a [Checkpoint], but has no safety measures."
"Fair trade, I guess." Tristan shrugged.
Ceasing their conversation about how "shaky" the teleportation was, Charles and Tristan looked around. This was their first time visiting Northern Mountain Region, so they were quite curious.
Northern Mountain Region was located in the northernmost part of Braxtein Kingdom. It was a cold and barrennd filled with mountains covered in snow, so no one really wanted toe there.
One wouldn''t find any tree there; there were only lichens and mosses, and even then they were quite hard to encounter. It was simply impossible to live there, so unless one desired to test one''s survival skills, one should never go there.
"Where is that guy again, Master?"
"I don''t know. He didn''t tell me his exact position."
"Clearly, looking around won''t help us in any way," Tristan remarked. "I don''t know what you can see, but all I see are mountains with icings, and yes, I am hungry."
Leering at his disciple briefly, Charles responded, "We are going to explore this ce. His presence will stick out like a sore thumb, so we should be able to find him quickly."
Nodding his head without asking any question, Tristan followed behind Charles as soon as he dashed. They ran while constantly looking up each of the mountains to look for Goap.
Three minutes into the run, when Tristan finally felt the need to warm his body with Mana, he noticed something odd: the route Charles chose. It was as if his Master knew where he was going.
It didn''t take him long to realize that his Master couldmunicate with Goap without using a Transmission Talisman. In other words, Goap must have already told Charles where he exactly was.
"My Master is a joker, isn''t he?" Tristan chuckled begrudgingly.
Another three minutes passed, and they finally arrived at their destination¡ªthe ce which Goap told them toe to. It was one of the mountains in Northern Mountain Region, which looked no different from the other mountains.
... At least, they looked no different from the other mountains from the outside.
Upon standing in front of the foot of the mountain, Tristan, as a Fifth Circle Mage, could feel how terrifying the aura surrounding it. It was as if he could see an unlimited amount of ck ink was pouring out of the mountain''s summit.
Knock.
Charles hit Tristan''s forehead lightly. "Don''t let yourself drown in it. Ignore the feeling, and you will be able to get rid of that ck ink covering your vision."
"Ah... Yes." Tristan nodded his head lightly before shaking his head to clear his vision. "I don''t even know there is even a Spell that works like this."
"This is not a Spell, my disciple. This is just how powerful of an individual a Demon Prince is."
Tristan had initially found it ridiculous when Charles talked about how a Demon Prince had made a deal with him. He thought his Master had finally lost his mind in pursue of power at that time.
It wasn''t only until he had met Goap in person was he convinced that Goap was really what he imed he was. There was just something Goap had that any other people didn''t¡ªhis naturally vile and sickening presence.
Tristan had actually forgotten the sickening feeling he had felt when he first met Goap, but now that he was going to meet Goap again, he was reminded about it.
He couldn''t help himself from getting nervous. He had his Master with him, luckily, so his nervousness disappeared in the next moment.
Following Charles to climb the steps on the mountain, Tristan was shocked when he was washed with an immensely sickening pressure. Itsted less than two seconds though; everything went back to normal fairly quickly.
"Are we going to spend our next three days in a mountain cave, Master?"
"No, we won''t. Can''t you see these stairs we are climbing?" Charles quirked his eyebrow lightly. "They mean something."
"That a caveman had built it in the past?" Tristan tilted his head.
"You still need to read a lot of books it seems." Charles slightly frowned. "Only one kind of people that build steps on a mountain: Daoists. These steps will lead us to the ce which they often use to hold a meeting with another Daoists."
"Oh, so we are going to a Temple! To think there is a Temple in this kind of ce... Amazing."
"This is not the most unbelievable ce where a Temple is located¡ªbelieve me. When you visit the Country of Hua, you will be able to see more Temples in bizarre ces."
As soon as they ceased their conversation, silence filled the space between them until they arrived at the door of the Temple. Looking at the Temple, they found it looking just like a mountain cave with a fancy door from the outside.
They knew, however, the interior would be different, so they didn''t think the cave was unbefitting of the door. The Temple was also well secured with F¨²l¨´, which was basically Runes for Daoists.
The F¨²l¨´, however, was no longer active. The Temple was one of the Temples built in the Age of Chaos when humans were still United, so the F¨²l¨´ inscribed on the door was too old to function.
In other words, Charles and Tristan could freely enter the Temple without bothering themselves to learn Daoism. F¨²l¨´, after all, couldn''t be activated with anything other than Dao.
Thud.
The door of the Temple was opened without any resistance as Charles pushed it. Just as they expected, they were immediately greeted by an extraordinary hall with shiny marble floor and a peaceful atmosphere.
As soon as they stepped inside the Temple, they could feel how considerably warm it waspared to the outside.
They couldn''t sense any Magic being utilized there, so they concluded the warmth was either due to the architecture or the F¨²l¨´ inscribed in the hall that was still active.
Thud!
The door closed itself softly. Both Charles and Tristan didn''t pay it any attention as there was another thing that they should pay their attention to in front of them.
In the middle of the vast hall, Goap was standing beside a crucified figure. The figure was a beautiful, mature-looking but young woman with purple hair; and most importantly, she had a Pacifer Seal in the middle of her forehead.
The young woman was no other than Iliana, whom Goap had captured. ring fiercely at the iing Charles and Tristan, she washed them with her heavy killing intent.
"A feisty one, isn''t she?" Charles remarked in amazement.
Huffing coldly, Goap said, "Every Pacifer is like this; they are insufferably tenacious. They will evenugh at you when you torture them to death."
"Well, I will like to try that." Charles smiled as soon as he arrived in front of Iliana. "You know... You slightly resemble my former disciple, Ione, who has betrayed me for that brat Basil. Like you, she is also¡ªhoh? What is with that look?"
Charles quirked his eyebrow when he noticed Iliana''s eyshes trembled at the mention of Basil. He immediatelyughed in amusement as he couldn''t believe just how many women Basil had made a rtionship with.
"He is one of a yer, isn''t he?" Charles took a distance away from Iliana then turned to Goap. "What do you want me to do to her? Torture her until she does what you want her to do or just watch over her?"
"You can''t torture her... Physically, at least." Goap waved his hand. "Just look at how many scars I have left on her abdomen. They represent how many times I have disemboweled her before healing her."
"That was... Gruesome." Charles couldn''t help blinking his eyes. "She is lucky that she is a Pacifer. Only a Pacifer can survive that kind of torture."
"Who said I was torturing her? I was infusing my Mana into her body by healing her, so I could taint her Mana and take control over her mind." Goap shook his head faintly. "I failed, and that''s why I want you to do it in my stead. I have another important thing to do."
"You want me to force her utilize her n''s Art so she can summon the Seven Princes?"
"Basically, yes."
Humming to himself as he looked into Iliana''s vengeful eyes, a small smile gradually crept up his face. He couldn''t notice pain or agony in her eyes, and that excited him greatly.
Breaking tough people was one of his hobbies, so he couldn''t wait to test how tough she actually was. Turning his gaze back to Goap, he nodded his head then extended his hand.
"I will take the job, so give me my payment."
"... Here you go." Goap took out the Heart of Bahamut which he had promised from his Dimensional Vault, and gave it to Charles.
"This pressure..."
Charles held the ck Dragon Heart that was twice as big as his fist. The Heart of Bahamut was still faintly beating; it was clear Mana was the one causing it to beat.
He sweated as he felt the amount of Mana contained inside it. He couldn''t imagine how stronger he would be after recing his heart with it, so he couldn''t wait to do it.
"You can go settle your matters now. My disciple and I will take care of this girl," Charles said calmly. "For the meantime, I am going to digest this heart, so there is no need for you to watch it."
"I just want to see you eat it like a dumb human you are," Goap sneered.
"That will never happen. I know how to properly digest it."
While smirking, Charles channelled Mana into his index finger. He Carved a Rune on the Heart of Bahamut with his finger, and seven Magic Circles immediately surrounded it from top to bottom.
Charles materialized his Magic Circles, then stacked them in front of his chest. Afterwards, he brought the Heart of Bahamut closer to his Magic Circles.
The heart was slowly disintegrated by his Magic Circles, causing him to let out a bloodcurdling scream. At this, Goap merely smiled gleefully.
Chapter 327 Tangled By Fate (End)
"AAAAAHHHHHHhhhh!"
Charles screamed loudly before keeling over. He then squirmed on the ground as if a worm poured with salt.
Regardless of that, the process of his heart recement remained ongoing. The Heart of Bahamut was floating above his chest, gradually disintegrating.
"Master!" Tristan immediately ran to Charles'' side. "You Demon! What have you done to my Master?!"
Being red with such vigour by Tristan, Goap frowned lightly. "What are you talking about, imbecile? Didn''t you see that your Master inflicted it upon himself?"
"The heart¡ªyou must have put something in it!"
Amused, Goap muttered, "I didn''t expect such a meticulous person like Charles had such a knobhead of a disciple." Shrugging lightly, he waved his hand nonchntly. "Anyway, it is time for me to go. Take care of thatss well."
"Wait! What about my Master? What is happening to him?!"
Sighing lightly, Goap turned to Tristan. He looked at Charles who had his head on Tristan''sp, and could hardly find any problem on Charles.
He expected Charles to know how painful it was to integrate a Dragon''s heart into one''s heart. He was sure Charles knew the pain he was going to endure, so the spasm and the bulging veins Charles had shouldn''t be that surprising.
"In case you don''t know anything, that is a normal thing to happen when you are recing your heart with a Dragon''s. His body is just trying to adapt to the overwhelming amount of Mana, which is why it is spasming."
"What? He is going to explode by how things are going!"
"I don''t care¡ªthat is not my problem." Goap waved his hand nonchntly. "I just promised him to give him a thousand years worth of progress. I have fulfilled my promise, and the rest is up to him."
"You lied to him, bastard! You are going to¡ª"
"Shut your bloody hole, you insignificant bug!" Goap red at Tristan coldly. "There is no such thing as a free power. Your Master is definitely aware about it¡ªthat is why he dares to take the risk."
Sweating coldly as he trembled in fear, Tristan didn''t dare to open his mouth. Goap, on the other hand, merely turned around, then prepared his [Teleportation] Spell.
"Remember, you nitwit, you have to have thatss use her n''s Art. I give you three days to summon the Seven Princes, so use them well," was Goap''s message before disappearing.
Heaving a sigh of relief the moment after Goap teleported himself away to wherever he was going to settle his matters, Tristan looked down at his Master, who was on hisp.
Charles was still spasming, however he didn''t look like he was in as much pain as before. His teeth were still gritted and his eyes were still wide open, however seemed to have already gotten used to the pain.
Nodding his head reluctantly as Charles kept focusing his re on him, Tristan slowly put Charles down from hisp. He then stood up and walked towards Iliana, leaving Charles to his own devices.
Tap. Tap.
By the time he arrived in front of Iliana, he could only stare at her silently as he didn''t know what he should do. He ended up engraving Iliana''s look into his mind, and he couldn''t help but be amazed.
Stripped of her Vanadium armour, Iliana was only dressed in a tight fitting ck T-shirt and a pair of pants that Randalvine Magic Institute provided to all of its students. Half of her T-shirt was ripped apart, revealing her abdomen.
On her abdomen, Tristan could see many scars that looked like they were a decade old. All of these scars were the scars that Goap had mentioned, which represented how many times he had disemboweled her.
Looking at her face, he couldn''t see any tear stain on it. Her eyes were also clear and cold, which indicated she wasn''t bothered by her gruesome experience.
Because of that, Tristan was amazed; it was his first time seeing someone like Iliana directly. She was really the epitome of a tough person.
"You can stop admiring, and just confess, so I can immediately reject you," Iliana disdainfully remarked.
Awakened from his thought, Tristan blinked his eyes in mild amusement. "I do indeed find you extremely attractive, however I don''t think I will be able to stand you. You are too domineering for my taste."
"Hmph! Pussy," Iliana sneered.
"I''ve been called that a lot by the people around me before." Tristan nodded his head calmly. "They were right¡ªI was a pussy¡ªbut they still begged for my mercy when I slowly cut them."
Tristan smirked coldly as he recalled the day he tortured all of the people in his vige to death. Iliana snorted disdainfully at that, and turned her gaze to Charles, who was still spasming pn the ground.
"No no, I need you to keep looking at me, Miss... Pacifer." Tristan abruptly turned Iliana''s head his way. "You don''t have to look at my Master''s embarrassing disy. We have some matters to settle here."
"You can keep dreaming if you are still expecting me to do what you want." Iliana red at Tristan fiercely. "You can''t kill me, can you? You can torture me for how long as you want, and you will only waste your time."
Smack!
"Shut up, you harlot!" Tristan pped Iliana. "I didn''t ask for your input. Stop twaddling, and speak only when you are ready to do what I say."
"This insufferable twat... You know that I could kill you ten times with a thrust of my spear if I wasn''t shackled to this bloody cross, don''t you?" Iliana said murderously.
"The case is, you are shackled. Because of that, you can''t do anything to me." Grinning as Iliana''s gaze became even more murderous, Tristan picked up her Sinister Piercer and showed it to her. "Is this your spear? Well, actually, I don''t need your answer."
Even before Iliana opened her mouth, Tristan thrust Sinister Piercer into her stomach. It sessfully pierced through her stomach, making Iliana throw a mouthful of blood in the next second.
"Wow. Your spear is a good spear," Tristan remarked. "I just thrust it sloppily due to how heavy it is, but it still managed to pierce you regardless ... Do I happen to have a hidden talent for wielding a spear?"
Shaking his head with augh in the next moment, Tristan pulled Iliana''s head by her hair to make her face him. She still had her fierce re, and he couldn''t help smiling at it.
"You know what? I have found a direct way to shut your mouth," Tristan sneered. "I don''t want to hear you make anyment about whatever I do, so I hope it won''t frustrate you much. [Mouthless]!"
Covering Iliana''s mouth with his palm, Tristan cast a Dark Spell which he had learnt from Charles a few years ago. It was a Spell that allowed the caster to sew the mouth of the person the Spell was cast on shut.
It also prevented the victim to cast any Spell that could help them to speak, so it was definitely way better than sewing their mouth directly.
"You were already pretty before, and now you are even prettier," Tristan remarked with a smile.
Iliana''s mouth was stitched tightly together by a ck thread. She could feel the biting pain on her lips, yet she couldn''t move them.
She tried to let out her voice, yet she couldn''t even utilize her vocal cords. She couldn''t even grunt no matter how much she vibrated herrynx.
Seeing that his Spell worked splendidly, Tristan finally moved on to the next phase, which was taking control over her Mind. He cast a Dark Spell specified to mentally torture people, and began to invade her Mindscape.
Just as Goap said, it was hard to breach through her mental defense. As a fellow human however, he knew what to do to make Iliana bend.
Smirking cruelly as he thought of what he would do to ruin Iliana''s mental state, the torture began.
...
An hour had passed since Tristan started mentally torturing Iliana. He was already sweating coldly due to the amount of mental power he had exhausted, and he still couldn''t invade Iliana''s Mindscape yet.
Iliana was way tougher than he had expected, and he respected her for that. Still, he knew his sess was already right in front of his eyes.
Iliana had began shedding tears, which means the torture had significantly hurt her psyche. He didn''t know what she was seeing due to his Spell, however he was sure it was something she didn''t want to see.
Tristan was correct on his guess. Iliana was indeed seeing things she didn''t want to see¡ªthings she had been trying hard not to recall, but always remember.
"No, let''s save her! We can still save her!"
"Leave it, Iliana! We have to go!"
"No, what about Lady Maya?!"
"She has told us to leave, and we shall!"
It was the day when her vige, the Pacifer n''s vige was ransacked by the Pdins of the Church. She could see many brave Pacifer women getting butchered by the Pdins while protecting their children.
She could see Maya being dragged by her hair by a Pdin after she faced all of the Pdins by herself and told everyone to leave her behind.
"You... Lied to me, Iliana. I¡ªI can''t believe it."
"No, Basil... I didn''t mean to¡ª"
"Look at what you''ve done."
She had also been seeing Basil having his chest impaled by 3 swords and 1 spear while kneeling in front of her with a forlorn gaze. She didn''t know how and why it happened, however it still saddened her greatly as she knew it was her fault.
She was immune to pain, however she wasn''t immune to sadness. It caused her to slowly breakdown, which was also lowering her mental defense.
Tristan could gradually see the gap in Iliana''s mental defense which he could use to invade her Mindscape. He instantly smirked excitedly as his one hour long of effort had finally borne result.
"Let us see what this tough harlot¡ªkeuk!"
Just as he was about to invade Iliana''s Mindscape however, he could feel an unbearable pressure behind him. In the next moment, his neck was grasped tightly, causing him to suffocate.
Bam!
He was smashed to the ground before being lifted once again. He could finally see the person who was holding him; his pupils immediately dted in absolute fear the moment he looked into the person''s extremely murderous eyes.
It was Basil who was by no means amused at Iliana''s state, and his sooner than expected reunion with Charles. It made him feel like they were tangled by fate, and that further encouraged him to immediately kill Charles.
Chapter 328 A Parting Gift
At Basil''s interruption, Tristan''s attempt to take control over Iliana''s mindpletely failed. In result, Iliana was pulled out of her misery of reliving the day she had been trying not to recall.
Upon opening her eyes, Iliana was immediately greeted by the scene of Basil holding Tristan above the ground by his hair. Blood colored Tristan''s face red; no sound came out of his mouth.
Her eyes immediately turned to Basil after looking at Tristan''s state. Basil''s eyes instantly took her attention as she didn''t expect to see them this soon.
Murderous, cold, iprehensible, and deep¡ªhis eyes made him look like an enraged ancient soul. His presence was overwhelming; not because it was violent, but because it was so profound, one couldn''t help but tremble in his presence.
One doesn''t fear the ocean because of how violent it is, but because of how deep and unpredictable it is. Basil was just like this: his heavy yet calm presence instilled an indescribable fear to those he despised.
Extending his right hand, his unupied hand, Basil covered Iliana''s sewn mouth with it. Channeling Mana to his hand, he cancelled the Dark Spell in a second, removing the thread sewing Iliana''s mouth.
"Basil... How did you... Nevermind. I knew you would be able to find me." Iliana smiled in defeat.
Ignoring Iliana''s words, Basil turned his gaze to Iliana''s stomach. Then, he put his hand on the shaft of Sinister Piercer that was puncturing it.
"This is going to hurt, but please bear with me," Basil softly said.
"Pull it out in any time¡ªI am ready," Iliana casually replied.
Infusing his Mana into the spear, the de retreated into the shaft like a turtle into its shell in the next moment. Basil pulled it out afterwards, causing Iliana to wince slightly.
"You have nothing to be ashamed of," Basil stated. "I would like to praise you for the tenacity you showed while enduring all of those things. You''ve done well."
"You are saying it as if you know what I have gone through."
"I do know."
Basil did know. He had been watching Iliana through [Visualization] to make sure she stayed in the same ce.
He had seen all of those outrageous scenes as clear as day. There were even many asions where he had almost lost his patience and ended up venting his anger to the Demons standing in his way.
He had wished he could''ve been by Iliana''s side the moment Goap started disemboweling her so he could prevent her from suffering. This was why he had been agitated before arriving there.
"Is that so?"
Iliana lightly frowned before eventually smiling helplessly. Shaking her head faintly as she wondered just what Basil couldn''t do, she couldn''t help herself from asking something that showed how distress she was.
"If you saw what happened, why didn''t youe sooner?" Iliana immediately widened her eyes after the words were uttered. "Ah, forget that. I was just too exhausted."
Basil waved his hand lightly. "Something got in the way. The Demons¡ªthey were filling up the entire Obelisk. We have to kill a lot of them to reach here."
"We? Obelisk?" Iliana was confused. "What do you mean by that."
"Let me unshackle you first before talking about that." Basil waved his hand lightly.
Turning his gaze to Tristan, he wondered what he should do to him. He knew Charles wasn''t emotionally close to his disciple, so Tristan definitely wasn''t worthy enough to be a hostage.
After recalling what Tristan had done to Iliana however, he immediately got a perfect idea for what he should do to Tristan.
"Ione," Basil called out.
"Ione?" Iliana asked.
Without saying anything, Ione, who had been looking around the room to spot Charles walked to Basil''s side, allowing herself to be seen by Iliana. Both of the women immediately widened their eyes upon seeing each other, but none of them said a thing.
"Yes, My Lord?"
"I want you to take care of this pile of waste."
After motioning at Tristan, Basil tapped the ground twice with his foot. The ground rumbled for a few seconds before iron bars emerged from the ground and wrapped around Tristan like a vine.
nk!
Upon being dropped to the ground, Tristan squirmed as he utilized his Mana to free himself from the iron bars wrapping around him.
Basil, of course, didn''t have any intention to let Tristan do whatever he wanted. Just a second before Tristan materialized his Magic Circles to burst some of his Mana to destroy the iron bars, Basil mmed his hand to Tristan''s chest.
Shatter!
"Ah! My Magic Circles! AAAHHHhhhh!"
With one move, Basil destroyed Tristan''s Magic Circles.
The method he had used was simple. He had only positioned all of his five Magic Circles in front of his hand after adjusting their size to fit his hand and destroyed Tristan''s Magic Circles with them.
Magic Circles were Carved on one''s heart. Beside directly destroying the heart, one could just destroy Magic Circles the way Basil did: shing one''s Magic Circles with those of one''s opponent.
Of course, this wasn''t the safest way to end the Mage career of one''s opponent. One needed to make sure one''s Magic Circle''s foundation was more solid than one opponent''s for this to work.
If one ended up being the one with the shallow foundation, one should never try this method. Doing it even after knowing that fact would only bring one the misery of losing one''s Magic Circles.
With that said, possessing the same amount of Magic Circles, Tristan, who only had 3 Grand Circles and 2 Major Circles obviously couldn''t win against Basil who had 5 Ultimate Circles.
"I have never seen you do that," Iliana remarked.
"Now you have." Basil held Iliana tenderly after unshackling her. "I know how bad you want to be independent, but listen to your body. They are too exhausted to move."
Iliana didn''t say anything, and merely tightened her hold on Basil. She indeed didn''t have enough strength to support her body, so she could only rely on Basil to prevent her body from crashing into the ground after being freed from the cross.
She immediately buried her face in his chest the moment he hugged her; not because she was trying to act cute, but because she was ashamed of showing him her helpless state. She prided herself on her power, so being helpless felt no different from a humiliation.
"How is that waste of space doing?" Basil asked Ione as he gently put Iliana on the ground. "I indeed asked you to shut him up, but I hope you are gentle enough to not immediately kill him."
"Everything is fine, My Lord. He is still breathing," Ione responded instantly. "I couldn''t do what he had done to Iliana, so to shut him up, I was forced to burn his mouth until they melted to seal it."
"Did you also damage his vocal cords?"
"I punctured hisrynx, so the air can only pass through it without vibrating the vocal cords."
Nodding his head at how good of a job Ione had done, Basil returned his attention to Iliana. He sensed too much Demonic Mana in her body, which was the reason why she could barely move.
He was sure she felt like she was burning from the inside since Demonic Mana was really corrosive to any living being. Before her body got used to it, which would take a very long time, she would always suffer from the pain.
Some people like Jacinda got lucky that their body managed to adjust to the violent Mana. Even then, it happened only because the amount of Demonic Mana in their body wasn''t as much as the one in Iliana''s body.
For Iliana''s body to get used to the Demonic Mana was close to impossible, so the Demonic Mana needed to be removed immediately. Luckily, Basil was capable of doing it.
"This is going to be a little bit messy, but I need you to drink something," Basil said stoically.
"Pardon?" Iliana blinked her eyes in confusion. "I... No matter how attractive the helpless me looks to you, I don''t think this is the right time to be... Intimate. Let us do it when the¡ª"
"What are you talking about?" Basil quirked his eyebrow in confusion. "I need you to drink my blood so I can expel all of the Demonic Mana in your body with the Phoenix''s Core Essence my blood contains."
"Oh..." Iliana''s cheeks reddened slightl before she feinted her embarrassment with a cough. "Kuhum! You know me¡ªI don''t mind drinking anything that helps me get better."
Huffing softly with a smirk, Basil took Caliburn out of the Solomon''s Spatial Ring. Immediately running it through his wrist, his blood immediately gushed out of the cut.
Basil put his wrist above Iliana''s mouth and let her drink his blood while simultaneously drawing the Phoenix Essence that he stored in his Qi Core. There was a golden tint in each drop of his blood, and Iliana felt energised each time she gulped it.
After 5 seconds, the cut on Basil''s wrist closed after briefly exuding a golden light. Iliana already looked a lot better at this point, but the process wasn''t finished yet.
Moving his hand to Iliana''s chest, right on the area where her heart was located, he channeled his Mana into her body.
"Keuk... That stings," Iliana remarked. It indeed felt more painful than being punctured by a spear.
"Don''t reject my Mana."
"I know."
As Basil''s Mana finally entered Iliana''s body, he used his blood as the vessel of his Mana. His blood absorbed all of the Demonic Mana running in Iliana''s bloodstream, while simultaneously releasing the Phoenix Essence to heal her.
A half and a minute passed, the Demonic Mana was finally purged off Iliana''s body. Basil immediately forced the Demonic Mana containing blood out of her body, which was essentially just making her throw it up.
"Kuhuk! Kuhuk! It tasted heavenly before, but it is just disgusting now," Iliana remarked.
"No one told you to taste it."
Basil shook his head in amusement, then turned his gaze to Iliana''s abdomen. He couldn''t see anymore scar, which was the silent witness to her gruesome experience.
He was d that the Phoenix''s Core Essence could heal all the scars, but he still couldn''t forget what had happened to Iliana whenever he saw her abdomen. Because of that, he really wanted to kill Goap himself.
s, he didn''t have the capability to do that, so he could only smile bitterly.
Putting his hand on Iliana''s abdomen, he said, "How do you feel now?"
"Awesome, but... Why? We haven''t done anything yet, so you can''t sense any lifeform there in my uterus."
Smirking lightly at how easy it was for her to joke even after what had happened to her, Basil knocked her head lightly.
Turning around, Basil met the person who had been hiding himself. It was Charles who had finished integrating the Heart of Bahamut.
Chapter 329 A Parting Gift (2)
Half an hour after undergoing the process of integrating the Heart of Bahamut into his heart, Charles regained his ability to control his body. He immediately moved to another room, because he felt it was unsightly to just lie on the ground.
The foremost reason of why he moved to another room was still, of course, to prevent his body from being exposed to any danger. He had a premonition that someone woulde there, and didn''t want to be interrupted.
Because of that, he surrounded himself with a Rune that would blow him up along with everything around him by using the Mana inside his body and the Dragon Heart when it detected an abnormality in his Mana Flow.
In other words, the Rune would be triggered if someone disturbed his Dragon Heart Integration process. Lucky him, his premonition turned out to be a reality.
Because of Charles'' safety measures, Basil, even though he knew where Charles was, didn''t bother of find him.
There was nothing Basil could do to Charles while he was still in the process of integrating the Dragon Heart. Basil knew he would die if Charles blow himself up, so he waited for Charles to show up by himself.
Although he had let Charlespletely integrate the Heart of Bahamut by doing that, he still found it better than getting himself killed for killing Charles who was in the middle of integrating the Dragon Heart.
"Our reunion is sooner than I nned, isn''t it, Basil?"
With an extremely fierce aura surrounding him, Charles grinned at Basil. He had grown a few centimeters taller, and looked more muscr than before.
The Heart of Bahamut gave him unimaginable benefits: he felt more energised, more powerful, and; of course, physically stronger. The amount of Mana he possessed now was evenparable to that of Eighth Circle Mages.
Charles had just turned into a Seventh Circle Magest month; he was still far away from finishing his eighth Magic Circle. In other words, for him to posses such an amount of Mana proved how great the effect of possessing Bahamut''s Heart.
"Can you feel it, Basil? The pressure in the air?" Charles swept the air with his hand obnoxiously. "That is the amount of Mana my Magic Circles can not control. The Mana that my Dragon Heart has pumped into my body."
Charles was knowledgeable enough about Magic; he was qualified to be a schr. Because of that, he knew that his body and his Magic Circles would not be able to contain all of the Mana inside Bahamut''s Heart.
He would only explode if he forced his body and Magic Circles to contain all of the Mana, so he decided to be wasteful and released some of it to the surrounding. He constantly exuded Mana because of it, pressuring everyone in his surrounding.
"Well, it is quite impressive for someone who took a shortcut." Of course, there were also people like Basil who didn''t feel intimidated by the pressure. "Congrattions, you now have the aura of a Dragon Heart possessor."
Charles was about to smile when Basil added, "Or what I like to call the aura of an idiot. It belongs to the people who think too highly of themselves, and think that they can handle a Dragon Heart."
The smile that was about to from on Charles'' face immediately crumpled. He tried to think of aeback, but couldn''t think any since he couldn''t refute Basil''s im; he was aware of how spot on Basil was.
"Hmph! You are a dead meat in front of me regardless," Charles scoffed. "The fool may be scorned, yet he will live longer than the one who scorns him."
Boom!
Materializing his seven Magic Circles, Charles sted the floor below him, creating a quite deep dent on the marble floor. Such a thing shouldn''t happen by merely materializing one''s Magic Circles, which proved just how much stronger he had be.
"Iliana, wear your armour," Basil ordered without turning his head. "Take care of that waste of space, and stay away from the battle."
"What are you talking about?" Iliana frowned. "Do you think I am so weak¡ª"
"Yes, you are. I know you have gotten your sixth Magic Circle, but you are still not ready for battle. The foundation of your sixth Magic Circle is still shaky. On top of that, you need to rest ... Just stay away from the battle."
Iliana didn''t look like she could ept what Basil had said, however she knew Basil was right. Therefore, when Ione touched her shoulder and looked at her reassuringly, she sighed and nodded her head helplessly.
"I will support him as much as I can."
"... I will entrust him to you."
"Iliana..." Ione grasped Iliana''s shoulder tighter. "There are so many things I want to talk to you, so make sure to stay alive."
"That is my word." Iliana smirked.
Ione smiled lightly at that, and let go of Iliana''s shoulder in the next moment. Apparently, the two had known each other for a long time, and both of them couldn''t wait to trade stories of what had happened.
"Do your best to destroy his Grimoire," Basil said as soon as Ione stood behind him. "I will fight him closely, so be careful not to hit me."
"Understood," Ione replied simply.
Charles merely smirked at the two, showing his clear disdain towards their brief discussion. Basil and Ione were uncaring towards his reaction; they prepared themselves to engage in battle.
Boom!
Ione materialized her six Magic Circles, sting away the dust on the floor below her. She extended her left hand, then summoned her Grimoire, which looked like a 600 pages thick glowing red book.
It was her first time using it in a fight alongside Basil, so she was quite eager to show off her skills as a Spellcaster. Flipping it open in a second, a Spell was instantly cast.
BOOM!
On the other hand, Basil materialized his five Magic Circles. The pressure he exuded was even heavier than Ione''s, and it became even heavier when he infused his Mana into Caliburn and Durendal.
The floor below him instantly cratered as it couldn''t bear the pressure he was exuding. The crater wasn''t as deep or big as the one below Charles, however considering that he had only five Magic Circles, it was absolutely mind-bogggling.
In fact, it even managed to bewilder Charles, who didn''t think such a thing was possible.
"You really are an interesting¡ª"
Swish!
Charles was cut mid-sentence by Durendal. If not for the fact that he had Blinking Eye that could teleport him to anywhere he wanted in a second, he would have already been bisected.
He had been standing close to the door of the Temple before he teleported himself to the corner of the room. Thanks to that fact, the door of the Temple¡ªthe entrance of the Temple was the only thing that was cut in two by Durendal upon his disappearance.
Durendal''s sharpness made Charles hum to himself, however he could still smile since he was faster than Basil. Of course, that didn''t mean he could take the matters lightly.
Boom!
He still had to constantly dodge the attacks Ione sending at his Grimoire. This irked him greatly since he didn''t like it when someone was messing with his personally crafted Grimoire.
"Get out, Iliana!" Basil eximed. He had cleared the way, so Iliana and the shackled Tristan could exit the Temple.
Iliana still felt ufortable running away from the battlefield. She had realized, however, she couldn''t possibly join the fight after feeling the overwhelming Mana sh; therefore, she didn''t hesitate to follow Basil''s instruction.
"Do you think I will¡ª"
"You are loud, aren''t you?"
Charles, who was about to prevent Iliana from getting out of the Temple, was once again interrupted by Basil. Caliburn suddenly appeared in front of his face¡ªhe was lucky he was quick enough to erect a Barrier in less than a second.
Boom!
The hastily erected Barrier, of course, instantly crumbled upon making a contact with Caliburn. This, however, gave Charles a time to utilize Blinking Eye that he wore like a pendant around his neck.
"Tsk. I need to destroy that Artefact," Basil muttered to himself.
Blinking Eye allowed one to teleport oneself to anywhere one could imagine without Carving a Magic Circle on the ground. It was a very convenient Artefact for someone who liked to run away.
Using it continuously, of course, had a drawback: Mana Exhaustion. Charles, however, had plenty of Mana, which was why he could abuse it as he liked.
Basil still could instantly locate where Charles was due to his keen Mana Sense and the Guide''s Visualization, however he still found it irritating to always miss Charles in thest milliseconds.
"A Mage is who uses everything he has in his hands, am I correct?" Charles said from across the room. "You should have learnt Space Ma¡ª"
"I have."
"Oh, darn it!"
Charles was baffled when Basil suddenly appeared in front of him. He had been about to joke that Basil wouldn''t have missed him if he had learnt Space Magic, however Basil immediately showed that he had.
Charles could dodge, or rather, teleport himself away; still, for a Fifth Circle Mage to utilize [Teleportation] that well was mind-bogggling to say the least.
Swish!
As Durendal was swung at the ce where Charles had been standing on previously, it cut the wall cleanly in two. The Temple still could hold itself together, however it was just a matter of time until it was split apart.
Durendal was a fearsome weapon¡ªwhat it could do showed it¡ªhowever due to how slick Charles was, it was close to being useless. It had been more than five minutes and Basil hadn''t even cut a part of Charles'' clothes.
"ying here will be your greatest mistake, Charles," Basil muttered as he looked at Charles dodging Ione''s attacks aimed at his Grimoire.
sh!
In a blink of an eye, Basil appeared on Charles'' side. Charles had expected it, unfortunately, so he could immediately teleport himself away.
"What the¡ª"
Boom!
Surprisingly however, Basil could also teleport himself instantly to the ce Charles had teleported himself to. Another hit wasnded on Charles thanks to that; he was annoyed that it happened.
Utilizing Blinking Eye to teleport himself to every spot in the room, the Artefact blinked its eye so many times, its eyelid turned into a blur. He disappeared and reappeared to the point that Ione could no longer attack him.
In the next moment however, Charles found that Basil was still capable of following him, much to his bewilderment. He was always a few millisecondste, however, he still had enough time to swing his fearsome swords at Charles.
Chapter 330 A Parting Gift (3)
Ione could only look at Basil and Charles who were disappearing and reappearing nonstop silently. She couldn''t find the chance to meddle since they were too fast for her eyes to even properly capture.
Basil had filled the entire Temple with [Checkpoints], which was the reason why his [Teleportation] speed allowed him to keep up with Charles. Ione understood this was the case, however she was still amazed regardless.
The amount of Mana one had to sacrifice to cast [Teleportation], no matter how close the distance that would be covered was, was not negligible. On top of that, one''s Mana Sense had to be sensitive enough to locate all of the [Checkpoints].
Basil had not only a ridiculous amount of Mana even for a Sixth Circle Mage, but also an absolutely exceptional control over his Mana. Because of this, he was capable of pulling the stunt Ione was witnessing.
"Pacifer! Don''t you think I don''t understand what is going on!" Charles eximed while kept the eye of Blinking Eye blinking. "I know this ce is riddled with your [Checkpoints], but don''t you think you can do this forever!"
Despite knowing what was going on, Charles kept doing the same thing¡ªutilizing Blinking Eye for short distance [Teleportations] to "dodge" Basil''s attack. He was likely nning to exhaust Basil''s Mana by doing it.
... At least, that was what it looked like from the outside.
Basil, who had a sensitive Mana Sense, and also knew how cunning Charles was, had already figured out what Charles was nning. He knew that Charles was going to blow the entire Temple up with the Spell he was casting.
Despite knowing it, like Charles, Basil still maintained the status quo. He didn''t keep chasing after Charles because he was hoping he would be able tond a hit on him however; he was waiting for the chance to destroy Blinking Eye before Charles executed his Spell.
He was confident he would be able to survive whatever would blow the Temple up, however he was sure Charles would use the time when he was busy protecting himself to seek Iliana by utilizing Blinking Eye.
Due to Charles'' agreement with Goap, Iliana was Charles'' main target. He was sure Charles would definitely do that a second after he blew the Temple up.
He didn''t want his effort to keep Iliana off the battlefield to be in vain. Therefore, he would destroy Blinking Eye, so Charles wouldn''t be able to utilize it and take Iliana away with him.
"Yes... Keep chasing after me. Ku-ku-ku." Unaware of Basil''s n, Charles smirked in glee as he noticed basil kept following after him. "You will die in the next ten [Teleportations]."
Charles'' Spell had beenpletely cast. He only needed the perfect time to execute it, which woulde in less than 3 seconds.
Basil knew it, of course, and because of that, this time, instead of teleporting himself to the next spot where Charles would teleport himself to, he teleported himself to the spot where Charles would teleport himself after it.
sh!
Basil was a step ahead of Charles. Charles was too busy to notice it however; he immediately teleported himself to the tenth spot, which he had decided as the spot where he would blow the Temple up.
Surprisingly, by the time Charles teleported himself to that spot, Basil was already there with Durendal half-swung at him. His eyes widened in shock as he knew what had happened.
Basil had predicted where he would teleport himself to, and he couldn''t believe it. He prided himself on being unpredictable and unreadable, so it was baffling for him that Basil had read the pattern of his [Teleportation].
Baffled as he was, of course, he didn''t forget to protect himself with a Mana Barrier. He knew Blinking Eye wouldn''t be able to teleport himself away before the wind that Durendal swept towards him touched him.
Defending himself from the attack was wiser than trying futilely to teleport himself away. Durendal, after all, didn''t need to make a contact with the thing that needed to be cut to cut it.
sh!
"What?!"
Shatter!
It was much to Charles'' bewilderment that Basil didn''t destroy his Mana Barrier in vain. Just a few milliseconds before he teleported himself away to finally execute his Spell, he found Blinking Eye cut in two.
He had thought Basil was going to cut his neck due to how focused he had been on it. He had particrly strengthened the part protecting his neck because of that, which had weakened the other parts of the Barrier.
He knew it was risky, however considering how close Durendal had been to his neck at that time, he was confident Basil would cut his neck off. Much to his shock, Basil changed the course of his swing in thest millisecond.
Although the power of the swing was greatly reduced because of that, it was still powerful enough to shatter the Barrier and Blinking Eye.
"Pacifer!"
As Charles roared furiously, Basil teleported himself to Ione''s side in a blink of an eye. Picking her up without saying anything¡ªsurprising her in the process¡ªhe took her out of the Temple.
Jumping to the air, he used Wind Magic to create a pair of wings behind his back. He rose high to the sky with Ione in his arms before stopping after reaching a certain height.
"Can you fly by your own?" Basil asked.
"... I can," Ione said after processing what had just happened.
Basil immediately let go of Ione right after she created her own pair of wings. He took out Durendal and Caliburn, which he had stored before, and immediately channeled his Qi into them.
He didn''t rise to the sky so high for no reason; he was anticipating Charles'' Spell that Charles hadn''t executed yet. He knew Charles wouldn''t be stupid enough to still blow the Temple up after knowing his original n had failed.
Boom!
The air surrounding Basil exploded as soon as Durendal and Caliburn exuded their pressure. Ione even swayed due to how strong it was, which was saying something considering how much control she had over her wings.
"This is a perfect time to use it..."
Basil smiled as he sensed the gradually rising Mana pressure in the air. Charles had finally executed his Spell, which he had initially intended for destroying the Temple.
"Let me see if my Technique is befitting of the name I have given it." Smiling lightly, Basil crossed Durendal and Caliburn against each other. "[Twin Mountain Splitter]!"
As soon as the name of the Technique was uttered, Durendal and Caliburn shone in their own unique color: sequentially, silvery blue and gold. The pressure both legendary weapons were exuding was so intense, it made Ione sweat.
Hum.
The ymore and the sword trembled faintly, splitting the air each time they did. The Mana Pressure in the air was getting heavier in each passing second, meanwhile Charles'' Spell was closing in on them at a noticeably high speed.
Swish!
Basil swung Durendal and Caliburn diagonally at the same time, creating two different colored lines that intersected each other, making them look like an X cross.
The X cross rapidly moved towards Charles'' Spell. They shed against each other after three seconds.
Boom!
As Charles'' Spell; which looked like a humongous, shining energy ball; made contact with Basil''s Technique, it was immediately split into four sections. Those sections kept moving towards Basil, but they gradually dissipated the closer they got to him.
On the contrary, Basil''s X cross kept advancing towards the Temple¡ªthe mountain where it was located. They reached the mountain in three seconds, cutting three fourth of it and the Temple on it into four sections.
Boom!
Some of the mountain parts werepletely destroyed due to Caliburn''s destructive power, whereas the other parts were cut cleanly thanks to Durendal''s sharpness.
Twenty seconds passed, and the mountain that had previously been a ce where the Temple was built was reduced to a quarter of its original size. This happened just because of a Technique from an outstanding Multi Principle Practitioner.
"That was... Amazing," Ione muttered. "The fact that you are only a Fifth Circle Mage makes it mindbogglingly absurd, My Lord."
Instead of epting Ione''s praise, Basil warned, "Things are going to get real from now on¡ªget ready."
p Ione simply nodded her head without asking anything as she could already understand what was happening. Charles had shown himself¡ªhe was unscathed¡ªand was gathering the ruins of the destroyed mountain around him.
He was making a massive Golem with it. He was going to be the core of the Golem, powering it with the absurd amount of Mana he had.
"Have you learnt [One With Nature]?" Basil asked.
"I haven''t mastered it, but yes, I have learnt it." Ione nodded her head.
"Use it. You won''t survive without it."
Activating his Pacifer Seal after saying that, his presence and demeanor immediately changed. His eyes turned gold at the same time his Pacifer Seal exuded a golden light.
Activating his Aura afterwards, he took out all of the ded weapons in his Spatial Rings and Bracelets. Using his Aura Ability: [Master of Weapons] on them, he controlled them as if he was wielding them directly one by one.
Ione who was looking at the scene couldn''t help sighing in reverence and amazement. She couldn''t fathom Basil''s strength anymore; he already looked more like a God of War than a human at this point.
"Ione..."
"Y-Yes, My Lord!"
Her admiring episode was cut short as soon as Basil turned his golden eyes to her. He was saying are you ready with his eyes, and Ione could only smile awkwardly as she weren''t ready yet.
Fortunately, she didn''t need a long time to prepare herself. Activating her Pacifer Seal in an instance, it immediately glowed in white at the same time she utilized [One With Nature].
Both of them were now using [One With Nature], which made them more in tune with Nature. Nature Mana was surrounding them, supplying their Magic Circles from time to time.
"I shall face the Golem," Basil said softly. "Ione, may do thou thy best."
"Yes, My Lord!"
The change of personality didn''t surprise Ione in the least bit. She also felt like she turned into another person whenever she used [One With Nature], so she didn''t find it weird in the slightest.
Boom!
Basil dived down towards the massive Golem Charles was controlling first. Ione followed suit in the next second; her heart palpitated the more she was exposed to its overwhelming Mana Pressure.
Chapter 331 A Parting Gift (4)
Casually looking at the body of the Golem, one wouldn''t think it would be able tost against one of Basil''s explosive Spells. It was, after all, created from the ruins of the mountain he had destroyed that were barely attached to each other.
It looked like a mere explosion wouldpletely blow it away, breaking all of the bond between the ruins that formed the body. That wouldn''t happen however; Charles'' Golem was special.
Charles had enough Mana to maintain the strong bond between the ruins forming the Golem for a quite long time. It was, of course, because he had a Dragon Heart.
With a height 70 meters, the Golem was exuding an unimaginable Mana Pressure. It felt nothing like the pressure Charles had exuded previously even though Charles was its core.
Due to his body''s inability to contain all of the Mana Bahamut''s Heart had, Charles had been purposely wasting a quite huge amount of Mana before.
Now that he already a vessel where he could channel the Mana to¡ªthe Golem¡ªnone of the Mana was wasted. Because of this, the pressure the Golem was exuding was significantly more overwhelming than the one Charles had exuded before.
"This pressure... It feels like I am facing a Dragon," Ione remarked.
"Hast thou met a Dragon?" Basil asked.
"No; however, I have met a Wyvern. All of the Maha Dmitra told me that a Dragon''s pressure is five times of that of a Wyvern. The Golem fulfills the criteria, which is why I said it felt like facing a Dragon."
"Dragon is stronger still; however thou art not incorrect. This Golem doth feel like a Dragon. It hath, after all, the heart of the already deceased Dragon, Bahamut."
Right after the most crucial information was revealed, Ione and Basil reached the ground. Ione would be lying if she didn''t feel more intimidated after that revtion, however she was still confident they would be able to pull this through.
Looking up, they could see the Golem, which was manned by Charles, ring down on them. Its two eyes were shining so bright in blue, they were like a spotlight pointing at Ione and Basil.
The Golem''s chest was surrounded by darkness. There was a man-sized crystal that was shining in red in the middle of the chest; Charles could be seen standing inside it while looking at Basil and Ione as if he could kill them with his gaze.
It was apparent that he was pissed for what had happened to him, which was also the reason why he was purposely pressuring the two, or rather, Basil with his overwhelming Mana.
"Thou shallst take a distance away. A great help thou wilt be if thou knowest how to keep thy life."
"Charles'' life is what I should aim¡ªam I correct, My Lord?"
"Thou art." Basil nodded his head lightly. "I shall keep it busy and inflict as much damage as my power allows me, whilst thou dost thy role."
Nodding her head in confirmation, Ione immediately jumped back and took quite a distance away from Basil. She immediately summoned her Grimoire, then flipped it open in a blink of an eye.
Waiting for Basil to make a move, she prepared a long range Spell that would do enough damage to the crystal protecting Charles.
Hum.
Basil was still fiddling with Durendal and Caliburn. He was relentlessly pumping Nature Mana into the two swords while watching for the Golem''s movements.
He was having a staredown with Charles¡ªregardless of how far they were separated¡ªand he couldn''t help smiling sardonically at that. He wondered how long Charles'' body wouldst until it was overwhelmed by the burden of handling the Golem.
"When thou fillest a vessel with more water it can handle, the water will spill ... Charles, thy body is screaming at thee to stop; however, deaf thine ears have be."
Boom!
As soon as Basil stopped fiddling with Durendal and Caliburn, the air exploded. Both swords had been filled with as much Nature Mana as he could handle, and he was finally ready to begin his onught on the Golem.
At the same time, Charles also finally showed his resolve to begin the fight. The sky darkened as soon as the Golem put its hand up, gathering a dark cloud around its fist.
Crack!
Lightning lit up the sky, splitting the air as they descended into the world. Some struck the Golem right in its fist, meanwhile the rest struck the ground and futilely going towards Basil.
With interest and curiosity, Basil looked at the raised hand of the Golem that was now covered in lightning. Thunder could constantly be heard, filling the ears of everyone in the presence of the Golem.
Whoosh!
Before long, the Golem made a punching gesture and struck its lightning covered hand down. The air was split due to how fast its hand was moving; even Basil could already feel the wind that was pressing him to the ground.
Regardless of that, Basil, who was the target of the punch, was still calm. Extending Durendal and Caliburn in front of him¡ªholding them adjacently¡ªhe took a step back, and executed one of his most destructive Sword Techniques.
"[Double Helix]!"
The hand of the Golem was already four meters away from smashing his head the moment Basil swiftly made a twisting motion with Durendal and Caliburn.
A light in a helix shape came out of each of the swords; they were twisting like two Dragons teaming up against their mortal enemy. Soon after, they merged, creating a double helix shape.
Boom!
When the double helix made a contact with the Golem''s lightning covered hand, it immediately cut into the hand. A twin of gold and silvery blue lines slithered around the hand, cutting it into six fine helixes.
Crackle!
Destroyed as it might be, the hand, unfortunately, still had the lightning covering it. It immediately went towards Basil as soon as the hand was destroyed.
Basil, fortunately, had the ded weapons he was controlling with his Aura Ability to protect him. They diverted all of the lightning strikes to the ground, which ended up obliterating it.
"He is smart, I shall admit."
Charles, as Basil had expected, was prepared. He couldn''t help smiling when he sensed another handing down at him.
He would definitely die if he took the hand head on, so he didn''t have any intention remain in his spot. Quick casting [Thunderp], with a burst of Mana, he disappeared from the spot the Golem''s hand would strike.
Boom!
Charles could hear the thunder that was produced by the Motion Spell Basil had cast loud and clear. He knew Basil had run away, however he still couldn''t stop his Golem''s hand from striking the ground.
BOOM!
Crackle!
As the Golem''s hand hit the ground, the ground that was surrounding it immediately caved in, creating a crater that was 20 meters deep and 200 meters wide. Ione and Basil even had to fly just to not be turned into a human paste.
Not stopping there, the lighting covering its hand also struck the ground, splitting it apart and charring it. In just a span of less than twenty minutes, Northern Mountain Region that was famous for its coldness had turned into a heated battlefield.
Boom!
"How bothersome." Charles clicked his tongue in annoyance.
Ione, who saw that the Golem''s chest was unprotected, had just sent her Spell to break the crystal protecting Charles. He was quite surprised by the attack, but he was only surprised by how quick the attack speed was.
Ione''s Spell didn''t have enough power to prate the crystal protecting him; so, at best, her attack would be a nuisance.
Boom!
Controlling his Golem to stomp on the ground, countless of earthen spikes rose to the air. Basil and Ione had to maneuver in the air, just so they wouldn''t be skewered by the earthen spikes that kept rising as if they wanted to pierce the sky.
Clicking his tongue in slight irritation, Basil held Durendal and Caliburn sideways. The air hummed as the two des trembled; he swung them when his Sword Technique was ready to be executed.
"[Twin Mountain Cleaver]!"
A straight light, colored in a color unique to each of them, came out of Durendal and Caliburn. The lights cut the air apart, allowing a vacuum to form in the air for a split second, before cutting the body of the Golem.
The lights passed through the body easily, cutting the upper body part into three sections. It wasn''t enough to destroy the Golem unfortunately; the body was reattached in less than three seconds.
Basil had, of course, expected something like that to happen, which was why he wasn''t surprised in the least bit. He even did that purposely, because he was aiming for something else.
After fully observing the Golem, he had finally figured out its weakness that he could use to his advantage. Some part of the Golem weakened whenever a certain part of it was damaged.
Although he hadn''t fully known which part would weaken which part when attacked, he already had a guess based on the Mana Flow of the Golem.
Earlier, he had trisected the upper body of the Golem, and it weakened the head part. It happened because a huge chunk of Mana that was used to reattach the body came from the Mana that flowed in the head.
Because of this fact, Basil was already above the Golem''s head, ready to st it.
"This bastard is really too smart for his own good, isn''t he?"
Charles, despite being inside the crystal, could already feel the pressure Durendal and Caliburn were exuding due to the Nature Mana inside them that was ready to burst forth.
He even had already encapsted himself with sevenyers of Mana Barrier, because he knew Basil would be able to st the head of his Golem and hurt him if he didn''t protect himself.
Stab!
The moment Basilnded on the head of his Golem, Charles could feel it tremble. He also lost some of his control over some parts of the Golem, which actually bewildered him greatly.
Buzz!
A bright light made Charles squint his eyes as soon as he heard the static in the air. Looking through his crystal, he could see Ione had justunched a quite threatening Spell at him.
"Really... These bastards."
He would like to smirk at her pathetic attempt to destroy the crystal protecting him; however, he knew her Spell would definitely break it.
Boom!
After all, the moment his Golem''s head was destroyed by Basil, the crystal protecting him would weaken significantly.
Chapter 332 A Parting Gift (5)
Stab!
As Durendal and Caliburn were embedded in the head of the Golem, Basil unleashed the Nature Mana in them. It violently burst forth, sting the head of the Golem and disintegrating some of the ruins forming the Golem''s head.
Basil jumped off the Golem''s head after he had discharged all of the Nature Mana in Durendal and Caliburn¡ªhe watched as the Golem lost its head, its neck, and some part of its chest.
The crystal protecting Charles was still unharmed; however, it was already weakened greatly as the Mana supplying it went to the destroyed part of the Golem. Ione''s Spell hit it afterwards, thus rapidly breaking it.
The crystal protecting Charles proved to be strong enough for him to not be worried about any attack from Ione in normal circumstances. Even after being weakened, Ione''s Spell still spent three seconds to break it.
Shatter!
sh!
A bright light suddenly illuminated the world as soon as the crystal was destroyed. Ione''s Spell pierced through the chest of the Golem; it gradually crumbled as the ruins forming its body rapidly losing their bond with each other.
As the ruins fell to the ground¡ªas the Golem structure crumbled, the core remained suspended in the air. A figure who was wrapped in a spherical Mana Barrier could be seen ring at Basil.
It was Charles who was just 20 meters away from Basil. No harm had been done to him¡ªhe was unscathed as if the spectacr attack he had sustained didn''t happen at all.
He did look more upset than he had been though. It seemed to Basil he was ready to blow himself up and bring everyone down with him out of spite.
"A lunatic he is indeed. He hath not gotten used to his power yet¡ªit is apparent. Destroying one''s body to make up for the ipetence ... Such a sloppy way to utilize a fairly impressive power is pathetic indeed."
Shaking his head faintly as he felt the increasing Mana Pressure in the air, Basil channeled his Mana and Qi into Durendal and Caliburn. It was a preparation to utilize the highest form of Sword Mastery: [Synchronization].
Charles extended his hand to the side, summoning his Grimoire; he was going to fight Basil with Spells this time. His Golem had been destroyed once, and he didn''t want to get it destroyed for the second time.
At the same time, a part of Basil''s soul was poured into Durendal and Caliburn. His mind was connected to Durendal and Caliburn''s Sword Realm, allowing him to ess all of their Hidden Abilities.
External veins with Mana running in them covered Basil''s entire body. One could see them on his forehead, neck, and arms; shining in two different colours.
The right half of his body was covered with silvery blue veins, meanwhile the left half of his body was covered with golden veins. These veins indicated that [Synchronization] was being utilized.
"Durendal now feeleth more like Vagus... Yet, I know, Asia, it is thee."
[I am better, am I not?]
"Thou art whole¡ªunquestionably, thou art better."
Asia merely giggled softly, and Basil smiled softly at that.
He was actually quite overwhelmed by the power his body was bearing. The power residing in Durendal and Caliburn, even though he only tapped into less than 60% of it, was slightly more than he could handle.
His hands trembled as he held the two swords; it was as if he was going to lose control of the power anytime. Would that happen though? Of course, not. With [One With Nature] active, he would never lose control over his power.
The increase in one''s connection with the Nature allowed one to be calmer and more collected. One could also ess Nature Mana as much as one liked, and because of that, one''s Mana would never go berserk.
Nature Mana, after all, could neutralize well-processed Mana.
"That was a good strategy, I must admit," Charles eximed. "As you can see, however, you can''t do anything to me."
Boom!
Charles dispersed the Mana Barrier protecting him, exploding the surrounding air. The temperature around him dropped drastically as his extended right hand created an ice sphere out of thin air.
As someone who didn''t have an Affinity towards any of the existing Sub-Element, Charles should never be able to do it. This could only happen because of his possession of the Heart of Bahamut, and it was not a good news.
Swish!
Basil swiftly flew towards Charles. For Charles to be able to use that means he had tapped into some part of the true power of his Dragon Heart.
The fact that he could use it was disastrous enough, however the bad news was not only that. The more he used the true power of his Dragon Heart, the more he knew about what it allowed him to do.
It would be just a matter of time untill he figured out how to use Dragon Language. Basil didn''t want that to happen since he knew how powerful Dragon Language was when it was used with Draconic Mana.
"Freeze to death, you bastard!"
As soon as Basil appeared in front of Charles, Charles threw the ice sphere that was already thrice bigger than him at Basil. Basil shed Durendal at it swiftly, easily splitting it in two.
Whoosh!
As the sphere was split, a dense white dust blew into his face. The dust was so cold, it even froze some of the gas the air contained, creating shards of ice that fell to the ground like rain.
Crack!
Basil cast [Thunderp] just before the dust touched his face, and moved to the ce where Charles had moved himself to. As soon as he appeared in front of Charles, he was immediately greeted by a whip of fire.
He, of course, managed to dodge it, however he was forced to take Charles'' next attack head on. It was an earthen sphere made of the ruins of the mountain that was as big as a four storey building.
He swung Durendal and Caliburn at it, splitting the earthen sphere into three parts. When he could see what was behind the earthen sphere, he found Charles had disappeared.
Screech!
He immediately turned his body around at the sound, and was greeted by the scene of Ione attacking Charles with countless of wind des.
Deciding to be sneaky this time, he utilized [Slip] to reach Charles'' side without alerting Charles. Wasting no time, he swiftly swung Durendal and Caliburn at Charles.
Swish!
"For Akasha''s sake, just what is this brat made of?!"
Although Charles could sessfully dodge Basil''s swing, some of the top part of his Mana Barrier was cleanly cut. A gap was made in his defense, and Ione used it to her advantage much to his annoyance.
Whoosh!
Unfortunately however, just before Ione''s Spell reached Charles, he had flown far away from her, thanks to his Motion Spell.
Basil immediately flew after Charles, however he was forced to stop in his tracks as he saw Charles'' iing attack. A meteor, which was basically an earthen sphere that was covered in melting stone and fire, was descending upon Ione and him.
The distance it needed to cover untill it reached them was too close, so Basil had no choice but take it head on. Fortunately, he got Ione who could lessen the hassle of splitting the meteor apart.
Sizzle!
Conjuring a huge amount of water out of thin air, Ione shot the waterjet at the meteor. The fire was put out, and the structure of the meteor was weakened due to the sudden change of temperature.
"[Double Helix]!"
Following it, Basil used his Sword Technique on the meteor. When his Technique made a contact with the meteor, itpletely disintegrated the meteor.
Boom!
Casting [Thunderp], he immediately flew towards Charles. He arrived before Charles in a second, and Charles greeted him with glee.
The area surrounding Charles had changed; it was enveloped in darkness as if it had turned night. Basil knew Charles had created a Domain just by looking at it. Despite so, he still had decided to enter said Domain and fight Charles inside it.
"A rather stupid decision, don''t you think, Basil?" Charles sneered.
"It is very impressive, methinks, that despite being in the air, thy Domain still covereth a fairly wide area. Still, I am more intrigued by thy choice of calling me by my name," Basil replied calmly.
"... What''s wrong with you?" Charles looked at Basil funnily with a quirked eyebrow. "Well, whatever. You will soon die anyway." He waved his hand nonchntly. "By the way, that Pacifer Seal looks good on you."
Charles'' tone was disdainful enough to make an overly positive person to feel upset. Despite so, Basil still had a small smile on his face; it was apparent that he considered Charles merely talking rubbish.
Spreading his Mana to the surrounding air, he surprised Charles as he ate up some of Charles'' Domain. He rapidly turned it into his Domain, making Charles blink his eyes as he wondered how such a thing was possible.
"Sword Domain," Charles muttered in amazement. "What are those two swords for them to be able to invade my Domain?"
"Hoh? Thou canst tell?" Basil quirked his eyebrow delicately. "Thy wickedness is not the only admirable thing thou hast it seemeth."
Clicking his tongue in annoyance, Charles ignored Basil and swept the air with his hand. In the next moment, seven gigantic Grimoires emerged from the dark ground of his Domain behind him.
An overwhelming pressure filled the air as Charles cast a Spell each time a page of the Grimoires was flipped. Basil couldn''t even tell what Spell Charles was casting, but he was sure it would be destructive.
Of course, watching it unfolding was not the only thing Basil did. He was also tuning himself with his Domain.
Domain was a manifestation of one''s power nature. Basil''s Domain was theplete opposite of Charles'' dark and dreadful Domain.
He had spent most of his life wielding all kinds of ded weapons, so there were many kinds of ded weapons floating above the ground of his Domain, which was covered in golden grass.
The Tablet of Truth also showed itself in his Domain, much to his surprise, but Charles didn''t seem to know nor did he think anything of it.
"Basil Pacifer, be honoured as you die for standing in my way!"
By this point, Charles had two ck gigantic hands that were cupping a ck sun the size of a three storey building behind him, meanwhile Basil¡ªexcept for his head¡ªwas entirely covered in an armor made of True Light Magic.
In the next moment, they shed against each other.
Chapter 333 A Parting Gift (6)
Charles threw the mini ck sun that the two ck hands behind him were holding at Basil as Basil charged at him. Durendal and Caliburn shone brightly in their own unique colour, enveloping Basil with power unique to them.
BOOM!
As Durendal and Caliburn made a contact with the ck sun, two power with the exact opposite nature shed against each other. The world on Basil''s side was enveloped in light, meanwhile the world on Charles'' side was enveloped in darkness.
When Durendal and Caliburn cut the mini ck sun in two, the two parts of the ck sun immediatelyunched themselves to the sides. In a few milliseconds, the gravity of the area in front of Basil became heavier.
The force went up rapidly; Basil was forced to immediately utilize his Step Art to step back. His body was being pulled, and he was sure he would see a Dimensional Tear soon.
"Well... I would be lying if I said expected him to do that."
Charles'' Spell was intended for rupturing the space from the beginning. He was nning to crush Basil with the dense gravity a Dimensional Tear possessed.
To do this, one required a certain level of Mastery over Space Magic and a quite mind boggling destructive power. While Charles had a decent understanding about Space Magic, his power was by no means enough to allow him to create a Dimensional Tear.
Of course, this was possible because of the Dragon Heart. It was also possible that he even obtained the knowledge required to create a Dimensional Tear because of it.
Whoosh!
As the two parts of the ck sun disappeared, Basil could see a small ck dot in front of him, which was gradually getting bigger. The space around it warped; it was as if looking at the concave part of a spoon.
The suction force was bing exponentially stronger each time the diameter of the small dot in front of him increased. If it wasn''t for his Sword Domain, he would have already been sucked into the ck dot and crushed to death.
"Shouldst thou know what thou art doing, very sure I am thou will not be as daring!" Basil eximed.
"I know what I am doing, and that is why I am doing it," Charles sneered.
The increasing size of the ck dot was tantamount to how severe the Dimensional Tear was. The bigger the ck dot was, the wider the Dimensional Tear and the more dangerous the situation would be.
The Dimensional Tear needed to be closed as soon as possible, which was why Basil called one of the biggest swords floating above his Domain''s ground¡ªa great sword the size of a seven storey building¡ªto do it.
Although Basil was not really a master in Space Magic, he knew how to close a Dimensional Tear. The guide even provided him with extra knowledge, so he was absolute he could close itpletely.
Infusing the gigantic sword with his Qi, the golden grass on his Domain''s ground shot towards it. The grass des turned into a golden or silvery blue light upon touching it, tempering it and amplifying its pressure.
"What is he doing? Don''t tell me he is going to prate the Dimensional Tear with it and reverse the gravity to return the space to its original shape." Charles scoffed. "Well, he can try."
Badump-badump.
As he put his hand on his heart, Charles could feel it beating vigorously. He didn''t know, however, whether it was due to how much Mana it was pumping or his nervousness of Basil''s session of closing the Dimensional Tear.
His body felt hot due to the amount of Mana filling his bloodstream. He felt like he could do anything; yet unfortunately, he couldn''t even send a single Spell towards Basil.
The Dimensional Tear he had created was sucking in not only Basil, but also him. In other words, rather than hitting Basil, once he sent his Spell, it would only get sucked into the Dimensional Tear in front of him.
Because of that, he sincerely hoped that Basil wouldn''t do something miraculous like closing the Dimensional Tear. If it happened, he would be extremely pissed.
"Mine eyes can see that once this Tear is closed, a battle more fierce that is filled with more fervour will ensue," Basil muttered as he pushed his gigantic sword forward. "It is time for me to put not only my soul but also my body into it."
Swish!
As the gigantic sword was sent forward, it rotated itself as if it was drilling something. One could see strings of Mana gradually forming around it, following its rapid rotating movement until it looked like a mass of Mana torpedo.
One would be able to notice the slight warp in the space if one looked closely. Charles noticed it, and he couldn''t help gritting his teeth as he flipped the pages of the Grimoire in his hand and the gigantic Grimoires behind him.
Wooong!
"This ursed bastard!"
As soon as Charles saw Basil''s gigantic sword, which looked no different from a Mana drill, made a contact with the ck dot that was already as big as a child''s head, he knew Basil would seed in closing the Dimensional Tear.
The rotating gigantic sword created a field of Mana on its tip, which was pulling on the bent space. The ck dot was getting smaller in each passing second, meanwhile Charles and Basil were ready to go at each other again.
PLUP!
When the Dimensional Tear was closed, the great sword dispersed, and both of them could hear an extremely loud sound of a water drop. As soon as they heard that, they both dashed towards each other.
Basil was covered in his True Light Magic armour, meanwhile Charles was covered in his Lightning armour. Basil had Durendal, Caliburn, and thousands of ded weapons behind him, whereas Charles had only a lightning sword in his hand.
Zap! Zap!
Swish! Swish!
Thousands of lightning bolts struck the thousands of ded weapons following behind Basil, stopping them in their tracks. Durendal and Caliburn were swung at Charles in the next moment, and Charles parried them with his lightning sword.
Zzzzz!
The lightning sword surprisingly could take Durendal and Caliburn head on. It even managed to make both of them hum, which slightly astonished Basil.
"Did you know that Bahamut was hailed as the god of storm before? In case you are wondering, that is the reason why my lightning sword is capable of parrying your swords."
"Surely, I know of that trivia way before I fight you ... Still, thou shallst not think it is going to be sufficient to take me down. [Haywire]!"
"What the...!"
As soon as Vagus'', or rather, Asia''s Ability was utilized, Charles immediately widened his eyes in shock. He could immediately know the flow of Mana inside him had been messed, which also affected his movement.
Boom!
He didn''t want to take a risk by fighting Basil, so he immediately cast the advanced version of [Thunderp], which he had created during his fight with basil after he saw Basil use it once, to move away.
He wasn''t yet as well-versed in Magic as Basil during this time, however he could still recreate a Spell in the spot like Basil thanks to his Dragon Heart.
Swish! Swish!
After executing the advanced [Thunderp], Charles found that Basil could still match his movement speed. He was immediately greeted by countless of ded weapons as soon as he reappeared, meanwhile Basil was already in front of him.
"Running away doth not always mean thou canst get away."
"What in the Akashic Record is this brat made of?"
Buzz!
As Caliburn was swung, Charles parried it with his lightning sword. He managed to parry it, however he couldn''t stop Durendal from cutting a huge part of his lightning armour.
"Can you even cut lightning?!" Charles eximed absurdly.
"Electricity is attracted to metals, is it not?" Basil responded with a small smile. "Thy lightning hath just found out my sword is more appealing than thy body."
Clicking his tongue at how yful and equally disdainful Basil was, Charles momentarily lost control over his body. His hand that was holding his lightning sword slipped, allowing Basil to swing Caliburn at him.
"[Beacon of Glory]!"
A beam of concentrated Mana came out of the tip of Caliburn; it hit Charles right in his stomach, sending him higher to the sky. Unfortunately, just a second before the beam exploded along with Charles, he managed to erect a Barrier.
Boom!
The sky was illuminated by a bright golden light as soon as the beam exploded. It held on for six seconds before dispersing.
As soon as the light died down, Basil could immediately see a massive, dark cloud gathered above Charles, who was encapsted in a Barrier. It swirled in the next moment, gradually creating countless of whirlwinds.
Crack! Crack!
Thunderbolts decorated the dark cloud; Charles was in the center of it. Gone was the influence of [Haywire] as he hadpletely overwhelmed his body with Draconic Mana.
Charles'' Domain had been dematerialized the moment he was hit by Caliburn''s beam. The sky looked as gloomy as the sky of his Domain despite so, and Basil couldn''t help frowning at that.
"Hath he finally learnt Dragon¡ª"
BOOM!
"Darn it!"
Basil cursed for the first time as a lightning bolt was close to strike his head. He couldn''t see the movement of the lightning bolt that was faster than any other normal lightning bolts.
Luckily, he had the ded weapons from his still active Domain to take on the lightning bolt. He was safe because of them; s, he found out something rather unnerving from the event.
The swords and daggers that had taken the lightning bolt for him had been destroyed. In other words, the ded weapons from his Domain could no longer take the lightning bolt.
Despite so, Basil could still smile. He pointed Durendal, Caliburn, and all of the ded weapons¡ªincluding the gigantic swords¡ªin his Domain at Charles.
sh!
When the lightning bolts struck down, all of them went towards either the ded weapons from Basil''s Domain or Durendal and Caliburn.
Zzzz!
Basil amassed all of the electricity he got from taking the lightning bolts head on, and created a dense ball of sma in the space between the two of his Domain''s gigantic swords that was adjacent to each other.
"[Twin Mountain Cleaver]!"
When he sent the dense ball of sma to the eye of the storm¡ªat Charles¡ªhe apanied it with his Sword Technique. In the next moment, the dark cloud was coloured in blue, and the sky was split apart.
Chapter 334 A Parting Gift (7)
RUMBLE!
As the sma sphere entered the eye of the storm, the ded weapons in Basil''s Domain and those that he owned were disintegrated. When the sma sphere exploded, colouring the dark cloud blue, his Domain dispersed.
As a bright blue light illuminated the eye of the storm, a deafening sound overwhelmed the air. The sound was so loud, it even made the ground that was 12 kilometers below them vibrate and cause an avnche.
BOOM!
It didn''t end just there however; two thin lines, colored in silvery blue and gold¡ªtwo extremely dense Mana des from Durendal and Caliburn, were also rapidlying at the cloud. They hit the cloud a second after the sma sphere did.
The previously ck cloud that had now turned blue due to the sma explosion was split apart. Looking at it felt like looking at a split sky, which was undoubtedly a terrifying and fascinating scene.
Screech!
The two Mana des hadn''t yet dispersed nor had they gone far away after cutting the blue cloud. They were held in their ce as they were trying hard to break the Barrier that was protecting Charles.
Basil knew his Technique would never be able to break Charles'' Barrier; he immediately flew towards Charles himself. In the middle of the way, however, he had to stop as his vision suddenly shook violently.
"Kuhuk!" He threw a mouthful of blood. He felt like his heart was being squashed like a lime. "... I am starting to feel the drawbacks. Luckily, I have the Phoenix Essence within me."
Being a Fifth Circle Mage, Basil naturally didn''t fulfill the requirement to use [Synchronization]. He couldn''t fully control the power, which in turn damaged his body quite severely.
Normally, without the sufficient control over the power, one would even die from using [Synchronization].
Basil could still alive and merely received internal injuries thanks to the fact that he was a Peak Stage Blue Core Knight and, of course, the Phoenix Essence that would heal the injuries.
[Are you sure you are going to torture yourself like this? It is better to let him go, and take Iliana with you. It''s not worth it. He is naturally stronger than you, so you shan''t feel shame.]
"Torturous it is indeed, Asia... However, if I let him go, he will only get in my way in theing future," Basil exined calmly. "He is a boulder that is slowly getting bigger. If I let him live today, very sure I am, he will stop me in my way."
[... Just know when you should stop.]
Smiling softly, Basil turned his attention to Charles again. The Phoenix Essence had healed his injury, so he was ready to resume flying towards Charles.
He immediately clicked his tongue, however, as soon as he saw that his Mana des had dispersed. Charles was already gathering the split cloud again, and it was gradually turning ck again.
Rumble!
A loud thunder was heard a moment before the heavy rain fell. The sky was dark and gloomy¡ªit was as if death and sorrow had just materialized themselves.
Encapsted in their Barrier, the rain couldn''t touch Basil and Charles. The distance between them was gradually eliminated, until eventually, Basil arrived in front of Charles.
Shining in gold, Basil looked at Charles, whose body was covered with a ck mist. He could see lightning and darkness in Charles'' eyes, which made him unsure whether he was facing Charles or Bahamut.
"Name thyself, thee, who is facing me," Basil said stoically.
"Why don''t you take a guess?"
Charles'' voice was ovepping with someone''s voice. The other voice was heavy and raspy, which gave the impression of being an extremely old person''s voice.
Basil immediately smiled bitterly at that, and shook his head faintly. "Thy end is closing. It is very surprising to me that someone as bright as thee hath chosen to end his life this way."
It was clear to Basil that Charles had finally awakened the tiny bit of Bahamut''s consciousness in the heart. It was not a good news, however, with this, Charles'' fate was already sealed.
"Why don''t we see, instead of specting, who will end up six feet underground?" Charles grinned viciously.
"None will," Basil stated surely. "I shall live, and watch as thy body tuh to ashes."
Smirking at Basil''s response, Charles swung his hand at Basil. His hand tore the air as his finger discharged lightning bolts.
Zap!
Moving his body to the side, Basil dodged the attack easily. He then did a maneuver, utilized one of his Techniques, and spun his body as he came at Charles.
In response to that, Charles merely raised his hand before mming it down with a smirk. A whirlwind suddenly descended at Basil, forcing him to stop spinning and dodge it.
Whoosh! Whoosh!
As soon as he stopped spinning, countless of whirlwinds were formed. They were swaying left and right, spinning violently in a cylindrical movement.
Crack!
Lightning bolts descended just a second before Basil flew away from the whirlwinds. A blizzard was urring by the time he knew it, and it was not just any blizzard; it was a blizzard that was fully controlled by Charles.
"Well... This is frustrating, isn''t this? I have no more swords to divert these lightning bolts." As Basil maneuvered in the air, dodging the whirlwinds and lightning, he smiled bitterly at how unfavourable the situation had be.
The only option he got other than dodging was taking all of the hurdles head on, which was really not a good idea. Although he had his True Light Magic armour, it wouldn''tst against all of the hurdles.
Swish!
Being in the blizzard made him was the same as letting Charles attack him. Anything that was a part of the blizzard was Charles'' weapon¡ªeven the ice rain.
Each of the ice pellets could destroy the Barrier of a Fourth Circle Mage. It was absurdly destructive considering that it was merely the byproduct of Charles'' real Spell, or rather, the Dragon Language he had used.
"Asia... Now is the time," Basil muttered as he flew towards Charles.
[Husband... You know the risk, don''t you?]
"May we end him before this body withereth."
While Basil was taking it calmly, Asia was frowning in Durendal''s Sword Realm. She didn''t like the choice Basil had made, however, she didn''t want to be a bystander.
She couldn''t stop him either way; in the end, she eventually decided to help him. Leaving Durendal''s Sword Realm, she went to Basil''s Mindscape. She had determined herself to kill Charles even before her Soul destroyed his body.
"[Vacant Vessel]!"
As soon as Basil utilized the Pacifer Art that would allow Asia to half possess his body, his golden eyes and his Pacifer Seal shone brightly. He felt light-headed the moment his soul entered his Mindscape, leaving his body vacant.
He found Asia looking at him with a small sad smile the moment he opened his eyes in his Mindscape. He didn''t understand what that smile was for, however he strangely found himself sympathizing with her.
"Shall we do it?" Asia asked.
"We shall." Basil extended his hand, and Asia immediately grabbed it. "Together, we shall see the glory this time."
He didn''t know what he had just said, but he was too captivated by Asia''s sweet smile to mind it. When he wondered why Asia captivated him so much, his Soul returned to his body, leaving the Mindscape together with Asia.
Whoosh!
The moment he opened his eyes, he found Charles already a few hundred meters ahead of him. His left eye had turned blue¡ªit was so clear, one might think one was looking at a sea when looking at it.
Gone was the thought about the strange dialogue had had with Asia earlier. With Asia now controlling his body with him, he focused his attention solely on defeating Charles.
"Do you feelfortable?" Asia spoke using Basil''s mouth.
"The amount of power thou hast maketh me feel as if I am going to explode in any moment. Comfortable, it is not; amazing, it is however, which I have to admit," Basil responded calmly.
"How long can youst?"
"We shall see."
When Basil''s conversation with Asia, which looked like a monologue, ceased, he, or rather, they had arrived in front of Charles. Charles seemed to know what was happening as he was smirking in amusement.
"I see you have an ancient being inside you too," Charles remarked.
"Who are you calling ancient, you bloody leasing-monger?!" Asia replied, her voice ovepped with Basil''s. "Don''tpare me to your raggabrash arse!"
Blinking his eyes once, Basil told Asia to calm down. Although she was not necessarily ancient, she was, after all, still thousands of years old; so he couldn''tpletely refute Charles, or rather, Bahamut''s words.
The battle began as soon as the conversation ceased; Charles immediately attacked him by sending him a gigantic lightning spear. Already having a sufficient power, he swung Durendal at it, sessfully cutting it.
As Durendal''s Sword Realm became vacant the moment Asia entered Basil''s body, Durendal''s Sword Soul filled the vacant Realm, under Caliburn and Basil''s permission.
In result, Durendal now possessed the sharpness that could really cut anything¡ªeven lightning¡ªagain.
"Tsk. That annoying Durendal," Charles muttered.
Flying away at a high speed, he extended both of his hands. He discharged two massive lightning bolts out of his hands, and sent them towards Basil, who was chasing after him.
Boom!
Just as he thought Basil had been hit, Basil suddenly appeared in front of him. That made his eyes widen; s, before he could properly protect himself, Basil hit him with an energy ball that was discharged out of Caliburn.
"[Light of Glory]!"
Charles was sent flying away before the energy ball exploded and illuminated the world with golden light. A huge chunk of the ck cloud that was looming above them was also dispersed, partly stopping the blizzard.
Boom!
Just as the golden light disappeared, Charles teleported himself to Basil''s side. He was about to hit Basil with his lightning covered hand, however Basil swung two gigantic Mana Swords at him even before he managed to do it.
Wooong!
The air and the ice falling from the ck cloud were evaporated upon contact with the Mana Swords. Charles hastily erected a Barrier to protect himself from them, but even then, it wasn''t enough to really protect him.
"Dagnamit!"
sh!
He couldn''t help cursing furiously as he was thrown away by the Mana Swords. His abdomen was cut open, however, he was still d that he could get away with just that.
... At least, until he saw Basil above him.
"To the ground, we shall go."
"This bloody yaldson!"
Stab!
Thrusting Durendal and Caliburn at Charles, Basil broke through Charles'' Barrier. His swords pierced through Charles'' chest as he brought Charles to the ground at a high speed.
Chapter 335 A Parting Gift (End)
Whoosh!
Like a meteor falling from the sky, Basil brought Charles down; they were descending so fast, they split the air. Charles was even forced to protect himself with a Barrier to prevent the heat that was produced by the friction from hurting him.
The heat was, of course, his least concern. With his hands clutching on Durendal and Caliburn''s de, he was tirelessly pouring his Mana into them, so the swords didn''t go any deeper than they already were.
He was also disrupting the Mana flow in the swords, so Basil couldn''t burst forth the Mana in them. If he ever let the that happened, he would have to say goodbye to his life.
Spurt!
"Huh?"
When Charles saw blood pouring down Basil''s hand, he was confused. When he realized where the blood came from however, he immediatelyughed gleefully.
"Kuhahaha! You can''t bear that power infinitely, can you? The longer you fight me, the more you ruin your body!" He grinned viciously. "Ku-ku-ku... Look at the blood seeping out through your pores¡ªnot even my injury is that severe."
"We shall see, Charles, who will still have the right to stay in this world by the end of our fight," was Basil''s calm reply.
In the next moment, his blood glowed in gold, and returned to his body. This process bewildered Charles so much, he could only stare at it absurdly.
"Phoenix Core Essence? How in the Akasha''s knowledge did you get it?!" Of course, he knew what had happened, which was why he became even more bewildered.
Basil didn''t pay any mind to Charles'' bewilderment as they were already close to reaching the ground. He wanted to give Charles extra damage from the fall, so he was focusing on increasing the momentum of the fall.
BOOM!
When they reached the ground, they immediately made a 135 meters deep and 1.7 kilometers wide crater in it. Due to the impact, the ground that didn''t manage to cave in cracked severely.
The snow on the ground was kicked up to the air, covering the unfolding scene in the centre of the crater. The shockwave of the impact was still sweeping the ground, sting those standing in its way.
When the air cleared up and the shockwave disappeared, the unfolding scene in the centre of the crater could finally be seen.
Basil was still trying to burst forth the Mana Durendal and Caliburn contained, meanwhile Charles was busy healing his broken spine.
Wooong!
Mana with two different natures overwhelmed the air. One was of the overwhelming and chaotic nature, whereas the other was of the overwhelming but serene nature.
Both of the Mana were profound enough to be iprehensible for a normal person. Their pressure was so terrifying, they instilled instinctive fear towards those who felt them.
Sizzle!
"Look at the snow, Pacifer. The only thing you can do is to boil them with your Mana Pressure!"
"Ugh... It''s annoying fighting with this zomaniac," Asia remarked through Basil''s mouth.
Basil didn''t give anyment; he merely pushed his Mana even more violently, so it could overwhelm Charles. It worked as he could see that Durendal managed to widen the cut on Charles'' chest.
He would also like to further widen the cut in Charles'' abdomen so he could expose Charles'' viscera; s, he didn''t have anymore sword to do it.
He could only watch as the abdomen slowly closed due to the Recovery Magic Charles was using. Needless to say, it was something that Charles had learnt from the remnants of Bahamut''s consciousness.
"Tsk... This can''t keep going on!"
Charles was eventually tired of the situation. He didn''t like looking so helpless in front of someone whom he thought he could defeat easily, so he stopped ying safe and chose to risk it all.
Overwhelming his blood with Draconic Mana, he pumped it through his entire body with his Dragon Heart. He instantly felt his insides burning¡ªit was extremely painful¡ªhowever he could immediately feel the positive change.
He could gradually pull Basil''s swords out of his chest. His injuries healed faster than before; even the cut that Durendal and Caliburn had caused on his chest was healing at a visible rate.
This turn of event, of course, didn''t amuse Basil in the least bit. Despite so, he still looked calm, and made a great decision by taking a distance away from Charles.
Boom!
As soon as he did, a lightning bolt struck the ce he had been standing on. He could have, of course, taken it head on and survived; however, there would''ve been a few seconds of him being unable to move, which was why he had chosen to dodge.
For Charles, after all, a few seconds was enough to do many things to him.
sh!
"Not so bold anymore, aren''t we?" Charles sneered as he teleported in front of Basil.
Uncaring to Charles'' provocation, Basil discharged a Mana de out of Durendal and sent it to the right. In less than a second, it cut a gigantic earthen spike that wasing at him to pieces.
Charles smirked at that and swung his hand down; his seven Grand Circles red loudly as they shone intensely. In the next moment, thousands of thick ice needles were pouring down the sky.
They were directly heading towards Basil. The pressure they were exuding was enough to make him conclude that one of them was enough to pierce the Barrier of a Fifth Circle Mage.
Fortunately, Basil wasn''t just any Fifth Circle Mage. Encapsting his body with the strongest Barrier he could erect with the help of Asia''s power, he charged at Charles, uncaring to the ice needles.
"Tsk! Tenacious, isn''t he?"
Seeing that Basil was unfazed, Charles couldn''t help clicking his tongue. He immediately covered himself in an ice armour that was strong enough to hold off a High Grade Spell that was cast by a Seventh Circle Mage.
sh!
Shatter!
Rushing through the rain of destructive ice needles, Basil cut those that wereing directly to his face. The ice needles, after all, weren''t descending vertically, but diagonally at him; so such instance happened quite often.
As for the other the ice needles, he didn''t bother to cut them. He had his trusty Barrier already¡ªall of them immediately disintegrated the moment they touched his Barrier.
Zzzz!
As Basil felt quite a strong electric current in the air, he could see Charles wielding a lightning sword in his hand. Charles looked ready to fight him with that, and it made him wonder why Charles was so obsessed with lightning sword.
Lightning, after all, didn''t possess as much threat to him as the other Elements did. Still, who was he to judge? He couldn''t bother to preach his enemy on his stupidity; he merely thanked the fact that his enemy was stupid.
Zap!
Screech!
"Hmm... Your swords hold off electricity well," Charles remarked as he blocked Durendal and Caliburn. "If not for the fact that they don''t melt under the heat of my lightning, I would have already thought they were instors."
"A man talketh more when he knoweth his end is closing," Basil stated calmly.
"Bollocks!"
A lightning bolt came striking at Basil immediately after Charles'' exmation. Basil diverted it to the ground by merely swinging Caliburn to the left.
Boom!
Stomping the ground afterwards, Basil sent a gigantic ice spike at Charles. Charles disintegrated it with his lightning sword, and paid Basil back with a gigantic, melting earthen sphere.
,m "He doth like calling things from the sky," Basil jokingly remarked. The rain of ice needles, after all, wasn''t finished yet, but Charles was already sending a meteor from the sky at him.
Holding Durendal and Caliburn adjacent to each other, he made a half sweeping motion as he infused the ground with his Mana. He then swung them upwards, and a pair of gigantic hands emerged from the ground to catch the brightly burning meteor.
Boom!
Quick casting [Thunderp], Basil appeared beside Charles. Charles greeted him with a powerful lightning strike, and he had to unfortunately take it head on due to how quick it descended on him.
Buzz!
[Husband!]
"Die, you bastard!"
Basil was momentarily stunned, giving Charles a chance to attack him. Sending a gigantic ice needle with a very pointy tip at Basil, he managed to break Basil''s Barrier with it.
Crack!
The gigantic ice needle was immediately shattered as soon as Basil regained his control over his body. It still managed, however, to puncture a hole in his abdomen despite it being protected by his True Light Magic armour.
The Phoenix Essence immediately healed it up, however thanks to his destroyed Barrier, the ice needles that were still falling from the sky could cut him in several ces.
His cheeks, shoulders, and thighs¡ªthe parts that were cut immediately froze. If not for the fact that he had the Phoenix Essence, he would have already been frozen stiff due to how quick the ice spread through his entire body.
Boom!
Kicking the ground when all of the injuries were healed, Basil infused all of the Mana he had into Durendal and Caliburn much to Asia''s shock. He was going to end the fight with this one attack, which could possibly end up crippling his body.
"Hahaha! The boy hase to end his future!" Charles eximed.
Due to Basil''s excessive usage of Phoenix Essence, it was already thinning. He would only need to sustain one fatal injury and let it heal his injury topletely use it up.
Even at this moment, he was actively using the Phoenix Essence to heal the internal injuries that he attained from hosting Asia''s soul. Due to these reasons, he decided to risk it all, and end the fight in one attack.
"[Light of Glory]!" As one of the finest Arts one could perform with Caliburn was utilized, it shone brightly in gold. "[Continent Splitter]!" Apanying it was one of the strongest Sword Techniques Basil had created.
Feeling the immensely overwhelming pressure, Charles widened his eyes. "This is...! How could a mere Fifth Circle Mage control such an absurd power?!"
Covering himself with hundreds ofyers of Barrier, Charles forfeited the idea of fighting Basil''s attack with his own attack. He knew he would never be able to match it, thus why he decided to focus on defending himself.
BOOM!
Durendal was swung down first. It split the air, creating a vacuum in it, and carved an extremely deep and long trench in the ground; it almost separated a part of Northern Mountain Region from the rest of the continent.
SWISH!
Caliburn came down in less than a millisecond after. It immediately illuminated the whole world with golden light.
No eardrums rupturing sound was produced, however all of the high grounds and the mountains that were in Basil and Charles'' vicinity were disintegrated.
As the target of these two extremely destructive attacks, Charles could only grit his teeth in disbelief and fear. For the first time in his life, he was experiencing a life threatening event, and he didn''t know what to do.
''Can I survive? Will I be able to pull through this?'' His thoughts raced, thinking of ways he could use to survive. ''No... This is the end.''
He reached a conclusion not long after, but he was unwilling to lose just like that. ''A parting gift he shall receive from me!''
Shatter!
As theyers of Barrier protecting him disintegrated, Charles did his best to locate Basil. When he found Basil, he burst the Mana in his feet as he cast advanced [Thunderp].
Boom!
He shot towards Basil, destroying his feet in the process. Basil''s Art and Sword Technique that were still taking effect were rapidly destroying his body as soon as he shot forward.
His body became more and more indescribable the closer he got to Basil, but even so, his hand that was the only distinct part about him eventually reached Basil.
[Dormant Destruction]!
A faint whisper could be heard in the air; and Basil, while clutching his chest, couldn''t help widening his eyes in shock. As soon as he disappeared from the world, the evil genius of Braxtein Kingdom, Charles Blois gave Basil a Dragon Curse as a parting gift.
Chapter 336 Wins And Losses
[Dormant Destruction]!
As the cursed words were uttered, Basil immediately recoiled back in shock. His Qi Core immediately heated up as a foreign energy invaded it.
Gritting his teeth as he did his best to control the rampaging power inside him, he deactivated his Pacifer Soul, which also deactivated [Vacant Vessel], and ignored the foreign energy invading his Core temporarily.
Asia left his body and returned to Durendal''s Sword Realm, meanwhile Durendal''s Sword Soul returned to Caliburn''s. The power turmoil in his body calmed down significantly, and he immediately focused his attention to the foreign energy.
Schwing!
As his Art stopped splitting thend and the True Light Magic stopped illuminating the world in gold, he fell down to his knees. Throwing up a mouthful of blood, he moved his hand from his chest to his sr plexus with a dark gaze.
The foreign energy invading his Core had mixed with the Qi stored in his Core, or rather, the Core itself. He couldn''t do anything to it. He couldn''t remove it, nor could he extract it. The only way to remove it was to destroy his Qi Core.
Of course, it wasn''t something he would do since he had spent a lot of effort to cultivate his Natural Core. Recing it with a Synthetic Core would greatly decrease his power.
Drip. Drip.
"Fortunately, the Curse won''t take effect until I reach Violet Core stage," Basil smiled sarcastically as blood was falling from his nose.
[Dormant Destruction], as its name suggested, was a Curse that wouldn''t take effect until the designated time. It was a Curse that would blow the victim up when he had enough Qi to power the Curse.
It didn''t bother the victims for a long time, and even most of them didn''t know they had been Cursed with it. When it finally took effect however, they would experience the most gruesome and painful death that would also bring the people around them down.
"Three years¡ªI will die in three years." Three years was the estimated time for Basil to reach Violet Core Stage. "Luckily, I have a method to remove the Curse without destroying my Natural Core."
The method Basil was thinking of was something that any Mage would never try or dare to think about. It wasn''t because of how risky it was¡ªit was a safe method¡ªbut because of how unpleasant the aftereffect was.
On top of that, with that method, there was also the fact that one needed to wait for the Curse to "ripe" before removing it. Because of this, many people were reluctant to use the method Basil was thinking of.
They were afraid to perform the removalte, and lose their life in the process.
Thud!
"Kuhuk! Keugh... Darn it! It has been so long since I was this battered." Basil chuckled faintly as he lied on his back. "Huuh... At least, it felt more rewarding."
[Husband, no! Don''t close your eyes!]
Basil, who was about to fall asleep due to his exhaustion and injuries, was awakened by Asia''s scream. He opened his eyes wide immediately, and found his vision dyed red.
,m Blood wasing out of his tear nds, and it was pooling his eyes. Every visible hole in his body, including his pores, was also oozing out blood due to the drawbacks of using [Synchronization] and [Vacant Vessel].
The more blood he lost, the sleepier he became. He couldn''t fall asleep, however, as his heart would stop beating if he didn''t consciously power it with Mana, which was why Asia was panicking.
[Oh, no! Where is that child Ione? Where is she when she is needed?!]
Asia was pondering if she should materialize herself using Basil''s Jade of Memoir just to take care of him. She still preferred to not show herself this soon, however, which was why she was hoping either Ione or Iliana to show up.
[Dagnamit! Those useless children! I will take care of him my¡ª]
"Basil!"
Just a second before she materialized herself, luckily, Iliana arrived at Basil''s side. She was just a few steps ahead of Ione, who looked ragged due to the aftermath of Basil''sst attack.
Sighing in relief from Durendal''s Sword Realm, Asia''s eyes couldn''t help but immediately darken when she saw how rough Iliana lifted Basil''s body.
She was about to shout out loud to remind her, but luckily she didn''t need to since Basil did that in her stead.
"Gently... All of my bones are finely cracked. You are going to destroy them with the way you handle me," Basil said softly.
"Oh no... I am sorry." For the first time ever since meeting her in his second life, he heard Iliana apologized. "I am sorry... I am sorry, I could do nothing." Also for the first time, he saw her crying.
"Why are you crying?" Basil frowned. "Who am I to you for you to show such a great empathy towards me?"
He was genuinely flustered by how Iliana reacted. Although she had dered to everyone that she was his girlfriend, he was convinced, after all, she was just messing with him just like what she had done in the past.
It had taken him years to change her status from his master to his lover in the past despite all of the adulterous things they had both done prior to establishing their romantic rtionship. Their love had been a slowly cultivated one.
He had expected this time would also be the same, so he was surprised as much as he was bewildered that she could show such a strong feeling for what was happening to him this soon.
"... Who are you to me?" Iliana whispered. She brought Basil closer and hugged him tenderly. "My lover¡ªsomeone who I can never afford to lose."
"..."
Blinking his eyes in surprise at her sincere words, Basil''s red vision turned two shades brighter. He was seeing pink and he wondered whether it was his blood doing a weird trick or just his mood affecting what he saw.
Chuckling faintly, he jokingly said, "Still, no adult activities until you are 24." With a light groan, he added, "I need to have some shut-eye, so please keep my heart pumping for me."
"Hm... Leave it to me."
Iliana looked at Basil softly as she caressed his face that was stained with blood carefully. He smiled softly at the look she was giving, then closed his eyes, knowing that he could trust his life with her.
Her heart clenched as soon as he closed his eyes; her body tensed as she worried if he was really just sleeping. He looked so peaceful, her anxious mind couldn''t help thinking that he might have just died.
"Don''t be an imbecile, Iliana." Ione put her hand on Iliana''s shoulder. "You are currently pumping his heart with your Mana¡ªof course, he is still alive."
"Ah... Ione." Iliana looked at Ione with her teary eyes. "Didn''t notice you were here all along. Are you okay?"
"Well... I am not really injured, but all of my Mana is spent... On defending myself from the sh between Lord Basil and that sick bastard, Charles, embarrassingly."
Thud!
Ione sat herself down. Smiling bitterly, she said, "I am sorry, I couldn''t help much."
"A nce was all I need to conclude that not even Master Lawson could interfere in that fight." Iliana shook her head as she looked around. "Just look at the aftermath."
Following Iliana''s gaze, Ione couldn''t help smiling wryly.
The area they were in, which had been previously covered in snow, was now as dry as a barren desert. They could hardly spot any mountain that wasn''t 10 kilometers away from them¡ªthend surrounding them was now t, bereft of any earthen mound.
Deep and wide craters decorated the ground. A trench that was so deep, they could see the magma contained below the''s crust; and was so long, they didn''t know where it ended was also carved in the ground.
It was amazing to think thend still held on even though it had been split. They were sure, however, a mere earthquake would be able to separate a part of the Northern Mountain Region from the rest of thend.
All of that just because a sh between two outstanding Mages. They couldn''t help gulping in astonishment and anticipation of what Basil would be able to achieve in the future.
"Why didn''t you tell him about the truth?" Ione asked after a few minutes of silence.
"About the meaning of his identity as the Fated Child? Well, I am sure he would be reluctant toe home if I told him, so I am going to let him figure it out by himself when we visit the vige."
"No. That''s not what I am talking about." Ione shook his head. "I am talking about YOUR identity."
"That is..." Iliana lowered her gaze and hugged Basil closer. "Even though I can''t stay with him forever, at least, I want to stay with him, someone who is closely tied to me long enough for me to not miss him when he leaves."
"I was about to address that, but I guess I don''t need to since you already know." Ione stopped speaking for a few seconds before asking, "How are you going to exin our rtionship to himter?"
"Childhood friends. That''s what we are." Iliana looked at Ione weirdly. "What do you expect me to introduce you as?"
"Fellow future wife?"
"Back off, woman! I can kick your arse strong enough to send you to hell," Iliana said fiercely.
Ione initially merely smirked at Iliana''s response, but she eventually couldn''t help chortling funnily. Iliana was frowning at first, but also joined her byughing softly in the end.
It had been so long since thest time they met, so they couldn''t stopughing for a quite some time. When they stopped, Iliana told Ione to turn her head around, and proceed to take all of Basil''s clothes off.
Conjuring water and fire, she cleaned the blood off Basil''s body with the warm water. She did it carefully as to not disturb Basil''s sleep and damage his slowly recovering body.
It took her 10 minutes to clean him, and when she had finished, she looked for new clothes that she could put on him in his Spatial Ring. Her face immediately turned funny as she found how many treasures he had in his Spatial Ring.
Just as Iliana finished dressing Basil up, he opened his eyes. He had fully recovered from the injuries he had sustained much to her bewilderment.
Chapter 337 Wins And Losses (2)
"Are you okay?" Iliana asked in bewilderment.
"I... Guess," Basil answered softly.
Looking at his hands, he clenched and unclenched them to make sure if he had regained his power. He, unfortunately, couldn''t feel the explosive strength he usually possessed, which means he hadn''tpletely recovered yet.
Thud!
"I have failed you, My Lord. Words cannot describe how ashamed I am."
Moving his attention from his hands to the unfolding scene in front of him, he found Ione kneeling. He just looked at her silently for a few seconds as he thought for a perfect response.
He honestly didn''t mind Ione couldn''t help him in his fight; he had never expected her to help him as he only needed her to watch over Iliana. Besides, given the ferocity of the fight, she would only die if she had interfered.
"Unwilling to help and unable to help are two different situations. You don''t have to feel sorry. Frankly speaking, I have never expected you to be able to help me since the beginning."
Wincing slightly at Basil''s sharper than intended reply, Ione responded, "Thank you for your benevolence, My Lord."
Telling Ione to stand up, Basil also stood up. Iliana supported him when he wobbled, but he couldn''t help frowning at the state he found himself in.
As he had spent the Phoenix Essence on hisst attack, to heal his injuries, his body had exhausted the remaining Qi in his Core and the Mana his Heart could produce to heal itself.
He was saved thanks to that brilliant mechanism; however, the current him was no different from an ordinary person because of that. He would, at least, need a day of rest to naturally recover his exhausted Energy.
"What are we going to do now?" Iliana asked.
"We are going to return to BA-32."
At Basil''s answer, Iliana and Ione couldn''t help looking at him weirdly. BA-32 and Northern Mountain Region was, after all, 21,000 kilometers apart.
For them to cover that distance by a normal means, which was by their Transportation Artefact, would take them, at least, a day if they traveled at a constant high speed, which was close to impossible given their current state.
"Have you forgotten about the¡ª"
"You have destroyed the temple where that Magic Circle is located in and all of the mountains nearby," Iliana cut Basil dryly. "How do you expect it to survive? Don''t tell me we are going to Carve a new one."
Smiling softly in amusement, Basil said, "I was going to say Charles'' Spatial Bracelets." He took out a ck Spatial Bracelet and showed it to Iliana. "He must have a Return Stone or two."
"I am surprised that you could make the time to retrieve your enemy''s possession, but I am more surprised by the fact that you are relying on an uncertain thing. Oh, how quick the time has changed," Iliana stated sarcastically.
Shaking his head faintly, he focused his attention on Charles'' Spatial Bracelet. He infused his Mana into it, and spent a few seconds looking into it before eventually taking out a pair of transparent, rounded stone the size of a child''s fist.
"He really has it..." Iliana couldn''t help looking at the stone Basil was holding absurdly. "Not one, but two Return Stones. You really are one lucky man, Basil¡ªI have to say that."
Ignoring Iliana''s remark, he hummed faintly to himself. "These Return Stones'' Return Point is not a good ce."
"You shan''t worry, My Lord. Wherever it is, Iliana and I will protect you," Ione eximed, meanwhile Iliana nodded in agreement.
Shaking his head faintly, he said, "No, I don''t fear for my well-being. The Return Point is Goap''s Secret Chamber, which will make thingsplicated, because we have to exin how Iliana could be with us."
"You can just tell everything what has happened," Iliana said, wondering what made Basil worry.
"That can''t be. I don''t want my fight with Charles to be known... Yet. Many will question the method I used to win, which will cause them to investigate everything about our fight. If the Church gets involved in this matter..."
Basil didn''t need to finish his sentence for the girls to understand what he was worrying about. As a part of the Pacifer, their life, especially Basil''s, was highly sought by the Church if they ever got to figure their real identity.
The fight Basil had with Charles had to be kept a secret, at least, until they had enough power to properly go against the Church because of that. They had to keep Basil''s identity as the Fated Child away from the Church as long as they could.
"Oh, that''s easy!" Iliana punched her hand after a few moments of silence. "Let''s use this prick as a scapegoat."
Stomping down hardly, she almost crushed the head of thepletely immobilized Tristan. "Manipte his memory, and let him testify that Goap had left me to him. That way, no one will suspect you for what happened here."
Frowning lightly, Ione said, "Goap''s disappearance with you was watched by many people. How would you¡ª"
"None of them are bright enough to know where he had teleported himself to at that time," Iliana replied simply with a nonchnt wave.
"Let''s go with that n," Basil easily agreed. Lifting Tristan by the iron bar binding around him, he handed one of the Return Stones over to her. "Hold Ione''s hand before using it. That way, you will be able to return together."
Waiting for no response, with Tristan, Basil disappeared from Northern Mountain Region. Iliana and Ione blinked their eyes in surprise at his disappearance, but eventually followed suit after a few seconds.
Leaving the already ruined and closely barren ground of Northern Mountain Region behind, the three people and one living sandbag returned to Goap''s Obelisk.
...
A few moments before Basil, Iliana, and Ione arrived at Goap''s Obelisk, the Royal Army and the Mages and Knights that weren''t a part of Royal Army were still busy fighting the Demons in the Obelisk.
They had been fighting there for more than three hours, and they were frustrated since they couldn''t find their light of hope, Basil, anywhere. Without him leading them, they felt like they were going to lose in anytime.
"Everyone, don''t lose your hope! Head Commander Basil might be fighting in the frontmost line, risking his life just so you don''t have to face the absolute abomination he is facing!" Edward shouted passionately.
He had been the one who fuelled the spirit of the people fighting there ever since they had lost the sight of Basil''s back, which was roughly an hour and a half ago.
His encouragement had been working before, but due to their exhaustion, very few of them could force out their fighting spirit this time. He couldn''t help clicking his tongue bitterly at that, and cursed audibly as soon as he saw the Demoning at him.
"This bloody oversized frog!"
At that, Glenn, who was fighting not far away from Edward, couldn''t help remarking, "Oh, wow... The Prince is cursing. That is funny, but it just proves how dire of a situation we are in."
ng!
"Well, maybe, you can focus on killing these bastards instead!" Cassandra eximed. "Darn it! Has anyone entered these ponds surrounding us? Just how deep they are for them to able to contain these obese Monsters?!"
Due to a twist of fate, which was basically a lucky wrong turn, the Royal Army and the others ended up in the ce where Basil and Ione had reunited, which was very close to the Secret Chamber.
None of the Mages there, of course, were capable to detect the entrance to the Secret Chamber as it was located in an Alternate Dimension. Because of that, they didn''t know that their struggle was about to end.
Howl!
Deacon, who had joined the frayte with Cray and the others, swung his paw at the Demonsing at him and shredded them with his wind des. Opening his mouth widely, he created an air sphere, and shot it forward.
"Die, you disgusting frogs!"
Boom!
"Hurray! It''s Head Commander''s Beast Companion!"
As soon as his air sphere sted the Demons away, the soldiers around him cheered. His mood was still sour in spite of that however; he couldn''t help feeling down as his Master had forgotten about him.
"Hahaha! st them, Deacon!"
"Shut it, Cray! You were crying like a baby a few hours ago¡ªhow could you go back to being insane so quick?!"
"Hey, quit it! Humans are born knowing they will die someday. It''s a natural phenomenon. There is no need to mourn for the dead loved one forever!"
Mounting Deacon, Cray had been killing thousands of Demons for the past hour. They made a very great team since both of them had a strong Affinity towards Wind Element, which was the sole reason he had allowed Cray to mount him.
Boom!
"I don''t think it is a wise decision to follow Basil here," Missy remarked as she crushed a Demon with her Spell. "Rather than helping him save Iliana, we are only going to die in vain!"
Swish!
Cutting down a Demon that was too close forfort, Monica, who was fighting beside Missy remarked, "I usually don''t agree with such a pessimistic thought, but I can''t help agreeing with you this time."
"At least, Cray is enthusiastic enough to represent all of our vanished enthusiasm," Litton softlymented, suddenly appearing behind them.
"Can you be not creepy in the battlefield?" Monica said in annoyance.
"I embrace my creepiness, so you can suck my¡ª"
Rumble!
Litton''s not so appropriate remark was interrupted by the shaking ground. The battle stopped abruptly as every head turned to the biggest boulder in the ce that seemed to be the cause of the shaking.
It was also exuding a terrifying pressure that was enough to distort the atmosphere. Everyone gulped nervously as they wondered what woulde out of the boulder; they were sincerely hoping it wasn''t an abomination that was worse than Goap.
When they saw a vortex forming in the center of the boulder, twenty or so swords came out of it, and head towards the petrified Demons that they hadn''t killed yet.
? Swish! Swish!
In ten seconds, the battlefield was cleared off any living Demon. Everyone sweat coldly at that scene¡ªtheir heart beat faster in anticipation as they hoped who woulde out of the vortex was the person they had been expecting.
"Why are you lot so tense?"
Much to their glee, Basil came out of the vortex while dragging Tristan in the next second. Following suit, Iliana and Ione also came out of it.
Chapter 338 Wins And Losses (3)
Looking at the entranced crowd calmly with Tristan in his hand, Basil retracted the swords he had sent at the Demons using [Master of Weapons]. He had almost exhausted his barely recovered Qi thanks to that very stunt.
He, of course, did that knowing what consequence he would face. The reason why he still did that was because keeping a strong front was necessary to keep his sneaky enemy away.
Looking down at Tristan, who barely resembled a human due to his crushed face, Basil recalled what Ione and Iliana had done to him. They had altered his memory with a Pacifer Art, which would support their testimony in the future.
They were going to hand over Tristan to the Supreme Court, which was secretly controlled by the Church, and mess with the Church by giving them false informations. With this, the Church wouldn''t find out about Basil''s true identity anytime soon.
"This is going to be a little bit uneventful, but we have earned a triumph over the Monsters inhabiting the Obelisk." Throwing Tristan forward, Basil added, "This man, although he is not the Obelisk Master, is a part of the reason for your hardships."
Murmurs filled the ce as they wondered who was the person Basil had just thrown. They were also wondering what had happened, and how Iliana could be with Basil.
"This man is a disciple of the infamous Charles Blois. Together with the Obelisk Master, Goap, this man and his Master orchestrated the whole event that has cost us tens of thousands of innocent lives."
Everyone''s eyes darkened at the revtion. They finally understood why it was necessary to keep Tristan alive.
"I almost lost my lover to this man and his Master. They ganged up on me when I was saving her, but I managed to triumph over them. Charles Blois was injured badly and forced to flee, meanwhile this man had no chance to run away."
Shaking his head faintly in regret, he continued, "It is unfortunate that his Master is still breathing out there, but I think we can still call it a victory. We shall hold this man ountable for what he has orchestrated with his Master!"
"Uwooh!"
"Crucify and burn him to death!"
"Skin him alive!"
"Gut him out and feed his viscera to the dogs!"
"Split his body apart!"
Almost everyone shouted out the cruel things they should do to Tristan. They were genuinely enraged by what he, his Master, and Goap had done to them... ording to Basil''s testimony.
Although Tristan and Charles had indeed cooperated with Goap, unlike what Basil imed, they had only contributed to the death of the citizens of Southevile Viscountcy. The sooner than expected Outbreak was actually orchestrated by the Church and Goap.
Still, no one would bother to really investigate if it was true Tristan had really contributed to the massive death of Braxtein Kingdom''s citizens. People just needed someone to me on, and the Church was not stupid enough to expose themselves.
This way, Tristan had perfectly be a scapegoat.
"We shall get out of this ce, everyone. There are things we can''t hear here, and I believe many of you are exhausted already," Basil eximed, calming down the enraged crowd.
The crowd calmed down, then turned their head to Basil, waiting for his next instruction. Edward and the other three Princes came forward, followed by the Legion Commanders.
Looking at the army properly for the first time, Basil found none of the Legion Commanders had fallen in the battle, but the amount of soldiers had decreased significantly enough to be noticeable.
It was clear to him that they had been fighting individually for the past few hours he had left them. It was honestly surprising there were still that many of them had survived.
"Master!"
Turning his head to the side at the excited call, Basil found Deacon running at him. "I honestly thought you were too scared toe here."
"You were the one who left me behind¡ªhow could I follow you entering the Obelisk?" Deacon retorted when he arrived at Basil''s side.
Smiling softly, Basil turned his gaze to the students from Rehearsal ssing his way. Missy and Cray were even running at Iliana with their teary eyes.
His eyes couldn''t help but darken at that. He hadn''t told Iliana yet about Whitney''s death, so he was sure hearing it now would be akin to being struck by a lightning in the back of her head.
"Yo, sis, you shouldn''t have acted tough! Look at what you have put everyone through!"
"Hu-hu-hu... Iliana, you idiot! You know that you are nowhere near strong enough to take on that abomination. Why did you have to provoke him?!"
None of them were asking about how she was. All they did was telling her how stupid and stubborn she was, and how everything wouldn''t have happened if she hadn''t acted tough.
That honestly irked Iliana, however shepletely agreed with them; what had happened to her wouldn''t have happened if she didn''t overestimate herself. Because of that, unlike what she usually did, instead of smacking their head, she patted them.
"Thank you for bringing her back." Litton and Monica bowed in unison. "We are very sorry we didn''t immediately follow you on your quest to save her, and instead mourned for our dead friend."
"Let us talk about itter. For now, let us get out of here." Basil waved his hand.
Picking Tristan up, he jumped on Deacon''s back. Iliana and Ione immediately followed suit not long after much to his amusement.
Seeing that Basil was ready to go, the others prepared themselves. As he instructed Deacon to move, everyone follow his lead.
Ten minutes after, all of them reached outside. Not long after, the news of another victory for the humans, which was, again, led by Basil Pacifer was spread.
...
Capitol Building, Randalvine.
Before the news about the sess of the clearance of Goap''s Obelisk was spread, a fierce battle between the humans and the Demons almost reached its peak in front of the capitol building.
Countless of dead bodies were already piled up in front of the building; they were enough to make a barrier. As the one in charge of the city''s defense, Lawson Lansdowne could only click his tongue bitterly at that.
Despite having 10 Legions of Royal Army and thousands of volunteering Sixth Circle Mages under hismand, he still couldn''t lead the people to victory even after close to four days.
The amount of Demons they were facing was simply overwhelming¡ªit was close to twice the amount of Demons Lucia''s Army had. On top of that, a great majority of them were Upper Middle ss Demons.
Not only were they many, but they were also strong enough to flip a Fifth Magic Circle by themselves. This was what made the fight stuck in a stalemate for close to four days.
"Headmaster! There are only 198 of us remaining¡ªwhat should we do?!"
One of the first year students, a righteous girl with a strawberry blonde hair came up to Lawson. Blue blood decorated her armour, whereas red blood tainted her cheeks.
Exhaustion was evident in her face, but her eyes still burned brightly in vigour. She had killed thousands of Demons and saved people for the past days, but she still didn''t lose her motivation to fight despite the hardships.
"Kimberley..." The girl was Kimberley Bulmer¡ªthe girl Basil didn''t like for her righteous nature. "Tell the others to retreat. I exempt all of you from the battlefield from now on."
"Headmaster, what are you talking about? What about the civilians?" Kimberley asked in horror.
"It''s alright. You have done your best. You and the others still have a future, so leave the battlefield. We will cover for 198 of you."
The number the two were talking about was the number of Randalvine Magic Institute''s students spotted in the battlefield. Out of 500 students stationed there, only 198 of them remained, which signified a great loss to the Magic Institute and the Kingdom.
Not just everyone could enter Randalvine Magic Institute. All of its students were genius in their own field, which was why it would be a very great loss for the society to lose them in a close to hopeless battle.
Although everyone had an equal obligation to defend their Kingdom, Lawson was sure Anthony would understand that, which was why he ordered them to leave the battlefield.
"Headmaster..." Some of the righteous students like Kimberley, however, were reluctant to leave. "We can''t just do nothing while knowing hundreds of helpless people dying in front of our eyes."
"The fact is... You are weak." Lawson, of course, wasn''t having it. "Your power is screaming for you to be saved, so bring the others with you to the rear. NOW!!!"
Kimberley widened her eyes at Lawson''s explosive response. She stood there silently for a few seconds, before biting her trembling lower lip, and left without saying anything.
Lawson clicked his tongue bitterly at that, then refocused his attention to the battlefield. He flipped his Grimoire open, and cast a wide range Spell which he would use to kill the Demons crowding in front of him.
Boom!
Mana overwhelmed the air as his Seven Magic Circles shone brightly. Five of them were Grand Circles, and there rest of them were Major Circles.
A burning orb the size of a two storey building shone brightly above his head. The air around him distorted due to how hot it was, but it was apparent that he was unbothered.
"Just die already¡ªI am sick of all of you bastards!"
Throwing the orb at the Demons in front of him, the Demons turned to ashes as soon as it touched them.
Burst!
Everything that was in front of him was rapidly engulfed by an extremely hot fire. Regardless of what they are, human and Demon bodies that were piling on the ground; along with the living Demons were burnt to ashes.
With a sardonic smile, he exhaled deeply as he looked at the sea of fire he had made. He had exhausted his Magic Circles, but he still found it amusing he could ruin the capital as much as he liked thanks to the situation.
"Well, that is quite impressive I admit."
As soon as Lawson heard thement, the hair on his body stood on end. A sickeningly overwhelming presence suddenly descended on him, making him hesitate to turn his head to the side.
Looking at that; Jerion, Goap''s First Great General, smiled in glee.
Chapter 339 Wins And Losses (4)
Wearing a full set of Vanadium armour, Jerion, Goap''s First Great General, looked no different from an outstanding human general. He had a ck hair, an attractive face with very entuated cheekbones, a fit physique, a height of 190 centimeters.
Looking at Lawson, who was too afraid to turn to him, with hispletely ck eyes, he couldn''t help smirking in amusement. He was aware how overwhelming his pressure was, but he didn''t expect such a cowardly disy from Lawson.
"You have a quite thick aura of death surrounding you. You must have killed a lot of us back in your prime," he remarked. "Where has that courage you got back then disappeared to?"
Not even twitching, Lawson kept silent. Jerion frowned at that, and started to suspect that Lawson was up to something.
He couldn''t sense Mana fluctuation from Lawson however; he wasn''t sure if Lawson was really preparing something. Shrugging lightly, he eventually decided to approach Lawson.
Tap. Tap.
"I am here."
As soon as he felt the tap on his shoulder and heard Lawson''s voice behind him, a heavy Mana Pressure descended upon him. He immediately turned around and took a distance to properly defend himself.
He frowned upon looking at the scene unfolding in front of his eyes. There were twenty seven Mage that was consisted of Sixth and Seventh Circle Mages standing behind Lawson.
All of them were in a Magic Battle Formation. A gigantic Mana Structure of a stake was floating above them.
"Tsk! It has been days, but only now do you show yourself," Lawson said in dissatisfaction. "We were almost tired of waiting for you to show up, you know?"
"Heh... Clever humans." Jerion smirked.
Lawson hadpletely tricked Jerion. The Lawson he had seen, who was frozen in fear, was nothing more than an illusion produced by a High Grade Bewitchment Spell.
As soon as Lawson felt a strong presence closing in, he had immediately teleported himself, and left the illusion behind.
While Jerion was busy teasing the illusion, he prepared a Battle Formation with the other Mages before teleporting themselves back.
This had been nned since the second day of the battle. He and his colleagues had been aiming for this moment, which was why many of them had pretended to be dead and disappear from the battlefield to lure Jerion out.
They had noticed that topletely eradicate the Demons, they needed to kill the leader first. Jerion had been hiding himself for the past days, which was why they went with this n.
"Release!"
Whoosh!
As soon as Lawson gave themand, the Mana Structure of the stake floating above them was sent towards Jerion. Jerion covered himself withyers of Barrier, and embraced himself for impact.
"Darn it! If only that ursed person hadn''t ruined my Mana Vein, I would not need to defend myself from such an unimpressive attack," Jerion muttered with a hint of annoyance.
BOOM!
? In the next moment, his Barrier and the gigantic stake shed against each other. The sh was stuck in a stalemate for a couple of seconds before the stake eventually broke ayer of his Barrier.
Shatter!
Scrunching up his nose, he clicked his tongue in irritation when the gigantic stake managed to gradually push him back while slowly destroying his Barrieryer byyer. He had expected it to happen, but he still found it hard to ept.
The sh was going on for another 15 seconds. The Mana Structure rapidly lost its power, and dispersed not long after.
At this point, Lawson and the Mages in the Formation were ready tounch another Spell. Jerion, however, was also ready to repay them for what they had done.
As Lawson and the others created hundreds of stone pirs with a fireball at their peak, Jerion materialized a ck javelin that looked no different from an ordinary javelin.
Both of them had something inmon, however, which was exuding a terrifying Mana Pressure.
This time, Jerion was the first one to send his attack. Throwing his ck javelin, it ripped the air apart and went straight to the center of the Formation.
"Block!" Lawson shouted.
A hundredyers of Mana Barrier immediately protected all of the people inside the Formation like a dome. The javelin was stopped as soon as it made contact with the Barrier, but it was visibly destroying theyers.
Shatter!
Thinking that the javelin would soon prate through the Barrier, many of the people''s eyes darkened.
"Don''t be afraid! Believe in your ability!" Lawson eximed. "Now, discharge the fire!"
As soon as they heard the instruction, they infused their Mana into the Formation. The fireballs floating above the hundreds of stone pirs got bigger and shone brighter.
Just as Jerion''s javelin stopped advancing, the fireballs were sent towards him. Clicking his tongue, he shed through the ground, dodging all of the fireballs sent at him.
None of them could hit him, but being able to only dodge was undoubtedly humiliating for him. He knew, however, he would only melt if he ever decided to block one of them, so he held his blood from rising to his head.
Boom! Boom!
"He is pretty agile, isn''t he?" Alcott, who was standing beside Lawson, remarked. "At this rate, we are going to destroy the capitol first before killing him."
"As long as we can prevent an enormous amount of death, it is worth it," Lawson replied. "I do still concern, however, if we will ever be able to kill him."
As their eyes darkened, the conversation ceased. With their experience, they could tel that although Jerion looked overwhelmed, he hadn''t showed his power yet.
Buzz!
At that moment, everyone''s Transmission Talisman went off. They were too focused on the battle however, so none of them really paid any attention to it, except for one person.
"Hm? A broadcast?" Alcott frowned. "What is¡ªoh, jolly good! Hahaha!"
Hearing an tedugh in a Formation was really rare because everyone tended to focus on maintaining it. Therefore, when they heard Alcott, who had heard the broadcast,ughing; they couldn''t help getting curious.
Quickly taking out their Transmission Talisman, they listened to the broadcast. It was about the fall of Goap''s Obelisk into the humanity''s hands under Basil''s lead.
Most of them were baffled and bewildered at first¡ªthey wondered how someone as young as Basil could achieve that much¡ªbut then smiled brightly in glee.
"Kuhahaha! Our Magic Institute has given birth to yet another Dragon!" Lawson eximed excitedly. "I wonder how Headmistress Jacinda will react to this information."
"To state it frankly though, we haven''t taught many things to him," Alcott reminded. "He is just a first year, and I don''t think it is right for us to take credit of his natural talent and diligence."
Uncaring to that, Lawson said, "Pfft. What is a first year? As soon as the Outbreak ends, I will immediately allow him to graduate!"
Shaking his head helplessly, Alcott ignored Lawson and focused on the battle once again. They stopped sending the absurdly hot fireballs at Jerion a few seconds after.
They found they had managed to scorch some part of his armor, which also charred his skin in return. Being a Demon, however, he could instantly heal it.
"Well, I think it is time to get serious." Jerion smirked as he cracked his neck. "Let''s see how well a Battle Formation fares against an individual enemy."
Channeling his Demonic Mana into his feet, he dashed at Lawson and the others; deep trench was carved on the ground that he stepped on. He arrived in front of the Barrier in less than a second, and gave it a solid punch.
Boom!
The ground shook, and so did the Barrier much to everyone''s surprise. Barriers didn''t and would never shake¡ªthey would only shatter upon receiving an overwhelming blow¡ªso they were quite worried of what had happened.
"Oh, no! Our connection is faltering!"
"Bloody hell! The Formation is getting unstable!"
Their worry turned out to be true: Jerion had done something to their Barrier and their Formation. They tried their best to keep it together, but rather than seeding, the situation only got worse.
Judging that the Formation could no longer be maintained, Lawson shouted, "Everyone, scatter and create three new formations with me, Alcott, and Brayden!"
"Excuse me, Master Lawson, but why me?!" Brayden, the current youngest professor of Randalvine Magic Institute eximed.
Lawson, of course, wasn''t having it; ignoring Brayden, as the center of the Formation, he broke out of it first. He shot to the south, and eight people immediately followed him. Alcott also didn''t stay idle as he followed suit in the next second.
"This is utter bollocks!"
Looking at that, Brayden almost shed tears of frustration. He, of course, didn''t want to die, so he immediately shot to the north, bringing eight people with him to create a smaller Formation.
Jerion looked at the scene in interest and wondered which Formation he should aim first. He was going to with Brayden''s as his was the easiest target, but Lawson''s was already sending him attacks even before he attacked Brayden''s.
Swish! Swish!
"Wind des? I thought Spellcasters liked to cast fancy Spells." Jerion faintly smiled. "Given the chance, they fight like Battle Mages too, don''t they?"
Extending his hand to the side, a blue staff rapidly materialized in his hand. He twirled it quickly and blocked some of the Spells Lawson and his colleagues sent at him.
Erecting a Barrier to block the onught from the three Battle Formations, he smashed his staff to the ground powerfully.
Boom!
The ground shook and cracked open as soon as his staff was nted in it. Everyone heard the sound of sea waves crashing into the shore, and water rapidly seeping out of the crack in the ground not long after.
A crazy amount of Mana overwhelmed the air, while the water was quickly flooding thend. Everyone''s eyes widened in shock; they wondered what Jerion would do with such a crazy amount of Mana.
Gulping in anticipation as they created moreyers of Barrier to protect themselves, the sickening Demonic Mana overwhelming the air suddenly disappeared. Jerion pulled out his staff, stored it, and rubbed his head awkwardly.
"Ah... It looks like our n is finally ready to be executed," Jerionmented loudly. "I have to go everyone. Let us meet again in... The next day, I guess? Anyway, bye!"
Snap!
Snapping his fingers once, under everyone''s eyes, Jerion disappeared like he hadn''t been about to do something disastrous. That honestly relieved the people, but they also couldn''t help worrying what would happen in the future.
Chapter 340 Wins And Losses (End)
While Lawson and his fellow Mages were thinking about what had just happened, Anthony finally reached Southevile Viscountcy.
He had been informed that Charles had stolen some of the Treasures, so he wanted to see himself just how many Charles had stolen. He was enraged no matter how many it was, but how much he would ground ke and the others depended on it.
"We greet the King!"
As soon as he entered the Viscountcy, ke and the other surviving Mages lowered their head and put two fingers above their heart. Anthony merely scoffed at them, and passed them without even acknowledging their existence.
None of the people were happy being treated that way, but none of them showed their dissatisfaction outwardly. They parted when Anthony walked straight at them, and followed him to Southevile Manor.
"It is very quiet here." Anthony looked around, and found men looking either at the sky or the ground nkly. "They have just gotten out of a Bewitchment, huh? It''s a pretty strong one it seems. How many citizens have died?"
"Presumably, 9999 people. All of them are young women, Your Majesty."
"That bloody bastard, he stole Red Coffin, didn''t he?" Anthony clicked his tongue in annoyance. "It is a little bit surprising that Southevile has¡ªused to have that many virgins though."
"Yes?" Averill, who had been keenly listening to Anthony''s words, couldn''t help blinking his eyes. "How did you know that all of them were virgins, Your Majesty? Ah, no offense."
"It''s the requirement that needs to be fulfilled to activate that ursed Artefact." Anthony waved his hand. "You said that Charles had also destroyed one of the Treasures, didn''t you? What is it?"
"It''s Red Coffin, Your Majesty."
"..."
Upon hearing what Averill said, Anthony immediately pondered about whether he should ground the Mages for that. Red Coffin, after all, was one of the Artefacts he wanted to destroy because it required a sacrifice to activate.
He couldn''t do it because it was a Treasure and an inheritance from his predecessors, so he was actually d that it had been destroyed. Still, he couldn''t show he didn''t mind about its destruction, otherwise he would ruin his image as a King.
Upon arriving at Southevile Viscountcy, he immediately opened the Dimensional Gate to the Vault and entered it to look for any other missing Treasures. No one dared to follow him as doing it was punishable byw.
Anthony came out of the Treasure Vault not long after. He then looked at them coldly after he sealed back the gate to the vault.
"You should thank your luck. Only one Artefact is stolen from the Vault." Everyone sighed in relief at his words. "I won''t hold you ountable for the death of the citizens, but I need you to bring Charles'' head to me."
Representing the others, ke lowered his head and eximed, "Even without you telling us to do it, we will definitely bring his head to you, Your Majesty!"
"Hmph! Sweet words won''t get you anywhere. Just prove me your words." As the Mages in front of him lowered their head respectfully, he added, "You should join the others on their quest to look for Charles. Dismiss!"
Blinking their eyes in surprise, the Mages were rooted in their ce as they thought about how early the quest was started. They soon realized that Anthony just wanted to dismiss them however; they nodded their head and left the ce.
Anthony silently watched them as they quickly disappeared from his view. He knew none of them would immediately look for Charles, and instead participated in the war.
"You can show yourself," he said to no one.
In the next moment, the air in front of him distorted, and a figure that was dressed entirely in white appeared. The figure was one of the agents of The Eyes, who was going to give Anthony the update about the Outbreak.
"I greet Your Majesty."
"Let us cut to the chase." Anthony frowned. "It is really surprising as much as it is annoying that another important event has happened in just two hours."
"The 32nd Obelisk, the Obelisk of Goap has fallen into our hands under the lead of the famous young Dual Principle Practitioner Basil Pacifer, Your Majesty. On top of that, he also managed to capture Charles Blois'' only disciple."
Quirking his eyebrow as the agent abruptly stopped speaking, he said, "I didn''t know you were supposed to hide informations from me."
"... I am not very sure about how true this information is."
"What is it?"
"Basil Pacifer imed that he had also heavily injured Charles Blois to the point Charles Blois had to run away, leaving his disciple behind. We haven''t gotten the witnesses'' testimony yet, so it is nothing more than a mere im at this moment."
"Hoh? That''s interesting." He caressed his beard. "I have met and talked with thisd once, and I can tell he is a quite sincere person. It is hard to believe, but I doubt he is not lying about that." Shaking his head faintly, he waved his hand, "Moving on!"
"Thest information is about the sudden disappearance of Jerion, Goap''s First Great General from Randalvine, Your Majesty. He was about to demolish Lawson Lansdowne and the other Mages when he suddenly decided it was time to go."
"In other words, the battle in Randalvine has finally ended?" At this question, the white figure kept silent for a few seconds.
"... The battle in Randalvine has been concluded, Your Majesty; however, we also found something concerning in the Southern Sea Region."
"What have you found?" Anthony''s eyes darkened.
"We have found Goap, the First Great General Jerion, the Second Great General Bassaret, the Third Great General Calea, and the Fifth Great General Deagel there. Other than Jerion, all of them seem to be performing a Ritual."
Boom!
"Why have you only told me now?!" Anthony shouted out loud as his Mana Pressure created a dent on the floor of the already ruined Southevile Manor. "Don''t you know how important that information is?!"
"I beg your mercy, Your Majesty," the white figure said while trembling. "None of us are stationed in the Southern Sea Region, which is an inhabitable ce filled with Aquatic Monsters, so we only came there after we noticed an anomaly."
Clenching his fist tightly, Anthony gritted his teeth furiously. He eventually calmed down when he exhaled deeply, and realized that none of the agents of The Eyes were at fault.
"How unsightly of me," he muttered. "Deliver this to every able people in my Kingdom. I, your King, am heading to Southern Sea Region to prevent a crisis, and you are obligated to follow me on this battle!"
Looking down at the white figure, he added, "Notify my sons that they are not obligated toe, but there is a reward for those who do."
"Yourmand is my wish, Your Majesty."
As the white figure disappeared from his view, he looked at the sky with a frown before clicking his tongue bitterly. He sighed, then dashed outside outside the Viscountcy to Southern Sea Region.
His heart was beating faster than usual. It had been years since hest felt nervous about a crisis, so he couldn''t help worrying what kind of abomination awaiting him.
...
Southern Sea Region.
As the news about Anthony going to Southern Sea Region to prevent a crisis was broadcast, the Ritual Goap and his three Great Generals had been performing for the past two hours was closing to its end.
With Goap, the Second, Third, and Fifth Great General were standing in circle on a stone pir in the middle of the Northern Sea. The previously blue sea had turned pitch ck; the aura it was exuding was sickening enough to make anyone dizzy.
Bassaret had an eagle head and the body of a human with a pair of ck wings on his back. Like all of Goap''s Great Generals he was wearing a Vanadium Armour, and surrounded by a dark and fierce aura.
Calea was Goap''s second female Great General. She had a hair that was as red as a me; a face that was so beautiful, it looked fake; a fair skin tone that made her look like a human female and a physique that every woman dreamed of.
Deagel was the most mysterious Great General; he was entirely covered in Vanadium Armour, so no one could see his face. The only thing one could make of him other than his armour was his protruding horns that were not protected by his armour.
A few kilometers from them, on thend, the remaining Army of Goap were looking at them in anticipation. They couldn''t wait to see what would be summoned when the Ritual ended.
"Hmm... To think that creature is still here... I can''t believe the humans never check this ce for thousands of years."
Jerion; who was floating above the sea, not far from the stone pir; couldn''t help smirking as he noticed the disturbance in the water. The very creature they were summoning was starting toe to the surface.
Turning his head to Goap as he saw Goap facing him, he quirked his eyebrow as he wondered if it was all right to suddenly leave the Ritual like that. Flying at Goap, he immediately kneeled respectfully when hended on the stone pir.
"Is there something you need of me, My Prince?"
"How long will it take them to arrive here?" Goap was asking about the human army that Anthony would lead.
"Two days, if they can march at a constant high speed."
Smiling softly, Goap turned to the sea. "Two days is more than enough for our conquest n to be carried out." The disturbance in the sea was getting more noticeable, and his smile couldn''t help getting bigger.
Not long after, Bassaret and his fellow Generals broke the circle and turned to look at the small whirlpool in the sea. The Ritual wasn''t actually finished, but it was no more needed since the very creature they wanted to summon had already answered their call.
Crash!
The whirlpool was getting bigger as the color of the aura the sea was exuding got darker. It only stopped getting bigger after it was big enough to swallow a small ind.
The whirlpool slowly disappeared, revealing the hole where the water had gone to. It was contracting as if it was alive, and was decorated with thousands of gigantic, sharp canine teeth.
"The human''s defeat is closing," Goap muttered in glee.
Charybdis was awakened after her two thousand years of slumber.
Chapter 341 The True Beginning Of Nightmare
Charybdis was a creature that was born from the power of a God. She was created by Poseidon to help him in his fight against his brother, Zeus, in the Heavenly Throne millennia ago.
When his fight with his brother was concluded, she was immediately kicked out of the Heavenly Throne and sent to the Mortal World. The Demons who had just lost their Authority found her and coerced her to join their group.
She was reluctant at first, but eventually joined the Demons after being reminded of her creator''s betrayal. Poseidon knew he had messed up the moment she was absorbed into the Demon side, but didn''t do anything despite so.
Charybdis had joined a couple of war in the Age of Chaos. Not many people survived the war that she had participated in however, so the story about her was believed to be a mere myth after the end of the Age of Chaos.
"Wee back, my friend!" Goap eximed lightheartedly. "It has been two millennia! How was your long slumber?"
"Goap, how dare you reach out to me after ditching me 2000 years ago?" A cold voice of a woman could be heard echoing in the next moment.
Spurt!
The water surrounding the mouth of Charybdis was shot to the air, almost hitting Goap and his Great Generals. It wasn''t an intentional gesture from her however, so Goap didn''t think he was unweed.
"Now, now. You know we were in a pinch back then when that bastard showed up." Goap put up his hands. "I wouldn''t have put you here if I really wanted to ditch you, would I? I left you here because I wanted to save you, friend."
"Hmph! Your mouth is just as sweet as my father''s. I have learnt however that individuals like you are nothing but leasing-mongers. Leave, before you further ruin our already ruined rtionship."
"Shall I give thou my life, will thou forgive me?" Smiling softly, Goap jumped into Charybdis'' mouth much to his Great Generals'' shock.
"My Prince!"
Of course, Jerion, as the oldest Great General, wasn''t included in the group. He knew what his Prince was doing, so he wasn''t surprised in the least bit.
"Rx. Our Prince knows what he is doing," he said calmly.
"But, General Jerion, that thing... It will kill our Prince!" Bassaret shouted.
"Don''t whine like a baby," he warned. "Trust me, your senior, and your Prince, who is more powerful than you can think."
Being exposed to Jerion''s sickening pressure that was enough to make him and his fellow Great Generals tremble, Bassaret stopped arguing with Jerion. All of them turned their head to Goap, and watched as he slowly fell into Charybdis'' mouth.
They gulped nervously as they racked their brain to figure out what their Prince was nning. Just as Goap was about to be engulfed by the darkness of the mouth, a powerful wind was blown out of Charybdis'' mouth.
Whoosh!
Goap stopped falling as he was suspended in the air. A figure emerged from the center of Charybdis'' mouth in the next moment, bringing him to the surface with her.
The Great Generals could only clearly see the figure after Goap and her were just a few meters from reaching the surface. She was a beautiful woman with a blue hair, a pair of blue eyes, a voluptuous chest, and a height of 12 meters.
Her waist was surrounded by ten hound heads, giving a touch of eeriness to her beauty; and instead of human feet, she had long tentacles as her lower body part. She was the perfect mixture of a beauty and a Monster.
"Thank you for not crushing me with your tentacle, Scy." Goap smiled as he looked at the gigantic beautiful woman in front of him.
"Hmph! You should thank your luck for I couldn''t detect deceit in your words."
Scy was the manifestation of Charybdis'' consciousness; they were the same entity, but they could function independently. When she left Charybdis however, Charybdis wouldn''t be able to show any sign of sentience.
In case that Charybdis was killed, as long as Scy was still alive, she could always be revived anytime.
"What do you need of me, Goap?" Scy asked neutrally.
"I need you to invade the Mortal World together with me. Help me retain my Authority, and together, we will exact revenge on the Gods who have ostracized us!"
"... We have failed once, Goap. I don''t think it is wise to provoke my father¡ª"
"Stop calling Poseidon your father, Scy!" Goap frowned. "A father takes care of his child, not abandons her! If not for the fact that I can''t produce an offspring, I would have been able to show you how great of a parent I am!"
"I call him father not because I see him that way, but because he is my creator. It is nothing that deep." Scy shook her head faintly. "Besides, I am referring to the gaze. Can you feel it? All of them are looking at us."
"I know, but don''t worry." Goap waved his hand. "We are their least concern right now. They are watching for their nightmare that will soon be or may have been born instead of us."
"Their nightmare?" Scy mused. "Oh... It''s about that."
"Yes, it is about that. So, will you join me?"
Scy looked at Goap silently for a couple of seconds before eventually nodding her head in agreement. She put him on the edge of Charybdis'' mouth in the next moment, and couldn''t help sighing softly when she saw him smiling gleefully.
Turning to the Stone pir on her side, she squinted her eyes when she found Jerion. He merely smiled and bowed politely, prompting her to nod her head in response.
When her eyesnded on the rest of Goap''s Great Generals, she quirked her eyebrow at how young they were. She didn''t think they were ready to participate in the war yet.
"The oldest of you is merely 1879 years old. I wonder how the youngest of you managed to be a Great General."
"I was chosen because our Prince doesn''t have any choice, Lady Scy." Bassaret bowed respectfully.
"Hoh? I like your personality, Bassaret." Scy smiled softly, whereas Bassaret widened his eyes in surprise. He couldn''t believe she could know his name even though he hadn''t told her about it yet.
Returning her gaze to Goap, Scy asked, "What do you want me to do now? Wait for the human army toe?"
"I want you to do that," Goap said with a smile. "Let us give the humans a little surprise."
"It has been a long time since Ist used it, so I will need, at least, a day to do it. Is that alright?"
"We have plenty of time, Scy. Just take your time."
Moving out of Charybdis'' mouth, Scy entered the water. She then stood on the surface of the water, still facing Charybdis.
Goap jumped on her shoulder and watched as she spread her hands. Mana swirled in the center of Charybdis'' mouth before it was shot to the sky like a beam.
The Mana beam looked like a pir shining in a blinding white light that was piercing the sky. The sky turned dark despite the blinding light; in fact, the entire Southern Sea Region was now as dark as if it was in the middle of the night.
...
Army Camp, BA-32.
Basil, who had been witnessing the entire event in Southern Sea Region through [Visualization], developed a dark look. He had just witnessed something that had never happened in his past life, and he couldn''t help but worry about it.
The Revival of Charybdis or what people liked to call The Return of The Queen of Terror, Scy, had only happened in the Sixth Outbreak in his past life. Theoretically speaking, the event shouldn''t have happened until the next 4 years.
He waspletely baffled by the development of the situation. He couldn''t think of a single thing he had done which had led to this development.
"The change of timeline is a little too much, isn''t it?" He muttered bitterly.
Sighing as he ended [Visualization], he turned his gaze to Iliana, who was gazing at Whitney silently. His body was preserved by a Spell; he looked no different from a living person even though he wasn''t.
Drip.
Basil''s mood turned even more sour as he noticed a tear falling from Iliana''s eyes. The iing chaos was enough to irritate him, so seeing her cry made him want to just rush to Southern Sea Region and slew Goap, which wasn''t possible.
Standing up, he walked to Iliana''s side, and wrapped his hand around her shoulder tofort her. She wiped her tears off her face, then turned to him to hug him tightly.
"Let''s bury him in his hometown when the Outbreak is over," he suggested.
"He doesn''t have a hometown," Iliana answered with her muffled voice.
"Let''s bury him in the ce where all of you want to be buried then."
"Hm. Let''s do that."
Rubbing her backfortingly, he let go of her in the next moment. She took ast look at Whitney before storing his body in her Spatial Bracelet.
Walking out of the tent side by side with Basil, they were immediately greeted by the rest of the students of Rehearsal ss. All of them¡ªeven Cray, who had dered he had moved on¡ªsmiled forlornly as they received Iliana''s gaze.
None of them said anything as they merely walked away with Iliana, and left Basil alone. Immediately, Edward and his siblings, followed by the Legion Commanders, who had been standing behind Cray and the others, stepped forward.
They expressed their condolences to Basil, and he merely waved it off as he asked them what their purpose of meeting him was. The three Princes looked at each other hesitantly, whereas Edward immediately answered his question.
"Our father has delivered us a message saying that a crisis is going to burst forth in Southern Sea Region. As a Prince, I am not obligated toe; however, I have decided to, and now I am asking your willingness to lead me and my army in the uing battle."
As the other three Princess'' eyes widened at Edward''s straightforwardness, Basil scoffed in amusement. "I didn''t expect you to be someone who is thirsting for Military Merits, Edward."
"No, I am not." Edward shook his head faintly. "I have a feeling, however, that this crisis needs to be prevented no matter what."
Hearing that response, Basil smiled sardonically. Edward wasn''t wrong, but there was no way to prevent the crisis that had already begun.
Chapter 342 The True Beginning Of Nightmare (2)
"May I know what kind of crisis we are going to prevent?" Basil asked with a sigh despite knowing the answer.
"Unfortunately, I don''t know. Our father didn''t say anything about it, probably because he doesn''t want to cause a panic." Edward frowned lightly. "I am inclined to believe, however, it is something very detrimental to our Kingdom."
Edward was not wrong saying what Goap and Scy were going to do would greatly put the Kingdom in danger; in fact, it would even put the world in danger. What Scy was about to do, after all, would result in countless of death.
Her Spell that she was still preparing, after all, would allow her to use Charybdis as a gate that connected her to every river,ke, and sea that was big enough to host Charybdis, which was many in Braxtein Kingdom.
The gate, of course, wouldn''t be used only by her. She would let the Aquatic Demons and Aquatic Magic Beasts living in the Southern Sea Region to enter it and evoke chaos in the area where Charybdis connected them to.
There would be basically tens of Charybdis appearing throughout Braxtein Kingdom, and they could also do things the real Charybdis could.
They could create a whirlpool that could easily swallow a battleship and also a tsunami that was big enough to kill tens of thousands people .
As much as it was desirable to prevent this from happening, it was unfortunately impossible. The Spell had been cast, and it was just a matter of time until it took effect.
Basil could guarantee the human army wouldn''t arrive there before the Spell took effect. He was also very sure, given how sudden the order was given, no one would bepletely ready to fight there.
Although the order wasn''t given yet as of then, he knew Anthony would just basically tell everyone to rush to Southern Mountain Region as fast as they could. People would definitely follow his order immediately, uncaring to theck of coordination.
Coordination was the most important thing in a battle, so without doubt, the uing battle would be another mass murder. Everyone would be looking for a leader to follow, but they would find none since all of them were doing the same.
No one would be bold enough to step up to be the leader, because they didn''t want to be responsible for the deaths of many in the fierce battle. In the end, they would only care for themselves, leading to the absolute defeat of humanity.
"Head Commander?" Basil was awakened from his thought by Edward. "What is your answer? Don''t worry, I am not going to boss you around. I just want you to fight alongside me as a partner and¡ª"
Basil put his hand up, stopping Edward from talking. "Let us wait until the official order is sent."
Buzz.
His Transmission Talisman vibrated a second after his statement. As everyone checked theirs, he didn''t bother to check his, and merely turned Edward.
"I am honestly quite spent, and I don''t think I am ready to fight another battle yet. I will join the battlete to recuperate first."
Now that the battle where he was stationed in was already concluded, he had actually fulfilled his responsibility as the Head Commander. Meanings, he didn''t have to lead the army any longer.
He had even taken off the Temporary Head Commander Badge, which made him no different from any other people who weren''t a part of the Royal Army. Because of that, he was only required to participate in the battle, note as soon as possible.
"... How long do you need?"
"A day and a half."
Humming to himself, Edward pondered deeply. He wanted to immediately rush to Southern Sea Region, but he really wanted to fight alongside Basil.
He had no right to drag Basil with him unless Basil clearly stated he didn''t want to participate in the battle. In other words, he needed to wait for him.
He personally didn''t think histe arrival would mean something since he was nning to let his army go first. He worried, however, that his brothers would steal all of the credits for themselves.
"Well, since when do I care about such things?" Smirking, he eventually nodded his head in agreement. "I will wait for you, and backup your excuse in case my father questions yourteness in the future."
"It is nice to work with someone who understands some basic courtesy."
Smiling softly, Basil extended his hand. Edward also smiled softly as he grasped Basil''s hand, and shook it as if they had just made a big and extremely profitable deal.
Letting go of Basil''s hand, he stepped aside to let Basil through. He immediately frowned, however, the moment he saw his half siblings and the Legion Commanders blocking Basil''s way.
While his half siblings looked like they weren''t very sure of what they were doing, the Legion Commanders looked like someone who had determined themselves to confess their love.
"Well... Am I so hated that all of you are going to gang up on me to teach me a lesson?" Basil said jokingly.
"Head Commander..."
Basil quirked his eyebrow as he saw Glenn step forward. He was already tired of reminding them that he was no longer their Head Commander, so he just ignored the fact that Glenn had addressed him that way.
"Please, be our Head Commander once again." Glenn took out the Temporary Head Commander Badge that Basil had taken off, and presented it to him. "We want you to lead us in this battle."
"You do know that I have to immediately go to the battlefield if I put that back on again, don''t you?"
"You don''t have to, Head Commander. We will wait for you until you have fully recuperated, and fight alongside you!"
At Glenn''s heated deration, the other Legion Commanders eximed, "Please, Head Commander!"
Basil blinked his eyes, and smiled wryly as he found his situation as annoying as it was amusing. "You are going to be punished for that, you know? All of you."
"That is not a concern." Cameron stepped up, and stood beside Glenn. "I will guarantee you that our father won''t me us for our tardiness. In case something goes wrong, I will take the me for you!"
Edward widened his eyes in surprise at Cameron''s deration. Never in his wildest dreams did he expect Cameron to say something like that.
Basil also couldn''t help blinking his eyes. His rtionship with Braxtein''s Royalties in his past life had also been passive aggressive, especially with Cameron, so he couldn''t help finding the development absurd.
Looking at the green haired duo¡ªGlenn and Cameron¡ªhe eventually sighed lightly. "Alright, just don''t whine when things are not as you expected." He walked towards Glenn, and took the Temporary Head Commander Badge.
He saw Glenn''s eyes light up, and couldn''t help shaking his head faintly. Nodding his head lightly at Cameron, he moved past them and left the camp to join Iliana and the others.
The people who were nearby¡ªwho had heard the conversation¡ªdespite not being a part of the Royal Army, made a consensus to also follow him. They had tasted how great his leadership was¡ªthey felt more optimistic fighting alongside him.
...
Unaware of the amount of people who had decided to join him in the uing battle, Basil found Iliana and friends sitting under a big tree that wasn''t far from the camp. He walked towards them silently as he didn''t want to suddenly interrupt their conversation.
Other than the students of Rehearsal ss and Ione, he could also see Darius, Annabeth, Xiu Li, Diana, and Karan. He was quite surprised when he saw Xiu Li there as he didn''t know Xiu Li had participated in the clearance of Goap''s Obelisk.
Xiu Li was, after all, just a Third Circle Mage. Regardless of the fact that he had three Grand Circles, it was quite a surprise that he had managed to survive.
As far as he knew, Karan had never been a friend with Iliana. He knew Karan however, so he assumed Karan was there because of him or simply because Xiu Li had invited him.
"Am I wee?"
The conversation abruptly ceased as they turned their head at Basil. Aside from Iliana, all of them looked at him with deep respect; Ione, like usual, looked at him in reverence.
He quirked his eyebrow at how the people looked at him. He felt like an exotic Magic Beast that no one had ever seen being looked that way.
"You are wee, of course." Diana took the initiative to respond him. She stood up and went to hug him tightly. "I can''t believe that the young man who had just won the Regional Tournament has now won two great battles!"
Diana was burying her face in Basil''s chest. He was a little bit surprised by her intimate gesture, but still returned her hug.
Iliana, on the other hand, looked at Diana coldly as if she could kill Diana with her eyes. That made the others ufortable, prompting them to cough loudly to remind him of his girlfriend.
Deacon, who was in his small form, was nervous when Basil didn''t get the cue, whereas Ione merely smirked in amusement.
She quickly lost her smile as soon as she put Chibi Deacon on herp however; she wanted to maintain her image of being a serious person.
Letting go of his hug, Basil said, "I am d you could survive the battle, Diana."
"Fu-fu-fu. Fighting is not my specialty in the very first ce. I merely led people; in other words, I had them fight for me." Diana giggled as she covered her mouth.
Although she wanted to downy her contribution, he knew how good of a job she had done, which was why he nodded his head with a small smile.
Walking past Diana, he sat himself beside Iliana, and found her on hisp in the next moment. Not even asking why she did that, he took out his supply of delicacies.
In the blink of an eye, the casual gathering had turned into a pic.
"Woah... It looks and smells as heavenly as the food I ate back then at the Regional Tournament!" Xiu Li eximed. "As expected, Brother is an amazing cook."
"It is good to see that you are alive, Xiu Li. Be proud of yourself, for many people with morepetence than you died in this battle," Basil remarked. "Ah, please, enjoy the food."
Although everyone was urprised by Basil''s words that slightly ruined the mood, they started digging in nheless. Caressing Iliana''s hair, like a father, he watched as all of them looked at him in curiosity.
Chapter 343 The Beginning Of Nightmare (3)
Receiving the people''s curious gaze, Basil eventually told them to ask him what they wanted to ask. All of them were curious about the same thing, which was how he could be the Temporary Head Commander.
He simply told them about how he had defeated Cabalen to let them know of how fearsome Cabalen was, so they could understand the Legion Commanders'' decision to appoint him as the Temporary Head Commander.
They then asked him about how he had grown so strong, which he answered with a diligent training. The most curious and critic person in the group, Darius, also asked how Basil could outstrip him in terms of power even though they were of the same level.
Everyone paid keen attention to the answer Basil was going to say, because they were very sure it was the true secret of his prowess. He merely shrugged however, and pped them with the harsh reality.
"I am gifted."
Basil was not lying. He was indeed gifted with his own talent, his identity as a Pacifer, the knowledge he had from the Guide, and his experience from his past life.
Saying it was enough talking about him in the next moment, he asked them about what they had managed to achieve in the battlefield. He did this to gather some information, just in case he had missed something worthy of note.
As the youngest and the most eager, Xiu Li went first. He told Basil and everyone how he had almost been killed in the Obelisk just because he let his guard down when he was relieving himself in the middle of the battle.
Surprisingly, many of them admitted they also had the same experience. Upon hearing that, Basil couldn''t help blinking his eyes as he wondered just how bad their control over their dder was.
"Do you have the same experience too?" He whispered to Iliana.
"No. I relieved myself before battle," she responded instantly.
"Good. Good." He nodded his head in appreciation.
Despite having done the thing that one should never do in the middle of a battle, Basil still couldn''t me them. The interval between the two battles were, after all, short enough to not give them time to relieve themselves prior to entering the Obelisk.
Still, he wondered how they could relieve themselves in such a situation. He held himself back from asking, however, since the majority of the people who had done it were females¡ªhe didn''t want to risk being called a pervert.
"Couldn''t you build an earth structure to protect you while you were doing your thing?"
"Uhh... I believe that is what we did, but you know, Brother... They are strong enough to destroy it with a punch," Xiu Li answered with an awkward smile.
"Now I can''t help but question your sanity for casting such a weak Spell to protect you when you were most prone to danger. Also, how could you relieve yourself knowing there was a possibility that someone could see you?"
He unintentionally recalled the image of Luci bathing. He still felt vited whenever he remembered that day when he identally looked at her naked body even though he just wanted to spy on her.
"To be fair, we didn''t have enough Mana to cast a fancy Spell just to let us relieve ourselves in peace. Also, no one would be able to see through ayer of earth covered with Mana, so your worry is unnecessary," Diana said, prompting the others to nod their head.
Shaking his head, Basil said, "You are underestimating perverts too much."
Everyone immediately looked at him weirdly at the way he said it. Even Iliana was looking at him from the corner of her eyes.
They were wondering whether he had encountered such a dedicated pervert or he had just identally exposed himself. Deciding thetter to be highly unlikely, however, they immediately looked at him in pity.
Quirking his eyebrow in wonder as he received their gaze, he huffed faintly when he realized they had just misunderstood him.
"Anyway, you should refrain from doing that in the future." Basil waved his hand. Turning to Xiu Li, he asked, "When are you going to return to the Country of Hua?"
Xiu Li was slightly taken aback by the question, but immediately answered, "It will be when I graduate from Randalvine Magic Institute." Rubbing his head awkwardly, he added, "I have to be something before I return, otherwise my family won''t wee me."
"Hmph! I will never call people who treat me that way family," Iliana remarked with a scoff.
Smiling bitterly at Iliana''s remark, Xiu Li asked, "Is there something the matter, Brother?"
"I am nning to go to the Country of Hua to seek guidance in the near future," Basil answered, surprising Xi Li. "I need someone who can guide me to a trustworthy person."
The cure to the Dragon Curse that Charles had cast on him could be found in the Country of Hua. Simply going there wouldn''t fix his problem; he needed to entrust someone to cure him, which was why he wanted to ask for Xiu Li''s help.
"I can do that!" Xiu Li eximed. "If you want to seek guidance in Daoism, I know a perfect person who will be able to guide you. Sadly, you will have to wait, at least, three years if you are going to make me your Guide."
Waving off Xiu Li''s pessimism, Basil said, "It is alright; 3 years is a fairly quick time to graduate. I will wait for the time when we can go to Country of Hua together, so don''t disappoint me."
"I won''t!" Xiu Li grinned brightly.
While it might seem long, 3 years was actually the expected time of when Basil would reach the Peak Stage Violet Core, or rather, when the Dragon Curse would take effect.
He would use those 3 years to concentrate on nurturing his Core, so the waiting could hardly be considered a waiting. Of course, he wouldn''t attempt to break through to the Peak Stage Violet Core, otherwise he would die.
"I didn''t know you were interested in Daoism," Ilianamented, sensing something was off.
"I just want to broaden my knowledge," Basil answered calmly.
"That sounds like you."
Basil could feel the skepticism in Iliana''s voice, but he merely smiled. He didn''t want to let anyone know of his condition; he didn''t want to make the people who cared about him worry and let the people who hated him know of his current handicap.
"So, Head Commander Basil... What are we going to do from now on? We have received the order to immediately rush to Southern Sea Region, but I don''t see any sign of you mobilizing the army, so I can''t help but wonder."
Karan who had been silent the entire time surprised everyone by asking a question. He reminded them of their obligation to participate in the uing war, which made them expectant of Basil''s answer.
,m "You can speak to me casually when we are not in the battlefield." Basil waved his hand. "To answer your question, we will only leave tomorrow by noon. I still need to recuperate, so all of you will have to wait until then."
"Understandable. Do you have any specific strategy to face the uing battle?"
"We are going to use to the same battle formation that we used against Luci and her army as winning will not be our main objective. We will only kill as many Monsters as we can, and keep the death toll as low as possible."
Humming to himself, Karan asked, "What about reinforcement? We are not going to just go to a bigger battle with 20,000 people, are we?"
Smiling softly at how critical Karan was, Basil said, "Of course, we won''t. I have contacted Vice Headmaster Lawson toe join us and bring as many able people as he can."
Knowing that there were eight Legions of Royal Army stationed in Randalvine, which were no longer needed as the battle had been concluded, Karan nodded his head in understanding. They would be enough as a reinforcement.
The people once again looked at Basil in amazement for his tact. They were very sure they wouldn''t be able to lead thousands of people in a battle, let alone thinking of a strategy like Basil.
...
When the sun went down, the foods that wereid out in front of them were all devoured; they ceased their conversation, and returned to the camp together. They had talked a lot, so on their way back, none of them talked to each other.
Upon reaching the camp, many people bowed at Basil respectfully to wee him. Iliana and the others found it funny, since he was treated with the same amount of respect as the Princes.
"Alright, I''ll see you tomorrow, everyone. Let''s meet again at the training session to further hone our skills tomorrow."
They went to their own tent after they said their farewell. Basil let Iliana and Ione followed him to the Commander''s tent¡ªhis tent, since he didn''t want to bother wasting his breath to tell them going to their tent.
No one was looking at them out of respect for Basil, but he could tell many of them had misunderstood him. He, of course, didn''t bother to exin himself, because saying that he was merely going to sleep with both women would further exacerbate the situation.
"This is veryfortable for a mere tent. It is worthy of a ce you can spend the night in, My Lord," Ione remarked.
"As someone who can sleep under a rock, I don''t care."
"As expected of My Lord, you are really born to be a great deity. Only a great deity who can¡ª"
Basil put his hand up and sighed lightly. "Can you just call me casually? You can call me ''My Lord'' when we are in the Pacifer vigeter. For now, just call me by my name."
Frowning lightly, Ione said, "I can''t do that unless you decided to marry me, My Lord."
Smack!
Iliana pped the back of Ione''s head, much to Basil''s surprise. "Nonsense," she said.
Shaking his head with a small smile of amusement, he ignored the two and sat cross-legged in the corner of the tent. He gulped two pills of Morning Dew at once, and refined Nature Mana to recover his Mana and Qi in the next moment.
The two women looked at him in amusement for a few seconds, before sitting cross-legged beside him, and Carved their next Magic Circle. When morning came, he found them sleeping on his shoulder.
Chapter 344 The Beginning Of Nightmare (End)
Basil had consumed eight pills of Morning Dew, which was a crazy amount of Catalyst one could down in a span of 10 hours. It was not the matter of how many the body could take, but how much the body could process.
While one''s biological aspect yed a great role in this matter, one''spetence yed an even bigger role. Without one''s extraordinary control over Mana, one would not be able to properly distribute the Nature Mana that the body had processed, which would only make it go to waste.
Despite the amount of Nature Mana that he had managed to process, unfortunately, Basil''s Energy hadn''t recovered yet. His heart was still doing its best to pump Mana into his blood, meanwhile his Qi Core was merely a quarter filled.
Basil wasn''t disappointed however; he knew recovering the energy he had exhausted would be hard due to the amount of damage he had inflicted on his body. He also had a quite sufficient amount of time, so he was cool about it.
[I am honestly surprised none of your veins burst. The toll of using "Vacant Vessel" and "One With Nature" is extremely damaging to your body after all. I am d that you have survived, but I won''t let you do it next time.]
"I know. Let us just hope that I am not going to find myself facing the entire Kingdom in the near future."
[Just don''t mess around too much. I know that you want to make yourself as detached as possible from the Kingdom, but you still have to behave like a citizen that loves his Kingdom for them to not be suspicious of you.]
Nodding his head at Asia''s advice, he shook Iliana''s shoulder lightly to wake her up before doing the same to Ione.
Both of them opened their eyes at the same time. They spent a couple of seconds topletely regain their consciousness before lifting their head off Basil''s shoulder.
None of them felt any kink in their muscles that made them ufortable since they properly circted Mana throughout their body when they were sleeping, so none of them felt the need to stretch.
"Good morning," they said in unison.
Basil merely nodded his head and stood up. He got out of the tent with the two women, and was immediately greeted by Deacon.
Deacon, for some reason, had insisted to sleep outside the night before. Basil immediately let him, which was why he could immediately greet Basil when the moment he came out.
"How was the night, Master? Did you have fun?!" Deacon asked excitedly.
Frowning lightly, Basil said, "What kind of fun are you talking about? Don''t you know that your Master has received an injury that has almost cost his life? I have been busy recuperating the entire night."
At that response, Deacon wished he could cough like humans, so he could suddenly change the topic without sounding too awkward. He eventually decided to act innocent, and give Basil his puppy eyes as he wiggled his tail.
"I heard these people are talking about you having fun the entire night." Of course, he was also cunning enough to look for a scapegoat.
Glenn, who was coincidentally passing by when Deacon said that, couldn''t help getting a dark face as soon as Basil''s gazended on him. He felt extremely wronged at the way Deacon made it sound like he was the one who had spread the rumour.
"Good morning, Head Commander Basil, and Vice Commander Iliana," he greeted, then looked at Ione awkwardly as he didn''t know what her name was. "Ah, Good morning, Head Commander''s mistress..."
Realization about what he had just said dawned on him not long after. His eyes widened in horror as his face was drained of any colour.
Ione even blinked at his audacity, meanwhile Iliana gazed at him as if she was going to knock some sanity into his head. The gaze further appalled him, and he didn''t know how to exin himself.
"You shouldn''t have drunk too much, Glenn. Rejoicing over one''s glory is fine, but enjoying it too much will only lead us to demise." Basil waved his hand in dismissal. "You may leave."
Looking at Basil with grateful eyes, Glenn''s eyes teared up due to how touched he was. "Commander... You have saved me. Not only from death, but also a worse fate than death. This debt¡ª"
"Just leave," Basil interrupted Glenn''s muttering.
"Understood!"
Shaking his head faintly, Basil walked out of the camp with Iliana, Ione, and Deacon in tow in the next moment. He was going to recuperate privately in the copsed Dungeon that he had used toe to BA-32.
The reason why he wanted to do that wasn''t because he wanted to be left alone, but because he didn''t want everyone in the camp to know how different his power worked.
The only reason why he allowed the three to follow him was because they were people he trusted. He was sure they wouldn''t question many things when they saw how bizarre his recuperation was.
"This ce... A Dungeon?" Ione said as she looked around the copsed Dungeon. Humming to herself, she muttered, "Many of our allies are trapped inside here up to this day. Those bastards even call them Kinyers!"
Iliana turned her head to Ione at the statement. Despite being a Pacifer who was born in the vige, she didn''t stay there long enough, so she hadn''t heard anything about the truth behind the term Kinyer.
A talk immediately ensued between the two, and Basil let them have their time of discussion. He didn''tment even once to show his awareness about it, but Iliana was sure he already knew about what she was hearing from Ione long ago.
Ten minutes into the walk to the Dungeon, Basil stopped in his tracks, prompting the others to do the same. He tapped his foot on the ground once, and the wall in front of them split apart in the next moment.
There was a room behind the wall that was spacious enough to host a banquet of nine people. The room was well lit, unlike most other rooms in a Dungeon, because of the Mana Crystals on the ceiling.
"Wow. They are going to be enough to power a Middle Grade Array for a month," Ione remarked. She was amazed by how many Mana Crystals she could see on the ceiling.
"So, this is what a Mana Gathering Array does to an ordinary crystal after a thousand years... Should I also make a Mana Gathering Array as an investment?" Iliana mused, baffling and simultaneously amusing Ione.
Thud!
By the time they realized it, Basil had entered the room and sat himself in the corner. They immediately followed suit, and the door was closed in the next moment.
Quirking an eyebrow, Basil said, "I have to remind you that I will only get out of this ce tomorrow. If you cannot stand silence or staying in an enclosed space for a long time, it is better for you to leave."
"We are here to train too. Don''t worry, we won''t bother you," Iliana said.
"Very well." He nodded his head. "If by any chance, Master Lawson contacts me through my Transmission Talisman, I want either the two of you to reply it in my stead. Just tell him to wait for me."
"As simple as that?" Iliana quirked her eyebrow.
"I don''t like spending my effort too much on making excuses." Taking out a small ck ring, he gave it to Iliana. "It has enough food to keep you alive for two weeks. Eat well while I am out."
Ceasing the conversation, Basil took three pills of Morning Dew, gulped them all at once, and closed his eyes. The two women had seen the same thing the night before, so none of them were surprised.
Boom!
When they saw the amount of Mana swirling around him in the next moment however, unlike Deacon, who had seen it many times, the two women widened their eyes in bafflement.
He hadn''t even materialized his Magic Circles, but the amount of Mana he could attract was so astounding, it even outstripped the amount of Mana any normal Fifth Circle Mage''s Magic Circles could attract.
"He is... Rapidly absorbing it."
The rate of absorption even further astounded them. Basil absorbed the Mana into his body as if a sponge absorbing water.
They could also note how quick he processed the Mana by his increasing pressure, which finally made them understand why he wanted to recuperate privately. Everyone would lose their mind if they witnessed it.
Unlike the others, of course, the scene in front of them motivated the two to push themselves harder. Sitting down, they immediately started Carving their next Magic Circle.
As they did so, the luster of the Mana Crystals gradually turned dimmer. Time went by, and another day passed in the blink of an eye.
...
Southern Sea Region.
Buzz!
On the other side of Braxtein Kingdom¡ªon its southernmost side, the Spell that Scy had cast the day before had finally began to take effect. Every one of them could feel it, and they couldn''t help getting giddy.
The pir of white lighting out of Charybdis'' mouth was slowly disappearing. Meanwhile, on various parts of Braxtein Kingdom, Charybdis appeared in thekes, rivers, and seas that were big enough to host it.
Countless of Aquatic Demons overwhelmed the Southern Sea, ready to enter Charybdis as soon as the light disappeared. Like the others, they couldn''t hold their excitement to evoke chaos in the world.
"Remember, my soldiers, this is a feast! The Obelisk is no longer our home, because we will make this ce us. Don''t hold yourself back! Kill as many as you can¡ªdon''t die without killing anyone!" Goap shouted.
"UWOOOOGGGHHHHH!"
The army''s shout sounded like a symphony to him. He was very optimistic that he would be able to allow Demons to roam the world freely once again.
Wooong!
The light that Charybdis had been shooting to the sky disappeared not long after. The Aquatic Demons almost couldn''t resist jumping into her mouth, but they held themselves well enough to wait for Goap''s order.
"Fill the world with their cry¡ªcharge!"
All of them immediately jumped into Charybdis'' mouth as soon as they received the order. In the next moment, they found themselves in the seas,kes, and rivers near the inhabited areas of Braxtein Kingdom.
When Charybdis pulsated, the water level suddenly rapidly dropped. The water returned in the form of a tsunami a few seconds after, and thus the nightmare began.
Chapter 345 A Haunting Music
As the water that had suddenly disappeared returned in full force, the people who lived near the body of waters where Charybdis'' clones appeared, began running in panic.
They weren''t foreign to tsunami. They had had a tsunami before, but never was it able to harm them due to the Barrier the Kingdom had erected to hold it off.
The tsunami that was about to sweep them this time, however, was capable of such as it managed to destroy the Barrier. That indicated the tsunami didn''t happen due to a natural cause, but the work of Magic.
Needless to say, the casualty it would cause would be way bigger; so, of course they were afraid. On top of that, they could also spot the Aquatic Demons which they were sure, woulde out of the body of water once water filled thend.
"The chaos has started," Scy remarked. She was looking at the scene that was unfolding in every body of water that hosted Charybdis'' clones through her connection with them. "What are we going to do next, Goap?"
"We will wait. I can feel it¡ªthe human army is already close." Goap was looking at the swarm of Aquatic Demons jumping into Charybdis'' mouth calmly. "There is not much we can do other than wait for them and deliver them to their demise."
Nodding her head, she ceased the conversation. Looking at the unfolding scene in front of her, she couldn''t help wondering if humans could persist this time.
The world was too peacefulpared to when it was still in the Age of Chaos. Humans had been living peacefully for thousands of years, so she was sure they wouldn''t be ready to face this hurdle.
Shaking her head in the next moment, however, she forgot that thought. She didn''t want to repeat the mistake that Demons had done in the past, which was underestimating Humans.
Humans are the most unpredictable creatures. Demons had ignored that fact two millennia ago, and received a worse humiliation than losing their Authority.
She was optimistic, regardless, that they would be able to win against the humans before their unpredictability surprised them.
...
50 kilometers from Southern Sea Region, the four Legions of Royal Army that weren''t assigned to any other battlefield, which was lead by Anthony himself stopped their march under Anthony''s Legion.
They turned around to find none was behind them. Their eyes couldn''t help but darken as that means their reinforcement, which was supposed to meet up with them at this point were still far away from them.
Despite being the top Legions¡ªthe Legions that were chosen to be the escort of the King, they weren''t arrogant. They could easily admit they weren''t strong enough to face Goap''s Army by themselves because they knew their limit.
"Bloody citizens! I have protected them from the hegemony of the Empire and this is how they pay me, their King?!" Anthony eximed. "Why has no one showed up yet?!"
"Cease your anger, Your Majesty. I am sure they are in their way," the Thirtieth Legion''s Commander, Carlyle cated. "Unlike us, they are notpetent enough to avoid unnecessary obstacles."
"Just how ipetent they are to be hundreds of kilometers apart from us, Carlyle? This is war¡ªthere is an urgency. Regardless of how ipetent you are, in my experience, in urgent situations, you move faster."
"Maybe, Your Majesty, if you had described what kind of urgency we have, you would be able to make them feel more urgent, which in turn also make them move faster." Carlyle smiled.
Clicking his tongue in faint annoyance, Anthony replied, "You and your smart mouth." Getting down his horse, he shouted, "We will camp here for the time being. I just want you to recover your energy¡ªnot sleep¡ªso don''t erect a single tent!"
"As you wish, Your Majesty!"
Sighing lightly to calm his racing heart down, he looked around the ce. He saw many trees as they were in the middle of the forest, and when he found a boulder the size of a hut, he immediately dashed to it and sat on it.
The four Legion Commanders followed suit in the next moment, then surrounded the boulder where he was sitting on. Although there was no need for them to guard him, they still did it as it was their job.
"I expect a great performance out of the four of you. You better recover your Energy, so you won''t disappoint me," Anthony reminded.
Nodding their head lightly, the four Commanders sat down, closed their eyes, and started to meditate. The sole Knight amongst them nurtured his Core, meanwhile the Mages Carved their next Magic Circle.
The rest of the Legions were also doing the same. None of them were chatting with each other; so, the forest, despite having 24,000 people in it was as tranquil as if there was no one there.
Buzz!
A few minutes after, the silence was disrupted by the Visual Orbs that each Legion had. They were shining and vibrating, which means someone was reaching out to them.
As the people with Visual Orbs, the members of Information Squad in each Legion put their hands on their Visual Orbs, then projected the scene the caller''s wanted them to see.
"What the...?"
All of them couldn''t help gasping as soon as they saw the projection. They could see water flooding thend and the floating debris of the destroyed buildings, which was the only indication that it had been indeed and.
"A Monster, which we haven''t identified yet, suddenly appeared in various body of water throughout the Kingdom. It created a massive tsunami which resulting in this chaos," one of the callers spoke.
"Countless of Aquatic Demons are now roaming the floodednd, killing those who survived. We don''t know how many they will be¡ªthey keep pouring out¡ªbut we can say, for sure, the affected areas need to be forfeited."
They couldn''t believe what was happening to their Kingdom. Looking at Charybdis'' clones pouring out tens of thousands of Aquatic Monsters, they wanted to immediately rush back and helped the civilians, who were definitely suffering.
All of them instinctively turned their head to Anthony. As the King, he was the only person qualified to make a decision in this situation.
Anthony didn''t look bothered at all, and looking at that, everyone immediately knew what his answer would be. True to their guess, Anthony''s decision wasn''t far off what they had expected him to say.
"This is the enemy''s n to divide our attention. We have also gone this far, so we won''t return. Trying to hold a lot of things at once can risk losing everything. It is better to focus on one thing."
Closing his eyes, Anthony added, "Make sure to deliver that to those already on their way to group with us."
Smiling bitterly at the answer, they couldn''t help shaking their head. They repeated what he had said a few moments ago, and deactivated the Visual Orb to resume recovering their energy.
Themand left a bad taste in their mouth, but they still didn''t want to protest because they knew Anthony had just made a logical decision.
Silence descended on the forest again not long after. Unlike before, however, none of the soldiers had a calm mind since they really wanted to immediately rush to the battlefield and end the Outbreak.
With hearts palpitating in giddiness, the soldiers meditated until the reinforcement came. Two hours had past at that point, so they immediately readied themselves the moment the people arrived.
"We are very sorry for ourteness, Your Majesty."
Opening his eyes at the feminine voice, Anthony jumped down the boulder, and stood before the owner of the voice. "Did the news make you hesitated, Jacinda? I didn''t expect someone as bright as you to be swayed by that."
Smiling apologetically, Jacinda, who was the de facto leader of the Mages that weren''t a part of the military, said, "I am embarrassed to say that we were slowed down by ourck of coordination."
"Your Majesty, Miss. Jacinda has done the best she could. She wasn''t ying around, and I assure you, the fact that we are only two hourste is because of her. If it wasn''t for her, we might not be able to arrive here."
Quirking his eyebrow as he turned his head to the person who had just chimed in, Anthony found a 2 meters tall giant of a man with a handsome beard.
He was Zander, the Guildmaster of Firefly Guild, which was one of the four most influential Guilds in Braxtein Kingdom. Having just had a breakthrough a few months ago, the Middle Stage Violet Core Knight''s presence was overwhelming.
"So, you are the representative of the others, huh?" Anthony was referring to the Guildmasters of the other three influential Guilds who didn''te. "Well, I can''t me them. Their paranoia has be a reality."
"Yes, Your Majesty. My fellow Guildmasters are now taking care of the situation in our Kingdom."
When the Outbreak first ured, the Kingdom spent a lot of effort to gather informations about Goap''s Army. Anthony was trying to locate all of the six Great Generals, so he could immediately kill them.
The four most influential Guilds had participated in the search. When they could find none, Anthony decided to wait for the Great Generals to wait by themselves; however, the Guildmasters thought differently.
They suggested to send people to the less inhabited areas and the most inhabited areas of the Kingdom because they were sure the Demons would appear from one of the ces.
Anthony, of course, didn''t want to spend so many men on such an uncertain thing, so he dismissed the suggestion. Uncaring to that, however, the Guildmasters still proceed with their n, and didn''t join the battle because of that.
When Charybdis'' clones appeared in the body of waters that were big enough to host them, the people that the Guildmasters had stationed in various areas were ready to face the hurdle, which proved that the Guildmasters'' n wasn''t a mere paranoia.
"Very well. Let us start moving." Anthony waved his hand. "I want to end this Outbreak quick."
At Anthony''s words, those who rode a horse mounted their horse, meanwhile those who travelled by their feet prepared to run. Anthony did the same, and immediately took the lead.
As he motioned them to move with his hand, the march to Southern Sea Region was resumed.
Chapter 346 A Haunting Music (2)
Carrying the vengeance of those who had fallen in the Outbreak so far, the army headed to the Southern Sea Region vigorously. Their hands twitched as their hearts palpitated impatiently.
20 kilometers¡ªit was the remaining distance they needed to cover to reach Goap. It wasn''t far; they could reach it in less than twenty minutes. In fact, they could already feel the sickening presence of Goap''s Army.
"This bloody battle will be huge," Anthony muttered. Turning his head around, he clicked his tongue in annoyance. "Out of the 30 Legions I have created, only twelves are with me? What are the rest of them doing?!"
Carlyle, who was riding his horse beside Anthony, could only pull his helmet slightly down, and said nothing. He was just as curious as Anthony about that, so he didn''t want to cate Anthony.
Kuuuooong!
As soon as they heard the eerie and loud roaring from the front, all of the hair on their skin stood up. They didn''t know how the creature looked, nor had they ever heard its roar before, but they were sure it was one of Goap''s creatures.
Most of them gulped nervously as soon as the roar died down. They couldn''t imagine just how big and fearsome the creature had to be to be able to let out that loud and intimidating roar from such a distance.
"Pick up your pace! The enemy is in front of us!"
At this point, they were still 15 kilometers away from Southern Sea Region. Despite so, they could already see Demons running their way.
All of them increased their speed at Anthony''s order, meanwhile the Mages began to cast their Spells. The 3 kilometers distance between the two sides was rapidly eliminated due to their speed.
Boom! Boom!
Before the distance waspletely eliminated, however, the Demons were bombarded by the Spells of the Mages. Many of them died by the first wave of Spell attacks, meanwhile those who survived were butchered by the Knights.
"Break through! Our target is not these eye sores!" Anthony shouted.
Despite receiving that order, the 78,000 people didn''t stop doing their best to kill as many as they could. They, after all, didn''t want to be sandwiched by the Demons upon reaching Southern Sea Region.
Swish!
sh!
They sessfully broke through the rank of Demons in 5 minutes; by that time, three fourth of the Demons were already killed. Uncaring to the surviving Demons trying to catch up to them, however, they rushed to Southern Sea Region.
In less than 10 minutes, they could already see the soon to be battlefield clearly. Their heart pounded so loud to the point of deafening their ears.
Thend in front of the sea that was covering an area of 13 square kilometers was upied entirely by Demons. The sea was also filled by so many Aquatic Demons, they couldn''t bother to count.
Charybdis was protruding out of the sea, directing its wide and gigantic mouth at the people. The battle hadn''t started yet, but the aura filling the ce and the presence of the Demons were sickening enough to shy people away.
"Tremble not, my people, for I, your King, is fighting by your side! Swing your swords, and cast your Spells without fear. Know that if you die, you won''t die for naught. For our home and family!"
Anthony had been in a lot of battlefield since he was young. Although the Demons he had fought were weaker than the Demons he was going to fight, he knew how to control the crowd.
"For our home and family!"
"Uwooogh!"
"Charge!"
His encouragement had riled the people up even more. The hesitation and nervousness that they previously had disappeared in the blink of an eye as they charged at the Demons infesting their Kingdom.
Anthony, being a powerful Battle Mage himself, joined the Knights and the other Battle Mages to fight in the front. They formed a flexible Magic Battle Formation that didn''t require them to stay together in the same ce.
Burst!
BOOM!
Thousands of Demons turned to ashes as soon as the fire Anthony''s Spell had produced touched them. Each of their individual prowess was dramatically increased due to the Magic Battle Formation¡ªeven Anthony''s¡ªso their attacks had be more potent.
The Demons weren''t easily pushed back, unfortunately, since theypletely outnumbered the humans.
"There is the King." Looking at the scene, Goap chuckled coldly. "Look at how confident he is. Charging here thinking that he will be able to hurt me. How naive!"
Scy, whose shoulder was the ce where Goap was standing on, reminded, "Don''t underestimate him. Thest time you underestimated humans, you suffered greatly."
"I know, my friend. I am not underestimating him." Goap shook his head faintly. "I was just making a remark of how brave he is."
Jumping down Scy''s shoulder afterwards, he stood on the shore, which was the rear line of his army. Smirking coldly as soon as he saw Anthony''s eyesnd on him, he provoked Anthony toe at him.
Seeing that, the Braxtein Kingdom''s King gritted his teeth in annoyance. Goap was at the safest spot in the formation, so it would be hard and exhausting to reach him.
On top of that, even after Anthony and the brave people following him managed to break through the rank, there was no guarantee that they wouldn''t be attacked by the army behind them. In fact, that would definitely happen, which made the situation irritating.
"That coward! He isn''t going to get out of his sanctuary, is he?" He muttered spitefully.
"My King! Let us focus on these Monsters first!" Carlyle shouted. "That worm Monster¡ªI believe it won''t stay still. We have to watch for it!"
He was referring to Charybdis. None of them knew about Charybdis'' other than the fact that its name was mentioned in the folklores of the old times, so they were very anxious about what she would do.
Anthony, despite knowing Charybdis and had read about her, also didn''t know that they were facing Charybdis due to theck of detailed exnation on how she looked; so, like the others, he was equally anxious.
"Bollocks! I am going to execute many people if we lose this battle!"
Cursing, he eventually led the people to fight the surrounding Demons, instead of aiming for Goap. Said Demon Prince was disappointed by the decision, so he told his remaining Great Generals to participate.
As hard as it is to believe, but the moment the three of them joined the battle, the flow changed dramatically. For the next five hours, even without Scy and Goap''s intervention, the human army lost an rming amount of people.
...
Army Camp, BA-32 (3 kilometers away from Goap''s Obelisk).
As the fierce battle with Goap was ongoing in Southern Sea Region, Lawson and the 10,00 people he brought just by saying he would fight alongside Basil were already waiting for said prodigy for closely to half a day.
[Wait for me.]
It was what Basil had said through the Transmission Talisman as soon as Lawson arrived at the camp. At that time, he had thought the wait wouldn''t be more than an hour, so upon waiting for this long, he couldn''t help being dumbfounded.
"Just how good is he in bed?!" Lawson eximed.
Hearing that, Glenn''s face immediately darkened. Like Lawson and friends, the people who had fought alongside Basil was floored by his absence, so as the person who had seen when Basil go outside the camp, he took the role to reassure them.
It was much to his horror that everyone misunderstood him immediately when he said that Basil was just training with Iliana and Ione. He genuinely believed that Basil was doing that, but most of the people were too dirty minded to think like him.
"Head Commander... Please, don''t kill me!" He muttered as he prostrated on the ground while crying. "I didn''t say anything wrong. These people are just born perverts!"
Blinking her eyes at what her colleague was doing, Cassandra couldn''t help sighing helplessly. She knew that Basil wasn''t such a person; but, like the others, she couldn''t help worrying if basil would remember to return.
It seemed to her he was too focused on his training that he had forgotten about them. On top of giving off the aura of a lone wolf, he could also fight so well in the front line alone, so she believed it was highly likely to be the case.
"We can''t wait for him forever," Lawson said. "In each passing second we have wasted waiting for him, hundreds of people have died. If we keep staying idle, this war¡ª"
"Who says you are wasting your time? Just because you are not killing anyone, it doesn''t mean you are wasting your time."
At the interruption, everyone instantly turned their head to the direction the voice hade from. A smile immediately crept up their face as soon as they saw the person they had been waiting was walking towards them along with his escorts.
"Look at the people around you. If you had been in the battlefield, many of them would have died by now. It is a pain, indeed, to stay idle when there is a war in front of you, but know that you are also saving those beside you by doing that."
Once again, Basil''s words struck something in them. A look of realization appeared on their faces, but followed by that was a solemn mood.
As much as they wanted to save their home, they were also selfish people who wanted to stay alive. The only people suffering weren''t those who were butchered by the Demons, but also them who may or may not die in the battlefield.
That realization made they dread about the battlefield as much as they thanked the fact that they were enjoying the half a day Basil had given them. Despite so, they still wanted to go to the battlefield.
"Wee back, Head Commander Basil," Edward greeted, breaking the silence. "A sixth of our army fighting in Southern Sea Region has been eradicated. I think it is time for us to aid them."
Turning to Lawson, Basil nodded his head. "Let us depart." It was a sign to tell Lawson that he wouldn''t lead the people Lawson had brought.
Sighing in admiration at Basil''s wit, Lawson told the people he brought to get on their horses. Basil did the same to the army he was leading, then waited for them outside the camp.
When all of the people were ready to depart, followed by Iliana and Ione, he jumped on Deacon. The moment he gave the people the green light, the march to Southern Sea Region was begun.
... Or was it?
Chapter 347 A Haunting Music (3)
Although Basil had made it clear that he wouldn''t intervene in the matters of Lawson''s army, he still took the lead to Southern Sea Region. Lawson didn''t mind following his lead, but still couldn''t help wondering where they were going.
Although he had only visited Southern Sea Region once, he was sure the direction Basil was leading them to wouldn''t bring them there. He wasn''t aware of the shortcut however, so he didn''t say anything about it.
It wasn''t until two hours in the march did he find many people share the same confusion. By this point, instead of going south, Basil was leading them southwest, which made it apparent that they weren''t heading to Southern Sea Region.
Edward took the initiative to ask Basil about it even before Lawson. "Head Commander, I am afraid we are already off the course. We are heading southwest currently, which will never lead us to Southern Sea Region."
"Trust me," was Basil''s simple answer.
Edward smiled wryly, and eventually nodded his head. By then, he had understood that Basil was unpredictable and full of surprises, so he was sure Basil was nning something that would blow everyone''s mind.
Slowing down the speed of his horse, he returned to the line of Commanders that was a few steps behind the 6 metres tall Deacon. They exchanged an ufortable look with each other before shrugging as they decided to believe in Basil.
"Ah... Aren''t they alike?" Lawson mused as he looked at Iliana sitting behind Basil. "I thought everything would be different when I am old, but nothing changed: I still can''t understand how geniuses think!"
The Legion Commanders and the Princes who heard Lawson''s muttering smiled wryly. Theypletely agreed with him since they were having a hard time to understand what Basil was thinking from time to time.
Whizz!
When 30 minutes passed after Edward confronting Basil about the route he had chosen, the people noticed something weird in the air. It was causing the hair on their hands and the back of their neck to stand on end.
At a certain point, they found out that the sickening feeling was Demonic Mana. At that moment, the Demonic Mana in the air was thick enough to slightly slow them down due to its repulsive nature.
"That is... That thing!"
"What?! How can that thing be here?!"
When they looked ahead of them, many of them were bewildered to find one of Charybdis'' clones in ake that was barely big enough to contain it. They then instinctively turned to Basil as they wondered what they were going to do with it next.
Basil was aware of the gaze, but he refused to speak. He was too amused by the scene in front of him to mind the people''s curious gaze.
Scy''s Spell allowed Charybdis to make clones and distribute them to any body of water that was big enough to contain them. Regardless of how much space it left after, as long as it was big enough, Charybdis'' clones would appear in it.
The phenomenon in front of them was the result of the weakness of the Spell. It was causing unnecessary Mana usage to Scy, and Basil found it funny that she hadn''t noticed it yet.
"Halt!"
When they arrived before theke, Basil told them to hold in their ce, and jumped down from Deacon. He stood on thekeside, and looked into the mouth of Charybdis'' clone that was just ten centimeters away from thekeside.
He actually got to know of this clone''s existence thanks to the Guide providing him the information. The guide had been trustworthy for all this time, but his cautious nature still made him want to make sure.
"It is connected to the main body. We can use it as a means of transportation," he muttered.
Turning to the people behind him, he was greeted by their baffled face. All of them were extremely curious about what they were going to do with the clone, and he was ready to surprise them with the answer.
"Let''s jump into it."
Coughing in bafflement, Lawson asked, "I am sorry, what? I find the joke very funny, but I don''t think this is the right time to joke around, Head Commander."
"Do I look like I am joking?"
At Basil''s question, Lawson opened his mouth only to close it again in the next moment. He didn''t know what to answer; to be frank, Basil had always looked serious even when he amusing rare insults at people.
"This is just a clone of the main body. By jumping into it, we wille out of the mouth of the main body, which is in Southern Sea Region. In short, this thing is a biological Teleportation Gate."
Silence greeted Basil''s exnation for a few seconds. It was only broken when Lawson decided to ask him the question in everyone''s mind.
"How did you know about it? I know that those Aquatic Monsters came out of the mouth of creatures like this, but how can you tell it is a two way gate?"
"It is written in many books... About folklore." Everyone''s face immediately turned dark, and got darker at Basil''s next remark. "It looks slightly different from the description, but this thing is Charybdis."
Whether they were people who were close to Basil or those that just respected him as the Head Commander couldn''t help looking at him weirdly. They really didn''t expect him of all people to say something as delusional as that.
Sighing faintly, he said, "I want you to do one thing, trust me. I can''t guarantee your life in the battlefield, but I can guarantee you that you won''t die upon jumping into it."
At that, all of them reluctantly nodded their head. Don''t get them wrong¡ªthey wholeheartedly believed Basil, but they were still unsure if there would be nothing unexpected happening in the way.
Uncaring to their worry, Basil jumped on Deacon, and said, "I suggest you Mages to cover yourself with Wind Magic, and you Knights to reinforce your feet since we will be dropped from the air upon reaching Southern Sea Region."
Whoosh!
Even before the people asked what he meant by his words, he had instructed Deacon to jump into Charybdis'' clone mouth. The four of them disappeared from their view, and they could only watch it in bewilderment.
There were so many things that they wanted to ask¡ªlike how Basil could identify it was Charybdis and why they would be dropped from the air¡ªbut they immediately forgot it, followed Basil''s instruction, and jumped into the mouth of Charybdis'' clone.
"Uwaaaah! We are free falling!"
"Bloody hell, Monica! Don''t wiggle around otherwise you''ll fall!"
"We are already falling, Cray! Hahaha!"
"... Touch¨¦."
Cray''s conversation with Monica was the only thing filling Charybdis'' tunnel. The others were too tense thinking about what awaited them to mind talking to each other.
Not long after, they found a screen of water ahead of them that was shining bright enough to illuminate some of the area in front of it. Deacon was a few seconds away from it, allowing them to watch as he and the people he carried pass it.
Having a feeling that their fall would soone to an end, the people readied themselves. When they passed through the screen, they were immediately enveloped with water; and, like Basil said, they were dropped from the air.
...
A few moments before the people Basil led decided to jump into the mouth of Charybdis'' mouth, Anthony was in the middle of retreat after taking down the Third Great General, Calea.
His teeth were gritted in annoyance as he recalled how unexpectedly hard it was taking her down. As a Seventh Circle Mage, his pride was hurt since he knew Basil, a Fifth Circle Mage, could take two Great Generals down by himself.
"Just how in the world thatd faced their unruly fighting style?!"
That was what made Anthony different from Basil. Basil could easily adapt to his opponent''s fighting style due to his experiences facing formidable abominations, whereas Anthony couldn''t.
Anthony, too, had faced quite a lot of strong Demons throughout his life, but all of them had been Upper Middle ss Demons that had been kicked out from the Obelisk. They also didn''t fight like human, so defeating them wasn''t actually a chore.
Calea was on a whole new levelpared to the Demons he had faced since she was dramatically stronger and smarter than them. Power wise she wasn''t superior to him, but her fighting style was so foreign, it had managed to overwhelm him slightly.
"Your Majesty! The death toll has reached 20,000 people!" Carlyle ran up to Anthony. His horse had long been killed. "What should we do?"
"Let us retreat for a moment, and wait until reinforcementes."
"Your Majesty..."
Anthony and Carlyle''s face turned sour at the situation they were in. 20,000 of them had been eliminated in the span of 6 hours, and it was starting to intimidate the remaining 70,000 people.
How many had died didn''t intimidate them, but how quick they had died did. If they were kept being forced to fight in their current state, only defeat would greet them.
Hum!
Just as Anthony reached the frontmost line of his army¡ªjust before hemanded them to retreat, Charybdis, who hadn''t done anything trembled. Her mouth contracted, and the air shook in the next moment.
Every head turned to Charybdis in confusion, including Goap''s and Scy''s. Other than the two, whose expression had already darkened, no one knew what was happening or what was going to happen.
Phwoosh!
Seconds passed without anything happened. Just as the battle was about to continue, Demons and humans alike were surprised by a huge surge of water Charybdis shot at them.
They quickly moved away from the ce where the water would hit in panic. Some that didn''t manage to get away were crushed by the water, but all of them were Demons.
The water kepting out of Charybdis'' mouth for a few seconds, upying an area of 4 square kilometres. When the water stoppeding out, much to their bewilderment, they found an army consisted of 48,000 people in the spot.
Anthony couldn''t help blinking his eyes when he noticed Basil in the frontmost line, and soon chuckled as he found the situation as funny as it was baffling.
"The reinforcement hase!"
The people Basil brought were still slightly overwhelmed by their leap of faith earlier, but as soon as they heard Anthony''s exmation, they immediately got a hold of themselves.
Turning to Basil expecting his order, they immediately moved once he gave them the green light. The flow of battle changed once again at their participation; this time, it was in the human''s favour.
Chapter 348 A Haunting Music (4)
Standing in the middle line, the Mages of the reinforcement army that were led by Lawson vigorously sent their Spells at the Demons. Thousands were killed by the Spells, rising the spirit of the other soldiers in result.
Lawson, who was casting a wide range Spell, turned his eyes to Basil who was riding Deacon to one of the remaining two Great Generals, Bassaret. Behind him were Edward and six Legion Commanders who wanted to support him.
Iliana and Ione had long gotten down from Deacon, so they didn''t join him in his fight. Both of them were teaming up against any Demoning at them, away from the frontmost line of the army.
"To think that we have this many geniuses... I am touched."
Lawson bit his lower lip to prevent himself from exploding in glee. He still hadn''t recovered from the surprising oue of the leap of faith and the fact that Basil had identified Charybdis, so he was quite pumped up about the conclusion of the battle.
As weird as it was to him, he found Basil''s presence reassuring. His fierce and effective way of fight made him feel as if their victory was guaranteed.
"Basil is amazing, but I think you still have to focus on your fight."
Awakened from his thought, Lawson turned his head to the side. "Ah, Headmistress Jacinda! It is good to see that you are here ... Well, it''s good to see that you are already freed from the ''jail.''" He chuckled awkwardly.
Jacinda merely smiled faintly, and reminded him of his finished Spell. Nodding his head, Lawson immediatelyunched the Spell at the crowd of Demons in front of him.
BOOM!
An orange light enveloped the area in front of him, covering hundreds of Middle ss Demons like a dome. The light solidified as if a mist, then swirled as it disintegrated the Demons it covered.
The explosionsted for 10 seconds. When it disappeared, it revealed a wide and deep crater on the ground along with the Demon remains that the explosion didn''t manage to destroy.
BOOM!
The same Spell wasunched in the next moment, but it was bigger and more lethal. Jacinda, as the caster, merely watched coldly as her Spell eliminated thousands of Demons.
The sound of the Spell was heard throughout the battlefield, meanwhile the shockwave swept the battlefield. Everyone became even more hyped; their spirit burned even brighter than when Basil and the reinforcement Army had first appeared.
CRACK!
Just as they thought the battle wouldn''t get more exciting, Basil surprised them by striking Bassaret with a lightning bolt that was strong enough to crack open the ground they were standing on.
"Uwoogghhh!"
"Basil Pacifer!"
Their excitement was amplified the moment they saw Bassaret sprawled on the ground while clutching his torn arm. Although the lightning bolt had failed to instantly kill him, it had still stunned him to the point he could barely move.
He lifted his head to look at Basil, and widened his eyes in horror when he saw Basil lift Durendal. He was trying his best to stand up, but no matter how hard he tried, he still couldn''t get his feet to move.
"Kill! Kill! Kill!"
"Victory to our Kingdom!"
"Color this day with their blood!"
Knowing the fact that one of the seemingly untouchable Great Generals was about to be killed by the prodigy who took the Kingdom by storm, the people fought even fiercer. Their fear had already long gone; they could only see victory in front of their eyes.
nk!
Just as Basil swung down Durendal however, Jerion suddenly appeared in front of him, blocking it. He had escaped his fight with Anthony and decided to have a go against Basil because he deemed Basil more interesting.
This toned the people''s excitement down a little bit, but the excitement would dramatically rise the moment they witnessed how Basil''s fight with Jerion unfolded.
"You killed Cabalen, didn''t you?" Jerion asked.
"You can tell?" Basil smirked and swung Durendal to the side.
nk!
Jerion was pushed back for a couple of steps, and he couldn''t help slight widening his eyes at the power Basil had disyed. It was very weird to him that a mere Fifth Circle Mage and Peak Stage Blue Core Knight could possess that power.
"Bassaret, you should face that bearded Violet Core Knight. I will handle this human myself," he said with a grin.
Bassaret didn''t say anything, but he quickly got up and dashed towards Zander, who was actively killing Upper Middle ss Demons here and there. They shed in the next moment, creating yet another sight to behold.
"Now, why don''t you remove the nuisances on your side before we start our battle?" Jerion smiled coldly.
Boom!
A sickening Mana Pressure of his Demonic Mana overwhelmed the area surrounding him, washing Demons and humans alike in fear. Basil wasn''t fazed in the slightest, but Edward and the Legion Commanders supporting him from the back were.
Their hands trembled in shock as their soul was shaking in terror. They really wanted to run away from Basil; remaining in their position felt so hard with the ominous feeling grasping their heart.
"Go make a distance¡ªI don''t need your assistance anymore. No Monsters will be stupid enough to approach us and interfere our fight."
They felt bad for feeling happy hearing those words, but their body was honest. Even without saying anything to Basil, Edward and the Legion Commanders immediately dashed away from him.
The Demons that were previously surrounding Basil and Jerion had also run away¡ªeven before Edward and the Legion Commanders did.
"What is your dog doing here?" Jerion gestured at Deacon.
"Deacon..."
"But, Master. Let me¡ª"
Plop!
Basil interrupted Deacon by throwing him the Wyvern heart he had gotten from the treasure room of Goap''s Obelisk. Deacon immediately chewed it, and widened his eyes in surprise when he felt the amazing amount of Mana it contained.
"Go somewhere else. Digest it while fighting to the best you can."
Deacon wanted to refuse, but eventually nodded his head. "Understood, Master. I can''t wait for you to take his head with you." Under Jerion''s eyes that were filled with amusement, he left immediately.
Boom!
Immediately materializing his five Grand Circles as he unleashed the Qi he had ben suppressing the entire time, Basil almost sted Jerion with his pressure alone. His Grand Circles attracted so much Mana, they distorted the air.
"You... I was sceptical when I heard a brat named Basil Pacifer had killed Cabalen, but I now admit I am absolutely wrong," Jerion remarked. "Your absurd prowess makes me want to think that you really are a Pacifier, which is a problem since you are a male."
Basil merely sneered at the remark. In the next moment, he activated [Synchronization] as he channeled his Qi into Durendal.
His eyes shone brightly in blue as blue veins that were filled with dense Qi appeared on his body. The aura he was exuding was, with no doubt, destructive and repulsive to anyone that was swept by the shockwave.
Jerion cackled madly at that, and immediately took out his blue spear. He charged at Basil as he thrust his spear at him, whereas Basil stayed in his ce and swung Durendal down.
nk!
Boom!
The first sh between them, which involved nothing but raw power, produced an aftermath that was unbelievable of such. The ground was split apart the moment Jerion''s spear was mmed into it; the rumble could be felt throughout the battlefield.
Whoosh!
A shockwave that was more powerful than the one Lawson and Jacinda''s wide range Spell had produced swept the entire battlefield, winding up those who weren''t firmly standing on the ground far from them.
Goap and Scy hadn''t joined the fray yet, but the sh between the two people had already caused such a disturbance in the battlefield. They couldn''t imagine how fierce the decisive battle with the two Demons would be.
"That was a good parry." Jerion smiled, then swung his spear upwards.
Basil immediately retracted Durendal, and jumped a few steps back before stepping aside. A small trench was carved on the ground in the next moment as the aftermath of that simple action of Jerion.
Coating Durendal with Wind Magic, this time, Basil charged at Jerion. The Demon readied his spear to stop him froming any closer, butnding a hit on him was harder than the Demon had expected.
nk! nk!
Being an experienced fighter, Jerion immediately admitted his defeat in technique. His Spear Style was way too crudepared to Basil''s Sword Style, so he decided to finally utilize some of his Demonic Arts.
The air humidity suddenly rose dramatically, meanwhile water was rapidly coalescing above his head. Instead of taking a distance so he could defend himself however, Basil used the situation as a chance to use one of his Arts.
Zap!
Boom!
A lightning bolt descended from the sky and headed towards Jerion in a sh. The fact that the air was humid made it easier to travel through the air.
Although, in the end, it struck the ground instead of Jerion, it was enough to irk him to the point of making him cancel his Demonic Art and took a distance away. Basil caught up to him in a second, and he could barely block Durendal due to how quick it was.
Sparks flew off as Durendal scraped the surface of his spear''s shaft. His eyes darkened the moment he noticed it was faintly chipped.
"This sword... It''s Durendal! How could you¡ª"
Whoosh!
Before he could finish his sentence, Jerion was surprised by how easy it was for Basil to almost fling his spear. His defense was left open in result; he became even more bewildered when he found his body didn''t move ording to hismand.
[Haywire]!
Fully convinced that he wouldn''t be able to take control of his body yet, Jerion blew himself to the back with Wind Magic. That managed to prevent Basil from taking his head off, however he still got his chest cut.
Spurt!
Ignoring his bleeding chest, Jerion tried to find what was wrong with his body. That was when he realized the motor nerves within his body were messed up.
He didn''t know a way to fix it yet, but he was confident he would be able to adapt to it. Landing on the ground softly, he immediately stood up, and finally utilized his Miasma.
He was about to cast a Curse that would greatly help him in his situation, but he immediately keeled over as the wound on his chest bled even more instead of healing.
He looked down at his chest, and found his wound gradually getting bigger. Turning to the rapidly approaching Basil, Jerion''s eyes darkened as he realized how terrifying his Arts were.
Chapter 349 A Haunting Music (5)
"This is ludicrous... His Qi... No, what is this? This energy is slowly eating me from the inside," Jerion muttered in bewilderment before widening his eyes in realization. "Is this... The Sword Soul''s ability¡ª[Synchronization]? How is it possible?!"
The reaction he gave was the same as the one that Gorgophone had in Basil''s past life. He couldn''t believe that there was a human of the current age that could gain such a deep understanding towards swords.
"Everything makes sense now... Unbelievable. What an enigma!" He chuckled in amusement. "He ims he is a Pacifer, doesn''t he? With his prowess, I can now believe if he is the one..."
Using his spear as a support to stand up, when Basil arrived in front of him, Jerion immediately mmed the butt of his spear into the ground. A st of thick Miasma swept Basil in the next moment, stopping him in his tracks.
Being the purest form of Demonic Mana, Miasma, which could only be utilized by High ss Demons or higher, was more corrosive than any other form of pure Energy. Basil was even forced to cover himself with a Barrier to prevent it from charring his skin.
Standing straightly with the support of his spear; Jerion, whose control over his body was as good as a three year old looked at Basil, who was 7 metres away from him, coldly as he pressed on the bleeding wound on his chest.
Basil''s Arts and Techniques had dealt him a damage which he had never expected the moment he decided to fight Basil. Anthony hadnded some hit on him, but he didn''t irk him as much as Basil did.
"I am angry right now, you know?"
"Who ...?"
"Me."
"... Cares?"
Gritting his teeth in rage, Jerion tightened his hold on his spear. Basil merely chuckled faintly in amusement as he couldn''t believe he could get Jerion just with that.
Huffing coldly in the next moment, Jerion channelled his Miasma into his spear and cast a Curse. He couldn''t stand Basil anymore, so he wanted to end Basil as quick as soon as possible.
"Besides, there is a possibility that this bastard is really a Pacifer."
The prophecy of the Fated Child was not only known to the people of the Church, but also the Demons. The First Maha Dmitra, who was also the First Matriarch¡ªAsia had, after all, practically dered it to everyone.
Unlike the Church however, Demons knew exactly what kind of existence the Fated Child was. They knew how terrifying the damage the Fated Child would bring them, so they were more afraid of the Fated Child than the Church were.
With that being said however, they didn''t feel as urgent as the Church did. They knew, after all, there were also people other than the Church aiming for the Fated Child''s life.
"You should thank me that I will end you today, Basil!" Jerion eximed. "You will meet a very unpleasant ending if those bastards get their hands on you."
As Basil quirked his eyebrow, wondering what he was on about, he shouted, "[Your Soul, My ything]!"
Turning ck, his spear immediately discharged a sickening amount of Miasma. A chilling aura as well as a thick killing intent swept the entire battlefield, giving the humans goosebumps.
Basil, as the closest person to Jerion, felt it the most, but he was as unfazed as usual. He merely dashed sideways while paying attention to Charybdis at the same time Jerion swung his spear.
What happened was, Jerion had taken control of Charybdis with his Curse just like what he had done in the Age of Chaos. He, of course, still did it with the permission of Scy.
Roar!
The same roar that the human army had heard prior to arriving at the Southern Sea Region came out of Charybdis'' mouth. Before, some people could still prevent their hair from standing on end, but no one could do the same now.
Even Basil, who was already used to worse abominations than Charybdis, couldn''t prevent the hair on the back of his neck from standing on end. Unlike the others however, he could immediately shrug the intimidation off.
"O-Oh no! The Monster... It has finally moved!"
"Oh, shite! What is it going to do now?"
"That direction... This bloody bastard!"
When they followed the direction where Charybdis turned her mouth to, they couldn''t help cursing loudly. She was facing Basil, which means, she was going tounch her first attack on him.
None of them, of course, could afford to prevent her from doing it. They were upied by the Demons bombarding them with attacks; briefly looking at the scene that was about to ur was the only thing they could do.
"Well, it is going to spit those irritating needles, isn''t it?"
Basil himself, unlike the people who were watching him, was as calm as a static water. He knew what Charybdis would do since he had an all-knowing informant inside him, which was the Guide.
Squelch!
Charybdis'' mouth twisted and became smaller. It untwisted three seconds after, and shot out 2 metres long white spears at Basil.
Instead of wasting his Mana to create a Barrier, Basil took out the Magic Swords and Magic Spears he had taken from Goap''s treasure room. Controlling them with [Master of Weapons], he blocked Charybdis'' spears with them.
nk! nk!
He had forgotten to use these weapons when he was still fighting Charles. He was too distracted by his exhaustion at that time to remember about them.
He was thankful that he didn''t take them out then, however; if he did, he wouldn''t have them now since Charles would have destroyed them with his lightning bolts. Thanks to this, he could save a considerable amount of Mana.
Swish!
In the middle of Charybdis'' attack, Jerion chased after Basil. He had managed to get rid of the influence of [Synchronization], so he could already fight normally even though he still had a wound that he couldn''t heal yet.
Jerion thrust his spear at Basil, but Basil could easily deflect it to the side with the Magic Swords he was controlling with his Aura Ability. Not stopping there, he also slowed Jerion down by sending one of the Magic Spears he was controling at Jerion.
nk!
Jerion deflected the spear with gritted teeth. "Tsk! This guy has too many tricks up his sleeve." The power behind the spear was more than he had thought, so he was forced to stop in his tracks.
Thanks to that, Basil could get away from the course of the spears Charybdis had shot. Jerion clicked his tongue in annoyance at that, and chased after Basil as he redirected Charybdis to Basil once again.
Charybdis'' body contracted this time; it was as if she was going to throw up something. Basil knew what was going toe¡ªa gigantic water jet¡ªso he immediately ran towards a nearby Demon crowd.
"Move or you will die!" He shouted to the humans.
Leaving the Demons, the humans rushed away without hesitation. The former were confused at first, but since Basil wasing their way, they immediately turned around and faced him instead.
Phwoosh!
It was at that moment that they saw Charybdis was sending a water jet at them. They immediately understood what was going on, and what their fate would be.
Of course, unlike humans in general, it was hard for them to feel despair. They immediately rushed towards Basil, because they wanted to bring him down with them.
Much to their absolute bafflement however, just as they were about to grab him, he disappeared in a sh. The water jet was just a metre away from hitting them at this point, so they couldn''t help cursing loudly.
Boom!
"That bloody human!"
When the Demons were crushed by the water, Jerion clicked his tongue in dissatisfaction. He knew Basil had just used [Teleportation], which was why he wondered when Basil set his [Checkpoints].
Finding where Basil was, he immediately found how Basil did it. The Magic Swords and Magic Spears Basil was controlling¡ªhe used them as the media to set the [Checkpoints].
Jerion found the method as inventive as it was absurd. He had seen people setting up [Checkpoints] on the surface they stepped on, but never had he seen people do what Basil had done due to its difficulty.
Pointing his spear at Basil, Jerion directed Charybdis at him again. He immediately dashed at Basil, and refrained from telling Charybdis to attack since he didn''t want Basil to go away.
nk!
They shed in a matter of seconds.
"I liked the way you dodged Charybdis'' attacks... But, did you consider how many humans you have killed by doing it?" Jerion smirked.
"One hundred and seventy-eight," Basil repled instantly. "I always keep tabs on the amount of people I killed¡ªhumans, I mean. Demons are no different from bugs: they are too many to count."
"Cocky, aren''t you?"
"I can say the same." Basil shrugged. "Just because you have control over Charybdis, it doesn''t mean that you will be able to defeat me."
"Bollocks," Jerion sneered.
Instead of arguing, Basil smirked and proved what he had said was the case. He swung Durendal strongly, sending Jerion skidding for 10 metres to the back.
Basil''s explosive strength, once again, baffled Jerion. What he did next, however, baffled Jerion even more as he had never thought he would be able to witness someone who could wield Caliburn so soon.
"You...! The Prince of Pacifer!"
Jerion''s widened his eyes when he could confirm that Basil was indeed the Fated Child. Casual as Demons might be whenever the topic about the Fated Child was brought up, upon meeting the very person, none of them could keep theirposure.
Jerion was no different. As someone who knew what kind of a terrifying existence the Fated Child would grow to be, he immediately developed an urgency to kill Basil.
,m Holding his spear firmly, he forgot the control he had over Charybdis. He then charged at Basil, while simultaneously casting every lethal Curse he had learned.
On the other side, True Light Magic armour covered Basil at the same time Caliburn shone brightly. His entire being was soon illuminating the gloomy battlefield with a golden light.
The aura he was exuding gave sce to the human, but imposed terror upon the Demons. Everyone''s eyes immediately turned to the source of light, which was Basil and sighed in amazement.
Wielding Caliburn that was shining in gold in his left hand and Durendal that was shining in silvery blue in his right, Basil became the embodiment of their light of hope.
Chapter 350 A Haunting Music (End)
"[Writhe as you wither: Endless Agony]!"
As thest Curse was cast, Jerion thrust his spear at Basil. The tip of his spear contained every dangerous Spell which one would never want to dream of getting, making it the most dangerous spear tip in the world at that moment.
Being exposed to an extremely horrid aura, Basil was unfazed. He knew he would immediately disintegrate the moment the spear tip nicked even a small part of his body, he still could smirk disdainfully.
Raising both of his swords, he crossed them, and blocked the spear tip in a split second.
BOOM!
A sh between two Energies with a contradicting nature ensued. The sh produced a strong shockwave that was enough to knock those who were 200 metres away from Basil and Jerion.
Everyone could even see as Basil''s Mana that was imbued with Star Energy and True Light Magic shed against Jerion''s Miasma in the air. Looking at the scene naturally fueled their excitement as they cheered loudly.
"Victory to humanity!"
"Your hope is answered, everyone! Victory is in front of our eyes!"
"Uwooogghh! Basil Pacifer!"
"For our home!"
Hearing the cheers, Jerion couldn''t help scoffing coldly. "Hmph! You humans are easy to excite, aren''t you?" His spear couldn''t push Basil back for even an inch.
Basil, in response, merely looked at Jerion silently. One of his eyes were shining in gold, whereas the other was shining in blue, giving him an aura of a benevolent monarch and a cold blooded tyrant at the same time.
Channeling his Qi into both of his swords, he discharged a Mana st at Jerion. That managed to push Jerion to the back, quite away from him, causing said Demon to click his tongue in irritation.
Jerion turned his head to Goap, who was still watching over the battlefield on Scy''s shoulder, and immediately turned away when he saw Goap''s expression. It was clear to him that Goap was disappointed at him.
"Huh!" He exhaled loudly. "I didn''t know being given that look after two thousand years can bother me this much." He chuckled sardonically. "Now that I think about it, it is funny, isn''t it?"
nk!
Basil appeared in front of him, almost decapitating his neck. He gritted his teeth as he tried to force Basil back, then cursed loudly when he noticed Durendal was gradually cutting his spear''s shaft.
Kicking the ground instead, he took a distance away from Basil, and resumed his monologue.
"For me to survive the harsh war 2000 years, only to end up being done by a 17 year old... It''s funny, isn''t it? There is something strange no matter where you look at it. How in the world could a teen defeat a 3,500 years old being?!"
"What a mentality!" Basil scoffed coldly. "For you to assume that your age has something to do with what you can achieve¡ªhow ludicrous! This is enough indication that you survived the war out of luck."
Jerion appeared in front of Basil and swung his spear down. Basil, of course, managed to block it, but the impact was still enough to make a crater below him.
Boom!
"So, what if it is?! Are you going to mock me? You, a puny human, dare to?"
Shaking his head faintly, with a small smile, Basil said, "No, I am not going to. Your whole existence is pretty much a joke, so life has mocked you enough. Quite the contrary, I am going to end you; so, in a sense, I am saving you from the mockery."
The answer Basil gave Jerion was as amusing as it was irritating. He didn''t know whether he shouldugh or be mad at it.
Scoffing coldly, he eventually burst the Miasma in his spear forth and teleported himself away. Basil had already covered himself with a Mana Barrier, so he wasn''t harmed in the slightest.
Burst!
Basil was forced to teleport away in the end, however, because Charybdis was shooting a condensed beam of chaotic Mana at him. He got out of the course of the beam in an instant, but he was greeted by Jerion afterwards.
Of course, Jerion''s spear could be easily blocked. This time, however, he could feel that the power behind Jerion''s spear was more than before.
He could instantly deduce that he managed topletely enrage Jerion. He was sure the Demon would no longer hold himself back, so he, too, immediately decided to go all out from then on.
Boom!
Releasing all of the power that he had kept in ce so there was no unnecessary usage of Energy, Basil uncrossed his swords while simultaneously mming Jerion''s spear down with Caliburn.
Raising Durendal swiftly, he swung it diagonally as he utilized his Technique: [Mountain Splitter]. Jerion''s neck was left unguarded at this point, giving him a huge chance of decapitating Jerion.
Jerion, however, was prepared for this kind of situation; even before Durendal made a contact with his neck, he had already teleported away. In result, Durendal carved a deep and narrow trench on the ground.
Crack!
The trench Durendal carved on the ground extended to the Southern Sea, causing a noticeable disturbance in it. It still missed nheless, so Basil couldn''t help clicking his tongue in dissatisfaction.
Turning his head to the direction where Jerion had teleported to, in the process, he found the beam of Mana Charybdis was shooting out of her mouth a meter away from him.
Momentarily forgetting Jerion, he immediately teleported himself out of the course of the beam. Jerion didn''t appear to greet him this time, but he was greeted by thousands of charred bones and corpses of humans instead.
Those were the people who had been killed by Charybdis'' beam in the span of 1 minute. Even though he didn''t care much about the victims, his expression still darkened looking at the scene.
The more the people died, the lower the spirit of the others would be. Spiritless soldiers would lead to a defeat, which was something he didn''t want, so the only way to salvage the situation was to defeat Jerion to raise their spirit.
"That prick... He is aiming for losing the battle to win the war, huh?" Basil mused. "Well, it is time for me to win the battle, and let others win the war then. I can''t let the bastard kill more people than he has."
Kicking the ground, Basil darted towards Jerion who was smirking at him. Said Demon felt smug that he had managed to fool Basil for the past 1 minute.
He motioned Basil toe at him with a cocky hand gesture. Much to his surprise however, Basil immediately appeared in front of him the moment he was about to teleport away.
sh!
Durendal nearly decapitated him, but he managed to teleport away. Still, he didn''t expect that Basil could immediately greet him just a few milliseconds after he had teleported himself.
nk!
Blocking Basil''s swords this time instead of teleporting away, he immediately concluded Basil had already set up [Checkpoints] with his swords that were no longer floating behind him.
"That is wrong, Jerion. That is not the reason why I no longer have my swords." Basil shook his head faintly. "Using them only to set up [Checkpoints] is too shortsighted."
"What a brag¡ªhuh?!"
Jerion honestly thought that Basil was just bragging in an attempt to mock him. Therefore, when he witnessed Basil materializing his Sword Domain, he couldn''t help widening his eyes absurdly.
Basil''s Sword Domain covered an area of 7 square kilometres, which was a ridiculous amount of space one could ever cover with one''s Domain.
While it wasn''t extraordinary for a Peak Stage Violet Core Knight or a Seventh Circle Mage, it was absurd for Basil, who was only a Fifth Circle Mage and Peak Stage Blue Core, to do that.
Of course, there was a special reason why he could do it in spite of his level of Mastery. First, the huge amount of Qi and Mana he consumed in each second; and second, the swords that he used as an extension of his consciousness.
Thetter was possible thanks to the fact that he had mastered one of the Pacifer Arts his mother had taught him. Still, no one could replicate what he could do regardless of who they were, which was why he was special.
"Woah... This is?"
"What in the hell? I am astonished!"
"Woohoo! My friend is so powerful now, I might worship him from now on!"
"Stop it, Cray. That''s not funny! I bet Lord Basil doesn''t want you to do that."
"Ugh, this weirdo."
"What?! Why do you always call me a weirdo when I follow along your joke?!"
Ignoring the conversation between Monica and Cray that was honestly ruining the mood, the people who were lucky enough to be within the area that was covered by Basil''s Sword Domain looked around in astonishment.
Thousands of ded weapons were floating above the ground that was covered with golden grass. There were also hundreds of gigantic swords the size of a seven storey building flying in the golden sky.
The aura the Domain was exuding was calming and crushing. It gave them sce and terror at the same time.
"My connection with Charybdis has been severed¡ªis it your aim since the beginning?" Jerion chuckled sardonically.
"Let us have yourst fight."
"What is with that tone? You seem sympathetic and condescending at the same time."
With a small smirk, Basil answered, "I respect those who have stayed in the game for a long time, but I can''t helpughing at those who decided to stand in my way."
"This Pacifer bastard!"
Indignant, Jerion rushed at Basil. He conjured thousands of water spears, and sent them at Basil.
Ignoring the water spears, Basil focused on his fight with Jerion instead. None of the water spears could injure him since all of them were blocked by his Barrier.
Whizz!
Trading blows with Jerion, of course, wasn''t the only thing he did. He also utilized the thousands of ded weapons he had in his Domain to kill the Demons in his Domain.
"Kyaaak!"
None of them could run away from the weapons. All of them were butchered mercilessly in a sh.
The sky shook not long after; it was as if it was going to fall in any moment. When they looked up, the hundreds of gigantic swords, covered in golden lightning, were descending from the golden sky.
Buzz!
"Basil Pacifer! My death won''t get your life any easier!" Jerion shouted as he covered himself with a thick Barrier made from Miasma.
Sneering, Basil replied, "That''s just how insignificant you are!" Crossing his swords, he received the golden lightning that the gigantic swords carried with them.
Zap!
Hum!
A dense sma ball materialized itself above Basil''s head. At the same time, an eerily calming sound of a ring sword was reverberated through the air.
CRACK!
When the golden lightning bolts started striking the Demons, none of them could contain their fear any longer. The scene reminded them of the time when they were being punished by the Gods in the Heavenly Throne.
When the gigantic swords finally reached the ground, a scream full of absolute anguish came out of the mouth of the Demons, creating a haunting music for those who weren''t inside Basil''s Domain.
Chapter 351 Spitting Out A Tasteless Sugar Cane
"This is... A miracle. We are witnessing the birth of a legend," Lawson muttered to himself. He was absolutely astonished by the scene in front of him.
The other people that were close enough to hear him could only nod their head in agreement. Never had they expected to hear Demons letting out a meaningful scream, which conveyed their desire to be pardoned from their agony.
On the other side, Anthony couldn''t help grinning widely in excitement. His Kingdom had received a genius that far outstripped Charles Blois the Evil Genius, so it would be rather stupid of him to not be d about it.
His thought was already racing, thinking about every way to coerce Basil to remain in his Kingdom; he wasn''t willing to let someone with such a talent go. He knew his brothers would try their best to do the same too.
If Basil''s power could already astonish many people to the point of temporarily stopping the battle, he could only imagine how strong Basil would be when he possessed more Magic Circles and a more matured Core.
"Maybe, he could be another Ninth Circle Mage born into our Kingdom," Anthony muttered. "The problem is his willingness to stay under someone else''smand ... He doesn''t look like the type of person who can bemanded."
Chuckling faintly as he shook his head, he shouted, "Don''t let your excitement control you! y your enemies!" He awakened everyone from their entranced state.
"Charge!"
As the human soldiers began attacking once again, the other Demons were also awakened from their fear-stricken state. Turning their attention away from the scene unfolding in Basil''s Sword Domain, they resumed their sh with the humans.
The battlefield became rowdy once again. Other than the sound of steel shing against each other, it was also filled with the Demon''s scream that was full of anguish.
The phenomenon in Basil''s Sword Domain hadn''t ended yet even though more than 10 seconds had passed, so every human was looking warily at Goap. They were anticipating his next action, ready to intercept him if he chose toe at Basil.
"Thatd... He is the confounding variable in our n¡ªthe dark horse that we didn''t consider," Goap muttered. "Of all time... He decided to be born when we are preparing for our resurrection? Howical!"
"They are watching you¡ªdon''t act carelessly. Remember what your n is," Scy reminded.
"I know, my friend. I know." Clicking his tongue in annoyance, he said, "This is why I am just going to watch. We already have people, or rather, someone to dispose him."
Wooong!
When the bone chilling scream of the Demons inside Basil''s Sword Domain disappeared, the golden light was also gradually dimming. The air hummed as if it was dering the sessful extermination of the Demons.
When the golden lightpletely died down, the scene inside the Sword Domain was finally revealed. Humans and Demons alike stole a couple of nces at the scene, and they had the same thought about it: beautifully terrifying.
Thousands of ded weapons were stabbed on the ground, apanying the golden grass to decorate the ground. The hundreds of gigantic swords were still floating above the ground, surrounding Basil and Jerion.
Zap. Zap.
Golden lightning still covered them. They looked ready to strike at anytime. Jerion''s upper body was separated from his lower half; it was lifted above the ground by Caliburn that was skewering him.
One might think Basil had won unscathed; but, unfortunately, he didn''t win unscathed. Although it was by no means fatal to him, Jerion''s spear had managed to pierce through his abdomen.
"Hmph! You are lucky that my Miasma disappeared the moment my spear pierced you," Jerion scoffed. "You would have also died if my Mana Vein hadn''t been crippled too."
"Does that make you happy? Thinking of the what ifs?"
At Basil''s response, Jerionughed sardonically. "Yes, that''s just how pathetic I am. You know, I think I have changed my mind. With your personality, I bet you can fight against those¡ª"
sh!
Even before Jerion managed to finish his sentence, Basil had already split him in two with Durendal, and threw him to the ground. Basil knew Jerion was just trying to stall for time until his preparation to blow himself up was done.
"Do you think you can call me with just that? Hahaha!" Surprisingly, Jerion was still alive even in his state. His body was even trying to reattach themselves. "Listen, you puny human! We, real High ss Demons, can not¡ª"
"Yes, you can."
As soon as Basil interrupted Jerion, the golden lightning covering the gigantic swords surrounding them struck him from all sides.
CRACK!
An eardrum rupturing sound was reverberated throughout the Sword Domain and the battlefield. No one had noticed the brief Mana fluctuation, so all of them were caught off guard by it.
None of them paid attention to Basil however; they knew he had just finished Jerion, who had been an obstacle they couldn''t ovee for the past few hours. They were still excited, of course, since that means they were one step closer to victory.
Whoosh!
Looking at the scorched mark on the ground in front of him, Basil closed his eyes and sighed lightly. He had reduced Jerion to ashes, allowing the wind blow to carry it away from him.
He had exhausted both his Mana and Qi. He needed to rest badly, but he still didn''t want to look weak, otherwise he would attract the desire of his enemies to attack him.
''I need you. Come here,'' he contacted Deacon through their [Link].
[On my way, Master!]
Summoning the swords he had scattered throughout the battlefield to stretch his Sword Domain with [Master of Weapons], his Sword Domain gradually disappeared like a screen of illusion washed away by reality.
When the fifty or so swords returned to him, he immediately stored them inside one of of Solomon''s Spatial Rings. He deactivated [Synchronization], making his True Light Magic Armour and the blue veins on his body disappear.
Storing Durendal and Caliburn inside the other Solomon''s Spatial Ring, he put his hand on the shaft of Jerion''s spear. He then pondered about what he should do to the spear.
Pulling the spear out of his abdomen was not hard¡ªhe was used to pain¡ªbut he wondered if the [Instant Stow] Rune Carved on Solomon''s Spatial Ring could instantly store it even without him taking it out.
"I am curious if it can do¡ªoh, it can."
Immediately channeling the remaining Qi he had in his Core to his abdomen, he stopped the blood froming out of it. Turning his body to Deacon who was running at him excitedly, he smiled faintly.
"Master! That was a good fight!" Deacon wiggled his tail when he arrived in front of Basil. His eyes lit up in admiration as he looked at his Master. "Who are we going to... Are you alright, Master?"
,m His excitement, however, dimmed the moment he noticed the hole in Basil''s abdomen. He rarely saw his Master having that severe of an injury¡ªin his opinion¡ªso he couldn''t help worrying.
Ignoring Deacon''s worry, Basil waved his hand nonchntly, and jumped on Deacon''s back. He immediately told Deacon to head to the rear, and said Beast Companion immediately nodded his head without hesitation.
Deacon rushed through the battlefield like a wind, sting every Demon who was standing on his way. The direction he was heading attracted a lot of people''s attention, so they couldn''t help wondering what had happened.
"He is hurt, I will tend to him." Ione even immediately rushed towards Deacon.
"Darn it, that brat! He really doesn''t know when to conserve energy, does he?" Clicking her tongue in annoyance and worry; Iliana, too, dashed towards Deacon.
The retreat of the two women who had been followed by the people who preferred to fight outside the rank encouraged the people to also retreat. They returned to the rank because they weren''t sure if they could still keep their spirit without the two.
The students of Rehearsal ss, all of them without exception, were also rushing towards Deacon. While the others worried if something was wrong with Basil; Cray, who knew Basil well, was sure that something wrong had happened.
Noticing the organised retreat of the people, Anthony, who had been too focused on his fight to mind his surrounding, frowned lightly. It didn''t take him long to realize that Basil was the centre of it.
Followed by Carlyle, Anthony rushed towards Basil, and blocked Deacon''s path. Deacon really wanted to p him out of the way, but Basil forbade him strongly.
"Is something the matter?" Anthony asked.
"I need to recuperate."
Basil''s answer was audacious if it was uttered by just anyone, but because it was him, Anthony could ept it easily. Nodding his head, Anthony was about to let Basil through when he noticed the hole in Basil''s abdomen.
"Thisd... How do you even stay conscious with that injury?!" Anthony eximed in bafflement.
Basil merely shrugged it off, which made Anthony look at him weirdly. Even Carlyle, who had been dealing with all kinds of injury throughout his years as a part of the Royal Army couldn''t help blinking his eyes in bewilderment.
Anthony turned to the crowd, used his Mana to amplify his voice, and shouted, "Tactical retreat!"
"What?!"
"What the...? Now?"
Anthony''s decision to take back the army honestly baffled Carlyle, and the people who had just arrived at Basil''s side. All of them were, after all, sure that he would keep pushing them to fight, given how well it had been going.
No matter how surprised they were by his decision, of course, the soldiers were d hearing the order. The battle had not only exhausted them physically, but also mentally, so a rest was something they needed, no matter how short it was.
"Alright, you and your escort," Anthony looked at Iliana and the others, "can head to the camp first. Carlyle here will lead you to the tent we have prepared for you."
"We have it?" Carlyle asked in surprise.
"No, but dead people don''t have possessions," answered Anthony simply. Turning to Basil, he said, "I hope you don''t mind staying in a tent that previously belonged to our dead Legion Commander."
Basil was slightly bewildered by Anthony''s rather caring gesture, but knew there was an underlying meaning to it. He merely nodded his head without saying anything, then instructed Deacon to move after Ione and Iliana joined him.
Chapter 352 Spitting Out A Tasteless Sugar Cane (2)
"Let me tend to your wound," Iliana said as she put her hand on top of Basil''s abdomen. "It is already bleeding, so I can tell you don''t have enough Qi to hold the blood off."
What Iliana said was correct, but Basil still decided to stop her. "Let''s wait until we arrive at the tent. The camp is closeby¡ªI am sure a couple of minutes poses no threat to my life." He didn''t want to attract attention to his wound.
Pitter-patter.
Most of the people had lost their horses. Some had even lost their Summon and their Beast Companion, so most of them were running to the camp or riding their Transportation Artefact.
Although Deacon was ahead of them, they could still see Basil clearly due to their Mastery level over Magic and Body Forging Technique. Basil didn''t know which of them was the Church''s spy, as such, he couldn''t show his weak side.
He still intended to stay in the rear when the second wave battle started, but he already had an alibi that wouldn''t make him look weak, while in truth he just couldn''t exhaust his Energy any longer.
Pretending to be strong was something he had stopped doing ever since he became a Violet Core Knight in his past life. It was honestly embarrassing for him to act like that again, but he would do anything to prolong his life.
"The camp is right in front of us, Head Commander," Carlyle, who was running beside Deacon notified. "It is not as big as you might think, but I can guarantee you it isfortable." He chuckled.
"I don''t mind," Basil said. "Also, just call me by my name. My status as the Head Commander only has an influence to the 18 Legions who appointed me."
"That status certainly means something, Head Commander," Carlyle replied. "It shows how much my fellow Commanders trust you, and I have to respect that."
Shrugging lightly, Basil decided to drop the matter. He didn''t care what the people called him anymore; the more he told them not to, the smarter their excuse was just so they could still call him the same way.
Upon reaching the camp, Basil, Iliana, and Ione immediately got down from Deacon. Said King Saberwolf shrunk himself, then jumped on Basil''s shoulder.
In the next moment, Glenn and his fellow Commanders who had fought in Woster County alongside Basil immediately surrounded him.
In the next moment, people crowded around him out of curiosity. Knowing that Basil didn''t like to be surrounded by people, the Legion Commanders took on the role to keep them away from him.
Basil clicked his tongue at the scene; he didn''t understand why they had to be excited just by looking at him. Concealing his wound with his robe, he ignored them, and entered his tent.
"You may rest until Your Majesty summons you, Head Commander. Please, do not think of anything unnecessary," Carlyle smiled at Ione and Iliana, "and focus solely on your rest." Bowing lightly, he exited the tent after saying his farewell.
"What was his deal?" Iliana frowned lightly. "Who in their right mind would have fun in this kind of situation?"
"Those who know they won''t survive," came Ione''s instantaneous answer. "Certainly, not us."
Thud!
"Huuh..."
"Basil! Are you alright?"
"Oh, My Lord. This is the reason why you should never push yourself for the descendants of the betrayers!"
When they heard Basil plopped into the bed, the two women became a chicken on fire. They were as panicked as if the world wasing to an end.
They immediately ran towards his side and checked his body from the outside and the inside. They soon figured how low the amount of Mana in his body; it astonished them how he could still stay conscious in that state.
"Do you still have those Catalysts you made¡ªMorning Dew?" Iliana asked. "Give it to me. I''ll feed it to you and help you digest it."
"I will cleanse the wound with Mana, so it can heal faster," Ione stated.
Looking at how much care the two showed him, Basil couldn''t help feeling conflicted. On one hand, he was d that he already had people who would put such a great care in him, but he was also annoyed on the other hand.
"I am not a baby. I know when it hurts, and when it does not." Basil put his hand up, calming down the two. "Let me take my shirt off first, so you two can tend to me easily."
Putting their hands away from him, the two women took a step back as he stood up. He wobbled slightly, causing them to panic again, but he managed to stop them even before they ran toward him.
Stabilizing himself, he took off his robe, his suit coat, his vest, and his shirt. None of them had a hole in them because they had a special Rune carved on them, which allowed them to repair themselves with Mana.
Drip. Drip.
His blood immediately dropped to the ground once he stopped channeling his meagre Qi to the wound. He sat himself on the bed, then leaned his body to the headrest as fatigue finally took over him.
Taking out three Morning Dew pills, he gulped them at once, surprising the two women as they thought he would do the same thing he had done back at the copsed Dungeon in BA-32.
Nothing worthy of note happened other than his breath got steady however, so the two immediately sighed in relief. Chaos would ensue if Basil had suddenly gathered an absurd amount of Mana to recuperate.
"Let''s help him," Ione said to Iliana as she approached the bed.
Iliana merely nodded her head and did the same. They got on the bed¡ªIliana positioned herself in front of Basil, whereas Ione behind Basil¡ªand started doing their task.
Iliana helped Basil digest the Morning Dew pills by injecting her Mana into his body, meanwhile Ione helped the healing process of his wound faster by covering the damaged tissues with her Mana.
They were so focused on their task, they didn''t even realize how suggestive their position would be from others'' perspective. In fact, they didn''t even realize Cray had peeked into the tent, until he gasped in shock.
"Holy mother of Earth!" Iliana and Ione''s eyes immediately turned to him, causing him to tremble in terror. "I¡ªI see n-nothing!"
Blinking their eyes at the entrance of the tent, which was where Cray had been, the two women wondered what had made him so appalled, he chose to run away.
They had indeed been irked when they were interrupted, but they were sure they didn''t have any intention to kill him. They eventually shrugged the matter off, and resumed tending to Basil.
That day, Cray became quiet for a whole hour, which bewildered his friends, who knew he couldn''t hold his mouth for more than ten minutes. They knew something must have happened, so they didn''t bother to ask.
...
Time flies so fast, by the time the hole in Basil''s abdomen disappeared, two hours had passed. All of his internal and physical injuries had been healed, but his Qi, which was currently his strongest Energy, hadn''t recovered yet.
In other words, if he immediately went to the battlefield, he wouldn''t be able function as a Knight. His Mana hadn''tpletely recovered either, so he, too, couldn''t function as a formidable Mage like he normally was.
"Thank you for your help," he said to the two women.
"Well, I think I should be the one to thank you since you have shown me such a magnificent scene," Iliana stated as she swept the sweat off her forehead. "Never did I dream to be able to see a human whose recovery speed is as absurd as yours."
"I am more than thankful enough to be able to help My Lord... And touch his body," Ione stated sincerely before muttering thest part.
Iliana immediately gave Ione an unamused gaze, but before she could speak, Basil said, "Just say you''re wee."
"You''re wee!" They said in unison.
Shaking his head faintly in amusement, Basil handed them two Morning Dew pills each. He knew their Mana wasn''t exhausted, but they needed the pills to alleviate their fatigue; helping him wasn''t an easy task anyone could do.
The two women immediately gulped one of their pills down, and closed their eyes to concentrate on digesting it. Basil gulped another one, and also closed his eyes, following the two women sitting cross-legged on his sides.
A couple of minutes passed silently, until they sensed a presence approaching the tent. They were familiar with the presence, so they immediately opened their eyes.
"Head Commander, may I enter your tent?" came the pleasant voice of a male. "I am here to tell you about the King''s order."
"If you don''t mind looking at my naked upper body, you can enter now, Commander Carlyle," Basil replied.
Giving no verbal response, Carlyle immediately barged in. Expecting to see some naughty scene, he was disappointed when he found Basil standing topless in front of the bed, meanwhile Ione and Iliana were sitting cross-legged on the bed, properly dressed.
No matter how he looked at it, the three of them had been focusing on recuperating for the past two hours. He was d as much as he envied the fact, since that means they were really outstanding youths.
"Do you mind if I listen to you while putting on my clothes?" Basil said, already starting putting on his shirt.
Smiling in amusement, Carlyle said, "I don''t mind, Head Commander." He looked at Basil''s abdomen, and noted the disappearance of the hole. "What an absurd regeneration speed," he remarked softly."
"What is it that the King wanted to tell me?"
"There will be a strategy meeting in half an hour, Head Commander. Your Majesty wants to hear your input on the best position our reinforcement should be put in."
"Reinforcement? Do you mean the troop that I lead?" Basil frowned lightly. "I am pretty sure I have put them in the right position."
"No, Head Commander. I am talking about the Priests and Pdins under the lead of Head Priest Eban that have just arrived."
At the revtion, Basil''s frown got more apparent. He was absolute the Church wouldn''t involve themselves in any battle uring in an Outbreak until the Seventh Outbreak.
In his past life, they had even only moved because their believers started boycotting them, meanwhile the Kingdom had always put them in a situation where they had to defend themselves.
Something that didn''t happen in his past life happened again, and he didn''t know where it would lead to.
Chapter 353 Spitting Out A Tasteless Sugar Cane (3)
The walk to the tent where they would have the meeting in was deafeningly silent. Many people were ncing at and talking about Basil from the side, but he didn''t register them at all.
It was also the same case for Iliana and Ione. Meeting the King of Braxtein Kingdom could not shake them, but knowing that they would meet a high ranking official of the Church made them nervous.
All of them came from the same n, which was the biggest enemy of the Church, the Pacifer. Worrying the other party would be able to identify them was something unavoidable.
Different than the two women however, Basil worried about what the Church was nning to do instead. He had done quite a lot to the timeline, so he didn''t want to dismiss this noteworthy event as a mere coincidence.
While his identity as a male Pacifer was obscure due to the Church''s scepticism, he was sure the Church wouldn''t make a move on them even though the Church had known of their true identity given their current position.
Basil, Iliana, and Ione were currently under the protection of the Kingdom due to their notable role in the battle. Spouting nonsense about them being heretics would be the same as the Church inciting a conflict with the Kingdom.
They might be stupid, but they were not stupid enough to bring harm upon their position in the Kingdom. Because of these reasons, Basil believed the Church''s involvement in the Outbreak this early would indicate something bigger.
"I want you two to stay calm." Stopping in his tracks, Basil turned to the two women behind him. "Your emotion is in a mess. I am actually disappointed that I can notice how much it sways the closer we get to our destination."
Hearing those words, the two women could only smile bitterly. Brave as they might be, getting their identity as a Pacifer exposed underwhelmed them since it would absolutely result in an experience that was worse than death.
Getting killed was not something they were afraid of, but they knew the Church wouldn''t just kill them. Their body wouldn''t be the only thing that would be tortured if the Church got their hands on them; their soul would be too.
"Hm?"
"Basil?"
Just as they were about to be drown in their dark and depressive thought, they felt a warm hand on their head. They immediately looked up at Basil¡ªthey were significantly shorter than him¡ªand blinked their eyes in surprise.
They had initially thought Basil was going to Bless them, which was absurd considering where they were, but they were relieved and also surprised that he just wanted to ruffle their hair.
They wanted to be annoyed, but they were too distracted by the soothing feeling they got from the gesture. Their heart stopped pounding loudly, and regained its usual rhythm afterwards.
"None will be able to touch the two of you as long as I am alive. I will outlive both of you, so you can rest assured," Basil said with a small smirk.
The two women sighed softly and nodded their head with a small smile. They couldn''t believe two sentences could calm their racing heart easily.
Taking his hands off Ione and Iliana''s head, Basil resumed his walk to the meeting tent. He could no longer sense a turmoil in their Mana Flow, so he smiled in satisfaction.
They arrived at the tent in less than half a minute. The guard immediately opened the tent for them and let them in.
They seemed to be thest people to arrive since all of the seats had been filled except for one, which belonged to Basil. Everyone''s eyesnded on him, giving him all kinds of feelings.
Most of the emotion the eyes conveyed was respect and admiration. The others were glee and, of course, suspicion.
It was easy to deduce which party giving him the eyes since Eban and hispany were the only people who didn''t smile in the room. None seemed to notice¡ªthey might have, but didn''t care regardless.
"Wee, Head Commander Basil," Anthony greeted. "I honestly thought you were too engrossed in your recuperation to care about the meeting."
Putting his hand on his chest, Basil bowed politely. "I am sorry for myteness, Your Majesty. Time always moves faster whenever I close my eyes and sit cross-legged."
"You sound very simr to a good Daoist friend of mine, Head Commander," remarked a burly man in a high cored brown shirt.
"Should I take that as a praise, Guildmaster Zander?"
"Well, your diligence towards your training is asmendable as his, so yes, you can say so." Zander smirked. He was d that Basil was as straightforward as he thought.
Bowing his head lightly to Zander, Basil turned to Anthony. He immediately received the gesture to sit, then together with hispanion, he headed to his seat.
Upon sitting down, he was immediately greeted with a smile by Jacinda who was sitting across him. He nodded his head lightly and made himselffortable in his seat, all the while ignoring Eban, who was sitting in the chair on his left.
"Now that everyone is already here, I shall announce the start of the meeting," Anthony stated. "As you have heard from Carlyle," he gestured to his left, "we are here to discuss about formation we should use for the next fight."
ncing at Eban, he was greeted by Eban''s benevolent smile. "Before that however, Head Priest Eban, representing the will of the Great Pontiff, is here to tell us something. It will be quite a shock, but I need you to remain calm."
Immediately standing up from his chair, Eban looked around the room solemnly. Under everyone''s curious gaze, in the next moment, he opened his mouth.
"What if I told you what you had read as a kid¡ªthose folklores and a bunch of nonsensical things written there are true? What if I tell you some things that are written in our scripture are historically urate?"
A faint sigh came out of the mouth of the people in the tent. Most of them were Mages, the nonbelievers who often confronted the followers of the Church about their silly idealism.
Eban took it calmly. Although he was honestly irked that there were people who dared to openly show their disagreement with the Church''s teaching, he didn''t want to make a scene and risked being hated by everyone.
"Yes, I have expected those reactions." Eban smiled. "As you have known, the Church had already existed even before the disbandment of Camelot. We have recorded about many things that we only share to the Human Emperor."
At this point, Basil could already tell what the Church was going to do from then on. His eyes immediately darkened, and he couldn''t help clicking his tongue inwardly.
He didn''t know what triggered the decision of the Church, but he was sure it wasn''t him. Regardless of that, the situation would get more unfavourable for him from then on.
"We have kept these secrets for thousands of years, thinking that we would never have to shed some light on it. This Outbreak¡ªthis heartbreaking event, however, changed everything ... We feelpelled to tell you about everything."
Taking a deep breath as if he was going to say something heart breaking, Eban said, "First, Let me tell you about what we are up against to... Demons. These creatures escaped from the hell and had been trying to rule our world for thousands of years."
As Basil expected, Eban really revealed the information that they themselves had erased from the record. Many of the people discarded it at first, but they became more convinced the more they heard him speak.
He told them about the hierarchy of Demons¡ªLow ss, Middle ss, and High ss¡ªand how Obelisks actually worked. He told them the identity of Goap, and also the other Obelisk Masters residing in their Obelisk.
Everyone listened to him calmly with a solemn expression. Now that they already knew some of the things written in the Church''s Scripture was true, they couldn''t help musing if the Four Great Gods were also real.
After all, they could already believe that Hell was real, so it would be quite weird to think that Heaven and Gods didn''t exist. They still didn''t want to change their belief however; they were rather conflicted about it.
"Our Miracle is lethal to the Demons. Now that we can no longer hold the Obelisk off, we have decided to finally join the battle and make a great use of our Miracle."
Publicity was the aim of the Church; so, of course, they would make a bold im to boost their reputation. Just like now, Eban imed that the reason an Outbreak hadn''t ured for the past two thousand years was because of them holding the Obelisks off.
It was utter twaddle, but they did have control over when an Outbreak should ur since they kept a close tie with the Obelisk Masters. Nobody knew about this fact other than Basil however; so, from the surface, Eban''s twaddle made sense.
"This should be thest time we experience an Outbreak; it is better to conquer Obelisks from now on. We will help as much as we can in conquering the Obelisks, and we should be able to eradicate every Demon in the world in no time."
Concluding his speech with a light bow, Eban sat down. The room was silent as they digested the information they had heard; the possibility of facing the fearsome creatures that they had read about in folklores in the future was quite unnerving.
All of them were still in disbelief¡ªeven Anthony who had heard it before everyone. Basil and hispanion were the only people who could stay calm.
They thought nothing of Eban''s sphemous twaddle since they had already known of the things Eban had said, and could draw the line between the truth and the lie.
"This is not a persuasion for you to join the Church¡ªdon''t worry," Anthony remarked lighteartedly, awakening the people from their thought. "They just know more than us, so you don''t have to reluctantly start believing in their belief."
Everyone smiled faintly then nodded their head lightly. It was still apparent that the weariness hadn''t left them yet, but the meeting was still carried on.
Basil, Iliana, and Ione could sense Eban''s growing hostility towards them throughout the meeting. It eventually irked Basil, so for the first time since the meeting started, he turned his eyes to Eban.
Suddenly, the entire tent became silent.
Chapter 354 Spitting Out A Tasteless Sugar Cane (4)
"Due to those reasons I mentioned, I think it is better to concentrate the Army on Goap and his aplice..."
Cameron, who had been exining why solely focusing their attention on Goap and Scy would ensure their victory, stopped speaking when he realized his father and pretty much everyone didn''t pay any attention to him.
Confused, he looked around to figure out what was happening. He had been too focused on convincing his father¡ªhe didn''t pay keen attention to the people in his surrounding, so he was surprised when he found out what was happening.
Basil was looking at Eban closely, in a sense that he was intimidatingly close. His face was just a pinch away from Eban''s, and it showed anything but friendliness.
Now, everyone had noticed Eban''s displeasure towards Basil''s presence since the beginning. They understood how old-fashioned everyone from the Church was, so they had ignored it, thinking nothing would happen.
What they didn''t expect, however, was Basil deciding to confront Eban for that. They had heard how overbearing he was in general, but never in their wildest dreams had they thought he would do something courageously insolent.
Eban was, after all, not just any grumpy middle-aged man. He was the highest ranking official of the Church, who managed every existing Churches in Braxtein Kingdom.
Needless to say, everyone was as expectant as much they were anxious where this was going.
"May I know what you are doing, young man?" Eban asked calmly.
"Admiring a holy person," Basil answered instantaneously.
"Ha-ha-ha. I am by no means a holy person, young man. I am just a man, who surrenders everything to our Gods."
Smirking faintly but condescendingly, Basil replied, "No wonder you reek of hypocrisy."
The tense atmosphere became even tenser. A couple of Legion Commanders had already prepared themselves to intervene when a conflict broke.
On Eban''s side, the two Pdins apanying him were already Putting their hands on their sword, whereas on Basil''s side, Iliana and Ione were ready to obliterate the two even before anyone in the tent could blink.
No one really knew what the exact cause of the hostile rtionship between them, but they were absolute if the two kept being stubborn, a chaos would ensue.
"I think¡ª"
"If following the words of the Gods makes me a hypocrite, then so be it."
Just as the attempt to diffuse the situation was made, Eban, much to their surprise, backed down. He turned away from Basil, and told the Pdins to stand by.
Basil huffed lightly at that, then turned to face the others. He told hispany to stay calm, and inteced his fingers as if nothing happened.
The others were mildly ncing at each other, asking if the crisis had been evaded with their eyes. They were eventually convinced to just resume the meeting, but the atmosphere wasn''t the same anymore afterwards; regardless, the meeting was smooth sailing.
"I am rather curious about Head Commander Basil''s view what kind of strategy you deem suitable for the battle. As someone who has sessfully led two major battles, I am sure you have a thing or two to share with us," Anthony said.
They had all heard of Basil''s brilliance in creating a strategy. They didn''t mean to not believe it, but they still wanted to see his brilliance directly.
"I didn''t think my view held as much value as the view of the people in this tent who have spent decades of their life in the battlefield, which was I kept quiet. Your Majesty suggests the opposite however, so I will dly share my view."
The people nodded their head in appreciation at the respect Basil showed towards them. They had half expected him to brag about his brilliant strategy when he was asked, so they were relieved that it wasn''t the case.
Overbearing as he might be in general, it turned out, Basil knew how to give respect where it was due.
"I am very grateful almost everyone in this room thinks highly of me." The people got why Basil said almost, so they couldn''t help but slightly cringe.
"I, however, don''t think I can give you any help with fighting Goap and Scy, so in the strategy I propose, I am going to be the coward."
"Who is Scy? Goap''s aplice?" Anthony asked, representing the others, who were also curious.
"Scy is the core of Charybdis¡ªthe embodiment of her consciousness. This is all written in the folklores, and yes, she is Goap''s aplice."
They nodded their head, and didn''t question him any further. They had, after all, already believed of the Demon''s existence, so doubting him for talking about Charybdis and Scy would just make them look stupid.
"Back to my strategy, by being the coward, I am referring to my role as the Overseer. I will lead my Legion from the back, while protecting them with my means."
"Is it another way to say you don''t want to be involved in the battle anymore, young man?" Eban asked, faintly sneering at Basil. "You can just pretend you are injured, and no one will ask you to participate in the battlefield."
"Funny," Basil snorted mockingly. "I didn''t expect to hear that from someone who only knows how to wriggle his way to the top by dirty means. Well, I guess a true coward will never know that he is a coward."
Ignoring the disbelieving look everyone gave him, Basil continued, "As you have already known, I can butcher my enemy even without lifting a finger. This is the means that I am talking about¡ªmy Aura Ability that I can guarantee no one has but me."
That was a really bold im from Basil. Eban, who was visibly irritated by Basil''s earlierment that had hit too close to home, was expecting the others to rebuke him.
Much to his indignation however, no one did. All of them nodded their head and epted Basil''s statement easily, because that was just how Aura Ability worked: when it was unique, no one would have it other than that person.
"The strategy I propose will split the army into two groups¡ªa big one and a small one. The big one is called the Eradicator. It is consisted of us, who will focus on killing the small fry."
Pointing to the miniature of the battlefield that was projected in the middle of the table, Basil showed the people how the formation would look like. Everyone was as intrigued as they were surprised of how unconventional it was.
"The small group is called Executioner. It is consisted of the people who are powerful enough to take on Goap and Scy: Violet Core Knights and Seventh Circle Mages." He pointed to the center of the formation. "They will stay here, until they arrive in front of Goap."
In a world where individual''s prowess held more value than the power a thousand people could exert, fighting themander of an army separately was the wisest decision.
Throughout his time as a Legion Commander, Basil had observed that most of his soldiers had died due to his fight with the enemy''smander. This means, in every battle, the damage they had received was mostly coteral.
Learning from this fact, he had always fought the enemy''smander separately from his Legion to reduce death toll¡ªit worked. This eventually became a habit, and the reason why his Legion had suffered minimal damage.
Of course, hismendable prowess had always yed a huge role to the sess of his strategy.
"So, what you are saying is, until Executioner fights Goap and Scy, they will act as a carrier. When the battle begins, they will immediately retreat and leave Executioner to their own devices..." Anthony hummed to himself with a light frown.
"This is a brilliant strategy... But, this is under the pretext of our capability to take on Goap. The fate of the army relies on us, Executioner, so we have to win in order for this strategy to seed."
As the people developed a pondering look, Basil said, "Why do all you suddenly look doubtful of your own capability? This strategy will sess¡ªI guarantee you."
Smiling, he turned to Eban. "You will be apanied by our outstanding Pdins who are led by the well-known Head Priest Eban. They are the admirable individuals who have been holding off Obelisks for us! There is no reason for you to be afraid of failing."
Realization suddenly dawned upon the people. With the participation of the Pdins, fighting Goap will be easier since Demons were prone to Miracle, which was the type of Energy that Pdins and Priests used.
Contrary to his excitedpany, of course, Eban wasn''t amused. Facing Goap in a battlefield would make the situation awkward for them since the two had made some underhanded deals prior to the Outbreak.
Regardless, he could do nothing but hoped that Anthony wouldn''t approve of the strategy. He was, however, very confident Anthony would dismiss Basil considering how young he was; at least, until it was proven to be not the case.
"Let us go with this strategy," Anthony stated surely.
Raising his hand, Basil said, "I feel the need to ask, Your Majesty, if the failure of the strategy will be on me. As much as I believe in my strategy, I can''t guarantee if the wind wouldn''t suddenly change by the end of the day."
"Don''t worry, as the person who approved of the strategy, I will bepletely responsible for any unexpected things happen in the process of the execution," Anthony said reassuringly.
Basil nodded his head simply and stopped speaking. Eban was extremely disgruntled, but no one could tell other than him and hispany.
Rumble!
Crash!
Just as Anthony was about to dismiss the meeting, the ground shook at the same time they heard the sound of a huge amount of watering their way. They immediately concluded that Charybdis had just caused a tsunami, and got out of the tent frantically.
Uponing out, they could already see Mages erecting Mana Barrier to block the powerful stream of water, which they weren''t sure would be enough. They still joined nheless, and erected the strongest Magic Barrier they had in their repertoire.
Basil, who knew that the stream would negate their Barrier easily, merely shook his head at the people''s futile attempt. They would only end up getting swept by the water that way, and none of them would know why.
Escaping might be the wisest choice he could make, but he wouldn''t do that because the situation wasn''t hopeless. There was a simple way to salvage the situation, and it didn''t require much Mana.
Chapter 355 Spitting Out A Tasteless Sugar Cane (End)
Jacinda was about to erect a Barrier when someone suddenly grabbed her hand. She immediately turned around, and found Basil, who was grasping her hand; Iliana, and Ione.
"W-What?"
"Follow me."
She was curious why he needed her, but considering howmanding he sounded, it must be something important. She didn''t ask any further when he didn''t answer her question, and immediately followed him.
When he brought her away from the crowd who were erecting a Barrier, Jacinda immediately frowned. It seemed to her Basil was nning to run away with her as an attempt to save her, and she wasn''t amused in the slightest.
Just as she was about to stop him however, Basil abruptly stopped in his tracks, and turned around, surprising her in the process. Immediately kneeling on the ground, he materialized his Magic Circles and touched it.
"Help me cast [Grand Land Splitter]. Quick!" Basil eximed.
The three women who had followed him immediately surrounded him and cast [Grand Land Splitter] due to how urgent he sounded. Four Temporary Magic Circles intertwined with each other in the next moment, indicating thepletion of the Spell.
The amount of Mana the four people were using wasn''t miniscule; nheless, no one could notice they were doing something since the amount of Mana the crowd were exuding far outstripped theirs.
"What is the purpose of doing¡ª"
"On my count. 1, 2, 3¡ªsplit!"
Basil cut Jacinda mid-sentence by ordering them to execute the Spell at the same time. She was slightly irked, but still decided to do what was instructed.
Rumble!
The ground shook as thend behind the Barrier was suddenly split apart. In a split second, thend had turned into a wide abyss, which no one could tell how deep it was.
The Mages who were still erecting the Barrier were bewildered by what happened. They knew what Spell could produce such an effect, but they didn''t know what was the point of doing that.
In their mind, erecting a Barrier was a better option than splitting thend apart and hoping for it to stop the water''s advance. Of course, it would immediately change when they saw what the water could do to their Barrier.
Crash!
The water entered the beginning of the split ground, but due to its volume, it could still advance unhindered. The water hit the end of the split ground a few seconds after, and sshed into the Barrier the people had erected.
Shatter!
"W-What?! The Barrier! It is destroying the Barrier!"
"Run away!"
"This is utter bollocks!"
A mere ssh of the water was enough to make them realize how futile their attempt to erect a Barrier was. They Immediately distanced themselves from the Barrier, and quickly split the ground apart like what Basil, Iliana, Ione, and Jacinda did.
Ssh!
They couldn''t stop the tsunami in the end, but they survived it regardless. They werepletely soaked in water, but there was no one injured, so they could easily call it a win.
Turning to the first four people who had cast [Grand Land Splitter], they looked at Jacinda, asking if she had been the one who had proposed the idea with their eyes. She shook her head immediately, so they turned their head to Basil.
Ignoring the people''s gaze that was full of amazement, Basil stood up and dried himself with Wind Magic. He dematerialized his Magic Circles afterwards, and walked away under everyone''s gaze.
His nonchnce was as astonishing as it was amusing. They didn''t hate that part of him, because they knew how different themon sense that geniuses like him had.
"Head Commander Basil, where are you going?" Anthony shouted.
Stopping in his tracks, Basil faced Anthony. "Preparing myself to go the battlefield, Your Majesty."
"Why?"
"The enemy hasunched an attack at us, and I am sure it is the beginning of their onught. Wasting our time camping is the same as begging to be killed."
Silence filled the space between them for a quite some time. Basil still looked at Anthony neutrally, whereas Anthony looked at him with a light frown.
"I can''t help but agree with you." Anthony eventually nodded his head. "It is embarrassing for me, as the more experienced one, to not be able to see it when you immediately could."
Channeling Mana to his vocal cord, he used it to amplify his voice. "Prepare yourselves too, everyone. We are going to the battlefield!"
Followed by Iliana and Ione, Basil immediately went to his tent. The others also swiftly prepared themselves, then immediately stood in line when their preparation was ready.
Basil returned from his tent riding on Deacon with Iliana and Ione. He then instructed Deacon to stand where Legion Commanders positioned themselves¡ªin front of their Legion.
By that point, the rank was almostpletely established. All of the Legion Commanders had already taken their position; they waited until all of their subordinates were in the line.
When the rank was perfectly formed, they immediately began to organize themselves into a formation¡ªthe one that Basil had suggested. It could be done quickly and without a hassle thanks to the experience each Commander had.
"My people, let us capture the victory this time. We have many victors with us, so fear not of failing!" Anthony eximed. "We will seed, for victors can''t lose!" Turning to the split ground, he instructed, "Mages, shut the ground!"
As soon as the Mages infused their Mana into the ground, the split ground that was filled with water closed itself immediately. Devoured by thend, the water ceased to be exposed to light the moment the ground was closed shut.
"March!"
The army got out of the camp at the order. They rushed to the battlefield that was 10 kilometers away from them excitedly.
Due to Anthony''s sure im, thoughts of winning the battle filled their mind. They were already sickened by the Outbreak, so hearing that they would win soon made them giddy and more optimistic.
Even the Legion that Basil led felt rather unfortunate when they found that they were thest Legion to get out of the camp, which made them end up in the rear.
Although being in the rear line, didn''t guarantee them less battle, they still thought they would contribute less than the others. That thought would not, of course,st for long; soon, they would thank Basil to let them be in the rear line.
"Keep the formation, everyone!"
Upon reaching the battlefield, the human army was immediately greeted by the tens of thousands of Demons. They were immediately swarmed by the Demons, making them wonder if the Demons had been multiplying themselves for the past 3 hours.
They had killed a lot of Demons prior to their retreat, so by that logic, there shouldn''t be that many of Demons left. This was why they couldn''t help suspecting if the Demons had a special ability to breed instantly.
While Demons could breed faster and give birth to more offsprings than any other species, of course, such a thing as instant breeding didn''t exist. The Demons were just more concentrated in one ce this time, so they looked more than they actually were.
"Hmm... They are using a swarming tactic now," Basil mused.
The swarming tactic that Demons used was simr to the one that bees used to kill a foreign queen in their hive. Its aim was pressuring their target with theirbined Demonic Mana, while simultaneously spamming them with attacks.
"What a stupid way to die."
Taking out the swords he had taken from Goap''s treasure room, Basil used his Aura Ability on them. The twenty seven swords immediately roamed the air, and cut any Demon''s head on their way.
Killing them became easier for Basil since each Demon wasn''t far apart from the other. He didn''t need to move the swords far to decapitate many of them.
While killing the Demons became easier, on the other hand however, taking the Eliminator group to Goap became harder and took more effort. It was hard to just ignore them and advanced since they were blocking the way.
It was very clear to them at this point that Goap were going to sacrifice all of the Demons under him to hold them back. It worked perfectly, so they couldn''t help wondering what was his n.
It wasn''t until Charybdis'' mouth contracted that they realized why Goap ordered the Demons to slow them down.
"That ursed twat!" Anthony cursed. "Prepare your Barrier, and keep pushing through!"
A gigantic sphere of Mana coalesced in front of Charybdis'' mouth just a few seconds after the human army erected a Barrier in front of them. Their eyes darkened as they wondered if their Barrier would be strong enough to withstand Charybdis'' attack.
Looking as calm as usual, Basil merely hummed at the scene. He was about to do something to the sphere of Mana Charybdis was about to shoot when something noteworthy happened.
"[May we sleep in peace, the believers thou cherish: Heaven''s Protection]!"
Leading the thousands of Priests he brought with him, Eban chanted a Prayer. In the next moment, a gigantic golden shield that was even bigger than Charybdis materialized in front of the army.
BOOM!
In less than a second, the sphere of dense Mana was shot towards them. When it made contact with the shield, it waspletely stopped.
The people were naturally astonished by the scene. The shield perfectly protected them from Charybdis'' attack; they couldn''t even feel the impact of the sh between the two contradicting Energy from behind it.
When Charybdis'' dense Mana sphere disappeared, the golden shield also dispersed. Everyone could immediately see Goap flying in front of Charybdis, and he didn''t look very happy as he looked at them.
None of them, of course, paid much attention to him and to whom his sting eyes were directed to. They were too busy obliterating the Demons blocking their way to notice it; their goal was still to take Eliminator to Goap.
Basil, however, was different. As someone who could still kill thousands of Demons without lifting a hand, he paid keen attention to Goap, as he was expectant towards how the drama between Goap and Eban would unfold.
"Both of them have been chewing each other''s sugar cane stalk. Now that it has be tasteless, they are eager to spit it out..." Basil smiled faintly. "Who will spit it out faster?"
Goap had thought he was the only one being underhanded in their deal, but Eban was no different from him. Both of them betrayed each other the day he made the deal.
It was easy to tell where this was going. Eban wuould use Goap as a steppingstone for the Church''s rise of reputation.
"Ku-ku-ku... A male who named himself Pacifer, and Eban''s betrayal... Humans are really unpredictable, aren''t they?" Goap smiled sinisterly. "That bloody cunt, I will enjoy his shriek of agony."
Thanks to his indignation, Goap finally decided to join the battle.
Chapter 356 The Main Battle
sh!
A streak of light in the sky illuminated the battlefield briefly. Everyone was blinded by the sheer brightness of the light in that split second, and when they regained their vision, they were greeted by a massive Mana de.
A nce was all they needed to tell that they wouldn''t be able to block it in time. They were about to fall into despair and epted their end, but the Priests and Eban saved them once again.
Boom!
The gigantic golden shield made its appearance. Itpletely blocked the Mana de that Goap sent, but one could see it didn''t do as good as it had previously.
The time the Priests and Eban had to erect the shield had nothing to do with how well it fared against Goap''s attack. It had simply met its match, which was strong enough to damage it.
It was ridiculous as much as it was frightening to think that Goap could damage the shield that Charybdis, who was hundreds of times bigger than him, couldn''t even damage; however, that was just how power worked: size didn''t matter.
"You lowlifes!" Goap eximed. He was flying above the people. "Did you like my greetings?"
Seeing Goap so close to them instantly evoked the Eradicator group''s instinct to retreat. They no longer felt they needed to escort the Executioner group anymore since Goap had already presented himself to them.
They weren''t wrong by thinking that way. In fact, even Basil had already told his Legion to retreat the moment Goapunched his first attack.
Retreating in order, Eradicator left Executioner to face Goap. Seeing tens of thousands of persons retreating orderly naturally attracted Goap''s attention; therefore, he couldn''t just leave the people alone and let them leave.
Coalescing his Miasma in his hand, he created a dark sphere made of a dense mist. He immediately threw it powerfully to the people, causing it to travel through the air at a very high speed.
Boom!
Much to his irritation however, the golden shield, once again, blocked his attack. Looking down at the source of his irritation, his eyes met with Eban''s.
''Scy, I want you to take care of the rest, while I am having fun with this bastard of a Priest,'' Goap spoke to Scy telepathically.
Quirking her eyebrow, she replied, "You should know what I am currently doing now, shouldn''t you?"
''I know, but I need you to take care of those pests, so they don''t be a problem.''
"You are letting your emotion take control of you, my friend. Remember, our n is not to eradicate these people, but¡ª"
''I know, Scy. I know. I know you have to stop the process of Sealing the Kingdom to fight, but they should pose no threat to you, so I believe you can finish them quickly. Leaving it hanging for a while is not a problem, no?''
Scy wanted to remind Goap that he was looking down on the humans again, but he immediately cut their connection. Sighing lightly as she saw Goap sh with the humans, she paused the Sealing process of the Kingdom, and walked out of the water.
upied by Goap, no one in the Executioner group noticed it. Those in the Eradicator group, however, could see Scying at them, so they couldn''t help anticipating what she would do next.
Basil, who had expected something like this to happen, immediatelymanded his Legion and the Legions who chose to follow his order to erect a wave crusher with Earth Magic. He knew Charybdis would attack first.
"Empower your structure with Mana, and prepare for impact!"
The moment the wave crusher was erected, Charybdis'' mouth contracted. A high pressured water stream was shot out of her mouth in the next moment, sweeping the battlefield clean.
Crash!
Since all of the humans were protected by the wave crusher, the Demons became the sole victims of Charybdis'' attack. Thousands were killed by the stream, but Scy wasn''t bothered in the slightest.
She kept approaching the human army calmly and kept Charybdis shooting out the water stream. The death toll on the Demon''s side kept increasing in each passing second, but she acted as if nothing was happening.
"Keugh! We will only exhaust our Mana if we keep doing this!"
"Hold on! This is a battle of endurance¡ªit is either you or the Demons that are killed!"
The water stream Charybdis shooting at them exhausted their Mana quite quickly due to the Miasma it contained. The wave itself wasn''t strong, but its mysterious property made it hard for a Mana Barrier to sustain its shape.
The reason why Basil had instructed them to create a wave crusher instead of a Barrier was to slow down the draining effect of the water. It worked, but it wasn''t enough topletely negate it.
Fortunately, just as they thought they would exhaust all of their Mana, Scy decided to stop instructing Charybdis to shoot the stream out. By this point, more than ten thousand Demons were killed.
The humans, although they were relieved that their Mana was no longer being drained, didn''t have a good expression on their face. Close to half of their Mana had been used up, so they worried if it was going to be sufficient for the uing battle.
"Assume your position¡ªwe are going to enter a Magic Battle Formation!" Basil shouted.
The people had heard of the outline of the n from the short briefing prior to their march to the battlefield. They knew they were going to do this, but they didn''t know what kind of Formation they would use.
A Magic Battle Formation, after all, wasn''t something that could be performed simply by standing in the right spot. They didn''t know what to do due to theck of information, so they were floored by the instruction.
Hum!
It wasn''t until Basil, the center of the Formation, set up the foundation, did the people know what to do next. They still didn''t know what kind of Formation it was, but they instinctively knew how to be a part of it nheless.
"Well... My movement will be slightly restricted, but as long as I can borrow these people''s power, everything will be alright," Basil mused to himself.
Unlike any Magic Battle Formation, the Formation Basil used benefited him as the center of it the most¡ªunfairly so. It also worked for both Mages and Knights, so he received a significant boost in Mana and Qi.
The only downside was, he couldn''t move away from his ce without telling the others to do the same. He couldn''t just storm off and cut Scy in two, but luckily he had many powerful long-range attacks.
Turning to the two women sitting behind him, he asked, "Are you just going to stay here? You won''t be able to enjoy the battlefield from behind my back, because I can guarantee you no Demon will be strong enough to break through our Formation."
"That''s a very roundabout way to say you don''t want us to find out your scheme," Iliana responded snarkily.
"Regardless of what I am scheming, you just have to know that I will never put you in any harm."
"Yeah... That''s why I am afraid," Iliana muttered. "... To what length you will be willing to go for me."
Pretending that he didn''t hear Iliana''s muttering, Basil put his hand on top of her head and Blessed her without using his Pacifer Seal. He did the same to Ione, and watched as they dashed to the frontmost line.
"Deacon."
"Yes, Master."
"This will feel ufortable, but I need us to be one to increase our odds."
"M-Master? Do you mean¡ª"
"What is with those vulgar thoughts?!" Basil frowned in disappointment. "How you can even think about it is beyond me."
"I can''t help it! You always like to use a double-entendre!" Deacon rebuked in embarrassment.
Huffing lightly, Basil put his hand on top of Deacon''s head. He channeled his Qi into Deacon''s head, and activated the Technique that he had never used in his past life due to theck of Beast Companion¡ª[One Heart].
[One Heart] was the Knight version of [Assimtion] that allowed one to be fully connected to one''s Beast Companion. Basil was using it because he wanted to also let Deacon enjoy the benefit of the Magic Formation he was in.
"O-Oh! We indeed became one, Master!" Deacon stated ecstatically.
When [One Heart] took effect, Basil gained ess to every one of Deacon''s ability, and Deacon gained ess to the part of Basil''s mind that he had set to be essible to Deacon.
Wincing slightly, Basil said, "Your excitement is killing me¡ªtone it down slightly. I can hardly think with you screaming in my mind like that."
"I am sorry, Master!"
Physically speaking, the only apparent change was their eyes that were now the same. Basil''s brown eyes now developed a ck slitted pupil, whereas Deacon''s grey slitted eyes turned brown.
Both of them also had the same presence now, so it was hard to tell them apart just from sensing their presence alone.
Boom!
As soon as Basil got the hang of their newly strengthened and deepened connection, Scy finally knocked down the 10 metres wave crusher they had built to block Charybdis'' water stream with her tentacles.
At this point, they were already 20 metres away from Scy. Due to her body size however, 20 metres wasn''t that great of a distance, so they were still pretty close from her.
"This Formation... This is a tant exploitation," Scy muttered to herself. "The center of the Formation is... That humand again? Hmmm..."
The moment her eyesnded on Basil, she strangely felt intimidated. She felt like Basil was going to be able to take her down even though she knew how insignificant he waspared to her.
"Scy, don''t underestimate humans."
"What?!"
Just as she thought things couldn''t go any weirder, she received a [Wavelingo] message from Basil. Thinking that Basil had managed to breach her mind, she was extremely shocked by the development.
Whoosh!
Her distraught state allowed Deacon tond a hit on her. The massive air sphere he had sent struck her right in her abdomen, pushing her to the back until she lost her bnce.
The people in the formation, who hadn''t evenunched anything at Scy in fright of provoking her anger, were as bewildered as they were amused by the scene. After all, never in their wildest dream had they expected Scy to get humiliated by the first attack.
They knew, however, who hadunched the first attack, so they merely smiled excitedly. With their fear towards Scy overshadowed by their burning spirit, they prepared their onught.
Chapter 357 The Main Battle (2)
Thud!
Scy''s literal fall attracted Goap''s attention. He couldn''t help but be curious because the sound of her fall was too small for an explosion but too loud to be dismissed.
"What the... Scy? Wasn''t she the one who told me not to underestimate humans?" Goap muttered in bewilderment. Shrugging afterwards, he said, "Well, they will sure suffer from the ire of that ancient monster."
"Do you think this is the right time to turn your eyes away?!"
Swish!
Moving to the side, Goap dodged Zander''s sword. The sword ended up carving a deep trench in the ground, while simultaneously cutting the Demons that were unluckily standing in its way.
Swiftly spinning his body, Goap kicked Zander. He failed, however, to hit Zander since Zander had already jumped back the moment he extended his foot.
Abruptly stopping his spin, he made a sweeping motion with his hand, and casually swatted the Spell that wasing at him. It was immediately dispersed as if it didn''t pack any power, even though it came from a Seventh Circle Mage.
"That bastard... How can he be so strong?" Anthony muttered as he observed the situation that still didn''t get any better. "Just how crazy it was back then in the Age of Chaos when bastards like him still roamed the world free."
When he had first heard the absolute demolition of his Royal Army in BA-32 by Goap, he med it on the ipetence of his sons. He was sure, after all, such a powerful abomination had already been extinct for two millennia.
He had forgotten the fact that Goap was an Obelisk Master however, so now he felt stupid for thinking the fight wouldn''t be as hard as long as he participated in the battle.
He was fighting together with the top 14 people and the selected Pdins in his Kingdom against Goap, but even after a few minutes, they still couldn''tnd a hit on him. They had mixed feelings about it, but they were mostly embarrassed and horrified.
"Just imagining us failing to defeat him here brings me goosebumps," Lawson muttered as he sent his Spells at Goap. "Braxtein Kingdom will disappear the moment we lose, and I bet that is what the other Kingdoms want to happen."
Something as big as an Outbreak after two millennia must be something one needed to pay attention to. The news about it was already spread to the whole world, but none of the Kingdoms reacted more than just giving a sympathy.
Rted by blood they might be, each King of the Kingdoms had a passive aggressive rtionship with each other. Each generation inherited the unsettled feud that was thousands of years old.
Because of that, even though they looked like they were on good terms on the surface, they did many underhanded things to harm each other.
Anthony didn''t even bother to ask for help for that reason. He preferred to solve the problem by himself than sumb to the ridiculous conditions his fellow Kings would give him if he asked for help.
nk!
"This bastard''s hands are tougher than Vanadium, aren''t they?" Anthony mused. Goap had just swatted his sword easily, so he wasn''t in a good mood.
"A Mana consuming and destructive Art is what going to kill this bastard, eh?" Infusing Mana into his feet, he simultaneously gathered Mana at the tip of his Vanadium Magic Sword.
Zander was still trading blows with Goap, so he waited until Zander took a step back, before kicking the ground, and thrust his sword into Goap''s chest.
The thrust was faster than one''s eyes could blink, however Goap still managed to catch the de just a few centimetres away from his chest. The Mana Anthony had gathered, of course, didn''t go to waste, so he used this chance to burst it forth.
Boom!
Goap, unfortunately, managed to let it go and dash away just a moment before the Mana could st him. In result, the Mana Anthony had just unleashed created a wide but shallow trench in the ground in front of him.
"Well, they can''t certainly be underestimated," Goap muttered. "They have been attacking me furiously nonstop for the past 5 minutes."
What made Goap astonished wasn''t the power that each of them packed, but the coordination between them. They coordinated with each other so well, they didn''t give him a single second to rest.
The close to nonexistent interval between each of their attacks made it hard for him to cast a decent Curse or simply just send them a powerful Spell.
He could quick cast a Spell, but the Knights, the Battle Mages, and the Pdins always found a way to disrupt his focus; which, in turn, cancelled the Spell he was about to quick cast.
He was irked, of course, but he could do nothing other than scaring them away with his superior power. In other words, he also couldn''tnd a single hit on them, so their fight was pretty much a stalemate, which was ridiculous.
"[Purge of Sin]!"
The stalemate, in the end, had to be ended the moment the Priests that had been closely protected by the others managed to finish their Prayer. A familiar yet unfamiliar Energy¡ªMiracle overwhelmed the air, and it made Goap ufortable.
"Tsk. They are finally ready to join the fight again, huh?" Goap clicked his tongue in dissatisfaction the moment the Battle Mages, the Knights, and the Pdins who had been attacking him tirelessly retreated.
He was given the time to quick cast a decent Spell or Curse because of that, but it still wouldn''t help him escape his predicament, which was the disaster the Prayer would bring upon him.
Covering his body with as much Miasma as he could, he nned to counteract the Miracle with it. The two Energies had a contradicting nature¡ªthey repelled against each other, so he expected his Miasma to negate the Prayer.
Rumble!
"This is..."
As the ground shook rapidly; Goap, while expecting a massive Miracle sphere to pulverise him, was baffled when he saw an ethereal golden cross that was twice as tall as him appeared behind him instead.
The golden cross had a very strong traction force; he felt like it could even pull his soul out. Gradually, he was pulled closer towards it, and he had no way to fight force.
"Eban!" He shouted loudly. "You will regret ever doing this to me! Remember, when this ends, I will make your soul cry in anguish!"
In response to the heated deration, Eban cold say, "Weep all you want, Demon. The God''s judgement will never let you get away from the atrocity you have done."
Chink!
Golden chains emerged from the ground behind the cross, and swiftly coiled themselves around Goap. His struggle stopped as soon as the chains had fully wrapped themselves around him, and he was flung to the back afterwards.
Tied to the cross with the golden chains, the scene of Goap being crucified attracted everyone''s attention¡ªeven those who were still fighting Scy. The scene gave them hope and terror at the same time due to the rather repulsive aura it was giving off.
"May the Gods cleanse the sin in you, which is your entire existence!" Eban shouted.
In the next moment, a golden fire circled around the cross. It gave the humans nearby warmth, but charred Goap''s skin.
Expecting Goap to let out a scream of agony, Eban was disappointed to find Goap could still maintain hisposure. He could even see Goap looking at him with terrifyingly murderous eyes.
Burst!
When the golden fire enveloped the entire golden cross and burned Goap that was attached to it, Eban could no longer see Goap''s murderous eyes. Still, he couldn''t shake off the terror lingering in his soul.
Powered by the Miracle of 4,000 Senior Priests, the golden fire that enveloped Goap and the area around him gradually became bigger. It also started swirling, until it eventually spun like a whirlwind.
"It is quiet... Terrifyingly so," Jacinda muttered as she looked at the scene ufortably. "Either he has an extreme pain tolerance or he is never been there, both are equally terrifying."
"Let''s look at it optimistically, Head Mistress," Lawsonmented. "What if the Prayer is so powerful that it managed to obliterate him even before he could scream?"
Staying silent for a few seconds, Jacinda eventually said, "The thing is, Lawson, it is still burning for a reason."
As if proving Jacinda''s words right, an apparent disturbance could be seen in the golden fire half a minute after. Everyone instinctively gulped dryly; they somehow knew what was going to happen next.
BOOM!
An extremely powerful Miasma st swept the entire battlefield, dispersing the golden fire in the blink of an eye. Many people were knocked off their feet¡ªeven some of them were flung so hard, they cracked their neck and died.
Eban, the Priests, and the Pdins were the only people who were unaffected by the phenomenon, because the Miracle Barrier they had erected sheltered them from the Miasma. They were, however, more terrified than the others.
They had an immeasurable confidence in Miracle. They believed the power that their Gods gave them would give them the ability to purge evil, so seeing the scene in front of them was utterly underwhelming.
"Well, that was enough to sober me up."
Freed from the cross, Goap stood mightily amongst the remnants of the golden fire he had dispersed. His melted Vanadium Armour was sticking to his charred and exposed skin, but he didn''t look bothered by it.
Thud!
As he took off the small parts of armour that weren''t melted, his charred skin rapidly healed, making the melted armour sticking to his skin fall to the ground. A few seconds after, his charred skin was already as unblemished as a baby''s.
Dressing himself up in a second to cover his naked body, he looked at the dumbfounded and terrified people with people with a smile afterwards.
One might wonder why the people had merely watched as Goap did all that, but don''t get them wrong; they weren''t stupid. They were just simply overwhelmed by his extremely hostile and unpleasant pressure.
Everyone knew how dangerous Miracle was to Demons. Demons could not instantly heal a wound that was caused by Miracle, so seeing what Goap could do to the extreme injuries he had received was terrifying.
Thinking about how powerful Goap was to be able to do that made them hesitant. If abined attack from 4,000 Priests couldn''t kill him, what could they do with their Qi and Mana?
There was a high risk of them losing their life, so as someone who cherished their life, they decided to merely watch.
"A me burns brightest before it goes out! He is already on hisst verge of his life¡ªdon''t hesitate and kill him!" Anthony shouted, awakening the people from their entrance.
Goap merely smiled at Anthony''s quick analysis. While it was true, he believed they wouldn''t be able tost even before he died.
Chapter 358 The Main Battle (3)
"It looks like the battle there is going to reach its climax soon," Basil remarked as he saw Anthony lead the Pdins, the Battle Mages, and the Knights to engage inbat with Goap.
Basil approved of their braveness, but he couldn''t help shaking his head at the people''s stupidity. Had they not let Goap get rid of the Prayer that had shackled him, their winning chance would have been higher.
While they still could win against Goap now, Basil was sure very few of them would survive the battle. Goap was burning his life span to squeeze out the power lying dormant in him, so his current power was iparable to before.
On top of that, he hadn''t even assumed his True Form yet, which would even amplify his already absurd power. Unless Anthony and the others were quick to adapt, there would be no way for them to survive.
Boom!
"It seems that I have to get serious too." Basil turned his eyes too Scy. "We have already enraged her enough to force her to use her everything against us."
After her fall, Scy became iparably fiercer than before. She no longer hit the troops Basil led half-heartedly.
For the past few minutes, she had been attacking them with an intention to destroy the Formation and obliterate the people inside it in one go. It was still manageable, but overwhelming regardless.
"Deacon, are you ready to send that Demon into oblivion?"
"Yes, Master!"
Deacon was aware that he wasn''t strong enough to produce such an attack, but he was determined to exhaust himself to fulfill his Master''s expectation. With the power provided by the Formation, it wouldn''t be impossible.
Instructing Deacon to create his signature air spheres, Basil immediately wrapped the seven spheres with wind des that were as sharp as Durendal the moment they were formed.
He was synchronized with Durendal''s Sword Soul at the moment, which was why those wind des of his became more lethal than they already were. Releasing the air spheres in the next moment, they hit Scy in a second.
Screech!
Scy managed to block the seven spheres with her tentacles, but it took all her attention away from anybother attacks. Fortunately for her though, she had a strong Miasma Barrier to block all of them without minding them much.
... At least, that was the case for the other''s attacks.
Boom!
"Gah!"
The moment Deacon''s modified air spheres broke through her Miasma Barrier, Scy couldn''t help a yelp. The four tentacles she had used to block the air spheres were shredded, leaving her shocked by the power they possessed.
For the first time since they began their fight, she received a quite severe injury. It was still meaningless, of course, but the fact that she was injured was still enough to bewilder her.
"Kaaak!"
Charybdis, under Scy''s order, opened her mouth and amassed a ridiculous amount of Demonic Mana. A dense ball of Mana made an appearance not long after; Charybdis didn''t waste a single second to shoot it out of her mouth.
Swish!
The dense ball of Mana was rapidly rotating as it split the air. The destructive aura it was exuding could even be felt from inside the formation despite the fact they were separated by a massive Magic Barrier.
The people, of course, weren''t just staying idle and watched as the ball closing in on them. They infused as much Mana as they could to the Barrier to improve its sturdiness, so they could have a higher chance of surviving the attack.
"[Heaven Piercer]!"
sh!
A moment before the ball of Demonic Mana touched the barrier¡ªjust as they embraced themselves for impact, one of the most powerful Arts of Basil pierced, and dispersed it in less than a second.
The thin and rapid beam, which was Basil''s Art: [Heaven Piercer], kept advancing towards Scy, even after destroying the Mana ball. Scy blocked it with one of her tentacles, and instantly regretted it the moment it easily pierced through her tentacle.
"Keugh! This humand...!"
Due to her big body, she couldn''t move fast enough to dodge Basil''s Art. The moment his Art pierced her tentacle was the moment when she knew her abdomen would get pierced.
As she put her hand on the hole in her stomach, she channelled her Miasma into her abdomen to close the hole. Spells and Techniques were spammed at her, but she ignored it and focused on her waist instead.
Her blood that was dripping down from her abdomen fell on one of the hound heads around her waist. Already livid, she finally decided to go crazy and show the humans why there were nine hound heads around her waist.
Raising her head as she looked at Basil murderously, she was greeted by Basil''s ridiculing smile. Clutching her hand in anger, she opened her mouth, and screamed even louder than the sound of a volcano eruption.
"Close your ears!
"KYAAK!"
The shrill scream of Scy that was already extremely ear grating was amplified nine times by the nine hound heads around her waist. The sound ruptured one''s eardrums, destroyed the ground, split the air, and even drove one to insanity.
It was also very hard topletely block the sound since one could not only hear it in one''s ear, but also one''s head. Many people fell victim because of this fact.
In this case, Basil was the only one who could remain calm. He had created ayer of vacuum around his head; not even the vibration of the sound could reach him, so he heard nothing but silence.
Deacon was doing the same, but judging by how bothered he was, it was easy to tell he couldn''t exactly replicate what Basil did. He was still holding on regardless, so it could be said he defended himself well.
Iliana and Ione were less bothered than Deacon, but their method of defending themselves from the attack wasn''t what Basil and Deacon used. They merely sealed their eardrums, and let their Mental Fortitude hold off the effect of the sound.
Being a Pacifer means they had trained their soul since they were young, so their Mental Fortitude was ridiculously better than anyone. Of course, they could do well.
Crack!
When the mind destroying scream stopped, the people''s sigh of relief was hitched by the emergence of thousands of 3 metres tall, two-headed dogs called Tartarus Watchdogs.
Roar!
Tartarus Watchdogs earned their name due to their striking simrity with Cerberus, the guard of the prison of Gods Tartarus. Believed to be its offsprings, Tartarus Watchdogs were said to be the one who chased after the Gods that escaped Tartarus.
Of course, it was nothing but a story to make them look more intimidating than they should; however, their ability was still not something one should look down upon.
They could bite literally anything¡ªeven a Ninth Circle Mage''s Mana Barrier¡ªdue to the Curse their teeth had. They could run tirelessly, and they wouldn''t stop chasing their targets until they got said target or got killed.
If the human army didn''t kill the Tartarus Watchdogs before the dogs reached them, their destruction was assured. The dogs would rip apart the Barrier, chewed on them the moment they were within range.
"Well, I thought she would do something more impressive than summoning mere imitations of Cerberus."
Luckily, they got Basil, who had in the Cerberus in his past life to prevent that. He wasn''t intimidated in the least bit in spite of the fierce aura the Tartarus Watchdogs were exuding; in fact, he found it funny for Scy to summon them.
"Don''t waste your Mana to cast fancy Spells! Use Earth Magic and pierce their heart from below!" Basil shouted. Naturally, he knew the perfect way to kill Tartarus Watchdogs.
The simple instruction was executed immediately. They still couldn''t help but wonder, however, what such a simple attack could do to the dogs.
Squelch! Squelch!
Much to their surprise, it did more than they had ever thought. The moment the earth spikes they had created with Earth Magic emerged from the ground, the Tartarus Watchdogs were pierced without any resistance.
They also died instantly, which made the whole situation more bewildering for the people, who had expected a fierce fight with the dogs.
"What the... Just how many things thatd knows?!"
The people weren''t the only one surprised by what had happened. Scy also couldn''t wrap her head around the fact that Basil knew Tartarus Watchdogs couldn''t sense attacks from below them.
p She immediately decided it was better to forget about the other people, and focused on Basil instead. It was clear to her that Basil had been pulling the strings for all this time, so taking him out first would make things easier.
Spreading her Demonic Mana throughout the battlefield, Scy materialized her Domain.
The ground below the army immediately turned into the bow of an absurdly massive wooden ship that could contain them all at once. Seeing around, they found themselves in a strait, bound to perish in the whirlpool that was caused by Charybdis.
The people who had participated in the clearance of Goap''s Obelisk couldn''t help getting goosebumps at the scene. They could somehow know what would happen next.
"Haaah~ Ahh~ Hear the sea, it''s calling thee... A happiness thou canst foresee is waiting thee~"
As tens of thousands of beautiful singing women with the lower half and the wings of a bird hovered above them, the people who were familiar with Sirens immediately cursed loudly as they told the others to shut their ears.
The beautiful singing made it hard for them to shy away from it, but upon knowing what it would do to them, the people immediately covered their ears to block the singing.
"Ka-ka-ka! Let us see how you will organise them this time,d!" Scyughed at the scene gleefully, unaware of the fact that Basil could stillmunicate with the people through [Wavelingo].
She thought she had managed to disrupt the Formation by merely taking away their hearing. When the Formation remained intact, naturally, she was surprised.
''Forget about Scy, maintain the Formation, and kill as many Demons as you can,'' was the only instruction Basil gave to the people through [Wavelingo].
No one questioned him, and immediately did what he instructed; they knew he would take care of Scy by himself. They remained calm and mind their task, and thus the Formation was maintained.
"Well, well, I am about to kill another ancient being, aren''t I?"
Basil smirked as he looked at Scy, who was standing on the rock near thend on the left side of the strait while looking at him murderously.
Chapter 359 The Main Battle (4)
Basil and the human army he led were in a situation where they were bound to be devoured by the sea. The unstoppable, massive whirlpool that Charybdis made was gradually pulling them to its eye.
As they were in Scy''s domain, luckily, they only needed to defeat her to get out of the situation; by then, Charybdis'' whirlpool wouldn''t be able to do anything to them as it had lost its effect. Of course, this wasn''t an easy thing to do.
Scy was the embodiment of the consciousness of a killing machine that was made by Poseidon. She was a creature that deserved to be called Monster: she was an entirely different creature from Demons and Magic Beasts.
She used Demonic Mana, but she could utilise it as good as any Demon Prince, which added to her level of danger. Basil needed to face this kind of abomination while racing against time; he had to kill her before the whirlpool devoured them.
Was it possible? One might ask. Although the chance of winning was exactly fifty-fifty; yes, it was possible for Basil to defeat Scy before they entered the eye of the whirlpool. He just needed to overwhelm his body with Energy once again, and risk crippling it.
''Will it be worth it?'' Basil found himself asking. ''No, it won''t,'' he answered inwardly. ''However, I need to live. There will be no way for Scy to let Iliana, Ione, and me go.''
It was too much¡ªthe things he had done for the people of Braxtein Kingdom¡ªhe believed. He was reluctant to risk his future again for the people, but he couldn''t just die together with them.
If he decided not to risk his life there, he and the others would definitely die since none of them would have the expertise to kill Scy. It was unsavoury, however, he still needed to gulp the reality presented before his eyes down.
''Ye shall thank your luck today... Ye will live today, but expect not to see this Lord in a battle protecting your insignificant existence in the future.''
Clicking his tongue as he finally took Caliburn and Durendal out, Basil crossed them and fully activated [Synchronization].
He, however, needed to break his connection with Durendal''s Sword Soul. Being synchronized with three Sword Souls at once burdened his body too much; besides, two were already enough.
Boom!
As this time Basil was powered by the Qi and Mana of the people that were a part of the Formation, the moment he was fully synchronized, the shockwave his sudden Qi and Mana Fluctuation produced managed to disrupt the whirlpool for a moment.
Scy, who was 6 kilometres away, could even still feel the impact of the shockwave. She was equally astonished and baffled by how much Energy Basil could force his body to control.
After the blue veins of Mana covered Basil''s body for the second time that day, the True Light Magic Armour covered his body instantly. Since they were connected by [One Heart]; Deacon, too, had what he had.
Together, they looked like a mighty warlord and his mount, thirsting for their enemy''s blood. The destructive aura they were giving off were terrifying enough to even scare the Sirens away from them.
"Thatd reminds me of the humans who managed to ascend to Godhood: just as extraordinary while being young. He may bring chaos to either Gods or us in the future, but regardless, he is an omen that shall be vanquished now!"
Extending her left hand to the side, a 14 metres tall Bident was materialized in her hand. Coloured in dark blue, the intricate patterns on the shaft and the thssophobia inducing aura made it as unique as it was frightening.
Bam!
mming the butt of her Bident to the ground, responding to the gesture, the water crashed into the rock she was standing on, and shaped itself into three Bidents of the same size as her Bident.
Basil also didn''t stay idle as he sent [Path Of Glory] towards Scy at the same time she threw her Bidents. Both Arts were heading towards their target at an insane speed, splitting the air, creating a vacuum in it for a split second.
Boom!
"Curse thatd!"
? When both Arts shed, it was much to Scy''s annoyance that her Demonic Art couldn''t do anything to Basil''s, and ended up being destroyed upon contact. Basil''s Art kept advancing towards her, and she was forced to send another Art to disperse it.
Boom!
"Bloody human!"
... Unfortunately for her, her next Art still couldn''t do anything to stop Basil''s [Path of Glory]. It kept advancing until she was forced to block it with her Demonic Mana Barrier that could even barely hold it off.
Bewildered, she immediately stopped using Demonic Mana and used the advanced form of it, which was Miasma. She had decided to not resort to Demonic Arts anymore, and used Curses instead.
"[Cast shadow upon the light thou perceivest: Stare of Doom]!"
As soon as the Curse was cast, in the eye of the Whirlpool that Charybdis created; a massive, literal eye that was gazing at the sky appeared. Its slitted pupil and deep blue iris cast an indescribable horror to those who gazed upon it.
Basil, who knew what it would do the moment it turned its gaze to them, was quick to take action. Taking out ten swords he had taken from Goap''s treasure room, he overfilled them with Mana, and sent them to the eye.
Each sword contained the most destructive nature of the Mana of more than seventy thousand people thanks to the work of [Synchronization] and the Formation. Each of them was a nightmare that was more than enough to obliterate a small mountain.
BOOM!
Just a moment before the eye turned its gaze towards them, it was immediately mercilessly obliterated by the swords Basil had sent it. The whirlpool was disrupted, and even Charybdis let out a rare scream.
"Kyaaak!"
"Tsk! What a stubborn bug," Scy muttered in annoyance.
Just as she was about to cast another Curse, Scy found herself captivated by the scene of Basil holding Durendal in a vice grip. Her body stopped moving, but her mind was racing, thinking about what was happening.
[Derailing Charm]!
It was one of Vagus'' Hidden Abilities that Basil had rarely used in his past life simply because of what it did to his enemies: overly amplifying his charm to drive them crazy by simply looking at him.
He had rarely faced a female opponent that he could use it on; while it could also be used on men, he didn''t find himselffortable with the idea. His opponents, at that time, had always been stronger than him, so it wouldn''t work most of the time.
This time, thanks to the fact that the Formation was enhancing his power, he could overwhelm Scy with [Derailing Charm]. Although it wasn''t to the point of driving her insane, being able to stun her was already enough.
"[The Light That Cuts The Shadow]!"
As Asia was focusing on keeping her restraint on Scy, Basil utilized the Art of Caliburn¡ªits Hidden Art, which could only be essed after [Synchronization].
As its name suggested, it could cut through the shadow¡ªthe darkness that existed due to the omen obstructing the light. It could cut the omen that cast the shadow, allowing the light to illuminate the ce that was once engulfed by the shadow.
sh!
Simply said, it had enough power to obliterate Scy, who "cast the shadow" upon Basil.
"KAAAAAAHHHH!"
Unfortunately, when the Art was just a hair''s breadth away from Scy, said Demon broke free from Asia''s shackle. She regained her rity, and in a split second, utilised the authority she had over her Domain to block the Art.
An incredible amount of water rose, creating a spherical wall that covered Scy and the rock she was standing on. The wall of water was rotating at an unimaginable speed, slowly eating the light that was Caliburn''s Art away.
On the other side, the whirlpool that Charybdis created spun even faster, significantly increasing its force to suck the ship Basil and the army on. Not stopping there, it was also quickly draining the Energy of the people.
"This is not a good news," Basil muttered the moment he noticed the disturbance in the Mana Flow. "I need to get us out of this situation." Wasting no time to think, Basil asked his all-knowing, half-sentient partner, "Guide, how can I salvage the situation?"
[Ding!]
[Answering Host''s puzzlement...]
[There are many ways for the Host to salvage the situation, but most of them required an intervention of a powerful third party¡ª]
"What is the way that is avable to me in the current situation?!" Basil eximed, irked by the roundabout way the Guide answered him.
[By removing the cause of the biggest problem, of which the whirlpool was created by, the Host might salvage the situation, ande out alive. It is easy to discern which part is the weakness of the whirlpool, so...]
A stream of information about how to destroy the whirlpool flooded Basil''s mind in a split second. Receiving such an overwhelming amount of information in that split second would normally split one''s head, but Basil looked undeterred.
Immediately raising his head to gaze at the sky, he raised his hand up and pointed his index finger at it. Preparing [Heaven Piercer], a dense amount of Mana gathered at the tip of his index finger.
A marble sized ball of light was formed by the time his index finger could no longer contain the Mana. The aura surrounding him felt so destructive, it terrified the humans and the creature that dwelled in the sky.
"[Heaven Piercer]!"
sh!
Brrr!
After the beam was shot from Basil''s index finger, it pierced the sky in less than a second. An eerie hole was made in the sky, revealing the creature it had hidden for all the entire time, which was Charybdis.
By this point, Basil''s ship was just a mere second from entering the eye of the whirlpool. Basil had intentionally waited for this moment to shoot the beam, because it was the requirement to harm Charybdis.
Luckily, he was on time; his beam entered Charybdis'' mouth, and managed to pierce through her body. The whirlpool instantly disappeared, and at the exact same time, Charybdis fell from the sky.
Ssh!
Her body became the only thing that disturbed the now calm sea. The people could no longer spot Sirens persuading them to jump into the sea; the only sound they could hear was the calming sound of the water.
"PACIFER!"
... And Scy''s furious shout.
Chapter 360 The Main Battle (5)
Drip. Drip.
Ignoring Scy''s soul-shaking shout, Basil looked at his bleeding hand. The power [Heaven Piercer] had contained was more than what his body could handle, so his right index finger was sacrificed in the process.
Fortunately, the sacrifice of his index finger wasn''t for naught. Charybdis had been defeated (somehow), so he didn''t have to mind about the whirlpool that was gradually devouring them.
Using True Light Magic, Basil regenerated his right index finger. The moment it reappeared, Basil immediately took out Durendal that he had previously stored before performing [Heaven Piercer].
Pointing Durendal at Scy''s direction in the next moment, he shouted, "Stop ying the shy kitty, ande here. Watching us floating around while hoping the sea will swallow us one day will not get you anywhere."
"You have a loud mouth, don''t you, Pacifer?" Scy replied spitefully.
"The reality suggests otherwise, unfortunately."
As she saw Basil''s irritating smile, Scy couldn''t help clenching her bident tightly. She really wanted to throw it at him, but she knew it worked better in her hand, so she stomped the urge down immediately.
Exhaling softly after taking a deep breath, Scy calmed herself down. She knew Basil was purposefully provoking her to make her lose herposure, so she wanted to keep a calm mind.
Tap!
mming the butt of her bident to the rock she was standing on, tens of thousands of Aquatic Demons suddenly appeared in the water. They immediately swam towards the gigantic ship the humans were on the moment she pointed her bident towards it.
"You know what you have to do," Basil said to the people hemanded.
Due to the amount of people they had lost to Scy''s mind-destroying scream and the Sirens, the people nodded their head reluctantly at Basil''s words. They were naturally worried of the Formation''s dynamic now that it had lost many people.
Basil, despite knowing their worry, chose to ignore it. The only bad thing the people''s death had done to the Formation was giving him less Energy to exploit, so he was sure the people were bound to know that nothing happened to it soon.
Ssh!
The moment the first line of Aquatic Demons jumped totch onto hull the ship, the battle resumed. They were quite weak, fortunately, so the humans were having quite an easy time facing them despite their number.
The goal of the Aquatic Demons were the same: get on the ship of the humans. While some were smart enough to throw projectiles at them, Basil still couldn''t help scoffing at how stupid the Demons were for not thinking about sinking the ship.
Being an experienced individual, of course, he knew why they didn''t think of that. They were, after all, an insignificant part of the Domain, which was the extension of the owner''s subconsciousness that didn''t possess consciousness on their own.
They were there simply to exist. They couldn''t do anything other than what they were designed to do: climb the ship of the enemy.
Their existence was the same as the golden grass covering the ground of Basil''s Domain. Just like how Basil couldn''t order the grass where to sway, Scy also couldn''t tell how the Aquatic Demons should attack Basil and the others.
Frustrating as it might seem, Scy didn''t care about it at all. Just like how many great things Basil could do with his Domain despite the fact he couldn''t decide where the grass should sway, Scy could do greater things in her Domain to defeat Basil.
"It is time for me to end thisd," Scy huffed coldly.
mming the butt of her bident to the rock she was standing on, the rock immediately sailed through the sea, heading towards Basil. Both of the people developed a smile: one out of disdain, whereas the other one out of glee.
The moment they were merely separated by 50 metres, both of them swung their swords. Basil swung Caliburn upwards, whereas Scy swung her bident to the right.
In the next moment, a pair of gigantic, ethereal, golden hands emerged from the sea; ready to entrap Scy in them. On Basil''s side, tentacles made out of water appeared on each side of the bow, ready to split the ship apart.
As Scy sted the golden hands with her Miasma, Basil used Ice Magic to freeze the tentacles. The moment the golden hands were dispersed, Basil had also reduced the frozen tentacles to fine dust.
"An Omni-Element, huh? What a monster," Scy remarked.
"A little bit ironic considering what you are, don''t you think, Scy?"
"Belongs to none of the existing species, I am just a creature. I don''t look as hideous as what I call Monsters, but yes, you can call me Monster."
"No, Scy, you are indeed not a monster." Basil shook his head faintly. "You are but a daughter who was sacrificed for her father''s ambition."
Boom!
A gigantic sphere of water was shot towards Basil with an absurd force. Deacon, luckily, had prepared his air sphere, so it could be destroyed even before it touched the hull of the ship.
Despite managing to intercept the water sphere just in time, however, the impact the sphere caused was strong enough to push the ship slightly to the back.
Everyone was surprised by the sudden movement. Regardless, the dynamic of the battle remained unaffected.
"What do you know about my life?" Scy muttered venomously.
"Is it a rhetoric or a genuine question?"
"Hmph! An ignorant human dare to act all-knowing? Ludicrous!"
"I know about you¡ªmore than you expected." Basil smiled. "Scy, the daughter of Hecate¡ªthe child that was born for the sake of fulfilling her role as the experiment subject of the research of her mother, the Goddess of Necromancy."
Scy''s eyes immediately turned murderous as she mmed the butt of her bident to the rock. The water behind her immediately rose up, slowly assuming the form of a snake-like dragon.
Uncaring to her visible ire, Basil kept talking. "Her mother conducted an experiment on the creation of a biological weapon, Charybdis, that could only be manned by an offspring of the God of the sea, Poseidon."
Crossing Caliburn and Durendal, Basil sympathetically added, "The victim of her immoral parents, who had failed to perceive the meaning of a priceless treasure ... Scy is the undesired child of Gods."
"I know... But, that doesn''t mean you have to rub it on my face!"
The snake-like water dragon rose to the sky until it found a perfect distance where it could aim its attack at Basil. It opened its mouth widely, quickly gathering Mana in it, then condense the Mana into an absurdly destructive ball of Energy.
At the same time, Basil and Deacon were also preparing themselves to fight off the dragon''s attack. Basil charged an enormous amount of Qi into Caliburn and Durendal, meanwhile Deacon opened his mouth widely to create his strongest air sphere.
"[Dimension Shredder]!"
"[Mini ck Hole]!"
The moment the two had finished their preparation, they immediately sent their Technique and Art towards the wannabe dragon at the same time it shot its ball of Energy towards them.
Basil''s Technique: [Dimension Shredder] made contact first with the shining ball of Energy. The silvery blue light strip and the golden light strip that was Basil''s Technique suddenly disappeared, then shredded the sky until it a ck hole appeared in the sky of the Domain.
Despite that being the case, unfortunately, it didn''t manage to destroy the Energy Ball. It could only stop it just long enough to let Deacon''s Art: [Mini ck Hole] make a contact with the Energy Ball.
By this point, the ck hole that Basil had created in the sky of Scy''s Domain was already closed.
The air sphere Deacon sent, which was his first Art, was trying to contain the Energy ball, and thanks to Basil''s Technique for weakening it, the sphere seeded, and weakened it even further.
It was apparent to Basil, however, Deacon''s Art wouldn''tst long, so he immediately prepared to perform an Art that would be enough to destroy the weakened Energy Ball with Durendal.
"Where are you looking at?!"
Unfortunately, just as he raised Durendal, Scy did the unexpected by rushing at him through the water. Her bident was pointed at him; in the middle of its two prongs, there was a simr but smaller version of the Energy ball that the water dragon had shot.
As Basil widened his eyes in shock, Scy smirked gleefully. The water of the sea was slowly cutting the part of the bow where Basil was standing on as an attempt to separate him from the others.
''Die, die, die!'' she screamed in her mind.
She had never been enraged this much after her own father, Poseidon, disowned her. Her rage had been quelled years ago when she established a friendship with Goap, but Basil reminded her that she wasn''t ready to let the matter go.
The closer she got to Basil, the wider her grin got. She was excited by the thought of killing him.
Basil had reminded her why she should never forgive her father, who had convinced her mother to do such a thing to her. She strangely felt killing him would be the same as exacting revenge on her father.
p!
Scy''s gleeful grin instantly disappeared the moment two gigantic, ethereal golden hands sped her bident; dispersing the sphere of Miasma she had nned to use to obliterate Basil.
In a split second, what had been supposed to happen turned into a mere sweet dream to escape the harsh reality. Bewildered at first, she immediately gnashed her teeth the moment she saw Basil''s condescending smirk.
"People are vulnerable in two situations: when they are angry, and when they are excited. I don''t know what excited you, but thank you for falling into my trap."
The real reason why Basil had raised Durendal was because he was in the process of exercising Asia, or rather, Vagus'' Art: [Derailing Charm] to stun the distraught Scy. She didn''t expect it at all, so she fell directly into his trap.
''PACIFER!''
Scy, this time, could only scream in her mind since Asia had gotten aplete hold on her. "Entranced" by Basil''s charm, she could only curse loudly in her mind as she saw Basil activate his Art: [Mountain Cleaver].
Never had she imagined she would fall for such a simple trick. She had thought that very Art would be sent to the water dragon instead of her, but the reality once again showed her it was not always what she perceived.
''I should have questioned why that dog is looking upwards,'' she thought as she looked at Deacon, who had destroyed the Energy ball with his air sphere. ''I shouldn''t have approached thisd,'' she regretted her decision.
sh!
When Durendal and Caliburn were swung down¡ªjust as the destructive Qi the two swords discharged made a contact with her skin; for the second time in her life, she tasted the bitterness of being a failure.
Chapter 361 The Main Battle (6)
¨CScy, your time has over.
¨CWhat are you talking about, Father? I am still alive! With my regeneration power, these injuries can be healed in a year or two.
¨CThat is not the point, Scy ... You went berserk, and almost killed Hera who was about to stop my conflict with Zeus. You... You can no longer stay in the Heavenly Throne.
¨CFather, was I wrong for trying to kill the wife of your¡ª
¨CYes, Scy. You are a danger I can''t control. You are a failure that needs to be put down before you do anymore harm to the Gods in the Heavenly Throne.
¨CThis... This is ridiculous! I-I won''t admit this!
A memory that Scy had long tried to forget sprung up. It was about the day when she was kicked out of the Heavenly Throne¡ªthe day where she fled to the Mortal World, carrying injuries she received from the battle and her father.
She had endured countless of hardships prior to the event, but never had she felt that hurt. Her father''s betrayal had hurt her physically and mentally.
''A failure, huh?'' she mused as Basil''s [Mountain Cleaver] split her body apart. ''Maybe, I am indeed a failure... The Monster who had almost killed Zeus'' wife, Hera, is killed by a mere human¡ªhow ironic.''
Despite the fact she was weakened, the fact that a human had killed her didn''t change. Tears came out of her eyes as she couldn''t find any good thing that had happened in her life.
Her father had never seen her as Scy, but as the core of Charybdis, the Monster who had gone berserk in the Heavenly Throne.
She was conscious the entire time the ordeal was happening. She had sworn it wasn''t her who had caused Charybdis to go on rampage, yet no one listened¡ªnot even her "parents."
She had agreed to help Poseidon, her father, in his conflict with his brother, Zeus, because she wanted her father to win. She had killed many Minor Gods for the sake of her father, but when things went wrong, she was med for it.
''The failure was Charybdis, wasn''t it?! Why? Why did you throw me away after what you had done to me, Poseidon?!''
Scy was indignant. All she had done was being a good daughter and listened to her parents'' words; she didn''t ask anything¡ªnot even a praise. In spite of that, her parents still had the audacity to antagonize her.
Her father didn''t even reconsider before he decided to throw her away. She doubted that he even had any thought about it in the very first ce.
What a sad life she had lived; after what she had endured, her wish still couldn''t be granted. Exacting revenge on her father and clearing her name was now no more than a dream.
"Knowing whom one shall give one''s heart to is the first step of living a happy life. You gave your heart to the wrong person; therefore, you suffered," Basil muttered as he saw Scy''s body fell apart. "I can''t sympathize with you, but... Goodbye, Scy."
It was nothing but a casual farewell from him. He thought nothing of it, but Scy, who had heard it in herst moment, felt that she was finally seen¡ªsomeone could finally see her as Scy, not the embodiment of Charybdis'' consciousness.
Ssh!
Scy, the unwanted daughter of Poseidon, the wronged child of Hecate, still filled with indignation towards her father''s treatment, perished at the hands of Basil Pacifer.
The irony, which was Scy''s whole life story, didn''t manage to tickle Basil''s heart, but his heart wasn''t frozen to the point of encouraging him tough at his dying opponent, who hadn''t wronged him.
Wooong!
When Scy hadpletely died, her Domain naturally disappeared. The wooden ship turned into the bloodied ground of the battlefield, the water vanished, and the sky retained its original colour.
The peopleprehend the eventte; only after the Domain hadpletely disappeared did they look around and registered Scy''s death. Her body was split in two, making them wonder what Basil had done to be able to do that.
"It has finally ended, Master," Deacon muttered. "I was using people''s Mana, but why do I feel sleepy?"
"Handling that huge amount of Mana must have burdened your body. That''s all," Basil replied simply.
"What about you, Master? Don''t you feel tired too?"
"I do. In fact¡ª"
Thud!
"Master?!"
Just before Basil could finish his words, he had fallen limply from Deacon. He only had enough time to store Durendal and Caliburn into his Spatial Ring, so he couldn''t call Ione and Iliana for help.
Fortunately, however, the two had been watching him since his battle with Scy ended. They immediately rushed to Deacon as soon as they noticed Basil wobbling, thus they managed to catch him before his body touched the ground.
Upon looking at his state, their eyes immediately widened in horror.
"Bloody hell¡ªthis state! We need to evacuate him quickly!"
"Darn it, Basil! You are really going to die this time."
Blood was oozing out from the tip of his fingers, his nose, and his ears. His state looked just slightly betterpared to the one from his battle with Charles.
They could barely feel Mana in his body. His heart was also beating so weakly, it felt like it didn''t even beat any longer.
Basil had survived worse injuries than the current one, but it was something that had happened barely two days ago. He had dedicated a full day just to heal his ruined body, but he had ruined it again.
Due to that reason, the injuries Basil had now was more fatal than the previous one. He needed to be treated quickly, otherwise his heart would stop beating, which would cause his death.
"Mother, get on me!" Deacon shouted urgently.
"Who is mother?" Ione asked in bewilderment.
"That doesn''t matter!" Iliana eximed as she jumped onto Deacon''s body while carrying Basil.
Deacon immediately shot forward the moment the three people had made themselvesfortable. The army, who had also seen the moment Basil fell down from Deacon gave Deacon way, and killed the Demons trying to block his way.
Their battle had ended thanks to Basil, but they still couldn''t bring themselves to rejoice. Other than the fact that the hero of the battle might or might not die, after all, the situation on the other side didn''t look good.
Will the hero survive his injuries? Will Goap be defeated? Will the hero''s sacrifice be for naught? Will Braxtein Kingdom end here?
Questions filled their head, and they could only hope to get the best answer.
...
Boom!
"Kuhak!"
"Rionell!"
Carlyle, the 30th Legion''s Commander looked at the 29th Legion Commander, Rionell in panic. Rionell had just received a solid blow to his abdomen that managed to put a fist-sized hole in it.
"Don''te, Carlyle! He is intentionally¡ª"
sh!
"No, it is not what you are thinking," Goap retorted in disinterest after cutting Rionell''s head.
"NOOOO! Rionell!"
"Tsk. So loud. Can''t you just weep silently?"
Goap, who had just seen Scy''sst moment a couple of seconds ago, was holding back himself from getting emotional for his friend''s death. Demons couldn''t cry, but when they were sad, they expressed it through their rage.
He couldn''t bring himself to go on a rampage¡ªmeanings, assuming his True Form¡ªright there right then. He still hadn''t killed Eban, so he couldn''t let his emotion empty him of his Demonic Mana.
Of course, he still fought more fiercely than before. Because of that, the humans were starting to feel overwhelmed.
Thanks to the fact that he fought more fiercely than before however, the humans, in turn, felt more urgent which made them be more violent.
"[Dimming Star]!"
Anthony, for example, was no longer holding back. He utilized all of the Arts he had created when he was young, and bombarded Goap with them.
One of his Arts, [Dimming Star], allowed him to create a fist-sized star that shone blindingly before suddenly and quickly taking away everyone''s vision the dimmer its light became.
The Art could only impair his opponent''s vision, but it was already more than enough to allow him to injure Goap.
Spurt!
With a swing of his Magic Sword, Anthony cut across Goap''s chest. The Demon''s blue blood gushed out of the wound profusely, but said Demon didn''t even bat an eysh at it.
"Foolish. Look what you have done to your friends," Goap sneered.
"I am aware of it, but as long as I can injure you, sacrificing my allies'' vision for 5 seconds is worth it, isn''t it?" Anthony smirked.
"What a human."
nk!
Blocking Goap''s trident with his sword, Anthony yet again managed to injure Goap. He had cut Goap''s index finger off, which extremely irritated Goap.
mming the butt of his trident to the ground, a huge amount of water came rushing at Anthony and his group as soon as Goap pointed his trident towards them.
Anthony immediately returned to the rank, and let the Priests erect a Barrier. By this point, he and practically all of the Mages had been so exhausted, they could no longer bother to erect a Barrier.
They had exhausted quite a lot of Mana, so wasting it on a Barrier would be the same as them wanting to pass out in the middle of a battlefield.
Boom!
As the water touched the Barrier that the Priests had erected, it was immediately pushed back by the Barrier. The Demonic Mana filling the water shied away, turning Goap''s attempt to sweep them clean futile.
"Cha¡ª"
Just as the water disappeared, Goap could be seen again. Anthony was about tomand the people toe at Goap at once, but his breath hitched the moment he took a glimpse of Goap''s appearance.
A pair of blue horns that were twice as long as his previous horns now decorated his forehead. The blue veins that stemmed from his horns became even more prominent, and now were spread over the sides of his face.
An exoskeleton that looked like a mask covered his mouth, giving him a mysteriously eerie aura. A ck steel-like structure covered his body, taking the role of his armour that sticked close to his body.
With a height of 325 centimetres, long limbs, and fingers that were decorated with sharp nails, Goap, who had decided to assume his True Form, instilled fear in the mind of the Priests and the Pdins.
Just like most of the people facing Goap there, the Priests and the Pdins saw a true Demon for the first time. For the first time in their life, they could finally say, for sure, they were fighting against a Demon.
Chapter 362 The Main Battle (End)
His intimidating appearance aside, the aura that Goap was exuding was enough to terrify the people. The pressure he washed them with was so overwhelming, it was hard for them to keep their feet from buckling.
It was unsightly for them considering who they were¡ªSeventh Circle Mages, Violet Core Knights, Senior Pdins, and Senior Priests¡ªbut they felt justified for being scared given how fearsome Goap currently was.
"Bollocks... Just how many people we should sacrifice to defeat this abomination." Anthony gulped dryly.
Like Anthony, the others had been excited when Basil won against Scy; which, in turn, killed Charybdis. They had thought they should end the fight quickly, so they were pumped about killing Goap.
Given the current situation however, they weren''t sure if Basil''s victory would still hold any meaning in the future. They weren''t ashamed to admit Goap was way beyond their level, and because of that, they were afraid to try fighting back.
''What if our effort end up in vain?'' was on their mind. None of them wanted move because they didn''t want to risk dying futilely. ''What if they run away after my death? Why should I die here? I want to escape this ce!''
Not even 10 seconds had passed since Goap''s transformation, but the people had thought about countless of self-deprecating thoughts. Their fear was increasingly getting stronger, along with their desire to flee the scene.
"D-Don''t question yourself!" Anthony, after regaining hisposure, shouted. "You know you can''t do that alone, but no one tells you to face him alone. Let us face this together!"
Such an encouragement in this kind of situation would usually be dismissed as a mere hypocritical statement. Anthony, however, wasn''t just anyone; he was the King of Braxtein, who had painstakingly imed his spot as the King.
Right after he said those words, he immediately dashed towards Goap. In the next moment, all of the remaining Legion Commanders who were his personal escorts, Carlyle and his friends, quickly followed him without any hesitation.
The people were knocked out of their fear when they saw the scene. They began to follow Anthony one by one; they were ashamed of their cowardly thought.
Woong!
When Anthony arrived in front of Goap, said Demon immediately swung his trident. Anthony blocked it with his Magic Sword in time, but he was still thrown away to the back because of the power Goap put behind his swing.
The people could rarely see their King fight, let alone be blown away, so the scene really made them ufortable. His status aside, Anthony, after all, was an outstanding Battle Mage; for him to be thrown away like that must mean how powerful Goap had be.
Regardless of the fact that they were intimidated, the people still came at Goap. He swung his trident here and there in response, deflecting their ded weapons.
When he tapped the ground with the butt of his trident, the ground that the peopleing at him stepped on shot out a powerful stream of water. Although none of them were hurt because of that, it was still hard for them to fully concentrate on killing him.
"Curse this water jet!" Anthony, who wasing at Goap after regaining his bnce, cursed. "He has been hiding that many tricks up his sleeves, huh? Well, it''s time to¡ª"
sh!
Anthony''s monologue was cut short when he saw that Goap had disappeared just before he swung his sword at said Demon. Like the others who were bewildered by the development, he looked around to find where Goap was.
Boom!
They found him soon after, and they couldn''t help widening their eyes in surprise. Goap was already within the rank of Priests.
Swinging his trident widely without a care, he killed more than one Priest with a swing. The Priests were panicking because of that, meanwhile the Pdins were all rushing at the Priests to protect them.
Goap''s eyes were nted on Eban, who was hiding behind the Priests he led. He didn''t even bother to help erect a Barrier to protect themselves from Goap''s attacks; he erected one, but it was merely for himself.
Aware he might have of Eban''s cowardice, Goap still couldn''t help sneering at Eban''s attitude. Eban''s selfishness¡ªhe wondered how many people could miss it for all this time.
"Let us finish our business, Eban! You know the matter can quickly be settled if you just surrender yourself!"
"Amongst all of the nonsense I have heard, yours is the most nonsensical. Don''t make meugh!" Eban responded disdainfully.
Ignoring the Pdins who were already swinging their Miracle powered swords at him, Goap sneered, and dashed towards Eban. He dashed through the ground like a streak of light, while simultaneously swinging his trident.
Tens of Priests and Pdins were cut in the process, bringing their number down to a dangerous level. The humans began to panic, they wondered if they would be able to really defeat him.
"Keuk. This ursed Demon!"
Eban couldn''t help panicking when Goap arrived in front of him. He channelled all of his Miracle into his Barrier, hoping to strengthen it, so it would have a better chance of withstanding Goap''s attack.
Shatter!
To his absolute horror, Goap easily broke it with a swing of his trident. Gone was the Barrier that should have protected him from Goap''s attack, leaving him wondering if there was going to be a miracle happened.
"[Arrow of Annihtion]!"
Fortunately for Eban, a miracle did ur. With the help of the Magic Battle Formation, Effie''s Aura Ability managed to pierce through Goap''s abdomen a second before he struck Eban.
BOOM!
Effie''s Aura Ability, after throwing Goap away, enveloped him in an explosion. Unfortunately, he survived it with a light burn.
Looking for his benefactor, Eban found her in the Eradicator group. He immediately told the Priests to retreat there as he deemed it as the safer spot in the battlefield.
The decision ted the Priests greatly; but the Mages, the Knights, and the Pdins couldn''t help frowning at it. After all, the Priests were essential to the Eliminator group.
They were their main support¡ªthe reason why the Battle Mages and the Knights could leave the rank and trade blows with Goap without any worry.
"What is the meaning of this, Head Priest Eban?!" Anthony shouted furiously.
"Your Majesty, there is no way for us to win against him. It is time to retreat, and ask for help from our neighboring Kingdoms!"
"Fucking twat!" Anthony cursed under his breath. "How dare you to tell me to ask for those snakes'' help! Do you know how many citizens I have let die just so this Outbreak can be ended without their help? How dare you to tell me to spit on their death!"
Gnashing his teeth in anger, Anthony was about tomand the Battle Mages and the Knights to engage inbat with Goap when he noticed something: although there were many humans around them, Goap was just chasing after the Priests and Eban.
"Hoh? So, that''s the case, huh? You shouldn''t have disappointed me, Eban." Raising his hand, Anthony shouted, "Everyone, stay where you are!"
The Mages and the Knights, who had also noticed who Goap''s main target was obeyed themand instantly. They were still surprised that their King made such a bold decision, but none of them said a thing as they were also pissed by Eban''s decision.
"Protect the Head Priest, quick!"
"Run as fast as you can!"
The Pdins, as Anthony had expected, didn''t follow hismand. Of course, he didn''t mind it in the slightest.
With interest, he watched as the Pdins shed against Goap. He was quite expectant towards the oue of the situation.
"Your Majesty, will it be alright? Aren''t you concerned about what the other party will say about us in the future?" Carlyle asked in worry.
"Look at them, Carlyle." Anthony pointed to the people who had previously been led by Basil¡ªthe Eradicator group. "They still haven''t fled the battlefield despite having won their fight. They know that their victory won''t mean anything if they flee the battlefield now."
"Your Majesty?"
"Those people are worth fighting for," Anthony said softly. "Those who know how to win and how to treat it¡ªthat is the kind of people I want to fill my Kingdom with ... Cowards can go kill themselves." His eyes gleamed coldly.
Boom!
The expected moment came in less than two minutes. After cutting and piercing through countless of Pdins who had stood in his way, Goap finally managed toy his hands on Eban.
Holding Eban by his neck with his right hand, he used his left hand to summon a ck, dense, spherical substance from the sky. The ominous aura and overwhelming pressure it was exuding were spread throughout the battlefield, making everyone''s feet buckle.
The battle stopped temporarily as the humans and the Demons fighting there were too intimidated by the ck substance to move. They could see it wasn''t aimed at them, but they still felt as if it was right above their head.
"Do you regret ever betraying me, Eban?" Goap sneered, though it couldn''t be seen due to the exoskeleton covering his mouth.
"Betraying you? An endless punishment will await me in the afterlife if I ever uphold my deal with a Demon!"
"Not upholding your deal is a sin that still can be punished, no?"
"It doesn''t work on Demons," Eban answered spitefully.
"Really, I don''t understand you, ''holy people''s'' logic."
Huffing coldly, Goap brought down his hand, prompting the ck substance to descend from the sky. The pressure was getting more intense the closer it got to the ground; each second of it felt like a countdown of their doom.
"Everyone, release!"
Just a moment before the ck substance touched the ground, Anthony surprised the remaining Pdins and Priests bymanding the Mages and the Knights to release their ranged Spells and Techniques.
Goap was also surprised, but he still smirked since he had expected them to do something like that. He had prepared a countermeasure, or rather, payback for them, so he wasn''t really worried about the conclusion of the battle.
Even though he couldn''t survive after receiving those ranged attacks, he was sure the people who had sent them wouldn''t too. After all, the great tsunami he had caused, which was overwhelmed with Demonic Mana, would be able to wipe them off clean.
BOOM!
When the dark spherical substance touched the ground, it expanded its size, covering Goap and Eban while eating away any matter nearby. Eban was gradually disintegrated, but Goap remained unscathed.
At least, until the Spells and Techniques reached him.
CRASH!
As the lethal Spells and Techniques were destroying Goap, the tsunami he had caused swept over the humans and the Demons in Southern Sea Region. They did everything they could to survive it, and hoped for their effort to not be in vain.
The chaos in Southern Sea Region peaked at this moment. No one could tell exactly what the end result would be, but they knew it was the end of the main battle.
Chapter 363 Build It Anew
Due to the tsunami Goap had caused, the Southern Sea looked like it had just expanded. The 30 square kilometres area in front of it was flooded by its water¡ªno matter where one looked at, one would either see floating trunks or bodies.
Flying just a few centimetres above the floodednd; Goap, who had assumed his humanoid form, looked at the scene with a dark gaze. He was heavily injured by the Spells and Techniques he had received, and his time was closing.
Clutching his fist tightly, he gnashed his teeth in anger. He had waited for two millennia, and nned everything carefully, but he still failed.
He was ashamed of himself, and also regretted that he had chosen to carefully carry out his n. He believed if he had immediately brought all of his Legions to Randalvine the moment the Outbreak ured, he would''ve been able to win the fight.
"Ku-ku-ku... Who are you to joke with yourself, Goap?" Heughed bitterly. "You know it wouldn''t work too. The current humans are indeed weaker, but they are more and braver than before."
Coughing out a mouthful of blood, Goap put his hand on the hole in his chest. It was slowly closing, but he knew he wouldn''t have anymore Demonic Mana when it had fully healed.
Flying alone already took a toll on his Mana Vein; he was even surprised that he could still survive. Looking for something firm tond on, he immediately chuckled the moment he felt a presence behind him.
"Ku-ku-ku... You are so spent, I can barely feel Mana inside you." He turned around, then was immediately greeted by a blond haired, fit, middle aged man with a haggard appearance. "You look shite, Anthony."
"At least, I don''t have holes in my body," the King of Braxtein Kingdom snorted.
Compared to Goap, Anthony was barely injured. His regal appearance, indeed, could no longer be seen due to his dishevelled state; however, he had no other injuries aside from the scratches and some bruises he had gotten from his sh with Goap.
"How could you survive?" Goap asked softly.
"The will to live; and, of course, the power of my people."
"Bollocks¡ªis what I wanted to say, but I don''t see you lying." Goap sighed as he looked at the people that came out of the flood one by one. "You, humans, really are the most troublesome pests."
"Next time, make sure to spell it Demon Killers!" As Goap smirked, Anthony immediately swung his sword at his neck.
Schwing!
Goap''s head was cut without any resistance. It fell to the floodednd at the same time the body did, and floated a few seconds after being in the water.
Anthony looked at the severed head silently, then muttered, "Heh... A severed head floats, huh? I have cut hundreds of people''s heads throughout my life, but only now do I know it."
Sighing softly in relief, he turned around and took a good look at the people who survived the battle. Most of the survivors were the Knights and Mages that fought Goap alongside him.
Very few of the Pdins and the Priests survived because they had futilely tried to save Eban. Although he wasn''t very fond of the member the Church, he still felt unfortunate of their death.
Turning his head to the left where the Eradicator group was located, he blinked his eyes in surprise when he found many of them survived. All of them were clearly weaker than his group, so he didn''t expect them to be able to pull through it.
"Ah, I see... That Formation, huh?" Anthony smiled faintly as he realized something. "Basil Pacifer... To think that he created his own Formation in the middle of the battle¡ªwhat an interesting young man."
,m Usually, instead ofmending the person who had pulled such a risky stunt, Anthony would berate him greatly; however since Basil''s Formation had worked splendidly, he didn''t feel the need to do that.
The Formation Basil had used was something that shouldn''t havee to be known until half a decade from then. It was a Formation that he had created himself in his past life, and was also introduced by him.
Anthony, naturally, didn''t know anything about it, which was why he was extremely curious about Basil. He was as excited as he was anxious about how far the exceptional genius would go.
"We have won!" Anthony raised his sword, and passionately shouted, "Glory to Braxtein Kingdom!"
The ce that was previously filled with the sound of water being blown by the wind was immediately overwhelmed with cheers. All of the people who had survived the battle celebrated their victory over Goap''s Army.
They had endured so much grief and pain for thest ten days, and now that the Outbreak was officially ended, they couldn''t contain their happiness.
...
Just a few moments before Goap''s death, the students of Randalvine Magic Institute, who had been ordered by Lawson to contain themselves in the Institute burst out of it.
They could no longer stand the people''s scream that haunted them in every second. They were well aware of their insufficient power, but it still didn''t discourage them from helping those in need of help.
Kimberley, as the most righteous student amongst the first years, led the students who had chosen to disobey their Vice Headmaster''smand. She was ready to be responsible for the death of her fellow students that she led.
Fortunately for her, her naivety this time managed to encourage the people to be responsible of their own action instead. They had clearly stated they would be ready for the consequences of their own action, so she didn''t have to be worried to be med.
"Everyone, that worm like Monster has disappeared! The amount of Monsters will only decrease from now on, so don''t be afraid!"
Charybdis, by this point, had long been defeated by Basil. The amount of the Aquatic Demons were decreasing thanks to this; which, in turn, elevated the people''s spirit to keep fighting.
Since the nearbyrge body of water near Randalvine was 20 kilometers away, even after the tsunamis Charybdis'' had caused,pared to any other area in Braxtein Kingdom, it had the least water flooding it.
The Aquatic Demons still could roam the city freely regardless; however, it was easier to defeat them. Thanks to this fact, even after a few minutes, none of the first year students of Randalvine Magic Institute had died yet.
"This is heartbreaking," Kimberley muttered as she observed the current situation in Randalvine. She had summoned Acacia, her Unicorn Summon, thus she was flying above the floodednd. "Just what is the army doing?"
"Uwaa! Mommy, no! Don''t eat mommy!"
Just as she was about to dive down, she heard a hysterical cry of a girl. Immediately flying towards the direction of where the sound originated from, she saw a little girl crying while looking at her mother that was being eaten by a shark-like Demon.
Gnashing her teeth in anger, she told Acacia to fly faster. The summon did what wasmanded, and reached the Aquatic Demon in a second.
Schwing!
Kimberley swiftly decapitated the Demon with hernce the moment she reached it. Its head fell to the ground in the next moment, allowing the body it had been munching on to also fall.
"Mommy! Oh, no, Mommy! Why¡ªwhy aren''t you moving?!"
Immediately getting down from Acacia as soon as said Summonnded, Kimberley ran to the girl, and hugged her gently. She shielded the little girl from the body of her mother that had been half eaten by the Demon she had just killed.
"Hush... Pleas be a good girl and calm down, okay?"
"No... I want mommy!" Came the girl''s muffled answer.
"Mommy is... She is no longer in the same ne as us. She has moved to another ne where she can find sce. It is a better ne than the ne we are in."
"Then why... Why didn''t mommy take me with her too?"
"Because..." Kimberley took a deep breath. "That ne only allows the people who live there to sleep. Your mommy doesn''t want you to sleep for the rest of your life, so she left you here. She still wanted you to enjoy the beauty of this ne."
The girl wept silently and hugged Kimberley tighter. Kimberley patted the girl''s back, and couldn''t help smiling bitterly the moment she felt the warmth of the girl''s tears that seeped through her uniform.
Turning her eyes to the water flooding thend, she noticed a couple of bodies of dead children floating in it. She winced as she hugged the girl in her arms tighter, and wondered when the Outbreak would end.
Ssh!
Her eyes widened in absolute horror as something came out of the water beside her. Immediately turning her head to the side, she found a crocodile-headed Demon jumping at her.
Infusing her Mana to her feet, she was about to dash away when she noticed that her feet had turned to jelly. Being so close with death, she, for the first time in her life, was frightened.
"Aca¡ª"
sh!
Just before Kimberleypletely called her Summon, and just before said Summon could help, someone came to save her. The Demon''s head was cleanly decapitated, and fell just a few centimetres away from her feet.
"Are you alright, Miss... Hey, you are a Randalvine Magic Institute''s student."
Kimberley''s saviour was a red-headed burly Knight in his twenties. His tough look didn''t match his demeanor, but it was for a good reason¡ªthe man was too easygoing to look scary.
"I am Bradley by the way." Extending his hand, he pulled Kimberley up.
"T-Thanks, I am Kimberley."
Sighing, Bradley said, "My, what is a first year doing at this ce? Don''t you know how dangerous this ce is? I thought all of you had been ordered to stay inside the building."
"I... I just wanted to help."
Bradley nced at the little girl in Kimberley''s embrace briefly before shaking his head faintly. "That is a very noble intention, but we don''t want to see anymore young people''s bodies floating aroun ... You are lucky that the Outbreak has ended."
"Huh?"
"Oh, you didn''t know? Well, no wonder. Even I know it only because my colleagues are so obsessed with the Hero of Woster."
"Basil Pacifer?"
"Surely, as a Randalvine Magic Institute''s student, you know him, huh?" Bradley chuckled lightly. "My friend said Head Commander Basil opened the way to our victory by killing Scy and Charybdis by himself, so this victory is thanks to him."
Frowning as she didn''t know what Scy and Charybdis were, Kimberley gave Bradley a questioning look.
"Charybdis was the scary worm like monster that spewed those Demons out, and Scy was the core of the monster." Smiling, Bradley muttered, "It is mind-bogggling to think the teenager who saved me in Lone Mountain is now such an amazing individual."
Many things that Kimberley failed to understand; however, one thing she could tell was the person whose back she was chasing was already far away from her.
Chapter 364 Build It Anew (2)
Outbreak referred to a phenomenon where the Obelisk retracted the Barrier of the area it had been isting due to the overpoption of the Demons staying in the area. An overwhelming amount of Demons would roam the world freely because of this phenomenon.
What one was afraid the most of this phenomenon was the fact that the Obelisk Masters, an abomination that could cause an unimaginable destruction by themselves, could also roam the world freely while leading the Demons.
Demons by themselves were already troublesome, let alone being under the lead of someone. As long as the Obelisk Masters were still alive, the Outbreak would never end.
To "end" the Outbreak, one had to kill the Obelisk Master leading the army of Demons. The moment said Obelisk Master was killed, the Demons would no longer have someone tomand them, which would in turn make defeating them easier.
For that reason, although the Demons still roamed many parts of the ces that were inhabited by the citizens of Braxtein Kingdom, due to the death of Goap, taking care of them wasn''t as difficult as it had been before.
After the news of the death of Goap was broadcast, especially, the people''s spirit rose significantly. They hunted the Demons after the news, whereas they had simply tried their best to survive prior to the news.
"Bloody hell! This brat is really testing my limit."
"Calm down, Iliana. You should just focus on keeping his heart beating."
"I am doing the best I can, but I won''t be able to keep doing it."
Uncaring to the news of the victory over Goap and his army, Ione and Iliana were busy trying to keep Basil alive. His body waspletely exhausted and internally injured, so many of his vital organs had stopped working.
They had to infuse their Mana into his body to keep those organs working, until his Mana Heart produced enough Mana to heal his internal injuries. It wasn''t an easy job, of course; it was draining them physically and mentally.
They could find many Priests that would do the job for them, but doing so would only end up exposing Basil''s identity as a Pacifer. The Pacifer, after all, had a special characteristic, which could be easily noticed by Priests and anyone from the Church.
"Keugh... It is tiring, but it is really fascinating to look at this kind of internal working. Just how could he have such aplicatedwork in his body?"
"Focus on your job, Ione. You can admire his peculiarityter."
Thus far, Iliana and Ione had been the only people who had seen the Mana Network in Basil''s body. They could never fathom how such an unusual and bizarrework could exist, which further convinced them no one other than them should see it.
Even if the Priest that treated Basil was too dumb to notice that he was a Pacifer, the bizarre Mana Network in his body would still rm the Priest.
Said Priest would then tell what he had seen to his fellow Priests, and it wouldn''t be long until the higher ups figured it out. Since the Pacifer were associated with peculiarities, they would deem Basil a Pacifer not long after.
In any case, leaving Basil to the care of anyone whom he didn''t trust should never be allowed to happen.
"How is his condition?!"
After ten minutes of taking care of Basil by themselves, Anthony barged into Basil''s tent. He had announced his presence clearly before before barging in, so Iliana and Ione weren''t surprised in the least bit.
"We already have everything under control." Iliana nced towards the door of the tent, where she could sense Priests were approaching. "We don''t need anymore help. We will take care of Basil by ourselves."
"Are you qualified for that role?" Anthony frowned lightly at the indirect refusal of help.
"Did you know who helped him stabilise his condition after his fight with Jerion?"
"The two of you..."
"Then, you should have known how miraculous of a job we had done by now."
It was clear to him that, for some reason, Iliana and Ione were against the idea of letting any Priestse near Basil.
Anthony, fortunately, didn''t know anything about the eternal feud between the Pacifer and the Church, so he didn''t think they were behaving suspiciously. Quite the contrary, he was suspicious of the Priests¡ªthe Church.
''Have they ever been wronged by anyone from the Church?'' he mused.
"From how apparent Eban''s dislike towards Basil was, I think it is already enough guarantee that they will do something unwanted to Basil''s body, Your Majesty," Iliana interrupted Anthony''s thought. "Even if it wasn''t the case, I don''t want to take the risk."
"I can''t just let the Hero of the war die though..."
"We understand your concern, but please leave everything to us. Just because you have never seen any Mage heal someone before, it doesn''t mean we can''t do that."
"T-That is..." Anthony''s eyes widened in realization and disbelief.
He had thought Iliana and Ione were also Dual Principle Practitioners due to the fact that Basil, who was the person they always went together with, was one. He didn''t think it was weird for them to help Basil heal himself because Knights often did that.
It was only then did he realize how stupid he was for thinking anyone was as gifted as Basil. Regardless of the fact that they weren''t Knights, still, what the two were capable of was mind-bogggling.
''I can''t let their capability be known by the world. Mages who can heal people? Everyone will try to put their ws on them if they hear of it!'' Already, Anthony decided to secure his talents in advance.
"Very well, I will leave him to the two of you ... Rest assured, for your secret will remain safe with me," Anthony stated stoically.
Ione and Iliana looked at each other silently. The former looked at thetter with a surprised gaze, meanwhile thetter looked at the former with a ''told you'' look.
The two immediately nodded their head and said their gratitude afterwards. Anthony got out of Basil''s tent silently, and ordered everyone to note near it.
Curious they were with the condition of Basil, the Hero of the war, none of the people dare to disobey their King''smand, so none of them barged into Basil''s tent and disturbed his rest.
Basil''s condition remained unknown even until their return. None of them could spot him in the rank on their march to home; it was as if Basil had erased himself after helping them in the battle.
"Really, how long will you remain asleep this time?" Iliana muttered. "Please don''t be forever."
Inside the private litter of Anthony that couldn''t be seen by anyone''s eyes, Iliana sat beside the peacefully sleeping Basil. She was apanied by Ione, who was looking at Basil solemnly.
"He will be fine..." Ione gently rubbed Iliana''s shoulder. "His condition is improving over time thanks to our effort, so you shouldn''t worry that much about him. Besides... He is too tenacious to sumb to death."
As if agreeing to Ione''s words, the two women could notice Basil''s mouth curved slightly. He looked as disdainful as usual even in his current state, making them wonder just when he would act humble.
For the overbearing Basil, of course, the answer was, he would never.
...
Hardships pass so slow, whereas happy times pass so quick. By the time the people know it, three days had passed since the defeat of Goap.
By this point, the story of the genius who was born only once in two millennia, Basil Pacifer, was already widespread. He became a hot topic really quick; it was hard to find youth who aspired to be outstanding Mages or Knights that didn''t know him.
Just as they thought his amazing achievements stopped at killing Scy and Charybdis, just a day after the official deration of the end of the Outbreak, the people found out that he had also saved Raneil Barony, the home of his family by himself.
The people admired him even more at the revtion. His care towards his family on top of being such an outstanding Mage and Knight quickly made him be the idol of anyone, regardless of their status.
Some stories of him became exaggerated due to some people''s abnormal obsession towards him, but fortunately none of them painted him in a bad light. They, however, had their own versions of Basil Pacifer in their mind, which Basil would definitely hate if he knew.
"Oi, it''s lunch time! It''s time to take a little bit of rest. We have seen enough bodies, so please don''t kill yourselves uselessly."
"Kuhahaha! What are you talking about? Are you that worried that we, Knights, can''t do the job right? Rx, renovating and repairing buildings are in our blood!"
The Kingdom''s reconstruction was going well. The moment the Demons were chased away from the area inhabited by the citizens, which was just a day before, the reconstruction was immediately carried out.
Everyone helped each other to make the reconstruction finish faster. Mages and Knights volunteered to do the job they usually didn''t do, which greatly elerated the progress of the reconstruction.
The atmosphere would get gloomy from time to time due to the amount of people they had lost, but they would constantly remind themselves they would only spit on the effort of the people who had ended the Outbreak by constantly mourning.
Sshk. Sshk.
In the master room of the private mansion of King Anthony, a beautiful brown-haired girl was peeling the skin of an apple with a knife. Her hand movement was so gracious, it was clear she had some knowledge in wielding a sword.
She cut the apple into ten slices and served them in a te. With a sad smile she looked at the te; she wondered if they would finally be eaten today.
"It is too calm here."
"Eh?"
Just as she was about to take the te that was filled with apple slices to the bedridden person, who was her brother, she was surprised to find him awake.
"B-Basil..."
"Is it already hard for you to call me brother now, rissa?"
"N-No... I just..."
rissa could only stay silent as Basil slowly turned his head from the window to her. She didn''t know how to react as her feet turned weak.
His bangs that partly covered his eyes, his face that was otherworldly handsome, his shirt that barely covered his toned chest¡ªeverything about him made her heart beat like crazy.
Thinking his surrogate sister was too overwhelmed by relief to react, the Hero of the First Outbreak, who was just awake from his slumber, got out of his bed, and hugged said sister.
Chapter 365 Build It Anew (End)
Thud!
Three seconds after Basil hugged rissa, his surrogate sister, Iliana opened the door of his room. She looked at the scene presented before her eyes in slight surprise, before sighing in relief.
Basil smiled faintly at her, and let go of rissa. He immediately walked towards her, and embraced her tenderly.
Iliana buried her face in his chest, then let go of her hug after a few seconds. Looking at him silently for a moment, she made him understand that she was going to say something that he might not like.
"Dad is having an audience with the King," rissa suddenly remarked. "... In case that you are wondering."
"What kind of matter requires the King of Braxtein to meet my father?" Basil looked at Iliana.
"It has something to do with your reward for your achievements in the Outbreak," Iliana answered.
"Is he giving me this private mansion of his?" Basil had asked the Guide where he was the moment he was awake, thus he knew. "I don''t still see the corrtion between that and the meeting with my father though."
Thud!
"About that, why don''t you also join our discussion now that you are already awake?"
Iliana, who was about to answer Basil''s question, was interrupted by Anthony, who had suddenly barged into the room. He was followed by Danzel, who had an awkward smile on his face.
Basil was, of course, not surprised by the development. He had sensed Anthony long ago, which had also been the reason why he had addressed Anthony as the King of Braxtein Kingdom instead of simply Anthony earlier.
"I thank you for the concern you show towards the safety of my family; however, you can''t force them to stay in this ce, Your Majesty," Basil said calmly. "They will only live in the ce where they findfort."
"Ha-ha-ha. You are an extremely intuitive and straightforward youth, aren''t you?" Anthony smiled. "I indeed nned to let your family stay in this mansion along with you, but like you wanted, I didn''t force them when they refused."
Allowing his family to stay in the capital brought equal advantages and disadvantages to him. On one hand, he could rest assured that his family was in one of the safest ces in the Kingdom; but on the other hand, he wasn''t sure what Anthony would do to them.
Anthony was regarded as one of the greatest Kings in Braxtein Kingdom''s history for a reason. He knew how to act like a King¡ªhe was smartly cunning, so he wouldn''t offer what he offered without a catch.
If he let his family stay in the capital, when the water turned murky in the future, Anthony would definitely use them against him.
"Thank you for your understanding, Your Majesty." Basil bowed politely.
"Ah, it is a little bit ufortable to talk to you like this, so I will give you time to change your clothes, and join us in the dining room. For the time being, your father and I will have a chat."
With a small smile, Anthony exited the room. Danzel gave Basil a small smile, said that he would be waiting, then exited the room following Anthony.
Looking at the two women that still stayed in the room, Basil quirked his eyebrow. rissa coughed in embarrassment then got out with a blush, whereas Iliana stayed there and looked at him solemnly.
"We are in a position where we have to choose between entering a lion''s den or a crocodile''s mouth. Be careful of what he offered, Basil. Just like the Church, he has his own interest."
Responding to Iliana''s warning, Basil merely petted her head, and said, "I have always yed with fire ever since I decided to raise to prominence. You don''t have to worry about me."
Basil was still clueless of the whole situation; however, as someone who had faced quite a lot the world''s shenanigans, he knew what Iliana was talking about. The Church was now aiming for them, and the Kingdom was offering them protection.
Whether they knew of their real identity¡ªhe had no idea about it. One thing for sure, however, they were messing with the wrong person.
...
"So, I am actually quite floored about what I should reward you with, Basil. We don''t have that much money as it is all spent on the rebuilding of the Kingdom, but we canpensate you with priceless treasures instead."
After making himself look more presentable, Basil immediately joined Anthony in the dining room. By the time he arrived there, he also found Iliana, Ione, rissa, and Shirley sitting at the table.
As he had expected to have a private discussion with Anthony and Danzel, he was quite surprised by the others'' presence. He wondered why Anthony even bothered to invite them, then realized it was an attempt to make himfortable not long after.
"The problem is, however, we don''t think just giving you a treasure from our Treasure Vault will be enough. Your achievements are by no means ordinary, so I think it is more appropriate to give you something that is... More memorable."
"What you are saying is...?"
"How about marrying into my family? I have a very shy butpetent daughter, and this is her first time showing an interest towards a man." Anthonyughed lightheartedly.
Anthony received various reactions for his words: Danzel widened his eyes in shock, rissa and Shirley choked on air; meanwhile Ione and Iliana stared at Basil, daring him to nod his head.
Basil, on the other hand, merely quirked his eyebrow and looked at Anthony with an ''are you joking?'' look. In response, Anthony suppressed hisugh, andposed himself.
"Huuh... You really are too steady for your own good, Basil. I was just messing with you." Anthony waved his hand lightly. "With that said, what kind of reward do you want? Of course, this reward is separate from thepulsory one."
Basil hummed to himself and thought for a moment. "Goap... If I am not mistaken, he wore an armlet. That armlet gave him an exceptional Affinity towards water¡ªI want it."
"As expected, you noticed it too, huh? I can give it to you, but are you sure you are okay with just that? I do admit its capability is amazing, but we have more amazing Artefacts than that in the Kingdom''s vault."
"I am fine. Besides, it is the only memorable reward that I can think of." Basil shook his head faintly. "Goap''s trident¡ªthat thing must have been destroyed, no? It would have been more preferable if not for that fact."
Smiling softly, Anthony remarked, "You really are an unusual youth." He stood up then straightened his clothes. "I invite you and your family to have a dinner with me and my family tonight. I will give you the armlet after the dinner."
Without waiting for any answer or saying any farewell, Anthony waved his hand lightly and left the mansion. His message was clear: "You have toe."
Everyone turned their head to Basil to look at his reaction. As usual, he reacted calmly, and even had a small smile on his face.
''Interesting ... This is interesting. Anthony is really currying favor with me, a nobody in his Kingdom. He also seems to be aware of the feud between me and the Church, but he is sincerely worried about me.''
Basil''s past rtionship with Anthony was neutral. Although he had never seen Anthony in a good light due to how he had treated Edward, his former fellow Legion Commander, they were by no means enemies.
Despite that fact, he still couldn''t help wondering what suddenly made Anthony show such fondness towards him. In hisst life, after all, Anthony had remained apathetic to every single talented individual Braxtein Kingdom had given birth to.
Nothing could describe the situation better than interesting.
...
Great Church of Azarthan, Azarthan City, Arthean Empire.
In the grandiose meeting room of the biggest and most prestigious Church in the entire Human Empire, the Great Pontiff Jaheim Abremson looked at the face of each of Head Priests he had invited to attend the conference.
His aged face that was riddled with faint wrinkles had a light frown on it as he couldn''t help finding the whole situation dissatisfactory. His decision to "reveal the truth" about the Demons had backfired.
He had thought the world would shower the people of the Church with gratitude after the revtion, but what they got was mockery and damnation. All of it was because of the irresponsible action of one of the Head Priests he had chosen.
"I won''t beat around the bush. Just tell me if you are a coward," Jaheim said solemnly. "I don''t want to see another coward damage our reputation in the future."
The talk about Eban''sst minute of betrayal had be a hot topic. His action made people question if the outstanding people of the Church were as brave as the "revtion" painted them to be.
The Mages and the people who hated the Church to their core used this as a chance to spread some hoax that wasn''t very far from the truth. It was about the Church secretly working together with the Demons in teh Outbreak.
Quite a lot of people believed it, which in turn made tens of conspiracy theories spread throughout the Human Empire in the span of three days. Although many dismissed those theories, they still managed to hurt the Church''s reputation.
The standing of the Church was still firm in every Kingdom other than Braxtein Kingdom. A huge majority of Braxtein Kingdom''s citizens were sure of the Church''s cooperation with the Demons in the Outbreak because Goap had seemed to know Eban personally.
"All of you know what we are doing when there are no eyes watching. I have given you my trust, so make sure to not betray it." Jaheim clicked his tongue in dissatisfaction. "If you have any n to be that idiot bastard in that future, please die here."
Compared to Braxtein Kingdom''s neighboring Kingdoms and Arthean Empire that had stayed silent during the Outbreak, although they werete, the Church was way better due to the fact they had helped Braxtein go through the Outbreak.
They still couldn''t fulfill their intended goal, regardless, which was being seen as the world''s saviour due to Eban''s cowardice. Although many people still believed in them, their hold on Braxtein Kingdom had dramatically weakened thanks to that.
"We have to keep this farce until the fated dayes. Next time, even if you have to die, keep the farce!" He sighed then massaged his forehead. "Now, let us think of a way to fix our reputation."
No matter what, they couldn''t let go of Braxtein Kingdom. Simply remaining there wouldn''t be enough; they needed to gain the trust of the people back. For that, they had to build their reputation anew.
Chapter 366 Uncannily Familiar
"I was honestly shaken when I first heard about the news ... I mean, I was happy for the news, but I just never expected my brother to make a debut during the Outbreak."
"I get that feeling well. I couldn''t wrap my head around the news too. Who knows the person you can freely cuddle whenever he is around would be such a respectable figure in a day."
"Haha. As someone who is considered a father by that person, I have nothing to say other than I am proud!"
The ice had quickly melted the moment Anthony left, allowing the dining room to be filled with the chattering of the family. Looking at his family, who were in the middle of talking about his achievements, Basil sipped his tea calmly.
Since his family had heard almost everything about the battle from the story the people spread around, they didn''t ask about it much from him. They mainly asked him about what he had felt while he was facing the Demons.
His honest answer was, of course, as simple as usual. He really didn''t feel anything¡ªbefore and after defeating Luci and the others.
"Ah, we are sorry if you feel like we are ignoring you." Danzel smiled apologetically towards Iliana and Ione. "It''s just... It has been really a long time since thest time we could genuinely have a meal like this."
"Please, don''t mind us," Iliana said. "In the very first ce, we shouldn''t even disturb your family dinner."
"Ah, what are you talking about? As Basil''s girlfriend, of course, you are part of the of the family too!"
Slightly widening her eyes in surprise, Iliana smiled at Danzel afterwards. "That is very kind of you. Thank you for considering me part of the family." Furtively ncing at Shirley and rissa, she smirked faintly.
''W-What is her deal?!'' the two girls eximed in their mind.
ck.
Basil put his teacup down and smiled faintly at the scene. He was d that after the hurdles that had passed, his family could still smile andugh.
His confidence had dropped temporarily after he lost Irene, his surrogate mother, to Nichs, a nobody. ''Will I be able to protect them from a greater obstacle?'' constantly haunted his mind after that event.
Of course, Basil wouldn''t be Basil without his extreme confidence in himself. After determining himself to train harder and gain his original power as soon as possible, he immediately regained his his confidence.
Although not everything had gone exactly as what he had nned, he was still satisfied with how things turned out. For him, as long as his goal was fulfilled¡ªkeeping his family safe and getting stronger¡ªit was fine.
"I don''t mean to ruin the mood, but the three of us have to excuse ourselves now," Iliana announced, stopping the ongoing conversation in the dining room. "Randalvine Magic Institute is calling us, and we have to be there before the banquet."
Basil was a little bit surprised that Iliana and Ione were also invited to the banquet, but he was more intrigued by the reason why Ione was also called to the Magic Institute.
From the looks of it, Ione was already aware of this fact. She didn''t look bothered at all, so she must already have an idea of what they were going to do.
"Ah, there is no helping it then," Danzel sighed.
"Why can we never get a single meal with Brother uninterrupted by matters?" Shirley harrumphed.
"This is frustrating." rissa lightly frowned. "I was nning to have Basil judge my Mastery over the Body Forging Technique he gave me."
"Well... It''ll be good if the matter can be finished quickly. Hahaha." Danzel chuckled awkwardly as he scratched his cheek.
Basil, too, was slightly irked that his meal with his family was interrupted this time. This was, after all, a rare time where he could spend his time with his family since he no longer had any urgent thing to do.
Regardless, he couldn''t just ignore the call of the Magic Institute. If it turned out to be about the matter of Eugene''s death, he needed to absolutelye; he was sure the Magic Institute would give him a solution to shoo away the pests.
"We will be back in a few hours."
Standing up, the three immediately left the dining room after saying their farewell. They got into the luxury carriage waiting in front of the mansion, and went to Randalvine Magic Institute.
"I am sorry that I immediately notified the Institute as soon as you were awake," Iliana said apologetically. "The Church is going rabid nowadays. We are afraid they will do something to smear your name."
"I understand."
Looking at the ruins that decorated the side of the road through the window of the carriage, Basil could hardly find Pdins. Usually, they were the one who actively helped people in this kind of situation.
The Church''s reputation was currently at an all time low in Braxtein Kingdom. What Eban did wasn''t that big of a deal¡ªeveryone could show their cowardice anytime they wanted¡ªbut what he did was really contradictory to what the Church imed.
For such a high-ranking individual, ording to the im, he should be fearless. He had shown the opposite, however, which made people think if what was imed was really what had been happening.
The seed of doubt was nted. Watered by the conspiracy theories and the unpleasant rumours of the Church, it quickly sprouted and rooted deeply in the people''s heart.
"How stupid," Basil scoffed as he looked at the citizensing in and out of the Church. "These people boycott the Church, but stille there to pray to their Gods? Don''t they consider the Gods to be mere fictional beings created by those people?"
"Without something to lean on, it is hard to keep standing," Ione said. "They need something that can be by their side whenever they need it. There is absolutely nothing like that, but nothing the God''s omnipotence can''t do."
"Are they really talking to the Gods?" Basil quirked his eyebrow. "No, they are just fooling themselves. They have been supporting their body with nothing but their spine. The Gods have nothing to do with it."
"It''s their beliefs. As long as they don''t force us to follow them, I don''t see the need for us to spit on them," Iliana said. "It''s stupid, but it''s what helps them sleep at night. We can''t say anything about it."
The discussion stopped after Iliana''s remark. Basil found no fault in her words, and he wasn''t too interested in the matter to keep talking about it.
The silence was preserved until they reached the Magic Institute. They immediately got out of the carriage, and opened the gate without minding the Rune carved on the gateway.
The Magic Institute was one of the few buildings that received not a single damage. Every Rune decorating it, however, was already exhausted due to the Outbreak, which was why all of them were non-active.
"Eh... That person. I-Isn''t he that person?"
"Oh my... That''s the real Basil Pacifier!"
"What? The Mythical yer is here?"
"Ah, the God of Casanova... He looks more handsome than the rumour!"
Hearing the whisperings of the people, Basil''s mouth couldn''t help twitching. He wondered what had happened for thest three days he had been out.
Iliana, who knew that Basil was annoyed by the monikers, smirked faintly. Very few could faze him, so she was really amused that people''s admiration could bother him.
News about Basil''s visit spread quickly throughout the Magic Institute. Every student who was there to report their survival couldn''t help but be curious.
They immediately crowded the ce where Basil andpany could be found. They had heard of his dislike towards crowd, fortunately, so none of them blocked his way.
Since they were looking at him from a distance that gave him enough space to not feel surrounded, Basil didn''t mind the crowd in the slightest. The only sound they made was only some mutterings, so he could also hardly find them bothering.
''They still make me feel like I am a rare Magical Beast regardless,'' Basil mused. ''Talking about Magical Beasts, where is mine? That Companion of mine really likes to go wherever and whenever he likes.''
Basil didn''t muse about the thought for long. Jacinda and Lawson were waiting for him in front of the building where the Headmaster''s office was in, so he immediately paid his respect the moment he arrived in front of them.
"Good afternoon," he said simply as he nodded his head.
"Good afternoon, student, or rather, Head Commander Basil," Jacinda replied with a smile.
"It''s good to see that you already have enough training," Lawson remarked. "Everyone was curious about when the Hero would finally open the door and stop training."
The fact that Basil was thought to be training behind a closed-door for all this time meant that Anthony was cooperating with them. He was the one who had suppressed the rumour about Basil recuperating from his injury.
"Let us cut to the chase," Basil said. "What do you need of me?"
Lawson and Jacinda looked at each other briefly before nodding their head at the same time. "We have decided to graduate you from the Magic Institute," the two said in unison.
"We have Transmission Talismans for a reason," Basil stated calmly. "Let us get into the building and throw away the facade. I can''t stand twaddles."
Smiling wryly, Jacinda and Lawson immediately let Basil andpany enter the building. They parted ways midway; Jacinda took Iliana and Ione with hers, whereas Lawson took Basil with him.
The walk to Lawson''s office was silent. Basil was not really a sociable person, and Lawson couldn''t find a single thing to say to start a conversation.
In result, this silence was preserved until the two of them entered the office. None of them spoke until one minute of silence passed.
"I ... I believe you have already known of your situation," Lawson said hesitantly. "I am aware of your feud with Eugene. Unlike the Church, however, I believe you are not so careless as to finish him to settle the feud..."
"So," Basil leaned forward. "Are you implying that I may have killed the ipetent student of yours, Eugene, whose whole team was wiped out by a horde of Demons?"
"I know it sounds stupid." Lawson sighed lightly. "But all of them are stupid, you know?"
Snorting lightly, Basil asked, "What is your offer?"
Widening his eyes in surprise, Lawson mused, ''As I expected, thisd... Is really exceptional.'' With a small smile, he gave Basil the offer.
Chapter 367 Uncannily Familiar (2)
"A Professor? Me?"
"Yes."
"I haven''t taken any examination to earn that qualification."
"That is not a problem!"
Looking at Lawson''s radiant smile, Basil couldn''t help humming to himself. He wondered why him bing a Professor of Randalvine Magic Institute excited Lawson that much.
"Did the King make a certain deal with the Institute?"
"..."
At Basil''s question, Lawson did a double take. He was slightly taken aback that Basil could even figure that fact out.
Regardless of how surprised he was by the fact that Basil could figure out about the deal, he didn''t know what to answer the question with. He was afraid that Basil would back away after hearing the deal Anthony had made with Randalvine Magic Institute.
"It is a bit shameless, but the King promised to officially support our Institute financially if we managed to make you stay at the Institute." Lawson smiled apologetically.
Humming to himself faintly, Basil shrugged lightly. "Rather than exploiting me, he just wants to keep me away from his rivals, doesn''t he?"
"Ah, yes. Also, the Church is not very fond when a Genius is born amongst the Mage, so the King wants to make sure you can live a life without worrying about their shenanigans."
"That''s very generous of him," Basil remarked. "I wonder if he is going to adopt me in the future."
Blinking his eyes in surprise, Lawson said nothing. Recalling the conversation he had with Anthony the day before, he couldn''t help thinking it was also a possibility.
¨CLike the son I never had.
Lawson was already a teenage when Anthony was born. He knew what kind of person Anthony was, and he could swear no one other than Basil had ever been viewed that highly by Anthony.
Of course, no matter how fond Anthony was of Basil, there was little to no way he would really adopt Basil. Apathetic he might look towards his sons, he still cared for them.
''Nothing, in the end, could beat the blood ties,'' so Lawson thought.
"Now that the matter has been settled, here is your diploma." Lawson took out a piece of white paper that was decorated with elegant golden carvings. "This is the proof that you are a graduate from the best Magic Institute in the entire Human Empire."
"Does Iliana get this too?" Taking his diploma, Basil took a look at it briefly before storing it in his Spatial Bracelet.
"Yes, she does. In fact, Ione does too."
"Hoh? Can you tell me about it?"
Tapping on the table as he pondered if he should tell Basil for a few seconds, Lawson eventually spoke. "Thatss... Iliana contacted me a day ago, asking me to provide ''asylum'' to Ione."
"Do you think being a graduate from Randalvine Magic Institute will be enough reason for her to be unsuspicious?"
"Of course, not." Lawson shook his head. "However, we can provide any excuse to protect people like you, Basil."
"What do you mean by that?" Basil''s eyes turned cold.
"The Pacifer. I know your n''s ongoing feud with the Church."
Boom!
Basil''s killing intent made Lawson''s breath hitched. He had expected something like this to happen the moment he addressed the matter, but never had he expected Basil to suppress him with his mere gaze.
The air got colder as the silence in the office grew deafening. Basil''s eyes were as bottomless as an abyss as he looked at Lawson; they made Lawson feel like he was gradually swallowed by the darkness the longer he stared at them.
"You forgot to breathe."
"Heeeuuuh!"
Lawson frantically gasped for air. If not for the fact that Basil had reminded him, he would never have noticed he wasn''t breathing.
"Calm yourself down. I know that you are aware of it," Basil said calmly. "You are, after all, there the day my father was executed in front of the ''judges.''"
"H-Huh?"
Lawson was inexplicably shocked and bemused. He couldn''t believe Basil had overtaken the whole conversation as easy as snapping his fingers.
Furthermore, the topic that Basil was talking about was something that almost no one other than himself and the selected few knew. Not even Iliana, his surrogate daughter knew of his past.
"You don''t have to be that shocked. You know the Pacifer can do real Magic."
"I... I am afraid¡ª"
"Halton Rothermere. Sin: mingling with one of the Witches from the Beyond, and allegedly having an offspring with said Witch. Does that ring a bell?"
After hearing those words, Lawson immediately gave up trying toe up with an excuse. It was clear to him that Basil had found out about his father from the Forbidden Section of Arthan Library since he had mentioned his father''s "sin."
What he failed to figure out was the fact that Basil knew he was present on the day of the trial. Even though there was a photograph of him and his colleagues, after all, none of them revealed their face.
He would, of course, never be able to find the reason why. Even Basil had managed to figure it out thanks to one of the Guide''s function: [Visualization].
It had been a close call. If Lawson had decided to not take off his mask to pay respect to the dead Halton, Basil would never be able to know that one of the "judges" was Lawson, even after "travelling to the past."
"I am sorry." Lawson bowed his head so low to the point of almost touching his desk. "I was still blind at that time. My friend¡ªyour father''s death was what awoken me from my blind faith."
"I am not here to hear your apology, Mr. Lawson. Why don''t you tell me of the reason why you chose to take care of Iliana."
Raising his head slowly, Lawson took a deep breath before saying, "The Pdins ransacked the Pacifer''s vige five years after your father''s death. Your mother, who had been the most wanted person for five years, was found around this time."
"Wait. What do you mean by ''found around this time?''" Basil put up his hand. "My mother... Wasn''t she held hostage here?"
A light of understanding entered Lawson''s eye. "Ah, I see... Thatss lied to you, huh? Well, I can''t me her. If I were her, I would be afraid of being honest too."
"Please, don''t keep anymore secret." Basil''s eyes darkened. "Who is Iliana, and what kind of rtionship does she have with my mother?"
Lawson looked hesitant, but upon noticing the cold gleam in Basil''s eyes, he eventually sighed and spoke.
"Iliana is..."
A fact that really shocked Basil was revealed to him. His eyes remained wide open as he listened to the real story from Lawson; he still couldn''t believe that such a lie could be kept away from him for such a long time.
Staring at his hands emptily after listening to Lawson''s version of story, Basil thought to himself, ''Why do you feel the need to hide this thing from me, Iliana?'' He was hurt and disappointed.
...
Iliana and Ione, who had finished their matters quickly, were waiting for Basil in the hall. They were leaning on the wall, while constantly ncing towards the door of Lawson''s office; they wondered what took him so long.
Iliana, who waspletely unaware of the fact that Basil had figured out the truth, worried that Basil might have an argument with Lawson instead. He was, after all, a carefree soul, who didn''t like to be under someone else.
"You can just take a seat here. Only men should act cool¡ªwe, women, don''t care about it."
At the suggestion from the voice, both Iliana and Ione turned to their right. There, Jacinda was sittingfortably in the high quality sofa that was put in the hall.
She had said that she had something to talk about with Basil, thus she was waiting for him. Unlike the two, however, she was patient enough to wait for him while calmly sipping a tea.
Thud!
As Jacinda put her teacup down, the person they had been waiting came out of Lawson''s office. Nothing changed outwardly, but Basil''s mood was slightly heavier than a few hours before.
No one other than the two Pacifer, of course, could notice that. Jacinda didn''t sense anything was amiss, and still greeted him brightly.
"I have been waiting for you, Professor Basil. Fufufu." Jacinda covered her mouth as she giggled faintly. "I can''t believe the day I call you professor came this quick."
"Headmistress Jacinda." Basil put his hand on Jacinda''s shoulder.
Stunned, Jacinda squeaked, "Y-Yes? D-Did you find the offer unsatisfactory."
"I still have something to do, so let us have our alone time somewhen in the future."
"Okay..."
Taking his hand off Jacinda''s shoulder, Basil walked towards Iliana. He pinned her to the wall as soon as he arrived in front of her, shocking Ione and Jacinda.
''Eh?! A couple quarrel?!'' the two women shouted in their head.
,m Basil''s gaze on Iliana was neutral. His heavy mood slowly went unnoticeable, until both of the female Pacifer could feel nothing from him other than neutrality.
Iliana, by this point, had been thinking about hundreds of possibilities why Basil was mad. She admitted she had done quite a lot of lewd pranks to him, but she swore she didn''t do any of that to harass him; she was just too fond of him.
She was about to immediately apologize for her pranks when she smiled bitterly. She knew, of course, she was merely entertaining a silly thought.
She had already figured out the real reason why Basil was upset, but it was rather hard for her to ept it. She wanted to believe that Basil was still unaware about it¡ªshe still wanted to spend more time with him.
''Now that the truth has been known, there is no¡ªhm?!''
Iliana''s thought was interrupted when Basil suddenly kissed her in front of everyone present there. Her eyes widened in shock and tion; she couldn''t believe the choice Basil had chosen even after knowing the truth.
"Nothing shall obstruct us." After kissing Iliana, Basil met his forehead with hers. "I am still disappointed regardless, so please think of a way to make up to me."
"... Thank you."
Iliana cried softly, and immediately buried her head in Basil''s chest. Lawson had joined the others by this point, and just like them, he was extremely bewildered by the scene.
While all of them had a different reason on why they were bewildered¡ªfor example, Jacinda was feeling bitter seeing two people being lovey-dovey with each other¡ªLawson was the only one who was bewildered by the right thing.
... Basil''s choice.
Chapter 368 Uncannily Familiar (3)
After the brief tear-inducing scene, Basil, Iliana, and Ione bade their farewell, then left the Magic Institute. Not many words were exchanged between them; even Lawson merely gave Basil an understanding look and a light nod.
There was no word exchanged either between the three people. It was as if there was a silent agreement to not talk anything about what had happened in the hall.
As they sat in the carriage, Basil was recalling the things Lawson had said to him.
¨CI knew your father well ... Halton was a Viscount that was admired by all of his subordinates. He was an outstanding Knight, who had many Mage friends.
¨CWe had discussed many things about the battlefield; he was an insightful young man who had left a memorable impression on me. Many people mourned for his "fall," and I was one of the many.
Other than the more detailed story about his father''s trial, Lawson had also told him how sorry he was.
¨CI did nothing, but watched as he was brought to the judgment room. He knew I was there¡ªhe smirked at me. The ''you are not in the wrong'' look he gave me really made my heart wrench.
¨CAs his son, I owe you my deepest apology. You can cut my head, but please, let me witness the day when Iliana can eternally smile before you do that.
Lawson admitted that he had been haunted by guilt ever since the day where he did nothing as he watched Halton being executed in front of his eyes. His guilt was even amplified the moment he saw Basil''s faint resemnce with Halton.
He had been conflicted when he had first heard someone named Basil Pacifer was participating the Regional Tournament. Although Basil''s birth had never been told to anyone, he immediately knew Basil was Halton''s son.
''Is thisd courting death?'' he thought at that time.
As someone who had been a part of the Supreme Court, he knew what it meant to be a male Pacifer: being the Fated Child and the most hunted individual by the Church.
He was d that, until now, the Church still dismissed Basil''s identity as a male Pacifer. Because of that, while their suspicion was still low, he wanted to give Basil his utmost protection¡ªby hiring him as a Professor of Randalvine Magic Institute.
Although the Institute couldn''t openly go against the Church, it could significantly limit the Church''s movement. In addition to that fact, the Institute''s rtionship with the Kingdom would be fortified, which would make the Church think twice before touching Basil.
¨CIf you can tell how simr I am to my father, why can''t the others? It seems a little bit weird to me that no one can figure out that I am the Halton Rothermere''s son.
¨CJust before I quit being a member of the Supreme Court, I killed all of my colleagues¡ªseventeen of them¡ªin a fit of rage. I am a Mage first and foremost, so killing a bunch of old men who chanted twaddles wasn''t that hard for me.
¨CIn other words, those who remembered my father''s face clearly had all died ... It is amazing to think that you could get away with it.
¨CI was using a fake identity when I joined the Supreme Court. If I hadn''t, I wouldn''t have been epted due to my well-known identity as a Mage.
¨CSo, what was actually your purpose of joining the Church''s Supreme Court?
When Basil asked that question, he was greeted by a minute of silence. He waited patiently, however, and didn''t rush Lawson to immediately answer him.
¨CFaith¡ªI wanted to prove that my faith wasn''t wrong.
Lawson had been one of the minority of Mages who followed the Church''s teaching. He had been a devoted follower, who had tasted the miracles the Gods had given him.
He had always prayed to the Gods before he went to the battlefield, and when he returned safely, he attributed it to the Gods'' miracles, instead of his skills. For years he had believed it to be the case.
When he heard an unpleasant rumour about the Church, his faith was shaken for the first time. He wanted to make sure if it was really the case, so after years of effort, he finally got admitted to be the member of the Supreme Court.
It was just a month after he had joined it, but he had found countless of the wrongdoings of the Church. His faith quickly faded; until, eventually, he ended up abhorring anyone that was part of the Church''s system.
Halton''s death was his breaking point. Just three days after Halton''s execution, he killed every "judges" present that day, and retreated into the shadow.
Only after he became a Seventh Circle Mage did he reemerge. He was immediately offered the title of nobility, and he didn''t even think twice to take it, because it would keep the Church''s hands away from him.
"Did you take the offer?"
Iliana''s question woke Basil from his thought. "I did. It wasn''t a bad deal," he answered with a soft smile. "Besides, I can do anything I want there."
"Huh, guess you and Ione will spend a lot of time together."
Turning to Ione, who was sitting opposite him in the carriage, Basil said, "I didn''t expect them to go as far as offering you a position there."
"Hm. I was surprised too, but it is something to rejoice about, isn''t it? It can be our facade until we can leave for the Pacifer''s vige after all."
Although Basil wasn''t sure if Jacinda knew about the feud between the Pacifer and the Church, by the way the Institute easily gave them the offer, he was convinced now that Lawson was really trying to protect all of them.
"What about you, Iliana?" Basil asked. "Are you going to be a Professor too?"
"Well... I don''t think I am suited for that position," Iliana said slowly. "I recently found out that I am fond of the battlefield, so I am more interested in joining the Royal Army ... To be a Legion Commander."
Blinking his eyes briefly, Basil smiled faintly afterwards. "You will make a good Legion Commander. You lead people better than you think."
"Well, that''s assuring, considering it came from a former Head Commander." Iliana chuckled. "I might reconsider though. I mean, I love you more than the battlefield, so I think it''s better to be always by your side."
Basil immediately shook his head faintly. Iliana had been an outstanding Legion Commander in herst life; now that she had developed a desire to be one again, it would be a waste to discourage her.
"Go, do what you want. The protection the Kingdom gives you is better than the Institute gives us, so you don''t need to be afraid," Basil said. "The army will bring you many opportunities to thrive."
"Kuhum! Thank you for giving me the approval," Iliana responded with a blush.
Basil didn''t quite understand why Iliana needed his approval to do what she wanted, but he nodded his head nheless. He didn''t mind protecting those he cared about, but he still preferred them to be independent.
There was, after all, no guarantee he could always be by their side. When they showed any intention to get stronger so they could protect themselves, he would do his best to support them.
...
When Basil, Iliana, and Ione got home, they immediately got busy with their own thing: Basil with giving pointers to his sisters, meanwhile Iliana and Ione with catching up to each other after being separated for more than a decade.
Time flies like an arrow¡ªby the time they knew it, there was only an hour left until the dinner with Anthony.
Since they were going to have a dinner with the Royal Family, each of them was busy with making themselves look presentable for the dinner ... Well, except for Basil.
As someone who didn''t think too much of how he should look, Basil believed he looked good in whatever he wore. It was a little bit narcissistic of him, but none could argue given his otherworldly handsome look.
Just like that, thirty minutes passed. Those who had finished dressing themselves gathered in the living room; and, surprisingly, in addition to Basil, they were Shirley and rissa.
"Y-You look handsome, Brother," Shirleyplimented shyly.
"Um... I am enamored by your looks, Basil," rissa remarked, her cheeks were bright red.
d in a white suit that was decorated with a unique ck and golden embroidery, Basil looked more formal than he had ever been. Wearing the Professor robe of Randalvine Magic Institute instead of the suit jacket, he made his identity as an outstanding Mage clear.
Naturally, it was hard for any woman who saw him to tell him he didn''t look good.
"Thank you, also, you both look great too," Basilplimented.
Shirley and rissa were endowed with beauty. Wearing the highest quality dress Basil had bought them but they never had the chance to use, they looked more beautiful than any beautiful Noble in Braxtein Kingdom.
"Your hairstyle¡ªit suits both of you well. Is there a Spell to help you make it?"
"There is no such a thing, Brother." Shirley giggled.
"Then, who¡ª"
"We did it for them. That''s why it took us long."
At the interruption, Basil turned around. He was immediately greeted by Iliana, who was d in a white dress with ck linings; and Ione, who was d in a red dress with golden linings.
None of them styled their hair; they let it loose, but they still managed to look way better than Shirley and rissa. Out of ten people they would meet, Basil was sure that no one would call them ordinary.
"Hm. Both of you look great."
The irresistible beauty the two was showing could drive any man mad, but Basil was just as casual as usual about it. Since none of the women had expected him to react more, fortunately, none of them were offended.
They understood well that Basil wasn''t really interested in anything other than his Mastery over the Principles he was practicing.
"By the way, where is pops?" Basil quirked one of his eyebrows faintly. "What took him so long to dress himself?"
Not long after he was being talked about, Danzel arrived in the living room. "Fu-fu. Everyone, how do you like this old man? I have been learning mannerisms and fashion for thest three months, and this is the result."
d in a grey suit, Danzel wore a grey tailcoat on top of his dark grey vest. He used hair wax to style his hair¡ªit looked slick, and glistened under the light.
Since all of them had never seen Danzel like that, they collectively said, "You look impressive." They immediately agreed that the unofficial clothing contest was won by Danzel.
Chapter 369 Uncannily Familiar (4)
After spending roughly 15 minutes on the road, Basil andpany arrived at the Castle. They were 15 minutes earlier than the promised time, but it was amon courtesy that one should know when dealing with the Royalty.
Upon arriving there, the people were surprised to find Edward already waiting for them. Basil, of course, didn''t think too much about it; he knew where this was going, so he didn''t find it surprising at all.
As soon as they got down from the carriage, Edward came up to Basil, and greeted him with a smile. "Good Evening, Mr. God of Casanova. I am blinded by the beauty of the goddesses you have conquered." Heughed as they shook hands.
"You have a better sense of humour than your ridiculous brothers." Basil smiled, baffling Edward with his remark. "I am d to know that I have chosen the right person to associate myself with."
"A-Ah, thank you... I guess?" Edward chuckled awkwardly. "You are as straightforward as usual, aren''t you, Basil?"
"Not really. I would have forced you to tell me what was going to happen in the dinner if that was indeed the case."
Smiling wryly as he imagined the scene, Edward turned to Basil''spany and greeted them as he put his hand on chest. They greeted back respectfully, except for Iliana and Ione, but Edward immediately told them to be casual with him.
Other than the two female Pacifers, the people decided to take Edward''s words as a mere show of courtesy, and kept talking formally. Edward, however, really meant what he said, so he felt a little bit awkward about it.
He, after all, considered himself friends with Basil, so it was hard for him to not feel awkward when Basil''s family treated him with such formality.
"Ah, I almost forgot about it, but wee to our humble abode!" Edward bowed graciously. "Allow me to guide you around the castle until the time of the dinneres."
With a light nod from Basil, Edward took them with him to explore the castle.
Basil''spany gasped in amazement from time to time due to the luxurious and grandiose scene presented before their eyes, whereas Basil didn''t show any reaction at all. It was, after all, not his first time exploring the castle.
After he had risen to the top, Basil was often called to the castle to be rewarded for his achievements. He knew every nook and cranny of the castle because of that.
Although he had always refused to spend a night at the castle, due to his frequent visits, it was no different from home for him.
''Anthony had never really enjoyed the dinner whenever he invited me. Although he kept his smile all the time, I knew he just wanted to end it as quick as he could.''
In his past life, Basil had always been invited to a dinner with Anthony''s family merely for show. It was Anthony''s attempt to show the public that the Kingdom appreciated those who excelled.
He had never been treated poorly; however, he had never been treated sincerely either. Whenever he was invited to the castle, Anthony always wore a facade to make him look happier than he actually was.
This time, Basil could tell it was different. Anthony didn''t invite him to have a dinner with him because he wanted to please the public¡ªAnthony invited him because he really felt the need to.
''He is fond of me ... Hmph! Howughable.''
The only reason why Anthony had genuinely invited Basil to have a dinner with him this time was because he was interested in Basil. Unlike thest time, Basil had emerged as the first outstanding talent this time, so he really wanted to keep Basil on his side.
Although Basil had undoubtedly been the most outstanding in his past life, there were too many outstanding talents who also rose to prominence at the same time he did. By then, Anthony was already desensitized.
Aside from that fact, Basil''s talent in his past life had also been not that mind-boggling. Everyone admitted his prowess, but they didn''t found it peculiar, thus it hardly attracted Anthony''s full attention.
"Since it is already the time of the dinner, thest ce I want to show you is our dining room," Edward said with a smile.
Pushing the door of the dining room open, Anthony and his family, who had already sat themselves pristinely at the dining table, were revealed.
Anthony immediately smiled as soon as his gazended on Basil. "Wee, Basil and his family," Anthony greeted. "Please, do take a seat."
Entering the room, each person was guided to their own seat. Basil''s seat attracted the attention of the people in the room since he was sat close to the Queen, which means he was amongst the Princes.
The First Prince was still recovering from his injury; despite so, his mother, the Queen didn''t show any displeasure towards Basil, who upied her son''s seat. In fact, she was rather d that Basil was sat beside her.
''The four concubines are here too. This is unusual,'' Basil thought to himself. ''This has never happened before, and I can tell no one other than Anthony knows what is going to happen.''
There was a deeper meaning to this dinner that Basil couldn''t tell. He couldn''t help clicking his tongue as he got a premonition that he would be dragged into the Royal Family''s internal problem.
ncing furtively at Anthony, he huffed lightly in disdain. ''Hmph! Do you think you can y with me? Let us see who is the better yer.''
As if marking the start of the battle, Anthony told the people to begin eating. They picked up their cutlery, but none of them were really focused on the food before them; they were waiting for Anthony''s talk with Basil.
"Everyone, you may talk to each other to know each other better. I want to have some talk with our young hero here, and listening to us will just make you bored to death," Anthony said with a light chuckle.
"I am also very curious about the Hero who has been the hot topic for the past three days," the Queen remarked. "Nothing about Basil will be boring, so I prefer listening to the talk you will have with him, dear."
As Basil''spany quirked their eyebrow in wonder, a look of realization appeared on the face of the Princes and the concubines. They immediately nodded their head in agreement and focused their attention on Anthony and Basil.
''These bastards... They are dragging Basil into their problem,'' Iliana clicked her tongue in distaste.
Anthony cleared his throat to make the atmosphere less heavy. It didn''t work, of course, but uncaring to that fact, he took out the Artefact that Goap had used¡ªArmlet of Sea¡ªand gave it to Basil.
"This is the prize I have promised you," Anthony said. "This armlet previously belonged to our renowned Hydro Mage. It was the Legacy he had left behind, but it had somehow ended up in Goap''s hands."
Observing the Artefact carefully to check if it had any defect, Basilmented, "If you know about it that much, the Kingdom must know where it was hidden."
After he was sure it was the real one, he stored it in his Spatial Bracelet. "A Mage''s Legacy is not something you can identify unless you are the one who inherit it; therefore, you should know why what happened could happen."
Receiving Basil''s unamused gaze, Anthony smiled pleasantly. "Indeed. I was, after all, the one who found it first. I didn''t take it because I wanted the more suitable person to have it, but now I regret it immensely."
"Your decision to not take it has nothing to do with what has happened, Your Majesty. The one whom you chose to share the information with is the reason why it happened."
"Just as sharp as the rumour," Anthony remarked. "Indeed. There is a traitor amongst us. Unfortunately, this individual is rather untouchable. Given how little the proof we have, it is impossible to hold him ountable for what he did."
Picking up his wine ss, Basilmented, "Fortunately, the rumours work well. You have done more damage to him than what he did to us."
"Very insightful indeed. Very insightful."
The talk between the two was understandable, but barely gave the listeners anything; they knew how to keep a secret remained a secret. Watching the two made the people feel like they were watching two friends having an inside joke.
It was as astonishing as it was enviable for the Princes and the concubines. The two looked like they had bonded well, which was ironic considering Anthony''s rtionship with his family.
"That aside, what is your n for the future, Basil?"
The only one who didn''t look bothered was the Queen¡ªAldrich''s mother. She looked like she was really enjoying the talk, and didn''t think much of the underlying meaning behind it.
"About that, I have a suggestion for you," Anthony quickly interrupted before Basil could answer his wife. "You have graduated from the Magic Institute, haven''t you? I have an offer for you."
"Royal Escort?" Basil quirked his eyebrow. "I am sorry, but I still want to explore the world." He shook his head faintly. "Being a Royal Escort requires me to be always by your side. I don''t want to do that, no matter how much money you offer me."
"You are really as straightforward as Edward imed." Anthonyughed. "Don''t worry. Though I really need another Escort to rece my deceased one, that''s not what I am going to offer you."
Putting down his cutlery, Anthony inteced his fingers, and leaned forward. "I want to offer you the title of The Kingdom''s Golden Apple." The room instantly turned silent as soon as the offer was given.
The Golden Apple was said to have saved the life of Braxtein Kingdom''s First King once. It was such a big deal for the Royalty, they decided to give the highest honorary title a name that was inspired by it.
The Kingdom''s Golden Apple was given only to the person who had achieved so much, the Kingdom was practically riding on his back.
So far, only three people had received the title, and they had even received it at the same time. They were the Generals who had almost singlehandedly led Braxtein Kingdom to victory in the war against Frachtenhein Kingdom and Lichtenberg Kingdom.
The title allowed them to hold the same amount of authority over the Kingdom''s military as the King. They had no official status of Nobility, but their standing was only below the King and the Queen.
For Anthony to offer Basil this title was the same as him offering Basil to be his unofficial son. Naturally, none of them couldn''t help themselves from being bewildered.
Chapter 370 Uncannily Familiar (End)
"You are offering me a title?" Basil asked calmly.
"I am offering you a responsibility," Anthony answered calmly. "To be a very well know person¡ªthe Kingdom''s icon."
"There are many people willing to be a mascot if icon is what you are looking for."
Anthony merelyughed at Basil''s response. ''Thisd is really fearless; he doesn''t care about what I might think. Good, I like it. I can''t stand being surrounded by bootlickers!''
Turning his eyes away from the smirking Anthony, Basil observed the expression of the Queen. She seemed slightly surprised, which indicated that Anthony did something that was different from what she had expected.
''Anthony is really dragging me into his family''s matter,'' Basil thought in annoyance. ''He wants to use me against his whole family, huh?''
The ongoing feud between each of his sons frustrated Anthony. All of them only cared about being the best candidate, but none of them knew how to be a good King.
From how things were going, he couldn''t see the future where his Kingdom would prosper under the rule of his sons. All of them were still immature, and he didn''t want to waste his time to guide them until they became a wise middle-aged man.
When Basil emerged, a crazy idea shed through his mind. He had quickly brushed it aside, but upon being surprised by Basil''s brilliance countless of times, he decided to go with the n.
Turning Basil into another candidate for the King.
"A talented individual like you, unlike any of our Kingdom''s officials, is liked by many people. By receiving the title, although you do not be an official of our Kingdom, you can still act like our ambassador."
"''Go and forge good rtionships with as many powerful people as you can,'' is what you are saying?"
"I am not obligating you to, but it''ll be helpful for our Kingdom to have a good rtionship with the people who are fond of you."
The Kingdom''s Golden Apple¡ªthe highest honorary title a citizen could ever receive. Treated no different from the way the Royalty was treated, anyone who received it could be the ruler of the Kingdom as long as the King wanted them to.
No one could challenge their position, not even the original Royal Family.
Although it had never happened before¡ªthe Kingdom''s Golden Apple title bearer being the King¡ªthere was no guarantee Anthony wouldn''t make it happen. Because of this, the Princes were worried ... Except for Edward.
''Flogging a dead horse will not make it move, but doing it to a sleeping horse will be a different story,'' Anthony thought as he looked at his sons. ''They need to open their eyes, and see the bigger picture.''
Anthony was hoping Basil''s presence would be able to somehow make the Princes realize what they must do. He wanted a good sessor¡ªa good King, not a snotty brat thirsting for authority.
Hemended their dedication to make their mother happy, but he didn''t want it to be their main reason to be a King. Unlike them, her knew that their mothers were also yearning for the authority.
He needed a King who could stand on his own feet, and could make a decision on their own after weighing the advantages and disadvantages of said decision. He needed a King who could cut anyone in his way ... Even his own mother.
So far, only one of his children possessed said quality¡ªhis sole daughter. He, however, didn''t want to give said daughter any authority in his Kingdom.
''She has sided with the Empire. I will never be willing to let this Kingdom fall into those greedy bastards'' hands.''
The child he had adored the most¡ªhis most talented child had been coerced by the Empire''s sweet words. She had immediately turned her back on him, and now he was waiting for the day where he had to cut his own daughter came.
"So, what is your answer, Basil?" If things went south and the reality became eternally sour, Basil would be Anthony''s sole hope. ''No matter what answer you give me today...''
''Anthony will make me King ... Laughable!'' Huffing lightly to himself, Basil said, "If being The Kingdom''s Golden Apple means I can travel and do research freely, there is no reason for me to reject it."
"That is a very good decision." Anthony smiled so bright, his family even wondered if who they saw was really him. "The ceremony will be held in two days. I am expecting your presence."
Basil nodded his head casually, and focused on his food. Anthony also did the same, allowing the room to be engulfed in a deafening silence.
The atmosphere became tense. The gaze that the Queen and the concubines gave towards Basil''s family was no longer weing.
Although it was pretty neutral, Basil''s family could detect the grudge the Queen and the concubines held against them. Their gaze turned to Basil, and Basil immediately nodded his head as soon as he met it.
''You have just gotten yourself into one hell of an ordeal. Are you aware of it?''
''Don''t worry, I got it.''
Basil was as casual about it as usual. At his confidence, Basil''spany could do nothing but trust him, like they always did.
Just like that, the dinner ended ... With Basil bing the enemy of most of the Royal Family.
...
The night passed faster than the night before. None of them had talked about Basil''s decision even after they reached home¡ªit was as if it was a sensitive topic that everyone unconsciously avoided.
While Danzel, Shirley, and rissa were really avoiding talking about it in consideration of Basil, Iliana and Ione were waiting for the perfect time. Fortunately for them, the perfect time¡ªwhere they could be alone¡ªcame earlier than they had expected.
"So, what were you thinking when you epted the offer?" In the carriage, on their way to the newly built cemetery to bury Whitney, Iliana asked Basil.
Ione was on the opposite seat, also looking at Basil in curiosity. Although she didn''t understand the underlying meaning of thest night dinner, she wondered why her Lord was willing to be "bound" to the Kingdom.
"His choice to make me a candidate for King will have nothing to do with how things will end. I will soon be the entire world''s enemy as soon as I dere my status as the Fated Child."
"I know about that." Iliana shook her head faintly. "What about your family? The moment you take that title, the people will not only know you, but also your family. You are putting them in danger."
"I have weighed the pros and cons of my decision, so naturally I have thought about that. Don''t worry, with the resources the Kingdom will give me, no one will be able to touch them."
"What about your identity? With you being this close with the Kingdom, won''t they find out about your identity sooner?"
"After receiving the title, we have a right to not be under the scrutiny of the Kingdom. Only the King has the right to scrutinize us, so anyone who dares to spy on us will face a severe consequence."
"What you are saying is...?"
"When things go south¡ªit must be the day where I make a miss that the Church can exploit," Basil said solemnly as he gazed through the window. "For example, mingling with a Witch."
In other words, the ones who still needed to be careful were Iliana and Ione. The stronger and more well-known the two got, the more the Church would be suspicious of them.
In their mind, no woman should ever be that outstanding aside from the Goddesses they worshipped and the Pacifer women.
The moment when Iliana and Ione got too eye-catching to be ignored, they would do their best to make sure if the two were Pacifers. They would be able to figure out the truth, so that day would be the day where the three Pacifers had to leave.
"Don''t worry about it too much," Basil assured. "Even if you retreated into the shadow, they would still find a way to prove you were what they thought you were."
Basil''s eyes gleamed briefly as he intoned, "Don''t be shy to show your brilliance. Make the world blind with it, and carve your might in their mind."
"That is... Rather overbearing, My Lord," Ione remarked.
"That is how I am, and how you should be from now on. In this world, weakness only invites enemies who will ambush you at the most unexpected time. Show them your strength, and they wille at you directly."
Iliana sighed lightly. "You always think aboutplicated things, but when you think simply, you really surprise me with your simplicity."
With a shrug from Basil, the conversation ceased. Iliana and Ione made a couple of small talks to fill the silence, but he didn''t participate in it, nor did he show any sign of the willingness to.
At some point, the carriage became silent as they were busy with their own thought. The path they were treading was thorny, and they would be lying if they said they weren''t slightly nervous.
"Distinguished passengers, we have arrived at the destination."
"Thank you for your work."
No matter how hard it would be, still, they had no choice but to keep treading. Painful, it would be; and worrying, it was; their story ended when they decided to stop.
"Uwah... Look at the scene. It''s really beautiful."
Upon getting down from the carriage, Basil andpany were greeted by the scene of the students from Rehearsal ss gaping at the scenery of the newly built cemetery, Chyphorse.
Chyphorse was the first cemetery that also functioned as a garden in Braxtein Kingdom. It was built to honour the outstanding Knights and Mages who had fallen in the battle to end the First Outbreak.
Because of that reason, not many people could be buried there. Even Whitney had only received the right to be buried there because of Anthony''s consideration for Basil.
"A third of it is decorated by purple hyacinths," Iliana remarked. "They know what they are doing. I don''t mind to be buried here."
Basil chuckled faintly at Iliana''s remark, which slightly surprised her. She turned to look at him to ask for exnation, but he merely patted her head, then immediately walked through the gate of the cemetery.
The people followed Basil immediately. The moment they arrived at the grave that was reserved for Whitney, he immediately activated the Rune carved on the headstone.
The grave immediately opened up, prompting Iliana to take Whitney''s body out and put it inside the grave. Basil waited for a few moments before closing the grave¡ªhe wanted them to take a goodst look at Whitney.
When they had enough, he closed the grave, and Sealed it meticulously.
Whoosh!
He didn''t feel as much sadness as he had when he had buried Iliana in his past life or when he had buried Irene. In spite of that, he still found the scene uncannily familiar.
The calming scent of the flowers, the warm wind that carried it, and the tears that fell to the ground¡ªsorrow seemed to always be apanied by them.
Chapter 371 Epilogue: Reintroduction
Although Basil andpany didn''t spend a long time before closing the grave, they ended up standing silently in front of it for half an hour. With how well preserved Whitney''s body was, it was just hard for them to leave.
''He looked no different from a sleeping person.''
''His skin¡ªit was better than a sick person''s, and he is dead!''
''Come on, why don''t you show us your prankster side, Whitney? Come out of the grave, and say that you are alive!''
Death is a clear mark that signifies the end of our life. For ordinary people, when they die, they look like a dead person; however for Mages, due to their ability to use Magic, they would look no different from a living person.
While the thought of having one''s loved one being reduced to a pile of bones by the dposer is depressing for most people, having the body remained the same even after they are dead doesn''t bring one happiness either.
As the body is reduced to a pile of bones, following it, one''s sorrow will gradually leave. Nothing can remind oneself of one''s dead loved one other than the grave one periodically visits.
One will still be reminded of the happy times one has spent with the dead, however one will rarely get wistful as one stares at the grave. One knows what the dead has be, thus one will be able to clearly say one''s loved one is dead.
That, however, wasn''t the case for Mages. Being able to preserve the dead body that well, it wasn''t umon for them to not bury the body and keep it in a ss case to be disyed instead.
Although so far only old Mage family had done it, the fact that Mages still looked like a living person after they were dead was both astonishing and saddening.
In front of their eyes, presented the body of their dead loved one, but it looked so alive, it was hard to ept the fact that their loved one was already dead.
When they missed their dead loved one, sure, they would be able to directly see the face of said loved one instead of looking at the old photographs; however, it would only bring more sorrow instead of soothing their lost.
Their loved one was there, unmoving yet looking alive; they looked like they were sleeping, but they were dead. For those empathetic Mages, it was hard.
Why wouldn''t just bury it? One might ask. The answer is, because the body of a Mage took a longer time to dpose. For most of the Mages, it was really disgraceful to bury a body in pristine condition, thus they kept it instead.
''Is he really dead? Is it okay to leave him here? What if he suddenly wakes up, and can''t get out of the grave? Is it alright for us to leave now?!''
The difference that was barely noticeable made it easy for the Mages to deny the fact presented before their eyes. Still, in the end, as people who lived based on logic, they had to ept the fact their loved one was dead.
Just like that, Basil andpany left Chyphorse Cemetery, leaving their deceasedrade alone as he had his eternal rest in hisst resting ce.
...
A day passed after the day Whitney was buried. The students of Rehearsal ss still refused to take any Mission despite the demands; mainly, because they were waiting for something they couldn''t miss.
Basil''s award ceremony.
The news had been spread madly throughout the Kingdom. Many Nobles who were normally not interested in such a thing even came to Randalvine to witness it.
Although Anthony didn''t say anything about what he would award Basil with, all of them had a strong feeling that it would be something big. Basil''s achievement in the battle was, after all, by no means ordinary.
The award ceremony was held in the King''s throne room, thus only the selected few and Nobles could attend it. Anyone could still watch the ceremony however; it was broadcast throughout the Kingdom.
Not many people had their own Visual Orb¡ªnot all of them were Mages, after all¡ªso many people crowded the public Projection Talisman, which was broadcasting the ceremony.
One of the public Projection Talismans was located near the pce, so many people gathered in front of it. If not for the fact they were looking at the projected scene in anticipation, one would think they were about to start a riot.
In the garden behind the pce, in the gazebo, Basil and Anthony sat. They were drinking their tea silently, looking really enjoying the peaceful time they had.
ck.
Anthony was the first one to put his teacup down. He looked at Basil, who was still sipping his tea calmly, and couldn''t help but smile.
''Thisd... Has he forgotten who he is sitting in front of?'' Anthony shook his head in amusement.
"Many people have crowded the pce¡ªthey are expecting the ceremony, and yet here we are sipping tea. I wonder how they will react if they know of this fact."
"Is that your way saying I am ruining your image?" Basil asked calmly.
Chuckling lightly, Anthony said, "Of course, not. I care about people''s opinion on me just as much as I care how I look."
"You seem to have put a lot of effort to look presentable though."
"Just presentable enough."
ck.
As Anthony smirked, Basil put his empty teacup down. He then looked silently at Anthony for a couple of seconds before nodding his head.
"Your family already hates me. It is time for us to go, lest I further anger them by making them wait."
"You really are... Straightforward, aren''t you?" Anthony remarked in astonishment.
"I thought you liked straightforward people."
Shaking his head as he stood up, Anthony patted Basil''s shoulder. He couldn''t help feeling bitter as he observed thed in front of him.
d in his white military suit, Basil was exuding the aura of a supreme leader. It was hard for Anthony to ept the fact that such an outstanding youth wasn''t born in his family.
''What a shame, what a shame.'' Shaking his head to shake off his bitterness, with Basil in tow, Anthony headed to his throne room.
By the time they arrived in front of the door connecting to the throne room, the officials immediately announced Anthony''s arrival. Basil was pulled aside, and told to stand in the ce they had prepared, which no one''s eyes could spot.
"Greetings Your Majesty!"
Looking briefly at the people kneeling in front of him, Anthony said, "You may be at ease." He sat down in his throne, and motioned Eldridge, his counselor to proceed with the ceremony.
"Five days ago, our Kingdom, after facing its very first crisis after winning the war against Frachtenhein and Lichtenberg, achieved a glorious victory."
"Looking back, many were lost in the struggle. However, it shan''t ever be the reason for us to ignore our triumph! Our loss shan''t ever be forgotten either, for it is there to remind us of our mistakes. We learn from it, and be stronger!"
"In the battle to end the Outbreak, a historical event which sparks our nightmare of the Age of Chaos, an outstanding young man achieved something unimaginable. He yed a very big role in the battle."
"Hard work never goes unrewarded. Today, our benevolent King will award that young man, the Hero, and you shall be the witness of this historical moment. Everyone, please wee the Supreme Genius, Basil Pacifer!"
As soon as his name was called, Basil walked from the left side of the room, which had been where he was told to wait, to the front of Anthony''s throne. His gait was leisure yet imposing.
Witnessing the youth who had been a hot topic for the past five days directly, the people couldn''t help being amazed and baffled. They had heard many ridiculous rumours about Basil, and now they could understand why.
Basil was just too otherworldly. Even though he had a youthful face, they felt like they were looking at an extremely experienced veteran.
His power that toppled the majority of the people present in the room aside, his demeanor was also so regal, it was hard for them to not instinctively bow their head at him. He was that impressive, and they found it absurd.
''Absurd rumours? Thisd looks like he really can make a Dragon his pet!'' This is, unironically, true. Basil had ever made a Dragon his pet, even though he killed it in the end due to how annoying it was.
"I greet Your Majesty." Upon being in front of Anthony, Basil kneeled ceremonially.
"Arise, Basil Pacifer," Anthony said with a smile, prompting Basil to stand up straightly. "Your achievements have pleasantly surprised me. I fought alongside you in the battlefield, and it is not an exaggeration when I say I am really impressed."
"Thank you for viewing me that highly, Your Majesty."
"Anyone who views you any lower will have to get their sanity checked." Anthony chuckled, surprising the people. It was his first time chuckling in a ceremony.
Standing up, Anthony walked towards Basil. "You became the Hero of Woster when you defeated Luci, you became the Saviour of Raneil when you Sealed it, and you became the Mythical yer when you slew Scy and Charybdis."
Stopping right in front of Basil, with a warm smile, Anthony remarked, "The amount of abominations you have eliminated is simply mind-boggling. Truly, you are the brightest talent our Kingdom has ever given birth to that I have seen so far."
Opening his palm, a badge that was half the size of his palm appeared out of thin air. The badge had a circr shield-like shape with two swords crossing each other in the back; in the middle of it, there was a small golden apple.
No one could tell for sure what the badge was since it was their first time seeing it. Some of the older Nobles seemed to recognize it, but they weren''t too sure due to the weight it carried.
"For your outstanding achievements, I, Anthony Lionheart Braxtein, your King, award you the title of The Kingdom''s Golden Apple! May your future brighten the future of the Kingdom!"
Under the shocked gaze of the people present in the throne room, Anthony patted Basil''s shoulder with a bright grin. In response, Basil smiled lightly out of courtesy and amusement.
Basil Pacifer, a name that no one had known before, was reintroduced to the world as the name of one of the Kingdom''s prominent figures that day.
Iliana and Ione, who were amongst the crowd, looked at the scene solemnly, meanwhile the devoted followers of the Church amongst the Nobles had a dissatisfied look on their face.
All of them couldn''t exactly tell where the game the King and the Supreme Genius were ying would lead to.
¡ª¡ª¡ª
End of Volume 5
Chapter 372 After Two Years
In one of the Professor''s offices in Randalvine Magic Institute, an otherworldly handsome man and an equally beautiful woman sat facing each other in a big sofa.
Both of them had a shining intricate symbol carved on their forehead. One was shining in white, meanwhile the other was shining in gold.
The man''s hand was on the forehead of the woman. He was imparting the woman some knowledge regarding their n''s Secret Art through a Magically advanced way.
The two people were none other than Basil Pacifer and Ione Pacifer. Like they always did whenever they weren''t busy with their own training or work, they were sharing each other''s knowledge to further strengthen themselves.
When Basil deemed he had shared enough, he immediately deactivated his Pacifer Seal. His golden irises slowly faded as they returned to their original colour¡ªbrown.
He took his hand off Ione''s forehead, prompting her to open her eyes. They gleamed in delight as she deactivated her Pacifer Seal¡ªit was easy to tell she couldn''t wait to practice what she had learnt.
"As expected of My Lord, your knowledge is just as vast as the Maha Dmitra''s," Ione remarked in reverence. "It is extremely mind-boggling to think that My Lord has learnt all of this by himself."
"Is that your implicit way of saying the time you have spent training under the Maha Dmitra was a waste?"
"I dare not!" Ione shook her head. "However, if I am given the choice of who I prefer to learn under, I will definitely choose you. Your teaching is way more... Enlightening."
Although Basil added his own twist in some part of the Pacifer Arts he had learnt, the reason why all of them were so enlightening for Ione was because his mother was a talented Maha Dmitra.
Basil had gotten all of the knowledge about the Arts from his mother. What he had learnt was ording to his mother''s understanding towards the Arts, so his mother really yed great role in making them more "enlightening."
Of course, Basil couldn''t just tell Ione that she should thank his mother, so he just nodded his head in eptance.
"How is their progress?" Basil asked as he got up from the sofa to make a tea for himself and Ione. "Do you think they really learn something from your teaching?"
Ione stayed silent as she observed the 2 metres tall man in front of her. His hair was tied in a high ponytail, leaving his long bangs decorating the sides of his face¡ªa style that wasmonly found in the East.
Ione still wondered why Basil suddenly changed his hairstyle; but, regardless, she thought it suited him very well. He dressed himself in a suit and a robe, so he looked like a descendant between a Noble Westerner and a Noble Easterner now.
"That kid, Xiu Li is ready to graduate," Ione remarked. "He has managed to turn his fourth Magic Circle that was a Major Circle to a Grand Circle. Holding him here will only limit his growth."
"That is indeed the case," Basil agreed. "If nothing happens, he will be able to graduate next month after taking the graduation exam."
"Is there something going to happen, My Lord?" Ione quirked her eyebrow in curiosity.
ck.
Basil put the teacups on the table in front of the sofa, and sat opposite Ione. He took a sip of his tea before answering her question.
"Although people still get the nightmare about the Outbreak that happened two years ago, thest two years have been quite peaceful. You would think the world would be more busy after the Outbreak, but that''s not what happened."
"... Indeed. The world has been treating it as if it had never happened."
"Suddenly however, six months ago, a notion about an alliance army was brought up to be discussed. In a week from now, a summit meeting between the Kings of the five Kingdoms will be held. The topic is about the alliance army."
As Basil put his teacup down, Ione gave him a pondering look. Although she got there was something fishy about it, she couldn''t tell what they should be careful about.
"The Church will also be part of the army. In other words, they will hold more authority than they originally have." Basil exhaled lightly. "We need to be more careful since Anthony won''t be able to help us when they got ahold of our tails."
Ione lightly frowned. "There should be no guarantee the alliance army is going to¡ª"
"It will happen, Ione¡ªthe forming of the alliance army," Basil interrupted. "They wouldn''t be bothered to have a summit meeting if they didn''t want to realize it."
"Even if that is the case, why should we worry about the authority the Church has over the alliance army? They won''t be able to do anything to us with that authority."
"You, Iliana, and I can''t run away from the alliance army," Basil stated simply. "Exempting three outstanding individuals from the army is the same as throwing a diamond into a dustbin: it''s a waste."
"I am sorry, but I don''t get where the concern is," Ione said awkwardly.
"They will be able to create a scenario where we have to use our ''specialty'' to survive. In a day, the word about the three of us being sphemous heretics will be spread throughout the Human Empire."
"With how bad their reputation is here..." Ione tried to reason, only to doubt her own reasoning.
"Although many will disagree, the Church has too much power to consider the opinion of those who disagree with them." Basil shook his head faintly.
"They only need one ''evidence,'' and no one will be able to say anything after the Great Pontiff tells his subordinates to hunt us. The Empire, I assume, will also give them support, so Anthony will definitely turn a blind eye on the situation."
After interacting with Anthony for two years, Basil could see his passion for bringing his Kingdom to a greater era. He was a good King who would do anything for the Kingdom, which was quite surprising for Basil.
Anthony was sure Basil would be able to bring the Kingdom to a new greater era, which was why he really cherished Basil. Because of this, he always shooed the pesky pests away from Basil even without Basil asking him to.
When the matter escted however, Basil was sure Anthony wouldn''t dare to do anything. The Human Empire, after all, would be involved¡ªhe wouldn''t dare to risk losing his Kingdom.
"Then, what we have to do is..."
"Secure our position in the army," Basilpleted. "As long as we have a solid standing there, we won''t have to worry about their scheme, because we will also be able to scheme against them."
"Is that why you are going to leave next week, My Lord?" Ione''s eyes widened in realization.
"Yes. I will apany Anthony to the summit, and secure our position."
As usual, Basil was ready when a concerning thing was about to happen. He already had ways to take on the ordeal, and Ione couldn''t help but be amazed.
It seemed to her Basil had even foreseen something like this would happen, which was why he didn''t look surprised when it was happening.
"Behave casually, while I am ger," Basil reminded. "You are no longer a stranger in this Kingdom, so you don''t have to look guarded whenever I am not around."
"I will keep that in mind, My Lord."
"Very well. Now, treat me casually, because someone is about to enter our office." Not long after Basil saying this, the door of his office was opened.
Thud!
"Excuse my rudeness, Professor!"
A student came inside the room. He stood uprightly in front of Basil''s desk, but couldn''t help buckling when Basil pinned him with his gaze.
"Tell me your business, student," Basil said stoically.
''Gah! He is no older from my brother, but his pressure is simply ridiculous! As expected of the Mythical yer,'' the student thought. "Kuhum! L-Legion Commander Iliana is expecting you in the Arena, P-Professor."
ncing at Ione briefly, Basil immediately shook his head the moment she blinked her eyes. Just like him, she also wasn''t informed of Iliana''s return from her Mission.
"You are sweating coldly. Did she threaten to kill you?"
"N-No, Professor. Not me." The student shook his head. "Legion Commander Iliana threatened to destroy the whole Arena if you don''te in a minute."
Realization dawned on the student in the next moment. "Now that I think about it... It''s already close to a minute, isn''t it?" His eyes darkened as he remembered why he had been in a hurry.
Sighing lightly, Basil snapped his fingers once. In the blink of an eye, all the three of them were teleported to the Arena in the Magic Institute.
Standing imposingly in the center of the Arena with the 6 metres tall Deacon behind her was Iliana. She was d in her Vanadium Armour, which was against the rules of the Royal Army that obligated its members to wear a white or golden armour.
By this point, her "deviance" was already well-known. Whenever one mentioned her name, one would immediately think about the the currently bmost troublesome but most outstanding Legion Commander.
She was liked by everyone due to her way of treating them. Although she looked cold all the times, she did a lot of kind things implicitly to people she deemed worthy of her kindness.
"59 seconds. Another second, and you would destroy one of the Institute''s facilities!" Iliana eximed with a smirk. "I didn''t know the famous Basil Pacifer was this tardy."
Knowing where the talk was going to, Basil couldn''t help sighing helplessly as he approached her. It was always the same pattern; so, of course, he knew what she would do next.
Everytime she came back from a long Mission, Iliana always had a few hours of being petty due to her fatigue. She just wanted to be spoiled by Basil, but she would ask it in a really roundabout way due to her pride.
"Must have been nice spending weeks alone with your sexy assistant, huh, Professor Basil?"
She would always act like a jealous wife, even though she knew she was basically throwing Basil false usations. Fortunately, Basil knew the right way to cate her.
Snapping his fingers once to Seal the Arena, he kissed Iliana without saying anything. Iliana wanted to pretend she hated it, but she ended up being to eager to return it.
Ione couldn''t see what was happening, but she still could tell. She couldn''t help shaking her head bitterly at Basil''s consideration¡ªit seemed he had realized her growing feelings towards him.
Chapter 373 After Two Years (2)
After the shenanigans, the news of Iliana''s visit was spread throughout the Institute. The students went crazy about it, because this was a chance for them to witness the Braxtein''s Strongest Couple.
Although Basil often spent his time in the Institute, he rarely got out of his office. He did sometimes give lecture to his students, but for most of the times, Ione, his assistant, was the one who gave them the lecture.
He could rarely be seen, and because of that, his appearance was something that was still more than worthy of themotion.
"Hey, that girl is giving you ''the'' eyes. Do you have a special rtionship with her?"
"No."
"Oh my, that boy too. Are you perhaps...?"
"Iliana..."
Basil couldn''t help sighing lightly as he walked through the hall with Iliana in his hand. Many students had gotten out of their ss just to witness them walking through the hall.
Basil, Iliana, and Ione were already used to it, so none of them minded the gaze. Iliana even joked around about the gazes just to get a reaction out of Basil.
Contrary to their expectations, the three''s fame soared even higher after the Outbreak. Everything they did was treated as something incredible that not anyone just could do.
Although it was indeed the truth¡ªlike that one time Basil subjugated a horde of Demons by himself in five minutes¡ªthey still thought people were making everything bigger than it should.
They had tried to somehow "calm" the people down by rarely appearing in public and just kept doing their thing¡ªtraining. It, unfortunately, didn''t bear the result they wanted; the exaggerated rumours about them spread even crazier than before.
Ever since then, they had stopped caring, and just focused on their goal. Because of that, unironically, their fame soared even higher.
¨CThe youngest Sixth Circle Mage.
¨CThe youngest Violet Core Knight.
¨CThe strongest Mage in Braxtein.
¨CThe unofficial heir to the throne.
Basil, especially, had his own status in many people''s minds. Many hadughed when people called him the Supreme Genius, but after he defeated every Seventh Circle Mage in Braxtein in an open duel a year ago, no one dared to ever dispute it.
Aside from the fact that he had six Ultimate Circles, which they thought was Grand Circles, his knowledge regarding Magic was simply mind-boggling. Many were dying to talk to him about Magic, but he always refused them by saying he wasn''t interested.
Young as he might be (19), his standing in the Magemunity was undisputable. It wasn''t rare for senior Mages to ask him for advices, no matter how ridiculous it sounded.
With that kind of person teaching in their Magic Institute, of course, Randalvine Magic Institute''s reputation also rose to an unimaginable height. Many youths tried their best to be epted into it simply because they wanted to meet the legendary Basil Pacifer.
"So, where are we going today?" Iliana asked when they were outside. "The path is blocked by these students¡ªdon''t they have sses?"
Basil merely nced at Iliana with an unamused look at her remark. This wasn''t the first time she had done it; she had always done it whenever she visited him at the Institute.
Although she knew he could just directly teleport them to the ce she wanted to visit, she still took him around the Institute because she wanted to brag about her rtionship with him.
No one dared to court Iliana because all of the men were afraid of Basil, but no woman seemed to be afraid of her fist of wrath. They kept trying their best to make him interested in them, so this was one of her ways to make it clear that he was hers.
"I have made a promise to meet Master ke and Chester today¡ªdo you want to join us?" Basil suggested.
"Oh, that is a good idea. It''s been quite a while since Ist saw Mr. ke and your surrogate brother." Iliana nodded her head in agreement, whereas Ione said nothing, like usual.
Immediately, Basil snapped his finger, and teleported them to the ce where ke and Chester were waiting for them.
Snap!
Basil''s family had been relocated to somewhere safe a year ago. Chester and ke worried that he might feel lonely, so they often visited him.
They were already close to each other in the very first ce, but they got even closer after the relocation of his family.
Around half a year ago, due to their closeness, Chester suggested Basil to call him by his name to make it more intimate. Jokingly, Basil called him brother; and much to his surprise, the very first teacher of his life cried on the spot.
He told him how touched he was by the love Basil showed him, and promised to be a good brother to Basil. Floored and baffled, Basil couldn''t bring himself to tell it was just a joke; in result, he called Chester brother ever since.
"Aha. My brother has arrived! Look at how different he ispared to a month ago." Upon appearing in the designated ce, Chester stood up from his chair, and went to hug Basil.
"You don''t seem to change at all, Brother." It had been half a year, so Basil didn''t feel awkward anymore returning the hug.
"I am not as talented as you¡ªof course, nothing changed." Smiling, Chester turned to Iliana. "Hello, sister-inw, you look as gorgeous as usual."
"Indeed. You really know how to praise a woman, brother-inw." Iliana nodded her head. "Unlike a certain someone. Fufufu." Sheughed softly as she nudged Basil.
After meeting each other quite a lot of time, Iliana and Chester found they had something inmon¡ªthey liked to get a reaction out of the steady Basil. They got along well, so they liked to joke with each other.
"Ah, hello, Miss Ione. You look as stoic as usual."
"Nice to see you, Chester."
Like usual, Chester couldn''t help smiling awkwardly after greeting Ione. She really didn''t talk much to anyone other than Basil and Iliana.
"What a happy day to be able to see the Three Stars of Braxtein gathered in one ce," ke remarked. "What a lucky old man I am." Heughed deeply.
After finishing his seventh Magic Circle, which was three months ago, ke''s demeanor changed. He used to hate having a beard and had always dressed himself to make him look younger than he was actually, but now he didn''t care anything about that.
He now had a ck beard that reached his chest, and dressed himself in a simple ck tunic. He looked older and more mysterious than before, but his entire existence was emanating the aura of wisdom.
"It''s been a month, Master ke," Basil greeted.
"You look wiser than a month ago, Master ke," Iliana remarked. "You even seem like you have created the Sage''s Stone now."
"Like usual, I can''t tell whether you are joking or mocking me, Iliana." ke smiled helplessly.
Iliana merely shrugged, then sat herself, following the others.
The maids, knowing it was their time to shine, immediately entered the scene. They put down the cookies and the tea they had prepared on the table where the people had sat themselves at.
Maids? Yes, Basil and the others were in the lovely garden behind his secret Mansion in Randalvine. They were having their reunion in the stunning gazebo that was located there.
"What about your Mission, Iliana?" Chester asked curiously.
"Nothing much. It''s just the same." Iliana waved her hand nonchntly. "We encountered a couple of Upper Middle ss Demons, but they were no problem. One of them carried a head of an Elf, but that was the only thing that was worthy of note."
"I think it is rather concerning." Chester smiled awkwardly. "Encountering Elves outside of the Great Forest of Yitoupheo is rare after all¡ªlet alone a dead one."
"Nothing to worry abut. She was just unlucky." Iliana shrugged nonchntly. "Rather than that, why don''t you talk about your research? That is the reason why you wanted to meet Basil, isn''t that?"
Chester blinked his eyes in surprise, then nodded his head slowly as he turned to Basil. Said genius was still sipping his tea, but his mind raced as he dreaded the content of the research paper Chester would show him.
Although he didn''t know if it was exactly it¡ªhe hadn''t been told about what Chester had been researching about yet¡ªbut he had a strong premonition it was the research that had led Chester to his doom in his past life.
Just like how early the alliance army was discussed, there was a possibility that Chester was going to show him that very research paper.
"I would like to ask the others to do the peer review, but I am afraid they will mock me as soon as they read the title," Chester said awkwardly. "So... You know, I am hoping my Supreme Genius of a brother will treat me less harshly."
"Great choice." Basil smiled, but it was empty. "The Possible Reason Why Humans Can Use Magic... The Origin of Magic Circles... The Truth About Spells, and Why It Works..." Basil muttered as his expression got heavier.
Raising his head after skimming through the research paper, Basil looked at the anticipating Chester solemnly. ''This is it,'' he thought. ''This is the paper that will shake the belief of the entire Magemunity.''
Thud.
Putting down the research paper, Basil said, "It is decent. It contains many assumptions, but the exnation you have given makes those assumptions usible. Still, it can''t be called aplete research when it still contains many questions."
"Well, it is mainly because of the history." Chester scratched the side of his head. "Our history is so obscure, I can''t tell which one is fabricated and which one is real."
"Is it about your theory about the existence of Gods?"
"Yes, I believe the Four Heroes were given the ability to use Magic by a God." Chester shook his head. "No, I believe the Four Heroes stole the ability to use Magic from a God."
"Why are you so sure?" Basil quirked his eyebrow in interest as he sipped his tea.
"Imagine a world where humans are in peril because hundreds of thousands of Demons infested it, killing those they see..."
Chester took a sip of his tea, then continued, "That was the situation during the Age of Chaos. Don''t you think it is weird for ordinary humans tost that long in such a dangerous environment? I mean, look at how many people we have lost during the Outbreak."
Chester''s research paper suggested that the Knight Principle used to be the only Principle humans could practice, which was the reason why humans had survived that long.
Magic was a stolen knowledge from the Gods, so hypothetically speaking no human had ever used True Magic. This im would, of course, enrage may people, but this wasn''t the only "outrageous" conclusion Chester had reached.
Chapter 374 After Two Years (End)
"Now that the existence of the Demons have been confirmed, it is not a stretch to assume, currently, High ss Demons are the only creatures who can use True Magic. By that logic, there is a high possibility that the Four Heroes were¡ªno. Just no."
Iliana shook her head faintly as she put Chester''s research paper down, then looked at him in bewilderment. She couldn''t believe what she had read¡ªshe couldn''t believe he could make such a bold im.
"Are you mental? Don''t you know that this hypothesis of yours will be considered a nder no matter how much sense it makes?"
"Well... If it turns out to be a garbage, they will just dispose it, won''t they?" Chester smiled awkwardly.
"The thing is, it''s not a garbage," Iliana said solemnly. "It makes too much sense to be discarded as such. You are just calling death upon yourself."
At Iliana''s harsh criticism, Chester sighed helplessly. He was d that she agreed with what he wrote, but he felt slightly disheartened by the scolding.
Turning to Basil, Chester wondered how he would response. Basil had been staying silent for quite a while¡ªhe was deep in his own thought.
''The Lord¡ªthe ancestor of Pacifer n was a God. Yes, that must be why he was killed.''
After reading Chester''s theory about the reason why humans could use Magic, and the difference between the Magic they used and the other races used; Basil realized about something that might be the truth behind the death of The Lord.
Chester suggested that since it was highly unlikely for Gods to descend to the Mortal World despite their existence, there was a huge possibility that the Magic the Four Heroes had taught to humans was learned from the Demons.
Basil knew that The Lord had been the one who taught the Four Heroes Magic, so that theory could be discarded immediately. What intrigued him was the theory Chester had regarding the disappearance of the Four Heroes and their emergence as Gods.
It is worth to be noted that other than the high-ranking members of the Church, no one knew about the real identity of the Four Great Gods that they worshipped. Therefore, the fact that Chester knew about the Four Heroes was already amazing.
Chester imed that the Four Heroes might have secretly cooperated with the Demons and orchestrated the whole battle against the Obelisk Masters to gain power.
Therefore, the day the Age of Chaos ended was actually the day when they already had enough power.
Chester also theorized that Magic Circle was the replication of a Magic Heart, which was the organ that any living being who could use Magic had. He gave a full exnation about it, and all of it was spot on.
For some reason however, he decided to go down the rabbit hole. Using the same method that one used to utilize a Dragon Heart, he suggested that the Four Heroes might have used a Demon Heart to be above everyone else in terms of Magic.
He suggested that, in fact, it was the reason why they were worshipped as Gods and immediately disappeared from the world after the end of the Age of Chaos,: they had too much power because of it, so they were forced to leave the Mortal World.
''The Four Heroes wanted to be Gods.''
Basil, who knew some part of the truth behind the Age of Chaos immediately figured that the reason the Four Heroes killed The Lord was because they needed his heart to reach Godhood.
It was the easiest and fastest way for someone like them, who didn''t even think twice before betraying their benefactor, to be Gods. It was the reason why the Pacifer hated the Four Heroes so much, and why the feud with the Church was still ongoing today.
[Ding!]
[Congrattions!]
[The Host has managed to solve something by himself. For that, the Guide will provide the Host with a random information that may help the Host in his journey!]
[Revtion: the location of the First Fragment is...]
Simply hearing the Guide confirming his theory about the reason of The Lord''s death alone was already something to be rejoiced for Basil; therefore, when the Guide even provided him with another precious information, he couldn''t help smiling to himself.
Despite his awareness of the greater power, instead of feeling pressured by the terrifying truth, he thought of his current life as a chance for him to reach a higher height than the one he had reached in his past life.
Although he felt the more dangerous his life became the closer he was to the truth, just like now, there was always a chance presented before him to get stronger. No matter how life-threatening the situation was, there was always a way for him to prevail.
"Basil?"
At Iliana''s call, Basil was awakened from his thought. "Yes?" He asked as he turned to Iliana.
"You have been thinking to yourself for a quite long time. What do you think about this research paper?"
Turning to Chester, Basil intoned, "I think you should postpone publishing it, and keep it locked away from any people''s hand from the time being. The water is a little bit murky right now, so I don''t suggest you to turn in something as controversial as it is."
"Is it about the Four Heroes'' nder?" Chester smiled bitterly.
"It would''ve been better if it was. It is not however, which is why you can never publish your work."
"Huh? Are you saying that the Four Heroes really used Demon Hearts to be Gods?"
"Not that hypothetical part." Basil waved his hand, bursting Chester''s bubble. "I was talking about the fact that the Four Heroes were the biggest traitors of humanity, who manipted people to think they were the great saviours."
"Oh well... That is not Magic rted, so I can''t publish that," Chester said dejectedly.
"You can actually publish the true identity of Magic Circle, but you will have to talk about how the Four Heroes learned to make it by examining a Demon''s body. Unfortunately, the Church will be hot on your arse if you do that."
Grasping his chest, Chester felt like crying. He had dedicated three years of his life to do the research, but he ended up not being able to publish his research paper due to its content¡ªhe felt bitter.
"Ah, my genius... You have cost me my three years of research," hemented, ignoring the gazes the people around him gave him. "I can''t help it. If it really is that dangerous, I have to keep it away from anyone."
Basil couldn''t help smiling ironically. ''To think that a simple rejection can save his life... Fate does work in a funny way.''
He could understand well Chester''s frustration, but being a First ss Academician worth no more than his life. It was better to not provoke the Church while they were still strong by presenting them the truth that they had tried hard to bury.
"What about your family, Basil? Are they doing well?" ke asked.
"Ah, yes. My father is so addicted to the culture of the Country of Hua, he even learns Daoism." Basil chuckled lightly. "He happens to have a sufficient talent in it, so his progress is rather satisfying."
Basil''s family was relocated to the East, which was the only ce that didn''t have any of the Church''s influence and was habitable by humans.
The idea was initially rejected by his own family, and questioned by Anthony; but they epted it after hearing his reasoning. Of course, he had given two different reasons to the two sides.
He needed a full year to prepare everything for them to stay there, and it was only possible thanks to Anthony. Said King had provided him a lot of help and connection to make everything easier for his family to settle.
Although it was hard for his family to get used to their new life at first; now, they were having a really good time there. They missed him though, so they were waiting for the time of his visit came.
"Hoho. No wonder none of them want to return to Braxtein soon." ke caressed his beard with a small smile. "How about Shirley and Julia? How much they have progressed?"
"They are about to finish their fourth Magic Circle." Basil smiled faintly, looking like a proud teacher. "They should have finished it in eight months."
Julia had also decided toe along with Shirley to Hua¡ªof course, not after days of convincing Diana to allow her. With her, Shirley improved her Mastery over Magic by learning everything from the curriculum Basil himself had made.
Julia actually already had the curriculum that she would learn from, but Basil had immediately told her to cast it away¡ªhe even called it the garbage¡ªand learn from his curriculum instead.
He didn''t do that because he cared about Julia; he did that because he wanted Shirley to have someone to trade thoughts to. In Magic, after all, even in the same subject, it wasn''t unusual for two peop!e to have a different understanding about it.
In a way, by telling Julia to learn the same curriculum, he was also elerating the learning speed of Shirley; which, in turn, would also elerate her growth. The result proved it so.
"Heuh... The curriculum you made¡ªI wonder just how many kids you may help with that." ke sighed lightly.
"Just any kids won''t do. I will only share my knowledge to those whose death makes me cry."
"That way of thinking¡ªyou are the most family-loving Mage I have ever seen."
Smiling lightly, Basil picked up his teacup. Just before he could take a sip however, someone contacted him through his Transmission Talisman.
Buzz!
Frowning lightly, he put his teacup down, and took out his Transmission Talisman. Channeling his Mana into it, he immediately heard the message the person had sent him.
[You sneaky bastard, none of my Agent can find you. Where are you right now?]
Basil heard the voice of the person he hade to be extremely familiar with. The person tried to sound angry, but failed miserably.
[Anyway, juste to the pce. Let''s have a talk over a tea. This is honestly a good news for me, but I want to hear your opinion. You are, after all, going to be involved in this matter, so I feel the need to hear it.]
The message ended there, and Basil immediately pocketed his Transmission Talisman. He had figured out what Anthony would talk about, and he couldn''t help wondering how the story would unfold this time.
After two years, he finally got busy again.
Chapter 375 Building A Good Relationship
"Will you two immediately go home after this?"
"No. Is that some kind of an implicit way to tell we are not wee to stay?"
"Anthony contacted me, so I want to resume our talk tonight."
Upon hearing Basil''s words, ke immediately nodded his head with a smile. He hadn''t forgotten that Basil was the undisputed Supreme Genius of Braxtein, whom the King held dearly, so there was no reason for him to hold Basil back.
"That old man really knows when to disturb our time, doesn''t he?" Iliana frowned as Basil stood up.
"It won''t be long, I promise," Basil replied before kissing her.
Turning to Ione, Basil nodded his head lightly as his way to tell her he was entrusting Iliana to her. She nodded her head back, and that was the cue for him to leave.
Snap!
He disappeared in a sh, leaving the people wondering what news woulde out after the discussion he had with Anthony. They had an inkling that something big would happen soon.
...
Due to security reasons, Basil was only allowed to set a [Checkpoint] in the garden of the pce. He, of course, had set an undetectable [Checkpoint] in the inner part of the pce, but he never teleported himself there whenever he was called to the pce.
The reason was simple. He didn''t have any intention to betray the Kingdom yet¡ªhe wasn''t strong enough.
"Wee, Master Pacifer."
Despite teleporting himself in the garden, Basil was still greeted by the guards as if he came from the gate. They already knew Basil''s habit, so they always came there whenever they heard he wasing.
Anthony didn''t necessarily tell them to¡ªBasil even preferred not being greeted at all whenever he visited the pce¡ªbut they still came there to see Basil, whose brilliance shook the entire Kingdom.
"That was quick. I thought I was interrupting your time with your sweetheart."
Upon stepping into the stunning gazebo they always had their talked in, Anthony greeted Basil with a knowing smile. Basil didn''t show much reaction; he merely sat himself down.
"She was pretty pissed about that." Basil nodded his head lightly. "She said she might consider beating another Commander from the Royal Escort."
"Please, tell her to be more tamed. Last time, she beat up a Legion Commander simply because said Legion Commander identally sneezed beside her," Anthony replied with a wry smile. "Very few soldiers now dare to even look at her."
"Don''t worry, that is just how she expresses her love."
"My arse tells more sense than that statement, and it can''t even speak," Anthony retorted dryly.
Silence abruptly filled the space between the two as soon as the tea was ready. Both of them were avid tea connoisseurs, so they really took their time in enjoying their tea.
Half a minute passed¡ªafter they had appreciated the tea enough, they put their teacup down. Looking at each other silently for a couple of seconds, both of them nodded their head at the same time.
"That was shite," Basil remarked.
"It was shite indeed." Anthony agreed as he clicked his tongue. "For it to be sold for a hundred gold per gram is simply a disgrace."
In this world, a hundred gold could already feed a family of six for ten months. It was an enormous amount of money, and Nobles would even bulge their eyes out if they heard it was spent on a mere gram of tea.
Obviously, as a King, Anthony wouldn''t buy tea for a gram; he bought more than a kilogram of it, which means he had spent more than a hundred thousand gold on it. It was a very expensive tea, which was one of the reasons why it was good.
Despite so, the two connoisseurs still dared to trash talk the tea. The high price didn''t affect their ptes¡ªthey had enough money to buy tons of it¡ªso they were quite honest in their opinion.
"Kuhum! That aside, let''s talk about business."
"I don''t get paid enough to be your business partner," Basil retorted dryly.
"My support is priceless," Anthony stated surely, prompting Basil to shake his head faintly. Taking that as a cue to Basil''s readiness to have the talk, he said, "The summit will be held in a month."
"It is postponed?"
"Yes. We have thought about it, and we decided to be a bit bolder about it."
Basil hummed to himself as he looked at Anthony. The idea of forming the alliance army was his; he suggested it when he was having a casual chat with Anthony over a tea half a year ago.
That was the reason why he wasn''t really surprised when the discussion was brought up sooner than it should. Despite so, he didn''t expect that his suggestion would immediately be realized after half a year.
"In this summit, who do we want to convince?" Just in case, Basil asked.
"The other four races," Anthony answered simply.
In his past life, the alliance army was first suggested by Arthean Empire¡ªthe Human Empire. A summit was conducted between the Five Emperors of the Five Races, and the alliance army was formed a week after it.
The alliance army was formed to counter the Outbreak and conquer the Obelisks that had the potential to have an Outbreak. Themand was held by the Human Emperor by vote, and it went very well until the Great Pontiff held some authority over it.
"This is not what we initially nned."
This time, Basil suggested that the alliance army should be formed between the Five Kingdoms of Arthean Empire to avoid the Great Pontiff meddling in the affair.
Braxtein Kingdom, as the pioneer, should be able to hold the biggestmand over the alliance army, but now that the other races had been involved too, themand would fall into the hands of the Empire sooner orter.
In other words, by the end of the day, the Great Pontiff¡ªthe Church would take full control of it just like how it had been in his past life.
"This is a very bad decision on your side. I am disappointed." Basil shook his head.
"I knew you were going to say that. As I expected, we really have many things inmon," Anthony remarked with a smile. "Hear me out¡ªlet me exin myself. What we are aiming is not all of the races, but those who are willing to be our allies."
"Please, don''t torture me with the suspense. Exin in details."
"Rather than an intra-imperial rtion, what we are going to cultivate is an intra-royal rtion. The Empire has no right to meddle in our business as long as it concerns the affair between one Kingdom to another Kingdom."
"You do know that the terms ''Kingdom'' only exists in the Human Empire, don''t you? Other than ours, none of the remaining four Empires have Kingdoms under them," Basil reminded. "It won''t work."
Smiling gleefully, Anthony remarked, "Very keen indeed. Very keen." Clearing his throat, he exined, "Although the remaining four Empires don''t have Kingdoms under them, they have many tribes under them. We are going to establish a cooperation with them."
Basil already got where the talk was going, but he still couldn''t help shaking his head. Anthony was too naive to think a tribe would be able to help them a lot.
A tribe had a poption that was less than the people inhabiting a Viscountcy. No matter how powerful their physique was or how good they were in Magic, it wouldn''t affect the overall power of the army as long as they didn''t have a powerhouse.
"I know what you are thinking, and I have thought about it too," Anthony assured. "One of the most prestigious Elven tribes is having a little bit of a problem. As long as we can help them, we will be able to rope the other tribes and powerhouses in."
"Hoh? That is interesting." Basil quirked his eyebrow. He never heard anything about this ''problem.''
"You see, the eldest daughter of the head tribe is feeling lonely. She needs someone to apany her, so I want you to¡ªI was joking! I was joking."
Anthony stopped joking around when Basil stood up. He knew Basil would really nope out of the project if he kept pushing his buttons, so he immediately got serious ... Of course, not after chuckling a bit more.
"There was a little misunderstanding between a certain tribe of Light Elves and a certain tribe of Dark Elves. The misunderstanding has quickly escted, and the Light Elf''s side reached out to us to ask for our help."
"They need our skills in negotiation?"
"Huh? How did you know?" Anthony blinked his eyes in surprise.
"That is very predictable. Elves are very bad at expressing themselves."
A tant lie had just been told. Basil knew about it not because the Elf''s nature, but because this event had happened in his past life before.
The Elven Race had been known as the third most peaceful race after the Fairies and Spirits. They rarely had a conflict with each other; so in his past life, the world was quite shocked to hear them having a conflict.
None had dared to meddle but the humans. They immediately visited the Great Forest of Yitoupheo like a Knight in a shining white armour to salvage the situation.
After spending a week there, however, they immediately retreated because they had figured out the real reason of the ''conflict.'' They didn''t dare to proceed anymore after losing so many people.
"I will go," Basil said simply. "Let me bring Iliana and her Legion with me."
Sipping his tea with a small smile, Anthony asked, "Are you sure you only want to bring a Legion with you? This conflict may result in a disappearance of either of the two sides¡ªI can provide you with ten Legions."
"Don''t worry. I don''t need them to fight in a war." Basil smirked faintly. "I just need them to make sure no pest approaches me when I am busy with my things."
Anthony didn''t understand quite well what Basil was talking about, but he nodded his head nheless. He knew Basil had another brilliant idea, and he trusted him enough to let him do what he deemed fit.
''It wasn''t clear what Mythical Beast it was, but there is a possibility they fought a Dragon back then,'' Basil thought to himself with a smile. ''What matters is, it was said it had lost its Core. If nothing changed... The current me should be able to take it down.''
Chapter 376 Building A Good Relationship (End)
In Basil''s past life, the Elves had decided to ask the other races to help them solve the problem that they couldn''t handle. They didn''t want to involve that many races, however, which was why they had imed they had a little misunderstanding.
They knew the human was the nosiest race; and as they had expected, the human quickly took the bait. The reason why they aimed for the humans to aid them, however, wasn''t because they trusted the humans.
The Elves had a good rtionship with all of the existing races in this world, except for the human. The nature between the two races contradicted each other, so they couldn''t find the middle ground where they could get along with each other.
Because of that, rather than bringing harm to the races they had a good rtionship with, the Elves decided to "sacrifice" the humans instead.
"A Mythical Beast? Isn''t that guess too farfetched?" Iliana, standing in front of the Legion shemanded, frowned. "If that is really the case, I don''t see any reason for us to even go there."
"This is an opportunity, which is why I agreed to go," Basil answered calmly.
Two days had passed since Basil''s discussion with Anthony. The news of his departure to Yitoupheo for "diplomatic reasons" was announced a day after, sparking the people''s interest and joy.
Unaware of what was actually happening, the people were optimistic that Basil would be able to strengthen the rtionship Braxtein had with the Elves.
"Which tribe is having the ''conflict'' again?"
"Alphoetra."
"It is currently managed by the daughter of the Elf Empress, no?"
"Yes."
"What a cunning bastard."
Iliana clicked her tongue in distaste¡ªshe didn''t like to be yed. After hearing the truth about the "conflict" from Basil, she developed a dislike towards Elves in general.
"Well, what can I say? You are going to be the leader this time¡ªI will just follow yourmand." In the end, she shrugged nonchntly, and entrusted everything to Basil¡ªincluding her Legion.
Gazing over the Legion in front of him, Basil gauged each of the soldiers'' individual prowess. He didn''t need to worry about their discipline¡ªIliana had guided them well¡ªbut their individual prowess was slightly unsatisfactory.
His eyes squinted judgementally, and that gesture made the back of the soldiers sweat. Compared to Iliana, Basil was just scary on another level.
Boom!
"Gahak!"
"Kaahk!"
"T-This pressure...!"
Because they were going to face a Mythical Beast, Basil wanted to see how well they could tolerate intimidation, thus he exposed them to his refined killing intent. None of them fell to the ground, but they were shaking uncontrobly.
''This is not my full killing intent, but I''ll ept it,'' he thought. ''They will be able to stay awake upon being exposed to a Coreless Dragon''s killing intent.''
Dragons had a special Art dedicated solely to intimidate their opponents. Other than their capability to use Magic with just a couple of words, that Art was one of the reasons why facing against them was a nightmare.
Those who had a weak heart could only dream of being able to stay alive upon being exposed to the overwhelmingly immense killing intent.
Retracting his killing intent, Basil casually asked the soldiers, "Were you afraid?" He acted as if he hadn''t just done anything a few moments prior.
"Y-Yes, sir!" Even though they still hadn''t gotten over with their fear yet, the soldiers still could answer loudly.
"Good. At least all of you are brave despite your shorings." Basil meant well, but the soldiers still couldn''t help feeling criticized. "Keep in mind that you have to show, at least, this much bravery in front of our enemyter."
"Yes, sir!"
Nodding his head lightly, Basil turned around. He then hopped on to Deacon''s back, prompting Iliana and Ione to do the same afterwards.
Deacon, who had been lowering his body, stood straightly, allowing the soldiers to marvel at his mighty appearance. Two years had passed, and the King Saberwolf was on the verge of bing a Tyrant Saberwolf¡ªhis might was undisputable.
"We have soldiers following behind our back¡ªtake it slow," Basil reminded.
"Yes, Master," Deacon answered stoically.
"Soldiers, March!"
At Basil''smand, the Legion marched, leaving Randalvine, the capital of their beloved Kingdom. No one saw them off¡ªnot even the King himself¡ªbut they didn''t feel disheartened in the least bit.
¨CDo you want to be cheered at?
¨CIf you want to be cheered at so much,e home with a victory. Carrying the people''s cheers when you leave, but bearing the people''s tears when you return is a disgrace!
¨CIf you want to hear the cheers, hear them when you return. For that to happen, excel!
Basil''s words were constantly repeated in their mind like a reminder. They admired greatly the way he thought, and that pumped them up even more.
With vigour and enthusiasm, the people headed to the north, where the Great Forest of Yitoupheo was located.
...
In the center of the Great Forest of Yitoupheo, the Empire of the Elven Race was located. It was nothingpared to the territory the Human Empire ruled over, but a nce was all it needed to tell it was more well off than the Human Empire.
Although most of its people integrated their house into a tree, the buildings that stood alone there were grandiose enough to make all of the Human Kings wonder just how much money should have been spent to build all of them.
The houses that were integrated into the trees also didn''t look shabby. The architecture looked elegant and fancy.
The craftsmanship was simplymendable, and the fact that most of them were made by the help of the Spirits would simply boggle one''s mind.
"The Mythical yer? Do you mean Braxtein Kingdom''s Supreme Genius?"
"Yes, Your Highness..."
"Oh... This is bound to be interesting, Nissena."
In one of the biggest buildings in the Elven Empire, Padeitophys¡ªin the bedroom that was decorated with grandeur; one could find two women with a blonde hair, a pair of pointed ears, and a peerless beauty.
The first Elf was exuding an aura unique to rulers and Royal descent. She even had a beautiful tiara sitting on top of her head, which further emphasized her status as the Princess of Padeitophys Empire.
She was the sole daughter of the Elf Empress, Tinuviel, the current chief of Alphoetra Tribe. Her beauty, elegance, and intelligence were undisputed¡ªmany Elves agreed her position as the next Empress was guaranteed.
The beautiful Elf kneeling beside her was her right hand and her loyal bodyguard, Nissena. The two were childhood friends¡ªthey had spent a hundred years together¡ªso their bond was unquestionably strong.
"On the other side, we have the wielder of Joyeuse from Frachtenhein Kingdom. I wonder how Basil Pacifer, as the wielder of Durendal, will react the moment he meets the person whose sword is said to be made out of the sword he wields."
"The wielder of Joyeuse is known because he wields Joyeuse, Your Highness," Nissena remarked. "He is but a Peak Stage Violet Core Knight, who became exceptional because of the sword."
"What are you hinting at?" Tinuviel quirked her eyebrow delicately as she turned to Nissena. "Basil Pacifer is clearly superior?"
Nodding her head, Nissena exined, "No one knew Basil Pacifer wielded Durendal until every Seventh Circle Mage in Braxtein Kingdom saw him cut a mountain in a swing with it."
"Unlike the wielder of Joyeuse, he is not a braggart. In fact, if it wasn''t for the fact that he came to the Peak Summit, no one would know he had Durendal with him."
"Peak Summit is an event where all of Braxtein Kingdom''s Seven Circle Mages gather, isn''t it?" Tinuviel remarked. "Now that you talked about it, the one who imed he wielded Durendal was the Royal Appraiser too, not himself."
Tinuviel hummed to herself, causing Nissena to ask in curiosity, "Do you have something in mind, Your Highness?"
"He refused the Royal Appraiser''s offer to appraise his other sword, didn''t he? I wonder what the identity of that sword is."
Smiling in wonder for a couple of seconds, Tinuviel eventually shook her head. "Well, it doesn''t really matter. What matters is, who will be able to help us y that Beast."
"Pardon my insolence, Your Highness. May I ask you a question?" Nissena asked respectfully.
"Pray tell, my servant."
"Why are you so sure that the humans will help us until the end? No matter how greedy they are, that Beast, after all, no longer has its Core to be extracted. Fighting it without gaining anything¡ªI don''t think they will help us as soon as they find out about it."
Nissena''s concern was the reason why the humans had retreated in Basil''s past life. The people who had gone there simply didn''t see any merit in helping the two tribes who were trying to kill the Coreless Mythical Beast.
Upon being confronted abut it, the two tribes vehemently denied that they had known beforehand of the Mythical Beast''s existence until the end. This caused a bad blood between the Human Empire and the Elven Empire.
The Elven Empire''s decision to backup the two tribes appalled the other races. They, who didn''t expect their action would backfire on them, really panicked when there was no one willing to help them.
The responsibility to salvage the situation was entirely put on Tinuviel, the Empress'' daughter. She seeded in the end, but at the cost of losing one of the small Elven tribes in Padeitophys.
Ashamed of her ipetence, she decided to kill herself, which had really saddened the Empress, her mother greatly.
Of course, this was all in the past. No one knew what would happen in this timeline, but Basil had her fate in his hands.
"That man, Basil Pacifer¡ªI feel we have a lot inmon. For some reason, I believe he will stay even after finding out the truth."
"Is it another one of your supernatural sense episodes, Your Highness?"
"Who knows?" Tinuviel smiled as she put her hand on her chest to feel her beating heart. "We just have to be ready for what he will request of us."
Knock. Knock.
The two ceased their conversation when someone knocked on the door of Tinuviel''s bedroom. Said Princess immediately allowed the person to speak, but not to enter her bedroom.
"The Braxtein''s Golden Apple, Basil Pacifer, has arrived, Your Highness."
"Your message is heard. Off you go," Tinuviel dismissed the guard. Turning to Nissena, she smiled. "It has only been two days, hasn''t it? Let us greet our guests. They must be tired due to their travel."
"Yes, Your Highness."
Standing up, Nissena followed closely behind Tinuviel as they headed out to meet Basil and his entourage. Both of them were hoping he was the one who they could have a good rtionship with.
Chapter 377 A Good Tongue Game
"Hmm... It looks even better than Azarthan, and it is saying something considering thetter is our Empire''s capital city," Iliana remarked as she looked around territory governed by Alphoetra Tribe.
Even though they weren''t the first one to head to Padeitophys, they still arrived there first. They had rushed on their way there, so it was slightly relieving that the scene was worth the rush.
They knew they wouldn''t be able to enjoy the beauty of the scenery the moment the representative of Frachtenhein Kingdom arrived.
"Why don''t we get down, and greet them or something?" Iliana wondered.
"They are but mere tribesmen¡ªservants." Basil gestured at the line of Elves standing in front of Deacon while marvelling at him. "You shouldn''t be on the same ground as them until their Master arrives."
"Has spending your time too much with the King changed you to an obnoxious Noble?" Iliana remarked humorously.
"It is calledmon courtesy. We are the representative of the Kingdom, and we shall behave as such, unless we want to look like a bunch of imbeciles who know nothing about manners."
"... That just sounds obnoxious, really."
"I think the Tribe Chief who makes us wait is the one who is obnoxious," Ione retorted. "Those who need shall ask. It is amon courtesy to be on the spot the moment the guest whom you asked help from arrives."
Finding no worth in debating¡ªthe logic was sound too¡ªIliana shrugged nonchntly. She was actually slightly disappointed that Ione even sided with Basil, but she realized she was the one who was wrong, thus she stayed quiet.
After another minute of silence, the waited person could finally be seen. Tinuviel and her vessel, Nissena, were just a few meters away from them, so they immediately got down from Deacon to not look rude.
... Except for Basil.
Gazing upwards absurdly, Iliana and Ione asked him what he was thinking with their eyes. He was the one who had reminded them aboutmon courtesy, and now he was the one being rude¡ªthey couldn''t understand him.
Turning to Tinuviel to look at her reaction, the two women heaved a sigh of relief when said Elf could still keep her gracious smile.
"Greetings to the Golden Apple of Braxtein Kingdom. I am Tinuviel tia Alphoetra, the Chief of Alphoetra Tribe." Tinuviel bowed politely. "I am very ashamed for making you wait."
"It must have been hectic dealing with the matter by yourself. Your tardiness is understandable," Basil said neutrally. "I am currently facing a problem too. I identally hurt my feet, so forgive me for my rudeness; I can''t get down and walk beside you."
Gazing at Basil from the corner of their eyes, Ione and Iliana sighed in admiration. No one but him dared to tantly lie to an Elf, who could read people like an open book.
"Ah, that is too bad, isn''t that?" Tinuviel closed her mouth in sympathy, giving the impression she really believed what Basil said. "I will immediately guide you to the Manor I have prepared for you, so our best Healer can immediately treat you."
"That will be preferable. Thank you for the hospitality."
The Supreme Genius and the Elf Princess smiled at each other. Their smile indicated nothing but a deration of war.
''This brat... Really? Just admit that you were joking!''
''As expected of My Lord, he never hesitates finishing the game he has started.''
Iliana and Ione had a different thought regarding the matter, but none of them showed anything outwardly. When Tinuviel led them with her entourage following closely behind them, they stayed silent and kept being professional.
The soldiers knew how to act professional too; none of them looked around in wonder even though it was their first time visiting Padeitophys. They remained stoic and marched mechanically, giving them the impression of an indestructible army.
"Here is the Manor that I have prepared for you, Master Basil. It is not as grandiose as yours, but I can assure you it will give you morefort."
The Manor that Tinuviel had prepared for Basil to stay in was located in a vast field that was surrounded by trees. There were many huts decorating the field, which could be used by the soldiers as their sleeping ce.
"The architecture of the Manor is better than mine. It looks more grandiose than any Manor I own; but, definitely, it won''t be asfortable," Basil remarked with a smile, prompting Tinuviel to look at him. "Nothing is warmer than one''s own home."
"Ah, that is indeed the case. Pardon me for my cockiness."
Tinuviel couldn''t help a smile. She had thought Basil would insult the Manor she had prepared for him, so she was d he was being honest.
Thud!
Just as Tinuviel was about to take them into the Manor, Basil jumped down from Deacon, andnded firmly on the ground. She was astonished by his action, and intrigued by what his reason would be.
"Marvellous! What a good environment the Elves are living in," Basil eximed in amazement. "The Qi in the air is so pure, I can heal my injured feet by just circting it throughout my body."
''Bollocks!'' the two female Pacifers eximed in their mind.
"..." Meanwhile, the Elf Princess was too astonished to say anything. ''I¡ªI have been yed. I have been yed in my own game!''
"That is a good news to hear! What a miraculousnd we are living in indeed," she remarked after some time.
Basil lightly smiled at the still astounded Tinuviel and nodded his head lightly as a way to tell her that she could take them inside the Manor. She shook her head faintly, then returned the smile before taking them inside.
The soldiers remained outside, and maintained their rank in front of the Manor. Deacon had already shrunk himself¡ªperching on Basil''s shoulder, he followed the others into the Manor.
"It looks just like how I imagined it to look like," Iliana remarked upon entering the Manor.
The interior of the Manor resembled the interior of any Church one could find in the Human Empire, but with more grandeur. Instead of being heavily decorated with gold, the room was sufficiently decorated with jewels that made it look elegant.
Tinuviel gave them a brief tour around the Manor, then excused herself afterwards. She wanted to give them some time to rest before having the talk about the problem Alphoetra Tribe was facing after the representative from Frachtenhein Kingdom arrived.
Getting out of the Manor, Basil organized the soldiers who were still lining up in front of it.
"This is a foreignnd. No matter how peaceful the people im it is, it doesn''t hurt to be careful," he eximed. "These huts are big enough to host two of you. I want the Knights to pair up with the Mages and stay in the same hut."
As the soldiers looked at each other, he added, "Anyone who can''t find their pair of the same gender can join me in the Manor."
Although they were slightly dejected, none of the soldiers dared to show it. They nodded their head seriously, hiding the fact that they secretly wanted to have some fun.
As soon as Basil dismissed the soldiers, they immediately scurried away, and entered their huts to rest. Since the ratio of male to female and Mages to Knights was equal, all of them found their pair.
Basil entered the Manor afterwards, and meditated until Tinuviel was ready to call them.
...
In the library inside the house of Alphoetra Tribe''s Chief, Tinuviel was staring outside the window with her hand on her chest, feeling her beating heart. She was reliving the memory of the event that had just happened a few minutes ago.
"Nissena," she said to her vessel. "That man, Basil Pacifer¡ªis he a descendant of a long lost Elven Tribe?"
"I have heard of the Pacifer, but I am sure it was a human n, Your Highness."
"Huh... It is strange, isn''t it? I mean, can you believe someone as charming as him is a human?" Tinuviel quirked her eyebrow as she turned to Nissena. "Those two girls too. Dye their hair gold, and no one will believe they are not of Elven descent."
"I... Am sure they are humans, Your Highness."
"What about Basil Pacifer? Can''t you feel it? His heart is pumping Mana¡ªjust like us!"
"Your Highness..."
"Yes?" Tinuviel lightly frowned at Nissena''s hesitant tone. "Pray tell me your concern."
"Are you perhaps infatuated with Master Basil, Your Highness?"
Gasping in utter shock, Tinuviel covered her mouth. Her eyes widened in disbelief as she stood up abruptly, knocking down her chair.
Infatuation¡ªshe was confident she would never have one. The only love she knew was her love towards her mother, so she never understood how someone could show love to someone other than their mother.
She never learned, nor was she ever told about what infatuation meant. Hearing Nissena''s statement, she was shocked to find herself experiencing something that she thought she would never experience before.
"No, wait. You have never even been infatuated with someone¡ªhow can you tell it is infatuation?" Tinuviel frowned. She was genuinely thinking about it.
"Your Highness, can you tell me what you feel whenever you think about him?"
"Ah, my heart beats faster, and I have this urge to meet and talk to him all day."
Tinuviel was actually just interested in Basil''s intelligence because he was the first person to have ever beat her in her own game. She just wanted to see how simr they were.
"Your Highness, ording to my friends, that is what you call infatuation," Nissena said surely and seriously. "You have fallen in love, Your Highness. You have just met your first love!"
"First love?!"
s, the two inexperienced maidens couldn''t really differentiate between a simple curiosity and infatuation. Both of them reached an utterly false conclusion, and they weren''t even aware of it.
"What do I do? What do I do? Do I have to send a marriage proposal immediately?!"
"Calm down, Your Highness! First, let''s make sure if the other party is also interested in you. Forcing someone to spend the rest of his life with you is an insult to our principle."
"Yes... Yes, you are right." Tinuviel nodded her head. "I will just capture his heart during his stay here."
As someone who knew how the event had ended in another timeline, Basil had a full control over Tinuviel''s fate. Unfortunately for him, however, he couldn''t predict how the story would develop this time.
Chapter 378 A Good Tongue Game (2)
"Your Highness, the wielder of Joyeuse has arrived."
"I will be there in any moment."
After spending three hours pondering how she should pursue her "first love," Tinuviel finally calmed herself down. No matter how shook she was by the revtion, she needed to be professional when greeting the guest.
"Let''s go."
Nodding her head at Nissena, she headed out to meet the representative of Frachtenhein with Nissena on her side.
Just like Braxtein, Frachtenhein Kingdom provided its representative with an army. Tinuviel could already feel the fierce aura they were exuding from afar.
The amount of soldiers the wielder of Joyeusemanded was thrice the amount of the soldiers Basilmanded. Unlike Basil''s soldiers however, his soldiers were not sensible enough to adjust their pressure.
They were, after all, there to help, not to dere a war.
"How impolite! They are the one asking for help, but we are the one who have to wait."
"It is to be expected, Lord Cyane. There is no way people who live in this kind of ce know something called manners."
The conversation between the wielder of Joyeuse and his second-inmand made the ears of the Elven guards twitch. Although they knew their Tribe Chief was the one to me, they just couldn''t stand being trash talked.
"I am sorry for making you wait, Sir Cyane Candlestone."
Even before one of the Elven guards said something unwanted however, Tinuviel came to cate all of them and prevent the situation from escting.
"The days have been hectic for me¡ªI really needed the rest." Tinuviel shook her head shamefully before bowing lightly. "This is very embarrassing, so please forgive me for my insolence, Sir Cyane."
"All good." Cyane waved his hand lightly. "As a Knight, I am not really a fan of formality. As long as you do feel sorry about it, I can easily brush that blunder aside."
"Thank you for your understanding." As Tinuviel gave Cyane her realistic but fake apologetic smile, she thought, ''This man''s ego is greater than his power.''
Observing him for the first time, she also couldn''t help sneering inwardly. ''His mediocre appearance aside, he isn''t even as charismatic as Basil. Why does he act all mighty when someone who is better than him doesn''t even unt his power?''
Cyane Candlestone was a young Noble and a Knight. He had a shoulder length green hair that was let loose, a sufficiently manly face, a muscr body, and a height of 190 centimetres.
Although not extremely good looking, Cyane was undoubtedly attractive. Tinuviel had just picked the wrong person topare him to¡ªBasil.
Hailed as a genius since he was a child, Cyane was a little bit stuck up; he knew he was superior to most people, so he hardly treated people with respect. This side of him got even worse after the King entrusted him the Royal Family''s heirloom, Joyeuse.
"Well, you can follow me, Sir Cyane. I will guide you to the Manor I have prepared for you."
No matter how unlikeable she found Cyane, Tinuviel still maintained her smile. She led them to the ce where they would sleep in like a good host she was, all the while holding back herself from telling them they were scaring the citizens with their pressure.
"Oh, what a fancy Manor! Just a perfect ce for the Kingdom''s representative to stay."
"I have to agree, Lord Cyane. Let me take my words back¡ªthe Elves do have manners."
Upon reaching the Manor, Cyane couldn''t help nodding his head in appreciation. Not even his Manor that he was proud about could match the grandeur the Manor in front of him had.
Curious, he turned his head to the Manor on the opposite side of the Manor he was going to stay in. He could feel well concealed yet strong presences covering the field before the Manor, so he wondered if it was what he thought it was.
Pointing his finger to the Manor, he said, "There. Is that...?"
"Yes, Sir Cyane. The Braxtein''s Golden Apple, Master Basil Pacifer is staying there," Tinuviel confirmed with a nod.
"Where are his soldiers?" He wondered why there was no one camping in the field.
"It seems that Master Basilmanded them to take a rest in the huts."
As soon as he heard the answer, Cyane couldn''t help scoffing. "Hmph! What kind of nonsense is that? What kind of Commander spoils his soldiers? Soldiers are built different! They can sleep everywhere that has a stable ground."
"Owuh!"
Tinuviel, who was about to remind Cyane that his soldiers were living people too, was slightly surprised by the enthusiastic cry of the soldiers. They agreed with Cyane greatly, which made her wonder how they normally treated themselves.
p Shaking her head, Tinuviel said, "Very well, Sir Cyane. You must be tired from your journey, so I will leave you to your own devices. For the meantime, I am going to call the Elders and prepare for the meeting we will have in a few hours."
Tinuviel''s courteousness had run out; she didn''t want to give Cyane a brief tour around the Manor, thus she wanted to immediately stay away from him. She was afraid that she wouldn''t be able to handle his stuck up behaviour.
Luckily, Cyane didn''t even mind her leaving. "Of course, you may leave now, Lady Tinuviel. I also want to pay a visit to my fellow representative now." Unfortunately for her, what she heard next wasn''t very pleasing to her ears.
"I think I am going to stick around a little bit."
"Hahaha," Cyaneughed pretentiously. "Don''t worry, Lady Tinuviel, I won''t cause a ruckus that may disturb the peace of the people in your territory."
Tinuviel didn''t say anything, and merely looked at Cyane stoically. Silence immediately filled the space between the two; it was only broken after Cyane shrugged and told Tinuviel toe along.
Walking towards the field where Basil''s Manor was located, Cyane was hiding a smirk. He had heard a lot of things about his rival (Basil), and he wanted to see for himself if said rival was as amazing as the rumours imed to be.
Boom!
As soon as his foot touched the field, Cyane was shocked to find a Barrier surrounding the field. He almost fell on his knees as the pressure put a great force on his body, and he was extremely embarrassed because of it.
Luckily for him, he had left his soldiers behind. Had it not been the case, he would''ve lost his face.
"I think it is not good to trespass," Cyane remarked after retracting his foot. "Do you perhaps know something about this?" He asked as he turned to Tinuviel.
"No. I don''t know anything about this." Tinuviel shook her head lightly, half bewildered half astonished.
Clicking his tongue as he thought he would never get the chance to meet his rival before the meeting, Cyane couldn''t help a smirk the moment he noticed the door of the Manor was opened. At the same time, the soldiers also came out of their huts.
"Well, here we go."
Tinuviel leered at Cyane coldly for his remark. As she expected, he wanted to cause a ruckus.
"Greetings, representative of Braxtein! I, Cyane Candlestone from Frachtenhein, am here to pay you a visit as a sign of friendship."
It was slightly unsavoury for Cyane that he had to be that courteous towards someone who wasn''t even right in front of him; but he knew he needed to do that, otherwise he would never be allowed to step into the field.
Silence filled the space for a couple of seconds; until Basil, Iliana, and Ione walked out of the door. The three of them looked so otherworldly as they strode towards Cyane¡ªeven said Knight was a little bit speechless looking at the scene.
As Basil waved his hand lightly, a gap was made in the Barrier. Cyane could tell he was already allowed to enter, but he couldn''t bring himself to.
''This... This pressure! As expected of my rival¡ªwhat a strong pressure!''
He was blown away by the pressure Basil was passively exuding. He could barely feel Basil''s Qi, but Basil''s presence alone could already make his heart race.
"Greetings, representative of Frachtenhein, I am Basil Pacifer."
Basil stopped four metres from Cyane. His greeting awakened Cyane him from his thought, prompting said Knight to step forward, and extended his hand.
"A pleasure to meet you."
"A pleasure to meet you too."
Cyane, who had thought he could still look impressive in front of Basil, felt like a child. Their difference in body size aside, Basil''s gaze on him really made him feel small.
He was as thrilled as he was terrified to find Basil up to the rumours. His hands immediately felt itchy¡ªhe wanted to take Joyeuse out as soon as Basil let go of his hand.
"My view has been broaden." He, of course, didn''t do anything stupid like that. "I am ashamed of myself for thinking Basil Pacifer was only amount to the wielder of Durendal. The rumours don''t even do justice to how impressive you actually are."
''Huh? He is... Actually a good person?!'' Tinuviel, who could tell Cyane really meant his words, was floored.
"Your King will not be too happy if he ever hears what you said to me just now," Basil remarked casually. "To him, you are invincible, after all."
"Ha-ha-ha. Our King indeed views me too highly, but the fact that I am invincible in our Kingdom is still undisputed." Cyane smiled emptily. "Besides, being impressive doesn''t mean you can top me, Sir Basil."
Boom!
Cyane''s Qi Pressure swept over Basil, Iliana, Ione, and the soldiers who were standing behind him. The ground cratered as it couldn''t handle the sheer pressure Cyane was exuding, but none of the people were fazed much to his surprise.
The soldiers were actually surprised, but they soon realized Basil had just countered the pressure with his. It still boggled their mind regardless; they knew Basil''s level of Mastery was lower than Cyane''s.
"I can''t really expect no less from the wielder of Joyeuse, can I?" Basil remarked with a small smile.
Not knowing what to do, Cyane retracted his pressure and stared at Basil silently. He was extremely bewildered.
"I am going to resume my training, so let us meet again at the meeting."
Basil was still smiling. It looked so warm and weing, Cyane couldn''t help thinking he was just a naturally good person.
... At least, that was until Basil patted his shoulder twice.
Boom! Boom!
Two pats¡ªBasil merely gave his shoulder two pats. These two pats, however, didn''t only almost make him lose consciousness, but also almost crushed his soul; the Qi Pressure was absurdly terrifying.
As Basil walked away andmanded the soldiers to return to their huts, Cyane was immediately convinced Basil wasn''t someone he could mess with. He had learnt it the hard way.
Chapter 379 A Good Tongue Game (End)
After the brief "sh" that had happened between he and Basil, Cyane immediately went back to his Manor.
His second-inmand told him he had lost his consciousness for a couple of seconds, so it was really embarrassing for him to remain there. All of the soldiers under Basil''smand gave him a sneer, and he couldn''t do anything about it.
As stuck up as he was, he knew when to admit defeat, and how to ept it. He was unhappy, of course, but he didn''t begrudge Basil in the slightest; he just felt the need to improve himself so he could surpass Basil soon.
"Don''t worry, Lord Cyane. We have more troops than him. When things go south, we will be able to easily overpower him. Our troop''s might, after all, is unparalleled!"
Sitting at the desk in his bedroom, Cyane listened to his second-inmand half-heartedly. Unlike him, his second-inmand didn''t seem able to ept the fact that he had lost to Basil.
"Nothing shall go south, Giles," he retorted. "We are here to build a good rtionship with the Elves, not to paint ourselves in a bad light."
"Of course, we shan''t cause trouble in front of the Elves'' eyes, Lord Cyane. I believe the other side also understands that well." Giles nodded his head. "Because of that, Lord Cyane, we have to be careful in the battlefield."
Giles was a young Noble¡ª3 years younger than Cyane. He was deemed a genius by everyone, and became a Viscount after Cyane, who was already a Marquess at that time, made him his right hand.
Although he wasn''t stuck uppared to Cyane, it was very hard for him to admit defeat. Being 22 years old and a Peak Stage Blue Core Knight made him rarely suffer defeat from his peers, thus the mindset.
Due to his boisterous nature and youthful look however, people liked to socialize with him. Whenever he acted obnoxiously, people would just take it as him messing around, typical to what youngsters normally did.
"Being alert in the battlefield all the time is a must; however, as I say, we are not here to reopen an old wound." Cyane shook his head faintly. "We don''t need the second season of the war between Braxtein and our Kingdom."
"Ah, yes. I was just saying, Lord Cyane." Giles nodded his head vigorously. "That Basil guy looks too amicable to mind about such a thing too."
Silence descended upon the two when the conversation ceased. Giles excused himself afterwards, leaving Cyane, who was busy with his thoughts, looking through the window alone.
Confident as they might be in their own power, after their encounter with Basil, the two Knights couldn''t help having a self-doubt. They hadn''t seen his true power yet, but they could already tell he was going to be Braxtein''s strongest powerhouse.
Braxtein Kingdom had, in fact, even considered Basil one of its powerhouses already. Their King often made a joke about Basil bing the nightmare of the people in power, and now they understood that it wasn''t a joke but a concern.
Basil would definitely be a nightmare to the people who crossed sides with him.
...
Another three hours passed, and the time to have the meeting came. The sun had already set, but Padeitophys looked just as bright as it was during daylight.
All of the guests had been served a heavenly meal an hour prior. The Light Elves even did as far as serving them meat, which was something they would never eat in their entire life ... The fact that they could cook it deliciously was a little bit uncanny though.
"Hmm... Are we going to be in the same room as that loser?"
"We, unfortunately, are."
"Well, sucks, doesn''t it?"
Basil, Iliana, and Ione were in their way to the meeting room. They were escorted by twelve Elf guards, who were guarding them tightly as if a gap in the formation would instantly kill them.
It was actually amendable service, but it was slightly annoying for the three Pacifers, who seldom needed someone to protect themselves. Being good guests they were, still, none of themined about it.
"Geuh... He is here."
Basil and hispany reached the meeting room at the same time Cyane and his second-inmand did. Basil and Cyane traded a light nod with each other, whereas theirpany traded a cold look with each other.
None of them showed any intention to cause a ruckus, fortunately, so Basil and Cyane didn''t need to step in.
Thud!
When the door was pushed open, Tinuviel and three other Elves could be seen sitting at the oval table in the room. The three Elves had an ashy blonde hair and an old appearance, which could rarely be seen on Elves.
It was easy to conclude they were the Elders of Alphoetra Tribe.
"Thank you for willinglying to our vige and help us solve our problem," Tinuviel said softly as soon as all of the humans sat down. "Also, thank you for your great patience towards our tardiness."
"Why don''t we cut to the chase, Lady Tinuviel?" Cyane stated with a light frown. "The more time we spend talking about useless things, the more severe the problem will be."
The three Elders leered at Cyane, but said nothing. Although they found Cyane''s straightforwardness slightly unsavoury, they couldn''t say anything for he wasn''t wrong.
"Very well. I will just cut to the chase." Nodding her head, Tinuviel took out a Projection Talisman. "These are the cause of our problem."
Projected by the Talisman were the photographs of a couple of bisected bodies. All of them were cut cleanly, but the cut mark wasn''t a normal straight line mark¡ªit was slightly wavy.
Basil''s interest was instantly picked¡ªone could tell by his quirked eyebrow. As someone who knew this was actually caused by a certain Mythical Beast, he wondered just what kind of Beast he would be facing.
''He seems to have realized something,'' Tinuviel thought as she furtively looked at Basil. Her heart was racing in nervousness, but she still looked calm from the outside.
"Thirty-seven... That''s quite a lot of number of death considering how well it has been for the Elves for the past millennium," Cyane remarked. "All of them are Dark Elves though¡ªI don''t get the problem."
At that, Tinuviel pointed her finger towards the unique shaped cut mark. "We didn''t do any of it, but this cut mark leads the other side to believe this was our doing. This is the cause of the misunderstanding."
''Hoh? A quite decent lie,'' Basil remarked inwardly as he watched the conversation with a small smile. ''Now, let us see where she will take this lie to.''
"I am sorry, but I don''t quite¡ª"
Thud.
"Oh... What a predicament."
Cyane hummed at the sword that Tinuviel had just put on the table. It was a really unique-looking sword because its de had a slightly wavy shape.
It didn''t take him to be a supreme genius to instantly conclude it was the murder weapon. He was still curious, however, why possessing the murder weapon could result in the misunderstanding between the two Tribes.
"Swords like this belong to our high-ranking Warriors. We make sure no one other than our high-ranking Warriors can use it¡ªnot even our own Warriors can reproduce it."
"There is a loose cannon on your side," Cyane concluded. "You want us to help you look for him, bring him to the other side, and clear the misunderstanding. Is that about right?"
"... Yes, that is about right." Tinuviel nodded her head slowly, slightly baffled by how intelligent Cyane actually was.
"They seemed too ready to die in my opinion," Basil remarked, surprising the people in the room. "When you think about a loose cannon, you will think someone with a screw loose in his head."
No one knew where Basil was taking the talk to, so they waited for him when he paused. Tinuviel received a mild gaze from him, and it made her palms sweaty.
"That kind of person will do this kind of thing for pleasure. Surely, he will keep everything as undetected as possible, because he wants to do it as long as he can."
Basil pointed the weapons and the armour the dead Dark Elves had. "Judging by how prepared these Dark Elves are, I don''t believe they didn''t expect an ambush. They must know something is going to happen, which was why they geared up."
"What you are saying is...?" Tinuviel looked at Basil in curiosity.
"This isn''t caused by a loose cannon, but a criminal organization that you don''t know of. Both of the tribes have this organization, and they are actually the one having a conflict."
Tilting his head lightly, Basil sneakily winked at Tinuviel.
"You have the bodies of the dead Light Elf Warriors too, don''t you? Let me examine them. I will be able to trace the people who had interacted with them before they died from the Mana trace. We can easily clear the misunderstanding afterwards."
''H-He has figured us out!''
Having lived long enough, the Elders knew they were already beaten in their own game. Their eyes widened in shock¡ªthey gulped dryly as they looked at Basil''s faint smile.
Basil was suggesting the criminal organizations of the two tribes were the one having the conflict. He said it while smiling because he knew he was just twaddling: he knew the Elven Race couldn''t hurt their own kin, unless theymitted an unforgivable sin.
The Elders immediately understood Basil had reached to a conclusion that the two "organizations" were actually the Warriors of the two tribes working together to do something, but were met with an unfortunate event.
The third party was the cause of their death, and Basil was trying to figure out why both tribes were trying to hide this fact from them by making such a lie.
''W-We need topromise. Your Highness, please do something!''
All of the Elders immediately turned to Tinuviel. Their reputation would be over if Basil called them out, so they hoped she would be able to figure out something with that brilliant mind of hers.
''H-He winked at me? ... I-Is that a secret call for mating?! What a perverted human!''
Unfortunately for them, their Tribe Chief was currently unable to utilize that brilliant mind of hers. She got the wrong idea, and she didn''t even realize it.
"Kuhum! That can be discussed somewhere else, Master Basil," Tinuviel said stoically, doing her best to hide her blush.
"Very well. Let us discuss it somewhere else."
Much to the Elders'' excitement, Basil agreed easily. ''Nice save, Your Highness! You sure are invincible in a tongue game!''
They thought their Tribe Chief had just managed to persuade Basil topromise with them using her skill in negotiation, just like usual.
''H-He is that eager to look at the body! W-Whose body? M-Mine?!''
In truth, unfortunately, their Tribe Chief had just chosen to deactivate her brain.
Chapter 380 Taken Aback
After the shenanigans between Basil, Tinuviel, and the Elders, which had gone unnoticed by Cyane and his second-inmand, Giles; the meeting regained its intended pace.
Basil abstained from speaking, allowing Tinuviel to carry the talk to the direction she intended. Cyane was sharper than she had expected however, so the process was slightly arduous.
Still, in the end, Cyane fell for her lies; in fact, he even drew himself into it. She got him suggesting the idea she wanted to suggest even before she did; which, of course, was on her favour.
"As a Knight, I won''t be able to help in terms of tracking people by their Mana, so I will leave examining the bodies to Master Basil here," Cyane stated. "However, I will have to ask you to show me where the happening took ce."
The ce where the tragedy had ured was basically the ce where the Elves had encountered the Mythical Beast. It was near the den of said Beast, which the exact location they didn''t know yet.
"Of course, Sir Cyane." Tinuviel nodded her head. "I have heard Knights are good at scene reconstruction; naturally, I won''t let this chance slip. I will bring you to where the tragedy took ce tomorrow."
Allowing Cyane to "investigate" was actually getting themselves apany to look for the Mythical Beast''s den together. Tinuviel was excited not because they might find the Beast together, but because she felt safer.
The more people she carried with her, after all, the higher their probability to survive upon encountering the Beast.
Cyane nodded his head silently in agreement, then turned to Basil with a look that was suggesting he should say something. Basil, however, merely shook his head faintly.
Both of them then turned their head to Tinuviel. They gave her a look that indicated they were ready to end the meeting.
"I hope everything has already been made clear. I, once again, thank you for your cooperation." Tinuviel stood up, then bowed politely. "Hopefully, tomorrow''s investigation will bear us some fruit."
"Well then, we will excuse ourselves, Lady Tinuviel." Cyane stood up, followed by Giles. "We need to rest well for tomorrow, so we won''t be caught off guard when something unexpected happens."
"Ah, please, Sir Cyane."
As Cyane and Giles got out of the room, Basil and hispany remained inside. Silence filled the room, and it was maintained until they were sure Cyane and Giles were already away from the room.
"Firstly, allow us to introduce ourselves first," the only male Elder stood up, and put his hand on his chest. "My name is Oviel Alphoetra. It iste, but it is a pleasure to meet Braxtein''s three brightest stars."
Basil and hispany didn''t react more than nodding their head lightly. The second Elder stood up, and smiled lightly at theirck of reaction.
"My name is Affya tia Alphoetra. I am an Elder of Alphoetra Tribe, as you can see, and also the aunt of the current Empress."
Affya tia Alphoetra was a name that Basil had often heard in his past life. She was one of the most loyal Elves, who had stayed by the Elf Empress'' side until she died.
He had only encountered her once in his past life, and she didn''t leave a good impression on him. She was very stoic and detached at that time, which was also how he was, so they immediately found themselves unable to get along.
¨CWhat do you need of me, Affya?
¨CYour power.
¨CIt cannot be lent nor can it be bought.
¨CI see.
Affya hade to him after the Elf Empress died to ask for his help to liberate Padeitophys from the Demons. He remembered the conversation they had as if it had just happened yesterday.
He had refused instantly, which led Affya tomand all of the Elves to abandon the ce that had been their home for thousands of years. They followed the footsteps of the Fairies and Spirits, who had left the Great Forest of Yitoupheo three years prior.
Facing the same fate as the two races, the Elven Race could not be spotted ever since.
"It is a pleasant surprise that someone as high ranking as you is this humble, Elder Affya," Basil remarked. "You are well respected amongst the Elves not only due to your status, but also your prowess, so I expected you to be more..."
"Arrogant?" Affya smiled softly, showing a gentle look on her wrinkled face, which Basil had never seen in his past life. "What is the point of bragging about my status and power? All of us will end up being soil in the end anyway¡ªit''s pointless."
''She is different,'' Basil thought to himself. ''Maybe, it was the hardships she had been through that had turned her to what she was in the past.''
"We are, unfortunately, living in a world where such a thing is sometime necessary to avoid problems in the future," he replied.
"You seem to know well when to flex, don''t you, Master Basil?"
Basil merely smiled lightly as Affya gave him a knowing look. She immediately sat down as the conversation between them ceased, prompting the third Elder to introduce herself.
"My name is Siofra Alphoetra. I am really honored to be able to meet the descendants of the Pacifer here."
Silence descended upon the room after what Siofra had said. Iliana and Ione were too taken aback to say anything, meanwhile Basil was already gazing at Siofra with his eyes that were as deep and cold as a bottomless abyss.
Boom!
The Elves became rmed as soon as Basil''s killing intent filled the room. Tinuviel stayed rooted in her seat, unable to move due to the overwhelming terror; the Elders widened their eyes in shock due to the extreme fear they hadn''t felt for a long time.
"So, those bastards have gotten their hands on all of you too, huh?" Basil said coldly as he took out Caliburn and Durendal.
Controlled by his Aura Ability, the swords floated beside him, giving off an extreme aura of menace. None of the Elves could move even though they knew they could¡ªtheir instinct told them it was better not to.
''Guide, what kind of rtionship these four Elves have with the Church?''
[Ding!]
[Solving the Host''s puzzlement!]
[The four Elves don''t have a good rtionship with anyone from the Church. Their crossing belief makes it impossible for them to find the middle ground for them to get along.]
''What is their opinion on the Pacifer?''
[The Pacifer is only known by the older Elves who were lucky enough to encounter one, and are still alive as of now. While the Elves knew very little about the Pacifer because of that, they think of the Pacifer nswomen as the kindest and strongest humans.]
As the answer to his question was positive, Basil retracted his killing intent and stored his two swords at the same time. The four Elves in the room could immediately breathe again, but they couldn''t help looking at Basil in wonder.
It was apparent that they didn''t know why what had just happened happened, so Basil could easily tell the hunt for the Pacifer had never reached the ears of the Elves.
''The Union was disbanded as soon as the Great War was concluded. All of the races were busy minding their own affair afterwards, so they were clueless about what happened to whom during that time,'' Asiamented.
''You knew they weren''t part of our n''s fall since the beginning?'' Basil quirked his eyebrow lightly. ''Why didn''t you tell me earlier?''
''Why? Of course, because seeing their scared look is amusing. Fu-fu-fu!''
Ignoring the fact that he had just found out the "dark side" of Asia, Basil finally looked at the bemused Elves one by one. He thought about how he should exin himself, and decided to be bold.
"Here is what happened..."
He told the Elves the chronology of the fall of the Pacifer¡ªexcept for anything that was rted to the Four Heroes'' betrayal due to hisck of knowledge¡ªand the reason why he hated the church immensely.
Siofra, one of the few Elves that had encountered a Pacifer when she was a child, listened to the story with eyes widened in shock.
It was very hard for her to ept the fact that the kind women who had sung her a luby when she was still a child had been faced with such a cruel fate.
The other Elders, although they didn''t know as much as Siofra about the Pacifer, still couldn''t help clicking their tongue in indignation the more they heard Basil''s story.
They had heard of the help they had received from the Pacifer in the past, so they viewed the Pacifer highly. Hearing that their benefactors had met such a fate naturally made their blood boil.
"... We were informed that Pacifer n had decided to iste themselves from the others. We found it odd that they didn''t say anything to us about it, but we respected their decision, so none of us ever look for them ever since."
"A long time has passed since thest time we heard of Pacifer n. Those who know about them leave the world one by one¡ªforgetting about them feels like a natural urrence."
Thud!
All of the Elders in the room bowed their head so low, their forehead touched the table. "On behalf of our predecessors, we apologise for not being able to do anything for the Pacifer even after what they had done for us."
Iliana and Ione, who didn''t expect this kind of development, couldn''t help but be more bemused than they had been. They had never heard of the Elves being their allies, so they were extremely bewildered by the fact that Basil knew about it.
They turned to Tinuviel to look at her reaction, and immediately found her in the same boat as them. They hadn''t known each other well; but at that moment, they felt like sisters.
"Apology can never bring the death back. Life is not a writing: you can''t erase your mistake, and rewrite it to make it right; it will always remain there, reminding you of your miss," Basil intoned solemnly.
As soon as the Elders heard his words, they raised their head slowly. Their eyes immediately widened the moment they saw the Pacifer Seal in the middle of his forehead, which was shining in gold.
"Rather than apologizing, to think of a way to make up for it is wiser methinks," Looking at the Elders with his golden eyes, Basil concluded.
The Elders couldn''t believe what they were witnessing. Basil''s current presence was so profound, they couldn''t fathom how such an existence could make an appearance in this world.
The current him resembled a certain individual, whom theirte parents had adored. They had been told in details about this individual¡ªthe saviour of the world, and they were greatly taken aback by that fact.
Chapter 381 Taken Aback (End)
"Be mine allies."
Basil''s gaze was fixed on the wall, which made everyone in the room confused. They even wondered if he had suddenly lost his vision.
"We have always been, Lord Pacifer."
Their puzzlement was solved not long after. Someone, who had blended in so well with the environment, revealed herself; she came out of the wall, then bowed politely towards Basil.
The person was a stunningly beautiful Elf, who was exuding a unique aura that made her different from all of the Elves in existence. Tinuviel held a very uncanny resemnce towards her¡ªone might say they were siblings.
"Your Majesty!"
"Mother!"
She was none other than the mother of Tinuviel, the current Elf Empress, Eloreth tia Padeitophys.
Eloreth''s appearance greatly shocked the Elves in the room. Aside from the fact that none of them could detect her earlier, they couldn''t believe she had actually decided to watch over them.
Faced with the shocked faces of the people, Eloreth barely showed any reaction. Her emerald eyes were looking into Basil''s golden eyes¡ªshe couldn''t fathom what kind of existence the person in front of her was.
"This one is very eager to know, but she knows asking about it is akin to digging her own grave," Eloreth said softly. "Lord Pacifer, may this one ask about what you need of us instead?"
Basil stayed silent as he observed the Elf Empress keenly. She was indeed different from the rest of the Elves he had ever encountered; she had something that made her worthy of the Empress title: the overbearing aura of a ruler and the power to back it up.
? He had never met the Empress in his past life. He knew she was one of the forces to be reckoned with, but that fact could barely attract his interest since he was already akin to a godlike existence at that time.
The current him wouldn''t stand a chance against her; however, in spite of that, she still treated him carefully due to his strong connection with the Fragment. He would be lying if he didn''t find it funny.
That aside, Basil was a Pacifer, whose importance Eloreth had heard about. As far as she knew, Pacifer n had only ever had one male; although she didn''t know anything about the prophecy, she knew another one would shake the entire world again.
"Your loyalty."
Receiving Basil''s simple answer, Eloreth sighed softly in relief. She bowed lightly, then responded him sincerely.
"It is a cheap price to pay for the things your ancestors have done for us, Lord Pacifer¡ªyou got my loyalty."
"Kid me not, Eloreth. That oath shall seal the deal," Basil remarked with a light frown.
"As you wish, Lord Pacifer."
Nodding her head simply, Eloreth took out a unique shaped dagger akin to the sword that Tinuviel had showed during the meeting. She slit her palm with it, then smeared the de with her blood.
Pointing the tip of the dagger to her chest, she stoically eximed, "I swear upon my ancestor''s blood, shall Lord Basil Pacifer face a predicament and I turn a blind eye to it, my descendants and I shall die painfully!"
The dagger that was smeared with Eloreth''s blood shone in gold. The wound on her palm was also covered in golden light, then closed by itself.
When the light died down, the de of the dagger had turned red. Eloreth presented it to Basil, and he didn''t even think twice before taking it.
The Elders and Tinuviel, who had been watching the scene with eyes wide open, nodded their head in understanding as soon as Eloreth turned her head to them. Shocked they might be, they understood her decision well.
''A cheap price it is indeed to pay for the things the Pacifer have done for us. We should have even been able to repay it without doing this kind of thing¡ªit is honestly embarrassing,'' the Elders thought.
''Pacifer n has been wronged¡ªthey deserve our support. No, even more than that. If what Master Basil said about what had happened to the Pacifer is true, we even need to avenge them!'' Tinuviel thought passionately.
Like Mages, Elves also had their own Blood Decree. Unlike the Mages'' however, this Blood Decree didn''t have to be fulfilled by killing someone; it could be fulfilled by just not doing something or doing something they swore.
They called it Lineage Oath. As its name suggested, this oath didn''t only bind the one who said it but also his entire lineage; so when he failed to fulfill it, he and his descendants should suffer from the consequences.
In this case, should Eloreth and the entire Elven Race ignored Basil when he needed help, she and Tinuviel would die in an unpleasant way. In case that Eloreth had a descendant that she didn''t know of, said descendant would also suffer the same fate.
"I have seen thy resolve. What a pleasant oue it is to see thou and thy people still have your heart in the right ce," Basil remarked with a small smile. "Now, let us go back to our current predicament."
The Pacifer Seal in the middle of Basil''s forehead quickly lost its luster before fading out of existence. His eyes returned to their original colour; at the same time, he regained his usual deep and overwhelming presence.
The process was witnessed by the Elves in the room keenly, and all of them couldn''t help blinking their eyes in wonder. They felt like watching a High Elf who was hiding his Divinity¡ªit was bizarre and fascinating.
"About the main issue, aren''t you curious why I am here, Master Basil?"
"To overlook the meeting, so it is heading to the direction you intended¡ªI know. I wouldn''t have done what I did if I didn''t."
Eloreth hadn''t heard anything about Basil ever meeting the Human Emperor, so she was a little bit disappointed that he wasn''t impressed at all upon meeting her, the Elf Empress.
She would be lying, however, if she said she didn''t expect it. With that kind of power and status, after all, it would be stupid of her to think he would be astonished by her presence.
"Since that is the case, I will join the meeting openly." Eloreth sat herself right across Basil. "Please, do ask the thing you want to know, Master Basil."
"Before addressing the main issue, I will ask a couple things first." Basil nodded his head. "The day when I openly dere my identity as a Pacifer will be the day the whole Human Empirees after me. Did you make the oath while knowing that fact?"
"Yes, I did."
"Are you going to openly dere your rtionship with the whole Pacifer n when that happens or are you just going to support us from the dark?"
"We will openly support you, and even host you, shall you need asylum."
"Lastly, have you heard about The Lord, the Master of Pacifer n?"
This question got Eloreth thinking. Firstly, she wondered why someone who was more knowledgeable about the Pacifer than her asked her about that; and secondly, she pondered the best way to answer the question.
"I know very little about the in-depth history of Pacifer n. Many of its history that we recorded has been lost, so I can only tell you that The Lord is the first and only male Pacifer before you."
Eloreth wanted to borate when she noticed the light frown on Basil''s face, but he immediately put up his hand, thus stopping her from speaking.
Basil clicked his tongue inwardly. ''Asia imed Matheus to be the only male Pacifer n ever had before me since The Lord doesn''t count, which made him the First Patriarch. Like Caesar however, the Elves imed The Lord to be the only male Pacifer.''
''It is very hard to tell which one of them is lying. Caesar and the Elves might be right since they said the same thing; but Asia, as the First Matriarch, should know something that outsiders don''t.''
Basil''s frown got deeper. ''Darn it! This makes all of them telling the truth and lying at the same time.''
Shaking his head faintly to clear his thoughts, he turned to Eloreth. She had been looking at him in curiosity, but she didn''t seem to get the reason why he was debating with himself.
"What kind of Mythical Beast we are going to face?"
"Y-Yes?"
Although it was already clear at this point that Basil wasn''t an ordinary existence, Eloreth still couldn''t help but be taken aback by his question.
None of them, after all, had hinted the real cause of their problem was a Mythical Beast. They wondered just how his brilliant mind could reach that conclusion.
"Kuhum! It is a reptile type Mythical Beast, Master Basil," Tinuviel answered after seeing that her mother didn''t show any intention to. "It specializes itself in Wind Magic, and it doesn''t have¡ª"
Basil put his hand up. "I should''ve worded it better. What I want to ask is, what is the name of the Mythical Beast?"
The room fell silent as soon as they heard the question. They didn''t look reluctant to answer, but more of unsure of the answer.
They looked like someone who was embarrassed to say the thing they wanted to say because of how ridiculous it sounded.
"We believe it is the legendary Mythical Beast from the East," Eloreth said softly. "The Eight-Headed Eight-Tailed Serpent¡ª"
"Yamata no Orochi," Basil continued. ''I knew something was amiss from that Beast, but really? This joke is hardly funny.''
On the first half of the meeting, the Elves were the one who were made taken aback. This time, it was Basil''s turn to be made taken aback.
Yamata no Orochi. It was the serpent he had killed on Lone Mountain, because he wanted to retrieve Kusanagi no Tsurugi, which was located in its fourth tail ... Or so he thought.
Now that he thought about it, it was absurd to think that such a fearsome creature that Susano¨, a God, had even failed to kill was reduced to a state that allowed a First Circle Mage to kill it simply because it had lost its Core.
''No wonder the cut mark on those Dark Elves'' bodies seemed familiar. It was caused by Kusanagi,'' Basil mused.
The fact that it was still alive and breathing made him wonder what he had killed back then actually was, but also excited him.
He was slightly disappointed that Kusanagi had easily been destroyed, but now that he knew what he had wielded wasn''t the real one, he found it reasonable.
''I will absolutely retrieve the real Kusanagi no Tsurugi.''
He was sure killing Yamata no Orochi would be hard this time, but he was absolute he could manage. Like always, he could always benefit from a predicament.
Chapter 382 On The Serpents Tails
"About the ce where it is located, do you have any idea about it?" Basil asked.
"We don''t know for certain about it." Eloreth shook her head faintly. "We unfortunately can''t send a lot of people to investigate it, lest we should cause a panic amongst the citizens."
The main reason why the Elves had decided to cover the real issue up was to not cause a panic. Weakened it might be, Yamata no Orochi was still a Mythical Beast that had terrorized the East for thousands of years before it was taken down.
Although many people had believed it was nothing more than a mere myth, now that the whole world believed such a thing did exist¡ªespecially the Elves who had always believed it¡ªYamata no Orochi''s appearance would certainly shake the people.
Being the people of the Empire that hosted said Beast, pandemonium would definitely ensue in Padeitophys if they got to know it.
"You haven''t said anything about the area where you encountered it," Basil remarked. "I am asking abut it."
"Ah, it is on Khirokiev Mountain."
"Khirokiev Mountain?" Basil blinked his eyes in slight surprise.
"Is there something the matter, Master Basil? Do you perhaps need the map of the mountain, so you can better understand the terrain?" Tinuviel asked, thinking Basil didn''t know about the mountain.
"It is fine." Basil shook his head faintly. "I have prepared myself well."
"Oh..."
Basil had a small smile on his face. The location where Yamata no Orochi was encountered was really close to the ce he wanted to visit, which was the main reason why he had "volunteered" toe to Padeitophys.
No matter how well it had been for him living in Braxtein Kingdom, he knew the time "happy" would end soon. They would turn their back against him the moment his identity was figured out.
Naturally, he couldn''t care less about the Kingdom''s fate. The forming of Henosis Army¡ªno matter what Race decided to join it, it had nothing to do with him.
The reason why he had agreed to be the ambassador (sort of) for it was because he wanted to establish a rtionship with the other races. He did everything he did solely because of his personal interest.
Just like now, aside from wanting to make an alliance with the Elves, which he had aplished; he also wanted to retrieve something that was way more precious than Kusanagi.
''The First Fragment. It is said to be located at the peak of Khirokiev Mountain.''
The information he had gotten about the Fragment, which was the greatest gift the Guide had given him, said that the First Fragment was sealed at the peak of Khirokiev Mountain, and was guarded by a wounded guard.
Taking the information into ount, Basil believed the den of Yamata no Orochi was actually the ce where the First Fragment was sealed. In Padeitophys, after all, only Yamata no Orochi was qualified for the role of the wounded guard.
"I can''t wait for tomorrow''s investigation," Basil said as he stood up. "I think we can call it a day now. Mypany and I will head to our Manor, and take a good rest until the morninges."
"Please, do rest to your heart''s content, Master Basil." Eloreth bowed her head lightly after standing up. "May tomorrow further strengthen our rtionship that has only been established."
Just as Basil and hispany were about to walk towards the door, Tinuviel stood, and eximed, "Master Basil, a moment please!" Basil stopped in his tracks, then turned to the lightly blushing Tinuviel. "What about examining the bodies?"
"That was nothing but a gimmick," he answered simply. "I just wanted to use it as a reason to talk about Yamata no Orochi after the meeting. It has already been fulfilled due to the unexpected development, so... It is no longer necessary."
Tinuviel looked slightly flustered, lost, and disappointed. Basil even had a hard time reading her emotion, because he couldn''t sense the dominant one that her Mana was letting out.
''No wonder this imbecile decided to kill herself out of shame in the past. She is emotionally unstable,'' Basil remarked inwardly.
"Ah, right. Now that I think about it, it is unnecessary for you to do that. Oh, stupid me," Tinuviel murmured.
"Oh, maybe this is just him ying a psychological... Kuhum!" Stopping herself as soon as she noticed the gaze the people were giving her, Tinuviel smiled serenely. "Good night, Master Basil. Have a great rest."
In response, Basil mped three of his fingers together, then touched his forehead with them.
"May Freya''s love warms your night."
The gesture shocked the Elves greatly, but they still managed to react quickly.
"May Freya''s love warms your night."
They wanted to ask how Basil could know their way of blessing, but he didn''t even look back after receiving their response. Of course, none of them dared to stop him.
Although it was shocking for normal humans to know about that, he was not in any way a normal human after all. Thus, the night passed with their curiosity about him increasing.
...
As the moon shied away, the sun showcased its glorious light. The cold and dark night left, reced by the warm and bright morning.
Sitting on the balcony of his Manor, Basil, who had been nurturing his Core since the night before, let out a smoky breath. It was the impurity in his Core, which was already so clean, it could barely be called impurity.
Staring at the sun deeply, he felt like he could grasp the entire world in his hand. After mastering [Star Withering] to an extent where he could immediately jump into the Purple Core Stage, he could easily convert Star Energy into Qi.
He was confident he could stand toe to toe with the strongest Purple Core Knight once he reached the Peak Stage of Violet Core, but that didn''t make him happy at all.
His Mastery over [Star Withering] had led him to a shocking but exciting revtion: There was another level above the Purple Core.
At that level, he wouldn''t utilize Qi anymore. He could directly utilize Star Energy, which means there was a huge possibility that he could reach a point where he could even control the sun.
p His goal of being able to pierce the heavens might not be that far-fetched!
"Well, I need to focus on my current predicament first." Basil smiled wryly. "It is getting harder to prevent my Core from advancing to the Middle Stage, so I should visit Huaguo as soon as I can."
The Curse of Bahamut that Charles had cast on him was still in effect. It would end his life as soon as he reached Peak Stage Violet Core, so he had been holding himself back from advancing to the next stage.
He could actually instantly advance his Core to the Middle Stage; however, he didn''t want to take a risk. If one day he lost his control over his Core and it advanced by itself, he would instantly die if it was already in the Middle Stage.
With that in mind, he kept his Core in the Early Stage. Should he lose his control over it one day, he wouldn''t immediately die because it would only advance to the Middle Stage.
"Don''t you think it is better to pull ourselves off?" Dressed in her lingeries, Iliana asked solemnly behind him. "I know you are confident in your power¡ªI admit your prowess¡ªbut we know nothing about this Yamata no Orochi Beast."
"Are you worried?"
"We are not ready¡ªall of us."
Basil stood up and turned around, facing Iliana who was barely covered in any fabric. She would usually tease Basil to get a reaction out of him, but she merely stared at him stoically this time.
"It''s a Coreless Beast," Basil calmly said as he caressed her hair softly. "Legendary it might be, it no longer holds what made it terrifying. We can¡ª"
"There must be a reason why the powerful Elf Empress doesn''t take the matter into her own hands." Basil''s hand stopped at Iliana''s statement. "Yamata no Orochi is not the only issue here. There must be something... Something that is¡ªare you even listening?"
"Calm down, worrywart. You know me well," Basil cated. "Everything''s going to be alright."
Iliana didn''t look convinced by Basil''s assurance. She wanted to argue; however, like always, he managed to silence her with his hug.
Smiling softly at the way his girlfriend buried her face into his chest, he then wryly thought, ''I have to be more careful doing my shenanigans. Her instinct is getting sharper.''
Iliana''s worry was not unfounded. There was indeed a reason why Eloreth didn''t take the matter into her hands and left it to her daughter instead.
''Yamata no Orochi has a Curse on it, and anyone who kills it will inherit that Curse. Tinuviel is nning to have Cyane take that Curse, but I need the Curse, so I''ll take it,'' he mused. ''It will give me enough Yin Energy to counter Bahamut''s Curse.''
None of it was nned, as far as he was aware of, but this mission brought him many things that benefitted him. Kusanagi, Yin Energy, and the First Fragment¡ªhe would get them all as long as he performed well.
"Good Morning, Master Basil! Oh my, you dressed yourself like a proper Knight. It''s shameful to even call you Master. Can I call you Sir Basil instead?"
After getting everything ready for the investigation, Basil was greeted by Cyane. Said Knight had already prepared his army well, which made Basil''spany wonder if he just wanted to brag about how well he could organize his army.
Iliana and Ione''s view of him was that low.
"You can call me whatever you want, Sir Cyane." Basil smiled politely, wondering if Cyane had hit his head the night before.
''What is this genuine fondness for me that I feel from him? Shouldn''t he hate me after what I did?'' Like the two female Pacifers, the sole male Pacifer was confused too.
"Anyway, I hope we can help each other when things go south. Let us take care of each other well!"
Cyan extended his hand, and Basil stared at it for a couple of seconds before shaking it. He then scurried away with a grin on his face as soon as Basil let go of his hand.
''What a strange fellow,'' the three Pacifers thought.
Tinuviel came with her army not long after. With her in the lead, the journey to Khirokiev began.
Chapter 383 On The Serpents Tails (2)
Although it wasn''t consisted of that many personnels¡ª120 Elves¡ªthe army that followed Tinuviel was still considered many. She had, after all, never gathered that many people unless there was a big fighting.
The Elves in Alphoetra Tribe immediately got anxious as soon as they saw their Chief Tribe headed out of the vige with an army with her. Unaware of the truth, they wondered if the rtionship between the two tribes would forever be ruined.
"The wind has finally blown us backwards," muttered one of the old tribesmen watching the march. "To even rely on the outsiders to kill one''s own kin¡ªhow ironic..."
Tinuviel heard it loud and clear, but she was as unfazed as ever. On the contrary however, Nissena, who knew about the truth, couldn''t help frowning as she looked at the old Elf who had said it.
Basil and the Legion under hismand were right behind Tinuviel and her army; they took the center part of the whole formation. For some reason, many of the Elves couldn''t turn their eyes away from him.
As someone who didn''t like being treated like a bizarre specimen, Basil couldn''t help frowning lightly. He preferred being stared with distaste like Cyane and his army to being stared with such curiosity.
''Why are they looking at me like that?''
''Your presence must feel familiar,'' Asia answered. ''As my husband, your presence must remind them of the goddess who had embraced their ancestors in desperate times.''
''That sounds narcissistic.''
''Oh my, you didn''t even try to argue about the husband part anymore.'' Asia gasped in surprise. ''I have finally tamed your heart it seems.''
''Seriously, please.''
At that, Asia immediately got serious. ''You have been practicing [One With Nature] for slightly more than two years, haven''t you? You might not realize it, but your presence blends so well with Nature, any Elf can mistaken you as a Spirit.''
''Ah, they are wondering if one of my parents is a Spirit, aren''t they?''
''Considering the fact that most of them have forgotten about the Pacifer, that seems to be the case.''
Deacon abruptly stopped in his tracks, earning a light frown from Basil. He was about to ask what happened to Deacon, but as soon as he looked down, he immediately got the issue: a child Elf was looking at Deacon in fascination.
"Ophia, what are you doing?!"
The girl''s mother was horrified to find her daughter right under Deacon, a 6 metres tall Tyrant Saberwolf, which the Elves even seldom encountered. She was conflicted about what to do; she wanted to immediately take her daughter, but she was afraid.
Tinuviel, who had also ordered her army to stop the march, was about to get down from her Hexapod Horse when Basil jumped down. The Elves in her army immediately clicked their tongue in worry, but she smiled at that instead.
"You are standing in our way. Are you aware of that, munchkin?"
|Huh? I-I am sorry, I was too... Wait, you can''t understand me, can you?|
|I can.|
The entire vige turned silent the moment they heard Basil reply the girl, Ophia, in their own nativenguage, Eruvian, which was thenguage that every young Elf who couldn''t speak the universalnguage spoke.
Any record about Eruvian didn''t exist; therefore, one had to go to Padeitophys, and stay for a couple of weeks just to learn it. So far, very few people found the interest to, and even if they did, they would only stay there for three days before giving up.
The Elves considered theirnguage sacred, but they were d to teach anyone who wanted to learn it. Very few non-Elves managed to master it nheless, which was why the fact that Basil could speak it was really mind-boggling.
|I will ask you again, munchkin. Why do you find blocking our way necessary?|
|Uwah... You can really speak Eruvian! Can you understand me?|
|No, I can''t.|
Ophia''s eyes shone brightly as she looked at Basil. She was now more interested in the human than the Tyrant Saberwolf that she saw for the first time.
Shaking her head in the next moment, she reached into her pocket, and took out a golden colored seed. She showed it off to Basil with a grin on her face.
|Look, Mr. Mage, I can do something like¡ªhow?!|
Ophia wanted to show Basil how she could turn the golden colored seed into a fully bloomed marigold. Before she could do that however, he tapped the seed once, turning it into a golden colored marigold.
Ophia was dumbfounded; in fact, all of the Elves who had witnessed the scene were dumbfounded. They could understand Basil''s proficiency in Eruvian, but what they had witnessed was something they couldn''t wrap their head around.
|Nature Essence¡ªI happen to be able to control it too.|
|No way... Are you a Spirit?!|
|I am a Mage and a Knight. Now, can you move aside?|
At that question, Ophia stared silently at Basil. Her bright look had disappeared¡ªit was reced by a solemn and gloomy look.
|Where are you going? Is war really the answer to this conflict?|
The question caught many people off guard¡ªeven Tinuviel¡ªsince none of them had expected a child to be able to say something like that. She shared the tribesmen''s sentiment, and that made them feel bitter.
Basil extended his hand, and put it on top of Ophia''s head. He kneeled down, then looked into her eyes silently for a couple of seconds.
"You have to pay me for this," he whispered with a soft smile.
Ophia widened her eyes briefly before nodding her head lightly. She looked at Basil with eyes full of wonder afterwards, anticipating what his answer would be.
|People argued when their hearts are apart. They shout at each other despite the fact that they are close, because their hearts don''t want them to hear what the other side is saying.|
|In that situation, words can barely tame the heart. You need to take action to do that, and that''s what we are going to do.|
|Fighting the other side is not what we are going to do. We just want to show them how dire the situation can possibly be before talking them out of it, thus we do this.|
|Bloodshed will invite hatred, and hatred will invite bloodshed. It will only lead us to a path of destruction, and none of us want to go down that path ... We will do our best to clear the misunderstanding.|
Smiling as he caressed Ophia''s hair, Basil tapped the ground twice. In the next moment, tens of peace lilies sprouted out of the ground, baffling the humans and Elves alike.
''These two... Really? When did they even n this out?'' Iliana mused in amazement.
''My Lord... You look even more majestic than you already are when you are acting. As expected of you!'' Ione thought while keeping a t face.
|I see... That is really assuring, Mr. Mage. I hope the talk goes well. I can''t wait to y with my Dark Elf friends!|
Nodding his head lightly, Basil stood up. He then told Ophia to go to her mother after refusing to take the marigold she was holding since doing so would be the same as dering she was his future wife in the Elven culture.
Hopping on to the back of Deacon, Basil instructed Deacon to move. The march was immediately resumed, but the scene they had witnessed, and the things Basil had said still lingered in the Elves'' mind.
The humans also couldn''t help looking at Basil like he was the incarnation of a God¡ªwhether it was the soldiers under hismand or Cyane and his army. They even avoided the flowers he had grown, so they didn''t kill the flowers.
"So, when did you and Eloreth n to do that?" Iliana asked the moment they were out of the vige. "That child, she was Eloreth in disguise, wasn''t she? Her soul can''t lie."
"... We didn''t n it," Basil answered after appreciating his girlfriend''s sharpness. "We did it impromptu."
"Although my Mastery over [One With Nature] hasn''t reached the same level as you, I know it is possible to grow a flower out of a seed. What I failed to understand, however, is the fact that you could grow flowers without any seed," Ionemented.
"You might not notice it, but Eloreth actually took out a bunch of seeds, and dropped all of them but one to the ground. She then buried all of the fallen seeds carefully, so no one noticed it."
"Well, she certainly seeded in that, and you performed splendidly," Iliana remarked. "Anyway, why though¡ªthe whole y?"
"To ease the tribesmen''s anxiety. Look at these Elves." Basil gestured at the Elves watching them marching solemnly. "All of them worry about the future of Padeitophys as a whole. They have been in peace for millennia, and they don''t want that to end."
"As expected of the Empress... She knows what she is doing." Ione nodded her head in appreciation.
"Well, I hope you know the consequence of your action, because those Elves really looked like they were going to worship the ground that has your flowers," Iliana reminded.
"I do. That''s why I am going to have her pay meter." Basil nodded his head lightly, and the conversation ceased soon after.
The troops picked up their pace after some time. They marched as if they were going to go to a grand battle, rming many Elves in the way.
Of course, they picked up their pace for a reason. A few moments ago, the army from the tribe that they were having a "conflict" with had just contacted them, saying they saw the signs of Yamata no Orochi.
Tinuviel didn''t want to waste this chance. After all, she could immediately have Cyane and his army fight the Mythical Beast instead of spending their time "investigating" until they found Yamata no Orochi.
Aside from Basil, Iliana, and Ione, no one knew it was the case, so many were quite bewildered. The three were actually also not told about it, but their analytical skills were good enough to deliver them the right conclusion.
"Oh, so this is Khirokiev Mountain? Fancy," Iliana remarked.
"Are those golden colored vegetations at the peak or is it just covered in gold?" Ione wondered.
After marching at a high and constant speed for two hours, the people reached their destination¡ªKhirokiev Mountain. The peak of the mountain, which was seemingly covered in gold, instantly attracted the attention of the humans.
Whoosh!
As soon as they were swept by the sickening aura that descended from the mountain however, they forgot about the peak instantly. All of them shivered in terror, except for Basil who had an anticipating smile on his face.
Chapter 384 On The Serpent’s Tails (End)
"This sickening aura¡"
"What is happening on the mountain?"
"This is bad news, isn''t it?"
The troops were looking at each other with a solemn expression. The pressure they had felt from the mountain wasn''t one that they could easily ignore; unless there was a powerful Demon living in the mountain, which was impossible, such a thing shouldn''t have urred.
Tinuviel instinctively turned to Basil. Amongst the people, other than her and her army, only Basil and hispany knew about the existence of Yamata no Orochi, so she wanted to know if Basil was aware of what had happened.
Unlike the others, of course, the three Pacifers were aware of what had happened. They nodded their head lightly upon receiving her gaze, letting her know that they were ready.
"On position!" Basilmanded. "Maintain your rank!"
The soldiers under hismand immediately did what hemanded without questioning anything. The scene rmed Cyane and his army since it implicitly told Basil was anticipating a battle upon climbing the mountain.
"Knights, stand in formation!"
''There will be a battle soon,'' those who didn''t know anything about the real ordeal thought as soon as they heard Cyane alsomand his soldiers to immediately assume their battle formation.
When the people were ready, Tinuviel took the lead again and climbed the mountain. None of them got down from their horses; their horses could climb a mountain just as good, if not better than humans.
There were countless interesting things they could see in their surroundings, but their attention was only focused on their way. The higher they climbed, the more powerful the pressure became¡ªtheir mind was upied by their assumption of what was there.
''Everyone is tense, but my soldiers are just as tense,'' Tinuviel thought to herself. ''I wonder if knowing what they will face matters. That pressure alone seems to be enough to let the others know how troublesome the opponent we will be facing is.''
Hiss!
Everyone immediately frowned the moment they heard the hissing sound that was too loud toe from an ordinary snake. Those who didn''t know thought that maybe there was a Magical Beast that assumed the form of a snake, but those who knew became more solemn.
''Yamata no Orochi is nearby,'' they thought.
Trying to act as unbothered as they could to not rm the human soldiers, the Elves were internally sweating. They had heard how the elites amongst them gotpletely demolished by Yamata no Orochi¡ªthey couldn''t help but worry.
Many as they were, regardless, the fact that they barely knew anything about the Beast was worrisome. In battles, information was crucial¡ªthey didn''t have it, so they were essentially relying on their luck and their tact to win the battle or just survive it.
Rustle!
When they heard the bushes in their surroundings rustling, the human soldiers immediately tensed up. They couldn''t feel any presence nearby, so they were rmed when they detected movements from the bushes.
Being experienced fighters, the soldiers immediately faced said direction while simultaneously readying their weapons. They spread their Qi and Mana Senses to get a better scan of the area in front of them but still found nothing.
"Hold," Basil simply instructed. He didn''t borate, but the soldiers trusted his judgment enough to not question it.
Cyane looked at that Basil in bewilderment; he couldn''t believe howx Basil was. The Pacifer looked like he was looking down on the problem they might face.
''Unless he could sense what is in front of him, he shouldn''t be that calm,'' Cyane mused. ''Still, what kind of Beast or even individual can sneak up on us this well?''
As a Peak Stage Violet Core Knight, Cyane took pride in his prowess. It was very hard for him to believe that despite being one of the strongest Knights in the Human Empire, there was still someone or some Beast that could conceal themselves from him.
Rustle!
''Now, show me what you¡ªoh, it''s them?''
The moment the cause of the rustling showed themselves, the soldiers all heaved a sigh of relief. Still, none of them lowered their guard, because what, or rather, who came out of the bushes might also turn the situation for the worse.
¡ At least, that was the case for the human soldiers.
The Elves were secretly d that they encountered their allies¡ªthe Dark Elves from the tribe that they were having a "conflict" with. They had, after all, promised to "identally" encounter each other on the way, so they could "identally" find out the truth together.
For it to happen, still, they needed to act as if they weren''t allies, which wasn''t very hard. As one might expect from people who had strained rtionships, the Elves interacted with each other awkwardly.
"What a coincidence meeting you here, the Tribe Chief of Skudera, Aegnor teo Skudera."
"What a coincidence it is indeed, the Tribe Chief of Alphoetra, Tinuviel tia Alphoetra."
The reason why the two Tribe Chiefs could act awkward so naturally, however, wasn''t because they were good actors. Despite having a pretty good rtionship, the two rarely met due to their schedules, so the awkwardness was expected.
None, except the Elves, knew of that fact, but both sides still cringed at the interaction regardless; albeit for a different reason. Luckily for the Elves, though, none of the human soldiers suspected them of being allies.
"What are you doing here, Aegnor?" Tinuviel asked.
"I could say the same thing to you, Tinuviel," Aegnor replied. "I won''t cause unnecessary trouble, of course, so I will give you the answer that you might already expect: I am here to investigate."
"That is also what we are doing¡ªwhat a coincidence."
"¡"
Hearing the response Tinuviel gave to Aegnor, the human soldiers couldn''t help wincing. The awkwardness between the two was so unbearable, they were afraid a conflict might break if the two kept conversing.
''Come on, just end the conversation already,'' they thought. ''We will gain nothing out of it. Just look at how t the other party''s face is!''
Basil could feel the anxiety of the soldiers, and couldn''t help shaking his head in amusement. The two Tribe Chiefs were bad at acting; but it, ironically, became the reason why it worked on the people¡ªit was as funny as it was ridiculous.
"What do you think of conducting an investigation together, so we can somehow find the truth behind the whole ordeal sooner?"
At Tinuviel''s suggestion, the human soldiers inwardly eximed, ''That''s what you are going with?''
Much to their bewilderment however, Aegnor nodded his head immediately. "That is a good suggestion."
''He epted it easily¡ªwhat the hell?!''
While the others were thinking about how absurd the interaction between the two was, Cyane was looking at it from a different perspective.
''As expected of the Elven Race, they are not the most peaceful race for no reason. Look at them, even though they are having a conflict, they can still act civilly.''
Although he found it rather suspicious, his high view towards Elves, in general, made him instantly discard his suspicion. He knew Elves weren''t very fond of lying and being lied to, so he was sure there was no other meaning to their interaction¡ªthey were just awkward.
"Let us resume our investigation, shall we?"
At Tinuviel''s suggestion, Aegnor merely nodded his head solemnly. He immediately integrated the soldiers he brought into Tinuviel''s, and they mixed so well together, they looked like they had fought together for a long time.
Since all of them, again, got upied by what the source of the sickening aura was, however, none of them cared about that fact. The moment they resumed climbing, their attention was focused on whatever was in front of them.
Whoosh!
Minutes passed, and the higher they climbed, the eerier the aura in their surroundings got. The sickening pressure that wasing from the peak of the mountain also became more apparent, making the hairs on the back of their neck stand on end.
The number of actively moving life-forms¡ªthe Magical Beasts inhabiting the mountain¡ªthey could detect from their surroundings had lessened. This could only mean one thing: there was something dangerous at the peak of Khirokiev Mountain.
In anticipation and full alertness, they climbed. Even after half an hour, however, nothing happened; they were as relieved as they were disappointed¡ªit was a very conflicting feeling, but they kept climbing regardless.
Fifteen more minutes passed. At this point, all of them were sure something was bound to happen.
They could no longer sense any actively moving life-form from their surroundings, but they could sense the one terrifying presence at the peak of the mountain. Forgetting they were just there to investigate, they gulped their saliva dryly as they prepared themselves for battle.
"Ready yourselves!" Basil softlymanded.
Boom!
The sudden fluctuation of Mana from Basil''s army startled the others. The moment they turned around, his entire army was already engulfed in the light of the Magic Circle below them.
Seeing that Basil''s army had already activated their Magic Battle Formation, Cyane also immediately ordered his to do the same. The entire human army was inside their Magic Battle Formation in the next moment, ready to face whatever would show up.
The Elves, although they didn''t have any Magic Battle Formation they could use, were also ready to fight. Unlike the humans, who needed a Formation to share their power, they could connect themselves to each other through Nature.
Dash!
Much to the people''s bewilderment, Deacon galloped to the front even before Yamata no Orochi showed itself and surprised those who were clueless about it. They wondered whether Basil had lost his mind or wanted to bring them down with him.
"Master Basil, please stay in your Formation!" Tinuviel eximed.
"Sir Basil, I don''t think it is a perfect time to test the water!" Cyane warned urgently.
"Get back¡ªdon''t be rash!" Aegnor shouted.
Basil turned a deaf ear to their warning. He still instructed Deacon to keep advancing, even though the terrifying presence was getting closer.
The people instinctively turned to the army he had left behind to look at their reaction. Much to their bewilderment, however, instead of finding the army confused and baffled, they found the army smirking to themselves.
Iliana and Ione, recing Basil, took the lead of the army. They raised their hands, and shouted at the same time, "Dodge!"
Whoosh!
An absurdly strong and lethal wind de swept the area they were standing by in the blink of an eye. It cut the vegetation in their surroundings cleanly, allowing them to see what was happening in front of them.
There, they found a gigantic eight-headed eight-tailed serpent hissing menacingly at Basil, who was staring at said Magical Beast gantly.
Chapter 385 Dragon Killers Intent
Kusanagi was the only reason why Yamata no Orochi still possessed a power that was capable of scaring many other Magic Beasts away.
Kusanagi was attached the tip of the fourth tail. With it, Yamata no Orochi was capable of cutting almost anything¡ªeven without using Mana.
"This is more fitting," Basil remarked. "There should be no Mythical Beast that became so powerless just because they had lost their Core."
The pressure Yamata no Orochi was exuding was simr to the one he had felt from the Dragons he had killed in his past life. Although it was stillcking, it was intimidating enough for anyone other than him.
It is worth to be noted that Yamata no Orochi had lost its Core. The pressure it was exuding, therefore, wasing from the intent of everything it had killed and the reminiscent of its power.
One would never dare to imagine how powerful it was with its Core. It wouldn''t be an exaggeration to say it could be stronger than Scy.
As the other people gulped their saliva dryly, anticipating the next move of Yamata no Orochi in terror from afar; Basil, sitting on his mount, Deacon, stared at it casually.
He didn''t show any fear, which was very bewildering to the people. The pressure they felt from Yamata no Orochi was enough to make their feet buckle; they couldn''t imagine how terrifying it was being right in front of it.
The pressure was indeed terrifying; even Deacon, a Sixth Grade Magic Beast, which was just one Grade lower than the highest Grade, couldn''t help getting nervous. It instilled an instinctive fear in him.
"Do you think you can move?"
"I can, Master."
"Why are you trembling, then?"
"It is intimidating."
Unlike Basil, who had faced countless of Beasts that were more terrifying than the crippled Mythical Beast in front of him, the others still hadn''t had the immunity to the intimidation. Their souls still couldn''t withstand the pressure it put on them.
''W-What are we going to do next?'' the people wondered as they nervously looked at the motionless Basil and Yamata no Orochi.
Although it had only been 15 seconds, considering what they were facing, theck of action was underwhelming but worrying nheless.
They had expected a great battle to immediately ensue, but Basil and Yamata no Orochi were just having a stare-down instead. None of them showed any sign of aggression as if they were expecting each other to turn away and leave.
|What are you doing here, human?|
|I am here to take back what is rightfully mine.|
|Hmph! Are you iming to be that Yamato''s descendant?|
|I am not here for your tail, serpent; I am here for something else. You shouldn''t view yourself that highly.|
Basil had, actually, been waiting for Yamata no Orochi to speak. The scene bewildered everyone¡ªeven the Elves¡ªbecause they didn''t expect said Mythical Beast could speak.
The fact that Basil stillmunicated with it was, of course, also surprising but not that mind-boggling. They knew thenguage it spoke; it was an older version of Hon Dialect, which wasn''t that hard to learn.
Still, they didn''t know what Basil and Yamata no Orochi were talking about. The Elves, although they could normally understand animals, also couldn''t understand what Yamata no Orochi was talking about.
|I have nothing that is more precious than my tail in my cave.|
|Oh, thank you for confirming me something I want to know.|
Basil had initially thought Matheus, as the previous Fragment Bearer, had intentionally sealed the First Fragment there because he could have Yamata no Orochi guard it, but it was revealed that it wasn''t the case.
|Now, serpent, I will give you two choices. Move out of my way and let me through or die here.|
|Cocky human, you should think before you speak, lest you embarrass yourself. You have just said the second mostughable thing I have heard ever since that Yamato dered my tail was his.|
Although Basil wanted to kill Yamata no Orochi for obvious reasons, killing it wasn''t his priority. He wanted to retrieve the First Fragment before joining the others to defeat Yamata no Orochi afterwards.
Said Mythical Beast, unfortunately, didn''t seem to be willing to let him through. He was given no choice but to fight and retrieved Kusanagi first.
"Hmmm... The golden peak is just 300 metres away¡ªit is unfortunate that I can''t go there immediately," Basil muttered to himself. "Well, I guess I have to end this quick."
Extending his hands to the sides, Basil took out his trusty swords. Durendal appeared in his right hand, meanwhile Caliburn appeared in his left hand.
His aura instantly changed as soon as the two swords appeared in his hands. He had yet to release his Mana and Qi outwards; however, the pressure he was emanating was already intimidating to both his allies and his opponent.
"Deacon, do you remember our first fight on Lone Mountain?"
"That is one of the most unforgettable moments in my life, Master. I will carry that memory until the end of my life," Deacon said nostalgically.
"Well, let us relive the memory, shall we?" Basil smiled, then shouted to the people behind him, "Beware of its cronies!"
None of them understood what Basil meant by that, but the moment the air exploded¡ªthe moment he materialized his six Ultimate Circles, they immediately understood his warning.
Thousands of Magic Beasts that they didn''t know had been there revealed themselves. None of them were below the Fifth Grade.
The people quickly prepared themselves to engage inbat¡ªthey were tense. Although they still outnumbered the Magic Beasts, there were some Beasts that could easily chew hundreds of them by themselves.
"I will leave themand to you, Giles! I will aid Sir Basil to defeat that serpent," Cyane dered before storming off.
"I will join Master Basil and help him defeat that Beast. Do well, everyone!" Tinuviel dashed off.
"I believe in you, my Warriors. Don''t disappoint me!" Aegnor joined Tinuviel in the next moment.
Hiss!
Baring its fangs, the eight-headed serpent, whipped its fourth tail at the people fighting it. Deacon could take Basil away from the trajectory of the wind de it produced, but the others could only dodge the wind de by a narrow margin.
As their soldiers fought against the Magic Beasts that the eight-headed serpentmanded, the four people¡ªBasil, Cyane, Tinuviel, and Aegnor¡ªconfronted said serpent. They were outnumbered, but they did better than their soldiers.
"The soft spot is its stomach!" Basil shouted. "Aim for it!"
"I think it is better to show rather than tell in that case, Sir Basil," Cyane responded. "I am afraid this Beast understands us!"
"Don''t worry, it doesn''t speak Exon," assured Basil.
|I can perfectly understand you, human!|
Yamata no Orochi felt insulted. Although it didn''t speak Exon, which was the universalnguage of this world, it still could perfectly understand them.
Ignoring the indignant Mythical Beast''sment, Basil instructed Deacon to eliminate the distance between them and said Mythical Beast. He utilized [Frictionless] to elerate their speed, allowing them to reach it in the blink of an eye.
Yamata no Orochi was shocked by Basil''s sudden appearance but it was quick to react. Shooting toxins out of its fangs, it managed to shy Deacon away just before Basil could swing Durendal.
Basil, however, used that chance to separate from Deacon. He jumped to the side and headed to the back of Yamata no Orochi, whereas Deacon jumped back, ready to shoot his trademark wind sphere, which had be even more lethal than two years ago.
Knowing that it would be attacked from either side, the Mythical Beast decided to dodge Deacon''s wind sphere and ignored Basil. Everything was, of course, ording to Basil''s n, so it just made a great mistake.
Whoosh!
The wind sphere that Yamata no Orochi had dodged was so powerful that it almost bent the space. The two Tribe Chiefs, who were well-versed in Wind Magic, were even astounded by the power his attack possessed.
''Hmph! Your trick doesn''t¡ªwhat?!''
Thinking that it really had dodged a bullet, Yamata no Orochi was shocked when it felt a prick on its back. Basil had managed to pierce through its thick and sturdy scales with his sword.
Panicked, Yamata no Orochi wriggled its body frantically. It lost focus after knowing that Basil might be able to cut it, giving the others the chance tond their attacks on it.
Hiss!
It hissed painfully as soon as their attacksnded, but it was still anxious about Basil. His sword was still stuck in its body, which means he still had a firm hold on its back.
"Well, look at how pathetic you are."
Hearing the familiar voice, Yamata no Orochi abruptly stopped wriggling its body and looked up. It found Basil floating in the air, ready to swing Durendal and Caliburn.
|How?!|
Yamata no Orochi didn''t know the identity of both swords, but it was sure they were the only weapons that could pierce its body. Basil still having them in his hands could only mean one thing: he could use anything to pierce through its scales.
"I have told you. You shouldn''t view yourself that highly," Basil sneered at the same time Yamata no Orochi widened its eyes in terror.
Now d in golden armour with blue, shining veins decorating his body, Basil''s pressure was just as terrifying, if not more than Yamata no Orochi''s. [Synchronization] was activated; he couldbine Mana and Qi and use them to fuel his attack.
|Do you think I will let you?!|
"[Twin Mountain Cutter]!"
At the same time Yamata no Orochi swung its fourth tail at Basil, he swung both of his swords horizontally to the left. The air¡ªthe space itself was cut, making those who witnessed it feel unfair that the name didn''t deserve the Technique.
Screech!
Kusanagi''s wind de shed with Basil''s Technique in the middle, producing a very ear-grating sound. As soon as it heard the sound, Yamata no Orochi immediately knew it was going to lose.
True to its prediction, Basil''s Technique could disperse its wind de easily. The sh onlysted for a second¡ªin the next second, its eight heads were cut at once.
''Ah, he knew...''
With all of its heads cut at once, Yamata no Orochi could not possibly regrow its heads. Its fate was sealed, thus the battle was concluded anticlimactically.
The two Tribe Chiefs and the Wielder of Joyeuse couldn''t believe what they had witnessed. They had barely showcased their prowess, so they didn''t know whether to rejoice or cry at the battle that had quickly ended.
Chapter 386 Dragon Killers Intent (2)
Eight consecutive thuds were heard as soon as the decapitated heads of Yamata no Orochi touched the ground. Tinuviel, Aegnor, and Cyane stared at the scene silently, too gobsmacked to say anything.
Cyane, who had expected a big fight, was as disappointed as he was excited. He had heard how good of a fighter Basil was; and after seeing Basil''s disy, he was sure Basil wasn''t just good but extremely good.
''Still... I haven''t even taken Joyeuse out yet!'' Nheless, he felt slightly empty at the fact that he couldn''t show off much.
On the other hand, Tinuviel and Aegnor had a dark expression. They would be lying if they said the fight had been easy, but recalling the fact that many of their Warriors had died because of the Mythical Beast that Basil had easily killed was frustrating.
''Either Master Basil is too strong or our Warriors are too ipetent ... Hopefully, it is the former¡ªno, it should be the former!'' they thought. They didn''t think they would be able to cope with the fact that their Warriors were ipetent.
nk! nk!
Burst!
Boom! Boom!
Hearing the rowdiness of the battle their soldiers had with the Magic Beasts that had beenmanded by Yamata no Orochi, the three people were reminded of the fact that the battle hadn''t ended yet.
''There is still a chance for us to show off!'' They didn''t know why, but they felt the need to prove themselves to Basil, so he knew they were strong too.
"Master Basil, I think it is better to..."
Tinuviel, who was about to tell Basil that they should help their army fight the Magic Beasts, turned silent as soon as she saw Basil staring at the cave ahead of him solemnly.
He just stood there silently with his hands behind his back, looking like a sage waiting for the predicament that he had foreseen toe. Deacon was standing beside him, emanating a fierce aura that they hadn''t felt when Yamata no Orochi showed up.
"What is happening?" Cyane muttered.
Aegnor and Tinuviel turned their eyes to the lifeless body of Yamata no Orochi at Cyane''s muttering. They saw it drying up because all of its blood was flowing out of its body.
Curious, they inspected where the blood was flowing to. When they found it flowing to the cave that Basil was looking at, their expression immediately darkened.
The cave was on a higher ground¡ªscientifically speaking, the blood shouldn''t flow there. One might argue it was caused by a Magical phenomenon¡ªyes, it was, and that was the reason why it was even more frightening.
Something was absorbing the blood of Yamata no Orochi inside the cave. Something was using Yamata no Orochi as a sacrifice to awaken and they dreaded what kind of powerful creature it was.
"If you worry about your power just because I did the job by myself, I will tell you this. You are not weak," Basil said calmly, waking the people from their thought. "I know that Beast well, which is the reason why I could defeat it easily."
Basil extended his left hand to his side; a sword immediately flew at him from the direction of Yamata no Orochi''s fourth tail. It floated right beside him as soon as it reached him.
"Look at the shape of this sword that I extracted from the tail of Yamata no Orochi. This is Kusanagi¡ªthe reason behind the mysterious death of the Warriors from Skudera Tribe."
The Kusanagi Basil was controlling with [Master of Weapons] looked very simr to the one he had wielded a few years ago. There were only two differences between this one and the one he had wielded: the size and the colour.
The previous Kusanagi was just 102 centimetres long, whereas the current one was 172 centimetres long. The previous Kusanagi had a green hilt and a silver coloured de, whereas the current Kusanagi had a milky white hilt and de.
Shape wise, it was the same. It still had the shape of a cmus leaf, but sharper than the previous one.
"That is... The pattern matches."
"That means... For all this time..."
"The Beast was the one that had killed the Dark Elves!"
Being given the chance to finish their act, Tinuviel and Aegnor didn''t think twice. They immediately seized the chance and tried their best to look enlightened.
Luckily for them, Cyane was immediately convinced¡ªhe didn''t suspect anything. Although none of his subordinates had heard it, they were sure his subordinates would just follow his opinionter since he was their superior.
"Now, it is time to face on the real challenge," Basil said as Kusanagi flew above his head and pointed to the cave. "There, lies the reason why Yamata no Orochi was here."
Gulp!
The people instinctively entered battle mode at Basil''s words. Their hearts pounded loudly; their vision was solely focused on the cave.
A breeze passed by, carrying a terrifying aura with it. An overwhelmingly terrifying pressure could be felt afterwards, shocking the three people and silencing the whole battlefield.
No one moved¡ªno one dared to. They all stared nervously at the cave ahead of them¡ªeven the Magic Beasts did too.
Rawr!
A mighty roar resounded throughout the mountain.
Boom!
At the same time, a soul crushing pressure descended upon the ce.
This time, no one but Basil could keep standing straight. Iliana, Ione, Tinuviel, Aegnor, and Cyane immediately kneeled in terror, meanwhile the others fell t to the ground.
The Magic Beasts were too scared to stay, so they scurried away without minding the people who had disturbed their peace. They knew what was going toe out; it wouldn''t be wise to be anywhere near it.
"Movest thou not, it is alright, my Beast," Basil said softly as he caressed Deacon''s fur. "Help thy master with what thou dost best that isunching those wind spheres. This Beast standeth on a higher ground."
In the middle of Basil''s forehead, his Pacifer Seal was shining brightly in gold. His golden eyes stared at the cave that was emanating the overwhelming pressure calmly¡ªone couldn''t find fear in them.
Boom!
After killing Yamata no Orochi, Basil inherited the Curse that it had¡ªthe one that had suppressed the Yang Energy of said Mythical Beast with Yin Energy, preventing it from being able to recreate its Core.
The Dragon Curse that Basil had gotten from Charles made the Yang Energy in his body overflow. It made his Qi getting harder to control, which made it easy for him to go on a rampage.
''The reason why Yamata no Orochi could stay alive so long is that it had used the Yin Energy the Curse produced to make a clone. I, on the other hand, use the Yin Energy to suppress the Yang Energy in my body.''
To prevent the Yin Energy from ruining its body, Yamata no Orochi had shed its skin and condensed the overflowing Yin Energy. It then used the condensed Yin Energy to turn its skin into an alive creature, which uncannily resembled it.
That was the reason why there were two Yamata no Orochi. The other one was just a mere vessel that real one could use to dump its overflowing Yin Energy.
Boom!
In Basil''s case, he used the Yin Energy to suppress his overflowing Yang Energy that messed with his Qi Core. When the Yang Energy was suppressed, he could break through the boundary between the Early Stage and the Middle Stage of Violet Core.
It was, of course, still his limit. He couldn''t advance anymore than that, lest he destroyed his Core and killed himself.
Screech!
As soon as Basil finished advancing, which was essentially just him lessening the suppression he put on his Core, something came out of the cave and soared to the sky.
It had a body that waspletely covered in pointy scales; some of them were big and some of them were small. Including its tail, it was 25 metres long, which made it the biggest Beast Basil had encountered in this life.
It possessed a pair of wings that spanned over 15 metres each. Despite its big body, it could still fly through the air swiftly.
"No... way... That is... no way," Tinuviel muttered to herself as she tried hard to look up. "A Dragon... A Dragon in this day and age!"
Many thought Dragons had extinct, so the people shared the same sentiment as Tinuviel. Although only a handful of them could see the Dragon with their own eyes, the others who heard what she said was equally bewildered.
None of the records that they had read ever mentioned that Dragons could be easily defeated or there was an easy way to deal with Dragons. Given that fact, worrying that they might die soon was normal.
Thud!
When the Dragonnded, they felt like the judge of death had finally mmed his gavel on the table. ''We are going to die,'' they all thought frantically.
"What a very young Dragon thou art."
Upon hearing the voice, the people couldn''t help widening their eyes in shock. They could barely stay conscious, but there was someone who could speak casually to the Dragon¡ªit was mind-boggling.
"H-How?" Cyane muttered painfully in shock as he looked at Basil.
It was hard for him to digest how Basil''s soul could easily withstand the pressure the Dragon was putting on it. Basil could even stare at the Dragon right in its face, which made the it even more bewildering.
"Hu...man, what ... Is ... Your ... Purpose?"
"I am unable to speak Dragon Language; however, we can speak in anothernguage if you find it hard tomunicate in Exon."
"I ... Am fi...ne. I just ... Woke up, so ... I can''t speak well."
"Splendid! Thou art getting better." After saying this, Basil deactivated his Pacifer Seal. "I am sure reading the Mana in your surroundings have some merit."
"Human ... You are we...ird."
Basil couldn''t help humming to himself in wonder as he looked into the Dragon''s curious eyes. So far, he couldn''t sense any malice from it, indicating that it didn''t have any intention to harm him.
As good as it was to hear, however, it wasn''t a good news. The First Fragment, which he had thought was sealed in the cave, was sealed in its body, recing the Heart that had been crippled.
Said Dragon, definitely, would not just hand him over the Fragment. The only way to extract it was by killing it and he had to risk his life for that.
Chapter 387 Dragon Killers Intent (End)
"Your pressure¡ªit is harming mypany." Basil gestured at Tinuviel and the others.
"They are... weak. It is their unfortunate fate to be born that way," the Dragon replied neutrally.
"Ho-oh? Your arrogance has be apparent now that you can speak clearly," Basil replied, hiding a smile at the answer that he had expected. "That, unfortunately, can''t be the case. I have to ask you to alleviate the pressure."
"Human, you seem to have forgotten your position. No intruder has any right toin about being treated harshly by the owner of the ce," retorted the Dragon coldly.
Listening to the conversation between the two, touched as they were by Basil''s initiative, the people silently suggested Basil that he should just back down. They could easily tell the talk wouldn''t go anywhere.
Tinuviel, representing the Elves, wanted to stand up and apologize to the Dragon so they could immediately climb down the mountain, but she couldn''t even push her body upwards. Her body felt so heavy that maintaining her current position was a chore.
"Hmph! The owner of the ce you said? I didn''t expect you to be aedian. Ah, even the things I have heard fromedians weren''t as ludicrous," Basil sneered, much to the people''s horror.
"Be careful with what you say, human," the Dragon warned. "Ants die when they are trampled."
"Dragons die when they are in¡ªwhat is your point?" Basil quirked his eyebrow and smirked condescendingly.
"You are trying too hard to touch my reverse scale. You don''t have to¡ª"
"Young Dragons are easier to anger, I know." Basil nodded his head lightly. "They are easier to y too."
Rawr!
Enraged, the Dragon roared at Basil. Its breath, like a storm, was strong enough to uproot trees but he wasn''t even winded in the slightest; his clothes also didn''t p, indicating that its breath wasn''t strong enough to go against his wind maniption.
The only one who could stay calm about it was, of course, only Basil. The people behind him were having a very a dark look on their face, because they were expecting the worst to happen.
''When is he going to stop? What will he get from this exchange?''
''Basil... You are going to kill all of us this time.''
''My Lord is ying with fire again, isn''t he?''
Uncaring to what the people felt about his action, Basil fiddled with the swords in his hands in a threatening but yful manner. It was clear to the people that he was intentionally provoking the Dragon.
The Dragon felt provoked. It didn''t have any intention to kill Basil before; but, after how he had been behaving for the past few minutes, it was too irked to leave him alive.
"Do you want to kill me now?"
"You are weird, human. You looked like someone who had seen the creation of this world before, but you look like a baby who was just born yesterday now."
"Want to see a baby killing a Dragon?"
"Your arrogance will cost you your life!"
Rawr!
Again, the Dragon roared mightily. Its roar was so loud that it almost ruptured everyone''s eardrums even though they were protected by Magic.
"Let''s do this somewhere, shall we?" Basil, like he had always been, was calm. "Deacon, follow after me!"
He activated [Synchronisation] and kicked the ground as soon as the golden armour covered his body. Crashing into the Dragon''s body, much to the people''s bafflement, he took it away with him.
He ran while pushing the Dragon''s body until he reached the peak of Khirokiev Mountain, the Golden Peak. Roughly 400 metres was covered in 8 seconds, which was unbelievable considering what he brought with him.
Dragons were the most prideful creatures in this world. With their immense power, they believed they could conquer the whole world, so when they did nothing, the whole world should treat them respectfully.
It might sound narcissistic, but what they believed had never been wrong¡ªat least, for the older Dragons. While strong, the younger Dragons weren''t as fearsome as the older ones, so they were quite tamepared to the older ones.
Burst!
"Insolent human!" The Dragon shouted indignantly after shooting fire out of its mouth. "How dare you treat me like that? Who do you think you are?!"
It turns out, this young Dragon wasn''t as tame as how young Dragons normally were. Just like any young creature, it thought itself to be standing at the peak of the world.
"Who do you think you are to ask me those questions?" Basil retorted.
"I am an existence that can end you!"
"I can say the same thing to you."
Standing on its hind legs, the Dragon shot its fire breath at Basil after his remark. The Pacifer immediately jumped to the air, getting away from the trajectory of the fire breath.
Deacon walked in on this situation and he immediately patted himself in the back for not rushing. Had he rushed, he might have been burnt to crisp in Basil''s stead.
Rawr!
When the fire died down, the Dragon turned to the sky to look at Basil. He, however, hadnded on Deacon''s back at that point, making it think it was ying with him.
Standing on Deacon''s back, Basil said, "Be my pet and I shall give thee meat everyday. Eat it thou shalt not however; roast it thou shalst." His Pacifer Seal was shining brightly in the middle of his forehead.
"This presence again... Human, you remind me of someone I abhor," paying no attention to Basil''s mocking statement, the Dragon remarked. "I now remember where I had felt the same presence that you currently have."
"Ho-oh? Pray tell, big lizard."
"This insolent human!"
The Dragon became absolute that it could never converse with Basil calmly. Basil was constantly touching its reverse scale, so it concluded that it should teach him why he shouldn''t provoke it as soon as possible.
Turning around quickly, the Dragon whipped its long tail at Deacon, who had Basil on his back. Deacon easily jumped to dodge it, allowing it to burn and cut the golden vegetation behind him.
After retracting its tail, the Dragon swung one of its front legs at Deacon. The Tyrant Saberwolf, once again, managed to dodge it, allowing the Mana des that the Dragon sent them to tear the ground and the trees apart.
"Master, that creature looks like it can do this all day. We need to figure out a way to fight it," Deacon said agitatedly.
"Worry not, my Beast. Do what thou dost best and let thy Master face it," Basil replied calmly.
"I am sorry for being ipetent."
Instead of responding to Deacon, Basil jumped off his back and rushed straight to the Dragon. The Dragon''s slitted pupils immediately shrunk; its pressure was amplified.
Deacon, at this point, dropped to the ground. He could no longer stand on his feet and his focus was solely on keeping his mind sane.
sh!
Basil, the reason why the Dragon amplified its pressure, was as unfazed as before. He could even send a Mana de that Durendal created to the Dragon.
nk!
Although said Dragon could counter it with its own Mana de, it couldn''t help but be bewildered. It could gauge Basil''s power. Although it wasmendable, it was nowhere near enough to overwhelm it. What had happened shouldn''t have happened.
"Wondering why such a thing can happen?" Basil said calmly in front of the Dragon. "See, little Dragon, thou art not the first Dragon I encounter. A lot of thy kin I have in and seen; all of them were bigger and stronger."
"Has my Intent finally driven you crazy?" The Dragon retorted disdainfully.
"Ah, yes, Intent. Thy kin call that Soul Technique Intent." Basil nodded his head lightly. "See, little Dragon, if someone yeth a Dragon, he wilt inherit its Intent. He wilt have something that is unique to him¡ªthat maketh him different from the others."
"Hmph! Quit the twaddle, human."
At the Dragon''s condescending remark, Basil smiled faintly. He tapped into the power that had been sealed deeply in his Soul and awakened itpletely.
Boom!
The air exploded as soon as the power made its presence known. Nothing had visibly changed from Basil, but the Dragon could tell something was wrong the moment the power swept over it.
For the second time in its life, after having its heart taken out forcefully, the Dragon felt intimidated. Basil''s presence became heavier; the aura he was exuding was pricking its scaly skin.
"Those who have this call this Dragon Killer''s Intent. This is the proof of one''s ability to kill Dragons¡ªthe reward that one obtah." Basil smiled serenely. "This body hath not killed one yet, however, my soul hath killed many in the past."
"[Skotchen¨ª b¨¢il]!"
Sensing danger, the Dragon didn''t hesitate to use Dragon Language; thengue it spoke, which could evoke countless of Magical phenomenons. A fireball the size of a two-storey building was sent at Basil.
Standing in his ce calmly, Basil swung Durendal vertically. The fireball, which was ten times hotter than the fireball a Seventh Circle Mage could produce, was instantly cut in two.
Burst!
Fire immediately engulfed the golden vegetation in their surroundings. The ground that was covered in golden lichens was charred, rapidly turning ck.
"How unfortunate. This peak wilt no longer have the right to be called the Golden Peak in the future," Basil remarked after looking at his surroundings. "Dost thou not feel guilty about what thou hastmitted, little Dragon?"
"[Izycha]!"
The Dragon merely told Basil to shut his mouth, but he still felt a force trying to take away his ability to speak. With [One in Nature] active, fortunately, he could easily thwart the attempt.
"Little Dragon, may the best return victorious!" Basil eximed before dashing towards the Dragon.
"[Astra d¨¦pas]!" In response, the Dragon sent him a lightning bolt.
Crack!
The lightning bolt that struck the ground rapidly slithered to the trees in the surroundings. Electricity sparked out of the golden leaves of the trees in the next moment, creating a canopy of electricity above.
Basil stopped in his tracks and looked at the scene calmly, musing about how different the effect the words hadpared to the time when Charles had said them.
"Nothing shalt beat the real one, eh?" Basil muttered.
Drawing his Qi from his Core while simultaneously materialising his six Ultimate Circles, he continued to dash towards the Dragon with a battle-crazed smile.
"Regardless, nothing shalt defeat me!"
His Dragon Killer''s Intent was at full st, suppressing the soul of the Dragon. Their sh marked the start of the myth surrounding him in the future.
Chapter 388 The First Fragment
Zzz!
Basil''s surroundings were covered in electricity. Although it was negligible, he had to still pay attention to it, lest he would get stunned.
Fire, at this point, hadpletely engulfed the entire Golden Peak. The golden vegetation was losing their colour; they were turning ck because of the fire.
The Dragon was fond of Fire Magic, so anything it did other than producing fire was just a distraction. Just like the electricity in his surroundings, the Dragon also used Wind Magic, Ice Magic, Earth Magic and many others to distract him.
Of course, none of them worked.
"[Diatyor]!"
Thousands of ice stakes the size of a man fell from the sky. All of them were heading towards Basil at an unimaginable speed to a Yellow Core Knight¡ªfast enough to make one lose track of them.
Basil could see them as if they were moving in slow motion; his face remained stoic as he gazed at them. He brandished Caliburn swiftly, producing a curved Mana de that was powerful enough to disintegrate all of the ice stakes at once.
Looking at the scene, the Dragon couldn''t help sweating internally. It could do much more than what it was doing; but thanks to Basil''s Dragon Killer''s Intent, its suppressed soul didn''t allow it to do what it could.
"Is it scary?"
"[Kalyop¨ª]!"
The moment Basil appeared before the Dragon, it immediately told him to die. It wasn''t its first time startled by him, so it also wasn''t its first time saying the same thing.
Basil felt a hand grasping his heart soon after. It was about to squeeze his heart when he thwarted it with [One With Nature], like what he had always done to the Dragon''s attack.
Although it seemed that Basil was undefeated, he was pretty much already at his limit. [One With Nature] provided his soul protection and gave him limitless Mana supply, but put a really great burden on his soul.
If the battle stretched out any longer, he would risk damaging his soul. He had damaged his soul once and he wanted to make it thest time, so he rushed to finish the battle.
"[Heaven Piercer]!"
Warp!
A golden beam came out of the tip of Durendal. Basil hadbined his Art and Caliburn''s True Light Magic, creating an extremely lethal attack.
The Dragon, even without sensing how much power the beam had, could already tell it would die if it was hit. It immediately erected a thick earthen wall and covered it with its immense Mana.
"Nothing it shalt not be able to pierce," Basil muttered.
The beam shattered the Mana Barrier and pierced through the earthen wall. The Dragon was rmed and immediately put its wings before it to shelter itself.
The wings managed to hold the beam off for a couple of seconds, but they gave up in the end. Piercing through the wings, the beam hit its chest.
Rawr!
It roared painfully as the beam melted its scales and dug into its skin. Luckily for it, however, the beam dispersed just before it managed to puncture its chest.
Growling madly, it was about to destroy the earthen wall it had erected and flew straight towards Basil when said Pacifer showed up before it. Its slitted pupils immediately constricted in rm as its mind raced to think about what it should do.
Burst!
Blue fire came out of its mouth, forcing Basil to take a step back, lest he would get burned to crisp. The Dragon used this as a chance to teleport itself.
In a sh, the Dragon disappeared and reappeared in the air. It was, however, no longer pping its wings; it was flying with the help of Wind Magic since its wings were damaged.
"To think no man can fly is wed methinks," Basil remarked
Again, the Dragon''s pupils constricted. It didn''t know when Basil arrived there since it didn''t feel Basil''s presence until it heard his voice.
"[Skotchen¨ª b¨¢il]!"
Hundreds of fireballs the size of a hut appeared in the air. They flew towards Basil the moment the Dragon willed them to.
Basil, who didn''t want to waste anymore time, finally utilized Kusanagi after moving Durendal''s Sword Soul into it. With his Aura Ability, he willed it to redirect all of the fireballs using Wind Magic.
Whoosh!
It happened instantly. The fireballs turned against their creator, much to their creator''s bafflement.
The Dragon, however, wasn''t worried. It had the strongest Affinity with Fire Element, so it was sure nothing would happen even if it let the fireballs hit it.
That was what it did and it instantly regretted it.
Screech!
Rawr!
Hiding behind the fireballs was Basil, who was ready to shred the Dragon to pieces. Kusanagi, powered by the absurd cutting power Durendal''s Sword Soul had, created thousands of wind des that were as sharp as Durendal.
A lot of Mana was used up; Basil''s heart was arduously pumping Mana, but the effect the attack showed was worth the pain. The Dragon''s sturdy skin was cut, meanwhile, its hard scales were peeled off.
"Keuk... This shalt not go on. My soul can only bear this much."
Basil stopped his onught and then crossed Durendal and Caliburn. He channeled his Qi into them as he deactivated [One With Nature].
He had abstained himself from using any Hidden Ability of his swords that he could ess thanks to [Synchronisation] because he knew everything should end when he did that.
He wasn''t sure before, but he was sure now that the Dragon was already injured quite heavily. He was going to use one of the Hidden Abilities his swords had to offer.
"[Nerve-wracking]!" This was Durendal''s, or rather, Asia''s which originally belonged to Vagus.
"[The Light That Cuts The Shadow]!" This was Caliburn''s; the one that Basil had used to cut Scy.
"Human, do you think I will just let you?! May this Curse haunt you¡ª"
? "I am tired of getting cursed."
Durendal was brandished first. The air was split¡ªa vacuum was created in the sky¡ªbut there was nothing worthy of note other than that.
... At least, until the ethereal de reached the Dragon.
"Keuk! This is...!"
Each one of its nerves was fried and overwhelmed withmands. The pain it felt was insurmountable and it could do nothing about it other than spasming.
It could still utilize Magic, luckily, so it could remain afloat. Unfortunately for it, Caliburn was swung in the next moment.
Brrr!
It could immediately feel an overwhelming aura of death rapidly approaching. It hated everything that was happening to it currently, but it thanked the fact that [Nerve-wracking] didn''t allow it to scream¡ªit really wanted to.
With eyes widened in shock and pupils reduced to the size of a stick, the Dragon met its doom. As its life withered away, a blinding golden light illuminated the Golden Peak, making it worthy of its name once again.
...
Just a few moments before Basil ended the Dragon''s life, Tinuviel and the others dared themselves to climb to the peak. The pressure was worse than before, but they could already stand on their feet and move freely.
"We are going first!"
Just as she thought she was on the same boat as the rest of the people, Tinuviel was, once again, shocked by the absurdity of the member of Pacifer n. While the others could barely stabilize themselves, Iliana and Ione could already run.
Tinuviel''spetitive side couldn''t just see it happen. She calmed her racing heart down and also rushed to the peak, gradually catching up to the two female Pacifers.
Looking at that, Cyane and Aegnor, too, didn''t want to lose. They immediately pushed themselves up and stormed off.
All of them had forgotten that they had subordinates to mind.
"Master Basil is still fighting with the Dragon¡ªI wonder if he will be alright," Tinuviel said solemnly.
"He IS alright," Iliana responded. "If he wasn''t, his presence should''ve gone long ago."
"Professor Basil is doing well¡ªtoo wel if I may add," Ione chimed in. "Can''t you feel it? There is another heavy pressure blocking the overwhelming pressure of the Dragon."
"He is full of surprise, isn''t he?" Cyane remarked bitterly. "I don''t feel worthy to be called the strongest young Knight anymore."
No one said a thing at Cyane''s remark, because they had never felt he deserved his title. They didn''t want to hurt his already wounded heart, so staying silent was their way of being considerate.
Brrr!
"Huh? What is that?!"
"This power..."
"True Light Magic¡ªImpossible!"
"The fight is finally concluded, huh?"
When [The Light That Cuts The Shadow] struck the Dragon, Iliana and the others stopped in their tracks. They stared at the golden light in astonishment and then closed their eyes as they bathed themselves in it.
The mountain shook as the light illuminated the peak; but instead of destroying, it gave life to it. The golden vegetation that had been charred ck by the Dragon regrew, regaining its golden colour back.
The lightsted for fifteen seconds. When it disappeared, the warmth that enveloped those basking in it also disappeared.
A breeze passed them, carrying the aura of life that refreshed their mind. By the time they realized it, the mountain had be livelier.
''This is the power of the male Pacifer, huh? What a really good choice we have made to establish a rtionship with him,'' Tinuviel thought in amazement.
''Basil Pacifer ... He is dangerous. It is better for our Kingdom to not provoke Braxtein; if we did, only nightmare would apany our night. That is, if we still even have the privilege to sleep,'' Cyane mused solemnly.
As Iliana and Ione continued climbing, the others followed suit.
Cyane, just in case, took out Joyeuse on their way. A blinding light illuminated his surroundings the moment he took it out, attracting the people''s attention.
Unlike Durendal, Joyeuse still had its sheath. The sheath was made of gold and decorated by five crystals. The sword itself was simple. Its hilt was made of gold and the de was made of Vanadium.
"I hope there is still a chance for me to show off the might of Joyeuse," Cyane muttered.
The moment the people arrived at the peak where Basil fought the Dragon, they were greeted by the scene that they could never erase from their mind.
The Dragon''s body was littered with cuts. There were tens of holes in it and more than ten swords were stuck in it.
Standing before the dead body was Basil and Deacon on his side. His back was facing them; although they knew it was him, the golden halo behind him made them wonder if he was an angel.
Chapter 389 The First Fragment (End)
Standing before the Dragon''s dead body, Basil had the First Fragment in his grasp. He had extracted it from the chest of the Dragon, where its heart was supposed to be located in.
Even before absorbing it, he could already feel the strong connection it had with him. He didn''t connect himself with the Fragment that he already had; however, despite so, his Pacifer Seal got activated by itself.
Humming to himself, he wondered why he couldn''t deactivate his Pacifer Seal. He still had full control over his self, however, so he concluded that the activation of his Pacifer Seal was the reaction to the First Fragment''s appearance.
He couldn''t turn around, lest he should show his Pacifer Seal to the people, which was something he didn''t want to happen. This was a very troublesome situation for him since he couldn''t just keep showing his back.
"They wille when I lose consciousness, which is the moment I absorb the First Fragment. I can''t guarantee if my Pacifer Seal will be deactivated when that timees." Basil frowned. "Maybe, I should tell Iliana to¡ª"
"Let me do it instead."
Basil was Interrupted by Asia, who had manifested herself using Jade of Soul Memoir. He was as surprised as he was bemused by the fact that she had just shown up before him; she would never do it when there were people around.
"It is fine," Asia said softly. "You will be able to talk your way out of this, won''t you? It shouldn''t be a problem."
Basil put his hand on Asia''s head and caressed it tenderly. "I was just surprised you already have enough courage to show yourselves."
"Oh... Hmm¡ªthat''s not the point." Asia shook her head. "Quick, absorb the Fragment!" Noticing that Basil was looking back at the people, she assured, "Don''t worry about them. Caliburn has done something to prevent them from approaching."
"Oh, so that''s the halo''s function. I am d it is not just there for show." Basil nodded his head. "Alright, I am going absorb the Fragment."
"Hm." Asia smiled encouragingly.
From the people''s perspective, Basil was undergoing some kind of an awakening. The moment Asia showed up, they thought the Goddess had descended to bestow him her miracle.
Although it sounded ridiculous, they couldn''t help thinking it was the case due to the strange and profound feeling they had, which was caused by Caliburn''s Sword Soul who utilized True Light Magic.
Whoosh!
The air exploded at the same time Basil absorbed the First Fragment. A mysterious and profound pressure swept over the people, stunning them silent.
Basil fell forward, into Asia''s embrace. With him no longer standing and obstructing the view, the people could see her face; they were shocked by how otherworldly her beauty was.
The aura she was exuding made them feel not worthy to approach her. They could only watch as she caressed Basil tenderly in her embrace.
Iliana and Ione felt something familiar about Asia; therefore, instead of getting jealous, they were curious about her. She felt like someone whom they knew closely¡ªit felt like they had just met the mother they didn''t know they had.
Ignoring the people''s gaze, Asia smiled tenderly at Basil and caressed his shining Pacifer Seal. "You are closer to the truth¡ªI should be happy for you¡ªbut I can''t help feeling sad ... Will you be able to ept the truth, my husband?"
...
Upon opening his eyes, Basil found himself in his Mindscape. It was an endless field filled with all kinds of flowers.
Whoosh!
A breeze passed him, carrying a scent that calmed his mind. Wasting no time, he walked towards the two-storey wooden house which he had made for Asia.
He felt someone, or rather, some entity there. He had lost ess to the First Fragment that he had just absorbed and he instinctively knew that entity would be able to give him ess to the Fragment.
Creak.
"Breaking into someone''s house is not okay, Soul Imprint," Basil said upon entering the wooden house.
"That is a little bit sad, isn''t it? Though I am but a fragment of a fragment, I am still part of the main soul."
Saying nothing, Basil sat in the sofa and then looked at the person sitting across him. The man had a golden hair, a pair of golden coloured eyes and a soft smile on his otherworldly handsome face.
"Matheus... That is what your other part calls himself."
Matheus chortled at Basil''s remark. "That is indeed how I call myself. The amount of distrust you have towards me is asmendable as it is baffling."
"I know who lies and who doesn''t. Matheus, although it is your name, it is not the one that everyone knows, isn''t it?"
"... That is true, Basil," Matheus answered softly. "That, however, doesn''t really matter to you, does it? You are here to ask for the question that no one hasn''t answered yet, aren''t you?"
"I apud your quick understanding," Basil said neutrally. "Now, without wasting anymore time¡ª"
"Stop right there, Basil." Matheus put his hand up. "Let me show you the Fragment first!"
Without waiting for Basil''s response, Matheus snapped his fingers. The surroundings instantly changed: they were no longer sitting in the sofa in the wooden house but on a grassy, green field.
In their surroundings, now, there were four gigantic stone tablets. Only one of them had any writings on its surface; it was shining in gold and exuding a profound aura.
Matheus stood up and then walked to the center of the circle that the stone tablets made. He stopped in front of a particr stone tablet and gestured Basil toe with his hand.
Basil stood up and walked towards his way with a light sigh. "Let''s cut to the chase. I am not interested in seeing writings appear on the surface of this stone tablet," he said upon arriving
"You should. It''s fascinating," replied Matheus calmly.
Shaking his head helplessly, Basil watched as Matheus stepped forward, extended his hand to the stone tablet, causing writings to appear on its surface. The writings shone at the same time it showered him in its profound aura.
"Fascinating, isn''t it?" Matheus asked.
"I have seen more interesting things."
"You sure have, Basil." Matheus chuckled. "This Fragment, you see, will allow you to use the Guide naturally. You don''t have to ask the Guide questions; it will immediately provide you with the information about the thing that puzzles you."
Matheus looked at basil brightly, expecting an excited look on his face. His smile didn''t falter even though he found Basil remain stoic, but he did wonder if Basil could ever be impressed if that couldn''t impress him.
Shrugging lightly, Matheus pushed Basil''s body slightly. Basil stepped forward, earning a smile from Matheus as he did what Matheus wanted him to do even before hearing anything about it.
Basil extended his hand and put it on the stone tablet before him. His connection with the stone tablet was instantly established; at the same time, a golden light traveled to the back of his right hand.
The Seal which he had gotten from establishing a connection with the Fourth Fragment showed up. Another pattern was added to it, making it look moreplete.
Basil retracted his hand afterwards and then turned to Matheus. His golden eyes stared into Matheus'' as he tried to figure Matheus out as much as he could ... He got nothing.
"The Guide won''t directly tell you anything about me. It still doesn''t have the authority to, but it has allowed you to hear about some part of what is waiting for you."
Basil quirked his eyebrow, prompting Matheus to tap his ear. "You couldn''t hear what the other Matheus said, could you? You will be able to hear it now; though, as for how much, I don''t know."
"I am interested." Basil walked towards Matheus with a small smile on his face, earning a helpless smile from Matheus. "Fake Pacifer, tell me about your real identity," he said as he stood right in front of Matheus.
Matheus instinctively touched his forehead. He couldn''t help sighing at the fact that Basil had realized he didn''t have the Pacifer Seal, earning a sneer from said Pacifer.
"I am actually ???."
When he heard a long bleep, Basil wasn''t surprised; he had expected and anticipated it. He had paid close attention to Matheus'' lips so he could read them, only to find that he can''t¡ªhe was surprised by this.
His bemusement was apparent as he looked at Matheus with a questioning look. Matheus merely shook his head faintly and smiled wryly.
"It seems that is the limit of the authority you have right now," Matheus remarked. "Ask me another thing."
"How did The Lord die?"
"The Four Heroes¡ªthey ????????? ???? ??? ?????¡ª"
Basil put his hand up, stopping Matheus. "Moving on¡ªwas The Lord a God? If he was, who was he?"
"The Lord was a God. His name was ??????????. You couldn''t hear that, could you?"
"Can you use signnguage?"
"Of course."
Matheus moved his hands in ordance to the signnguage to tell Basil about the answer of his questions. Basil stopped him not long after since Basil couldn''t understand what he was conveying.
Basil immediately taught Matheus another signnguage. It was the one that he created on the spot which he expected to be able to prevent the Guide''s attempt from making him fail to understand.
It didn''t work.
"Tsk. There is no gap that I can use¡ªwhat a formidable opponent," Basil clicked his tongue. "Then, tell me, Matheus, what is the Fated Child?" he sighed.
"Ah, I think you can hear it." Matheus nodded his head lightly. "When the First Matriarch of Pacifer, Lady ???????, was on the brink of doom, she foresaw the future. It was a bright future where¡ª"
"Hold up. Is Asia not the first Matriarch? I couldn''t hear the name of the name of the Matriarch earlier." Basil interrupted. "She was The Lord''s wife, wasn''t she?"
"Hey, how could you even know her nickname? None but The Lord called her that." Matheus blinked his eyes in surprise. "As for your question, yes, she is."
Basil waved his hand lightly. "Alright, moving on."
"Kuhum! The future she foresaw was the bright future where the true first male Pacifer is born and brings the glory back to the Pacifer n. Yes, I wasn''t a Pacifer and everything about me being one was a lie."
If Basil asked why Matheus felt the need to lie, Matheus would answer because he wasn''t ready to hear the truth. He knew that, so he prevented himself from asking.
"That male Pacifer is the Fated Child, who, in the future, will host The Lord''s soul and resurrect him."
Hearing the answer that he had expected but he didn''t want to hear, Basil didn''t react much. He looked calm on the surface, but he was boiling inside; he didn''t like being yed.
Chapter 390 He Who Conquers God
"How do you feel after hearing the revtion?" Matheus asked.
"Nothing," Basil answered neutrally; his Pacifer Seal shone brighter.
Matheus smiled bitterly at the look he was getting from Basil. He knew that look well; it was the look that someone who would destroy the Heavenly Throne to vent his anger had.
"The choice is yours, Basil Pacifer. No one will me you if you choose to abandon your title."
The fall of the Fated Child would be an equally unfortunate and saddening event for the Pacifer n. He was sure the Pacifer would also rather die than watch the vessel of their Master meet that unsightly fate.
"To be on your n''s side is to lose yourself; you will not die, but you will live inside The Lord with no consciousness. You can run away from your task and live a happy life. Remember, whatever choice you¡ªkeuk."
"You are loud, aren''t you?"
Basil was grasping Matheus'' neck, making it hard for him to breathe even though he didn''t need to breathe since he was a soul. The reason why it happened was that Basil''s authority over his Mindscape had exceeded Matheus''.
He could will anything to happen and making a soul choke was one of them. It was still mind-boggling, regardless, since Matheus'' soul was by no means weak, even if it was just a tiny fragment of the real one.
"Just as they need me, I need them¡ªPacifer n. We are riding in the same boat by default, so we have to row it together," Basil said coldly. "Of course, I will be the only one using them to achieve my goal¡ªthat''s my intention since the very beginning."
"Hn..."
It was getting harder for Matheus to breathe as Basil lifted his body higher. His eyes widened both in horror and astonishment.
"I will stick with them till the very end and take full advantage of them. They will be my sword¡ªthe ones who spill blood in the ce I desire." Basil sneered. "As for The Lord, you don''t have to worry. I will devour his soul."
Matheus'' hand that had been busily trying to get Basil''s hand to let go of his neck lost its power. He stopped retaliating as he rxed his body and stared at Basil with a small smile.
"Does that mean you will treasure Pacifer n?" Matheus spoke without opening his mouth.
"I cut many things with my sword. Whether they will break or persevere is not my business."
"Ha-ha-ha. That is good enough to hear."
The light in Basil''s golden eyes got more intense as he thought about what Matheus was implying. Said Soul Fragment kept his eternally small smile and even suggested Basil end his life.
"May you find the next Matheus pleasant, Basil!"
Just a second after those words were said, Basil clenched his hand so hard that Matheus instantly turned to dust. He was quite grateful to the first Matheus he met, but this one really touched his reverse scale.
Clicking his tongue, Basil frowned lightly. He looked at the stone tablets that stood around him and swept the air swiftly.
The four stone tablets were gathered andbined into one. It turned into one big stone tablet that had half of its surface filled with two paragraphs of unknown characters that were shining in gold.
"The first Matheus provided me with the information about the whereabouts of the precious Artefact and Relic that could help me in my journey¡ªI am grateful for that. The second one gave me the truth that I had hoped not to hear ..."
Basil put his hand before his mouth, covering a grin that he was too ashamed to show.
"... I am excited. The Lord''s Soul, huh? Two can y this game. I will make his soul my stepping stone to reach Godhood. I will not lose in this battle full of deceit."
Whoever The Lord was had made a grave mistake. Basil couldn''t fulfil his role as his vessel in the past and he was revived to fulfil it now.
Basil, unfortunately, was as selfish as God. He didn''t mind burning the whole world down if it meant achieving his goal.
He didn''t like to be someone''s ything. No matter how strong the one pulling the strings from behind was, he wouldn''t back down; he would be that one sticking out nail which split the hammer in two.
So what if his opponent was a God? One or hundreds of them¡ªhe would make them squirm under his feet!
...
When Basil opened his eyes, the Mana in the air reacted to his spike of emotion and exploded the air. A quite strong shockwave swept the surroundings, shaking Iliana and the others slightly.
Basil''s golden eyes looked deeply into Asia''s azure eyes as they gradually regained their original colour¡ªbrown. As if knowing what Basil would ask, Asia immediately smiled bitterly.
She was about to open her mouth when Basil put his hand before it, thus stopping her from speaking. They stayed that way until his Pacifer Seal was deactivated.
"Who do you see me as?" Basil took his hand off Asia''s mouth.
"Basil Pacifer, my most brilliant descendant."
"Why do you call me husband?"
Asia could answer it instantaneously; but, for some reason, the words stuck in her mouth. Basil smiled softly at that, causing her to tear up¡ªshe didn''t want him to get the wrong idea.
"I am sorry¡ªI was just messing with you," Basil said with a chuckle. "I know that you are just a lustful and unfaithful wife who forsook her husband for a younger male."
"Hey, why do you make me sound like an insufferable harlot?!" Asia snapped before chortling afterwards. "Seriously though, I never saw you as my husband''s vessel before. I see you for who you are¡ªthe person who makes my heart skip a beat again."
"... Harlot."
"Oi."
The first male Pacifer and the First Matriarch stared at each other silently for a few seconds before chuckling softly. None of them had ever expected to have that kind of conversation one day.
Basil sat up and muttered, "Thank you..."
"Hm?"
"Thank you for seeing me as Basil Pacifer and not the Fated Child. Also, I am sorry." Basil gazed at Asia solemnly and she immediately knew what he would say. "You will never be able to see your husband again. I will kill him, for real this time."
Asia''s heart tightened as soon as she heard those words. She felt like the wife who decided to end her husband''s life so he didn''t have to suffer from his illness anymore: it was relieving and torturing at the same time.
Drip. Drip.
As her tears dropped to the ground, a warm handnded on her head. It caressed her head tenderly, quickly untying the knot in her heart.
"I may not be able to fulfil the role well, but I will be your husband in return. Therefore, I want you to remain on my side."
"You already have Iliana, don''t you? Are you suggesting that we should have... an affair?" Asia muttered. "That is erotic¡ªit makes my heart skip a beat!"
As if her previous gloomy mood was a mere illusion, Asia had regained her usual brightness. Basil knew, however, she was just hiding her sadness, so he smiled and nodded his head simply.
Asia got emotional again and couldn''t help hugging Basil this time. She cried silently in his warm embrace until Jade of Soul Memoir could no longer hold her soul and she had to return to Basil''s Mindscape.
''You can take your time. We won''t have any fight in the near time, so you don''t have to immediately return to Durendal''s Sword Realm. I can''t apany you there, but you feel less lonely when you stay in my Mindscape, don''t you?''
''How do you know?''
''It''s been years. Also, I can feel you closer when you are in my Mindscape.''
''Iliana will kill you if he heard that, you know?''
''I know, that is why we have to keep it a secret.''
''Ah, an affair... How tragic and exciting this rtionship is!''
Ignoring dirty-minded Asia, Basil stood up and then picked up Durendal and Caliburn from the ground. He swung them lightly once, creating two shallow trenches in the ground, before storing them in his Spatial Ring.
Roughly 300 metres from him, he could see Iliana and the others. They were looking at him with bemusement, astonishment and jealousy.
He swung his left hand once and the body of the Dragon was immediately stored in Solomon''s Spatial Ring. As he walked up to the people, he thought about the wisest excuse to say to Iliana.
He knew there were two jealous female Pacifers before him, but he only had to cate one to have a life that was free of guilt. Although she loved violence, Iliana was still an emotional woman; she was just natural at making him feel guilty.
"Here..."
"This is?"
"Roses."
Basil looked at the roses Iliana had just given him with a sigh and then looked at her questioningly. Iliana just crossed her hands and turned her head to the side.
"She was your lover in the past, wasn''t she? The rose is my congrattion¡ªI am happy if you are happy."
"... I''ve told you not to read too many romance novels from Huaguo. They mess with your head." Basil shook his head in amusement. "That was my Sword Soul¡ªa part of my soul that gained consciousness. She is my saviour in perilous times."
Iliana turned her head back to Basil and uncrossed her hands. "I know. It''s just... A little bit unsettling to see the two of you being so perfect with each other," she sighed.
ncing at the others, who were feeling awkward, being the considerate human he was, Basil told Iliana to talk about the matterter. She nodded her head immediately and climbed down the mountain with the others.
No conversation was made on their way to regroup with their army. Except for Iliana and Ione, all of them were looking at Basil in curiosity.
Upon knowing that the Goddess-like Asia was his Sword Soul, they couldn''t help finding him more threatening. That aside, even the fact that he had nurtured a Sword Soul was terrifying.
''Joyeuse is said to also have a Sword Soul. Up to this day, I still can''t sense it, but Sir Basil has nurtured his own,'' Cyane mused nervously. ''This man... Depending on how the world treats him, he will either be a God or a fiend.''
They couldn''t act much, but they did earn something from that day: Basil wasn''t someone they should make an enemy.
Chapter 391 Getting Busy Again
On their way to regroup with their army, Basil and the others encountered a lot of Magic Beasts. Sometimes, they had to make a stop since fighting Sixth Grade Magic Beasts while running wasn''t easy.
... At least, that was the case for Tinuviel, Aegnor and Cyane.
Basil, as an owner of one of the strongest Sixth Grade Magic Beasts, and hispany didn''t feel any problem killing the Magic Beasts while moving. He didn''t even need to fight since Deacon could easily take care of them.
"These idiots are fighting for the top position now that the Dragon and Yamata no Orochi have died. How cute," Deacon scoffed. "Look at how weak they are. It is ludicrous seeing theming at me with so much confidence."
"What happened to him?" Iliana asked. "He has never been this sharp-tongued before."
"Magic Beasts also have pride. I believe it is because he couldn''t do anything for Lord Basil in his fight with the Dragon," Ione responded.
"Well, I guess that makes sense."
"Get out of my sight!" Deacon shouted.
Boom!
His Mana Pressure overwhelmed the surroundings, scaring away the Magical Beasts that were approaching him. His pressure, however, also startled Tinuviel and the people who were running with her.
Uncaring to that, Deacon kept his Mana Pressure at full st. Powered by his annoyance, it cleared their way of any Magic Beasts.
The obstacles, of course, didn''t stop there. When their army entered their vision, they found their army surrounded by Magic Beasts.
Fortunately, their army did well; especially, Basil''s which was in a Magic Battle Formation. Wasting no time, Tinuviel, Aegnor and Cyane joined the fray, killing the Magic Beasts that stood in their way.
The Pacifer trio kept sitting on Deacon''s back and watched as the Legion they brought with them slew the Magic Beasts that came at them. Basil didn''t think they needed help, so he merely observed them 200 metres away.
"My hands feel itchy. I will join the fun," Iliana said before jumping down from Deacon.
"I need to vent my frustration, so I will also join the fight," Ione stated as she flew in the direction of the Magic Beasts.
"Master¡ª"
"Just go," Basil interrupted Deacon. "I will just watch here," he said as he jumped down.
Without looking back even once, Deacon dashed away. He howled mightily, announcing his presence to the Magic Beasts there.
Some of the Magic Beasts made a distance from Deacon, but some immediately came at him. He destroyed those that came at him with his air spheres, clearing his way of any obstacles rapidly.
"Everyone has be a battle maniac. They are so eager to fight," Basil remarked as he watched the scene presented before his eyes. "I can end the whole battle in a second, but that will kill their excitement."
Basil''s eyes turned to Iliana and the grin on her face. He would ruin her fun if he jumped in and that would bring him no good.
Thest time he did that, he had to apany her to look for some "sandbags," which were Middle ss Demons to quench her thirst for blood. They ended up liberating a Demon-infested territory because of that.
"I will just sit here and observe ... Well, I don''t need to observe them anymore, but I will pretend that I am doing it, so I don''t get bored."
Basil tapped the ground twice with his feet; a chair and a table made of earth emerged from the ground. He sat down, put his tea-making set on the table and enjoyed his tea as he entertained himself with the battle before him.
"Hm... It is a very good function, but I hate the fact that I can hardly even utilize my knowledge."
Basil was also exploring the new ability of the Guide, which was an automatic answering system. As Matheus said, he didn''t need to ask to get answers; he just had to wonder and the information of what he wondered about was presented before him.
He found the function very convenient, but he couldn''t bring himself to say he liked it. Sometimes, after all, he also wondered about mundane things, so it was quite irritating for him to be provided with information about those.
"They don''t think while fighting." Basil frowned lightly. "They just cut whatever before them without thinking about the fastest way to conclude the whole battle. This is quite frustrating."
Basil, with his analysis and the help of the Guide, had figured out the easiest and fastest way to end the fight; therefore, looking at the people fighting like that made his hands also feel itchy.
sh!
As he sipped his tea, his attention was attracted by the light Joyeuse was exuding. The light was blinding enough to send the Magic Beasts into a state of confusion.
"Ah, it absorbs the light and releases it ten times brighter," Basil remarked. "The light also blinds one''s mind, so closing one''s eyes will not do anything. Hm... This sword only works against a certain level of opponent."
Although Basil didn''t think Joyeuse was an amazing sword, it didn''t mean it wasn''t. His standard was so high that a light-cutting sword no longer sparked his interest.
In the end, he lost all interest to watch the fight. The more he watched, the itchier his hands got; he chose to focus his attention on his tea, so he didn''t end up killing their excitement.
p ...
The fight was concluded in 30 minutes. Everyone had had fun, so none of them was disappointed by theck of action.
They immediately climbed down the mountain and returned to the vige. Basil and Cyane, along with theirpany, immediately conducted a meeting with the Elders and Tinuviel upon arrival, meanwhile, their troops were sent back to their manors.
"We are very sorry for immediately calling you here even after the rough battle you have just had, Master Basil."
"It is fine¡ªlet us cut to chase. We need to re-evaluate our conclusion about what actually happened between the two tribes."
"Let us hear it."
Instead of Tinuviel, Basil took the lead in the meeting. Now that they were allies, he needed to prevent Cyane from knowing that Tinuviel had tricked them about the whole conflict.
When he announced his status as the Fated Child, he would instantly be the entire Human Empire''s enemy. While the other races would keep their hands away from the matter, the Elven Race would be the only one on his side.
If he let Tinuviel''s scheme be unfolded, given the stigma the Elven Race would get, it wouldn''t be a surprise if some people from the other races woulde looking for him. He could still face them, obviously, but fewer enemies were always preferable.
"To think that Yamata no Orochi had been living up there..."
"Scratch that; what about the Dragon? We didn''t know anything about it being there."
"I am more intrigued with Master Basil''s prowess. It is very impressive for someone as young as him to be able to y that creature."
The Elves were also good at acting. They managed to fool Cyane, making Basil''s effort not go unrewarded.
When the meeting ended, it was agreed that they should go meet Aegnor together the day after and discuss the matter with him. They wanted to clear up the "misunderstanding" and retained their good rtionship.
A day passed quickly and the y was resumed.
Aegnor turned out to be a great actor too; he knew how to make the discussion more believable. He kept presenting them the result of his investigation before "realising" that Tinuviel was right.
The conflict was concluded and the party to celebrate the conclusion of their "conflict" was held afterwards. Basil didn''t want to attend; however, he had no other choice since it wouldn''t look good if he and his army immediately returned.
"It took us longer to make the lie believable than to kill Yamata no Orochi."
"Well... We couldn''t just brute force our way to convince that side after all."
"Anyway..."
"Yes?"
"Why do we have to dance?"
At the question, Tinuviel, whose waist was being held by Basil as he swayed her body, turned her head away to hide her blush. Her Mana, unfortunately, didn''t lie, so Basil knew what she was thinking.
Basil was amused by how pure Tinuviel was but also horrified by what she thought of him. He was sure he had never wooed her, but she seemed to have fallen in love with him.
''I just found another Sylvia,'' he thought bitterly.
He didn''t have that good of an experience with someone who developed puppy love towards him. He had thought Sylvia would get over her love over the years, but it got stronger instead.
Iliana wasn''t very happy whenever she met Sylvia, so he didn''t want to have another woman chasing him, thinking he would take her in his boat. Although polygamous marriage was a custom in this world, he didn''t want to do it.
"Have you talked about the matter with your mother?"
"Is it about the Alliance Army? Yes, I have."
"What was her response?"
"It is you, Lord Basil¡ªhow can we refuse your request?"
"Good."
Unlike Sylvia, fortunately, Tinuviel wasn''t very direct about it. Basil didn''t mind telling her directly that he had no interest in her¡ªjust like what he had done to Sylvia¡ªbut he still preferred rejecting her implicitly.
It might not mean much in human custom, but for the Elven Race, their first love was bordering sacral. Although no one would me him, rejecting Tinuviel directly would still affect his rtionship with the Elven Race somehow.
By keeping their rtionship as professional as possible, he expected Tinuviel to realize what she was doing and back down. That way, he didn''t need to break the heart of the Elf, who was experiencing her first love.
"Lord Basil... I would like to have another dance with you."
"..."
"When youe next time, let us dance together."
Looking at how deep Tinuviel had fallen into the hole named puppy love, Basil was slightly sceptical if she would ever wake up. He sighed inwardly and nodded his head with a small, helpless smile.
Basil immediately walked towards Iliana and Ione as soon as the dance ended. They gave him a sympathetic look and, for the first time, he wished them to be jealous instead.
"Don''t worry. She will soon realize that she is wrong for loving a human," Iliana said, holding back a chuckle.
"She will eventually get over it, My Lord," Ione assured with not a very assuring tone.
"Master, you deserve your title: God of Casanova!" Deacon eximed.
Like that, the night ended. In the morning, Basil and his army returned to Braxtein Kingdom.
Chapter 392 Getting Busy Again (2)
On their way back to Braxtein, Basil recalled the conversation he had with Eloreth. The Elf Empress had met him moments before their departure to inform him about something.
¨CWe detected an anomaly in the Mana flow of the 27th Obelisk. We hope it won''te to it, but there is a huge possibility that an Outbreak will ur soon.
¨CWhat are you hinting at?
¨CThe Alliance Army... We should establish it as soon as possible so we can conquer it before the Outbreak urs.
The 27th Obelisk belonged to Dantalion, the Demon who had possessed Kinsley after Basil defeated him in the Regional Tournament. It was located quite far from the inhabited territory, but if an Outbreak urred, Yitoupheo would be in danger.
If Yitoupheo was in danger, Padeitophys, which was located inside it, would also be dangerous. The Elf didn''t live deep inside the forest like the Fairy, so they would be one who suffered greatly if an Outbreak urred.
''Humans are greedy, unfortunately. The establishment of the Alliance Army will definitely be hampered because they will spend most of the time debating about who should take the most control,'' Basil mused.
In the uing meeting, Alphoetra Tribe and any other Elven Tribes that were interested were guaranteed to side with Braxtein thanks to Basil.
When the voting for which Kingdom would manage the army was conducted, Braxtein''s victory was guaranteed. Still, that didn''t mean voting would be the end of it.
Those who weren''t really satisfied with the result would think of a way to make Braxtein lose its right to be inmand. As result, an endless debate on a senseless topic would ensue for days.
Securing a good rtionship with the Elf was actually one of the key factors in obtaining the right tomand, however, for Braxtein''s neighbouring Kingdoms. When ites to Braxtein, the rtionship it had with the Elf wouldn''t change much.
"The worst oue will be having the Alliance Army only between the Elf and Braxtein. Padeitophys will be involved in this matter, so I don''t think Anthony will easily ept it; even at face value."
The Alliance Army that Anthony had in mind was the one that was fully controlled by Kingdoms or, in terms of the Elven Empire, viges. Once Padeitophys meddled in the matter, Arthean would also definitely join in.
This was also an undesirable oue for Basil, so he wouldn''t let that happen. If the Summit Meeting was going the way he didn''t want, he would suggest Anthony only establish the army between Braxtein and the few viges of the Elven representatives.
"I have asked Eloreth to stay put, so she won''t bring the Empire into this matter. The fate of Braxtein Kingdom lies in Anthony''s hands. If he is willing to ept the proposal, Braxtein will acquire an ally; if he isn''t, it will be left alone."
Whichever the oue would be wasn''t of Basil''s concern. In the end, after all, when Braxtein ostracized him for his statuster in the future, the entire Elven Race would also cut its ties with Braxtein.
The day of chaos woulde soon. Basil would dere his status as the Fated Child after being a Seventh Circle Mage, which woulde in a few months.
When that time came, although he couldn''tpletely overpower his enemies, the cards he had been hiding under his sleeves would be enough to assure his triumph. Pacifer n would rise again and his journey to Godhood would begin.
...
A day and a half passed. Basil and his army arrived at Braxtein, bringing home good news with them.
The army was so excited to tell the news that they didn''t even want to rest more than three hours on their way there. As result, all of them reached Braxtein half a day faster than the expected time, which was already fast.
As they marched to the pce, every citizen''s eyes were nted on them. The soldiers were brimming with positive energy, so the citizens knew they were bringing good news with them.
"It''s Lord Basil, our Kingdom''s Golden Apple!"
"Have you heard about that news?"
"Ah, that? I can''t tell if it''s really news; not a mere rumour though."
"I know, right? It''s a Dragon after all."
"Are you crazy? Do you know who leaked the information?"
"The Elf?"
"Ah, it''s from a credible source."
Murmurs of excitement and anticipation filled their surroundings. Very few of the citizens were thinking about the rtionship Braxtein had with Alphoetra since most of them were waiting for the official announcement of Basil''s achievement.
The announcement would cause an uproar and Basil didn''t look very pleased with that. Getting recognition was something he would be d for, but the attention the people gave him was just annoying in his opinion.
"Ah, the Heroes have returned! As expected of the three of you, you never cease to amaze me, Basil, Iliana and Ione," Anthony greeted upon their arrival.
Turning to the Mages and Knights of the Legion, Anthony said, "My soldiers, you may rest yourselves in the Barrack. You must be tired, mustn''t you? I have prepared a little surprise there, so please enjoy it."
"Thank you for your benevolence, Your Majesty!"
As the soldiers scurried away, Anthony turned to Basil, Iliana and Ione with a small smile. "As for the three of you," he looked at Deacon who was perching on Basil''s shoulder and corrected, "four of you, please follow me."
Escorted by the Royal Escort, following Anthony and Basil who were walking side by side, Ione and Iliana went to the garden. They satfortably when they reached the gazebo and waited for the maids to finish making the tea.
When everything was ready, the talk began.
"I see that Deacon is still fond of the cookies made by our maids," Anthony remarked as he looked at Deacon, who was munching on the cookies in Basil''sp. "He still acts like a puppy to you too, which is something that I am jealous of."
Anthony sighed helplessly, prompting Basil to say, "You should try being young. Maybe, your Summon will be more fond of you that way."
"... You don''t need to rub it in my face. I established a contract with the wrong Summon and I am paying for that now."
Watching the exchange between Anthony and Basil for the first time, the Royal Escort, Iliana and Ione were surprised. Although they had heard of how close the two were, they still didn''t expect the King and the Supreme Genius would banter like that.
The people were actually more surprised by how the uptight Anthony behaved around Basil. The King had never behaved that way around his children even though he smiled more often nowadays.
''They... They look like a father and son!''
They instantly recalled the crazy rumour about Anthony intending to adopt Basil and make him King. It didn''t sound like a rumour anymore after witnessing the exchange and they didn''t know how to feel about it.
ck.
When Basil and Anthony put their teacup down, the people were awakened from their thought. The mood became solemn as the two looked at each other silently.
"I am sure you have heard about the news," Basil said calmly. "I don''t think there is still a need for me to say it myself."
"Well, what I heard is said to be a mere rumour and I am inclined to believe it to be the case due to how mind-boggling it is." Anthony smiled.
Lightly frowning, Basil said, "Is being able to kill a Dragon worth the fuss? There is something more important than it, but all of you are fixated on that trivial matter."
At Basil''s honest remark, Ione and Iliana cleared their throats awkwardly. They were already used to Basil''s slightly offmon sense, but they couldn''t help getting awkward in his stead when he undersold his achievement.
Anthonyughed boisterously as he softly tapped the table. "That side of you really never ceases to amaze me, Basil." Shaking his head, he added, "Really, I wonder what kind of achievement will make you pat yourself on the back."
"Being omniscience."
"You dream big, but I can''tugh at that dream," Anthony chuckled. "Kuhum! That aside, let us hear about our deal with the Chief of Alphoetra Tribe. Ah, I will announce that achievement of yours, by the way, so make sure to dress well."
"You have many other things to brag aside from me, you know?" At this, Anthony just winked. Shrugging lightly, Basil continued, "Tinuviel and some of the Tribe Chiefs that are close to them will support us in the Summit Meeting."
Anthony merely smiled as if he had expected it.
"When ites to voting, we will definitely win it; however..."
"You don''t have to worry about it. I know how to sway opinions," Anthony assured.
Basil shook his head faintly and said, "That is not the problem. We have days to debate, but the Alliance Army must be established as soon as possible."
"There seems to be something in the wind that I can''t feel." Anthony became tense.
"The Obelisk of Dantalion, the 27th Obelisk is on the brink of Outbreak. We have, at most, two months to establish the army. Anyter than that, the same tragedy that befell our Kingdom two years ago will be repeated."
The only person who knew about the information was Basil himself. He hadn''t told about it to anyone, so the others were really shocked when they heard it.
... Except for Anthony, of course.
The King remained unfazed and neutral as he gazed at Basil. "BA-27 is closer to Yitoupheo than it is to our Empire, isn''t it? Even if the blows against us, the only Kingdom that suffers from it is Frachtenhein, isn''t it?"
Leaning his body to the back, Anthony asked, "Don''t you think it is better to let it happen?"
"I know it won''t be the case, which is why I am talking to you about it," Basil replies instantly. "Our rtionship with the Elf is already established. If we decide to turn a blind eye on them..."
"There will be no way to fix it ever again, huh?"
Anthony gazed at the sky and picked up his teacup. Basil also picked up his teacup; the gazebo became quiet as the two enjoyed their tea.
Amicable as they were to each other, they still acted professionally when it came to the Kingdom''s affairs. The people knew of this fact that day.
"What will you do if I choose to cut our ties with the Elf now?" Anthony asked calmly.
"Of course," Basil put his teacup down, "I will aid them myself."
"... Fine," Anthony chuckled helplessly. "Prepare yourself. We will go to the Summit Meeting in two weeks."
Chapter 393 Getting Busy Again (3)
After being awarded publicly by Anthony for his achievement, which happened 10 days ago, Basil achieved another title: Braxtein''s Dragon yer.
Everyone came to the award ceremony just to see the body of the Dragon Basil had killed. They didn''te because they doubted the im; they came because they were curious about what a real-life Dragon looked like.
With the ceremony broadcast openly, those who were curious could watch the ceremony with their Visual Orb. Anthony did it for a purpose: he wanted to tell the neighbouring Kingdoms how fearsome his Kingdom was.
It certainly worked since the broadcast was one of the reasons the neighbouring Kingdoms agreed to conduct the Summit Meeting earlier than the promised time.
The Summit Meeting was scheduled to be held in a month still. Thanks to the fact that the 27th Obelisk was on the brink of Outbreak, Anthony and Basil felt the need to conduct it as soon as possible to avoid future problems.
Initially, of course, the neighbouring Kingdoms of Braxtein didn''t want to ept the sudden change of schedule. They were, however, silenced when Anthony said there was something dangerousing their way.
The only one in danger here was, of course, the Great Forest of Yitoupheo, or to be exact, the Padeitophys Empire that would take care of the Outbreak by itself when it happened. Still, anything that convinced the people was fair.
"I am sorry that you can''t apany your girlfriend. You must be worried for her safety, mustn''t you?"
"Iliana is morepetent than any of your sons; not even the mostpetent Edward can beat her in any aspect."
"I like your confidence, but why don''t you consider my feelings a little bit? You are talking about my children, you know?"
Two weeks passed in the blink of an eye; the day the Summit Meeting was conducted hade. Standing before the huge Teleportation Magic Circle carved in the field in front of the ce, Basil and Anthony conversed.
In their surroundings, they had the Five Princes and the four Royal Escort Commanders. Standing not far away from Anthony, talking with one of the Mages there, was the Queen, Amara Auir Braxtein.
The Queen walked toward Basil after she finished her talk with the Mage with a smile. He ceased his conversation with Anthony and then smiled softly at her as he greeted her.
"Good morning, Your Majesty."
"Good morning, Basil. You look as ready as usual; you make me confident about the oue of the Summit."
"All of us are ready, Your Majesty. Even the Princes are too."
"Well, they are just there to watch and learn," Amara said nonchntly, uncaring to what the Princes might feel. "Unlike you, their presence doesn''t mean anything. It is unfortunate, but they are not aspetent as you yet."
"I thank you for the praise, but I think you also have to give the Princes some credit, Your Majesty."
"Basil¡ what is that? Haven''t I told you to call Mother?" Amara pouted, causing Basil to sigh inwardly.
''This woman is an excellent Healer, but she is really insensitive to the people in her surroundings, or I should say, strangely stupid, which is ironic considering her profession. One day, her son will kill her and she will not know the reason why,'' Basil thought to himself.
"Honey, why don''t you wish our sons luck before we depart? Basil and I still have something to talk about." Anthony came to save Basil.
"Heh¡ I am the Queen¡ªcan''t I join too?"
"I think it is better to also pay attention to your other sons too, Your¡ªMother¡" Amara pouted, so Basil was forced to change his way of calling her mid-way.
Sighing inwardly, he continued, "Jealousy is not something that only lovers have. Even children will get jealous when they see their parents being kind to other children."
"Eh¡ I don''t think they like to be pampered that much though. I mean, all of them have always refused whenever I asked them to have some tea with me," Amara said in confusion.
Being a Healer, Amara had quite a strong obsession with herbs¡ªany herbs that she thought could heal people. She often experimented with all kinds of herbs and it wasn''t rare for her to serve her newly made concoction as "tea."
Many people were traumatized by this hobby of hers: guards, maids, the Princes and even Anthony himself. Whenever someone in the pce was invited to have tea, it was an unwritten rule for that person to invite her back.
None had died from the concoction she made, but none of the people who had tasted it had a good memory. Maintaining their cool and smile while being burned from the inside was not something that they could do more than once.
''Amara, your tea is not for the weak,'' was what Basil thought but he couldn''t say. "I have to say that your taste in tea is as bizarre as it is interesting, Mother. I happen to also like it, which is why I can always ept your invitation."
"Right, they just don''t understand!" Amara eximed passionately, causing Anthony to smile wryly. "Alright then, I am going to wish my other sons luck. You two can resume your talk."
Basil and Anthony watched as Amara walked graciously toward the Princes. It was hard to think she was an air-head when they looked at her demeanour; everything only changed when she had spoken more than three thousand words.
"I am sorry for my wife''s behaviour," Anthony said in embarrassment. "We have it rough, huh?"
"I like honest people¡ªI don''t mind keeping them around me. You are lucky, Your Majesty." Basil looked at Anthony seriously. "Even when the world turns its back against you, she will be the very first person to dere herself as your ally."
"What about you, Basil? Will you also turn your back against me?"
"I don''t have the leisure to do that, Your Majesty." Basil looked up. "When the world turns its back against you, I probably am busy creating a new world."
"When that timees¡ can I also live in the world you created?"
"We shall see, Mr Anthony, whether you agree with the world I am going to create or not," Basil replied cryptically.
The conversation between the two ceased. The Teleportation Magic Circle was also finished at the same time.
Like always, Anthony failed to understand the youth beside him. Basil reminded him too much of his young self¡ªhis better young self, who would never be swayed by the storming his way.
"I have returned! I have wished all of them luck."
"Mother, you must have merely told each of them good luck and left, mustn''t you?
"Eh, is that wrong?"
"¡ No, but that is not right either."
Anthony was wondering about the goal that Basil had in mind. Authority was certainly not something Basil had in mind; he had offered him countless chances to attain an enviable authority over the Kingdom''s affairs, but Basil had always refused.
Countless times he had hinted that he would make Basil King, but the Supreme Genius had always ignored it. It should''ve been sweet news for anyone to hear it, but Basil didn''t seem to be interested at all.
''He dreams big. Those eyes don''t belong to a research maniac Mage. He wants to do something, but I don''t know what.''
Initially, the sheer potential that Basil had scared Anthony; as of then, he wasn''t even sure if he coulde out on top if a fight broke between them. Upon knowing that Basil didn''t have any intention to harm his Kingdom, he was relieved but also curious.
''What do you envision, Basil? What kind of world are you going to create?''
By the time he knew it, he became so obsessed with Basil that he didn''t want to see the Pacifer die.
One shall never love someone before knowing the person. When said person is just as pleasant as one expected or, in some cases, even better than one expected, falling in love with the said person is inevitable.
Anthony, who had been constantly disappointed by his sons, had lost the urge to know his sons better. When he found Basil, he did everything to figure Basil out.
He had failed, but he had be fond of Basil. He didn''t know everything about Basil, but he knew more about Basil than he knew about his sons.
''When you find yourself in trouble,e to me. I may be of no help, but we will face the entire world by ourselves.''
Anthony Lionheart Braxtein had fallen in love with someone''s son. He unconsciously treated Basil like his son more than he did his biological sons; he felt more like a father when he was around Basil than when he was around his sons.
Oh, the irony.
¡
As Anthony, Basil, the Five Princes and the Royal Escort stood in the middle of the Teleportation Magic Circle, in the pce of Frachtenhein Kingdom, Cyane Candlestone and twelve Peak Stage Violet Core Knight kneeled before their King.
Their Teleportation Magic Circle was also ready, but they didn''t rush to use it and go to the Summit Meeting. They were discussing the path they should choose to tread.
"Even to this day, I still can''t believe your story, Cyane. The truth is already presented before me, but I can''t bring myself to ept it due to how unfair it is."
"¡"
"The power needed to knock you unconscious with just a touch is equivalent to the power of a Middle Stage Purple Core Knight. Someone with that much power shouldn''t want to remain in a Kingdom¡ªI am sure the Empire must have given him a lot of offers."
"¡"
"That Dragon, if I am not mistaken, had a power that suppressed your soul. You said that you could barely move, but he could take the Dragon away with him, is that correct?"
"Yes, Your Majesty."
Looking up, Cyane was greeted by his King''s wrinkled, kind face. The eyes that could no longer see anything were nted on Cyane, staring deeply into his soul.
"A strong mind and physique¡ªadded to those, amendable mindset. I have seen where this is going, Cyane," the King said with a small smile. "It is time to lower our heads and extend our hands. Fail we cannot in fixing our friendship, lest we should perish this stormy age."
"Your Majesty¡"
"Yes, Cyane." The King squinted his eyes. "In this Summit Meeting, we are going to support Braxtein."
One by one, those standing on the top of the pir felt the rumble. Something wasing out of the ground and they didn''t know if their pirs would remain erect when the new one emerged.
Chapter 394 Getting Busy Again (4)
The Summit Meeting was held in a ce that was located in the north of Braxtein. It was also close to the 5th Obelisk, which was the least dangerous Obelisk because it was located the farthest from the inhabited area.
The ce where the meeting was held was the sole building amongst the endless in that was covered in snow. It was built in one week just to host the Summit Meeting.
In the weing room, which was a massive hall with a massive Teleportation Magic Circle, Basil andpany appeared a brief, blinding sh. The Mages situated there immediately bowed their heads and escorted the people to the meeting room.
"For a hastily erected building, the interior is breath-taking," Edward remarked as he looked around.
"The Array used to power the Runes covering the building too. They really did their best¡ªwhoever built this building," Aldrich added.
"We are very honoured to receive the praise of the Princes of Braxtein," said one of the Mages escorting them.
Basil, Anthony and the other Princes didn''t say anything. While the first two were observing the atmosphere, the three Princes just didn''t know what they should say.
After walking slightly more than a minute, they stopped in front of a 3 metres tall red door. The escort opened the door for them, prompting Anthony and Basil to take the lead and enter the room.
The moment they stepped in, the pressure from the people who were already inside assaulted them. Anthony and Basil were unfazed, but the Princes couldn''t help sweating coldly.
Following Basil and Anthony, none of them looked around. They kept walking toward the seats that were reserved for them.
Anthony and Basil sat by side, the Princes sat in the chairs five meters behind the two and the four Royal Escort Commanders stood on the sides, guarding all of them. It was not until this moment could they see who had been pressuring them.
Boom!
Everyone''s eyes widened the moment the air exploded, knocking the vacant seats in the room. A new overwhelming pressure filled descended upon the room, making all of them gulp dryly.
"Greetings, King of Grittenhein, Your Highness Manfred von Grittenhein. I am Braxtein''s Golden Apple, Basil Pacifer," Basil stated calmly as he bowed politely. "We thank you for the warm and friendly wee we have received."
As Anthony smirked mockingly, Manfred focused his grey eyes on Basil. He couldn''t help gently pulling on his red beard as he cursed Braxtein for its luck.
''This is the Dragon yer of Braxtein, huh? Ku-Ku-Ku. Lucky, aren''t you, Anthony? If that young man was on our side, we would have dered war against you.''
''Manfred, I know what you are thinking. A battle maniac like you must be dying from envy. Ku-Ku-Ku.''
The room was silent, but the atmosphere wasn''t pleasant. As Manfred and Basil were shing their Qi Pressure, Anthony was pressuring the Knights that apanied Manfred with his Mana Pressure.
The signs were too obvious to ignore; at any time, a fight would break out. It was actuallymon for Practitioners that adopted two different Principles to cross opinions, but if Anthony, Basil and Manfred had a sh, only disaster would await them.
"Your Majesty, it is¡ª"
Bang!
"My, my¡ as usual, the friendship you two have makes me envy, Manfred, Anthony."
Carlyle, who was about to warn Anthony about the consequences they might face if a fight broke out, was interrupted by a heavy and raspy voice belonging to an elderly man. The pressure didn''t disappear, but every still turned to the owner of the voice.
A well-trimmed white hair, a well-trimmed white beard, a pair of white eyes that saw nothing but shadows; wearing a white military attire, the man looked like a Noble sage that believed in righteousness. He was the King of Frachtenhein, Alphonse de Frachtenhein.
"Do you want to join us, Alphonse? Maybe, if you do, we will be able to restructure the hierarchy once again. A certain Kingdom has been sitting at the top for too long, don''t you think?" Manfred asked heatedly.
"Ku-Ha-Ha! What a ludicrous thing I have heard! Very well, Alphonse, join in. Let us write a new history." Anthony smirked.
"Well¡ I will rather not to," Alphonse replied wryly as he nced at Basil. "I am nothing but a dying old man. Having a peaceful end is my goal."
Manfred clicked his tongue and turned to Anthony. He harrumphed in annoyance and then retracted the pressure.
Basil also did the same and was about to sit down when Manfred called, "Young man, for a talented Knight, you are wasting your life there. As a Middle Stage Purple Core Knight, I am sure you can fight toe to toe with me and that is saying something."
"I thank you for your high view of me, Your Highness," Basil replied casually.
"I am not sweet talking, young man. Come to my side and I will inherit you my throne."
Everyone widened their eyes in shock and bafflement at how blunt and daring Manfred was. His words were heavy. It wasn''t something that couldn''t be said heavily. Even Anthony, who had more than a fleeting thought about it, didn''t dare to openly say it.
"Taking something that is given to me on a silver tter has never been my hobby. I apologize for my rudeness, but amongst what you may be able to offer me, nothing the Braxtein Kingdom doesn''t have."
Quirking his eyebrow, Manfred said, "Ho-oh, is that so? Very well, I won''t force you." Smirking as he sat down, he added, "You have raised him well, Anthony."
Anthony would like to smile bitterly at the remark since that wasn''t the case, but he smirked to not lose face instead. Alphonse, who had been observing the exchange with the help of his Art, smiled and also sat down.
The room was quickly filled with the relieved sigh of the escorts. Silence filled the room afterwards; it was only ended by the entrance of the other two Kings.
"It seems something has happened here," remarked the man with long ashy blond hair and a youthful look, the King of Vallienda, Gerhard van Vallienda.
"The scent of conflict is thick here, which is not that surprising because Anthony and Manfred are here," added the man with short, light green hair, who had an eerie smile on his face; the King of Baillocke, Mason Baillocke.
The people in the room turned their heads to them but then immediately ignored them. The two Kings didn''t mind that at all and sat in their seats.
As the others waited for thest group toe, which was Tinuviel''s group, the two chatted friendly with each other. Unlike the others, the Kingdoms the two led had established bteral cooperation; their friendship was to be expected.
Thud!
After three minutes, thest group finally arrived. Tinuviel walked in with Aegnor on her side and her escorts behind her.
Her eyes were instantly nted on Basil. She immediately smiled at him, prompting him to smile back at her.
Ignoring the wondrous look that the young people in the room gave them, the Elf sat in their seats. They were positioned right beside Braxtein, implying their favouritism towards the Kingdom.
"Greetings to you, Mr Anthony," Tinuviel said simply.
"It is a pleasure to meet you, Lady Tinuviel," Anthony replied with a soft smile.
"It has been some time, Master Basil. Do you care for a few minutes of visiting after this?" Tinuviel with a smile, slightly baffling Anthony.
"We shall see, Tinuviel. If we have the leisure; sure, why not?" Basil replied casually, bewildering the people in the room.
''The way she treats them¡ªisn''t it supposed to be the opposite?'' the observers thought.
p!
"Well, now that everyone is here already, let us begin the meeting, shall we?" Anthony said after gathering the people''s attention.
"We can make this short by immediately having a vote for the kingdom-inmand, but I want to know the reason why you hastened the meeting, Lord Anthony," Alphonse said.
"I have talked about it if I am not mistaken," Anthony replied.
"We are getting closer to a perilous time. The nightmare that no one wants to have will be realized soon ¡ That was the only thing you said to us. We want an exnation that is more detailed than that," Manfred said.
"This is only my theory, but is this rted to the uing Outbreak?" Mason asked, which baffled everyone. "Other than the Empire, only the Obelisk can send us to the perilous situation, can''t it?"
"That is¡ correct," Anthony confirmed.
The Kings turned their heads to Anthony and looked at him as if they were forcing him to spill the tea. Tinuviel was getting nervous, but she kept looking calm outside.
With a light sigh, before telling them about the abnormality in the 27th Obelisk''s Mana Flow, he told them the importance of establishing the Alliance Army. They instantly knew he had an alibi from his exnation that was bordering propaganda but listened to it regardless.
When he talked about the 27th Obelisk, the Kings were immediately sure that it was indeed on the verge of Outbreak. They, too, noticed what he was attempting; so, when he finished speaking, they immediately bombarded him with questions.
"Are you saying that we have to help another Race for our debut? Don''t you think about how our people will look at us?"
"No offence to Lady Tinuviel here, but why do I feel like this meeting was hastened solely for her? Isn''t it a little bit too selfish?"
"I get the urgency; but, even without the Alliance Army, when the Outbreak happens, shouldn''t we still be able to send help to Padeithophys?"
Anthony''s eyes darkened; even though he had expected this to be the case, he still couldn''t help getting irritated. He could hear what their eyes were saying: ''Give me a part of your share from the deal you made with the Elf!''
The only Kingdom that wished nothing was Frachtenhein, which was also close to the 27th Obelisk. Unlike the others, who wouldn''t move without receiving some benefits, Alphonse knew his Kingdom was in peril.
He knew that the Demons would likely head to Padeitophys since it was closer, but he still felt the need to fight. With the help of his Art, he could feel something wrong with Basil and that didn''t make him feelfortable.
"Everyone, have you heard of a controlled Outbreak?" Basil suddenly spoke, silencing the talking Kings. "It is a fearsome method that can be used to send a territory into a state of despair."
There was a soft smile on his face, but no one could prevent themselves from gulping dryly.
Chapter 395 Getting Busy Again (End)
''Everyone, have you heard of a controlled Outbreak?'' this question resounded in the people''s heads as they looked at Basil''s chilling smile.
Manfred gulped dryly and then shook his head to dismiss the eeriness he was feeling. Looking at Basil solemnly, representing everyone, he asked Basil what he meant by his words.
"I get the feeling that we are being threatened by the Braxtein Kingdom. Am I wrong thinking that way, Golden Apple of Braxtein?"
Expecting Basil to deny it, Manfred was taken aback by Basil''s instantaneous answer, "Yes, Your Highness, you are right. This is Braxtein threatening every one of you here and also every inhabitant in this world of ours."
Bam!
"Insolent!" Manfred exims furiously. "Anthony, you should''ve taught your glorified hound manners. Look at what he has done¡ªspouting nonsense as if he owns the world!"
Much to Manfred''s surprise, as he looked at Anthony, the said King didn''t even blink his eyes. His look conveyed what he had in mind: ''Basil is saying the truth.''
"Hoh? Interesting, Braxtein''s Golden Apple," Gerhard remarked. "I want to hear what you are going to talk about. You are going to tell us, aren''t you¡ªthe interesting piece of news?"
"Of course, this meeting is not conducted for us to keep everything we know to ourselves. We are here to share and get stronger together, aren''t we?" Basil nodded his head with a smile.
''What a terrifying young man. He has everyone in this dancing in his palm; everyone is following his flow,'' Alphonse remarked inwardly.
''An information trade, huh? To grow stronger together? Utter twaddle!'' Mason scoffed inwardly. ''Very clever, Braxtein''s Golden Apple. Having you on his side is really a fortune to Anthony and a nightmare to all of us.''
"I seem to have misunderstood something. I am sorry for calling you a hound earlier, Basil," Manfred said sincerely, surprising all of the Kings and his escorts.
"It is fine, Your Highness. No one thinks of what they say when they are in a deranged state," Basil waved off the apology.
"Very well. Now, tell us about what you said earlier."
Silence filled the room as everyone''s eyes are nted on Basil. They wanted to hear about that fearsome method Basil had mentioned and who had used it.
"The reason why we are even willing to tell you this is that we want to win together against the Demon. We figure that it will convince all of you to establish the Alliance Army and show our seriousness about it."
As he had everyone''s attention, Basil told the people about the strange things that happened during the First Outbreak that everyone overlooked. First, he talked about the arrival of Jerion and Cabalen''s army at Randalvine.
No one questioned how they got there undetected; so, the people in the room, apart from Anthony and Basil himself, widened their eyes in surprise the moment it was brought up. They immediately got where the talk was going.
After talking about the fact that they still couldn''t figure out why what had happened could happen, Basil moved on to talk about the emergence of the Demon from the Death Howl Dungeon.
He was delivering twaddle on that part even though he knew the real reason for the phenomenon, but the people took the twaddle seriously. Atst, he talked about something that very few people knew.
"Lastly, Your Highness Alphonse, the small vige on the north side of your Kingdom also suffered from the mysterious horde of Demons, didn''t it?"
Alphonse and the people who apanied him didn''t show anything on the outside, but they were panicking on the inside. ''How did he know? This information¡ªnot even our people know about this!'' they all thought.
Like the wise King he was, Alphonse calmly said, "Indeed, it suffered from that mysterious horde''s attack. Now, Braxtein''s Golden Apple, may I ask how you figured it out?"
"Unfortunately, Your Highness, our Kingdom can''t be the only one sharing information here. If you want to know it, please do share something that may be of help to us," Basil said with a small smile. "Ah, everyone, you may share something interesting too."
The face of every King in the room twitched. They were both astonished and irritated by how cunning Basil was.
"Anyway, everyone, after rigorously investigating the First Outbreak, we found a clue that pointed to the culprit of, maybe, everything. This group is amongst us and they have incredibly close ties with the Demon."
Basil interlocked his fingers and said solemnly, "This group was the one who elerated the Outbreak and orchestrated the whole disaster. Because of that, no matter where you are, whenever an Outbreak urs, there is a chance you will also suffer from it."
The room descended into silence as Basil let the people entertain their wild thoughts. He had told as much as he could but at the same time told the people nothing; they were left curious and also anxious about what could happen in the future.
Anthony watched the scene silently and turned to Basil, who was waiting for the people''s response silently. He couldn''t help smirking appreciatively and thanking the fact that Basil was on his side (somehow).
Looking at Basil''s back, the Princes, who were sitting five metres behind their father and him, couldn''t help humming to themselves both in astonishment in envy. They knew everything that happened there was ording to the script Basil had written in his head.
''Know your difference,'' they recalled what Amara said to them. ''That child looks at the bigger picture and that is why he is flying, unlike you, who are chasing your own tails. Manner him and no matter what happens, you will end up being something great.''
After knowing Basil for two years, the Princes had learnt quite a lot about him. They often pestered him about how to be a "perfect" man like him and they became good friends because of that.
Even though their parents (Anthony and Amara) were closer to Basil than they were to them, the Princes didn''t think it mattered. They knew what kind of person Basil was, so they didn''t think of anything silly ¡ Except for Aldrich.
''Again¡ Basil Pacifer, what sin have I done you in my past life? Why do you have to intrude in our lives and stand in my way?'' Aldrich thought with clenched fists. ''My siblings have lost their urge to be a King. It should''ve been my chance, but you¡!''
Unlike the others, after suffering from his humiliating defeat in the First Outbreak, Aldrich fell into the endless abyss of envy. He got deeper the more the day passed, causing him to be unable to see the bigger picture that the other Princes saw.
The brightest candidate was nothing but a shell.
Tap. Tap.
"In other words, young man, what you are saying is, if that side wishes, all of us will suffer from the uing Outbreak of the 27th Obelisk?" Manfred asked solemnly.
"Roughly, it is," Basil answered calmly.
"Don''t get me wrong, I got your concern but I can''t help taking it as a threat. It seems to me that you will realize it yourselves if we end up choosing not to establish the Alliance Army." Manfred''s eyes turned to Anthony.
"If that had been the case, we wouldn''t have been here, Your Highness." Basil gave the people his most genuine-looking fake wry smile. "Why should we even tell you about what we were capable of if we could destroy all of you with that?"
"What will you do if we refuse the idea of establishing the Alliance Army?" Gerhard asked.
Basil turned to Anthony, prompting him to open his mouth. "With Alphoetra Tribe and any other Elven Tribes, we will conquer the Obelisk. When it is proven to be impossible for us to conquer it, we will take care of the Outbreak ourselves."
"You are serious about this, aren''t you?" Mason remarked.
"History is a reminder to us¡ªof a failure our ancestors made in the past. If we are not united, the tragedy that befell us in the Age of Chaos will be repeated. We are not as strong as we used to be anymore; so, once we fall, we will never be able to get back up again."
"That is a very strong wording from an ambitious person like you, Anthony," Manfredmented. "However, I can''t bring myself to disagree. The wind is indeed getting unpleasant these days."
"I will ask you this, Lord Anthony," Alphonse spoke up. "Is this group, which is our mutual enemy, owned by people we can''t touch? I know you don''t want to talk about it, but you should be willing to answer that question, shouldn''t you?"
"You may freely conclude who it is; but yes, it is," Anthony answered shortly.
Alphonse smiled and then suggested, "Since everyone seems to have understood that it is OUR problem instead of THAT PARTY''s problem, let us do the voting, shall we?"
"Ah let''s do it," Manfred agreed. "But first of all, let me ask you which of you wants to nominate your Kingdom to be the kingdom-inmand."
Manfred raised his hand at his own question at the same time Anthony did. They were the only ones raising their hands, which surprised everyone.
''Hoh? They think well, don''t they?'' the three Kings who didn''t raise their hands thought as they looked at each other. ''Responsibility, at this point, is a chore. It is better to bemanded and enjoy the benefit of being protected!''
Chuckling somewhat bitterly, Manfred remarked, "It''s always us, isn''t it, Anthony?" Smiling softly, he added, "Well, mate. I admit your victory this time."
Even before Anthony could say something, Manfred shouted, "Who wants Grittenhein to be in the lead?"
Mason and Gerhard raised their hands.
"Who wants Braxtein to be in the lead?"
Tinuviel, Alphonse, Gerhard and Mason raised their hands.
''These two bastards¡ they just don''t want to offend me, didn''t they? I am sure they didn''t have any intention to raise their hands,'' Manfred thought in slight irritation. "Well, it is your win, Mate. Hope you will be able to do what you said."
The Braxtein Kingdom had officially be the kingdom-inmand of the Alliance Army that would be established after the Summit Meeting ended. With this, Basil was ready to move on to the next step of his grand scheme.
As the Kings and Chief Tribes talked about when they should conduct mixed military training, Basil monitored the rough calction of the time the 27th Obelisk needed to have an Outbreak.
[Countdown of the 27th Obelisk''s Outbreak: -27 days, 13 hours, 26 minutes and 8 seconds.]
The time had shortened quite significantly; meaning, Basil was going to get busy again in a close time after two years of living "idly."
Chapter 396 Similar But Different
Three days had passed since the Summit Meeting. With Anthony and the Princes, Basil was waiting for Iliana''s return from the 27th Obelisk in the pce.
Although Basil had already foreseen the result of the investigation from the beginning, he didn''t prevent Anthony from sending Iliana to investigate the Obelisk. It was, of course, done to avoid any suspicion that Anthony might have towards him for his knowledge.
"Father, do you think it is really a wise choice for you to send six Legions for the Alliance Army? The rest of the Kingdoms only send five, don''t they?" Cameron, the Third Prince, asked.
"It is very rare for someone like you to doubt your capability in things like this," Anthony remarked.
Cameron shook his head faintly and nce at Basil standing on the left side of Anthony. "I think you should assign all of us under Master Basil and send your top four Legion Commanders with their Legions."
"You shouldn''t worry, Cameron. Although you are given the title of Legion Commander, you will still be apanied by an experienced Legion Commander, so you don''t blunder."
"What about the number, Father?" Edward asked.
"Although being the only one amongst your siblings to have six Magic Circles ismendable, it doesn''t instantly make you exceptional, Edward. I get your confidence¡ªyou work well with Basil, but we are not going to only help ourselves on the battlefield."
"The Elf¡ªare the five of us needed to support the Elf army?" Edward lightly frowned. "Isn''t that going to be a little bit of a waste?"
Anthonyughed faintly, surprising Edward slightly. "No, my son. The five of you will be needed to aid the rest of the Alliance Army. The Legion Basil leads will be on the frontline, aiding the Elf to defeat the Obelisk Master."
Since the establishment was quicker than anyone had ever expected, the Alliance Army, which was named Henosis, was determined to conquer the Obelisk so an Outbreak could be prevented.
Out of the 31 Legion (humans) and 15 Cohorts (Elves) in Henosis, only 2 Legions and 5 Cohorts would be sent inside the Dungeon. From Anthony''s words, it was clear that the five Princes wouldn''t partake in the conquest of the 27th Obelisk.
"I told you to join Henosis because I want all of you to experience how harsh the world is and how heavy the burden of yourrade''s life is. Basil will be paired with someone from Frachtenheinter; so, naturally, I can''t just send you with him."
The two Legions that were chosen to conquer the Obelisk were the Legion that Basilmanded and the one that Cyanemanded. Their task was to aid the Elf to the best they could to defeat Dantalion.
Although from the Summit Meeting they had all agreed to make the uing problem their problem instead of the Elf''s problem, from the way they put the Elf on the frontline, it was clear that those in the most troublesome spot had the most responsibility.
The Elf might be stronger than humans in general; however, still, expecting them to do most of the work was absurd. The Elf''s poption was barely a third of the human, which was the reason why they had Cohorts instead of Legions.
A Cohort only consisted of 500 soldiers. Five Cohorts wouldn''t do much to the Demons in the Obelisk no matter how stronger the Elf waspared to the human.
Due to the good rtionship they had with the Elf, Anthony assigned Basil and the Legion he led to aid them. By doing it, he hoped they would be able to minimize the casualties on the Elf''s side when the conquest began.
Pitter-patter.
"Commander Iliana and her Legion have arrived!"
As the guard opened the gate to the pce, Iliana and her Legion came in. The people who watched their entrance instantly noticed the solemn mood she and her soldiers had.
"First Legion Commander, Iliana, reporting to the King!" Upon arriving before Anthony, Iliana immediately knelt.
"Please, be at ease, Commander. Let me hear the result of your investigation," Anthony said calmly.
Standing up straightly, Iliana looked at Anthony stoically after taking off her helmet. Being 188 centimetres tall, the height difference between Anthony and her was negligible, which made Anthony somehow feel weird.
He didn''t feel weird being shorter than Basil, but he still couldn''t get used to the fact that he was almost the same height as Iliana.
"We couldn''t measure nor could we sense the Mana Flow of the Obelisk, Your Majesty."
"Yes?" Anthony blinked his eyes in bafflement. "Please, borate," he said with a frown.
"We couldn''t approach the Obelisk. There is a weird creature guarding it, which I am afraid is Chimaera. We didn''t dare to bet, so we immediately retreated the moment it sted us with its pressure."
"Chimaera¡"
Anthony believed Iliana''s judgement, but he couldn''t helpughing in amusement. Chimaera was, after all, another disastrous Mythological Monster that could bring hell upon the world.
Chimaera had the head of a goat, the body of a lion and a serpent as its tail. Although its size was nothingpared to Dragons or Scy, the five metres tall Monster was fearsome enough to make Scy think twice before bothering it.
"It is a fake one¡ªdon''t worry," Basil said suddenly, surprising the people.
"Yes? What do you mean it is fake?" Anthony asked, puzzled.
"The real Chimaera had been killed a long time ago. Any Chimaera that may walk on this world is artificial," Basil exined. "I believe it is Dantalion''s attempt to shy us away. Still, I won''t suggest us underestimate the power of the artificial Chimaera."
"We are confident in our prowess but not obnoxious. Such a thing will never happen," Anthony assured. Clearing his throat, he apologetically said, "Kuhum! I am sorry to inform you of this, but you have to depart with Professor Basil in the afternoon, Commander Iliana."
"Ah, I have foreseen that. It is to have the first mixed training of Henosis Army, isn''t it?"
"Yes, it is. Since there are still a few hours before your departure, you can take your time to rest." Sighing lightly, Anthony added, "Sorry for sending you on another trip after returning from one."
"What can I say? It''s my job as the Kingdom''s ve," Iliana replied nonchntly, causing Anthony to smile wryly. "Well, can I leave this ce already? I want to meet the people who are under mymand."
Anthony nodded his head lightly, prompting Iliana to turn around and dismiss her soldiers, which she did by waving her hand dismissively. Her soldiers were already used to it, but the people who saw the scene for the first time were dumbfounded.
Uncaring of the look she got, she walked towards Basil and dragged him by his hand. Soon after, the two disappeared from the pce.
The King was asking himself if he should be okay treated like that, meanwhile, the Princes were wondering if the Pacifer couple had any respect towards the Royalty in the very first ce.
In the end, still, they shook their head in amusement and then busied themselves with their activities. The King had his matters and the Princes had to prepare for their departure to Padeitophys, where the mixed training was conducted.
¡
"How is the investigation on your side, Basil?"
"It is finished already."
"So, that means you already have located all of them?"
"Seventy-eight of them."
"That is a lot¡"
Basil and Iliana were conversing as they walked around the garden that they had built behind their mansion. They were talking about the n Basil would execute during the conquest of the 27th Obelisk.
"Is Ione going to join us too?"
"No, I have asked Anthony to keep her away from the battlefield."
Stopping in her tracks, Iliana looked at Basil in suspicion. "Did you identally impregnate her?" she asked solemnly.
Basil immediately flicked Iliana''s forehead and neutrally said, "Don''t nder my name, please. I don''t nt my seeds in any media I can see." Sighing lightly as Iliana rubbed her forehead, he added, "It is for that n."
"Hm¡ is it really necessary for us to hasten everything?" Iliana wondered. "It has only been slightly more than a year. You said it yourself¡ªeverything would be fine for, at least, three years."
"Iliana," Basil called solemnly as he looked into her eyes. "Are you gettingfortable with your current life? Have you forgotten we have enemies lurking behind our back, waiting for the perfect opportunity to strike?"
"I¡ I am just¡"
Iliana wanted to say something, but she couldn''t find the right words to exin it. She got frustrated, so she hugged Basil for emotional support.
Basil enveloped her in his embrace and then waited until she spoke again, which wasn''t that long. She always gotfortable whenever she was in his hug.
"After spending years living here, I have met quite a lot of people. Some of them became enemies and some of them became friends. The ratio is 1:5. 1 for the enemies and 5 for the friends."
Looking up, Iliana continued, "For the home of the bastards that will roast our arses for our identity, that ratio is surprising, no? It makes me wonder if I will be able to kill the 5 just because of the 1."
Iliana stopped speaking, but her eyes were asking, ''How about you, Basil.'' The one in question didn''t even think as he said, "There are only two types of people in this world: those who stand in my way and those who mind their business. I will cut the former without a second thought."
"I see," Iliana muttered as she buried her face in Basil''s chest. "You are strong, aren''t you? I don''t think I won''t get a nightmare after killing the idiots in my Legion."
Caressing Iliana''s head, Basil softly said, "Sheep only follow their shepherd''s lead without asking where they are going. Because of that, they end up in an abattoir."
"When our identity is revealed, the people who know us will be given two choices: to follow the shepherd or make their own way. That day will decide who they are¡ªa sheep or a human that is capable of thinking."
Slightly pushing Iliana back to look at her face, Basil added, "Those who know us will stand on our side and those who don''t will oppose us. There is no need for you to feel sad for thetter; instead of you, after all, they believe hearsay more."
Basil thought of the Kinyers he had managed to locate. His other n was to recruit them to his side by using his identity.
In the future, he would only see two types of people: those who supported him and those who misunderstood him. With the Kinyers and the Pacifer on his side to support him, he was ready to cut the people who misunderstood him.
Chapter 397 Similar But Different (2)
After spending some time talking and idling with each other, Basil and Iliana head to the pce. The time for them to go to Padeitophys hade.
Thanks to the good rtionship that they had established, there was a direct Teleportation Magic Circle that connected Braxtein with Padeitophys, or to be exact, Alphoetra vige. The Magic Circle was located in the backyard of the pce.
The Magic Circle was the reason why they didn''t have to depart early, unlike the other Kingdoms that had already sent their troops two days ago.
"Ah, in the end, I didn''t meet the people we willmand," Iliana remarked.
"We are going to meet them anyway¡ªit doesn''t matter," Basil retorted.
The two were in a carriage, on their way to the pce. Like always, they talked about mundane things to fill their time because they wouldn''t have any time to talk about anything other than work soon.
"No, that can''t be, Basil. I have to, you know, test how tough they are."
"You are only going to scare them if you beat them for no reason."
"It is not like I am going to kill them," Iliana defended herself. "It is no more than a greeting gesture."
"¡"
Since Basil could tell Iliana wasn''t messing around¡ªshe really believed what she said to be the case¡ªhe stopped giving his input. He changed the topic and listened to her until their carriage reached the pce.
Getting down from the carriage, they were immediately escorted to the backyard by the Royal Guards. Upon arriving there, they were greeted by the scene of 6,000 soldiers standing on the Teleportation Magic Circle on the ground.
"Braxtein''s Golden Apple, Master Basil Pacifer and Commander Iliana have arrived!"
The backyard that had been filled with chattering instantly turned silent at the guard''s announcement. Every eye turned to the couple and they took it as if it was an everyday event.
As the soldiers who rarely saw them gaped at their sheer presence, Anthony and the other person beside him looked at Basil with a smile. Only one of the two, however, gave Basil a pleasant smile¡ªAnthony.
"I thought you wouldn''te, Basil. The others have left first because of how long it took you toe here," Anthony remarked in amusement.
"We couldn''t help it," Basil said mockingly dramatic. "We are but a young couple who have too much burden on their shoulders. We, too, need time where we can forget about our burden."
"Ha-Ha-Ha. As usual, you never really think about whom you are speaking to, huh?"
Basil erased his fabricated smile and then looked at the elderly, fit man beside Anthony. Said man had long white hair, anky but muscr build and a slightly feminine look due to his sharp jaw.
"It has been a while, Duke Archibald."
"What? It has only been a week since west met. Ha-Ha-Ha."
Looking at the man, Basil could see some faint resemnce to someone whom he had been quite close with¡ªthete Caesar. He knew, however, that the person before him was nowhere near as noble as Caesar had been.
Archibald Rancuser, the descendant of the Rancuser Family that had betrayed the Pacifer and The Lord at the most critical moment. He and his entire family were condemned by Caesar, one of the rightful heirs, who had been cast for his choice.
If not for the sake of destroying the said family, Basil wouldn''t have even bothered to interact with Archibald. He knew how close Archibald was to the Church, but he would never break the promise he made with Caesar.
He would turn the whole family to ashes.
"Anyway, I am here to see you off. You have been getting so busy these days that we almost can''t find the time to have tea," Archibald said as he patted Basil''s shoulder.
"I have always wanted to give you this, but I haven''t found the right time." He took out a pendant and gave it to Basil. "I think now is the time. I am afraid that I won''t be able to see you if I wait any longer."
Taking the pendant that was given to him, Basil muttered, "This is¡ God''s Tear Amulet. This precious thing¡" He looked up and looked at Archibald gratefully. "Thank you, Duke Archibald. Let me host a party when the matter ends as a repayment."
"Ku-Ku-Ku. There is no need to do that, Basil. I just want you to return safely." Archibald waved his hand with a light-hearted smile.
Basil smiled softly and excused himself as he walked towards the Legion hemanded. Looking at the scene, Anthony smiled bitterly; he knew what Basil actually thought of the gesture.
''A gift? Do you want to fool me with this? Don''t make meugh,'' Basil sneered inwardly as he looked at the God''s Tear Amulet. ''The Church has been active recently; they are getting more convinced of my identity. I have to hasten the n yet again it seems.''
Standing in front of the Legion, Basil nodded his head at Anthony and Archibald; the God''s Tear Amulet was still in his grasp. When the Teleportation Magic Circle was activated¡ªat the same time the light shed, he broke it to pieces.
Crack!
The open war between him and the Church began at that moment.
¡
When the blinding light covering their vision disappeared, they were already at Padeitophys.
Tinuviel, who was standing a few meters away from Basil, immediately came up to him and shook his hand three seconds after their arrival. She then escorted them to the field where the other Legions were waiting for them.
Since most of the people in Basil''s Legion hadn''t visited Padeitophys before the mixed training, on their way to meet the others, the only people talking were Basil and Tinuviel. Their voice was the only reason why the air wasn''t filled with silence.
Iliana didn''t even bother to join since they were talking about something that she deemed boring¡ªstrategies that they could use to minimize casualties. She was more intrigued by the fragrant flowers on the trees in their surroundings.
"We are already here, Master Basil," Tinuviel said as she gestured at the Legions that the Five Princes led. "Ah, I am sorry to say this because you have only just arrived, but we need to immediately depart. It is already time," Tinuviel said apologetically.
''Oh, they have already arrived? They are pretty enthusiastic, aren''t they?'' Basil remarked inwardly. Nodding his head lightly, he said, "We shall go. We spent the least amount of effort toe here, so it is highly disrespectful for us to make the others wait."
Telling Deacon to get down from his shoulder, said Beast Companion assumed his original form as soon as he touched the ground. Under everyone''s eyes, Basil and Iliana hopped on Deacon''s back afterwards.
Seeing that Basil was ready, Tinuviel ordered the Cohorts from her Tribe to march. Following right behind Deacon and Tinuviel''s horse, the army went to the biggest training field in Padeitophys where the mixed training was conducted¡ªKyodiphera in.
It was not very far from Alphoetra vige. It was roughly 3 kilometres away, so they arrived there in five minutes despite the rough terrain they had to pass.
"Hoh. The star of the army has arrived, huh?"
"Just like a Hero, heeste too."
"Ku-Ku-Ku. I really want to know how strong the Golden Apple is."
"Watch your manners, Floyd! A single wrong step will not only cost you your lives but also the reputation of our Kingdom."
"I get it, Adelfried. Just because I am confident doesn''t mean I don''t have a brain."
As soon as Basil and the others arrived, the chosen Legions from their neighbouring Kingdoms nted their eyes on them, or to be exact, on Basil. All of them were curious about how fearsome the Dragon yer of Braxtein was.
Aside from those who had met Basil and tasted his overwhelming pressure in the Summit Meeting, the Legion Commanders from the neighbouring Kingdoms were very eager to challenge Basil.
Basil looked at their expression with a hidden sneer, meanwhile, those who knew how fearsome Basil was merely shook their heads bitterly. They could predict their fellows would be hit by a storm.
"Everyone, I thank you foring here," Basil said. "Although I am the officially appointed Commander of the whole army, I am open to suggestions. Whether you are a fellow Commander or a soldier, if you have a good suggestion, feel free to say it to me."
In the past, because Eugene had a strong connection with the Church, Basil couldn''t be the Head Commander of the human army of Henosis even though he was the most capable Commander amongst the others.
There was a time when he had wanted the position so badly, but it soon disappeared as he realized that status didn''t matter. Now, being the Head Commander of the entire Henosis, he became even sure that status didn''t matter.
''As long as you have a big goal before your eyes, anything you achieve along the way is nothing but byproducts. No matter how amazing they are in front of the people''s eyes, it is hard for you to be impressed by them,'' Basil mused.
Gazing at the 193,500 people in the field, he said, "I want five Legions from five different Kingdoms and three Cohorts to be in the same group so you can train together. Knowing how each other fight is the first thing we should do before fighting in a Formation."
Cyane raised his hand from amongst the crowd. "Excuse me, Head Commander Basil. Since Braxtein sent six Legions, may I ask what they will be doing?"
"They will be helping the others train."
"That is?"
Basil waved his hand and gestured for the people to immediately group themselves ording to the way he wanted. They did it without question; the process took only ten minutes, which wasmendable considering how many they were.
"The field is vast. I hope all of you can decide where to train," Basil eximed, prompting the newly made five groups to scatter and find their spot. "A verymendable reaction time indeed."
The five groups were now 500 metres apart from each other. Basil and the Legion hemanded were in the centre of the group, making them the perfect target of the groups.
"Very well. Let us begin the training, shall we?"
Basil raised his hand, prompting the Legion hemanded to activate the Magic Battle Formation. An overwhelming pressure descended upon the field, making the people widen their eyes in bafflement.
"Come and show me what you have."
Basil swept the air with his hands; fifty 15 metres tall Golems emerged from the ground and stood surrounding him and his Legion. Using the Mana and Qi of his soldiers, he had fun with the people.
Chapter 398 Similar But Different (3)
"Kuhak!"
"W-What in the hell?!"
"Hey, watch out!"
"Ridiculous!"
Looking at the scene before them, the chosen Legion Commanders from Braxtein''s neighbouring Kingdoms couldn''t help blinking their eyes in bewilderment. All of them were fighting an army of six thousand, but they still hadn''t gotten the upper hand yet.
Regardless of where they came from, the soldiers were swept off their feet by the attacks that Basil''s Legion delivered. No fatal harm was done; however, it would be insulting to say they weren''t hurt in the slightest.
"That Formation¡ it is not formidable because it is a High-Grade one. It is formidable because the Golden Apple is in the centre of it," one of the Legion Commanders from Vallienda observed. "What a nightmare to have that person on the other side."
Out of the fifty Golems Basil had created, only twenty-five had been destroyed so far. They could rebuild themselves after five times being destroyed, which made it hard to really destroy them.
Being hard to destroy wasn''t the only good thing about them; they, too, could cast Spells. The Spells the people had received from the Golems were actually not that dangerous, but they slowed the people down due to their magnitude.
"Hm¡ I am slightly disappointed that even our army also doesn''t realize the way to end the fight," Iliana sighed in disappointment. "They are too focused on the frame rather than the picture. It is honestly embarrassing."
"It is training," Basil said. "There is no fault for them to test their luck on beating the Golems."
"I know you can bury them in the ground right now if you want. You are just ying around, aren''t you?" Iliana retorted dryly.
"You can leave the Formation and go on a rampage in the centre of the battlefield if you also want to have fun," Basil suggested.
"I will pass on that offer. Being known as a battle maniac is better than being known as a mad woman."
"Didn''t expect you to care about how people view you."
Busy as they were sending out dealing blows, the soldiers could still listen to the banter of the Pacifer couple. They couldn''t help sweating coldly at the two as they wondered just how they could stay calm at the amount of Mana and Qi they burned every second.
As the chosen Mages, they took pride in their talents. They thought that their Mana Reservoirs were the biggest amongst their peers, but the couple, who were at the same level of Mastery as them, proved them wrong.
Thinking about how big the couple''s Mana Reservoirs were, they didn''t feel like they were worthy to be called talented anymore.
The Knights were also having the same thought. Thinking about how pure and thick Basil''s Qi Core was to be able to contain such a ridiculous amount of Qi, they couldn''t help feeling less confident.
They knew they were nothing but a bunch of Peak Stage Blue Core Knights; however, they knew that Basil wasn''t an ordinary Middle Stage Violet Core Knight. They had encountered more than one of them and they were sure none of the Knights was as strong as Basil.
"Very well, everyone. I reckon that your Reservoirs have already been emptied for 80% at this point. To make things more interesting, let us see how well you fare against an overwhelming number of enemies with a little amount of Mana or Qi."
Basil''s sudden statement made the people break into sweats. No matter how they thought about it, having 6,000 people fight 187,500 people was ludicrous; the sheer imbnce made them want to cry.
"Be brave, soldiers. Wars will not always be in your favour; there are times when you have to excel despite the odds," Basil encouraged. "You will not die, so why do you hesitate? Jump forward and beat your enemies unconscious."
His encouragement instantly took effect. "Oorah! For the pride of Braxtein!" the soldiers cried as they shot forward in Centuries. [1]
The Formation broke, but the Golems were still maintained. Basil had created them with a Spell, so he didn''t have to supply them with a huge amount of Mana unless he wanted to rebuild them after being destroyed, which he wouldn''t do anymore.
"You have bad humour, don''t you?" Ilianamented. "You are just sending them to their deaths."
"A cornered rat bites the strongest¡ªhaven''t you heard it?" Basil said calmly.
"Are you talking about us?" Iliana gestured at the twenty Legion Commanders from their neighbouring Kingdoms who wereing at them.
"No, Iliana. Our situation is more of rats cornering lions." Basil shook his head faintly. "I am talking about our soldiers and the lesson everyone will learn today."
Basil took out Caliburn and Durendal at the same time Iliana took out Sinister Piercer. Their aura and pressure instantly changed, baffling and also slightly scaring the Legion Commandersing at them.
"Let us split them in half," Iliana eximed as she stormed off.
Basil stayed in his ce and watched as three Legion Commanders, all Knights, stopped Iliana in her tracks. He then materialized his Magic Circles and drew his Qi when the seventeen people were fifteen metres away from him.
''Bloody hell! This pressure¡ªit''s a joke, isn''t it?'' the seventeen people couldn''t help cursing inwardly. Still, none of them stopped despite their pounding hearts.
"Sir Basil, please enlighten me!"
Cyane was the first one to reach Basil. Arching Joyeuse widely and powerfully, he covered it in a blinding light at Basil, which Basil could negate disperse easily, much to his dismay, the moment it made contact with Caliburn.
nk!
"Keuk!"
Although Cyane had already expected the oue of their sh, he still couldn''t help gritting his teeth in disappointment upon blocking Caliburn. He had swung Joyeuse with hands whereas Basil swung Caliburn with one hand, but he was still the one being overwhelmed.
Swish!
His heart had almost jumped out of his chest the moment the Mana de that Durendal produced whizzed past him. He had only felt the wind split, but he could already tell that it was wise to not block it.
"Gahak! What in the hell?!"
Three Legion Commanders had been taken down with one Mana de¡ªCyane could tell by the amount of the footsteps. He took that as a cue to take distance, so he kicked the ground and let Basil throw him away with his power.
In the first second, he praised himself for his wise choice, but he instantly cursed his luck in the next second. Basil appeared before him in the blink of an eye and then destroyed his sternum with Durendal''s pommel.
"Recover quick ande at me with a new resolve. Wanting to beat me alone is not enough," Basil whispered.
As Cyane flew away, Basil turned his attention to the Legion Commander from Vallienda who was ready to strike him with his spear. Basil jumped into the air, flipped his body in the air and then struck the spear with both of his swords, mming it into the ground.
Bam!
The spear carved a trench on the ground. Everything had happened so quickly that the Legion Commander wondered what had just happened.
Using the stunned state of the Legion Commander to his advantage, Basil immediately ran his swords on the spear''s staff and brought them to cut said Commander''s head. Widening his eyes in shock, the Commander shouted.
"Are you going to¡ª"
He was visibly indignant as he thought Basil was seriously going to kill him, which was against the policy. He, in the end, however, couldn''t convey his indignation well since Durendal''s pommel knocked him out first.
Boom!
"Oh my! I didn''t expect that much power from a Battle Mage¡ªa woman nheless."
"Your vision is impaired, eh? I have knocked out two of you and you have only realized that you are not my match now?"
On the other side of the battlefield, the three Legion Commanders from the Baillocke Kingdom were shocked by Iliana''s prowess and raw strength. They had thought they would have an easy fight with her, but she turned out to be a nightmare for them.
? "Now, now. Why do you have to be so cold?" the remaining Legion Commander remarked yfully as he blocked Iliana''s spear to hide his nervousness.
nk!
"Cold women¡ªespecially, those who spit venomous words¡ªwill have a hard time finding men, you know?"
Thrusting her spear, Iliana retorted, "The best man in the entire realm has taken me¡ªI don''t care about other men."
Boom!
"Kahak!"
The Legion Commander coughed out a mouthful of blood after failing to block Iliana''s powerful thrust. His expression darkened along with his vision and he couldn''t help eximing in shock and astonishment.
"You know how Meridians work too?!"
"My man taught me that," Iliana smirked.
Using her Mana, she had managed to temporarily stop the air supply to the Legion Commander''s brain when she thrust her spear at his chest. He lost consciousness soon after, prompting her to turn her attention to the other Legion Commanders.
Much to her dismay, as soon as she turned around, there were already ten bodies lying lifelessly on the ground. They looked so peaceful that one might mistake them for people on a pic.
"Seven left¡ªI have to hurry!"
Uncaring to the people lying on the ground, Iliana dashed straight to the farthest Legion Commander from Basil. A moment before she reached him, however, she noticed from her peripheral vision that someone had just woken up from their peaceful sleep.
Stopping in her tracks, she widened her eyes when she found the person was already before her, sword ready to swing. She instantly assumed her defensive stance, but she was dumbfounded by the next thing the person said.
"Move; I don''t have any business with Sir Basil''s future wife."
"O-Oh¡ yeah. You may through," Iliana said in confusion mixed with amusement. "Thank you for getting my status right!"
"Please invite me to the weddingter."
Watching Cyane''s back as he dashed towards Basil, Iliana couldn''t help shaking her head faintly as she remarked, "Well, that took a weird turn."
nk!
Smiling, in the next moment, she dashed toward the four Legion Commanders who were too intimidated to join Basil''s fight with Cyane and the other three Legion Commanders.
Like the first three Legion Commanders she faced, the two of them thought it would be an easy fight. They paid the price for thinking naively soon; they were defeated in less than a minute.
As Iliana turned around to join Basil''s fight, she was greeted by the scene that literally blinded her. The fight between the soldiers also stopped as they turned around to look at the light Basil and Cyane''s Technique produced.
"[Path of Glory]!"
"[Dashing Triumph]!"
As their technique shed, the people wondered about two things: if the fight was to be taken seriously and if everyone from Braxtein was abnormal.
---
[1] A military unit that consists of 100 personnels.
Chapter 399 Similar But Different (End)
When the people regained their vision, what they saw was a long and deep trench beside Cyane who had lost consciousness. Basil was at the end of the trench, so even the least bright person would also be able to tell that he was the one who had created the trench.
When one thought about a sh, surely, one would expect to see both sides receiving damage. The people were no different as they tried to figure out how much damage Basil had sustained; he didn''t get any and that baffled the people.
The ground behind him didn''t even sustain any damage, which proved just how formidable his defence was. The people were astonished by this fact, so the realization that their Legion Commanders had been beaten to unconsciousness camete.
Gazing at the dumbfounded people, Basil remarked, "I think it is time for a rest."
The people blinked their eyes in surprise but acted quickly as Basil told them to take care of their "resting" Legion Commanders. The Legion Commanders from Braxtein and the Cohort Commanders shook their heads at the scene and thanked themselves for not joining the fight.
Although they knew there would be no fatal damage done to them had they joined, they were not willing to lose their dignity as Commanders. It was hard for them to stomp the urge to test themselves, but the mental debate was worth it.
"I think we already figure out something from this army," Iliana remarked as she came to Basil. "No one is a powerhouse; therefore, fighting in a Formation is best. Well, at least, until they have grasped each other''s fighting habit."
"Have you also thought about the quickest way to defeat them, Iliana?" Basil responded.
"I have analyzed them that much and you are asking me that? Of course, I already know the best way to defeat them," Iliana harrumphed.
"You know, Iliana, we are going to shape the army the way we want. We will make it formidable but also fragile at the same time."
"We are going to make it strong with us but weak without us¡ªis this what you want to say?"
"Roughly, yes."
Iliana frowned lightly and muttered solemnly, "In the end, these people, too, will have to taste our de, huh?"
"Everything is fair in love and war. You don''t have to feel like you are doing something bad," Basil said assuringly. "They have done a lot to our people without them realizing it, so you can consider it as us delivering them their karma."
The closer the moment came, the more ufortable it was to talk about. Iliana was someone who would do something when it was required, but she was not an emotionless machine; she would still feel hesitation when she was about to cut someone she knew.
Shaking her head to clear her thought, she followed Basil, who was walking toward the soldiers from Braxtein. Although they were bound to be enemies in the future, they still needed to cooperate currently.
¡
At the same time, in the other part of the world, Ione was exploring a Dungeon with the Assassins who had sworn their loyalty to Basil. She had been doing it for the past week, so it was already the fifth Dungeon she visited.
She, of course, didn''t visit every existing Dungeon in the world. She only visited Dungeons that had a Kinyer inside and were avable to visit.
After two years of an arduous search for the Dungeons, they had found seventy-eight Dungeons with Kinyers inside. They had marked each of them so they would be easy to track, but the search was still arduous regardless; the Dungeons kept moving.
"Miss Ione, the closest Dungeon from us has just moved," notified one of the Assassins as they ran through the Dungeon.
"Stop informing me about that kind of bothersome thing. Notify me only when you have located the Kinyer," Ione responded, slightly frowning.
The ground rumbled as the wall shook. This caused Ione andpany to stop and looked ahead to watch for any iing Dungeon Demons.
Whoosh!
When the rumble stopped and the shaking ceased, a cold wind brushed past them. The hair on the back of their neck instantly stood on end as their feet involuntarily shook in terror.
Ione grasped the pendant that Basil gave her and immediately calmed down. She spread her hands and materialized her Magic Circle at the same time she summoned her Grimoire.
"Miss Ione, let me apany you."
"Stay behind, whelp. This is not something your meagre power can handle."
Under the Assassins'' worried eyes, Ione walked toward the other side of the way by herself. They admired her bravery foring up to the source of the terrifying pressure, but they didn''t have a good feeling about the choice.
Swish!
Their hearts sank to the bottom of their stomachs when they saw a gigantic hand with dirty, sharp nailsing at Ione. They immediately sprinted to save her, but the hand was faster in snatching her than they could move.
"Miss Ione!"
"Stay if you don''t want her dead, insects!"
The Assassins were stopped in their tracks by the deep and thunderous voice from the end of the way. Their souls were shaken to the point where they almost went crazy.
Thinking about the worst thing to happen, they looked ahead in horror. If they lost their mistress there, they were sure Basil wouldn''t even let their souls go after they left their bodies.
"This is not a ce for a fragiless to y, I warn you. You have been negating my Mana Sense from earlier and I don''t like that!"
"Oh, I thought I was just defending myself from Dungeon Bump."
"Don''t y with me, youngling."
As the Assassins she brought with her were preparing themselves to die to atone for their sins, Ione was having a fairly civil conversation with the Kinyer who was lifting her by her neck. Like Caesar, he was a skinny old man with long white hair and a long white beard.
Looking at the hand grabbing her neck, she wondered just how much the Kinyer had endured to be that skinny. High-ss Mages were known for their vitality, so it was as saddening as it was mind-boggling to see how malnourished the Kinyer before her was.
"I am sorry for fooling around, o Great Warrior," Ione said as she activated her Pacifer Seal. "You have done so much for our n, but we can only do something for you now. We won''t make any excuse¡ªwe are embarrassed."
"This is¡ oh my Lord!"
The Kinyer''s eyes widened and he immediately let go of Ione. He stumbled to the back and fell down as she stared at Ione in disbelief.
"W-We didn''t lose. W-We still can rise again!" he eximed heatedly beforeughing in ecstasy.
"O Great Warrior, tell me your name," Ione said.
"Allow me to introduce myself, Mdy. My name is Xander Phiteos, the former Legatus of Burning Hammer Legion. I am ready to once again serve the Pacifer n to atone for my failure in the past."
Ione smiled wryly at the heated statement. "It is very exciting to see the enthusiasm, but I am not your Master, so I can''t do anything for you except for reiming you as part of the n."
"That is¡" Xander looked at Ione expectantly.
"The Fated child has been born. It is time for us to reim our glory," Ione said neutrally but proudly.
"Finally ¡ Finally!"
Xander clenched his fist and bit his lower lip emotionally. His eyes welled up as he thought about the sufferings he and hisrades had suffered in the past.
He had been living while cursing the Church and the Empire every day expecting he wouldn''t live long enough to see the day they reimed their glory, so the piece of information that Ione had presented him really made him grateful for not giving up.
"Mdy, may I ask you if you have been looking for all of us? I reckon I have sensed those people''s presence a few months ago," Xander asked as Ione deactivated her Pacifer Seal.
"We have spent two years marking and tracking the Dungeons where all of the Warriors are entrapped. It was only a week ago did My Lord decide that it was time to free all of the Warriors from their cages and end their sufferings."
"For The Lord to decide to do that¡ does that mean¡?"
"Yes, the war with our enemies is closing." Ione noticed the solemn look on Xander''s face, so she assured, "Our new Lord, young as he is, is formidable. He is prepared and I am sure, under his leadership, we will get the triumph that was taken from us years ago."
"Ah, I don''t doubt our Lord''s capability in the slightest, Mdy. I was just wondering if my fellow Warriors still have that burning passion in them."
Ione looked at Xander in surprise and then smiled sourly. Xander immediately shook his head bitterly and scolded himself inwardly for bringing up something that ruined the mood.
"Standing on the battlefield with the Fated Child will bring me back to the time when I fought on the Lord''s side, surely, but it will not be the same. The de in my heart has be blunt and I can no longer fight because of that," Ione said solemnly.
"Was that what they said?" Xander asked, earning a nod from Ione. "A lot of us lost the de in our heart when we heard The Lord had fallen. It was as heartbreaking as it was saddening to hear the person whom we had thought was invincible end up like that."
Sighing forlornly, he added, "Simr but different ... I have been in that phase; however, unlike them, I managed to pull through it." Shaking his head, he turned to Ione and asked, "What should I do next, Mdy?"
"You have to regroup with the others without getting out of the Dungeon and wait for our Lord to see you."
Hearing that, Xander was taken aback and bemused. Instead of talking much, Ione asked Xander to bring her to where the Sealing Sword was located.
Being a Ninth Circle Mage, whose ninth Magic Circle had been cruelly destroyed, Xander immediately figured out what Ione would do. He brought Ione to the room where the Sealing Sword was located and watched as she pulled it out.
Activating the Runes carved on the sword, she opened one of the hidden paths in the Dungeon. She told Xander to follow along the path and the said veteran immediatelyplied.
After a certain amount of time spent walking through the path, he was reunited with hisrades who hadn''t lost the de in their hearts. Like him, they couldn''t wait any longer to see their new Lord and return to the surface.
Chapter 400 Trembling As They Stood
Time flies just as fast as an arrow; a week had passed in the blink of an eye. After training together for hours with little to no time to rest, the soldiers of Henosis were ready to return to their homes and take a rest.
To say that they were ready as a team would be lying, but their overall prowess was considerably better than it was a week ago. It was still hard to judge how well they would performter, but their survival was not something one should question.
All of these were thanks to Basil''s guidance.
"It is rather embarrassing for me to say it, but this week is more enlightening than my three years of constant fight against Demons. I really thank you for that, Head Commander Basil."
Looking at the politely bowing Cyane before him with a quirked eyebrow, Basil wondered how Cyane became the representative of the Legion Commanders behind him who were also bowing at him and what they were grateful for.
All he had done for the past week was beating the soul out of them without providing them any suggestions so they could get better. He didn''t know why it was enlightening for them, but he didn''t bother to ask and just epted the gratitude.
"We will meet again in five days," Basil said. "Until then, take a good rest and stay sharp. We can''t be losing on our debut."
"We will keep that in mind, Head Commander."
''Good; the hierarchy has been properly established,'' Basil thought as he nodded his head.
As the Legion Commanders from Braxtein''s neighbouring Kingdoms left the field to return to their homes along with their troops, the Cohort Commanders, who had been waiting for Basil to be alone, came up to him.
"We greet the new Lord of the Pacifer."
They all knelt respectfully before him as if they were facing their Empress. Basil, although he didn''t look upset, didn''t look that fond of what was happening.
He didn''t mind the way he was treated, but he was curious how the Elves knew about his identity. As far as he knew, after all, no one but some upper echelons knew about Pacifer n and his status as the Fated Child.
''Even if my troops are all resting in the Manor, it is still risky doing this. What are they thinking exactly?'' he wondered.
Worried that Basil might get the wrong idea, Tinuviel immediately stepped forward and exined the situation. "Pardon for our insolence, Lord Basil. We just couldn''t help ourselves seeing that the sessor of our benefactors is here."
"I thought not many of them even remembered about us, Tinuviel," Basil said neutrally.
"The day you showed us that miraculous scene where you did something that only the Elf can do, many of the elderly Elves, who were also present at the time, were reminded of Pacifer n, Lord Basil. They came to us to ask for some exnation and¡ª"
"I get it," Basil interrupted and sighed lightly. ''So, that was Eloreth''s real goal at that time.''
Telling the Elves to get up, Basil looked at their reverend gaze solemnly. That was the look that Ione had always given him two years ago; the look that he wasn''t very fond of since he hated to be revered like a God.
"Are you going to return immediately, Lord Basil?" Aegnor asked.
"Does Eloreth still need something from me?" Basil asked.
"Ah, the Empress is busy dealing with our affairs, so she said that she would spend some time with you after the Conquest of the 27th Obelisk. This requestes from a friend of ours, who is too fragile to meet you, Lord Basil."
"The Chieftain of Phosdio?"
"Yes, Lord Basil."
To conquer the 27th Obelisk, the Elven Race sent the best Warriors from the Tribes that possessed the strongest military power in Padeitophys. Those three Tribes were Alphoetra, Skudera and Phosdio.
Each Tribe sent five Cohorts to join Henosis Army. Out of the three Tribes, only two Tribes also sent their Chieftains to the battlefield.
For that reason, Basil had only met Tinuviel and Aegnor. He hadn''t met the Chieftain of Phosdio, so he epted the invitation to have some tea with the Chieftains.
Following Tinuviel''s lead, Basil and Iliana went to the residence of Phosdio''s Chieftain. The Cohort Commanders had returned to their viges, allowing their Chieftains to mind their business.
"I thought you wanted to hurry to go home," Iliana said on their way to the residence.
"Why?"
"You want to meet them, don''t you?"
"Now is not the time," Basil calmly answered. "Besides, Ione hasn''t informed me of anything yet, which means she hasn''t finished her task yet."
"So, can we spend the rest of our holiday here?"
"Sadly, no. we still have to report to Anthony about the military power of each Kingdom."
Iliana sighed lightly and then said nothing. She was irked that she couldn''t have as much time together with Basil as she used to, but she knew she couldn''tin given their situation.
Basil noticed her gloomy mood but could do nothing other than caress her hand reassuringly. He also found it unfair that they wouldn''t be able to enjoy their lives until their enemies perished, but being bitter about it wouldn''t serve anything.
They could only grit their teeth, do their best and stand in triumph. If they bent their knees even slightly, which wouldn''t happen, that would be the end of them.
"We have arrived, Lord Basil," Tinuviel announced.
Instructing Deacon to stop, Basil and Iliana got down from said Tyrant Saberwolf. The Saberwolf shrunk his body to the size of a puppy and perched himself on his Master''s shoulder as said Master walked into the residence of Phosdio''s Chieftain.
"The Chieftain of Phosdio Tribe is suffering from an unavoidable sickness called old age. She can still perform mundane things, but she can no longer use her skills on the battlefield," Tinuviel whispered to Basil and Iliana.
She was afraid that Basil and Iliana might misunderstand the condition of the Chieftain. She wanted them to know that the Chieftain was healthy as an Elf but weak as a Warrior, so they would treat the Chieftain like any normal Elves.
Basil barely listened to the exnation Tinuviel provided. He was too intrigued by the overwhelming vitality¡ªthe Nature Mana in the residence¡ªto care about such a trivial matter.
After some time of walking, the four people stopped; they had arrived at a minimalistic and beautiful garden. In one of the corners of the garden, an elderly Elvendy, who looked even older than Siofra, was watering a flower with a smile on her face.
"Ah, this presence¡ really takes me back," she muttered audibly.
As she turned around, her eyes were instantly nted on Basil. Their eyes met in the next moment, causing her to put her hand on her chest and clutched it tightly.
Even though Iliana, Aegnor and Tinuviel were also there, they didn''t think the elderly Elf could see them. They felt like they were in a world that belonged to Basil and the elderlydy; they were there but they could do nothing other than watch.
The elderly Elf walked slowly toward Basil. He stood in his ce motionless and quirked his eyebrow as he wondered what caused the unbearable sorrow she was exuding.
"It has been two millennia."
She hugged him as soon as she was right before him. He wrapped his arms around her back lightly and patted her back softly to somehow soothe the sadness she was exuding that was starting to overwhelm him.
Silence filled the air for a few seconds as the elderly Elf spent it hugging Basil. She let go of him when she stopped exuding sadness and then looked at him with a small smile.
"Allow me to introduce myself to you, Young Lord. My name is Estel tia Phosdio; it is a great pleasure to be given the chance to meet you."
"Tell me about The Lord," Basil said straightly.
"That is¡ shouldn''t you know The Lord better than me, Young Lord?"
"I have heard a lot of him, but I can''t tell which one is true and which one is nonsense," Basil replied. "Everyone seems to prevent me from knowing the truth, so they take me spinning around in a circle."
"What do you want to know, Young Lord?"
Basil''s gaze turned solemn as he said, "The Lord''s appearance."
¡
In the end, things ended the way Basil had expected but didn''t want.
Standing in the middle of the Teleportation Magic Circle with Iliana and the Legion hemanded, he looked at Estel with a small, bitter smile. The Chieftain was sorry that she couldn''t provide him with anything that he wanted to know.
Displeased as he was by the development, he still didn''t me Estel for that. He knew who was ying this time and was fully aware it was something that she could stand against.
"I can''t remember it, no matter how many times I have tried, Young Lord. The moment the Lord fell, nothing but his presence could be remembered vividly," was the answer Estel gave him.
Basil had stopped asking about anything at the answer and immediately epted the invitation to talk while having tea. During that time, he had only paid half of his attention to Estel as he focused on musing about the status quo.
He then realized during his musing that The Lord was forgotten because of the Church but because The Lord wanted it. He didn''t know for what reason but he was sure about it because only a God could pull something like that.
''Now that I think about it, it seems weird that the Church even has the power to make the entire world forget about such an influential character. They couldn''t even survive in the past, so it was not their doing.''
As the Magic Circle below him lit up, Basil shook his head to clear his head. Again, he thought too much about something that didn''t have much influence on his future.
The light from the Magic Circle engulfed him and the Legion he led, blinding them temporarily. When they regained their vision, they were back in the pce''s backyard.
"Huh? What is this?"
"What is happening?"
"Does the King have an appointment with them?"
The people couldn''t help blinking their eyes in bemusement as they looked around. Tens of people dressed in white, loose garments with golden linings were surrounding them, exuding a fairly intense killing intent.
Basil and Iliana looked at the scene calmly, but they were sting their killing intents to everyone there, making the situation even more bemusing.
"Basil Pacifer¡" someone stepped forward, parting the people in white surrounding them. "You havemitted the biggest sin a human can ever make and that is being born into this world as the son of a witch."
The atmosphere thickened as Basil''s eyes met the eyes of the obnoxious person who had just spoken, the Great Pontiff, Jaheim Abremson. His Dragon yer''s Intent pressured the souls of the people so much that some of them had even gone crazy.
Chapter 401 Trembling As They Stood (2)
"Kahak! What¡ is¡ happening? Someone, please¡ do something¡ about this pressure¡"
Very few of the people present in the backyard could withstand the full st of Iliana and Basil''s killing intent. Together, their killing intent suppressed the souls of the people there; especially, Basil''s that had driven thirty people crazy.
Jaheim wasn''t very pleased by the situation since out of the 30 people who had gotten crazy, 26 of them were Priests. Unlike the soldiers who had experienced a lot of stressful scenarios, after all, their mental fortitude wasn''t that formidable.
Harrumphing in annoyance, Jaheim extended his hand and used his Miracle. A golden light immediately covered his palm and the pressure that overwhelmed the Priests disappeared soon after.
"Now, now. You are hurting the people of the Kingdom. You may have offended us, but there is no need to get another offence, isn''t it?" Jaheim said with a smile.
"You talk as if you can punish me somehow," Basil retorted coldly. "I wonder where that confidencees from."
"We can punish you whenever we want, Pacifer. Your sinful existence shall never receive mercy or be let roam the world freely."
"Hoh? Are you secretly implying that the Church can do anything they want in the Human Empire? I didn''t know you have that kind of authority. I wonder just how far you have sunk your fangs into the Empire''s internals."
"My, my¡ are you still thinking that you are innocent, Basil Pacifer?" Jaheimughed disdainfully. "Killing six of your fellow students and cooperating with the infamous Charles Blois¡ªthose are some of the atrocities you have done two years ago."
"You seem to have the talent to be aedian. That was very hrious," Basil scoffed. "It is very bold of you to say such a baseless usation."
At that, Jaheim just smiled as he looked at Basil. Instantly, Basil knew that the situation could never be salvaged; still, he remained calm.
"The proofs exist," someone said from behind Jaheim. "There is not much physical evidence, but the fact that the Mana trace has the characteristic that belongs to a Pacifer is true ¡ We only know one Pacifer in this Kingdom and that is you¡ Basil."
Anthony walked past Jaheim and stared at Basil neutrally. No one could tell what he thought about the entire situation as his face was as straight as paper.
The Pacifer couple, however, could tell what he was feeling from the emotion he let flow through his Mana, causing them to scoff in amusement. The couple retracted their pressure in the next moment, allowing the people behind them to breathe normally.
"In the Age of Chaos, there was a n that consisted of a dangerous and blood-thirsty bunch. This n had a very great power that almost half of the human poption of that time disappeared due to their atrocities."
In response to the story that Anthony had recounted, Basil and Iliana took out their weapons. The people became more rmed; however, other than the Priests, Jaheim and Anthony, no one could move to prevent them from doing whatever they would do.
"Is that what you have heard from that hypocrite?" Basil asked calmly. "Very well. I will listen to the story until the end."
Basil swung Durendal and Caliburn once, causing them to hum as they cut the air. No one was cut, but all of them felt like they had been skinned just because Basil did that gesture.
"This n hated men to their core. Its members bred for the sole purpose of continuing their lineage; they seduced the strongest men with their peerless beauty. Once they had the seed of the men, the men would naturally die due to their Curse."
"Thanks to the effort of the Church which, at that time, was nothing more than a small organization, the n was sessfully overthrown. s, not everyone was killed; those who survived swore vengeance upon the world."
"What they wanted to have had always been a female descendant. The moment they gave birth to a boy, they would kill the infant without any hesitation. That day, however, they realized, the strongest woman they had wouldn''t be strong enough to face the entire world."
"Because of that, they decided to have a male descendant. After conducting a lot of inhumane experiments, a boy was born amongst them. Anything about the boy is perfect. Looks and talent¡ªhe has it all. He is the best descendant of the n."
"On the one hand, this boy is the greatest gift to humanity¡ªhe might outshine Solomon, the Father of Magic. On the other hand, however, this boy inherits the boundless hatred his predecessors had. His existence is a great danger to the world."
After telling such a long story, for the first time, Anthony let his emotion be shown. He smiled wryly as he looked at Basil.
"The n''s name was Pacifer. It is recorded in the archive of the Church, which has been kept a secret from the public to prevent amotion." Anthony paused for a few seconds and then continued, "Basil, you are the first male Pacifer that everyone dreads about."
The atmosphere turned thicker than it had been before at the revtion. Basil was still standing calmly. He didn''t release his pressure but the people were having difficulty breathing. The information was that shocking.
"A very convincing twaddle indeed," Basil remarked with a sardonic smile. "Let me guess; those usations of me doing crimes will be the reason why I became a criminal, won''t they? How ungrateful! Just because of that twaddle, my merit for killing Charles is ignored."
"That is true, but we can''t take a risk," Anthony muttered. "There is no other choice¡"
Charles Blois was dered missing at the end of the First Outbreak. No one knew that Basil had killed him until the moment Anthony admitted it.
They were d and impressed that Basil had killed Charles, but after hearing the "history" of the Pacifer n, they didn''t know what to feel. Basil was hard to read; even though they looked up to him, none of them actually what kind of a person he was.
"Lord Anthony, you shan''t forget that this monster before us killed six of his fellow students just because one of them was a Seminarian. His hatred toward us forced him to do such a vile and petty thing. You shan''t give him mercy!"
"Another baseless usation," Basil sneered. "Why did it take you two years to say that?"
"There is a process to everything. In your case, you did it so splendidly that there is nothing that points you as the culprit of the seemingly idental event."
Another person came in. It was an elderly man who had a slightly feminine look, long white hair and anky but muscr build: Duke Archibald Rancuser.
"Your entrance is not a surprise to me, Archibald," Basil remarked.
"We have thrown away formality, I see. I am fine with that," Archibald nodded his head with a smile. Stopping right beside Anthony, he continued, "I once also thought the rumour was utter twaddle; but after spending some time with you, I can finally understand the concern."
"There is no need to act as if you had ever intended to understand me, Archibald. We always tried figuring out each other whenever we had tea, didn''t we? You always failed miserably, though."
"This prick¡" The crack in Archibald''s smile was visible, indirectly confirming Basil''s statement. "Surrender yourself immediately, Basil Pacifer! We promise not to kill you if you cooperate."
"Don''t joke around," Basil sneered. "The Church killed parents like they were crazy dogs. The same people won''t let go of me."
"You better listen, Basil. I will guarantee your life," Anthony assured.
"You shouldn''t test our patience. We know you still have people you cherish here: your surrogate brother, Chester Cowdray and your surrogate grandfather Master Spellcaster ke. y around and¡ª"
? "Don''t y with me, Archibald," Basil said coldly, making Archibald take a step back in fear. "You are ying with fire. One wrong step and you will be engulfed in it."
"W-What are you nning? What do you have up your sleeve, monster?!"
Basil just stared at the Duke coldly as said Duke''s pupils constricted. He was overwhelming the Duke with his unbearable killing intent that even shook the soul of Goliath, the Master of the Obelisk of Bael.
"Rancuser¡ªa family of traitors. They changed sides when it was convenient, biting the hand that fed them like the lowly curs they were. They even did as far as to sacrifice the member of their family that brought their family to the height they were at the time."
Basil often acted condescending, but never once was he spiteful. He was being spiteful currently and that shocked Iliana and the others.
"Truly a contemptible family," Basil sneered. "I will say this once. Not only Rancuser Family, but anyone that dares to stand in my way is also going to vanish. I have only one enemy, but if the world sides with my enemy, the world shall also be my enemy."
"Bind him!" Jaheim shouted in rm.
Everything became slow. Basil was not the only person who saw it; everyone could. In this slowed-down world, only Basil could move normally. The people could see the activation of his Pacifer Seal and feel the change in his presence.
Jaheim couldn''t be more afraid as he saw the golden Pacifer Seal on Basil''s forehead; the very thing that his predecessor had told him to beware of was right before his eyes. The Fated Day hade and they had to win to survive.
"Stay!"
"Kuhak!"
"This power¡!"
When the world moved at its normal speed, everyone lost their ability to move because of the word Basil uttered. They fell to the ground, leaving Jaheim standing straight alone.
"Rancuser Family died with Caesar. His body has turned to ash and so will Rancuser Family."
"S-Stop!" Archibald shouted.
Acting as if he didn''t hear any of it, Basil snapped his finger. An overwhelming amount of Mana could be felt from the west¡ªthe direction where Rancuser Manor was located.
As Archibald widened his eyes in absolute horror, a huge explosion that even managed to shake the entire Randalvine urred.
BOOM!
Rumble!
The sound temporarily deafened the people in Randalvine, meanwhile, the shake made everyone unable to stand. It was, of course, nothingpared to Rancuser Dukedom whose half of it had turned into a massive crater in the ground.
With his golden eyes, Basil gazed and with seriousness, Basil said, "You will be next."
No one stopped him as he walked past them. They could only dread the threat he had uttered; they couldn''t even afford to be surprised by the fact that Iliana also had a Pacifer Seal in the middle of her forehead.
Chapter ?402 Trembling As They Stood (End)
Basil had spent one year and a half building a good rtionship with Archibald for a reason. No matter how kindly he was treated, he never had any intention to change his view of the Rancuser Family.
For the past year and a half, he didn''t only figure out their weakness, but also sneakily erected a Self-Destruction Array in case something unexpected happened in the future. The Rancuser Manor was the centre of the Array; it covered almost a third of the entire territory.
Lo and behold, it had just served its purpose.
The destruction of half of the Dukedom, of course, shocked and baffled many people. The news hadn''te out yet, but the people who lived far from the Dukedom knew that something had happened to the Dukedom due to the Mana fluctuation.
Thousands were killed in the event¡ªmen, kids and women alike. The Rancuser Family vanished in a single happening, leaving Archibald as the sole survivor.
No one knew who caused the event and what caused the person to do such a thing, but all of them were terrified of what just happened. Braxtein had been peaceful for a millennium and a half¡ªthinking that the status might end soon terrified them.
''Will the nightmare from two years ago be repeated soon?'' the people dreaded.
During this time of confusion and fear, the person who caused the event walked out of the pce with a stoic face; neither remorse nor sorrow was seen on his face. His gait was unhesitant¡ªhe was ready to cut those who stood in his way.
"What just happened?" Iliana asked solemnly. "The explosion earlier came from, at least, 300 kilometres from us. The fact that we could still feel the Mana fluctuation and the rumble means that it is something made to destroy; not a bluff."
"It, indeed, is, Iliana. I have killed numerous innocents along with my enemy," Basil responded calmly. "I will not me thee; if thou findeth it hard, thou shalt stop. I need not those who drag my feet and deliver me to my doom."
"I won''t drag your feet ¡ It is just shocking that you could do what you did as easy as breathing."
"Apathy is a must to win a battle. Thinking too much of thine enemies will bring thee to thy knees; if victory you wish, apathetic you shall be."
Basil was cold¡ªit was a fact that Iliana had already known a long time ago. She had already gotten used to it, but she was still surprised by how apathetic he had be now that the battle he had foreseen came faster than they had expected.
''Was that amulet what exposed us?'' Iliana recalled what Basil did to the God''s Tear Amulet that Archibald had given him. ''That should be a mere tracking Artefact. It shouldn''t be able to do anything that exposed our identity as Pacifer.''
"Iliana," Basil called, awakening her from her thoughts. "It seems our ''betrayal'' hath been announced to the entire Kingdom and possibly the entire world."
Stopping in their tracks, Basil and Iliana looked at the fear-stricken soldiers of the Royal Army blocking their way. None of the soldiers dared to enter the gate before the pce, they looked ready to do anything to keep the two in their ce.
"G-Golden Apple! Please, prove to us that the news is wrong! Stay where you are and let us detain you! Victory is in the hands of those who are right, so you shouldn''t be afraid of the crime you didn''tmit!"
"What the news hath said about this one?"
"Y-You are nning to destroy the Church and take over the Human Empire with the help of Charles Blois."
"Charles Blois hath perished. I slew him myself," Basil answered calmly. "Taking a fop-doodle''s twaddle seriously shall be the greatest mistake a man can make. You did that and thus you have be one."
Shaking his head faintly, Basil pointed Durendal at the soldiers. "Move or doom you shall meet."
Holding his sword with a trembling hand, one of the Legion Commanders leading the soldiers who were blocking Basil''s path said, "This is thest warning. Golden Apple of Braxtein, Basil Pacifer, stay where you are or¡ die by our swords!"
"You know you have not the capability to, don''t you?" Basil smiled serenely. "You have made the choice, so doom it is you shall meet."
As the soldiers took a step back to make a distance, Basil swung Durendal, sending out a Mana de that bisected the soldiers even before it touched them. At the same time, Iliana used her Art that slew tens of the soldiers with a single thrust of her spear.
Deacon jumped off Basil''s shoulder and immediately assumed his true form. An immense pressure descended upon the soldiers as he bared his fangs.
Everyone who was there to witness the new look of the Tyrant Saberwolf widened their eyes in horror. The sharp presence that pricked their skins aside, the single horn in the middle of Deacon''s forehead made them wonder if he wasn''t a Monster that Demons made.
"Waste no time¡ªrush!" As soon as Basil and Iliana hopped onto Deacon''s back, he immediately instructed Deacon to leave the scene.
Swish!
Like a wind, the Tyrant Saberwolf which had be a Seventh Grade Beast disappeared from the people''s eyes. Currently, only Legendary Beasts or Mythical Beasts could hope to beat him.
"I didn''t know he had evolved," Iliana remarked.
"Like power, a Beast''s Evolution can also be hidden," Basil responded.
"What did you feed him?"
"A Dragon''s body."
"¡"
Now, Iliana knew where the Dragon''s body had disappeared to¡ªDeacon''s stomach.
When she was about to ask where they were going, Deacon abruptly stopped in his tracks. Trembling as they stood, a group of civilians were blocking the way; behind them, a group of Priests that was led by a Head Priest could be seen.
Hiding a smirk, with extreme disdain, the Head Priest shouted, "Stop, you vile creature!"
"Using civilians as a shield¡ªas expected of a bunch of cowards," Basil sneered faintly.
Wasting no more time, he instructed Deacon to clear the way. Deacon immediately opened his mouth and shot a small but extremely high-pressured air sphere out.
Whoosh!
The Head Priest and the Priests under his lead immediately erected a Barrier to protect themselves, leaving the civilians to take the brunt of the attack. The civilians cried in terror as the air sphere kepting closer, but it didn''tst long.
The moment the air sphere made contact with the civilians, their screams of terror were engulfed. No sound of human could be heard as the air sphere disintegrated the bodies.
Blood and fleshy, red mush decorated the ground in the next moment. The Priests were too astonished by Basil''s decisiveness to realize that Deacon was pouncing on them.
The moment they realized it, the Barrier protecting them had already cracked. Another wind sphere from Deacon destroyed itpletely; Basil and Iliana''s Art killed them in the next second.
Deacon continued running, leaving the disfigured bodies behind. All of them could feel hostility from all sides, but none of them was fazed.
"Earlier¡ I was surprised," Iliana muttered. She clenched her fist as she recalled the vain death of the civilians moments ago. "Some of them were just teenage girls. They knew nothing of the whole conflict."
Basil kept silent and let her continue her monologue. "It pained my heart and it still does. I can see it, Basil; this is the way we are treading from now on. The way that is coloured by the blood of the innocent and our enemies."
"Should killing a million babies be required to save thee, I will do it in a heartbeat. Iliana, fighting for thy happiness hath never been something thou shalt look down upon¡ªno matter how hideous it is."
"I know¡ and for that, I feel guilty."
Basil didn''t say anything at her remark. He also didn''tfort her because he believed Iliana needed to realize the ugly truth of this world by herself; she would never be able to move forward if he justified it for her.
Boom!
A High-Grade Spell had just been shot at them. It was a very destructive Spell that turned whatever it hit to dust in a matter of seconds.
The Spell didn''te from the soldiers of the Royal Army who were in a Magic Battle Formation. It came from the Seventh Circle Mages of Braxtein, who had been gathered at the pce.
Their range of attack was up to 400 kilometres, which means they would keep being attacked until they reached got out of the territories that were part of the Dukedoms. It was a nightmarish situation for most, but Basil andpany were still unfazed.
"We are a world-ss criminal now, huh?" Iliana smiled bitterly as she looked at the people blocking their way to no avail. "Do we have to worry about the Empire getting involved?"
"We shall. The false news has justified them to meddle in."
Boom!
Clicking her tongue in annoyance, Iliana stood up and then took out a Magic Spear that had lower quality than Sinister Piercer. Basil warned her to not fall, but she ignored it and immediately utilized one of her Execution Arts.
"[Cloud Splitter]!" she threw her spear in the direction where the annoying attack came from.
Swish!
As the spear split the air, the cloud that was 10 kilometres above was torn apart. Deacon was pushed forward due to the recoil, meanwhile, the group of Seventh Circle Mages that had been attacking the three were panicking.
The spear hit the Barrier protecting the pce, which was also protecting the Mages. The ground that was not covered by the Barrier was obliterated upon contact.
As the spear slowly prated the Barrier, the Mages could only gulp their saliva. They were sweating coldly as they wondered just how strong the Pacifer couple actually were.
Much to their shock, the spear managed to pass through the Barrier. They immediately calmed down, however, since it immediately fell to the ground after losing its power.
As they sighed in relief, Iliana smirked. She sat back down and snapped her fingers as she said, "I can make an explosion too."
Boom!
The spear that the Mages thought was no longer dangerous exploded; the shards hit them but, unfortunately, did nothing more than pierce through their Barriers and cut open their skins. Still, it was baffling considering who they were and their superior amount of Magic Circles.
"Where are we going now?" Iliana asked.
"Where the old Warriors gather and retain their will to fight."
The war hadn''t started yet; despite so, many people were shaken by the two''s might. Basil was going to bring his people into the war and the world would tremble for the second time ever since The Lord''s descent.
Chapter ?403 Picking Sides
"Have you heard the news?"
"It is broadcast worldwide¡ªdo you think we could not hear it?"
"We received the news from our Transmission Talismans too. Unless you live under the rock, you will know about it."
"So, what do you think about it?"
The conversation ceased the moment the question was uttered. Everyone turned their eyes to the person who said the question and hummed to themselves.
Sylvia, the one who asked the question, looked at her party silently. She and her party didn''t know Basil closely: but no matter how they thought about it, the news about him was hard to swallow.
As ambitious as he was, they were sure Basil wasn''t the type of person who cared much about authority. Even after bing the Kingdom''s Golden Apple, he didn''t do many things with the amount of authority he held.
Although they couldn''t say they were his close friends, they still kept close contact with him. They knew him better than they did two years ago and, because of it, they couldn''t help doubting the authenticity of the news.
"I hate to say this, but we don''t know Basil personally. We know about his feud with the Church, but we can''t really tell how he thinks," Thompson said; a bitter smile decorated his face.
"Being able to figure out how people think requires a lot of time. If trust is based on that, we will die before we can make any friends," Sylvia rebutted. "Likewise, I don''t know how he thinks, but my trust in him remains strong."
"I know you will say that," Effie smiled. "He is your crush after all."
"Shut up, Effie! I know you have a crush on him too."
"That is nonsense," Effie denied calmly.
"Oh, yeah? What about the sweet memories of the three days and two nights journey with him?"
"S-Shut it, Sylvia!"
Looking at the burning face of the Half-Elf, the males in the room could only shake their heads in amusement. They had had a hunch that it was the case, but it was still surprising to hear the truth because of how good Effie had hidden it.
When they exhaled collectively, the room turned silent again. They originally gathered in the room because they wanted to discuss their next Expedition, but now they had to discuss where they should stand.
The atmosphere in the Manor owned by the Hauler Party turned solemn; after two years, they were met with two difficult choices. They couldn''t help smiling wryly since whenever an event like this happened, it was always pertaining to Basil.
"You know my answer," Sylvia stated.
"Elves know whom to trust since they can tell when someone is being sincere. He has a good rtionship with Lady Tinuviel and, while I can''t say he sees us as friends, I can assure you he never has any intention to mean us harm," Effie said.
"What you are saying is¡?" Norman quirked his eyebrow.
"Well, Normie, isn''t it clear?" Steven smirked. "Our Elf-in-love will side with her prince!"
"That is not the case!" Effie rebuked.
Scratching his head with a wry smile, Thompson said, "I guess the answer is clear, huh? Well, since we have nothing better to do, why don''t we save our ndered friend?"
"Oh, let''s go! He has done a lot for us. This Mansion, too, can be ours because Basil helped us financially," Jake eximed in his heavy voice.
Everyone in the party had stated their stand, except for Norman. He was the only person who still had a frown on his face.
The people turned their heads toward him and looked at him silently. Without him saying anything, they knew what he was going to say.
"This matter is not a small matter," Norman began. "Our opponent is not only the Braxtein Kingdom but also the Empire and the Church. I hate to break it to you, but Basil is already a lost cause."
None of them interrupted him, so he continued, "I would dly sacrifice my life for you guys or die together with you guys if it was two years ago. I am sorry, but everything has changed now; I already have someone whom I don''t want to see cry."
Norman bowed his head deeply in sorry. He loved his friends, but he loved his wife more. He married the lucky girl a year ago and she had been pregnant for seven months by this point. Thinking that his wife would give birth to their child without him pained him.
"We understand." Thompson walked toward Norman and helped Norman straighten himself up. Patting Norman''s shoulder, he said, "Choosing your happiness over someone else is not something wrong, no matter how selfish it looks."
"Thompson¡ I am really sorry," Norman said apologetically as his eyes welled up, surprising his party mates.
"It is fine we have made our choice and you have made yours." Thompson smiled. "Be happy, mate. Also, wish us luck!"
Norman bowed deeply to everyone before exiting the room. No more words were said, but they somehow knew that today would be thest day the Manor had people in it.
Whoosh!
When Norman was already quite away from the Manor, seven figures, entirely dressed in ck, revealed themselves as if shadows gaining their physical forms.
The appearance of the figures surprised the Knights, but none of them felt rmed. They couldn''t feel any bad intentions from the figures.
One of the figures stepped forward and bowed politely at Thompson. "We are very grateful for your wise choice, Mr Thompson. Thank you for siding with our Master."
Widening his eyes in surprise, Thompson asked, "Are you one of Basil''s¡" he stopped his question the moment he earned a nod. "Has he¡ Has he anticipated this to happen?"
"Our Master is very careful. He is ready in any given circumstance, but he is also taken aback by the development," the ck figure''s representative exined. "He can''t believe how stupid his enemy is and they will pay the price for it."
"His enemy¡ who is his enemy?"
"About that, please follow us to where our Master is. Only after we can be certain that you stand on our sides will we exin everything."
Thompson gulped as he sweated coldly. He could tell how severe the situation would get in the future; he could tell the choice he made today would change not only his but also everyone''s future.
Faced with such a situation, he, of course, didn''t hesitate to side with the winning side. "Bring us to where he is."
Just like that, Basil acquired 3 Blue Core Knights, 1 Green Core Knight and 1 Yellow Core Knight on his side. Insignificant they might seem, however, all of them werepetent.
¡
While the world was in an uproar, ke and Chester drank their tea calmly in the backyard of the Manor Basil and Iliana owned. They had initially nned to go back to Woster the day after so they could meet Basil after his trip to Padeitophys, but the n had turned to dust.
"Ha-ah¡ thatd, indeed, never ceases to amaze me, both in terms of talent and the magnitude of problem he gets himself into," ke stated.
"Ha-Ha-Ha. I can''t me him, Master ke; the world envies the Genius after all," Chester replied light-heartedly.
"And, sadly, no Genius has ever won against the world." ke shook his head bitterly.
Putting his teacup down, Chester looked at ke with a light smile. "That is because they are trying too hard fighting by themselves while pushing everyone away, Master ke. Basil is not like that¡ªwe are here to support him."
Sighing lightly with a wry smile, ke remarked, "Indeed. Thatd alone is different. He doesn''t turn the world against him but turns the world that is against him into his. A very bloody path he paves it is indeed, but I know he will seed."
Smiling at each other, the two stood up at the same time and turned to the east. "It is time to show yourselves," ke eximed.
In less than a second, seven shadows slithered toward them. When the shadows were a metre away from them, the shadows gained physical forms; seven figures, entirely dressed in ck, appeared before the two people.
"The war has started. The Church has tainted our Master''s name because they don''t want the truth to be unveiled," one of the ck figures said.
"As one of the closest people of our Masters, you are targeted by every Assassin in the world. Our job is to take you safely to where our Master is," another one exined.
Chester scoffed, "As expected of those people. They do like to involve people that have nothing to do with the problem."
"Take us to where Basil is," ke said.
The ck figures nodded their heads and immediately took the lead. At that moment, another piece of news was broadcast and it was about the utter distraction of Rancuser Dukedom that was caused by Basil.
In addition to that, the footage of Basil killing thousands of civilians was also broadcast. ke and Chester knew that they happened for a reason, but they still couldn''t help getting a bitter taste in their mouth.
"Our Master only destroyed half of the Dukedom. Anything more than that is not our Master''s doing," one of the ck figures stated.
"Great to hear that," ke responded.
Mana Pressure that came from a hundred different people overwhelmed the Manor as they moved. None of them stopped in their tracks, because they were confident that they would still be able to run away.
It was still unsavoury; but the moment they stood on a different side, they had prepared themselves to even cut their colleagues.
¡
In the throne room, slouched on his throne, Anthony thought to himself, ''The choices have been presented before me and now I have to choose whether to fight for my dream or my future.''
Beside him, standing silently, was the Royal Counsellor, Eldridge Wein. The elderly man stared at his King bitterly; it was his first time seeing the King that frustrated.
"Are you disappointed,d?" He called Anthony the way he used to do.
"Very¡ in my son, that is," Anthony intoned.
"So, you have seen iting¡ your dethronement."
"I didn''t know it woulde like this. Thatd was right¡ªjealousy is a powerful enemy."
Standing up from his throne, Anthony approached Eldridge. He patted the counsellor''s shoulders twice and then walked away.
"That is the choice you have made, huh?"
"I will rather die chasing my dream than live as I watch it wither away." Anthony waved his hand nonchntly. "Goodbye, old man."
"Take care of your wives," Eldridge said, voice trembling as his eyes welled up. "Those two are your true loves."
Anthony got out of the room without saying anything, but Eldridge knew Anthony would do what he asked. As he watched the door closed by itself, he wished Anthony would be able to achieve his dream: creating a world where peacested forever.
Chapter ?404 Picking Sides (2)
Standing before the empty throne that belonged to his father, Aldrich smiled softly. Beside the throne, Eldridge was standing silently, head bowed respectfully at him.
"My father has chosen to abandon his throne for someone that is not even his real son ¡ Don''t you find it amusing, Eldridge?" Aldrich asked as he turned his head to the said counsellor.
"I think it is very noble of him to do that instead of using his influence to call what is ck white. The fact that he threw away his status means that he knows what he is doing is wrong, but still wants to fight for it regardless," Eldridge respectfully answered.
Aldrich clenched his fist for a few seconds before unclenching it as he calmed himself down. He exhaled lightly and then muttered, "Just what is special about that bastard, I wonder. Just because he ispetent, everyone turns a blind eye to everything he does!"
Bam!
Aldrich kicked the throne but did no damage to it.
"Ah, I was talking about myself, wasn''t I? I have always gotten away with everything I do, no matter how severe and unsightly it is," he came to a realization. "My father has always helped me out and I just can''t ept the fact that he does that to someone else."
Aldrich was the most promising candidate for the next King. Anthony might act as if he still didn''t know who was going to be the King, but he had already decided that Aldrich was going to be the next King from the beginning.
"You are the most mature out of the five. Your position is already guaranteed, but I won''t give it to you on a silver tter. y along with me. Help me make your other siblings be the respectable men they should be," were the words his father said that he still remembered.
He had heard his father''s confession before hearing those words. He knew his father would like to make his sister seed to the throne if not for the fact that she was a female and "owned" by the Empire.
He was fine despite being a "recement" since his position was already guaranteed, unlike the others. The y had gone well and none of his siblings knew what was going on between him and his father.
He had carried the mission splendidly, at least, until the day his father sent him and his siblings to BA-32. He began to wonder at that time if his father was nning to kill all of them; he knew how impossible that task was to aplish.
As he had expected, something happened¡ªunfortunately, misfortune befell him. He had almost died that day and his Magic Mastery progress was doomed to be stunted forever.
Everything went downhill ever since: his father had stopped paying him attention since he had found a new favourite and his Demon heart was slowly eating him away.
"Basil Pacifer ¡ Ku-Ku-Ku!"
He had been looking for every miss Basil did just to drag the Pacifer down. After two years of effort, he finally seeded.
"Imend your ability for being able to kill Charles Blois, but you should have cleaned the battlefield before you left.
The realization came to him when the news about Basil cutting a mountain in two with a swing of his sword came out. He pieced the information together and then concluded that Basil was the cause of the tear in the Northern Mountain Region.
A year and a half had passed since the event took ce by that point, but he still got the Mana trace that matched Basil''s Mana Signature through sheer luck. Knowing that it could do nothing to nder Basil''s name, he went to meet the new Head Priest of the Randalvine Church.
The case of Eugene''s mysterious death was closed because of theck of evidence and Basil''s cast-iron alibi. He nned to put the Mana trace he got at the crime scene and used it against Basil, which was why he needed the Church''s cooperation.
"We thank you for your kind initiative, Prince Aldrich; however, we have a better way to drag him to hell. We happen to also have a bigger problem with him, you know?"
That day he heard the assumption about Basil. He became certain that Basil needed to be killed, but he agreed with the Church to wait until the perfect time¡ªwhen they were sure of his true identity.
That day came soon enough. They became sure that Basil was whom they thought he was when he broke the God''s Tear Amulet Archibald gave him.
It was initially meant to slowly pull out the Pacifer trait in him; but the moment he destroyed it, it detected the unique Mana Signature of the Pacifer. The signal was sent to the Church, notifying them that their assumption was right.
"I actually quite like you, you know? I would have protected you had you sided with me, Basil."
Turning around as he finished rummaging through his memory, Aldrich was greeted by the space before the throne, which was the ce where he and his siblings used to stand on whenever they were summoned by their father.
"Edward aside, I didn''t expect Brenton, Cameron and Dwight to also side with that bastard, leaving their mothers alone," he muttered.
Shrugging lightly, he added, "Well, I guess they have seen iting. Those women, after all, don''t hesitate to sacrifice their sons the moment they are presented luxuries."
With his father and his siblings leaving him behind, the throne that he had almost lost fell on him. It was something to rejoice about, but he didn''t feel any sense of achievement.
"I want that bastard to die¡ªno, he must die," he muttered hatefully. "With the help of the Church and the Monster Rancuser Family had hidden for millennia, no matter how many people side with him, he will die. I am sure of it."
Looking at the Prince who was going to seed to the throne soon, Eldridge shook his head and inwardly remarked, ''As the King slips, the Kingdom will also fall along with him. Sorry,d, but Braxtein has met its end.''
¡
"Hoo-hah. Hoo-hah. Hoo-hah¡ Darn it! That ursed bastard¡ªwhat has he done to my Dukedom?!"
Running with bated breath to the Rancuser Dukedom that was now already t with the ground was Archibald. He had barely recovered from Basil''s immense pressure, but he was still rushing to his Dukedom to see its current condition.
His heart was racing but not because of the fatigue; the scene where Basil''s golden eyes stared deep into his eyes as if piercing his soul was forever etched in his mind. It was constantly reyed and his heart rate increased from time to time because of it.
Shrrk!
As he abruptly stopped running, he skidded onto the ground. He had arrived at his beloved Dukedom that his family had managed for millennia, but the scene before him turned him agape.
He tried to utter some words, but they remained unsaid in the end. He would like to believe the scene before his eyes was nothing but a dream but the thick scent of fire, ash and blood was too realistic to be dismissed.
"What happened to my¡ home? My family?"
He was still in the outermost part of his Dukedom, but all he could see was destruction. The buildings decorating thend were either t with the ground or set on fire, meanwhile, thousands of disfigured or charred bodies decorated the ground along with blood and gore.
"Saddening, isn''t it?" he heard a heavy voice that came out of nowhere.
Jumping away in shock, he looked at the person who had suddenly appeared beside him. His heart beat crazily as he looked into the person''s eyes.
Standing at 192 centimetres tall, dressed in a simple white tunic with a red robe draped over it, the man looked like a Mage from thousands of years ago. His stature was fit and muscr; he looked like a man in his mid-forties, but his eyes indicated that he was way older.
In his whole life, Archibald had only seen one person who had the same characteristics as the man: the Human Empire.
"W-Who are you?" Archibald squeaked out.
Uncaring to Archibald, the man looked ahead and said, "Before that, what dost thou think¡ªthe scene before thee? Saddening, isn''t it?"
"Y-Yes¡ it is saddening."
Archibald was about to open his mouth when the man spoke again. "Sad thou art might be, at the moment, thou wilt never knows how sad this one is to find out how ipetent his descendants are. This one just wants a peaceful rest; ''tis but a dream, unfortunately."
As Archibald widened his eyes in shock, the man continued, "Woe is me! I had to end their pathetic existence to not further smear our family''s name. Pained, I was; however, the embarrassment made me ignore it."
With his trembling index finger, Archibald pointed at the man. "Y-You¡ this¡ this destruction¡ªwas it you who caused it?"
The man frowned lightly and stepped forward. He grabbed Archibald''s index finger and then snapped it without hesitation, causing Archibald to bellow in pain.
"AAAAHHHH!"
"Hmph! This one hath be more disappointed. Hath not thy parents taught thee to not point thy finger toward your elder?" the man scoffed. "Very well, allow this one to introduce himself. ''Tis I, August Rancuser, Caesar Rancuser the protector of Rancuser."
Hearing that August was a Rancuser calmed Archibald down a little bit. He then quickly became rmed in the next moment, however, since he was reminded about what August had done to the Dukedom.
"Protector, my arse! You are no different from that bastard, aren''t you? Talking in an old-fashioned way¡ªeven the way you look down on someone is the same!" Archibald shouted as he tried to pull his mangled finger off.
"Now, now, youngling. ''Tis not good pointing fingers at this situation. Hast thou not realized we are in the same boat?"
"I would never have the heart to kill my family¡ªwe are not in the same boat!"
The answer somehow shocked August. He had the look of someone who had juste to a realization as he severed Archibald''s finger and then threw it to the ground.
"AAAHHH!" Archibald, once again, bellowed.
"We killed a plethora of people we called family in the past to get where we are currently. We even killed our benefactors and cursed one of our members," August muttered. "Ah, that is what maketh uspetent. We, indeed, are not in the same boat."
Turning to Archibald, who was looking at his severed finger with gritted teeth, he eximed, "Rejoice, you shall, youngling. This one will make theepetent!"
He pulled Archibald up by his cor and smiled. "Tell me, who is our enemy?"
Archibald could never forget August''s smile the moment he mentioned Pacifer.
Chapter ?405 Picking Sides (End)
When one gazed at the sky, seeing how bright and beautiful it was, one would expect people to go on their days with smiles and glee. In Braxtein, unfortunately, that wasn''t the case.
As the news of their Hero''s "fall" was broadcast, the citizens of Braxtein were thrown into an uproar. Some believed what they heard was what it was since they were never fond of the Hero, meanwhile, the others couldn''t ept the news at all.
"What kind of horseshite is this? He kills citizens? Of course, he does. Just look at those bastards telling the citizens to block their way."
The people who knew the Hero well still stood on his side and got the escort that would take them to where the Hero was. His former ssmates, the professors he had a good rtionship with and the Nobles who openly supported him¡ªall of them were on their way to meet him.
"I¡ have to see it with my own eyes. I don''t believe he is this kind of person no matter how cold he is."
Those who had a neutral rtionship with him but a favourable view of him didn''t like what he did but didn''t want to immediately judge. They believed everything happened for a reason, so they also went on their way to meet him.
"We have killed too many, Basil¡"
"Bless their souls, who fell victim to the devil''s scheme."
As for the Hero himself, he was still on the run. Hundreds of Priests blocking his way were cut by his swords, but thousands of civilians also died along the way.
He had no remorse for what he had done to the clueless innocent; however, he did feel something unsavoury in his mouth. It was a bitter pill that he had swallowed to save his life.
"A news has juste in," Iliana said. "Rancuser Dukedom has beenpletely demolished."
"That wasn''t my doing, but I believe those leasing-mongers will me it on me," Basil replied calmly.
"¡ You are right, unfortunately." Iliana smiled bitterly.
They had covered 150 kilometres for thest half an hour of running. They encountered some obstacles along the way, but their splendid cooperation with Deacon was always enough to pass through them, or rather, obliterate them.
The obstacles they were talking about were, of course, the Priests. They initially used the civilians as a shield sneakily, but they were already doing it openly now.
Seeing the crying women and children indeed shook one of the Pacifers'' hearts, but her Arts still killed them regardless. Even if she didn''t, her boyfriend will take the job for her since he appreciated their lives more than the civilians''.
"How many have we killed¡ªthe civilians?" Iliana asked.
"''Tis better thee dost not know," Basil replied. "Besides, we have something we should be more concerned about."
"What is it?"
"The old monster of the Rancuser Family hath awakened."
Basil, of course, also knew about August Rancuser. He didn''t destroy half of the Dukedom only because he wanted to see the family''s destruction, but also to lure August, who had been hiding somewhere in it, out of his hide.
It had worked splendidly, but he, now, had to always constantly look at what was behind his back.
The ruined rtionship between the n and the family aside, the fact that he had disturbed August''s rest must have angered the old monster. He was sure August woulde with untamed anger at him.
"Hey, hey, are we going to die now?" Iliana asked jokingly to hide her worry.
"May the fortune be on our side; we shall reach our destination before heyeth his hands on us."
The answer wasn''t very assuring but Iliana understood they could only run and race against time. Because of that, her attacks became even more vicious; she didn''t want all the killings she had done to end up in vain.
She had killed a lot of innocents, carrying a sin that burdened her on her shoulder. If she still died despite that, she would wallow even when she was already in the afterlife, if it existed, that is.
"Golden Apple, stop! P-Please¡ please, prove that the news is wrong!"
Despite hearing the people clearly, Basil still swung Durendal without hesitation, bisecting the people in an instant. Deacon obliterated them in the next moment with his air sphere, giving them no time to suffer.
"T-This Demon! Look at how unhesitant he was when he killed the people!"
"He needs to be immediately in!"
The Priests, likewise their brethren, condemned Basil for what he had done. With ease, they disregarded the fact that they were the ones who put the civilians in that situation in the very first ce.
Boom!
They soon got their rewards for being unbearable hypocrites, which was Deacon''s air sphere that destroyed their Barrier with ease. Durendal and Caliburn''s Mana des shredded them soon after, meanwhile, Iliana''s Art drilled a big hole in their chest.
A few minutes passed and they no longer encountered people blocking their way. Deacon ran even faster covering hundreds of metres in less than a second.
"Slow down, my Beast."
"Tsk! Why are they even here?"
Deacon, unfortunately, was forced to slow down because there was a group of people blocking their way ahead. The people were either Mages or Knights and they knew all of them.
The moment Deacon stopped running, just as they arrived before the people, Basil and Iliana destroyed the Teleportation Gate that the people had used to get there with their Arts. No one stopped the two¡ªno one could.
After the Teleportation Gate was destroyed, Iliana got down from Deacon. "Whom do you side with? Make it quick¡ªmy spear is not patient," she said as she carved a trench before her.
Looking at the Pacifer Seal that was shining in purple in the middle of her forehead made the people unconsciously gulp nervously. They felt like they were looking at the different side of Iliana.
"I will follow along you two," someone stepped forward. "I have seen what actually happened and I think I have figured out what makes this Kingdom doesn''t feel right."
"Good choice, Karan," Iliana nodded her head in appreciation. "The three of us have drank tea together many times¡ªit would have been a shame to kill you."
Jumping into Iliana''s side, Karan looked at Basil, who was looking down at them, for the first time. His heart instantly raced as his body secreted sweat the moment he stared into Basil''s golden eyes.
Turning to the people who hadn''t crossed the trench in rm, he urged them to cross with his eyes. ''Being on Basil''s good side is the wisest choice you can make,'' was what his eyes conveyed.
All of them got it, but very few of them decided to jump. They were too afraid of what Basil would do to them and they didn''t have enough trust in Basil since he didn''t evene down to exin the situation.
"Iliana," Basil called when there had been already six people crossing the trench. "We shan''t waste our time. I can feel that monster¡ he is nearby."
Basil''s hands were already twitching. None of the people was a Seventh Circle Mage¡ªthe strongest amongst them was but a Sixth Circle Mage¡ªso if Basil lost his patience, none of them could even squeak before their head touched the ground.
Iliana nodded her head solemnly and red at the people to urge them. She wanted to kill as few as possible, so she was hoping that the people would get a premonition of how terrifying the power he had was and how fearsome the cards Basil was hiding up his sleeve were.
"Let me ask you something, Basil Pacifer." Kimberley stepped forward and stared at Basil bravely. "What is your end goal?"
"Live and prosper," Basil answered shortly.
"Don''t you have any desire to rule?"
"I do and that is the world I make myself."
Kimberley turned silent, torturing the people with suspense. None of them knew what the point of her question was and where it would end up.
Basil lightly but audibly scoffed, causing the people''s expressions to darken. He jumped down from Deacon and thennded before Kimberley.
Boom!
The people who hadn''t crossed the trench, except for Kimberley, immediately clutched their chests as soon as Basil lightly exuded his Mana Pressure. They stared at Basil in horror this time, meanwhile, Kimberley raised her head high to look into Basil''s eyes.
"[Blessing: Discerning Heart]!" she muttered, causing her eyes to shine in white.
Establishing a Contract with a Legendary Beast, Unicorn, allowed her to receive its blessing. She was liked amongst the Unicorn, so she had received a lot of Blessings, which was very mind-boggling because she was a human.
One of the Blessings she had received was [Discerning Heart] which allowed her to peek into people''s hearts and discern how pure their hearts were.
"This is¡ I¡"
Before she tried it on Basil, she had a high expectation of the result. She was sure that her judgment about him wasn''t wrong, which was why the result would be good.
After doing it, however, her mind was boggled by the result.
"I can''t see anything¡ Either because your heart is too pure or you have a very strong Mental Barrier."
"So, what thou hast decided,ss?" Basil asked serenely.
"I¡ don''t know."
Kimberley, who had nned to side with Basil the moment he was proven to be the person she thought he was, couldn''t make a decision. The only way for her to know if he could be trusted was the Blessing, but it didn''t work on him.
"Trust me and thou shalt prosper," Basil said as he raised his sword in a cutting motion.
Kimberley widened her eyes in shock and horror. She could feel Basil''s killing intent and, judging by his gesture, it was clear that he was going to kill her.
In the end, however, she decided to trust him and closed her eyes. Lo and behold, she made the right choice by not doing anything.
nk!
Basil blocked the sword of the person who had just joined them with Caliburn. No killing intent was detected from the man, but his Mana Pressure was suffocating the people who weren''t as tough as the Pacifer couple.
"Fucking hell, brat! I have told you to ask for help when you need it!"
"Oh, dear good friend. It is very nice to see my fellow tea enjoyer on my side."
The people who witnessed the scene widened their eyes at the identity of the person whom Basil proimed his friend. He looked so different from the way he usually behaved.
"Calm down, pops. You can have your match when this is all over."
"Oh, dear¡ you are going to waste our time to escape."
"These two¡ they have spent too much of their time drinking tea together."
The King, the Queen, the fourth concubine, the Second until the Fifth Prince had joined Basil''s side. Seeing that, the people didn''t even think twice to pick which side.
Chapter ?406 The Day Of Return
Anthony smirked at Basil''sment and then retracted his sword. He furtively nced at the people who had crossed the small trench and warned, "Just know that I made this choice, not as Anthony the King but Anthony the Mage."
''Anything that may happen to you in the future,'' went unsaid, but the people already got it. Despite so, they didn''t rethink their choice; they believed Anthony would be able to make a good judgement no matter what his status was.
"I can''t tell who is in the wrong or right either¡ªI just stand on the side that is more favourable," he added, earning a nod of understanding from the people.
"Very well, I think ''tis time for us to resume our escape," Basil said. "He is rapidly moving here."
"Darn it! That monster has really awakened!" Edward eximed.
"I would like to ask you where you knew about him but I will keep it forter," Anthonymented. "Gosh, I don''t know what to feel seeing that my sons are more knowledgeable than me."
Edward and his siblings merely smiled wryly. After all, all of them knew of the information because they were told by Aldrich, who had suggested they should lobby August to secure the throne and sovereignty over the people.
Shaking his head faintly at his sons'' reaction, Anthony motioned for Basil to lead the way. The Pacifer, along with his girlfriend, immediately jumped onto Deacon''s back and then instructed said Beast to run.
The people immediately followed, either by using their Teleportation Artefacts or their special Arts. Deacon was running fast, so there was a gap between him and most of the people; it was clear that Basil would leave those who were slow behind.
Kimberley, who was observing the situation from the sky as Acacia, her mount, flew through the sky, clicked her tongue bitterly. "Tsk. It is unsavoury, but I can''t just help them and risk myself getting killed."
She knew how bold and brave Basil was, so noticing the urgency in his tone shied her away from behaving like a saint.
The Basil she knew had killed a Dragon, which was a Mythical Beast that people had thought had been extinct, so she couldn''t imagine how terrifying the individual chasing after them was for him to make Basil feel alert.
"I pray the best for you," she intoned.
Acacia the Unicorn smiled at the decision her Master had made. Her Master had learnt many things over the past two years and she was proud of it.
"You have matured," Acacia remarked.
"Well, I have learnt that being kind to yourself is first and foremost."
Nothing happened for a couple of minutes and no civilians were blocking the way. Due to how smooth-sailing their escape was, however, the people began to worry.
Basil himself was also frowning; unlike them, after all, he could tell precisely where August was. The old monster was already close and, therefore, they were all on the edge of a cliff.
"We shall arrive in another minute. He shan''t be able to reach us before it."
Luckily, they were already close to the hiding ce he had prepared, so he wasn''t too worried about August catching up to them. ''In case he managed to, we shall race against time.''
Basil was sure that a miracle wouldn''t happen, so the moment August caught up to them, all of them were bound to die. As a former Ninth Circle Mage himself, he knew how terrifying and unpredictable one was.
Boom!
Unfortunately, even before a minute passed, the monster that the people dreaded made his presence known. He bathed them with his terrifyingly immense Mana Pressure that caused the weaker ones to immediately drop dead.
"Darn it! This old bastard is not joking, isn''t he?" Anthony muttered sarcastically.
He was shielding his wives and his sons from the Mana Pressure, so he felt the burden the most. His heart raced as he thought about what it would be if they fought against the monster.
"Ku-Ku-Ku ¡ Look at these mice running away from this one," watching the people running away from him, August sneered.
He had no interest in other people. He just wanted to see which one was the famous Basil Pacifer, which was the reason why he didn''t bother to announce his return and immediately went to chase after Basil.
"Ah, thatd hath a different presence. He hath to be the one."
Uponnding his eyes on Basil, August immediately sped up. His feet moved so fast that they looked no more than a blur.
Knowing that the old monster they dreaded was getting too close forfort, the people were sweating profusely. They wouldn''t normally think of it, but they were envying the people who had dropped dead.
"Ku-Ku-Ku! They are all afraid¡ªas they should." If any of them were to see August''s smirk, they would always see it in their nightmare every night.
As the distance between the slowest person in the group and August was getting closer, the fear the people were emanating became stronger. Just as some of them thought to abandon the idea of surviving, however, Deacon slowed down.
Taken aback, August also slowed down and waited until Deacon was behind the slowest person in the group. In the next moment, Deacon abruptly stopped, prompting him to also do the same.
"Oh, thou hast surrendered already?" August asked in amusement.
A few hundred metres away from Deacon, Anthony and the others also stopped running upon realizing Deacon was no longer running. They turned around to look at what was happening and noticed two notable things.
First, August''s gaze was piercing their souls. Second, Basil was smiling faintly, which was both relieving and worrying.
Getting down from Deacon, under the people''s eyes, Basil walked behind the Beast. He showed his face for the first time to August, stunning the old monster.
"This gaze¡"
Even with the power he had, August felt small the moment he stared into Basil''s golden eyes. The Pacifer Seal shining in gold in the middle of Basil''s forehead made him gulp involuntarily as someone''s visage ovepped with Basil''s.
"Thou art the Fated Child, art not thee?"
"Who knoweth?"
August couldn''t help scoffing. "Thy speech¡ªmaketh me think thou art people of mine age."
"What maketh thee think I am not?" Basil smiled faintly.
"Easy. Lad, thou art weak; none of us is."
The atmosphere became so thick that might cut through it as the two gazed at each other with a solemn gaze. Their Mana Pressure burst out of their bodies in the next moment, sting everything that wasn''t rooted in the ground around them.
Deacon and Iliana who werepletely shielded by Basil''s Mana Pressure barely felt any impact of the sh between the two people; however, Anthony and the others who were spectating from afar were brought down to their knees.
The Mana Pressure of the two people was absurd, so the sh was naturally fearsome. Basil was losing out¡ªit was clear¡ªbut the fact that the people didn''t immediately die upon being exposed to August''s Mana showed how well he held it back.
"For a Sixth Circle Mage, ''tis not bad,d. However, still, thy defeat is ensured!"
Boom!
Nine Magic Circles made themselves known to the world after 1700 years. The pressure August was exuding became even more unbearable, but the people were too astonished by the nine Magic Circles floating behind him to care about the pressure.
They felt like they were in a dream. Their curiosity about the nine Magic Circles defeated their fear of getting killed by the person who had them.
"Ah, how nostalgic," Basil remarked as he looked at the nine Magic Circles.
He was unbothered by the appearance of the Magic Circles. His mind and soul weren''t fazed before their pressure, but his body couldn''t withstand it, so it couldn''t help shaking.
"Well, I think it is time for me to move."
Smiling softly, he took out the handle of Death Howl''s Sealing Sword.
"Thou shalt not think this one will let thee!"
August knew what Basil would do, so he immediately ripped the space apart to prevent Basil from doing what he was about to do. At that same moment, however, Basil and the people behind him disappeared.
"Bollocks!" cursing out loud, August hit the space fabric, forcing the tear to close. "Smartd. He knoweth how to cheat the Space Magic."
[Teleportation] allowed the caster to pass through a certain canal hidden in the space. When the space was torn, the canal disappeared, which was why [Teleportation] was impossible.
The only way for Basil to make the impossible possible was by creating an alternative space canal using an Alternate Dimension. Only Eighth Circle Mages and above could do it, which made Basil even more amazing.
"I will pay you back, Basil Pacifer!" August shouted.
The people who had already entered the Dungeon heard his shout and looked up. They were far from the surface but they were still able to hear it; they worried if the Dungeon would be able to save them.
Since they were still shaken up by the previous encounter, they couldn''t help bing even more shaken by the thought. They neededfort, so they looked at the person who had taken them into the Dungeon¡ªBasil.
"That [Teleportation] was weird. It felt like we were jumping into another dimension," talking to the person in question was Iliana.
"It indeed was the case." Basil nodded lightly. "Using a usual [Teleportation] was risky considering what that bastard is capable of, so I decided to use this method. It was quite a hassle to prepare the Dungeon''s Alternate Space, but it was worth it."
Instead of creating an Alternate Dimension which he couldn''t, Basil used the Alternate Dimension that was attached to the Dungeon where he had set his [Checkpoint] at. That was the reason why he had stalled for time by talking to August.
Turning around to answer the people''s gaze, Basil motioned with his head. "Follow me."
After Deacon shrunk himself and perched on his shoulder, the people approached him. He then walked through the dark hall, which was part of Death Howl''s Dungeon.
The ce was already like his second home. He had done quite a lot of things in the Dungeon for the past two years; it was one of the most important parts of his major n.
"Out of the 78 Dungeons we have marked thatss hath only unified 8 of them," Basil muttered to himself. "Well, as long as I can see my Warriors, it doth not matter, I guess."
After a few minutes of walking, Basil and the group found a gigantic gate before them. Basil opened them without thinking twice, allowing the people to know why they made the right choice.
Chapter ?407 The Day Of Return (2)
Creak.
As the gate was opened, the people behind Basil could see six figures with dishevelled look turning their heads toward Basil. All of them were elderly men with a gaze that was deeper than the ocean.
Despite their rather unsightly appearance, none of the people thought they were bums. Their gaze aside, the aura they were exuding was too much for the people to bear.
''This is¡ they are just like that monster of Rancuser!''
As soon as Basil stepped into the room, the six elderly men stopped gazing at him silently and then hastily came up to him. Anthony and the others immediately developed a solemn look as they thought the elderly men would kill them there.
It was much to their bafflement that the elderly men knelt before him in the next moment. They expected him to be surprised but said Pacifer acted as if it was normal.
"We have been waiting for your arrival, My Lord," one of the elderly men said.
''Lord!? Just what kind of family is he from to be able to have these powerful people as his subordinates?'' they eximed in their minds, surprised. They became even more curious about what was happening.
"Who be ye, my Warrior?"
"This one goes by the name of Xander Phiteos. He formerly took the role of the Legatus of Burning Hammer Legion."
Basil wondered what Burning Hammer Legion was and the guide immediately provided him with the information. From the Guide, he figured that Burning Hammer Legion was one of the three Legions that fought on the front line in the Great War.
Humming to himself as he nodded his head in appreciation, he then said, "Be on your feet, My Warriors. You have touched the ground so long¡ªnow, it is time for you to rise."
"My Lord¡"
Xander and his fellows looked at Basil passionately and then lowered their heads instead of standing up. Basil understood what they wanted, so he blessed them one by one.
"My blessing shall apany you."
Each time the golden light from Basil''s hand enveloped the head of the Warrior that he was blessing, the people who were watching felt something was soothing them. It was uncanny but it was not unfamiliar.
When the Blessing was done, all of the Warriors stood up. They turned their heads to Iliana and immediately bowed respectfully as they saw the Pacifer Seal on her forehead that was shining in purple.
"You must be the young Maha Dmitra that Young Mistress Ione mentioned. It is an honour to meet you, Lady Iliana. We are very sorry for noticing youte."
In response, Iliana lightly waved her hand. "It doesn''t matter. I am but your Lord''spany after all."
"Ah, it is very nice to find that Lady Iliana has such a great sense of humour."
Being treated respectfully was something that Iliana had gotten used to. It was, however, her first time being treated with reverence, so she couldn''t help feeling ufortable.
"Ahaha, our Lady hasn''t gotten used to being treated like she should be it seems," noticing Iliana''s slight awkwardness, Xanderughed.
"Don''t worry, Lady Iliana. We behave this way, not because we want to suck up to you or Lord Basil but because we are really grateful for everything the Pacifer and The Lord did for us in the past. You don''t have to be considerate of us," another Warrior added.
Iliana and Basil looked at the Warrior, who was the only bald person in the room, with a quirked eyebrow. The Warrior smiled awkwardly and then introduced himself.
"This one goes by the name Georgios Lamviros. He is the Vice Legatus of Burning Hammer Legion," the bald elderly man exined.
"The top Warriors have gathered it seems," Basil remarked as he nodded his head.
"We are not as good as we used to, unfortunately, My Lord," Georgios replied bitterly.
"Matters not," Basil waved his hand lightly. "Your power can be regained and your experience still remains. You are still the priceless and irreceable Warriors I have."
Hearing Basil''s statement, Georgios and his fellow Warriors put one of their hands on their chests and bowed politely. They knew their Lord didn''t mean his words sentimentally but were touched regardless.
Looking at the people behind Basil for the first time, the Warriors immediately looked at him back with a quirked eyebrow. They were silently asking if Basil was sure that he wanted to let them fight beside him.
"I have heard that the people you are on good terms with will also aid us, My Lord, but is it all of them?" Xander asked politely.
The real question went unsaid to not hurt the feeling of the people. Compared to them, the people were indeed nothing but deadweight, but they were considerate enough to not p the people with that fact since they had ever been there.
"There are more and they are on their way," Basil simply answered.
Turning to Anthony and the others, Basil motioned them toe over. "These gentlemen will be our greatest allies, so you may get to know each other."
Anthony was the first person to step forward. The dazed people behind him were only awakened from their state the moment he shook hands with Xander.
"Anthony Lionheart."
"You are of Royal descent, aren''t you?" Xander asked with a smile. "How do I know? You may ask. It is easy,d. I am familiar with the scent of your blood; I have spilt a lot of your predecessors''."
Anthony smiled wryly at the information that he didn''t know what to do with. ''I think I don''t need to say that I was the former King of Braxtein.''
"It is as heartfelt as it is ironic to see the King of Braxtein, the descendant of our biggest enemy be one of our Lord''s supporters," Georgiosughed as he shook Anthony''s hand, causing the former King to freeze.
"I have been yed, haven''t I?" Anthony scratched his head with a helplessugh.
"No worry,d. Your feeling is sincere," Georgios said with a smile. "Like us, you also want to protect our Lord. We will dly risk our lives to protect people like you."
"Ah, may I ask something?"
"Of course, you may."
"You said that I was the descendant of your biggest enemy. Can I conclude that you have a feud with the Emperor, my great grandfather?"
Georgios and his fellow Warriors looked at each other before chuckling softly. It made Anthony wonder if he had concluded it wrong.
"Who we are is what you want to know, isn''t it?" Xander asked, earning a reluctant nod from Anthony. "Well, we are what you people call ''Kinyers.'' We are, in truth, the Warriors who served the Pacifer n in the past that got imprisoned in the Dungeon."
The word "Kinyer" made Anthony and the others widen their eyes. They had heard of what kind of hideous people Kinyers were, so they couldn''t help getting nervous about working together with such people.
"Ha-Ha-Ha! Look at that face¡ªexactly as I expected!" Georgios eximed. "Well,d. We might have a grudge but we are not senile. Trust me, we are not like what we are rumoured to be. We just want to avenge our Lord¡ªtheir saviour¡ªwho was murdered ruthlessly in the past."
Georgios'' eyesnded on Basil as he uttered thest sentence. The gears in Anthony''s head immediately spun, causing him to piece the clues he had gotten together.
''Pacifer n was the one who ended the Great War. That''s it! The Church is afraid of their power, so they exterminated the n,'' he concluded. ''To think that this whole feud dated back to such a long time ago¡''
Everything made sense now for Anthony and he was d he had decided to follow his heart. The Church was afraid of the Pacifer n; given how talented and fearsomely unpredictable Basil was, Pacifer n reiming the throne was not a dream.
His eyes gleamed as they met Georgios'' eyes and that made the Warrior smirk. Georgios patted his shoulder and then urged him to get to know the other Warriors.
"How sad. They have been entrapped in the Dungeon for so many years that they are so excited by getting to shake someone''s hand," Basil remarked.
"I thought you became more empathetic whenever you activated your Pacifer Seal," Ilianamented.
"In fact, Iliana, I be more detached than I already am whenever I am connected to the Fragment," Basil retorted. "What makes me look kinder is the fact that I manipte people''s feelings, which I never bother to do normally."
Iliana turned to look at Basil and then blinked her eyes in amusement. "I hope you are not doing it to me currently."
"You are the reason why I am notpletely detached," Basil intoned.
"Oh, that is rather sweet. Never thought you would be willing to say something corny like that." Iliana cleared her throat, "Kuhum! Maybe, this version of you is not that bad."
Krrrk.
When the ground faintly rumbled, all heads turned to the source of the rumble, which was the gate on the south. The gate was opened, revealing a group of people being led by a bunch of figures entirely dressed in ck.
These people were the ones whom Basil were close with¡ªthe people he knew personally. They walked into the room and focused their gaze on Basil; it was their first time seeing Basil with his Pacifer Seal, so they were quite astonished by how different he was.
Thud!
When the gate on the north was opened, everyone turned their head to it; some in wonder and some in rm. A beautiful young woman with violet hair, Ione Pacifer, walked in with three dishevelled figures behind her.
Uncaring to any other people, they walked toward Basil and then knelt before him respectfully. Those who didn''t know blinked their eyes in surprise but didn''t make any noise.
"It is an honour to finally meet the Lord."
"Two millennia hath passed since our fall. You have spent your time on the ground long enough¡ªit is time for you to stand. Arise, my Warriors."
Watching the scene made the people who had just arrived at the scene wonder if whom they saw was really Basil. Appearance-wise, aside from his eyes, there was nothing changed but his personality was so foreign to them it was uncanny.
They felt like they didn''t have the right to know Basil; his presence made them feel like they were mere mortals before the deity. They knew the issue was a serious one before; however, upon getting there, they realized what would happen next would affect the world greatly.
Chapter ?408 The Day Of Return (3)
After the newly arrived Warriors finished their greetings, Basil turned to Ione. She immediately nodded her head and then exined why she had only gathered nine Warriors despite having unified twelve Dungeons in total.
"They have lost the de in their hearts, they said? I wonder if it is merely scepticism burying the de," was Basil''s response to the information. "What do they want to do for the rest of their lives then?"
"They just want to stay in the Dungeon and do nothing," Ione answered.
"Have they be a fustrian[1] after spending two millennia trapped in the Dungeon? Nothing but a fudge[2] methinks!" Basil frowned lightly. "They must yearn to see me¡ªto see the living proof of the im."
Rather than thinking that the Warriors had lost their will to fight, Basil assumed that they were just too sceptical to believe in Ione''s words. It was not far-fetched to think that way considering what they had gone through two millennia ago.
Even if it wasn''t the case, still, Basil would meet them one by one. All of the Warriors had a Seal on them that would allow the Church to control them when it was convenient, so he couldn''t just leave them alone.
His main reason to visit them was to break the Seal. If it turned out that they still refused to join him even after he met them directly, he would be fine since the fear of having to fight them in the future had disappeared.
"When are we going to return to the surface, My Lord?" Xander asked as he arrived before Basil.
"As soon as all of the Warriors have gathered."
"Are we going to go against the Church, or in this case, the Braxtein Kingdom?" Anthony asked solemnly.
"Not yet, my dear friend¡ This one still hath an issue he hath to solve," Basil replied as he thought about the Dragon Curse he had. "We are going to head to Huaxia, which is the only ce in this world that neither the Empire nor the Church dares to touch."
"Oh, I know the safe way to go there, Brother!" someone eximed from the crowd, earning the people''s attention.
As the people turned to the speaker, they found a tall young man with long, ck hair and a feminine look. He was Wei Xiu Li, Basil''s prided student, one of the people in the room who came from the Country of Hua, which was also known as Huaxia.
"I can also be of help, so we may not encounter any obstacles in the way," another person spoke; this time a female with a very melodious voice.
The people turned their eyes toward the woman who had just spoken and widened their eyes. She was a beautiful woman with extremely fair skin and hair that is as ck as the silent night, which flows down her hips like a beautiful waterfall.
She was the fourth concubine of the former King of Braxtein, the mother of Edward Enderheart Braxtein, Margaret Ziesta, who was also known as Yang Mei Qi, the daughter of one of the strongest Daoists in Huaxia, Yang Tian Long.
"There were some spections but to think that they are true¡"
"Oh my¡ the fourth concubine reallyes from Huaxia."
Anthony looked at the reaction of the people and none of them reacted repulsively, which was not what he had expected. He had thought that a lot of people in the West didn''t like people from the East and he was d he was wrong.
Turning to the only woman who he considered to be his second wife, he asked, "Is it okay to expose your identity? You have done a good job hiding it for so long¡ªyou may invite danger upon yourself."
The worry was evident in his tone but Mei Qi merely smirked at that. "I have a husband and four sons that can protect me¡ªwhat is there for me to be afraid of?"
"That is right, pops. You seem to forget that you also have us," Cameron remarked.
"Well, I think I have been calling the wrong woman mother for my entire life. This is my first time being called son by a mother," Dwightmented jokingly.
"We are lucky that Edward doesn''t mind sharing his mother''s love, aren''t we?" Brentonmented as he gestured at the faintly smiling Edward.
Two years ago, none of them dared to dream the scene would ever happen. They were aware of how distant they were from each other so they believed it was impossible.
When Basil came, after being beaten many times, they got to know each other better. They had let their past feud down the drain by the time they knew it and they acted like true siblings as they proimed themselves to be friends with Basil.
They knew what the meaning of family was and found the real family that they had yearned for. All of it was just because Basil entered their lives.
"Family, huh? Of all family, I never thought I would be jealous of the Royal family," Ilianamented as she looked at the scene.
Basil smiled sardonically at that and said nothing. The Royal family was the only family present in the room, so they were not the only ones who felt bitter as they saw the heartwarming scene¡ªthe others did too.
"Very well, everyone. I will be counting on you in the future," Basil dered, regaining the attention of the people. "For now," he nced at Ione, "let us tell you the truth behind the history of the Empire."
He took out a Projection Talisman and projected the scene he had recorded with it. The people were bemused at first but as soon as they witnessed what had happened in the backyard of the pce and the conversation he had with Jaheim, they immediately turned solemn.
He showed what had actually happened in his escape, allowing the people to see the atrocity the Priests had done to the civilians. Afterwards, he let Ione exin the history behind the Empire and the Pacifer n''s fall, which further appalled the people.
"This is¡" ke covered his mouth in shock. "We have been keeping a Demon under our nket for all this time."
Cray and his peers clutched their hands to suppress their anger. "Because of their fear, Basil is ¡ This is pure evil¡ªa ridiculous nder!"
"As I expected¡ this is the reason, huh?" Anthony smiled bitterly. "The Elf seems to have figured out the truth, so it won''t be an exaggeration to assume the other race will join us too. Braxtein¡ªno, Arthean is bound to meet its end."
Even though the reaction from the people made it clear whom they were going to side with, Basil still looked at the people neutrally. He felt the need to exin himself, so they didn''t expect something they shouldn''t from him.
"Hearken! What I want to achieve is a world where my family can live happily. I care not about your opinion hence I am not forcing you to stand beside me. You can turn a blind eye and walk away or even stand in my way and perish. Either way, decide it now."
Silence filled the room after the question was asked. The people pondered their choices, meanwhile, the Warriors and the other two Pacifers wondered why Basil felt the need to discourage them from helping him.
"Afeard I am for the tragedy that happened in the past," he muttered.
The question the people had was answered: Basil wanted to make sure whom he could really entrust his back to.
For someone who had lost his trust in humanity, it was a very surprising action of him. If it was him from three years ago, he would kill all of the people in the room to prevent information leaks, no matter how highly unlikely it was.
"That kind of world, will you let my family live there too?" Anthony was the first person to speak.
"As long as thy family knoweth how to cherish a peaceful life, why not?"
"Then, allow me to apany you on your journey. I want to see the world you are going to make."
Basil waited for the others to speak but all of them were merely looking at him intensely. He took it as them agreeing with Anthony and then smiled softly.
Spreading his hands, he dered, "Choices have been presented and you have made one. The path we are going to pave is thorny and bloody. Survive and you shall prosper; die and you may regret your choice. I promise you, not your life but the victory of the war."
Despite the speech that wasn''t encouraging, none of the people budged. Their friendship wasn''t the only reason why they stayed; they had seen the winner of the war and, therefore, they would side with him no matter how hard the struggle would be.
"Hoh, what a gant bunch," Basil, in the end, remarked. "Very well, why don''t we talk about what we should do from now on?"
The first strategical meeting began that way. Despite there being a lot of experienced Mages and Knights amongst the people, very few of them threw in their two cents.
The n Basil exined to them was wless, so they felt that they would only ruin the n if they gave their input. Most of the time, they would only listen to the exnation or ask about what they should do if the unexpected happen.
"So, for now, Basil, are you going to gather all of the Warriors?" ke asked.
"Yes. One of the Warriors will remain here and train you lot while the rest look for their fellows. Thou shalt not be afeard of having to spend thy time wastefully," Basil responded, answering the question that hadn''t even been said.
By the time the meeting ended, it was estimated that they would return to the surface in 22 days. They would avoid battle with people from the Kingdom to the best they could but they still had to use the 22 days to train vigorously.
Currently, they didn''t know if the neighbouring Kingdoms would meddle in the matter. They had to prepare for any possibilities even though the world''s attention might be taken by the 27th Obelisk''s Outbreak by the time they returned to their surface.
"Do you think they will still uphold their deal now that you have been dered a world-ss criminal?" Iliana asked Basil as they stood before the west gate with the other Warriors.
"Who knoweth? Whether the Elf will fight by themselves or with the help of the other five Kingdoms, it doth not affect us," Basil replied. "Either way, there will be people chasing after our heads."
"Well, that is true."
Using his Mana, Basil opened the gate before them. As soon as it was opened, they shot forward, instantly disappearing from the people''s eyes.
Basil visited the Warriors who had lost their hearts, meanwhile, Iliana, Ione and the Warriors sought those who hadn''t.
¡ª¡ª¡ª
[1] Fustrian: an old way to call someone who wastes his time on something useless.
[2] Fudge: nonsense, in this context.
Chapter ?409 The Day Of Return (4)
As Basil and his supporters prepared themselves to face the obstacles the Braxtein Kingdom and the Church prepared for them, information that had been concealed from the public, namely the iing Outbreak of the 27th Obelisk and August''s existence, was revealed.
The news about the Outbreak caused unease amongst the people but none of them worried about getting affected. The 27th Obelisk was closer to the Great Forest of Yitoupheo and Frachtenhein, so the risk of Braxtein getting caught up was minuscule.
What the people worry was the inevitable battle between Basil and August. When his presence was announced, many were shocked; it was really hard for them to wrap their head around the fact that Braxtein had a Ninth Circle Mage.
For the past millennium and a half, the rate at which people saw a Ninth Circle Mage was very low. Many people failed to be one and those who managed to be one preferred to live in solitude in a ce that no one could ever find.
Up to the day before August showed himself, only the Emperor was known to be a Ninth Circle Mage. He was akin to a God for some people thanks to the fact that he was the sole known Ninth Circle Mage, so seeing another one pop up shook the people''s worlds.
"Are we finally going to be undefeated?"
"Idiot, just because Duke August is the only one who has revealed himself, it doesn''t mean that our neighbouring Kingdoms don''t have a Ninth Circle Mage."
"That is true¡."
"Isn''t it a little bit overkill? I mean, it must have something to do with our former Golden Apple, mustn''t it?"
"What are you talking about? He destroyed the entire Dukedom¡ªthe Dukedom that Duke August bequeathed to his descendants. How do you expect him to not explode?"
"But the reason why he showed up was that his rest was disturbed. He said it himself; you know? Yesterday, during the announcement."
"Explode, huh? I wonder if the real reason why the entire Dukedom is t with the earth was that he got mad for being awakened."
"Shush! Don''t bber nonsense! You know what they do to the Golden Apple''s avid supporter, don''t you?"
The opinion of the entire Kingdom on the matter was split. Although those who still believed in Basil were not as many as the people who despised him, they were still two-fifth of the poption.
None of them, of course, expressed their opinion openly¡at least, not before the King''s decree, which was made by Aldrich, was announced. None of the people was aware that their real King had left but they knew not to support Basil.
"That Basil Pacifer has sunk his fangs deep into our flesh. Even after all of the propaganda and my decree, there are still people who support him."
Overlooking the city of Randalvine from the balcony of his bedroom was Aldrich. Eldridge was standing on his side, listening and responding to remarks of the new but still unofficial King.
"He has made a very good impression with the people, Your Majesty. He has also done much for our Kingdom, so it is very hard for the people to believe what we have announced up to now is true."
"Have you heard of what those we have executed said before they died, Eldridge?"
"No, Your Majesty."
"Basil Pacifer will make a good Sovereign!" Aldrich eximed with a sneer on his face. "That dirty son of a Witch has washed the people''s brains with the beautiful illusion he presented them. I can''t wait to make the world see the true him."
"Do you believe he is not the kind of person that he presents himself as, Your Majesty?" Eldridge asked softly. "My eyes may be old but I am confident that what I have seen up to this day is the real him."
? Aldrich''s eyes gleamed coldly. "Ho-oh? Pray tell, Eldridge, what kind of person do you think he is?"
"He is the kind of person who will only mind his own business and strike those who stand in his way down. He fits to be a monarch but he doesn''t show any desire to be one because he only wants one thing: to make the people whom he care about happy."
"You have a rather high view about him, don''t you, Eldridge?" Aldrich scoffed. "Do you happen to have a desire to change sides now?"
"I want the best for this Kingdom. Now that it has stood in his way, there is no way I will side with him, Your Majesty," Eldridge replied surely.
"Ah, good choice of words, Eldridge."
The new but still unofficial King had lost his former self. Brilliant as he thought himself was, he didn''t realize that he was but a disposable pawn in the grand scheme of the Church.
The more experienced Royal Counsellor knew what was going on and he couldn''t help shaking his head bitterly. The Kingdom was crumbling and he was now scolding himself for being too arrogant; he shouldn''t have thought he would be able to somehow save it.
The ship was sailing but the captain was navigating it to the big iceberg that only his co could see.
¡.
On the other side of Randalvine, in the Manor that used to belong to Basil, August and Archibald, his sole vessel, were looking around. The most noticeable thing that immediately caught their attention was how empty it was.
"Speak, my vessel, what thou canst conclude from the sight thou beholdest?"
"He was prepared¡."
"Indeed! Thatd was prepared. You bunch of fopdoodles have been yed since the beginning. How amusing, how amusing!"
"¡."
August was very interested in Basil ever since said Pacifer managed to deceive him. He couldn''t stop thinking how a mere Sixth Circle Mage managed to deceive him, a Ninth Circle Mage.
His sense as a Ninth Circle Mage was incredibly sharp; for Basil to be able to do something so sneaky, he must find his weakness first, which was something that only his peers could do. He was aware of how fearsome the Pacifer was but he still found it absurd.
He came to the Manor Basil had previously owned in hope that he could find some clue about to what extent Basil''s prowess was. He knew nothing of what Basil was nning¡ªeven if he was stronger, he still didn''t want to look down on Basil.
Arrogance was poisonous. It would kill oneself at a rate that one could never measure or predict.
"Fie! Frustrating." August turned to Archibald and put his hand on Archibald''s shoulder. "My vessel, it has been a long time since thest time this one is surrounded by fizgigs[1]. Bring me to a ce full of fandangles[2] and I shall be fain[3]."
"¡ What are you talking about, Master?"
"Gadzooks! I am talking about a brothel¡ªa high-ss one. Bring me there!"
"Why don''t you just talk normally? I am having a hard time understanding you," Archibald said exasperatedly.
"Thou thinkest this one is faking his way of speech? Dalcop[4] I shall clepe[5] thee hereupon!"
"I won''t feel offended even if you say that. I don''t understand!" Archibald retorted.
If it was a week ago, Archibald wouldn''t dare to talk back to August. Upon knowing August closer, however, he figured out that August was just an entric old man who cherished his family member whom he deemed useful¡ªlike him.
Although he became August''s vessel, which was a very unfortunate fate for a Seventh Circle Mage and a Duke, he didn''t mind in the slightest. He was being treated the way he had treated his grandsons, so it had been fun hanging around August.
"Grandsons, huh...?" Archibald muttered, causing his eyes to well up.
"Hearken[6], those who have left are not meant to be cried over. They didn''t leave because they wanted to, hence, crying over them will only further overwhelm them with sorrow. Smile, Archibald. Know that he who killed them will perish soon."
His family was in the Dukedom when Basil detonated it. Since they were spending their time in the outer part of the Dukedom, however, none of them was affected when half of the Dukedom became t with the earth.
The reason why they died was that August deemed them useless. August had killed them in cold blood and he couldn''t tell it to August for fear of ruining their rtionship.
Now that he thought about it, he wondered whom he should hate. He hated Basil for what he had done to Rancuser Dukedom but, logically, he should have hated August more for killing his family, which he didn''t.
''Everything is within the Gods'' n¡I shouldn''t muse too much about it.''
Fanaticism: an illness that brought one power and also destruction. Because of it, in the end, even the family man, Archibald threw his family away.
¡.
In another part of the world, underground, in one of the rooms that existed in a certain Dungeon, a burly elderly man knelt before an otherworldly handsome young man who had a glowing Seal on his forehead.
The elderly man closed his eyes infort as the golden light that came out of the young man''s palm enveloped him.
When the light dissipated, the young man let go of his hold on the elderly man''s head before retracting it. The elderly man opened his eyes and then stood up as he gazed at the young man''s visage reverently.
"My Lord. Thank you for opening my eyes. I can now see the de in my heart again; had you not convinced me, I would have died vainly," the elderly man said gratefully.
"''Twas unfortunate, yet, some of thy fellows have chosen wrong, Cyrus. They have failed to see the de that they themselves buried in their hearts, hence, I honour their wish."
The young man and the elderly man were, respectively, Basil Pacifer and Cyrus Sideris; the new Lord of the Pacifer and the former Centurion of the Army that The Lord had led.
Two weeks had passed¡ªthe day they returned to the surface was getting close but, out of 78 Warriors, they had only managed to gather 49 of them. 56 Dungeons had been visited but 7 Warriors had refused to fight.
All of them had lost the gleam that living people had in their eyes. They had already died but their bodies were still moving. When Basil met one, he knew whom he could save and whom he couldn''t. For those whom he couldn''t save¡he took their souls out of their bodies, literally.
¡ª¡ª¡ª
[1] Fizgig: a silly or flirtatious young women
[2] Fandangle: a useless, ornamental thing
[3] Fain: pleased.
[4] Dalcop: a stupid person.
[5] Clepe: to call, to name.
[6] Hearken: listen (as in, "Listen, plebeians!).
Chapter ?410 The Day Of Return (5)
Twenty days had passed since Basil was dered a criminal. His whereabouts were still unknown but the list of the names of the people who went with him was already broadcast¡and yes, Anthony''s name was also on the list.
The news shocked not only the Braxtein Kingdom but also the neighbouring Kingdoms. They hadn''t been sure if there was something deeper to the issue before but they became sure as soon as they heard it.
Since their King and their Queen sided with Basil, suspicion and doubt filled their heart as they thought about Aldrich. They had heard of his brilliance and his well-known ambition, so they believed there was a high possibility that it was all his scheme.
They weren''t very far from the truth but they still would never get the truth for the time being.
Aldrich, of course, noticed the ripple in the people''s trust. He, however, did not worry about it since he had prepared himself for this kind of situation.
He had announced his decree about what happened to those who went against him and kept feeding the citizens propaganda about Basil''s "atrocity" every day. Those who doubted him would eventually believe and those who stood against him would perish.
The new but still unofficial King had decided to go down the tyrant path and no one could stop him; not even Eldridge Wein, the old Royal Counsellor. He believed everything was under his control and he wasn''tpletely wrong to think that way¡at least, that was the case for Braxtein''s internal.
"How we should proceed in this matter, Your Majesty?"
"Hm¡this is rather embarrassing to say this but the one who sticks us all together is actually thatd. Without him, I am afraid anything discussed that day will be annulled."
"I¡see."
In the pce of one of Braxtein''s neighbouring Kingdoms, Frachtenhein, Alphonse the King and the best Knight at his disposal, Cyane were discussing whether they should help the Elf or turn a blind eye.
At this point, it was already clear that the Alliance Army, Henosis had been disbanded. None of them contacted each other ever since Basil became a world-known criminal, so the 27th Obelisk would be left alone until the Outbreak urred.
As the closest Kingdom to the 27th Obelisk, no matter how unlikely it was for them to suffer from the Outbreak, Alphonse was reminded of Basil''s words that sounded like a warning to him: "Have you ever heard of controlled Outbreak?"
Alphonse didn''t know for sure what kind of conflict Basil had with the Church but he was sure everyone would get the bacsh from the conflict. Given how brilliant Basil was and how terrifying his talent was, he was afraid that something like that would happen.
"Controlled Outbreak, huh¡? I wonder if he said that to tell us to stay out of the matter if something like this happened," Alphonse muttered.
"No matter how cautious Basil is, I believe this was not within his prediction, Your Majesty¡. It was just too sudden," Cyane reasoned. "But if that is the case, we only have two choices: stand on the side ore to his side."
"You know¡I sent six people to follow him after the Summit Meeting. All of them were our best Assassins; out of thirty missions I sent them to, they had seeded all of them," Alphonse recounted. "Only two of them returned."
Cyane hadn''t heard any of this, so he was surprised upon hearing the story. He said nothing and keenly listened to it, allowing Alphonse to tell him what happened unhindered.
"Had you seen their faces upon returning, you would wonder what kind of nightmare they had seen to look so aghast. They didn''t even apologize to me for failing their mission as they gave me the four boxes they carried on their backs."
"¡guess what, Cyane? When I opened them, I found four heads with ''Avaunt!'' carved on each of their eyes. There was only one word¡but it managed to make my spine chill."
Unlike other people, Alphonse, who used Magic to see, had to picture the world in his mind. He had a very strong memory since the picture stayed longer within his mind; because of that, too, he would not easily forget an appalling image.
What Basil had given that day shook his entire existence. It had been a long time since thest time he had felt a real threat.
"The scariest part wasn''t the presents, though. You know, when I asked who took them down, the Assassins answered it was another group of Assassins. Thatd has people with a fearsome prowess behind his back and we don''t know how many of them."
"In other words, Your Majesty¡?"
"Let us help the Elf. I heard that they had entered the Obelisk since yesterday."
Cyane widened his eyes in bewilderment. He didn''t know it was the case and he believed no one also knew about it.
"How¡did I not know?"
Alphonse chuckled deeply as he looked at the bemused Cyane. "This old man still has his wits, you know?"
The Frachtenhein Kingdom had made its decision. They would help the Elf under the pretext of honouring the Summit Meeting, meanwhile, in truth, they were figuring out the real reason behind Basil''s "fall" and how far he would go.
On the other side of the world, the Grittenhein Kingdom also made the same decision. Manfred, the King, however, didn''t have any intention to join Basil when he found the truth; he didn''t want to y in someone''s game and suffered losses because of it.
As for the other two Kingdoms, Baillocke and Vallienda, due to their close rtionship with the Church, chose to hunt Basil to the best they could. They decided to forsake the alliance that was invisibly crumbling to pieces and show their loyalty to the Church.
Of course, they also already knew Basil''s identity and the truth behind the conflict. With fanaticism, they came for him, uncaring of how much effort they would spend or how dangerous it might be.
¡.
nk!
A fist shed with a sword,unching the wielder away as he couldn''t stand the impact. Said wielder did some manoeuvre while he was in the air but immediately fell as soon as his feet touched the ground.
"Kahak! ¡. Keuh¡what kind of power is that? Isn''t it cheating that you are still that strong after two millennia of eating inedible food?"
"You should not underestimate this old man,d. My hands are tougher than steel!"
"Yeah¡I can see that."
In one of the rooms of the Dungeon where Basil and his supporters hid, Xander, Cray and the rest of the youths had just finished their training. While everyone had been sprawled on the ground, Cray, as the least sane one still stood even with his shattered knees.
In terms of talent and potential, Xiu Li outmatched him but, in terms of tenacity or battle prowess, none of his peers, except for Basil and Iliana, could match him. It reminded Xander of his younger days, so he had fun training all of the youths.
"Back then in the Age of Chaos, youths like you were treasures. We took care of them well and released them into the battlefield as soon as we deemed them ready¡. It was a big mistake. Without a real-life experience, no matter how strong they were, they ended up¡ª"
"Old man, if you want to discourage us, don''t," Cray interjected. "We have gone through so much shit in our lives that we have embraced the fact that death follows our steps closely."
The way Cray said amused Xander so much that he couldn''t helpughing light-heartedly. "Ku-Ha-Ha! As expected of the Lord''s friends. None of you seems right in the head¡ªjust like us at that time!"
"Oi! We are not insane like you," Cray retorted.
Grinning excitedly, Xander said, "I am just going to say this; our journey will be decorated with blood. You willugh in the face of extreme agony and cry when something good happens. Death is your friend but shall you live, you shall prosper!"
It wasn''t Cray and the others'' first time hearing Xander say those words. They had heard the words so many times that they no longer had the rushing adrenaline that they used to get whenever they heard the words.
The good thing about it was that they no longer had any doubt in their hearts about where they stood or fear of dying. They didn''t only get stronger physically under Xander''s tutge but also mentally.
They had previously believed the world wasplicated and Xander had shown them why it was not. He told them life was short and boring; you could only live and die, which was why some spice was needed.
Life-threatening situations and battles were a good spice, so when you died you knew that you had had fun¡. To summarize what Xander had done to them, he had turned them into battle maniacs, which were essentially what all of the Pacifer''s servants were.
Boom!
"Blimey! What in the bloody hell was that!?"
"Earthquake? Earthquake!?"
"Oh my¡. He has finally done it!"
They felt a powerful Mana st from another part of the Dungeon. It was so strong that it shook the entire structure of the Dungeon, which was saying something because of how sturdy it was.
The youths who had been enjoying their rest time on the ground while listening to Cray''s conversation with Xander immediately stood up. The ground and the wall were still rumbling, so they were afraid that the Dungeon would crumble.
"You seem to know something from the way you reacted, old man," Cray remarked as he looked at Xander.
"Ah, of course, I know. It is that," Xander answered vaguely.
,m "What the hell is even that?"
In response to the question, Xander merelyughed deeply. The rumble stopped a few seconds after; as soon as it did, a figure that was dressed entirely in ck appeared in the corner of the room like a shadow taking a physical state.
"Legatus Xander, you got a call from our Master," the figure said softly. Turning to Cray and the others, he said, "Our Master has something to announce, so you shoulde too."
As the message was delivered, just like how he appeared, the figure disappeared. His shadow devoured his entire existence before retreating into the bigger shadow.
Without saying much, the people immediately got out of the room and headed to the hall where they had to gather. Their hearts beat in excitement; they were sure the day had finallye.
The gate of the hall was widely opened, allowing them to feel the overwhelming but calm Mana Pressureing from it. As soon as they stepped into the room, they were immediately captivated by Basil.
He was standing on the east side of the hall, right in front of the people. Seven Magic Circles glowed brightly behind him; with the overbearing aura he had, the people immediately dubbed him as the God of War.
Chapter ?411 The Day Of Return (End)
The hall where Basil''s supporters gathered was deafeningly silent. No one made a noise as they nted their gaze on him and basked in his profound presence.
His shining Pacifer Seal, the soul-piercing gaze of his golden eyes and the golden halo behind him made the people feel like they were facing a deity. The silence was perceived until Basil opened his mouth.
"You have done well for the past twenty days. I have heard a lot about your advancements from our formidable Warriors and I have tomend you for that," he intoned powerfully. "Few as we are, I suggest you feel no doubt. We have 70 peerless Warriors on our side and your undying spirit. Outnumbered as we may be; triumph remains guaranteed."
Basil didn''t talk as if the world was going to end after he stopped speaking, which was what most public speakers did to convince people. He talked calmly and deeply without any raise in his voice but still managed to rile the people up.
Their hearts beat in excitement; they ignored the fact that they would be going against a huge number of people even though Basil had made it clear. There was something in the way Basil conveyed his speech that erased any feeling of doubt from their hearts.
Conviction¡ªthe sheer certainty he had in his tone, which the people knew wasn''t fabricated, made them also see the future that Basil would make true. They would survive and triumph; therefore, they would prosper.
"Mine eyes told me all of you over-exerted yourselves. I shall give you two hours to recuperate. Let the Healers and the Warriors¡ªanyone who is capable to treat you. We will return to the surface afterwards¡and the world shall know our rise."
Thest part of the sentence was directed at the Warriors but everyone felt what the Warriors felt. They didn''t think Basil considered them part of the Pacifer but they were sure they stood on the same side as he did, so his rise was also their rise.
As Basil''s supporters recuperated with the help of the Healers and the Mages who were capable of such; Tinuviel, Aegnor and the Cohorts they led to the 27th Obelisk were having a hard time. Although they had expected it, the number of Demons they had to fight in it was simply overwhelming.
ording to the Guide''s prediction, the day they entered the Obelisk, which was the day before, should have been when the Obelisk experienced an Outbreak. Their interference prevented the Outbreak from urring but they suffered heavily for it in return.
"These bastards are just too strong!" Aegnor eximed in irritation.
"Has he arrived yet?" Tinuviel shouted.
"I think so. The backup should arrive in a couple of seconds, so we should hold on for the time being."
When Tinuviel and Aegnor realized that the situation wasn''t in their favour, they immediately sent out the most agile person they had at their disposal. They wanted him to call for backup since any form ofmunication with the outside world didn''t work in the Obelisk.
Since the chosen Elf was sent, two hours had passed. With the distance between the Obelisk and Padeitophys, he should have arrived at this point but Tinuviel and Aegnor couldn''t help feeling unease.
The deeper they went¡ªthe higher they climbed the Obelisk, the stronger the Demons became. The number of Demons might be nothingpared to the ones hiding behind the Barrier the Obelisk erected but, with how much power they possessed, they posed a great threat to the Elf.
"We should have immediately gone to Braxtein and saved Lord Basil to prevent this from happening, darn it!" Aegnor cursed. "It has been two days since we enter the Obelisk and I don''t believe we are already midways to the top!"
"Keep fighting! Don''t show the Warriors your pathetic side!" Tinuviel scolded.
Basil knew a lot about the Obelisk. During the week he spent in Padeitophys, he had told the two Chieftains that Obelisks that were on the brink of Outbreak shouldn''t be entered; it was better to let the Outbreak ur since the Demons in the Obelisk would be too powerful to endure.
Essentially, an Outbreak urred when the Demons behind the Barrier were ready to ransack the world and bring hell upon its habitants. Because of that, the faster one entered the Obelisk the higher the chance one would clear it.
The Elf, unfortunately, didn''t know when the Obelisk would have an Outbreak. They entered it just a few hours before the Outbreak urred, so they were facing the best Demons who had been chosen to guard the Obelisk.
''Are we going to die here?'' Tinuviel had sweat covering her face. She gritted her teeth as she swung her daggers, slicing up multiple Demons at once. ''No, I can''t die here! I want to fight alongside Lord Basil¡ªI want to see him again!''
Her hands that had been sore from all the swings she had done regained their power. Her Mana burst forth as she delivered the Demonsing at the Elf''s Secret Art.
"[Falling Apart]!"
She swung her daggers horizontally in two opposite directions, causing roots the size of a rope to emerge from the ground. The roots agilely iled around, binding the Demons within their reach and then mutting them.
Organs and blue blood were scattered on the ground, adding more chaotic decoration to the already unpleasant-to-look-at battlefield. Despite so, none of the Demons showed any signs of backing down; quite the opposite, they showed more vigour than they did previously.
"Lady Tinuviel! Don''t use your Mana carelessly!" Nissena, Tinuviel''s right hand, shouted incredulously as she looked at what her Mistress was doing.
"I won''t die here!" Tinuviel paid no attention to Nissena''s warning and kept attacking with vigour.
Nissena clicked her tongue at that and then dashed to Tinuviel''s side. She could tell Tinuviel was too carried away by the adrenaline rushing through her veins, which was why she didn''t even seem to think about allocating a portion of her Mana as a means to escape when things got too much to handle.
Boom!
After sting a Minotaur nearby with her mace, Nissena put her hand on her Mistress''. "Lady Tinuviel, it is over! We can no longer fight against these Demons!"
"No! We shouldn''t back down! We can''t let the people suffer from the Outbreak!" Tinuviel rebuked intensely.
"You can''t die here, Your Highness! You are the future Empress of Padeitophys!" Nissena countered. "Many of our citizens will suffer from the Outbreak, but it won''t be for long since the Outbreak will be concluded quickly. We have manypetent people outside!"
For the first time, Tinuviel turned her head towards Nissena; her lips trembled as she looked at Nissena with a wavering gaze. "But¡but! What is there to my worth? I have sacrificed many of our Warriors already¡ªhow can I return with failure!?"
"Because you can do better in the future! ¡. You will not be able to make up for your failure if you die, Your Highness¡. Live; live and bear the shame of being a failure until you be a winner!"
Tinuviel was stunned to silence; she had never seen Nissena showed so much emotion. The indignation clouding her mind disappeared and she instantly regained her usual self: calm and logical.
The battlefield stressed her too much that she couldn''t think straight. The desire to prove herself made her reluctant to ept reality and she was ashamed of that.
"You are right¡. It is time for us to pull out."
Seeing that her Mistress had regained herself, Nissena smiled pleasantly and nodded her head. She turned around and was about to order the Cohort she and Tinuvielmanded when the person who had been sent to call backup returned.
Likewise, the other Cohort Commanders also turned their heads toward the Elf. Said Elf was looking ecstatic, so they wondered what woulde out of his mouth.
"A MESSAGE FROM LORD BASIL!!! RETREAT AND WAIT FOR MY ARRIVAL! FRACHTENHEIN SHALL HELP YOU DEFEND YOUR HOME!"
The loud deration immediately riled the people up. They had forgotten they were in a dire situation as soon as Basil''s name was mentioned; upon hearing that he woulde, they were absolute Padeitophys would be safe.
"Ah, also¡RUN AWAY! THE CHIMAERA IS APPROACHING!"
With good news came the bad news. Just as they thought things would be easy for them from then on, the Elves were faced with another ordeal.
The Chimaera that Dantalion had made, which hadn''t been present when they entered the Obelisk, had shown itself. It was rapidlying at them, spitting fire out of its goat mouth meanwhile its lion''s mouth was sending out destructive soundwaves.
Despite the predicament, still, none of the Elves was down. All of them were optimistic since their saviour wasing; all they had to do was survive and the triumph they would get.
¡.
Two hours had passed since Basil made his announcement. His supporters looked as healthy as horses¡ªeven the Warriors who had been eating low-nutrition food for two millennia had achieved the best shape in their age.
All of them were lining up before Basil, hearts thumping as they saw Basil control the seventy-eight Sealing Swords that he, the Warriors, Iliana and Ione had gathered for the past twenty-two days. He was opening their way out of the Dungeon, which would lead them to the closest exit to Padeitophys.
Since he had finished his seventh Magic Circle, Basil decided to help the Elf take care of the Outbreak first instead of immediately going to Huaxia to lift his Curse.
From the very beginning, he wanted to lift his Curse because he didn''t want to rely on his Core too much, which was the strongest source of Energy that he currently had, to help the Elf. It would be dangerous to do that with the Curse still on it since it would trigger a breakthrough.
Now that he had be a Seventh Circle Mage, he didn''t have to rely on his Core so much. He would help the Elf and then leave some of his supporters there, so there wouldn''t be many of them following him to Huaxia.
"The time hathe! Those who have been buried shalle out of the earth, the sinner shall shall clear their names and the betrayed...shall take revenge," Basil dered. "You know the n; act ordingly."
"Hooh!"
When the Runes carved on the 78 Sealing Swords that he was controlling shone brightly, the people scattered in four directions, leaving Basil, Iliana, Ione and Xander behind. They took 13 different tunnels and came out in 13 different ces that were outside the territories of the Five Kingdoms.
The event terrified many people since the Warriors were exuding immense pressure. It wasn''t until Basil was spotted, however, was the event called The Day of Return¡
The Lord had returned!
Chapter ?412 Postponed Triumph
"He has made his move, huh?"
"Yes, Your Majesty. Sir Basil Pacifer has resurfaced and¡at the same time, the people on the wanted list¡ªhis supporters¡ªalong with 70 Mages with a terrifying pressure came out of the Dungeon in 13 different points in the world."
"Ho-oh¡that is quite intimidating."
"Do you perhaps know who the mysterious Mages are?"
The King of Frachtenhein, Alphonse, who had been talking to his right-hand man, Cyane, while facing the 27th Obelisk, turned to the said right-hand man for the first time. He hummed to himself as he thought about how he should answer the question he was asked.
Kinyers, the existence that many people believed to be a mere rumour. None of them believed that there were still living Kinyers even though they believed the soul of the tortured Kinyer remained in the Dungeon.
Seeing powerful individualse out of the Dungeon, some people must have realized what was happening and who the individuals were. All of them, however, were still in denial since they didn''t want to believe that Basil could pull the Kinyers into his side.
"I can''t say for sure, Cyane." Given the circumstance, Cyane was hesitant to conclude anything. "They may be whom I think they are and maybe not." There was no guarantee that the Church didn''t lie about who Kinyers actually were. "What I can tell for sure is that they are formidable."
The conversation ceased as Cyane nodded his head solemnly. At the same time, the atmosphere turned heavier as the Mana Pressure the Obelisk was exuding overwhelmed the air.
Their attention turned to the Obelisk, hearts beating in anticipation. Soon enough, the Elves whom they were going to aid came out of the Obelisk; rabid Demons were chasing behind them, roaring fiercely overwhelmed with the urge to kill.
Hum!
The Demons rapidly chasing after the Elves were not the only thing worthy of note. The Obelisk was shooting a beam of dense Mana out of its peak at the same time it retracted the Barrier that separated the Demons and the separate world.
An unbearable pressure washed the entire BA-27, making the soldiers who had determined themselves shake. Even the people who lived far from it but still could see the beam were shaken when they heard the humming sound that was transmitted directly into their heads.
"It is time to aid our friends, Cyane. Well¡our friends-until-proven-enemies."
"Soldiers, charge!"
As Alphonse risked his army in BA-27 to help the Elves, betting on the assumption that Basil was right; Gerhard van Vallienda and Mason Baillocke were standing before their army that was stationed near the Dungeon where Basil had been reported hade out from.
They didn''t rush there from their Kingdom, they had been there before Basil got out, following August''s suggestion who were sure Basil would pass that way. The fact that they got it right excited them as much as it terrified them.
"My, my¡as someone who is friends with the most respectable person in this world, our Great Pontiff Jaheim Abremson, Duke August is a fairly vile person, isn''t he? He was the one who told us toe here but he is the one who doesn''te on time."
"Are you nervous that Basil Pacifer is approaching?"
"Everyone is on edge¡ªeven you, Mason Baillocke." The King of Vallienda, Gerhard, pointed to Mason''s trembling hand. "Thatd is terrifying. If it wasn''t for our experience, we wouldn''t have been able to keep our faces straight when he sted his Mana Pressure back then at the Summit Meeting."
Mason looked down at his trembling hand and frowned. He clenched his fist, stopping the tremble, and then scoffed in amusement.
"It is unsavoury to admit that but you are right¡thatd is a monster," he muttered. "Oh, here is the best part. A moment before they were decimated, our scouting team told me that Basil had be a Seventh Circle Mage."
"¡how are our odds?" Gerhard looked at Mason solemnly, demanding a serious answer with his gaze.
Mason smiled sardonically and then shrugged his shoulder. "Let us just do our best, mate."
Both of them were Seventh Circle Mages; Mason was a Spellcaster, whereas Gerhard was a Battle Mage. None of them was aspetent as Anthony or Alphonse since, unlike them, they only had five Grand Circles.
Despite their shorings, though, they were avid worshippers of the Four Great Gods. They believed that their Gods would always apany them in their struggle as long as they were fighting their Gods'' way, which was why none of them faltered.
Swish!
When they saw Deacon dashing at them at a speed faster than the wind, their beating hearts immediately calmed down. Even though they were washed with the immense pressure of Xander, who was running right beside Deacon, none of them quivered or moved out of the way.
"Someone who knows the Dungeon well has told them toe here¡" Basil remarked softly; his Pacifer Seal shone more intensely. "That August Rancuser¡ªhe seems to be very eager to have a go against me."
"Ah, you can speak normally already?" Ilianamented.
"¡neither of the ways I speak is abnormal. One is outdated, whereas the other is up to the current standard," Basil rebutted.
"Well, thenguage is not what I am talking about. Your mannerism¡ªonly old folks like Xander find it normal. You always behaved like an obnoxious ancient twat before you became a Seventh Circle Mage when you activated your Pacifer Seal."
"¡."
Although Basil didn''t quite agree with what Iliana said since he had be ustomed to talking like that, he didn''t rebut her. His attention was focused on the army blocking their way ahead.
Mason and Baillocke didn''t bring their entire army there but the number of soldiers blocking Basil''s way was not few. Each of them brought five Legions with them, so sixty-thousand people were blocking the Pacifer bunch.
"Decimate the army, Xander. I shall take the heads of the two Kings."
"Yourmand is my desire, My Lord!"
Jumping off Deacon, Basil used Wind Magic tounch himself at the two Kings. Xander and Deacon immediately sent their ranged attacks to distract the army.
Boom!
When Basil arrived before the two Kings, he immediately swung Durendal to destroy the Barrier they put before them. The Barrier immediately shattered, allowing him to enter their zone.
The two, however, already prepared a countermeasure. There were countless Temporary Magic Circles carved on the ground that exploded the moment Basil stepped on them.
The explosion was strong enough to scare the two, so they expected Basil to sustain some injuries. It was much to their disappointment and horror that Basil got away unharmed and could even immediately chase after them.
"They were High-Grade Spells, you know?" Gerhard muttered absurdly.
"What a monster¡" Mason clicked his tongue.
Swish!
Basil appeared before them in a sh and then grabbed their hands even before they could react. Their eyes widened in horror; before they could do anything, Basil teleported them away with him.
The [Teleportation] was executed perfectly, so the two had no chance to disrupt the process. The moment they arrived at the ce where Basil had set his [Checkpoint] on, however, they were given enough leisure to break free of his hold¡more like, Basil decided to let them go.
"Support me, Mason!"
"On it!"
At the same time that they were retreating, Mason cast an Enhancement Spell on Gerhard. When they had made enough distance¡ªwhen the Spell had taken effect, Gerhard dashed at Basil.
His ive was held sideways, cutting the air as he ran. When Basil was already within his ive''s reach, he immediately brandished it. Calmly, Basil deflected it to the side, shocking him with how much power he had. Basil then darted forward, instantly eliminating the distance between them.
With gritted teeth, Gerhard retracted his ive and then positioned its shaft above his head. It was an arduous chore to do it but he managed to save his life thanks to it, albeit barely.
nk!
Durendal and Caliburn hit the shaft of the Violet Grade Magic ive. The ground below the wielder of the Artefact cratered as the two swords gradually dug into the ive''s shaft, evoking the terror of the wielder.
Just as he thought he would be cut in tow along with his ive, Mason sent a Spell at Basil, prompting him to dodge it. It gave Gerhard enough chance to escape his predicament and make a distance.
"Be careful, Gerhard," Mason warned. "Look around you¡he has us wrapped around his finger."
"What do you mean¡?" Nervously, Gerhard looked around. Only then did he notice he was in an area that was surrounded by hundreds of swords. "Crumbs! It is his damned Aura Ability. This is why I hate facing a Knight."
"Don''t be nervous¡ªthere are two of us. While you may not win against him in closebat, you have me to support you¡. We are invincible!"
"You should have said it in a more convincing¡ª"
"Quick, he ising!"
Cursing under his breath, Gerhard confronted Basil the moment Mason warned him. He infused a huge amount of Mana into his ive and then activated his Art.
"[Dance of The Bloody Rain]!"
Gerhard spun at the same time he swung his ive. His ive produced a circr Mana de that grew bigger to cut anything near its circumference.
Basil had to take a step back and then countered the Art with [Boulder Splitter] to break the Mana de. In the process, Gerhard glided through the ground in a sh and then appeared before him soon after the Mana de was destroyed.
Gerhard was ready to m his ive down. Basil merely raised Durendal and then pointed Caliburn at Mason, who was ready to send another Spell at him.
nk!
Boom!
When the ive shed with Durendal, Basil quirked an eyebrow at how much power was put behind it. If not for the fact that he had a Barrier ready before him, he would have suffered an injury from the shockwave alone¡a very light injury, that is.
Flinging Gerhard powerfully to the right, he discharged a ball of light the size of a human head out of Caliburn to counter the beam that Mason was sending him. A big explosion immediately urred as soon as the two Spells crashed into each other.
BOOM!
In the chaos, Basil controlled the swords surrounding the area they were in and then distracted the iing Gerhard with them. They did their job well; they busied Gerhard so well that Gerhard couldn''t even block his kick.
As Gerhard was flown away, Basil sent six of the swords he was controlling at Gerhard after coating them with sharp and small Wind des. They cut through the air in the blink of an eye but, unfortunately, they couldn''t hit their target.
Shatter!
"Well, well, well¡. Look whom we have here."
Someone had joined the fight and he was strong enough to destroy all of the swords with a swat of his hand.
Chapter 413 Postponed Triumph (2)
"Well, well, well¡. Look whom we have here."
Basil gazed at the person who had just arrived at the battlefield, August Rancuser, solemnly. He had felt it at their first encounter but he still couldn''t help noting the fact that he had an instant dislike towards August.
Maybe it was because August was one of the people that had betrayed Caesar, the friend who had sacrificed himself for Basil''s sake or maybe it was due to the damage August had done to the Pacifer that he was getting fond of. Whichever it was, Basil didn''t care.
Getting out of the sticky situation was what mattered to him currently.
At Basil''sck of response, August scoffed. He was thinking maybe Basil was too nervous to say anything, which wasn''t the case.
He gazed at Gerhard and Mason from the corner of his eyes. The two were standing uprightly but none of them dared to take any step closer.
"Well, at least they know they will only get in the way." Moving his attention back to Basil, August sneered. "Thou canst not believe thou meetest me again this soon? Ku-Ku-Ku¡. Tremble thou should, Basil. None shall judge thee¡not even me."
"Ah, thou art getting ahead of thyself meseems," Basil replied calmly. "Thy Lord is just amused by how obsessed thou art with him."
August quirked his eyebrow, recalling the memories before the death of The Lord. "Ho-oh¡that smart mouth¡. How nostalgic."
That was the end of the conversation; the two immediately prepared themselves to go at each other. Basil activated [Synchronization], covering his body with golden armour and purple-coloured, shining veins. August took out his daggers and then twirled them in his hands.
Smirking at Basil, he said, "Durendal and Caliburn¡ªthose are thy swords, aren''t those? Ku-Ku-Ku. Formidable weapons they are indeed but they have no more than a name to them. Behold, my daggers, Canine of Bahamut!"
At August''s heated introduction of his Daggers, Basil blinked his eyes once. He had heard of how powerful Bahamut was but he didn''t get why August had to be that enthusiastic about having daggers made out of Bahamut''s teeth.
"My Brother, he who had been always hailed as the genius of Rancuser, encountered Bahamut when he was still weak. He was scarred and traumatized¡ªeven after he became strong, he didn''t dare to have a go at Bahamut. I, however, was different! I challenged the Dragon and¡ª"
"Thou didn''t beat it," Basilpleted. The one who had killed Bahamut, after all, was Goap, who had died in the First Outbreak two years and a half ago.
"¡that is¡yes, that is true. However! It was my first time being above my brother! Bahamut himself even admitted how good I was. Even though I failed to beat him, he still gave me his canines, which I turned into daggers!"
Basil merely smiled in amusement at how enthusiastic August was in bragging about his achievement. It seemed to him that no one had ever appreciated what August had done, which had led him to be this boastful.
"Thou art not aware of the reason why thy brother left the Dragon alone meseems. Let thy Lord tell thee. He had figured out that Bahamut didn''t have a bad heart, only bad tendencies, hence why it was better to leave Bahamut alone. Thou wert lucky that thou didst not evoke his anger."
The Guide had given him enough information about Caesar when he mused about thete Rancuser. He figured out what had happened between Caesar and Bahamut because of the Guide.
Although when he had first encountered Bahamut Caesar was indeed too weak to do anything to Bahamut, he was by no means fearful. Bahamut also didn''t have any intention to kill him at that time but, thanks to his eloquence, he managed to form a friendship with the Dragon.
This was why he never hunted for Bahamut even after he had enough power. It was clear that he had never told it to August, which was why he was so smug about it.
"Lucky? This one¡? Didst thou hit thyself in the head?" August sneered. "This one had almost beaten the Dragon hence he gave this one his canines."
"Hadst thou won, he shouldn''t have only given thee his canines, should he?"
"¡."
"Thou hast never beaten thy brother, August Rancuser. Caesar Rancuser was the one and only Rancuser who could stand on his own feet!"
"Die thou shalt, Basil Pacifer!"
August dashed at Basil; his Mana was on full st. From the Guide, Basil had learned that August was an Assassin. He was quirky and agile but not too good at closebat. Even the reason why he could render Caesar immobile in the past was that Caesar was a Spellcaster.
Due to that reason, Basil also dashed at him instead of waiting for him to arrive. Although Basil was confident in his speed, he couldn''t risk losing sight of the Rancuser; by closely following him, Basil''s chance of losing sight of him would diminish.
nk!
When the two people shed, even though Basil was using his full power against a Battlemage, he was still pushed back due to the difference in Mastery level. His hands trembled as he held off August''s daggers, prompting the said Rancuser to smirk condescendingly.
"Ho-Ho-Ho¡look at how shaky thou art, Basil Pacifer."
"Ah, look at how ipetent thou art, August. If thy Lord was on the same level as thee, dost thou think thou canst still smile?" Basil sneered. "No, thou canst not."
"Quotha[1]!"
The Mana stored inside August''s daggers burst forth,unching Basil to the back like a bullet. When he was ten metres away from August, Basil''s body abruptly stoppedunching. Both Caliburn and Durendal were shining; they discharged tworge Mana des as they were swung.
August scoffed at the two iing Mana des. He took them head-on with his daggers, destroying them as he swung his daggers effortlessly.
"[Path of Glory]!"
As thest Mana de was destroyed, an ethereal golden path formed in the air. It was quickly heading toward August, prompting him to dodge out of its course¡which was useless.
nk!
A blinding light gradually devoured him as he was pushed backwards by the ethereal path. The more the path expanded, the stronger it became. Eventually, he couldn''t hold it anymore. The ethereal path exploded, colouring the world in gold.
August wasunched like a bullet but didn''t suffer from any lethal injuries nheless; his Barrier was strong enough to protect him from an attack of that calibre. His hands that had made direct contact with the Art, however, still suffered from the scorching heat of the Art.
Swoosh!
With Wind Magic, he stopped hisunch. The golden light still hadn''t disappeared yet and when it did, Basil was already before him.
"Relentless, thou art not?"
"[Continent Cleaver]!"
Ignoring the straightforward name, August concluded the Technique was a fearsome one. It incorporated the usage of Mana into it, which made it more surprising if it didn''t serve its name.
As a Ninth Circle Mage, however, August wasn''t nervous like anyone, if they were in his position, would be. He had immense power¡ªit was enough to do what Basil''s Technique did¡ªso he knew he could survive.
"[Sky Scratcher]!"
In response to the rapidly descending Caliburn and Durendal, August swung his daggers upwards in a reverse grip. They shed with Basil''s swords, producing a loud ringing sound that echoed through the area 30 kilometres within them.
Crack!
Along with the eardrums-rupturing sound, the ground below the two cracked open. Both of them fell down the crack as it got wider and extended as if the world was splitting.
Such a phenomenon urred just because of the sh between an extraordinary Seventh Circle Mage and apetent Ninth Circle Mage.
Rumble!
On the other side of the battlefield, roughly 2 kilometres from Basil and August, Xander, Iliana, Ione, Deacon and the people they were fighting against stopped their fight to mind the relentless shaking of the ground. They turned their attention in the direction where August and Basil were and then widened their eyes when they found the ground cracking.
"Darn it! What are those two doing!?" Iliana cursed under her breath as she moved away from the crack''s course.
"Is it that rumoured Rancuser?" Ione wondered.
"My Lord is going wild. I wonder if those two are really¡" Xander paused mid-sentence when he noticed Gerhard and Mason running toward them. "Oh boy¡. No wonder it is so rowdy there."
Xander immediately knew Basil was fighting August, the backstabber whom he wanted to kill so bad. He sent the army he was fighting ten thousand air arrows before dashing at where Basil was, puncturing holes in the body of thousands of soldiers at once.
Following the crack, he stopped when he was almost sted away by a violent sh between two Mana of different natures. He had a bigger amount when he still had nine Magic Circles; now that he only had eight, he couldn''t help gulping nervously.
"My, my¡. That bastard aside, how does My Lord have this much Mana? What is he? A Dragon?"
Basil''s current stage of Mana Heart Cultivation was Amethyst Heart, which was halfway to thest stage that any human could ever reach. The amount of Mana his Mana Heart produced didn''t lose to that of Dragon''s and he could utilize all of them efficiently due to his Ultimate Circles.
If he were just any Seventh Circle Mage, he wouldn''t havested against August for more than three seconds. Ordinary Seventh Circle Mages would only die if they got caught in the crossfire, which was why Gerhard and Mason retreated.
Although he was still not invincible, the current Basil was strong enough to top 99% of the currently existing Eighth Circle Mages. The remaining 1% were those who were very skilled in the Magic Divisions that Basil had never heard or learnt of.
Boom!
Xander was shocked by an explosion that came from deep inside the crack. The shockwave almost took him off his feet, meanwhile, the explosion widened the crack for slightly more than a metre.
Just as he wondered if the fighting duo were intending to split the world in two, they came out of the crack in a sh. They flew into the air and then shed their weapons, crushing the edges of the crack below them.
Theynded on two different sides: Basil was on the side where Xander was standing, whereas August took the opposite side. Both of them were dishevelled but none of them panted in exhaustion; they were grinning faintly as if they had been having fun.
Holding Durendal sideways, under Xander''s baffled gaze, Basil softly said, "[Hidden Art: Haywire]!" He then turned to Xander and quirked an eyebrow. "Do you want to join the fun?"
Without thinking twice, Xander agreed.
¡ª¡ª¡ª
[1] Exmation of surprise or contempt.
Chapter 414 Postponed Triumph (3)
''He is moving weirdly¡. Has My Lord done something to him?'' Xander wondered as he observed August. ''It is as if he is fighting something inside him.''
[Haywire] was the Special Art Asia had that Basil had previously thought to be the secret ability belonging to Vagus. It would immediately take effect the moment Basil managed to cut his enemy.
[Haywire] messed with one''s nerves. In the early stage, those who were affected by it would lose their mobilities and injure themselves when they tried to move. Their bodies wouldn''t move the way they wanted. In thetter stage, it could even make those affected by it permanently bleed.
Previously, Basil still couldn''t utilize his Mana well enough to use [Haywire] up to its full potential. Now that he had be a Seventh Circle Mage, the Mana he previously couldn''t control could be controlled, dramatically strengthening the effect of [Haywire].
''Thisd¡he hath some interesting Art, he doth not?'' August thought as he fought the influence of [Haywire] that wreaked havoc in his body. He couldn''t get rid of the effect, so the only thing he could do was keep it at bay and adapted to it.
Swoosh!
When Xander''s scythe almost cut the tip of his nose, he cursed inwardly. His foot had twitched in the wrong way and it had almost cost him his nose.
"Oh, Xander¡look how the tables have turned," August sneered as he took a distance. "Thou used to be the one who constantly told me about how frail I waspared to my brother who fought in the frontline. Look at thee, now¡ªold and frail!"
"Shut it, baby boy. You are not stronger just because you have an extra Magic Circle," Xander scoffed in disdain.
Swish!
Utilizing his Movement Technique: Feather Step, Basilbined it with [Frictionless]. He dashed at August without making a sound, almost catching the Rancuser off guard as he suddenly appeared before him.
When he swung Durendal, August immediately assumed a blocking stance. The sh between the two weapons produced an intense shockwave that disintegrated the ground below the fighting people.
August''s daggers ttered as his hands shook uncontrobly. [Haywire] disturbed his focus so much that he couldn''t put much power into his hands.
"Smirk,d! Why thou dost not?" August smirked. "Smirk and let this one say the line!"
"Avaunt."
sting his Mana, Basilunched August away. He immediately crossed his swords and then swung them after using [Double Helix], which was the Technique that allowed him to cut and twist his opponent.
A double-helix-shaped light cut through the air like a sh, hitting August in less than a second. He was immediately covered in silverish blue and golden light as soon as he was hit; the air exploded in the next moment but no one could tell surely how he fared.
Whoosh!
As the shockwave swept past Basil, a disturbance could be felt in the air. August, who was already in a dishevelled state, was rushing at him with bloodshot eyes. He was radiating insurmountable anger which would scare a Sixth Circle Mage to death. Looking at it, Basil knew he shouldn''t be careless.
Activating [One With Nature], he utilized the Nature Mana that his Magic Circles absorbed. Countering August was not an option for him, so he would block August and then defend himself.
"[Aegeas]!" he muttered.
A shield made out of golden light appeared before Basil. It then encapsted him, obscuring people''s vision of him but still allowing him to see everything outside clearly. It was his self-made Defence Art¡ªone that was hailed as the impregnable Defence Art in his past life. The Art that none but him could use.
BOOM!
In his fight with Gorgophone in his past life, he had survived Gorgophone''s mysterious Art with [Aegeas]. This Art gave him an extremely formidable defence¡ªpowered by the Nature Mana, stopping August''s fierce swing was not out of the norm.
"What¡?"
August widened his eyes in shock and then frowned in bewilderment. The ground beside Basil had cracked open, allowing anyone to see the magma hidden underneath, but the ground where Basil was standing was harmless.
He wouldn''t say he had used his full power in his attack a few moments ago but he was sure that no Seventh Circle Mage should be able to use such a powerful Defence Art. His hands trembled as he tried to push forward but not even a crack was seen in the ethereal shield.
"Thee, ursed Pacifer!" he shouted indignantly.
Swish!
August had almost lost his head to Xander''s scythe. He managed to avoid death but he had to sacrifice the beard that he cherished. Xander smirked at what he had done but was not satisfied with it. He used Iron Magic and summoned thousands of iron des from the ground.
August clicked his tongue in annoyance and then swung his daggers fiercely hundreds of times. All of the des that Xander had made were either deflected or broken.
Despite surviving the onught, still, August wasn''t very happy. He knew what was waiting for him and he couldn''t help gritting his teeth when his guess turned out to be true.
Basil was already behind him when he turned around; Durendal and Caliburn were swung diagonally at the same time. Given his state, even August wasn''t very sure if it would be all right for him to just block Basil''s swords. There was also Xander to mind about, so his mind was in disorder.
"Gadzooks! I will repay you mongrels thousand times worse!"
In the end, he chose to y bold by risking the safety of his ninth Magic Circle. Overworking it, he sted all of the Mana it had.
"Die, you¡ªhuh¡?"
The moment he thought he had gotten Basil and Xander, he realized something odd. He was nning to disintegrate Basil with the sheer power of his Mana st; Basil must know what was going to happen, so seeing a triumphant smile on Basil''s face chilled his spine.
"My sword does more than you can think about," Basil whispered. "Die in your delusion, August. [Derailing Charm]!"
The world that had moved so slow that time seemed to stop, regained its natural speed. Basil''s visage disappeared like a lie and an explosion that was so big that it shook the entire area within 70 kilometres urred soon after.
BOOM!
[Derailing Charm]¡ªa terrifying Art of Vagus that let the user y with his opponent''s mind. The user could control his opponent to do the thing he wanted his opponent to do and even let the opponent see what his opponent wanted to see.
For stronger people to be able to be affected by it, one had to make sure they weren''t thinking straight. One had to make a situation that forced them to lower their mental defence, which was what Basil had done to August and Scy two years before.
"Phew¡look at how big the Mana Explosion is. Even though we have taken a distance, the Mana still almost envelopes us," Xandermented, looking at the perimeter of the dome of Mana enveloping August which was ten metres before him.
"Don''t let your guard down. You know something like that won''t kill him," Basil warned.
"This is annoying to admit but¡you are right, My Lord." Xander furtively nced at Basil and thought, ''If the current me fight with Lord Basil, do I have¡Nah. Just look at that poor bastard. My Lord toyed him like a baby! I might die by the time I know it.''
Imagining how it would unfold if he became an enemy with Basil made him shiver in terror. At the same time, however, he was extremely ecstatic since he couldn''t wait for how godly Basil would be when he became a Ninth Circle Mage.
Swoosh!
After some time, the Mana dome got smaller before eventually dispersing. August was revealed soon after. He was on his knees with his head lowered. His body is leaning to the back. His hands are hanging down limply on his sides. His daggers, however, are still held tightly.
His loose garment that was covering his upper body had disappeared, allowing Basil and Xander to see his red, half-burned skin. His body was still steaming; judging from theck of movement, he had lost consciousness.
"My Lord, it is time to¡ª"
"Thou shalt not move, Xander."
Despite so, Basil still reprimanded Xander for trying to immediately charge at that August. He looked around and noticed that the swords he had nted on the perimeter of the area were shaking uncontrobly.
"It is time to leave, Xander," he muttered seriously. "My knowledge regarding Space Magic is too shallow and thy Mana is simply too little to match his."
"What is happening, My Lord?" Xander gulped dryly at the urgency he sensed in Basil''s tone.
"August''s ability to bend space is returning."
Right after Basil said his piece, August that had been motionless the entire time raised his head and smirked at Basil. "Guess what,d? This one hath shattered thy trick!"
The swords that Basil had nted on the perimeter area, which he had used to seal the entire area to prevent August from using Space Magic, were pulled out of the ground by an unknown force. Basil immediately stored them inside Solomon''s Spatial Ring, grabbed Xander and teleported away.
¡at least, that was what he tried to do.
"Pray to thy God,d and he shalt tell thee that no amount of miracle could save thee!"
Warp!
The space bent a tenth second after Basil cast [Teleportation]. He was in the middle of crossing the Dimensional Tunnel but, thanks to that, he returned to the ce where he had cast the Spell.
"Oh cripes! This is going to get troublesome."
Knowing that there was no chance of them teleporting away, Xander prepared himself to fight. Basil remained silent and then immediately dashed at August who was still on his knees, which surprised Xander greatly.
"I shall distract him. Prepare the¡ª"
''¡[Teleportation],'' went unsaid. Just a second before Basil reached August; a dense, golden chain made out of Mana came sweeping at him.
nk!
It did nothing but threw him out of his course; however, that gave August a chance to exploit. Much to his annoyance, as soon as he regained his bnce, August was already behind him, daggers ready to strike his neck.
Boom!
His experience and meticulousness, fortunately, allowed him to block the daggers. Still, being able to do that meant nothing in the current situation.
"Ku-Ha-Ha! It has been a month, Basil Pacifer! I, Jaheim Abremson, am here bringing the Anti-Pacifer weapon with me!"
Basil''s golden eyes turned a shade darker as coldness filled them; looking at that, August grinned irritatingly. "This one hath broughtpany."
Chapter 415 Postponed Triumph (End)
Anti-Pacifer Weapon; the word was carved eternally in Basil''s mind. The Guide immediately informed him about it. It was an Artefact that protected the soul of the user and the people around him. It would reduce the odds of the Pacifer fighting them since it would prevent said Pacifer to attack their souls, which a Pacifer was good at.
The Artefact also disturbed the flow of Nature Mana within 2 kilometres of the area where the user was, which made it hard for the Pacifer to properly use [One With Nature]. It did no physical damage to the Pacifer but reduced the odds of the Pacifer winning quite significantly.
"I will take care of Jaheim!" Xander shouted.
Basil didn''t prevent Xander from doing so even though their current priority was escaping safely. As long as Jaheim was actively using the Artefact that was the bane of every Pacifer, he would not be able to fare against August well and might could even lose his life.
It was frustrating that their n of escaping had to be postponed but they needed to survive before escaping, so they had to fight.
"Feeling the pressure already, yeah?" August smirked as he looked at Basil''s trembling hands. "Thou must want to escape badly. What about thy women? Are they doing well on their own? Those two Kings, weak as they are, should be enough to decimate them."
"Chatty, thou art not?"
"Ku-Ku-Ku. Birds chirp when morninges; I am chatty when I am happy!"
Using Space Magic, August bent the space between them. Durendal and Caliburn were pulled toward the bent space, prompting Basil to focus on the two swords. August used this chance to kick Basil in his stomach. Basil managed to block the kick but he was, once again, thrown away.
While he was in the air, he observed his surroundings. Xander was holding his ground well against the Jaheim and the Priests. Jaheim was irked that he couldn''t face him because he couldn''t take his eyes off Xander. August, on the other hand, was dead set on him.
Devising a n that might help them get out of the predicament, Basil''s rm rang the moment he felt a disturbance in the space. August''s daggers appeared out of thin air, heading toward his neck.
It was too close for Basil to block but, thankfully, he could dodge them. The daggers didn''t manage to touch any part of his skin but they still managed to open the skin of his nose because of how powerful the swing was.
It was, of course, a minor injury¡ªit even disappeared a second after thanks to Basil''s absurd regeneration rate. As a counter-attack, Basil swung Caliburn upwards as soon as August revealed himself. August blocked it splendidly. He, however, didn''t expect what came next.
Caliburn suddenly emitted golden light, blinding him with its intensity. He immediately used Space Magic since he didn''t want to risk falling into Basil''s trap. Just as he was about to bend the space to escape, however, he realized something odd: Caliburn was no longer pushing his daggers and he could no longer bend the space.
He still couldn''t see anything but golden light but he now felt ''alone.'' He felt like he was in an isted room. He frowned deeply and then decided to test his assumption. Gathering Mana at the tip of his daggers, he discharged it as he swung them.
Swish!
Boom!
When the air surrounding him exploded, the golden light instantly disappeared like an illusion. Expecting to see the outside world, he frowned again when he saw more gold colour.
Looking up, he could see a golden sky that was decorated with thousands of gigantic swords. Looking below, he could see an endless in decorated with 100 centimetres tall golden grass.
When he looked around, he found countless normal-sized ded weapons floating above the golden grass. None of them was golden-coloured, just like the gigantic swords in the sky, but all the glint on them was menacing.
"This is the solution thou haste up with, Basil Pacifer?" Looking ahead, August smirked. "Not bad¡but thou art putting a restriction on thyself by doing this, thou art not?"
Floating above the golden grass, Basil said nothing to August''s question. August didn''t say anything wrong; by doing this, he was indeed limiting himself. Although he could prevent August from using Space Magic, he had to maintain his Domain, which required him to stay where he was.
In other words, for him to be able to get out of his predicament¡
"Thou art nning to kill this one?" August scoffed. "Thou art not the only one who hath a Domain, Basil Pacifer. I can also¡ªho-oh?" He quirked an eyebrow the moment he found he couldn''t materialize his Domain.
"Dost, thou know what to beware of a Pacifer? His ability to impair thy mind."
As the mystery was solved, August couldn''t help chuckling in amusement. Domain was the manifestation of one''s inner world. One needed a certain control over one''s subconscious to materialize it. Basil had cut the connection he had with his subconscious, making it impossible for him to materialize his Domain.
He didn''t need to ask when Basil did it. When [Haywire] took effect, he could feel there was something wrong in him other than it. He couldn''t put his finger on what it was at that time but, now, he could. Basil deactivated [Haywire], so Basil could focus on sealing his Domain.
Conjuring water and covering his hand with it, he took a look at himself when it turned to ice. "Well, it is impossible it seems to take the seal off." His gaze was nted on the golden, criss-cross pattern on his forehead.
"Let us fight to the death, shall we?" August smirked.
"''Let us fight until thou perishest,'' shalt be the right sentence."
"Ignorant fopdoodle!"
As August charged at Basil, Basilunched the ded weapons behind him at August. Each of them possessed a power that a High-Grade Spell cast by a Sixth Circle Mage had, which was enough to obliterate two-thirds of a hill.
With a wide grin on his face, August took the ded weapons head-on. As he parried and deflected them to the side, he recalled the time when he participated in the assassination of The Lord; countless swords were hurled at him and his fellows but they seeded in the end.
''Basil Pacifer¡let us see if thou wilt end differently.''
¡.
Bam!
A golden chain the size of a man hit the ground after failing to hit Xander.
"Darn it! What is this annoying chain trying to achieve? It is bloody annoying!"
Whenever he was about to deal heavy damage to Jaheim, the chain always came sweeping at him. It didn''t do him any physical damage; however, it always managed to turn the tables for Jaheim and the Priests.
One might wonder why he didn''t just go for the Priests. The reason was that he couldn''t. whenever he tried to, Jaheim always came to the rescue. When he was about to kill Jaheim, the Priests came to Jaheim''s rescue. He tried to attack them at once but it didn''t work. They were an extremely resilient bunch.
ncing at the golden dome a kilometre away, Xander wondered, "Sealing himself and August like that, what is My Lord trying to...holy cow! I should use this chance to escape."
One might wonder how Xander could just leave his Master behind. Their rtionship, however, was not like any other Master-Servant rtionship. Basil didn''t rely on his servants. His servants, on the other hand, too had high confidence in him.
Seeing Basil''s Domain, Xander immediately realized that Basil wanted him to go with Iliana and Ione first. He didn''t even need to think twice because he was sure Basil would find his way to escape.
"I am sorry for being a burden, My Lord," he muttered solemnly as he realized why Basil decided to do it this way. "I will convince the Young Lady to leave with me¡hopefully without putting my head on the line." He grimaced as he imagined how Iliana would react.
Twirling his scythe in his hand, Xander swung it widely afterwards, sending out a curved Mana de that was big enough to cut Jaheim and the Priests behind him at once. When they focused on blocking it, Xander immediately used it as a chance to teleport away.
Within a sh, he arrived before the army of Mason and Gerhard. He quickly looked for the two Kings, absolute that Iliana and Ione were fighting the two of them.
"What the¡?"
When he located the two Kings, however, he found them fighting with an extremely muscr man who was entirely dressed in ck. He had met all of Basil''s shadows and he was sure the man wasn''t one of them.
As he looked around to locate Iliana and Ione, someone touched his shoulder. His eyes widened in shock but, before he attacked whoever it was, a familiar voice stopped him.
"You have gotten dull, Xander."
"Young Lady Iliana!" Xander eximed. When he realized his mistake, he solemnly said, "I am sorry, Young Lady. You were surrounded by the Mana Signature of the people you have killed, so I couldn''t recognize you right away."
Dismissing the apology, Iliana asked, "Where is Basil?"
"My Lord is¡"
"Understood." Iliana nodded her head simply, bewildering Xander at how quick she epted things. "We will go save him."
"Eh?"
Seeing the confused look on Xander''s face, Iliana decided to exin the situation to him. Even before she could say anything, however, a body was flung toward them.
Bam!
"Kuhak!
Xander acted quick. He shielded Iliana with his body and then kicked the body away. The person who had been flung at them moaned in pain on the ground but none of them paid attention to him. It was because the person who had flung him wasing their way.
"This muscrd¡" Xander muttered.
When the person, who was the same muscr man Xander has seen earlier, arrived before them, he immediately scratched his head awkwardly. "Ah, I am really sorry for almost hitting you with this sissy bastard." He gestured at Gerhard. "I hope Basil will not consider me an enemy."
"This is Manfred von Grittenhein," Iliana introduced. "I am not sure where he stands but he is going to help us until we reach Padeitophys. That aside, let us¡ª"
BOOM!
She was about to say that it was time for them to save Basil when a beam pierced through the golden dome which was his Domain. The Domain dispersed quickly, revealing Basil and August who had been fighting for the past 10 minutes.
Putting the 2 kilometres wide crater below them aside, all of them were heavily injured: Basil''s forehead was covered in blood and his body was riddled with deep cuts; August suffered from deep cuts too but not as severe as the ones Basil had.
Both of them looked irate, not because of the wounds they sustained but the fact that they had their long hair cut. They had lost to each other but they knew it was but a postponed triumph for both of them.
Basil left the scene and August didn''t move an inch, bewildering the people who witnessed it. None of them understood what happened and the way the two thought.
Chapter 416 The Establishment
"We shall depart."
"Huh?"
"Uh¡is it okay to just¡leave like this?"
When Basil arrived before Xander and Iliana, the two looked at him hesitantly. They could see that August was staying where he was but they were reluctant to show him their backs.
No one who sided with the Church behaved with honesty. All of them were living off of lies¡ªtricks and deceit were part of their lives. Betting on the words of such people was not worth the risk. Out of 10 chances, after all, they would betray one 11 times.
Basil, who understood their concern, immediately exined. "He hath figured out how fragile his life is even though he can live forever. He who holdeth his life dear will be afraid of death. He will do anything to avoid it."
Before Xander opened his mouth to ask for confirmation if what he thought was the case, he was beaten by Manfred, who had been silently observing Basil since he came. "I am sorry for barging into the conversation but I want to know if you have beaten that old fart badly?"
"Another sh between us will render his ninth Magic Circle useless," Basil responded. "However, I will also have to forfeit my life since my Qi Core is close to exploding."
Manfred looked at the injuries Basil sustained, which were rapidly closing, and then chuckled both in amusement and nervousness. "The wounds were not the cause of why you stopped, huh? What a monster¡. It was a wise choice for me to stand on your side."
The reason why they both decided to call it a day was that all of them would meet their end had they continued fighting. Both Basil and August liked to fight but neither of them wanted to waste their lives on a fight that didn''t worth their lives.
August had lived long enough to enjoy the perks of being immortal, so he didn''t want to die just because it was necessary to kill Basil. He knew how dangerous Basil would be in the future but he was sure there would be another chance for him to kill Basil.
Basil, on the other hand, still had many other things to do. He could be the first Seventh Circle Mage to ever kill a Ninth Circle Mage, an old one at that, but he didn''t think it was worth his life; thus, he also chose to retreat.
Both of them still bore hatred for each other, not because they had failed to kill the other party, though, but because the other party had cut their hair. August, especially, was extremely indignant that he had to also regrow his beard.
"Duke August, what are you doing!? Chase after them!" Jaheim shouted as Basil andpany disappeared from the scene.
"Hmph! Chase him by thyself then," August retorted irately. "If thou thinkest that Anti-Pacifer weapon of thine shall work against him, then prepare to eat dirt. The reason why you lot could even kill the Lord was that you were lucky."
Jaheim''s expression immediately darkened. "Are you saying that not even the power of our Gods can defeat him? I understand how formidable you are, Duke August, but topare¡ª"
"I won''t stop thee," August whispered. "Chase after him¡ye twat."
Jaheim gulped nervously at August''s spitefulment. He realized that August was genuinely irked, so he immediately dropped the matter; as confident as he was in his Gods, after all, he was sure August''s hands could end his life faster than his Gods'' miracle could save him.
He let August leave the scene and gazed in the direction where Basil was heading with clutched hands. He did his best to ignore Gerhard and Mason''s soldiers whom Basil''spany had defeated, so he could keep his blood pressure under control.
Unaware and uncaring of how much they had irked Jaheim, Basil''spany focused their gaze on him. They still wanted to know just how he could fight toe to toe with a Ninth Circle Mage.
They got that he was the Fated Child, the one who possessed absurd power, but a Ninth Circle Mage was a Ninth Circle Mage. Although they were only two Magic Circles apart, the disparity in power was, after all, equal to a Sixth Circle Mage and a Third Circle Mage.
''Has the soul of The Lord entered the body of My Lord,'' Xander wondered.
''Has he received it¡ªthe blessing of God, Divinity?'' Iliana and Ione thought, basing it on what they had been taught.
''Thisd¡is he secretly a Ninth Circle Mage? Should I call him Grandmaster from now on?'' clueless, Manfred assumed.
Feeling the gaze pinning him for an answer, Basil opened his mouth not long after. "Thou hast decided to abandon thy kingdom, Manfred?"
"Hm? Ah, no. If you are wondering why I came alone, it is because I left my soldiers at the border between Padeitophys and BA-27. Quite a lot of Pdins are stationed there, so I want them to have some fun with those bastards."
"They are ready to intercept us, it seems," Basil remarked. "Then, why thou hast chosen to stand on my side?"
"I will not survive one blow from a Ninth Circle Mage, let alone injuring one. For you, a Seventh Circle Mage, to be able to almost kill one must be a good enough reason to side with you, mustn''t it? I am just ying safe. It is shallow but I believe it will get deeper each day."
The question of how Basil could do it remained unasked but he got that the people still wanted to know. Had the situation been different, he would have told them the moment they wondered about it; unfortunately, doing so right now would only expose his weakness.
He had used a Forbidden Technique that overworked his Qi Core to force August to overwork his ninth Magic Circle. The reason why his Qi Core had almost exploded, however, was the Dragon Curse.
"I cultivate my heart like a Dragon, turning them into a Mana-producing organ. My Magic Circles'' quality surpasses those existing in this world," he exined without exining anything. "None but me can do that."
"The privilege of being the Fated Child, huh?" Xander muttered wryly.
Deacon sped up and the only running duo¡ªXander and Manfred¡ªfollowed suit. They rushed to Padeitophys at an absurd speed, leaving dust behind them for those after them to bite.
¡.
On their way back to Padeitophys, the Elves that joined Tinuviel in her quest along with Alphonse and his army were having one of the hardest times in their lives. They had only needed twenty minutes to decide that they wouldn''t be able to hold the Demons in BA-27.
The Chimaera that Dantalion created was an abomination. It was their biggest obstacle. Not only was it hard to injure, but its attacks were also fearsomely destructive. Because of it, it was hard for them to kill as many Demons as they could.
Burst!
"Kuaaahhhk!"
Another fire breath was shot and a couple of people were burned to ashes.
"Persist! Don''t let yourrades die in vain!" Alphonse shouted to distract the people from the heart-wrenching scream of agony.
"Lord Basil is on his way. Victory shall be ours when he arrives¡ªsurvive and you shall prosper!"
"Uwoh! Fight! Fight! Fight!"
"Let us be there when we triumph!"
Given how hard it had been for them, with theck of information about how and where Basil was currently, the people had turned slightly sceptical of him. He mighte and he might not; when he came, he might not seed also in killing the Chimaera.
Pessimism is a disease when one is faced with a sticky situation; it will drive one to despair, killing one''s motivation to keep going forward. They knew it well, fortunately, so they could still keep those thoughts at bay.
Boom!
"Darn it!" Alphonse cursed. A meteor the size of an adult human head had just struck the ground beside him.
Clicking his tongue in annoyance, Cyane eximed, "Your Majesty, let me¡ª"
"Keep moving!" Alphonse cut. "I have lost enough men. I can''t bear to lose another one."
"But¡" Cyane tried to argue but decided to obey in the end. He knew he would only deliver himself to the door of death if he faced the Chimaera alone.
Screech!
Taking advantage of the fact that the people were upied by the Chimaera, the Middle-ss Demons, who could catch up to the people, attacked. While none of them could kill any of the people, they still managed to give a quite concerning injury to the people.
The Elves and many of the Knights sat in reverse on their Hexapod Horses. The Elves sent the Demons their highly destructive arrows, meanwhile, the Knights sent their Qi des or any other kinds of ranged attacks.
Hundreds of Demons were killed but they were forced to stop attacking and focused on running again as the Chimaera prepared to counterattack. It had been repeated so many times that it could be called a cycle now.
Ring!
When the lion head of the Chimaera roared, the people immediately lost their hearing. Their heads were vibrating as their worlds rocked wildly.
For a moment, they forgot why they were running and what they were running away from. They had experienced it many times before, however, so they immediately looked back. Eyes widened spotting the Chimaera, they returned to normal¡at least, most of them.
Those who didn''t manage to shake off the influence of the Chimaera''s mental attack fell and then got killed by the Demons. It was such a saddening scene to see, hence they immediately turned around while doing their best to silence the unfortunate people''s screams of agony.
Woong!
The ground vibrated as the air hummed. The people kept their focus on the front, unwilling to figure out what was happening behind them; they didn''t want to even demoralize themselves.
Because of that, it was such a surprise for them when they noticed a blinding golden light on the ground. Turning around as they couldn''t help their curiosity any longer, a wide grin immediately appeared on their faces when they saw the Demons were enveloped by the light.
Not far away on their left, a young, handsome man was standing on the back of a Tyrant Saberwolf with the golden sword in his left hand extended forward. He was in a slightly dishevelled state but none could match his overbearingness.
The person they had been waiting for, Basil Pacifer hade...with a new look. He didn''t look too happy about it, though; so, when he bombarded the Demons chasing them with his ded weapons after the golden light dissipated, the people got nervous too.
Chapter 417 The Establishment (2)
Boom! Boom!
Iliana, Ione, Xander, Manfred, Alphonse, Tinuviel and the rest of the army looked at Basil silently as he bombarded the Demons with the ded weapons he was controlling. He was dissatisfied with the oue of his battle against August, so he was venting it on them.
The ground shook as craters and trenches appeared in the ground. The amount of Mana filling the area was slightly suffocating even though he didn''t st his Mana towards the people.
Whenever a big explosion urred, Iliana and the others would cringe meanwhile the soldiers tried their best to keep themselves standing. They had epted the fact that they were nothing but spectators, so they didn''t even try to help him.
Swoosh!
By the time Basil stoppedunching his ded weapons, all of the Demons had died. Their disfigured bodies littered the ground, colouring it blue with their blood.
The ordinary Demons, surely, were not the focus of the Elves and the army''s attention. There was an abomination that had threatened their lives ever since they ran away from the 27th Obelisk, the Chimaera that hadn''t done anything whilst Basil was bombarding the Demons with his ded weapons.
"Hm? Cripes¡! This is ludicrous¡" Alphonse muttered.
"Formidable indeed," Manfredmented with a smirk.
"Lord Basil¡this Monster¡" Tinuviel mumbled softly.
When the dust cleared up, nothing obstructed the appearance of the Monster that Dantalion created. The Chimaera that had been terrorizing the Elf Army and the Frachtenhein Army could be seen covered with a dark Barrier powered by Miasma.
It was unharmed, which made it look rather oundish since it was the only whole thing in the destroyed area. From the Mana Pressure that Basil had exuded, the people could tell how powerful his attack was, so the scene made them gulp dryly.
If a mere creation was already that formidable, they wondered if the creator was impossible to beat. This thought, of course, belonged to Tinuviel, Alphonse and their armies.
"Quite tough, huh?" Xandermented, sounding unimpressed.
"Miasma is pretty troublesome, it seems," Iliana remarked, sounding uninterested.
"An imitation Monster that can use Miasma? Intriguing," Ione voiced out her thought.
Those who had a rough idea of how far Basil could go weren''t impressed by the Chimaera in the slightest. As terrifying as it looked, they had seen even worse; furthermore, they knew Basil didn''t even consider it dangerous.
Theirments certainly attracted the attention of the others. None of them, however, paid any mind to the female Pacifers and Xander because their eyes were nted on Basil, who was rapidly approaching the Chimaera.
Expecting it to prepare something, the people were bemused when the Chimaera decided to keep shielding itself with the Barrier. It looked afraid of what Basil was going to do and they got to know why it was the case in the next moment.
Shatter!
With a swing of Caliburn, the Barrier that had been tough enough to block Basil''s bombardment broke into pieces. The Chimaera recoiled in surprise at the same time the people who had tasted its terror widened their eyes in bewilderment.
Burst!
It was, however, quick to act. Its goat head shot fire out of its mouth, engulfing Basil with it. The air warped due to the heat the fire produced. The people watching had to even cover themselves with Qi or Mana to prevent burns.
Because of this, the people were naturally worried about Basil''s condition. It was soon proven to be unnecessary, though, since the Barrier Basil had covering himself was strong enough to withstand the fire.
They sighed in relief upon finding Basil was unharmed and then gasped in shock and astonishment when he cut the Chimaera in two with a swing of Durendal. The ground below the Chimaera cracked open, creating a fault that extended up to three kilometres.
Thud!
As the bisected body fell to the ground, the people took their attention away from the fault and then looked at the body in doubt. They expected it to stitch itself back and then go on a rampage because of how hard the time they had spent due to its terror.
It didn''t stitch itself back but the action Basil did next made it clear to them that it was still alive.
"I know thou art watching, Dantalion. Retreat and wreak havoc somewhere else. I am not in the heart to be provoked, hence ''tis better not to test my patience."
Basil was talking to the goat head of the Chimaera, which was the only head that wasn''t cut by his Technique earlier. Said head didn''t twitch a muscle but its pupils were constricting and dting as its eyes stared into Basil''s.
No answer came out of the mouth of the head but Basil kept waiting. The people watching him didn''t think he was wasting his time since they, too, wanted to know what the head had to say.
The moment, fortunately, came soon after.
"No wonder Goap lost¡humanity has you on their sides," came the soft voice of a male out of the goat head. "It has been years since Ist saw a male Pacifer. Greetings, the new Lord of Pacifer; my name is Dantalion, one of the former Great Dukes of Hell."
"Heed my words, Demon."
"Of course, Lord Basil. This one will heed your words," Dantalion replied with a lighthearted chuckle. "In exchange, I want us to spend some time together in the future. That brilliant mind of yours sure will give me some insights into my research."
Dantalion sounded sincerely happy at the prospect of being able to spend time talking about his research with Basil. Basil knew it wasn''t fabricated because the Guide had informed him that Dantalion had an unquenchable thirst for knowledge.
"Very well, Lord Pacifer, see you¡ª"
Boom!
Even before Dantalion could finish his sentence, Basil sted the goat head with his Mana. He burned the rest of the body afterwards and then joined Iliana and the others.
He was less dissatisfied than a few moments ago but there was still no one who dared to start a conversation with him. When he motioned for them to march, theyplied; just like that, they reached the border and encountered Manfred''s soldiers.
¡.
"They are stronger than I expected." Manfred shook his head as he looked at the bodies of his soldiers littering the ground. "No, they are stronger than what I am willing to believe."
The Pdins and the Priests sent to intercept Basil and his supporters were already defeated; however, the amount of loss Manfred''s army suffered made him frown. The Pdins and the Priests were barely one-third of his army but they had managed to decimate two-fifths of his soldiers.
Turning his eyes to the Warriors and the rest of Basil''s supporters that had also arrived at the border, Manfred muttered, "I wonder if it would have been bigger if it hadn''t been for them." He, once again, patted himself on the back for siding with Basil.
The amount of Seventh Circle Mages within a Kingdom was countable; at most, it was 60 people. Braxtein itself had 56 people¡ªwhich now had been reduced to 38¡ªwhich made it the strongest out of the Five Kingdoms.
Basil had 70 Eighth Circle Mages and 18 Seventh Circle Mages on his side, which was rming considering what a single Eighth Circle Mage could do. He was also dangerous by himself since, despite being a Seventh Circle Mage, he could almost defeat a Ninth Circle Mage.
If Basil wanted to, Manfred was sure he could take over Braxtein. He didn''t, however, which made it even more terrifying. Manfred wondered what Basil was trying to achieve and he couldn''t figure it out. He knew it was something, though, so he swore to remain on Basil''s side.
"We should be able to handle the situation here. We will cooperate with the Elf to defend Padeitophys. You should go, Basil. I am sure you need to do something in Huaxia."
As Manfred was busy organizing his army, Anthony was talking with Basil. The initial n was for Basil to apany them to Padeitophys before Basil left for Huaxia; he was suggesting Basil immediately left for Huaxia and left everything to them.
Basil would have done that even without Anthony suggesting him if he had nothing to do there; however, it wasn''t the case. Some people whom he wanted to meet were waiting for him in Padeitophys. Besides¡
"Worry not, my friend. That wretch shall note at us for a few weeks."
"How so?"
"He knoweth his life''s worth¡ªa threat was enough to deter him."
"¡."
As usual, Anthony was speechless at the thing Basil had managed to do. He had thought that he would get used to Basil''s abnormality after so long but he became even more bewildered the more he saw what Basil was capable of doing.
"Lad, everything is ready. Sorry to make you wait," Manfred said as he walked over.
Waving his hand lightly, Basil replied, "We shall get moving then."
"Right. Let me¡ª"
"Just stay where you are, Manfred," Basil stopped Manfred who was about to lead his troops.
Before he could ask anything, Xander turned to Basil and nodded his head, "The preparation is ready, My Lord."
"Commence!"
An overwhelming amount of Mana descended upon the ce after Basil''smand. A huge Teleportation Magic Circle appeared on the ground below the people, powered by the Mana of Basil''s Warriors.
Knowing what would happen, everyone stood in their ce uprightly. In the next moment, a blinding light engulfed them, taking them away from the ce when it died down.
"This is¡?"
"The air¡so fresh."
"The amount of Mana in the air boggles my mind."
When they regained their vision, they were greeted by gigantic trees surrounding them like guardians; they had arrived at the Teleportation Field of Padeitophys. First-timers were astonished by how clear the air was and how rich the Mana was in it.
"Wee, Lord Basil. It has been a while."
When Estel, the Chieftain of the Phosdio n greeted Basil, the humans stopped paying to the scenery. They looked at the elderly Elf who was bowing politely in wonder.
"Have they arrived, Estel?"
"One heeded my request and one didn''t," Estel answered regretfully. Brightening up in the next moment, she added, "However, Lord Basil, this one guarantees his people''s whole cooperation if you manage to convince him."
"I thank thee for the favour."
"Ah, that is not necessary." Estel waved her hand, flustered. "Kuhum! Very well, Lord Basil, I think it is time for you to meet him. Siofra is currently talking to him but I am sure he can''t wait any longer to see you."
Motioning for Estel to lead the way, Basil followed her to her private garden, leaving the people behind. Once they reached there, they found Siofra talking with a man with short stature but full of muscles; he was d in a simple armour that was covered by a ck furry jacket.
Upon sensing Basil''s presence, he stood up from his seat and turned to face Basil.
"You are tall¡and big."
This was one of the people whom Basil wanted to meet¡ªthe Emperor of the Dwarves, Heragon Axellin.
Chapter 418 The Establishment (End)
A week after Basil and his supporters entered the Dungeon to hide, Basil asked Estel to meet the Emperor of the Dwarf and the Emperor of the Demi-Human. He asked her to tell them that he wanted to meet them, so they could establish fair and advantageous cooperation.
No matter how strong he would be in the future, Basil wasn''t arrogant enough to think he could keep his people alive by himself. He needed allies and, for that, any other race than the human race would be the perfect option.
He had never met any of the supreme leaders of the other races directly, other than Eloreth, neither in this life nor in his past life; however, he was sure they would be willing to cooperate. The Pacifer, after all, had helped every race in the past.
They might not know him yet, nor did they know what he was capable of; however, they wouldn''t be insolent enough to ignore the request for aid from the descendant of their benefactors. This was what Basil thought and he was half correct.
Out of the two Estel had invited, only one paid any mind to the invitation. The Demi-Human Emperor found the idea of helping him ludicrous, ignoring the fact that he was fighting for the Pacifer...in a way.
"You are tall...and big," Heragon Axellin, the Emperor of the Dwarf remarked as he looked up at Basil. "When Siofra said you were a neen-year-old young man, I expected you to look na?¡¥ve and...fragile. This is a very pleasant surprise."
Heragon barely reached Basil''s waist when he stood straightly; he was 158 centimetres tall, which was very tall for a Dwarf. What made him fearsome, other than his face that was decorated with scars and an eternal frown, was his physique which was a half times burlier than Basil''s.
Such was the trait of Dwarves. They were short but ludicrously powerful and Heragon was the most powerful amongst others.
"Let''s shake hands, young man." Heragon extended his hand casually, ignoring the urge to treat Basil with respect.
Basil extended his hand and Heragon immediately snatched it. In the next moment, Heragon grasped Basil''s hand as powerfully as he could, causing the veins in his arm to be more prominent and his muscles to contract.
The air between the two exploded, showing how powerful Heragon''s grasp was. The spectators, namely, Estel and Siofra looked at the two in worry as they were afraid an unnecessary brawl would ensue soon after.
Paying no mind to the elderly Elves'' concern, Heragon smirked. "Young man...you are formidable, aren''t you?"
He couldn''t grasp Basil''s hand any tighter but he still couldn''t crush it. Basil didn''t even show any change of reaction, so it was as bewildering as it was astonishing for him.
"I am clept Basil Pacifer," Basil said calmly.
"Oh, I am called Heragon Axellin. Nice to meet you, Lord Pacifer," Heragon replied with a smile.
"Very well, ''tis time to let go of my hand, dost thou agree not?"
"Why don''t you--"
Heragon couldn''t finish his sentence as his attention was attracted to his hand. He was about to taunt Basil by saying he could try to free his hand from his grasp himself but Basil did that even before he said that.
What made it bewildering for him, though, was the fact that Basil could casually open his hand as if nothing was hindering it. He did it without utilizing a slight amount of Mana, which was absurd for Heragon since he didn''t believe a human would possess that much raw physical strength.
Boom!
When Basil managed to free his hand, Heragon''s hand grasped nothing but air. The air exploded a little louder this time since it fully took the impact of his grasp.
Moving his attention from his hand to Basil, Heragon stayed silent for a few seconds. He looked deeply into Basil''s eyes beforeughing boisterously afterwards.
"Ku-Ha-Ha! A formidable young man indeed. Formidable! Come, sit with me. Let me hear what you are proposing, Lord Basil."
At Heragon''s gesture, Basil nodded his head lightly meanwhile the two elderly Elves sighed in relief. He then sat before Heragon as the two Elders stood behind the chair he was sitting on.
"Tell me about it, Lord Basil."
"I need thy help."
Humming to himself as he scratched his chin, Heragon remarked, "I think I prefer talking with Basil Pacifer than the Lord Basil Pacifer. Do I have the chance to?" The question caught Siofra and Estel off guard but Basil didn''t even blink as he deactivated his Pacifer Seal. "Now, that looks better."
"Was it repulsive--the way I talked?" Basil asked.
"No. That sounded normal to me. Back then humans did speak like that and I did too at one point. It is still shocking, though, that such a young man has such an old taste." Heragon smiled. "I believe, though, ites out, not because you want it. Am I wrong?"
"I neither want it nor repel it. I just let it flow."
"Because it is a good fa?¡ìade, no?" Heragonughed softly but deeply. "I want to know you better, Basil Pacifer. Your Lord Basil Pacifer persona is still you but I want to know you as a person, not as a leader."
"I like to believe that I remain myself no matter what role I assume but I won''t refute your statement."
Basil couldn''t activate his Pacifer Seal without being connected to the Fragments inside him. He had tried many methods, only to be met with utter failure.
Whenever he was connected to the Fragments inside him, he would feel like he was himself and not himself at the same time. He could control his emotion, so he didn''t behave overly merciful and warm; however, he had never tried to reign over his mannerism and speech.
At first, he still considered it him being himself by not caring about those that didn''t bring him harm. After so long, he had gotten used to behaving that way. That persona of him had be his other self and he didn''t even realize it. He had gottenfortable with it because he could hide his true self behind it.
Like what Heragon said, it was but a fa?¡ìade.
"Teenagers have it rough, eh? Do you still think that you have to suit yourself to the situation?" Heragon chuckled in amusement. "Just be yourself, Basil. People follow you not because they deem you worthy as a leader but because they believe in you."
"...I will keep that in mind." Basil nodded his head calmly, whilst inwardly cursing his teenage hormones for making him do things that he used to do in the past: allowing the situation to determine how he behaved. ''That is not overbearing at all. Hmph!''
...apparently, the person himself had realized that he was overbearing.
"Now that I am already talking to you, what are you proposing?"
"The guarantee of the Dwarf''s existence."
"Hah!"
Basil''s sure and decisive answer made it hard for Heragon to hold back his amusement. He knew brazen Basil was but he didn''t Basil to say that in the slightest.
"Aren''t you too confident to say something like that? Don''t you realize where you are standing right now?"
"I am standing before the world that is ready to pounce on me. I have allies and I need more to protect the existing ones."
"So, you are saying that you need sour involvement just because you want to minimize the loss the Pacifer and the Elf will suffer?" Heragon quirked his eyebrow as he nced at Siofra and Estel.
"That is the case indeed."
Heragon scuffed in amusement but not in a hostile way. "What will you do if I don''t help, Basil?"
"Given how things are developing, the Elves will end up on the brink of extinction, meanwhile I and my soon-to-be wife will be thest Pacifers in this world. Of course, I shall have won by that time and none but the remaining Elves and my soon-to-be-wife will be alive."
"That sounds like a threat," Heragonmented with a smile as he leaned forward. "Tell me, Basil Pacifer, what is your end goal?"
"To create a world where those I dear can live happily without worrying for their lives."
"No, no, no. That is not what I mean." Heragon shook his head. "I know you have something bigger to achieve."
Basil stared at Heragon silently as Heragon''s grin got wider. He didn''t know what Heragon expected but he seemed to be very excited to hear it. He wondered if he should say it due to the nature of the answer. In the end, however, he decided it would be amusing to see Heragon''s unamused look.
"I want to set my foot on the Heavenly Throne and send who caused my misery to oblivion."
Contrary to his expectation, Heragon chortled excitedly while pping his thighs. Heragon stood up and then held his shoulders in vigour.
"Let us, Dwarves, ride on your boat. We want to see the day when you pull those bastards above down to the realm of mortals. I can''t wait to smite those bastards'' heads."
Dwarves didn''t worship any Gods written in the history of the world; however, they believed in Gods. Dwarves had existed since the Age of Gods. They had coexisted with Gods until, one day, they were left behind when the Heavenly Throne was found.
Gods were said to be fond of Dwarves because they had great craftsmanship. Many of the Gods had asked the Dwarves to forge their weapons, so their rtionship could be considered good.
That was, however, until Hephaestus, who got jealous of the Dwarf''s craftsmanship used their Prince, Fafnir of being a greedy hoarder after killing his father.
? Said Prince was Cursed and turned into a Dragon before being sealed in the golden mine deep inside the earth, much to the Dwarf''s dissatisfaction. This was the reason why they lived underground and kept mining; they wanted to find their wronged Prince.
Ever since then, their rtionship strained. It got even worse when Gods found a new realm and left the Dwarf behind, who had done much for them.
"I need to remind you that we may find ourselves having the same enemy," Basil said matter-of-factly.
"It is fine. I am not that vengeful to kill all of them. Ha-Ha-Ha!"
Basil just wanted to figure out who gave him the chance to live the second time--who the mastermind of the grand scheme was. As long as none of the Gods was hostile toward him, he didn''t find it necessary to make enemies with all of them.
When they acted up, of course, he would bring the Age of Gods to an end...for real this time. Just like that, a new faction was established.
Chapter 419 After Years
"Very well. I will excuse myself. I like to stay a bit longer but I know doing that will only hold you back," Heragon said as he smirked at Basil. "Please, doe to our Empire after your matter is settled. We will still fully cooperate even if you don''t but I will be thankful if you do."
Whispering, he continued, "My people will be ecstatic meeting the sessor of the only person who didn''t leave us behind with those Demons." He winked yfully and then left while waving his hand lightly.
The ground rumbled; as Heragon stopped in his tracks, a mouth-like earthen structure came out of the ground. It devoured him and then submerged into the ground. Heragon''s presence entirely vanished, indicating that he was no longer around.
Uncaring to the unique exit, Basil recalled the thing Heragon had said a few moments ago: "¡the only person who didn''t leave us behind with those Demons." He wondered just what The Lord was thinking to decide to remain in the Mortal World.
Was he nning to decimate all of the Demons by himself? Was that why he created the Pacifer n? If that was the case, where was he before the human poption hit rock bottom?
Questions filled his head. The more he thought about them, the more questions popped up. In the end, he shook his head to clear his thoughts. He lived in the present. What happened in the past and what might happen in the future were irrelevant to him now. Reminding himself this, he kept the thoughts forter.
Turning to Estel and Siofra, Basil said, "''Tis time for me to depart. Although I am confident Dantalion won''te tomorrow, I am not daring enough to say he won''te the day after. Therefore, until my return, do be careful."
Siofra chuckled lightly, earning a wondering look from Basil. "Ah, pardon me. I can''t help myself." She covered her mouth with her hand. "You have epted that persona of yours as part of yourself, it seems. The way you talk faintly resembles that of your persona."
"I won''t deny I have gotten to be fond of talking that way." Basil nodded lightly. "Rather than a persona, however, I prefer to call it a fa?ade, made to separate myself from the rest of the world¡. I was afraid that the environment would taint me, slowly making me forget who I was."
Basil didn''t like opening up to people. In his past life, the only people he had ever opened up to were Irene and Iliana. In this life, he had never once opened up since he felt the people that he knew weren''t exactly the people he had known in the past. Therefore, he couldn''t help frowning after what he said to Siofra.
Looking at that reaction, Estel and Siofra smiled at the same time. "Being old is weird, isn''t it? Despite having many people surrounding us, we still feel alone because of our different way of perceiving the world. Talking to someone of your peers takes care of that loneliness, no?"
"We don''t dare to pry about you but we cannot pretend to not see what is presented before our eyes. We are not as good as the Pacifer but we still can tell you have a very ''experienced'' soul," Siofra exined with a smile.
"Experienced¡yes, experienced. That is the correct expression." Basil smiled softly. "We shall talk some more in the future, Estel, Siofra. It may hurt my future wife but this is my first time feeling like I am genuinely talking."
"We will always wait for you, Lord Basil," Estel and Siofra said in unison.
Saying his farewell, Basil immediately left for Alphoetra Vige, which was where he believed Iliana and the others would be. He encountered many Elves on the way; all of them bowed to him respectfully even though he wasn''t looking at them.
He didn''t mind being treated like such, though. Rather than hearing people screaming his name, saying how much they adored him, he preferred people showing their respect for him that way.
After five minutes of walking, Basil arrived at Alphoetra Vige. The Elf Warriors didn''t waste their time; as soon as they saw him, they immediately escorted him. Guided to the biggest guest manor Alphoetra Vige had, he met Iliana and the others.
They looked at him in wonder but no one asked where he had gone to or whom he had met. Instead, they waited for his farewell because they knew he was leaving soon.
"I am departing soon," he began. "Dantalion only has thirty-six Legions under hismand; however, he is more terrifying than Goap ever could be. He creates Monsters like Chimaera for fun, so you have to be careful."
The people looked at him in wonder at the way he spoke. They had heard him talk the old-fashioned way for a month straight, so they felt slightly weird hearing him talk like that.
Iliana stepped forward. "Be careful on your journey. I am sorry I am not strong enough," she said as she hugged him. She was self-aware, so she didn''t even try to make Basil bring her with him. She didn''t want to burden him.
"We will wait for your return, My Lord," Ione said as she approached the couple. Standing awkwardly before the couple, she didn''t know what to do next. "Uh¡I think that is¡ª"
Ione was silenced when Basil put his hand on her head. He wasn''t blessing her; he just wanted to ruffle her hair. It was something that Basil had never done before. It made her feel that the barrier that had always been separating them had finally shattered.
"I will leave Iliana in your care, Ione."
"Trust my wit and you shall not be disappointed, My Lord."
"Disappointed I never have."
Taking his head off Ione''s head, he turned to Chester and ke who immediately nodded their heads. They weren''t good at expressing themselves, so they preferred giving their farewell in a simple way; the Warriors and those whom he considered friends did too.
Lastly, Basil turned to Anthony. Amara jumped at Basil as soon as their eyes met and then hugged him like it was herst day seeing him. It pained her heart that her biological son had gone down the wrong path. Basil had spent a good amount of time with her over the past two years, so she couldn''t help considering him as another son of hers.
"Your journey will be hard. Bring my heart with you and you shall return to me," she muttered as she rubbed Basil''s back warmly.
In response, Basil hugged her lightly and patted her back. "I am not going to die, so you don''t have to act like I am going to."
"Hush! This moment is rare, Basil. Let your mom have her moment."
"Who is my¡" shrugging, in the end, Basil let Amara do her thing.
When Amara let go of him, Anthony and Margaret, also known as, Mei Qi, stepped forward. Mei Qi said nothing, meanwhile, Anthony put his hand on Basil''s shoulder.
"I won''t wish you luck or warn you to be careful. You are way more capable than me; I am sure you understand what you should and shouldn''t do. I, however, want you to forgive me if my wife hinders you on your journey."
Anthony already knew Basil didn''t need a guide so he could reach Huaxia safely; therefore, he felt slightly bad for asking Basil to bring Mei Qi with him. It had been years since Mei Qist saw her father, so he didn''t have the heart to tell her to stay.
He would like to bring her there with him, however¡
"Are you not going?"
"I am not very liked by my father-inw." Anthony smiled wryly.
He was afraid of Yang Tian Long, Mei Qi''s father. Tian Long didn''t forbid him from marrying Mei Qi; however, the constant threats he received from Tian Long and the fact that Tian Long was capable of doing what he said frightened him.
Turning his eyes to Mei Qi, Basil assessed her to see how much she amounted to or how long she could stand on her ground until she had to hide behind his back. The ck-haired woman stared into his eyes and then knit her brows as she noticed how critical he was toward her.
Raising her sharp chin as she crossed her hands before her fair-sized mounds, she scoffed lightly. Her hair lightly bellowed as the wind blew it; her eyshes graciously fluttered as she blinked her eyes.
"I may not look like it but this Princess¡ªhey, where are you going!?"
Even before Mei Qi finished her sentence, Basil had walked out of the hall where the people were gathered. The hall was filled with silence even after the two left. They couldn''t believe the serene and quiet Concubine had that side. As always, Basil''s ability to get on someone''s nerves was astonishing.
When Basil and Mei Qi reached outside, Deacon greeted Basil respectfully. He didn''t care about Mei Qi since Basil was his heaven. Fortunately, Mei Qi was not a petty person. She didn''t mind that in the slightest; instead, she turned to look at the young man beside Deacon.
"So¡you decided to follow along," she said.
"¡Yes," the young man answered.
"Even after what your family said to you?" she asked, referring to the saddening news she had heard.
The young man, Xiu Li, smiled bitterly as he recalled what his family had said to him after Braxtein released the list of criminals which had his name on it. "A disgrace you are, Xiu Li. Throw away your name. You don''t deserve to be a Wei! Nevere home."
Uncaring of whether he stood on the right side or the wrong side, his family, for the second time, banished him. Wei Xiu Li had ceased to exist; he was now the Xiu Li with no family.
|Do you hate me for what happened?| Basil asked in Hua Dialect.
Widening his eyes, Xiu Li frantically replied, |I dare not hate you for what I chose myself, Big Brother! I¡I realized long ago that I am unwanted. I have stopped trying to impress my family ever since I met you, Big Brother. I just want to be myself¡and for that, I am okay without a family.|
|Family is not within the blood; it is within the bond. It may take a long time for us to feel like the real ones; however, Xiu Li, we are a family.| Mei Qi chimed in, surprising Xiu Li and Basil. |Don''t you think so too, Basil?|
|They who stand side by side are friends. They who lean on each other are family. I don''t know what your definition is but I think we are one,| Basil said in response.
Xiu Li put his hand before his chest and then clutched it tightly as he stopped his tears froming out; for the first time, he felt epted. With a light heart, he went to Huaxia, his home country, with Basil and Mei Qi¡his new family.
Chapter 420 After Years (2)
Two days passed in the blink of an eye; Basil, Mei Qi and Xiu Li were still halfway to Huaxia. Had it been a normal time, they would have reached Huaxia by now. Unfortunately, they had to take a roundabout and long route, rendering Deacon''s speed useless. Well, it wasn''t technically useless since they still didn''t have to spend weeks on the way thanks to it.
"It is time to rest, Brother," Xiu Li''s voice travelled from the back to the front, reaching Basil''s ears.
"We will stop at that forest ahead," Basil said, neither loudly nor softly.
Xiu Li sat in the backmost part of Deacon''s back. He initially wanted to sit right behind Basil; however, he realized that letting Mei Qi sit in the back alone wasn''t appropriate. The person herself, coincidentally, wanted to sit behind Basil, so he dly forfeited his seat. Sitting in the back, he took the role of the rearguard.
For the past two days, the only person who had been conversing with Mei Qi was Xiu Li. Basil generally had no interest in talking to anyone, meanwhile, Mei Qi was too embarrassed to start a conversation with him, given how serious he always looked.
"I think it is fine to just stop and rest here. We are passing a territory that people rarelye to, so no one should see us," Mei Qimented.
"There is a group of Pdins 70 kilometres behind us. They will be able to eliminate the distance within 15 minutes and I am sure that is not enough time to rest for us," Basil replied.
"So, are you going to use the forest as a hiding ce?"
"No, I am going to usher the Demons resting there toward the group of Pdins."
"How did you even¡no, forget it."
This was how the interaction between Basil and Mei Qi had always ended. They always had crossing opinions and Basil always proved to her from time to time why he was right. She didn''t want to call this a conversation. Because of this, also, she was reluctant to start a conversation.
When they arrived at the forest, Basil immediately got down from Deacon without saying anything. He delved into the forest by himself and then returned with a horde of Low to Middle-ss Demons following behind him.
Stopping before Deacon, he let the Demons run past him; they didn''t even nce at Deacon who was standing in their way as they ran past him. Seeing the scene, despite knowing Basil was special, still astonished Xiu Li and Mei Qi.
"Now, we may rest for fifteen minutes without worrying about the Pdins eliminating their distance between us. By the time we finish resting, they may still have to fight hundreds of Demons," Basil casually said, ignoring the look of astonishment the people gave him.
Leading Deacon into the forest, he stopped when they were a kilometre in. He had found the spot he preferred, which was why he decided to stop.
Sitting down under the biggest tree in sight, Basil immediately closed his eyes and meditated. It had always been the case, so none of hispany was weirded out by that. They got down from Deacon and thenid out their eating sets. Deacon, on the other hand,id down beside Basil and closed his eyes.
When everything was ready, the two began eating. Like it had always been, Basil didn''t join them. As someone who had ever eaten with Basil, Xiu Li knew Basil didn''t need a special time to eat due to Basil''s eating speed. Because of that, he didn''t even offer Basil food; he knew he would only disturb Basil.
Mei Qi, who was not that familiar with Basil, unlike Amara, his self-proimed adopted mother, didn''t know of this fact. She decided things couldn''t always go this way, so she stood up and then brought some food to the serenely meditating Basil.
"What is it?" Even before she nudged him, Basil opened his eyes.
"I got some food," she said stoically, failing to sound warm.
"I can see that with my own eyes."
"Well, don''t you want it?"
"¡I thought only kids flex how much food they have," Basilmented with a faint smile of amusement.
Mei Qi tried to keep her face stoic but her cheeks were getting red with each passing second. "It is¡it is not that¡." In the end, she spoke timidly as she covered her face in embarrassment.
Realizing what she was doing, she snapped back to reality. She uncovered her face and then cleared her throat graciously.
"Kuhum! I think there is a misunderstanding between¡" she trailed off as she looked at Basil''s extended hand. "Are you pitying me¡?"
"Let us eat together."
Mei Qi''s eyes lit up but her face remained stoic at Basil''s words. She scoffed softly and then handed over the food she had to Basil. A few seconds after sitting down before him, she fiddled in her ce. She nodded to herself afterwards and then sat closer to him.
As Basil looked at her in wonder, Xiu Li looked at the two in amusement. As an outgoing person, it was entertainment for him to watch two introverts trying to socialize with each other.
"Kuhum!" Mei Qi cleared her throat graciously, again. "So¡what makes Anthony and Amara fond of you so much?" She didn''t mean to say that even though she wanted to say that; however, her straightforward nature forced those words out of her mouth.
Her expression immediately turned sour when Basil quirked his eyebrow at her. "The fact that they are strange people, who have weird tastes."
At Basil''s answer, Mei Qi was speechless. She had expected him to ask her what she meant by her question, not a humorous but slightly factual answer like that.
"Ah, I see¡." She nodded not long after, realizing something. "Anthony and Amara also found my straightforwardness interesting. I guess that is what made them attracted to you. We are alike; you and I, none of us likes to snake around."
Basil, although he was a straightforward individual, still had times where he worked his tongue like a vixen. He wouldn''t say he was an honest individual; however, he didn''t deny or correct Mei Qi.
"Since we are alike, I will be blunt. Why were you willing to bring me and Xiu Li along?" Mei Qi asked unhesitatingly.
"I need your connection," Basil answered shortly.
"Heh¡not outside my expectation." She forked a slice of meat and then continued, "Then, what do you wish to do with my connection? I know this sounds personal, so I won''t me you if you don''t want to answer me."
As she munched on the slice of meat, she looked at Basil silently. He kept eating his meal as easy as he breathed¡ªshe ignored the rather surreal scene¡ªso she concluded that Basil didn''t want to talk about it.
Just as she was about to ask another question to clear the atmosphere that was getting murky, Basil stood up; he had finished his food, much to her astonishment. She quirked her eyebrow, wondering what he would do. Soon after, much to her mortification, Basil pulled his shirt up.
She dreaded what was going to happen but she was too curious to cover her eyes. She nted her eyes on Basil''s abdomen which was decorated with impable muscles and enjoyed what she saw¡that was until she noticed a rather horrifying detail.
"This is¡" she put her hand on Basil''s sr plexus in horror. Its colour was simr to that of a dead person''s skin and it was decorated with countless ck veins, making half of his torso look like a cracked sculpture. "You have too much Yin Energy in your body!"
"I need someone to get rid of it," Basil casually said, uncaring to Mei Qi''s bewilderment.
The Dragon Curse that Bahamut''s Soul Fragment, which, at the time, was possessing Charles, had cast on him forced his body to produce an extra amount of Yang Energy that made it hard for him to think rationally and would make him self-detonate when he became a Peak Stage Violet Core Knight.
To somehow suppress the effect, Basil killed Yamata no Orochi and inherited the Curse it had. The Curse attracted an extreme amount of Yin Energy into his body, which managed to suppress the overflowing Yang Energy he had for some time.
The more time passed, however, the more Yin Energy he had. It no longer was suppressing the Yang Energy. It was overwhelming the Yang Energy while slowly eroding his body. Regardless, he still had to prevent his Core from advancing since the Dragon Curse hadn''t disappeared yet.
"There is only one way to heal you¡" Mei Qi muttered.
"Reverse Cycle. That is why I need your connection," Basil remarked as he nodded his head lightly.
"I hope you already know the repercussion of using that method. If you haven''t, I will tell you; you will be¡ª"
"I know." Basil put his hand up, stopping Mei Qi entirely. "Also, your hand. I am going to wear my shirt back."
Flustered, she pulled her hand quickly and then covered her face with her hands. Basil didn''t mind her in the slightest as he wore his shirt back, allowing her to quickly regain herposure.
Since Basil had already finished his meal, he resumed meditating as soon as he sat down. Silence filled the space between the two; however, it was no longer awkward like it had always been before.
As she ate her meal, Mei Qi noticed something was amiss. She turned around just to make sure and, true to her expectation, Xiu Li had gone. She didn''t know where and when he had gone. She was too focused on Basil''s condition to mind her surroundings.
"Do you know where he went, Basil?"
"I don''t know. He was rushing earlier, so I guess nature called him."
"Ah, that makes sense. He must go to the ce where he is sure we can''t see him then."
The two''s spection was the most logical one; however, it wasn''t what had happened. The real reason why Xiu Li had left was that he had misunderstood what Basil was going to do with Mei Qi.
The moment Basil pulled his shirt up, Xiu Li widened his eyes in shock. He became horrified when Mei Qi put her hand on Basil''s abdomen and brought her head closer, which she had done because she wanted to take a closer look at Basil''s injury.
He didn''t know what had actually happened; his mind was too clouded by misconception to bother making sure of what was happening. Just like that, he ran away, so he could give them some space.
Luckily, the misunderstanding was cleared up when they reached Huaxia. Still, it dumbfounded Basil and Mei Qi when they heard it.
Chapter 421 After Years (3)
"You thought I wasmitting adultery with Basil?" Mei Qi looked at Xiu Li aghast. "Why do you think I am stupid enough to do that?"
"I¡uh¡it was too suggestive. I couldn''t help thinking about the worst¡" Xiu Li scratched his head in utter embarrassment as he dodged Mei Qi''s gaze.
Basil didn''t say anything but he still thought it was amusing. He didn''t me Xiu Li; perspective is such a weird thing. Depending on where you stand, you see different scenery. He wouldn''t say he and Mei Qi were wrong either. How onlookers decided toprehend the situation, after all, was not of their concern.
"We have arrived."
The conversation ceased when Basil and Mei Qi heard Basil''s words. They took a look at their surroundings in wonder, not because they had forgotten about their home country but because they wanted to make sure Basil was not being humorous.
"Brother¡the city is still five kilometres ahead," Xiu Li said awkwardly.
"If receive a call from nature, you can just say it, Basil. It is not something to be embarrassed about," Mei Qi chimed in.
Looking at the two as if they were bbering blockheads, Basil calmly said, "It seems to me you have forgotten how daring the people of the West are. Going into the city directly will only attract unnecessary attention."
"It is fine," Mei Qi assured. "No one will dare to touch me¡ªkyaa!"
Basil pulled Mei Qi toward him and then jumped down from Deacon. Mei Qi was not amused by what he did; however, being himself, he didn''t care about it. Xiu Li also got down afterwards. He gave them a hood and forcefully put one on Mei Qi despite her vehement refusal. When everyone was ready, Deacon assumed his puppy form and then perched on Basil''s shoulder.
Before they walk, Basil took Mei Qi''s hand so she wouldn''t run away and greet the people she knew the moment they encountered one. Mei Qi, who was irked by Basil''s extreme measure¡ªparanoia, in her words¡ªwas bewildered when he did that.
She turned to Basil, demanding an exnation with her eyes; however, Basil utterly ignored her. He turned to Xiu Li and then asked something that made her lip involuntarily twitch.
"Do you have prostitutes in Huaxia?"
"Eh? Yeah¡why is it, Brother?" Xiu Li asked nervously, dreading what Basil would do and how Iliana would react when she found out about it.
"Well, we will use that setting."
"Excuse me?" Mei Qi interjected. "Not even governors of our provinces dare to treat me like that. Do you think¡ª"
"Hush¡you are wasting breath."
Basil was lightly mping Mei Qi''s lips together with his fingers to prevent her from speaking. She was too bewildered to even feel offended, so she just stared at Basil silently.
When Basil let go of her lips, she didn''t say anything. She didn''t want to sound like a whinyss, so she just followed Basil''s lead silently¡like the goodss she was, ironically.
Xiu Li, who was looking at the scene, couldn''t help smiling wryly. He wondered if Basil had even any fear for him to treat Yang Tian Long''s daughter like that.
¡.
In Wanhei Province, Dongguan City, which was one of the biggest and most prosperous cities in the entire Huaxia, one of the most respected individuals in the country stood facing the gigantic painting in his room. He stared at it like it was heaven''s creation, being deeply immersed in it.
What he was looking at was the picture of a young beautiful woman with long, luscious ck hair. Her hair flowed down her back like a waterfall; the serene look on her face made one feel like staring at a Goddess. She was his daughter¡ªthe daughter he hadn''t met for years already.
"Mei-er, I love you dearly but why did you have to be so cruel and left this father of yours for that insolent, good-for-nothing vermin? Oh my¡I can''t say that, can I? No matter how much I hate that dunderhead, he is still your husband after all. Oh, how sad this old man''s life is."
The man was already 150 years old this year; however, he looked like someone who was only in histe fifties. Every hair on his body had turned grey, yet he was as vigorous as a youngster. He might not look muscr; however, he was fit and healthy. "Outdated" he might look, yet one wouldn''t hesitate to call him attractive.
This man¡ªthe man who was cursing his son-inw every day whilementing his daughter''s deration of independence¡ªwas Yang Tian Long, the man who ranked seventh on the Top Ten Daoists of Huaxia. His beloved daughter was none other than Yang Mei Qi, who was on the way to meet him.
"Ah¡I can''t bementing every day," Tian Long sighed. "It has been twenty years¡ªit is time for me to move on..." he paused and then snapped angrily, "...like I could! Damn you, Anthony! You know I hate you, so why didn''t you let your wife and your son¡ªmy grandson¡ªsee me!?"
The reason why Mei Qi had cutmunication with her father was not entirely because she didn''t want her real identity to be exposed. She could have met her father discreetly; however, she didn''t do that because of the argument they had a few days before she married Anthony.
- What!? Bing a concubine? You, my daughter? Have you lost your mind, Mei-er? Your father is Yang Tian Long, the seventh strongest Daoist in Huaxia! I can p that Emperor of Arthean to death but you decided to be the concubine of a mere King under that person? Ludicrous!
- I have told you¡ªit is just a status! He only has one true wife and I will be the second.
- Mei-er, many great young Daoists have asked for your hand in marriage but you refused them. They are better and stronger than that vermin Anthony!
- Father, he is the one I am happy with! I¡to think that you didn''t even bother to know him better before judging what kind of person he is¡I am disappointed.
Mei Qi left Huaxia after the argument. A few dayster, she became Anthony''s fifth concubine and Tian Long could do nothing about it other than ept it was his defeat.
"Gosh, thinking about the past intensifies my urge to crush that vermin''s windpipe," Tian Long scoffed. Turning to the window of his room, he recalled someone''s face, whom he had be a good friend with. "Ah, I will meet him. If it is him, he will understand my feeling."
Crossing his hands behind him, he drew the Qi in his Spiritual Root. A faint mist quickly surrounded him and, in the next moment, he disappeared from his room.
When he reappeared, he was before a decent-sized but luxurious manor. The guards before the gate widened their eyes when they saw him; however, none of them made a fuss as they let him enter.
Walking on the pavement, he looked around, admiring the flowers that decorated the front yard. It wasn''t his first timeing here, still, the scenery never ceased to amaze him.
"Ho-Ho-Ho¡fine daughter he has. What a lucky man," hemented. Reminded about the daughter of his own, he couldn''t helpmenting, "I have a fine daughter too¡however, that vermin¡ªah, no. I can''t be like this. This is disrespectful to my happy-go-lucky friend."
When he entered the hall, he was slightly surprised by how quiet it was. Although the manor was too big for four people to live in, it had always been lively since the daughters of his friend liked to do some pretty interesting things.
One of them liked to bake and honed her skills as a Warrior, meanwhile, the rest liked to practice sorcery from the West. None of them was a genius; however, their drive and dedication to improving themselves made them extraordinary.
Because of that reason, the manor was always lively. For it to be quiet, something serious must have happened and it made his expression darkened; no one messed with people whom he considered friends.
"Is that¡true?"
"Why would I lie?"
"I¡no¡. No, this feels surreal. How could they¡ªwhat has he done wrong?"
"Nothing; however, the fact that you are here means that he had predicted everything."
"¡that boy, really¡."
Tian Long could hear his friend talking with a woman. The solemnity in his friend''s tone turned Tian Long''s expression even darker. His friend was in trouble; however, his friend didn''t ask him for help even though he could. The consideration touched Tian Long as much as it irked him, so he decided to force his friend to ept his help.
Drawing his Qi, he merged into the wall and then appeared out of thin air right beside his friend. The sight of him shocked the alluring maturedy greatly; however, his friend, who had already gotten used to his antics, merely turned around and greeted him.
"Ah, Tian Long. Why didn''t you tell me you were going to visit?" Said friend acted as if the conversation he had with thedy had never happened.
Tian Long looked at said friend solemnly. "Listen, Danzel. I know I have never bragged about it but, as someone who has a stinky Westerner bastard as a son-inw, I can speak Ex. I know what you have been talking about. It''s disrespectful, I know, but I want to help."
Said friend, Danzel, Basil''s adoptive father, merely smiled at Tian Long. "I know. I was just testing you."
"Hoh? Sneaky as always, huh?" Tian Long remarked, earning a light smile from Danzel that didn''t look sincere at all. "Tell me, my friend. You look so distressed¡ªlet this friend of yours solve your problem for you."
Danzel looked at Tian Long contemtively and then turned to the alluring maturedy, Viscountess Diana Chilston, Julia''s mother. "I think it is better to let the girls know."
"Are your daughters out?" Tian Long asked.
"Yes¡I told them to have some fun outside because of this." Danzel smiled faintly. "They should be back in¡ª"
"Father, look whom we have brought home!"
Danzel was interrupted by rissa, who was holding a hooded figure in her hand. Her eyes were shining brightly as if she had won full ownership of the world.
"Woah¡Brother is not joking, huh?"
"Senior¡he is going to be a¡ªeh, mother!?"
Shirley and Julia arrived not long after. Thetter was shocked to find her mother, whom she hadn''t met for two years, there; meanwhile, the former was dumbfounded by the identity of the woman in the hood walking beside her.
Amidst all this, two people were staring into each other''s eyes with utter seriousness. Tian Long was bewildered by the ungaugeable presence before him, meanwhile, the hooded figure was measuring his level of threat.
Silence descended upon the ce by the time they knew it; it was only broken when the hooded figure pulled down his hood, revealing his otherworldly attractive visage. "Yang Tian Long, I am here to make a debt," said the young man, Basil, in fluent Hua Dialect.
Chapter 422 After Years (End)
"Yang Tian Long, I am here to make a debt."
After Basil said his piece, the ce turned silent again. Even Diana, who had stood up in surprise at Basil''s appearance, didn''t dare to make a noise due to the intensity of the staring contest Basil had with Yang Tian Long.
Mei Qi felt that things might go awry, so she stepped forward, hoping that she could diffuse the situation. "Stay there, Mei-er. I didn''t meddle in your affair, so let this old man manage his own," this, however, stopped her entirely.
Looking at the other end of the hall, Tian Long continued, "Show me yourself if you are not nning to do something hostile."
No answer came out, however, the person he had detected did enter the hall. He pulled down his hood, revealing an androgynous face of a fair-skinned, ck-haired young male; he was none other than Xiu Li. He curled his left hand, sped it with his right and then bowed lightly as he said his greetings.
"Xiu Li pays respect to Great Daoist Yang Tian Long."
"Ho-oh? I can''t sense even a tiny hint of Mana inside you despite being of Hua descent¡ªwhat a unique kid," Tian Long remarked. Turning to his daughter, he said, "Let me see your face, Mei-er. There is no need to hide it."
As Mei Qi pulled her hood down, Tian Long turned his eyes away. It irked Mei Qi so much that she immediately red at her father whom she hadn''t met for two decades.
"Now, young man, tell me who you are."
"So, someone as powerful as you, too, doesn''t know anything about the state of the world. Huaxia has high confidence in their power, huh?" Basil remarked, instead of answering Tian Long''s question.
"We may know when we care, young man. What Daoists care about the most is their cultivation and family. We want to live a simple life, so we don''t care about the ambitious life of Westerners much. So, what are you, Young Man? What kind of thing you have done to shock the world?"
"I have dered a war against the Empire and the Church."
"¡talking about being ambitious." Tian Longughed softly in amusement. "Young men like you sure like to do things without thinking about the consequences."
"It was forced upon me. I had only two choices¡ªto die denying my identity or to fight to the death while being proud of who I am."
"An answer that I didn''t expect," Tian Longmented with a smile as he caressed his beard. "Now, why don''t you tell me your name?"
"Basil Pacifer."
"Oh¡"
Tian Long widened his eyes briefly before stopping caressing his beard. He crossed his hands behind his back and then looked at Basil solemnly.
"So, you are the real deal, eh? Didn''t expect those crazy warriors still have a surviving descendant."
"It seems that Huaxia still has a record about us."
"Of course, we do, young man. Any lies that your Empire propagates¡ªwe have the truth here."
History is written by the winner. Any information about the past that was circted in the Human Empire came from the Church.
The people of Hua separated themselves from the rest of the humans when the Great War ended. They had the original history and the Church had no power to erase that history from their mind due to their power.
The reason why the Church didn''t even try was the fact that the people of Hua separated themselves from the rest of the world like the rest of the races did. They made it clear that they didn''t want to meddle in the affair of the citizens of the Empire, which was what the Church, the true controller of the Empire, had wanted the Pacifer to do.
Because of that, despite the discrepancy in history, no one in the Human Empire could figure out the truth. Any random citizens of Hua would say it if they were asked; however, very few Westerners were willing toe to Huaxia, let alone talk to its people.
"Then, what do you think of helping me?"
Given the question, Tian Long pondered to himself instead of immediately answering. Even though his ancestors owed nothing to the Pacifer, they had a very good rtionship in the past; so, without thinking twice he would stand on Basil''s side.
What made him think, however, was the magnitude of the problem Basil was facing. He was confident in his power, still, going against an Empire was stretching it¡ªhad it not been the case, he would outrightly say he would help.
"You said you were here making a debt, didn''t you? How will you repay me in the future?" Given the situation, he needed to make sure whether the merit would outweigh the risk.
"Your life. I will guarantee it."
The answer was, of course, something that he didn''t expect. Judging from the way Basil talked and how Basil carried himself, he didn''t think the young man dared to say that.
Yang Tian Long; the seventh strongest Daoist in the entire Huaxia, which was a nation full of people with a mysterious power called Dao. He was one of the men who dared to im he could p the Human Empire to death. Such an individual didn''t need someone''s protection to live, which was why he found Basil''s answer ludicrous and audacious.
"You have a fairly bad sense of humour, don''t you, young man?" Tian Longughed condescendingly; he couldn''t help it. "You, who ask for my help to fight your enemies, dare to say you want to guarantee my life? Don''t you think it isughable?"
Boom!
Tian Long''s Qi burst forth, suppressing Basil. No one but him felt the pressure; however, like them, he acted as if he didn''t feel anything. It made the people watching worry. They dreaded the possibility of the two having a go against each other. Only disaster would await should it happen.
Their worry intensified when Basil activated his Pacifer Seal and then materialized his seven Ultimate Circles. None of them but Tian Long felt the pressure; however, the atmosphere had gotten thick enough that one might cut it like butter.
"I think you misunderstood me, Tian Long." Basil gazed at Tian Long, who was grinning in excitement, with his golden eyes. "I don''t need your help to fight my enemies. I need your help to cure my illness."
Expecting a provocation from Basil, Tian Long looked at Basil in confusion; his grin quickly vanished from his face. "What ails you, young man? And, why do you think I can help you cure your illness?"
Instead of answering, Basil pulled up his shirt; he was someone who preferred to show rather than say. Unfortunately, Tian Long didn''t understand his motive, so the said Daoist couldn''t help being appalled.
"Put your clothes back on, I tell you, young man! I don''t swing that way!" he eximed in horror, meanwhile, those who knew Basil pped their forehead helplessly.
The atmosphere turned solemn as soon as the state of Basil''s body was revealed. Tian Long, who had been covering his eyes like a girl who had just seen a ghost, now put his whole attention to Basil''s sr plexus.
Such a perfect body was tainted by the scar of a Dragon Curse, making it look like a deteriorating sculpture, which was formerly sought after by anyone.
Walking closer to Basil, Tian Long put his hand on Basil''s abdomen. "What an overwhelming amount of Yin Energy," he muttered. He looked up and then stared at Basil seriously. "Being a man, Imend you for being able to hold on for this long."
In a woman''s body, one would find an abundant amount of Yin Energy, whereas one would find an abundant amount of Yang Energy in a man''s body. Men couldn''t handle too much Yin Energy and vice versa, which was why Basil''s case fascinated Tian Long.
"What happened to you!?"
Tian Long was surprised by Danzel who had suddenly shoved him to the side to shake Basil''s body in extreme worry. He was bewildered, at first, and then everything clicked in his head.
"Oh, shit. You are the son that Danzel brags about many times!" he eximed. "Hey, I am your father''s sworn brother¡ªyour uncle! Why didn''t you just tell me earlier, so I could treat you immediately!?"
Knowing that it was his friend''s son, Tian Long stopped considering whether to help or not. Even if he had to go against the world, he would Danzel. Danzel was the first friend he got after a century of living without a friend. Danzel was the only person who looked at him as Yang Tian Long, not the Great Daoist Yang Tian Long.
They had spent the past year and a half like full-blooded siblings. For him, Danzel''s family was his family. He treated Danzel''s children like his; therefore, he couldn''t help chastising Basil for being roundabout. He ended up shaking Basil''s body like Danzel did, much to Basil''s bemusement.
"Calm down. I just got cursed by a Dragon and I made a grave mistake by suppressing it with the Curse of another Beast."
"A Dragon!? I thought they have extinct!" Danzel eximed.
"What!? You got to encounter one of those entric lizards!?" Tian Long shouted, excited. "Good boy, good boy."
Danzel took a double take at Tian Long and then said, "No, he is not. He was ying with his life for god''s sake!"
"Meh, I was wilder in the past. You know, the Empress was and is a beautifuldy. When I was his age, I used to peep¡ª"
"Father! That is not a story you should tell to anyone!" Mei Qi shouted, bewildered and appalled.
Waving his hand lightly, Tian Long said, "It is fine, we are family. There is nothing to hide with family."
"No, your daughter is right," Danzelmented, surprising Tian Long, who misunderstood it as Danzel not wanting to be considered family. "That kind of story shouldn''t be told to anyone, not even your family. Even us can''t help but judge," he added, relieving Tian Long and also making him embarrassed.
Xiu Liughed at the interaction and that made the people turn to him. He turned silent as he faced their gaze but then immediatelyughed again as they chuckled.
Mei Qi smiled in relief at the development. She had expected her reunion with her father would be cold and distant; therefore, she couldn''t help butugh when Basil said everything would be all right. He was correct. For that, she was grateful to him.
"Well, I will treat you but, first, let us spend our time with our family. It has been a long time since west met each other."
Hearing those words from Tian Long reminded them that their family was finallyplete after years of being apart. It wasn''t an ideal reunion, given the situation; however, they still wanted to catch up to each other, no matter how brief it was.
Chapter 423 The Return Of The Outcast
"Hiyaa!"
Boom!
"Take this!"
Swoosh!
"Feel my power!"
Bam!
"Oorah!"
Boom!
In the training field of the manor that Danzel and thesses had been staying in for over two years, thesses were sparring with Basil. it had been two years since they indulged themselves fully in training, so they wanted to show their improvement off to Basil¡ªthis was their way to catch up with each other.
rissa had be a Middle Stage Yellow Core Knight in two years, which was absurd, thanks to Basil''s training manual and the Body Forging Technique he gave her. Her Technique, while not wless, was still more than the average Yellow Core Knight could do, so one might say she was talented.
Shirley had just be a Fourth Circle Mage a few weeks ago. She had managed to upgrade two of her Magic Circles into Grand Circles, so she was by no means an average Fourth Circle Mage despite being a new one. She instant cast every Spell she knew and they were all just as powerful.
Julia, Basil''s junior whom he hade to consider as one of his sisters, was still a Third Circle Mage. Different from Shirley, she still had a fairly long way to be a Fourth Circle Mage; however, she had managed to turn all three of her Magic Circles into Grand Circles.
The two Mages were not that far apart in terms of power. Should the two have a go at each other, however, Shirley would be the one who came out alive.
Finishing his analysis, Basil stomped the ground once, shaking the entire training field. "I want to have some words and I want you to properly listen to what I am about to say."
Thesses stopped moving and then retracted their Qi and Mana as they approached Basil. The Pacifer looked at them in the eyes and said with bemusement, "Is there a need to shout whenever you are about tond a hit? I am sure I have taught you lot to keep as quiet and unpredictable as possible."
"Eh¡that is¡" being the one who shouted the most, rissa scratched her head in embarrassment.
"We watched tournaments often, Brother," Shirley exined. "I believe you have already noticed that the way fight is heavily influenced by Huaxia Martial Arts. The shoutinges out naturally."
Despite being Spellcasters, like rissa, Shirley and Julia didn''t hesitate to engage Basil in closebat. They didn''t fight like a Battle Mage, however; they fought like Daoists but with Magic.
Turning his head to face the audience seat, Basil asked, "Did you teach them?"
"Ha-Ha-Ha. I did. They aren''t bad, are they?" answered Tian Long with vigour.
In Huaxia, meeting Tian Long alone was a very rare asion. Being trained by him was close to being unlikely¡ªone had a bigger chance of dying in one''s sleep. One would unhesitatingly say thesses were extremely lucky. Basil also appreciated Tian Long''s initiative since the result could be seen clearly.
Still¡
"You lot fight too much like tournament participants. You should know better that the tournaments you have watched are nothing more than entertainment. What you should expect are life-threatening battles. In a life-threatening situation, being loud tells your enemy your position and that means death."
Having seen too many tournaments and too many people fight that way, thesses hade to normalize such a thing. They had been weirded out at first; however, after two years, they would be weirded out if people didn''t fight without shouting.
Upon being reminded by Basil, they realized the absurdity of what they were doing. Strangely, however, despite knowing what harm it might cause them should they keep doing it, they were rather hesitant to stop doing it.
"I will argue otherwise, Basil. In a one-on-one battle, you are bound to reveal all the cards you have. Shouting, while letting your enemy know that you are going to attack, lets you release more power. It releases something powerful inside you¡ªthe desire to win."
"You shall not let your emotion dictate your emotion in a battle," Basil rebutted. Tian Long was about to open his mouth; however, Basil beat him to it. "¡yet, I won''t argue that emotion is a powerful thing. I just want to let thesesses know how important it is to maintain self-control."
"They are veryposed in my opinion, Basil. You are using yourself as a standard, which is absurd, and that is why you want to argue they are not."
"I won''t deny it."
Tian Long smiled and then stepped into the training field. The girls immediately knew what was about to happen, so they got out of the field.
Standing beside Mei Qi, they expected what was about to unfold meanwhile thetter dreaded what kind of chaos the two would cause. Danzel joined them with a cup of tea in his hand and a calm look on his face.
Diana also joined in not long after and she couldn''t help giving Danzel a bewildered look at how calm he was. He was very different from the worrywart Danzel she knew two years ago.
Noticing Diana''s gaze, Danzel said, "You came here because you knew about Basil''s ''betrayal''te, didn''t you, Mrs Diana? You thought Basil ran away here, so you raced here to make sure he was okay."
"Yes¡?" Diana quirked her eyebrow, not knowing where the talk was going.
"As one of Basil''s supporters, you are willing to be chased down like him and die on his side." Danzel paused, turned around and then smirked. "You view myd highly; however, you seem to forget about something, Mrs Diana. Myd¡Basil will never lose."
Boom!
As soon as the dialogue between Danzel and Diana ended, Basil''s fist met Tian Long''s. The air exploded, fluttering the clothes of the audience. Both of the fighters had agreed to fight solely with their physical strengths. They were assessing each other, gauging the limit of the other party.
Their fists were pushing against each other. Despite theck of movement, one could see the intensity of the standoff.
Looking into each other''s eyes, they challenged each other to break the standoff first. They knew they would eventually find out who was stronger by the end of the standoff, which was a very boring way to end the spar, so they prodded each other to be the "pioneer."
"Oh boy¡" looking at the situation, Xiu Li muttered. Running toward the captivated audience, he immediately set up a Barrier as soon as he reached them. "Prepare yourself for impact!"
The audience were bewildered when they heard it; however, they soon understood the meaning.
Boom! Boom!
Fist met against fist. Basil and Tian Long were countering each other''s punch with their punch. Their hands moved so fast that one even heard the explosion soundte. The shockwave that swept the entire ce was enough to almost crack Xiu Li''s Barrier, which was absurd.
Swoosh!
The punching abruptly stopped as the two fighters looked at each other; the ground below them had already shattered at this point. In the next moment, the two disappeared from the people''s view. They couldn''t see when the two reappeared; however, they could tell where the two reappeared, albeitte.
Kicks and punches were traded between Basil and Tian Long. Their movements were full of grace¡ªvicious yet still beautiful to look at. None of them had managed tond a hit on each other yet they had developed bruises all over their limbs. The two had some partscking but they were roughly equal.
''Thisd¡just how good is his fighting technique? Also, what kind of Cultivation Technique he has to temper his body to such a degree?'' Tian Long wondered.
''Hm¡mybat technique is not as wless as I want it to be,'' Basil mused in slight dissatisfaction. ''Still, it is enough to hold my ground against Tian Long. The reason why he isn''t losing yet is his absurdly sturdy body.''
The more time passed, the more bruises they got. Basil, at that point, had already grasped the essence of Tian Long''sbat technique and could already direct Tian Long in the way he wanted, which was extremely terrifying for Tian Long.
Deciding to end the spar quickly, Tian Long went all out. He disappeared from Basil''s view, prompting Basil to stop moving, allowing the audience to see him again.
The audience wondered if Tian Long had finally decided to use his Qi since they couldn''t spot him anywhere. He was, however, hiding in a ce that none but Basil could notice.
Appearing from the roof, Tian Long jumped at Basil in a very sneaky and swift manner. None of the audience realized his appearance until Basil did a circle kick, sending Tian Long skidding to the edge of the field.
"Woah¡I am happy with the result but didn''t expect it in the slightest," Danzel remarked calmly.
No one but himmented on the result. The others were too focused on Tian Long as they wondered how he coped with his loss which, by the looks of it, he didn''t expect.
Drip. Drip.
As blood fell to the ground from the fighters'' injured knuckles, they looked at each other in the eyes and smirked. Both of them had expected themselves toe out triumphant; only one managed to realize his expectation but they still respected each other.
Curling their left hand, they cupped it with their right hand and bowed at each other. "That was a good fight," they said in unison.
When they righted themselves up, they both utilized their Qi. Rapidly, their injured knuckles healed along with their bruises. After a few seconds, all of the injuries they had gotten from their spar disappeared. They walked toward the audience while discussing their spar, looking like two normal people that hadn''t just fought.
"If the people of this world suddenly lost their ability to use Mana and Qi, undoubtedly, you would be one of the top dogs¡along with me, your uncle, of course. Ha-Ha-Ha!"
"I think Daoists will have a great advantage when that happens. They have tempered their body to the extreme, after all," Basil responded.
"Ah, indeed. Still, you know, some of us are just muscles. They have strong physiques but their fighting techniques are shit. They are no different from dogs with a knife: once you y it right, it is child''s y to¡ªwhat, my daughter?"
Tian Long stopped conversing with Basil when they were before Mei Qi. She was impatiently tapping the ground with her foot while keeping a stoic face.
"Isn''t it time for you to cure Basil? Just to let you know, there is currently an Outbreak ongoing. Basil is our sole hope. If we wait any longer, my husband who is out there will possibly lose his life," Mei Qi said in one breath.
"Is that the case¡?" Tian Long smirked but then quickly coughed nervously as he noticed his daughter''s gaze. "Well, my dear daughter, your father is not wasting anyone''s time. He is just waiting for his friend who can help him to call him back."
Before Mei Qi could ask when the said friend would call, a stork came down, holding a golden paper with its beak. The call hade.
Chapter 424 The Return Of The Outcast (End)
When the stork came down mping a golden paper with its beak, anyone from the West would not hesitate to say themunication method of the people of Huaxia was primitive. They would think the message was written on the golden paper.
Such was the thought Diana was having. She couldn''t helpmenting on how unsafe it was inwardly.
It was, however, more than met the eyes. When the stork passed the golden paper to Tian Long, he immediately channelled his Qi into it as he mped it between his thumb and index finger.
The paper glowed almost blindingly for a brief second. Tian Long then threw it at the stork and it immediately wrapped itself around the stork''s neck. Looking at the scene, Diana was bewildered. She couldn''tprehend what she was looking at.
Pop!
The stork exploded in the next moment, scattering feathers in every direction. These feathers then gathered up, creating a piece of white paper thatnded in Tian Long''s hands.
"What¡just¡happened?" Diana muttered.
"Well, it is only surprising at first. Once you ept that Daoists are different from Mages, you will get used to it," Julia said, in response to her mother''s bewilderment.
"In terms of secrecy, I can guarantee you Daoists are the best. Very few of us have any desire to be famous, so we tend to hide things even if it is unnecessary. Heck, even up to this day, we still have many hiding dragons amongst us. That''s why we try our best to lure them out," Tian Long exined as he read the letter.
"Uh¡I guess it is a very safe method indeed," Diana exined.
She gazed at Basil but found that he didn''t have any look of fascination or astonishment on his face. It was clear to her that she was the only one who didn''t know anything about the unique way Daoistsmunicated.
"Well, I know now where she is," Tian Long remarked as he scrolled the paper and then burned it to ashes. "She is in Gaozi province, Zunshen city."
At the mention of the province, Xiu Li''s face already darkened; at the mention of the city, his face got even darker. Basil noticed it first yet he didn''t say anything. When Tian Long noticed it, however, he immediately called Xiu Li out.
"What is the matter,d? You look concerned for some reason."
"Ah¡that is¡" Xiu Li widened his eyes and then scratched his head in embarrassment. "It is nothing, Great Daoist Tian Long," he continued with a smile.
"Well¡if you don''t want to talk about it, I won''t prod you." Tian Long shrugged.
Xiu Li smiled again and then nodded his head. He looked grateful, which made the people who looked at him sure that something was bothering his mind. Still, none of them asked what was bothering him. As Mages and sensible people, they knew not to be nosy.
"Who is this friend of yours anyway?" Mei Qi asked.
"Yan Xueyi. She is best at treating any Yin-rted ailments."
"Oh? It''s aunt Xueyi. Is she still not married yet?"
At the question, Tian Long turned to Mei Qi in horror. "Mei-er, don''t bring that up before her. Understood?"
"O-Okay¡"
Yan Xueyi was the fifth strongest Daoist in the entire Huaxia. She was formerly Tian Long''s senior sister at the sect that nurtured him. She was one of the unique geniuses who preferred indulging in their hobbies to improving their Cultivations. Despite so, her aptitude still brought her to the secondst realm of Cultivation.
There were six Cultivation Realms: Qi Amasser, Qi Smither, Physique Forger, Unshackled Spirit, Immortal, and Nirvana Tribtion. Tian Long was in the Middle Stage of the Immortal Realm, whereas, Xueyi was in the Pinnacle Stage of the same realm.
It was very hard to increase one''s Cultivation level; therefore, they only made up 15% of the entire poption. History suggested that the chance one would reach the Immortal Realm was less than 20%, which was why most people stopped trying to break through once they reached the realm.
"Yan Xueyi¡I reckoned she had failed her Tribtion once," Basilmented. "Very few people can survive, so I wonder if she is still at her prime."
"Oh, don''t you worry, young man. That mons¡ªfriend of mine is tougher than she looks."
Tribtion was something that one had to go through to step into thest realm of cultivation¡ªNirvana Tribtion. One had to withstand 72 strikes of lightning and defeat one''s Heart Demon to pass it, so one could be considered a Daoist of the Nirvana Tribtion Realm.
It was a very arduous and excruciating process, which was also one of the major reasons why few people were eager to advance to the Nirvana Tribtion Realm. One''s chance of surviving was less than 10%, so many people shied away from it.
Being in the Immortal Realm, Daoists could already live forever. Most of them learned to feelcent¡ªthey naturally feltcent¡ªonce they reached said realm, so theyid low afterwards; meanwhile, the ambitious kept climbing thedder and reached the peak if they were lucky.
"Does the failed Tribtion not affect her?" Basil wondered.
"Well¡she is fine¡physically and mentally. Her luck is just shit ever since, so she is often grumpy."
As someone who didn''t believe in fate and luck, Basil would normally treat it as a cebo effect. Considering how peculiar Daoism worked, however, he slightly worried that Xueyi''s bad luck might contribute to his failed treatmentter.
Tian Long immediatelyughed at the pondering look on Basil''s face and then pped him in the back. "Ku-Ha-Ha! Don''t worry, young man. Her shit luck only affects her love life. She is a very skilled Daoist, so she won''t mess up while we are treating you."
Basil merely nodded his head and said nothing. Tian Long then told everyone to get ready since they were going to depart soon.
As everyone was leaving, Diana asked Julia what was happening. It was only at this moment did the people know she could barely speak Hua Dialect.
Being a good daughter, Julia told her mother about what they were going to do. She asked if she could go with them and Tian Long was the one who answered her with "Why not?" in Ex, the universalnguage.
The preparation took half an incense to burn. They then departed Wanhei province using a flying boat owned by Tian Long, which only five people in Huaxia had.
¡.
Wanhei province turned out to be not that far from Gaozi province. The flight only took an hour and a half and it felt like nothing for those who had just had their first time flying: thesses, Diana, and Deacon.
When Danzel was asked why he didn''t seem impressed, he revealed that he had often ridden the flying boat with Tian Long. Thesses didn''t look very amused by the piece of information, causing him to smile bitterly and Tian Long tough boisterously.
When Basil was asked if he had ever ridden something like the boat before, he said that he didn''t need one because he could fly himself. The people didn''t doubt him in the slightest as they nodded their heads and then turned to Xiu Li.
When the outcast from the Wei received the gaze, he immediately relented and told them that he had ridden his grandfather''s flying boat when he was a child. He could barely maintain his smile as he talked about it, so the people immediately felt bad for asking.
"There are more interesting things to look at around you. You shouldn''t bother talking about trivial things."
The awkward situation was sessfully evaded thanks to Basil''sment. The people looked around them and immediately gasped in awe.
"Woah! My world has been too small¡ªI have never seen this view!" Shirley eximed.
"After staying in this country for two years, this is still my first time seeing this scene," rissamented.
"Hm¡my view has been broadened," Julia intoned.
Looking at thesses in bemusement, Diana wondered if they were reciting a poem due to their manner. She didn''t understand a thing they said since they spoke in Hua Dialect, so their manner was her only clue to what they were saying.
"They are just being stupid," Mei Qi whispered, understanding Diana''s difficulty.
"Ah¡I guess they are too astonished by the scene," Diana replied with a small chuckle.
Indeed, the scenery was something that one could never find in the West. A sea of people flying as fast as lightning, a bunch of fancy flying boats decorating the sky, the grandeur of the flying city¡ªit was something one should admire.
"Zunshen is the smallest but most prominent city in Huaxia. It is the only flying city Huaxia has because it is small enough to keep the cost of flying it reasonable. Those who want to spend their money¡ªthose who desire fune here."
Gesturing at the smaller boat that flew below them with his head, Tian Long continued, "Youngsters of the prominent family¡ªsometimes, naughty married peoplee here to seek pleasure. This ce has one of the¡ªKuhum! Forget what I said."
Tian Long wanted to go on and on about the "delicacy" the city could serve; however, a re from his daughter was enough for him. He felt a little bit unfortunate that the knowledge he gained in his naughty days couldn''t be put to good use but he would do anything to keep his daughter''s mood good.
''Who knows where she will disappear this time!'' he constantly reminded himself.
Unlike the others, as soon as his flying boat was spotted by the guards, they immediately escorted him to the smaller but pretentious gate. As one of the strongest people in Huaxia, being treated as a VIP was a must.
"All right, everyone, it is time to get down and head to the hotel where my friend stays," he said, prompting the people to immediately get down. Xiu Li looked hesitant, so he couldn''t help asking, "Are you afraid of height,d?"
"Huh? No. I was just¡reminiscing. Yes¡ªreminiscing. It has been a long time since Ist came here," Xiu Li said with an awkward smile, failing to hide his distraught state.
Tian Long, again, didn''t prod him and nodded his head. They both got down together and, afterwards, he stored his gigantic flying boat in his Spatial Ring.
Just as they were about to walk, another gigantic flying boat upied the spot that was previously upied by Tian Long''s. A huge Hua Dialect''s character read "Wei" was written on its side.
Upon its appearance, Xiu Li immediately smiled sourly. He retreated until his body crashed into Basil''s. As he was about to turn around and say sorry, Basil held him in his ce. Basil said nothing but he knew what Basil wanted him to do.
He took a deep breath and straightened himself as he looked at the boat. A man in his mid-twenties came down the boat not long after and immediately sneered as he looked at him.
"My, my, my¡. Look what we have here. The outcast dares to return!" the Young Master of the Wei Family, the sessor of Zunshen city, greeted his little brother.
Chapter 425 The Grudgeful Sky Fairy
"My, my, my¡. Look what we have here. The outcast dares to return!"
Visiting a city as a tourist, it is normal for one to expect a warm wee. Basil and the group were no different, so they were extremely bewildered when they heard the hostile yet polite remark.
They took a good look at the Young Master of Wei, wondering if he was someone they had unintentionally offended. They found that they didn''t even know him, so they became even more bemused.
It wasn''t until they noticed where his eyes were nted on did they know whom he was gazing at. Turning their eyes to Xiu Li, they immediately understood why he had been quiet ever since they departed Wanhei province.
Paying his big brother respect, Xiu Li softly said, "Greetings, Big Brother Ye Xiu. It has been five years. I am d that you are as healthy as always."
Scoffing coldly, Ye Xiu didn''t even bother to return the greeting. "It is very unfortunate to know that you are still alive, Xiu Li. You should have stayed in the West¡ªa ce for worthless dogs, which is where you belong."
"As you have already heard. My stay over there is already over," Xiu Li replied calmly with a soft smile, indicating that he was already used to being treated this way.
"Ah, you are ying criminal in the West, aren''t you? Well, I guess you made a good choice by running away here. Those dogs won''t dare to seek you here. Still, don''te near our manor. A disgrace shall forever remain a disgrace¡ªyour presence will tarnish our reputation."
Ending his words with another disdainful scoff, Ye Xiu turned to the amused Tian Long. His face softened as his tense facial muscles rxed.
A smile bloomed on his face as he paid Tian Long respect. "Greetings, Great Daoist Tian Long. It is a very honourable opportunity to meet you here. Wee to our city, Great Daoist¡ªwe hope you will still find it as fun as it was five decades ago."
"That would have been the case if you didn''t suddenly make such an aggressive remark earlier," Tian Long replied neutrally.
"I am extremely sorry for that, Great Daoist. My blood instantly boiled the moment I saw the trash who brought shame upon our family."
Immediately, the people who had been watching the scene silently whispered amongst themselves. They made remarks that were not less cruel than everything Ye Xiu had said toward Xiu Li.
"That is the disgrace of the Wei Family."
"Oh, he is the one who was born with faulty meridians, huh?"
"A cripple from a prestigious family? Does he even have the Wei blood in him?"
"A lot of resources have been spent on him¡ªI heard it was even enough to turn inept into adept¡ªbut he remained unable to cultivate."
"What a poord¡. He was born into a wrong family."
"I heard he was good at Magic, though."
"Magic? What!? That is a disgrace to our country!"
"It is indeed."
"Disgrace!"
Xiu Li''s head was full of the people''sments. Each of them strongly reverberated in his head, shaking his world and making him feel sick. He wanted to crouch and covered his ears. He wanted to lock himself in his own world; however, a hand on his shoulder stopped him from diving into the darkness.
"Big Brother¡" he looked up and then found Basil looking at him with a quirked eyebrow as if asking why he was acting stupid. "I¡this is¡ª"
Ignoring Xiu Li, Basil remarked, "Such a foul mouth! So much for a Young Master of a prominent family."
Frowning, Ye Xiu turned to Basil. "Who are you?" He was slightly surprised by the fact that Basil was a foreigner despite his wless Hua Dialect.
"Your father," Basil answered with a sneer.
"This bastard¡do you know who I am?"
"My son. Are you stupid?"
"Watch your mouth, you damn bastard!" Ye Xiu shouted furiously.
"Oh, my¡look at how foul his mouth. What a shame. What a shame," Basil remarked in mockmentation.
Ye Xiu wanted to curse again but managed to regain hisposure. He exhaled lightly and then faced Basil with grace.
Walking in Basil''s direction, he spoke, "On this beautifulnd of ours, millions of people live. Low-levelled as they are, millions of them are Daoists. Those who are not barely amount to one hundred thousand people. The statistics should have shown you clearly what these less than a hundred thousand people are¡ªfailures." He stopped three steps before Xiu Li.
With a chin lifted highly, he looked up at Basil¡ªsince he was shorter¡ªin disdain. Basil quirked his eyebrow at that and smiled in amusement as he stepped forward. He stopped half a step before Ye Xiu. He refused to look down at Ye Xiu to meet his eyes as he looked around as if looking for someone.
Thesses could barely suppress their mirthful chortle as they looked at the scene. Ye Xiu had his pride, so he obviously couldn''t take that.
He was about to grab Basil''s shirt when Basil spoke, "Using Dao as your way of life, surely, you know how fate works. There are only two kinds of great people. Those who are fated to be one and those who go against their fate."
Squashing his urge to hit Basil, Ye Xiu frowned deeply. He wondered what kind of nonsense Basil was trying to convey.
Uncaring to Ye Xiu''s apparent disagreement, Basil continued, "Xiu Li wasn''t gifted like you; however, he goes against his fate and tries to be just as great if not greater. In my opinion, he is better than someone who is bathed in his fortune like you."
"Hmph! You do have a peculiar way of thinking, don''t you, ghost?" Ye Xiu scoffed, using Hua Dialect''s derogatory term for foreigners.
"You calling people a disgrace is way more peculiar, I am sure."
"Those who are fated to be trash will remain trash. Heaven is absolute. The moment the world gives birth to them, Heaven decides their fate. They are bound to it and they can''t go against it. Your speech is but utter twaddle, lunatic ghost."
"Learning Dao, bing a Daoist¡ªyou all do it because you want to unshackle yourself from the world''s shackle, no? You are going against your fate of being eternally shackled to the world, which means you are going against Heaven, no? Don''t you find your reasoning contradictory to your belief?"
Ye Xiu was stunned for a couple of seconds before firing back. "You talk about fate but you forgot that there are also people who are fated to be unbound from the shackle of the world. You said it yourself but you forgot it? Hmph! So much for acting intelligent."
"I said there were people who are fated to be great. I didn''t say anything about them being Heaven''s favourite," Basil corrected.
He continued, "To bepletely unbound from the world''s shackle, one has to go through a Tribtion. Heaven is obstructing you with Tribtion because you are not supposed to unshackle yourself from the world. Some people seed regardless and that is enough proof to me that fate is not absolute and so is heaven. Don''t you think so too, Ye Xiu?"
Expecting a battle of insults, the people watching were as astonished as they were bewildered when they were presented with Dao discussion. What was talked about was very basic; however, none of them had ever seen it from the perspective that Basil provided.
It was enlightening and eye-opening for a lot of them; they couldn''t help nodding their heads as Basil kept speaking, agreeing with every point Basil pointed out. Basil might look like a foreigner but they suspected that Basil was a Daoist after they heard his opinion.
"Tsk¡these people. They change sides as easily as flipping a coin," noticing that he no longer had the upper hand in the discussion, Ye Xiu scoffed. "You and I are seeing a different thing¡"
"You still have no right to know my name."
"Hmph! Here I am trying to be respectful. Very well, ghost. Good luck in keeping that bubble of yours. Just hope that no one will burst it for you."
Ye Xiu quickly left without even ncing at Xiu Li, followed by his retainers who were ring at Basil threateningly. Uncaring to the care, of course, Basil said some parting words.
"Jump out of your well and you shall see the real sky."
Ye Xiu heard it loud and clear; however, he kept walking. The retainers, this time, red even more fiercely than before, forcing Basil to scare them with his absurdly terrifying killing intent.
Of course, he didn''t fully st them with his killing intent, lest he killed them all. He didn''t want to cause a problem, so he was moderate in his prank.
"Uwah! S-Spare me!"
"Spare this lowly vermin, great lord! This one has eyes but failed to recognize Mount Tai!"
Still, it was terrifying for the retainers.
Ye Xiu stopped in his tracks for a moment to look at what was going on but did nothing in the end. He ignored his kowtowing retainers and then left with the only pair of retainers who weren''t caught in Basil''s "prank."
Ignoring the three people kowtowing before him, Basil turned to Xiu Li. Thetter wanted to bow immediately but the former stopped thetter even before thetter could lean his spine forward.
Basil put his hand on Xiu Li''s shoulder and patted it twice. Xiu Li clenched his fist at that and then held his tears that were threatening toe out.
"Heh¡he is a brother to many people, huh?" Tian Long remarked, looking at the scene.
"He does what he deems just. He has his own definition of just; however, it has always been for the good," Danzel replied with a smile. "Ah, Basil hates attention," he looked around, "so it is better to leave now."
"Nah, we''ll wait here."
"Huh? What are you talking about? Shouldn''t we meet your friend?"
Smiling wryly, Tian Long gestured ahead with his head. Turning his head in the direction Tian Long was pointing, Danzel found someone walking toward Basil.
It was a ck-haired woman in a simple yet gorgeous blue dress. Her face was half-covered with a veil, yet her beauty shone through. She had a figure like a model, yet she walked graciously like a warrior. The ends of her shawl floated a few centimetres above the ground, giving a mystical aura to her.
Everyone knew who she was, so they bowed respectfully like what they did to Tian Long. Uncaring to the people, just like Tian Long was, she focused on Basil. She stood before Basil and then stared at him silently. It was not until ten seconds passed did she say something.
"I like you. Let''s get married."
Surely, no one had expected it toe out of her mouth.
Chapter 426 The Grudgeful Sky Fairy (End)
"I like you. Let''s get married."
The person who said that--the mysterious woman was none other than the fifth strongest Daoist in Huaxia, Yan Xueyi. Everyone knew about how bad her luck with men was but none of them had expected her to be that direct.
Now, being proposed by such a beautiful woman would normally make any man envy the one being proposed to; however, it wasn''t the case if it pertained to Yan Xueyi. Any man who had ever courted her in the past had now all dead. She didn''t do anything to them. They died due to a Dao-rted cause.
Since Daoism was closely tied with things that Westerners called superstition, they believed Xueyi''s bad luck that she got from failing her tribtion could stick to other people, which was why many men who courted her died. Because of this, very few people men dared to develop an interest in her.
Aside from the fact that men were staying away from her, she was also aloof. It was the same as adding fuel to the fire, so it was very hard for her to get a life partner, which is something that she had almost given up on...until a few seconds ago.
"Let''s do it. I have a condition, though."
"Really...?"
At Basil''s response, everyone, including Xueyi was shocked. None of them had expected Basil to say yes; Xueyi believed no sane man would say yes to the woman who proposed to him on the first encounter, meanwhile, the rest of the people thought Basil had heard about the haunting misfortune of Xueyi.
"He doesn''t know?"
"It seems so..."
"Tell him. He is a bright young man--don''t let him die early!"
"Hey, someone, tell him!"
"Lad, don''t be fooled by--spare me, Sky Fairy Xueyi! This fool has no idea what he is talking about!"
A re from Xueyi was enough to shut the murmurs in the surroundings. She usually didn''t mind people discouraging men who were courting her; however, it was different now since she was genuinely interested in Basil.
? Basil himself was also interested in her, so if he shied away because of the people''s misleadingments, she would be very irked. She turned her eyes to Basil and then smiled softly under her veil.
"And, what condition do you want me to fulfil?" she asked graciously.
"I would rather talk about it somewhere private," Basil replied cryptically.
Xueyi''s eyes lit up as she misinterpreted Basil''s words entirely. "Ho-Ho-Ho...interesting. Let us go to my manor, shall we?"
"That would be the best." Basil nodded his head and then asked, "You don''t mind me bringing my family, do you?"
"Of course...."
Turning her head to the people Basil was pointing behind him, Xueyi blinked her eyes twice when she met Tian Long''s gaze. She did a double take and then blinked again when she was sure it was indeed Tian Long.
Instantly recalling the letter, she concluded that Basil was the nephew Tian Long had written about. She immediately understood what Basil would talk about in private and she was slightly disappointed it was not what she had expected.
Sighing softly, she said, "Follow my lead."
She turned around and then lightly swept the air with her right hand. The temperature dramatically dropped before a gigantic blue gate appeared before her; it was letting out a cold mist that scattered everywhere. She walked toward it and it immediately opened itself.
Nothing could be seen but a dark space beyond the door; however, the people could tell something beautiful was waiting to greet them. She stepped inside and disappeared from their view. Wasting no time, they followed suit. Fifteen secondster, the gate and the people could no longer be seen.
Walking past the gate felt like walking into a different world for those who had it for the first time. When the gate was shut, the peculiar feeling disappeared along with the darkness; however, what greeted them still gave them a literal otherworldly feeling.
"This is..."
"This is not Zunshen city, isn''t this?"
"We are in another world."
Before them, the scenery that was often depicted in the fantasy story of their fantastical world was presented. They were standing on a green in decorated with all kinds of flowers and surrounded by hills. Ahead of them was a castle--an ice mountain that was carved into a castle. It looked extremely regal and intimidating.
Ssh!
As they walked the path, the sound that the river made cleansed their mind. The air cleansed their lungs as they took a deep breath--truly a ce that brought peace to one''s mind.
Tian Long had gone to this ce a lot of times; however, like the others, he still couldn''t help but be amazed. He was sure he could do something like this but he was absolute he would never be able to replicate the magnificence.
Turning his head to Basil, intending to assure him that such a skilled person would be the one who treated him, he found Basil engrossed by the sun above the castle. Basil smirked not long after and that made Tian Long dread what was going to happen next.
"You are very skilled in Space Dao, Fairy Xueyi. The only thing I canprehend is that the sun is the source of all lifeform in this ce--I can''t tell how you could develop this ce into something like this."
The ce they were in, the Realm of Sky Fairy was an Alternate Dimension that Xueyi developed along with her disciples. She denied having a sect; she imed she was just providing a ce for talented women. She even called her disciples little sister.
Basil had entered a lot of Alternate Dimensions in his past life; however, none of them had ever looked like this. Lifeforms in the Alternate Dimensions he had visited were but mere decorations. They were merely extremely realistic illusions. This ce, however, was alive. Because of that, he was intrigued.
"Daoism, Magic, and Body Forging came from the same root--the world," Xueyi spoke. "Weprehend the way the world works and apply it to us. It is essentially just us trying to be a new world--to be the cancer thatpetes with the world. We are trying to exclude ourselves from the world''s system, which is why it stands in our way."
She extended her hand, allowing a butterfly to perch on her finger. "Mages don''t believe they can create another form of life with Mana because it goes against their logic. They have been studying how the world works only to apply their logic to how it behaves. Daoists are different."
"Once we learn Dao, we begin toprehend life. We consider ourselves a new world--we believe we can create another lifeform.... No, to be exact, we know how to trigger the creation of lifeforms. We give what the world needs and let the world do the rest." Gesturing at the ce, she added, "This is why this ce exists."
Basil hummed to himself as he rationalized the superstitious exnation. He stopped midway, however, the moment he recalled Xueyi''s words: "Mages have been studying how the world works only to apply their logic to how it behaves."
Indeed, what he was doing was applying his logic to something that he didn''t surely understand. Mages believed that Magic was a tool to transcend the boundaries of physics and biology; however, none of them genuinely understood what it was since they were too focused on testing its limit rather than exploring what it could do.
"I am...enlightened."
Slightly taken aback, Xueyi turned to Basil. "Well, what a pleasant surprise. Are you interested in learning Dao now?"
"Yes," Basil answered surely, "however, I won''t be a Daoist. Magic, in my opinion, is still superior to Daoism. Daoists learn the way the world behaves to be another world before separating themselves from the world. Mages, on the other hand, separate themselves from the world from the very beginning, paving our way with curiosity as our guide."
"Aiming aimlessly is what you are going to say, isn''t it?"
"You are not correct; however, thanks to your insights, I may be able to perfect Magic and cross the boundary without the world obstructing me."
"Are you implying that heaven may hinder you?" Xueyi asked with a hint of amusement in her tone.
"I wonder where those Daoists of the Nirvana Tribtion Realm disappeared to," Basil thought out loud. "Rather than hiding down here...they maybe up there in the sky. Oh, how intriguing this line of thought of mine."
Xueyi and Tian Long stopped in their tracks at the same time, prompting the others to also do the same. They looked at Basil with their dumbfounded face, earning his smirk.
Looking above, they now knew why the dragons they had been luring out had never shown themselves: they were never in the world in the very first ce. Now that they thought about it, it was only logical since there was no need to stay in the world when they were no longer bound to it.
Xueyi lifted her hands and showed the sky her middle fingers. "Fuck you, seniors! Thisss has done nothing to you but you still obstructed her way? I will definitely kick all of you, old farts when I get up there. Just wait! I, Yan Xueyi, will defeat your rigged Tribtion and ascend!"
She said those sentences in one breath. She was called the Grudgeful Sky Fairy for a reason; she genuinely held grudges to her heart. She was absolute that her Tribtion was rigged, so she was very grudgeful toward heaven. It was to the point that she was cursing at the sky she made herself.
"You are barking at the wrong sky," Basil reminded, meanwhile, Tian Long pped his forehead.
"Huh? You are right...fuck!"
Since Basil had seen how quick Asia could change from gracious to repulsive, he wasn''t even surprised when he saw Xueyi''s respectable front crumble. Of course, the others weren''t like him, so they couldn''t help blinking their eyes in bewilderment.
In a matter of seconds, the pristine Xueyi returned. "Kuhum!" She cleared her throat and then faced him calmly as if nothing had happened. "I am enlightened. My desire to marry you has gone through the roof but, due to your insight, I will give you time to cultivate your love for me."
She was still adamant about marrying Basil.
"Allow this maiden to introduce her name. My name is Yan Xueyi. What is yours, handsome young man?" she said graciously as she extended her hand.
Grasping her hand and shaking it lightly, Basil replied, "Nice to meet you, Xueyi. I am Basil Pacifer."
"Very well then. Wee to the Withering Frost Castle--my humble abode."
The gate to the castle opened, revealing a line of attractive women dressed in white bowing respectfully to Xueyi. The scene made the people wonder if Xueyi was just a Daoist, not an Empress.
Chapter 427 Reverse Cycle
In the West, for someone to be treated like that, they had to either be Royalty or someone with enormous power. It was hard to find people who willingly bowed to someone out of respect unless that someone did something many people couldn''t achieve. Everyone in the West was highly confident in their capability; they always thought I could if he could.
They were optimistic, to say the least; unfortunately, the border between their optimism and arrogance was getting more obscure these days. On the other hand, the people of Huaxia didn''t hesitate to admire the strong. They were also easily astonished¡ªto the point where a mere word was enough to make them call someone Master.
The people of Hua didn''t mind putting someone above them because they didn''t believe in the concept of Gods¡ªa higher being that dictated the way they lived. Putting someone above them was equal to setting a goal for them, not a limiter for them which was where they would stop advancing.
In short, the people of Hua could ept their shorings easily, unlike most of the people of the West, who always thought they could do better.
"Woah¡is your friend of Royal descent, Uncle Tian Long?" Shirley whispered.
"Shirley, my niece, your uncle is also treated like how his friend is treated¡ªwhy have you never considered your uncle one?" Tian Long answered wryly.
"Oh¡that is true. I mean, you don''t have something like this, do you?"
"That is¡right."
To be able to step their foot on the castle''s porch, they had to climb a couple of stairs first. Upon reaching the porch, the line of attractive women immediately greeted Xueyi with utter respect.
"Wee home, Sect Mistress!"
Xueyi waved her hand lightly and they immediately stood straight. Thesses gaped in astonishment at the scene. They looked at each one of the women and find all of them worthy to be called the most beautiful woman on earth. Their appearance was but the icing on the cake, however, because their power shone brighter than their beauty.
"Dragoness!"
"Woah, you can''t call them that, Julia," Xiu Li whispered in bewilderment. "Call them Fairy instead. A Dragon symbolizes masculinity and dominance, whereas, a Fairy symbolizes delicacy and grace. You can only call someone a Dragon if he is a man; if she is a woman, call them a Fairy. We don''t have female dragons and male fairies."
"Oh¡I didn''t know that. I hope I didn''t offend any of them."
The two''s whispering was heard by everyone but none of them called them out. Those on Basil''s side merely smiled wryly¡ªexcept for Basil¡ªmeanwhile, the line of attractive women smiled softly in amusement.
Xueyi and Mei Qi instinctively turned to Basil to see how he reacted to the charming smile of the women. They find him remaining stoic, however, looking like a God who wondered what to admire from the beautiful scenery the mortal presented before him.
Both women blinked their eyes at that and then wondered if Basil was even interested in women. He was a male, after all; they expected him to show, at least, some sexual attraction toward the attractive bunch of the opposite gender standing before him.
"Sect Mistress¡this person is¡?"
Basil was a very attractive male. Even her little sisters, who rarely showed an interest in men were curious about him. Men like him were used to using their appearance to their advantage. He didn''t even care about such a thing and it was asmendable as it was peculiar.
"This is my betrothed," Xueyi introduced boldly, earning a quirked eyebrow from Basil.
The line of women covered their mouths and gasped before quickly bowing to him. "Greetings to future Sect Master!"
Basil cupped his curled left hand and returned the greetings. "I am Basil Pacifer. I will be in your Mistress'' care for a while."
Misunderstanding Basil''s words, the women gasped again. One of them boldly asked, "Do you already have anyone in mind after spending your time with the Sect Mistress?"
"Hold your horses,dies. It is not like what you think," Basil said as he put up his hand to stop their wild imagination.
"Well, pardon them, Basil. All of them are very inexperienced in romance. Most of them have been alone for more than seventy years, so they can be quite¡blunt," Xueyimented. This earned an amused look from Basil, making her feel attacked for some reason.
"My friend is also visiting¡ªin case you haven''t noticed." Xueyi gestured at Tian Long.
"Oh! Greetings, Venerable Daoist Tian Long."
Tian Long waved his hand lightly; he did not even care that he was introduced after Basil. He wasn''t crazy about respect. He only cared about how far he could excel.
Besides, everyone who stayed in Withering Frost Castle was already familiar with him due to his frequent visit. Being treated like an esteemed guest, instead, would make him feel he wasn''t considered a part of them, which was what he considered himself.
"I need to talk about a few things with Basil. Please, do take care of our guests."
"We shall do our best, Sect Mistress."
Without saying anything, Xueyi took Basil''s hand and dragged him with her. Mei Qi, Diana and thesses blinked their eyes at the scene; they wondered in horror if Xueyi genuinely meant what she said. From how cool she behaved, after all, they had taken her proposal as her way to tease the ever-steady Basil.
? Basil himself followed Xueyi''s lead without resisting in the slightest. One might wonder why her do what she was doing and it was because he couldn''t sense any lusting from her, which was a first after his decades of interaction with women.
Xueyi was no different from a child. She was clueless about love and attraction. What she had in her were interest and curiosity. Even when she dered she liked Basil, she wasn''t sure about what she felt. She was in the process of figuring out what the feeling people called love was and that attracted Basil''s interest, which was why he yed along.
''Mind that there is always a risk to an experiment,'' Asia warned.
''First love is fickle. Once she tastes what love is, she will realize the truth behind what she feels about me,'' Basil rebutted.
''So, you have considered the possibility of you bing her first love¡. Well, I have warned you.''
Asia wanted to talk about it more; however, she didn''t bother because she knew Basil wouldn''t understand. Basil had only experienced love once¡ªwith Iliana. His love knowledge wasn''t that deep, so he was not that different from Xueyi. Added to that was the fact that he was not one of the most sensitive people.
The ''experiment'' would go the way he had never expected and he would never know what he had caused when the result came out.
"This is?" looking at the ice gate before him, Basil asked in mild curiosity.
"Our library. It holds countless knowledge about Daoism and Dao Arts that many don''t and will never know," replied Xueyi proudly.
"Oh, yeah? I have read some books¡ªmaybe, you can test me."
"Hoh?" Feeling that her credibility was being questioned, Xueyi took Basil''s remark as a challenge. "Tell me about the Ice Phoenix Evesting Snow."
In a heartbeat, Basil answered, "It is a Cultivation Technique that was created by Xu Yong Bing, a famous female Daoist who was known for her Grand Dao of Ice 1700 years ago. Ice Phoenix Evesting Snow allows one toprehend Dao of Ice faster in return for gradually turning one''s blood into ice, which is basically suicide. Despite so¡ª"
"Enough!"
Basil could go on and on about it; however, Xueyi couldn''t hold it any longer. She couldn''tprehend what was happening. Ice Phoenix Evesting Snow was something that not even Tian Long knew about; she couldn''t think of a way how Basil could know about it in detail.
The answer was, of course, the Guide, which she knew nothing about.
Dismissing it as a mere coincidence, Xueyi asked another question. Basil, once again, managed to answer it. She asked another question and was met with the same result. She repeated it five more times before she epted that Basil knew everything.
''Look at her¡she is questioning her existence and her decades of effort,'' Asiamented.
''Well, it has been a long time since messing around with someone gives me amusement.''
''You did that to your enemies,'' Asia retorted.
''My enemies are not on my list of existence that I call someone. Pebbles have more worth than them¡ªthey don''t even worthy to be called something.''
''Ruthless, eh?''
Thud!
Hum!
Basil''s conversation with Asia was cut when the door to the library was opened. Following Xueyi''s lead, he entered the library and then took a look around. The library had its gigantic racks nted in the wall, leaving a vast space in the centre of it. There was nodder inside, so one had to fly to get the book on the topmost shelf.
"Is it your private library?"
"No. It is empty because it is only opened once in two weeks. The day was three days ago, so it won''t be opened for another eleven days," Xueyi exined.
Looking down at the ice floor, Basil noticed an intricate golden pattern inside it. "Why did you bring me here?"
"Because this is the only ce that allows me to check your Curse without worrying for my little sisters'' safety."
As a female Daoist of the highest calibre, Xueyi could sense Yin Energy better than Tian Long could ever do. She noticed Basil''s Curse as soon as she saw her before the gate, which was one of the reasons why she was intrigued by Basil.
"For a male to hold that much amount of¡ªkyaa! What are you doing!?" Xueyi immediately covered her eyes like a mortified maiden as soon as she noticed Basil was taking off his shirt.
That, of course, didn''t stop Basil from doing what he was doing. He didn''t think it was a big deal. Xueyi was a doctor; she should have seen a lot of male bodies, like most female doctors. Though, he was still quite surprised since he had never seen such a reaction before from the women who had seen him shirtless.
"What are you doing? Do your job as a doctor," he said with a hint of disapproval.
That woke Xueyi from her fantasy. She immediately uncovered her eyes and then snorted graciously. Calmly walking toward Basil, she focused her gaze on his eyes. When she stopped before him, she immediately put her hand on the body part that she believed was affected by the Curse.
"Hm? Weird¡I feel a lot of Yang Energy¡"
When she looked down, much to her absolute horror, she found her hand resting on Basil''sher region because of her nervousness. Her head overheated, causing her to get a nosebleed before fainting.
"Asia, this girl is just you with better upbringing."
"What does that even mean!?"
Chapter 428 Reverse Cycle (2)
As Basil spent his time discussing with Xueyi, Tian Long and the others were being guided to the garden in the castle. Other than Tian Long, everyone was busy looking around the castle as they gasped in amazement from time to time.
Xueyi''s disciples who were guiding them would chuckle from time to time since they had acted the same way when they were first brought there by Xueyi. When they reached the garden, the people gasped more audibly than they had ever done.
"Amazing¡"
"It is so beautiful."
"It is straight out of the fairy tale!"
Xueyi''s disciples chuckled at thesses'' remarks. They were d thesses were very appreciative of the beauty of their garden. They had been cultivating the ice flowers in it for three decades. No one knew how arduous it was to cultivate them, so many weren''t impressed by the scenery.
In this world, one could make anything with Mana and Qi; however, making a new lifeform was a challenging task. Many people forgot about it, so the years of trials and errors Xueyi''s disciples made were often disregarded.
As they walked toward the gazebo, Xiu Li noticed a beautiful woman dressed in white taking care of the ice flowers. She looked extremely familiar; however, he was not sure if she was who he thought she was.
Tian Long, who noticed the keen interest Xiu Li paid to the girl, smirked and then pped Xiu Li''s back. Xiu Li was startled; as he turned around, Tian Long shouted, "Thess over there, thisd over here is enamoured by your grace!"
Mortified, Xiu Li immediately turned to the woman who was already facing him. "N-No, I am sorry! You look so much like my¡ª"
"Little Xiu?"
"¡Big Sister Chang Yu?
"Oh my¡it''s really you? What are you doing here!"
"Big Sister, I am back!"
Much to Tian Long''s disappointment, the two knew each other; they didn''t even hesitate to hug under the eyes of the people watching. They talked about a few things to let each other know why they were there. They wanted to have a long one but they were sensible enough to mind the curious people.
Bringing his Big Sister before Tian Long and the others, Xiu Li proudly introduced, "Everyone, this is Big Sister Wei Chang Yu. She is the person who has been taking care of me since I was a child. She is the best and most talented person in the Wei Family!"
"Greetings, Venerable Daoist Tian Long and everyone, I am Wei Chang Yu, Xiu Li''s cousin. Thank you for taking care of him." Chang Yu bowed politely.
Chang Yu looked uncannily simr to Xiu Li; especially, now that he had grown his hair to shoulder-length. The only things that made them different were the mounds on Chang Yu''s chest and the hint of masculinity on Xiu Li''s face.
They could easily be mistaken as twin sisters if they wore the same dress; however, of course, one wouldn''t hesitate to say Chang Yu was prettier. She had the charm that not even every woman had, which Xiu Li didn''t have.
"Xiu Li has been feeling downtely. Maybe, you can join us and cheer him up?" Tian Long suggested.
"Am I allowed to join yourpany, Venerable Daoist¡ª"
"Meh, let''s forsake the formality. Your cousin is my nephew''s sworn brother; so, in a way, we are family now."
"Y-You have a nephew?" Chang Yu widened her eyes.
"Yup! A very formidable nephew!" Latching his hand onto Danzel''s neck, he added, "He is my sworn brother''s son!"
Tian Long cleared his throat after bragging about Basil and then asked Xueyi''s disciples, who were tasked to guide them, to resume their task. They followed the disciples to the gazebo, sat at the table upon reaching there and then waited as the disciples prepared the delicacy.
Except for Tian Long and Danzel, none of them talked as the disciples did their job. They were captivated by the disciples'' grace and meticulousness; looking at the disciples felt like looking at art, so they couldn''t turn their eyes away.
It wasn''t long until Tian Long and Danzel stopped talking to take a look at the youngsters. The silence slightly weirded them out. Upon finding they were being captivated by the disciples'' movements, the two men immediately continued speaking. They had passed their time of being admirers, so they were not easily impressed anymore.
"Still have tomend that monster for raising these gracioussses. Had you seen how disturbed she was in the sect, Danzel, you wouldn''t dare to imagine she was capable of raising someone," Tian Long whispered.
"Just know that you are probably digging your own grave," Mei Qi reminded.
"You do know these women are your friend''s disciples, don''t you?" Danzel asked weirdly.
"Meh¡" Tian Long shrugged and then winked at the disciples. "They won''t snitch on me."
The three attractive women merely smiled and said nothing. No one could tell what their smile meant¡ªnot even Tian Long, which was why he couldn''t help gulping nervously.
A few more seconds passed and the delicacy was all set on the table. The disciples backed off and then said in unison, "We will stand aside and let our esteemed guests have their time with their families. We won''t participate in the talk but, please, don''t be hesitant to reach out to us."
After saying that, they stood on the corner of the gazebo, overlooking the people as if they were overly realistic sculptures. The people looked at each other for a few seconds before talking to each other.
Since Tian Long himself had called them his family, Xiu Li didn''t hesitate to tell Chang Yu about why he was there, which also exposed some part of his family''s circumstances. No one said a thing as he told how he had been banished from the Wei Family; however, they immediately assured him he had a new ce at the end of his story.
"So¡Uncle Tang has finally disowned you," Chang Yu muttered with a deep frown. "His illogical hate toward you has driven him to his fall without him knowing it. Now, those greedy Elders and Ye Xiu¡they will hoard everything for themselves."
"What have they done, Big Sister?" Xiu Li asked nervously.
"Well, it has something to do with how I ended up here."
"You attracted Venerable Daoist Xueyi''s eyes¡ªthat is why you are here, isn''t that, Big Sister?"
Smiling wryly, Chang Yu shook her head. "I was roaming around One Thousand Streams Valley in Beishan province when Sect Mistress Xueyi met me. Why was I there? You may ask. Well¡I was banished from the Wei Manor because I had helped a ''disgrace'' grow into a ''bigger disgrace'' a few days prior."
"Father did that!? Unthinkable! You have nothing to do with me. Why did he think you needed to be banished too?" Xiu Li exploded.
"I have told you, haven''t I?" Chang Yu smiled softly. "Uncle Tang is no longer the person we both knew. He is but a puppet controlled by Ye Xiu and those greedy Elders, who sees me as a threat."
"Big Sister¡because of me, you¡" Xiu Li bowed his head lowly.
"Eh? Why are you apologising? I am thankful to you, you know? Because of you, my eyes are wide open and I can even be a disciple of the famous Yan Xueyi! I am genuinely happy. You should be too, Xiu Li¡ªthat ce is not worth crying over."
As he sipped his tea, Tian Long muttered, "Maybe, you will cryter with how bad your romance luck is." The fact that none of Xueyi''s disciples had a Dao Partner was disyed right before them; he was baffled that none of them hade to realize it.
When the heavy talk ended, the two Weis apologised to everyone for making them listen to their (used to be) family''s boring circumstances. Shirley immediatelyughed it off and said it wasn''t as bad as hers, making the people curious about what kind of circumstances her family had faced.
No one asked about it, of course, but the fact that she couldugh about it astonished those who knew about it as much as it appalled them. To say the least, after all, what had happened to her family was¡wild.
Time passed and, at some point, the three disciples tasked to treat them bowed in the direction of the entrance of the gazebo.
"Greetings, Future Sect Master, Sect Mistress!"
The people immediately stopped speaking and turned around. Basil was walking toward them with Xueyi following closely behind. Basil''s face was as serene as ever; however, it wasn''t the case with Xueyi. Said Sect Mistress was frowning as she thought about Basil''s condition.
Tian Long immediately picked it up and couldn''t help also frowning. He wondered if Basil was no longer curable¡ªthe others also felt the same¡ªso he cracked a joke to lighten up the mood.
"You look entranced, Senior Sister Xueyi. You can''t get the image of Basil''s might out of your mind? Ha-Ha-Ha!" Heughed boisterously and then abruptly stopped when Xueyi''s face turned bright red. "¡what the fuck!? My boy, I am proud of you!" he eximed.
Bam!
In the blink of an eye, Xueyi kicked him,unching him 15 kilometres away. Nobody blinked their eyes at the scene they had just watched; they nted their intense gaze on Xueyi, demanding an exnation, so they could confirm the truth.
Facing the people calmly, Xueyi regained herposure and then cleared her throat. "Kuhum! Everyone, Basil''s treatment can already be carried out." She unashamedly avoided the topic, making the people even more curious. "However,¡the side effect of the treatment mightst forever."
At the mention of the side effect, Danzel blurted out, "What is it? Is it something that may cause him danger?"
"Well¡no. However, it should be terrifying for a man," Xueyi said.
"Impotence!?" Diana eximed, startling everyone. They didn''t expect her to understand Xueyi, who had been speaking in Hua Dialect. When she turned to the person beside her, only then did they know what was going on. "Mrs Mei Qi, what does that even mean?"
"Kuhum! Anyway, Basil has said he is ready to bear the side effect. I can''t tell you about it now, so I will just let you see itter when the treatment is done." Xueyi turned to Basil. "This might be yourst time talking to your family like this. Take your time."
Basil quirked his eyebrow and then shortly said, "Everyone, I will be back."
The people blinked their eyes in surprise but then immediately shook their heads in amusement; they couldn''t expect less from him. No matter what the circumstance was, Basil would remain himself. They believed in him, so they didn''t ask anything and nodded their heads.
Swoosh!
Tian Long reappeared and eximed, "Let''s treat him immediately. We can''t let my nephew''s dragon fall!" He made the assured people worry once again.
Chapter 429 Reverse Cycle (End)
Leaving the curious and worried people at the gazebo, Tian Long, Basil and Xueyi headed to the library, which was the ce they had just been before. Had Xueyi known Basil didn''t have much to say, she would have called Tian Long toe over instead; she was quite annoyed by the fact that they had just wasted their time.
Upon arriving at the library, the three were greeted by two beautiful women wearing white dresses and veils to cover half of their faces. They were Xueyi''s top two disciples, who were going to help Xueyi and Tian Long treat Basil.
"It''s very rare for you to acquire anyone''s help other than mine to treat someone," Tian Long remarked. "It makes me wonder just how high the sess rate is."
"It is going to sess, I guarantee you that," Xueyi replied. "I just don''t want the side effect tost forever. The Yin is already at a dangerous level; if it''s not properly cycled, it will always remain, causing a permanent change to his physique. That is a nightmare."
"For you or him?" Tian Long joked.
Xueyi nced at Basil who was talking with her two disciples before answering. "He is very nonchnt about it, so I guess it will only be a nightmare to those whose heart he has owned."
"So, it will be a nightmare to--let''s proceed with the procedure, Senior Sister."
A re from Xueyi stopped Tian Long from joking ever again. He became serious ever since--in an attempt to keep alive.
Basil was called and asked to take his shirt off. It was already the second time Xueyi saw his body; however, she still couldn''t help getting flustered when she saw it. The same also applied to her disciples. Both of them were shyly covering their eyes while constantly taking a peek.
Tian Long wanted to joke about it badly but he knew he would die should he do it, so he could only look at them with unamused eyes. Thankfully, Basil knew how to stop the antics. He pointed at his damaged body, sobering the people up. They told him to stand in the middle and then immediately got to work.
"Drink this." Xueyi handed Basil a saucer with a clear liquid on it.
Basil took the saucer with both of his hands and then smelled it with grace. It wasn''t necessary to do that; however, his mannerism amazed Xueyi so much that she didn''t care he treated a medicinal drink like high-quality tea.
"It doesn''t smell the way it looks," Basilmented.
"Pungent, isn''t it? That''s what tells you it is good medicine."
"You may not believe me but I can make--"
"I know," Xueyi stopped Basil. "Please, just follow the procedure. We will do it my way, so we don''t have to worry about variables that we are not aware of."
Basil smirked lightly, drank the medicinal drink in one go and then handed the saucer back to Xueyi. As Xueyi stepped back, her two disciples stepped forward. They asked him to kneel, so they could write the F?ol?1 necessary to proceed with the ritual on his body. He was too tall for them to do itfortably.
As soon as Basil knelt, they immediately took out a brush and an inkwell. They dipped their brushes in their inkwells and then meticulously wrote each of the mysterious characters creating a F?ol?1 on his body.
The ck ink turned blue after five seconds as it detected the intense Yin Energy in Basil''s body. The process took roughly ten minutes and, by the end of it, Basil looked like someone who had an extreme obsession with tattoos.
Looking down at his body, he couldn''t help recalling the days when he had to Carve Runes on his body to help him control the overflowing Mana in his body. It was his first three years of taking control of Iliana''s Heart and the Magic Circles carved on it.
"Do you feel any difort?" Xueyi asked, awakening Basil from his thought.
"No. Let''s proceed with the procedure."
Nodding her head lightly, Xueyi told Basil to stand up. She extended her hand, prompting Basil to do the same, and then cut open his wrist with her nail; his blood gushed out of his wrist, gradually pooling on the floor.
She covered his wrist when she deemed it enough, stopping the bleeding instantly. As she retracted her hand, the cut disappeared, leaving Basil''s wrist as unblemished as it was.
It was, however, not something she had done, so she looked at Basil in bafflement. "You have a very high regeneration rate."
"I can heal myself."
"Ah...that''s right. You are a Pacifer."
The people of Huaxia possessed the true history of humanity; naturally, Xueyi knew about the Pacifer. She had read about how fearsome they were in the past but she wasn''t that interested in them, which was why she had remained calm when Basil introduced himself.
Assuming the sword hand-seal with her right hand, she chanted something in Ancient Hua Dialect. Basil listened to her keenly and was surprised by the fact that the Guide didn''t let him learn thenguage, saying its Grade was not high enough.
Basil''s blood that was pooling on the ice floor seeped through it and then coloured the intricate pattern carved inside it red. In the next moment, Xueyi put her hand on Basil''s sr plexus and then injected her Qi into his body.
"Don''t reject it," she said, feeling the force pushing her Qi back.
"Do you think I am rejecting your Qi?" Basil asked with an amused smile.
Xueyi slightly widened her eyes before increasing the input of her Qi. Basil wasn''t rejecting her Qi; his body defence system was strong enough to push her Qi back. Doing it the soft way would never do, which was why she had to increase the input.
The blue-coloured F?ol?1 lit up not long after. This was the cue for Xueyi to stop injecting her Qi. She stepped back and then watched as the red-coloured pattern inside the ice floor spun. Walking to the north, she stood 9 metres from Basil. Tian Long and her two disciples were standing on the south, southeast and southwest respectively.
After another spin, the red-coloured pattern stopped spinning. Xueyi and the others immediately sped their hands and then chanted an unknown Spell in Ancient Hua Dialect.
"Pain is something you should endure but not something you should hide," Xueyi softly said. "When it bes too much, scream. You may die by suppressing your agony."
Basil said nothing but he quirked his eyebrow. His gesture was telling Xueyi that she could try him. Xueyi shook her head helplessly, expecting his appalled face at the end of this. She resumed the procedure and the ritual was finally carried out.
The blue-coloured F?ol?1 shone even more intensely as it moved. Basil began to feel the pain that Xueyi told him to be careful of, prompting him to assume a pondering look; he calcted how much higher it would get and couldn''t help scoffing at the result.
The reaction caused Xueyi and the others to quirk their eyebrows. They, however, focused on the ritual again after finding Basil looking as serene as he always.
An hour passed and he still had no choice. At that point, all of the Daoists in the library wondered just how much pain Basil could endure. It was absurd. He still looked as serene as ever...while he was reading the book that he had pulled out of his Spatial Ring.
....
1 hour and 45 minutes had passed since Basil''s departure. Danzel and the others had been avoiding the topic but they could no longer hold their curiosity. The life inside the Realm of Sky Fairy no longer attracted them; the three disciples apanying them had told them enough. It was time to bring up another topic and they went for the topic they had been avoiding.
"What is going to happen to Basil?" Danzel was the one who started it. "Do you know something, Mrs Mei Qi?"
"Why do you think I know?" Mei Qi retorted.
"You are a Daoist, aren''t you?"
"I am...a Pinnacle Stage Daoist of the Physique Forger Realm, that is. I don''t know anything about it."
Blinking his eyes, Danzel said, "I thought Tian Long''s daughter was talented."
Physique Forger was the third Cultivation Realm out of the six Cultivation Realms. It was the stage that separated the talented and the inept. The inept would remain in the pinnacle stage, meanwhile, the talented would advance. Managing to reach the Realm was still somethingmendable...only if one was not the daughter of the Yang Tian Long.
"I am," Mei Qi scoffed. "I haven''t been cultivating for two decades. This is my Cultivation Realm when I was 23. It is still not something that anyone can achieve. What about you, Mr Danzel? You seem to be a Knight from the presence you are giving off. On what stage are you now?"
"Early-Stage Blue Core."
"...."
In Knight Principle, the divider between the talented and the inept was the Green Core Stage. Danzel having passed the stage, no matter how old he was, meant that he was amongst the talented; one would even say he was a genius if one knew how fast he had grown.
In truth, Danzel was neither talented nor inept. He just had a good Body Forging Technique that suited him well and Basil''s splendid guidance, hence his explosive growth.
"Anyway, does anyone of you know about Reverse Cycle?"
Mei Qi turned to the three disciples who had been curiously watching her and Danzel speaking in Ex. She spoke in Hua Dialect this time, earning an immediate response from them.
"Ah, so that is what the Sect Mistress is going to do to the Future Sect Master. Hm...no wonder they were talking about the evesting side effect."
Upon knowing that the disciples, at least one of them, knew something about it, the people''s attention was focused solely on them. The disciples blinked their eyes in slight bafflement and couldn''t help chuckling ufortably.
"Tell us," Mei Qi demanded.
"Ah, please trante what she says for me too," Diana requested, earning a nod from Mei Qi.
"Well..." began the disciple in the centre. "Reverse Cycle is one of the Forbidden Techniques that many Daoists avoid performing. It is not dangerous for the performer but it may cause eternal regret to the person who is treated with Technique."
"What do you mean by that?" Danzel asked.
"Humans have two kinds of Energies in their bodies: Yin and Yang. Men have more Yang and vice versa. The Reverse Cycle is performed when one desires to tilt the bnce of the Energy or kick one of it back to an eptable level."
The disciple stopped speaking, allowing the people to absorb the information. Chang Yu was the first one to realize what it meant and she couldn''t help blurting it out.
"Essentially, Future Sect Master is going to turn into a woman?"
Everyone''s eyes turned to her, asking her to tell them she was joking with their eyes.
Chapter 430 Tower Of Legacy
"Yes¡that is correct," one of Xueyi''s disciples, the one that exined about [Reverse Cycle] confirmed.
The people''s heads turned to her. Their befuddled gaze turned into a disbelieving gaze as they covered their mouths. They stayed silent and pondered. Knowing how careful and paranoid Basil was, they were sure he had his reason for taking the risk.
However, they also considered him to remain that way since they knew how apathetic he was toward such a thing. They were sure he didn''t consider gender as an advantage or impairment; it was just something to define what he was in front of the people''s eyes.
"Well¡I might have another daughter, then," Danzel muttered.
"I am going to have a sister," Shirley whispered.
"Oh, no¡ªwhat am I going to do with this news?"mented rissa¡and the rest of the females who knew Basil there.
"It will notst forever, everyone. [Reverse Cycle] is used to treat Energy imbnce, not to change one''s gender. It is but an after-effect, so Future Sect Master will return to being a man in no time," the disciple interrupted. "For the time being, though, he has to get used to it."
Knowing that it wouldn''t be permanent calmed the females down. They then wondered how Basil would look as a female and were extremely expectant toward it.
¡.
Another hour passed, making it the second hour since the treatment started. The library was full of Qi. The pressure was oppressive and overbearing yet most of the people inside were feeling cold. The Yin Energy Basil had bottled up for years brought that coldness.
Standing in the middle of the room, right on the ring intricate pattern carved inside the ice floor, Basil was the only one who was sweating. The pain he was enduring was immense yet his face remained stoic as ever.
His brown hair that had been cut short in the battle with August had grown longer¡ªlong enough to reach below his waist. It was bushier and shinier than it had ever been, enhancing the charm that his feminine visage was already giving off.
His slightly tanned skin, which he had painstakingly achieved through years of being exposed to the sunlight, had gotten paler and pinkish. It was now as white as snow; the tinge of pink on his skin made it look vibrant, so no one would mistake him for a dead person.
His muscles had gotten leaner. His bones had also gotten smaller yet denser than they had been before. His height decreased¡ªhe was only 190 metres tall now¡ªyet he remained as intimidating. He now also had two plump mounds on his chest which were noticeable enough to make any woman jealous.
"Is thising to an end?" he asked. His voice sounded so melodious that one might fall asleep just by listening to him speak.
"How do you know?" Xueyi retorted.
"It is shrinking and changing¡ªdown there."
"¡you don''t even feelfortable talking about that?"
Turning his eyes to Tian Long, Basil answered, "Why should I be ufortable with myself?"
"Great answer. Great answer."
Tian Long had been deprived of his sense of vision ever since Basil''s body started changing. When he nodded his head in appreciation, he wasn''t looking in Basil''s direction because of that.
Basil himself didn''t mind letting Tian Long see his new body. It was but anything eternal, so he didn''t think much of it. Although he might have a woman''s body, he was still a man inside. He believed Tian Long was aware of it, so he was sure Tian Long wouldn''t make things weird.
Xueyi didn''t think twice or consider Basil''s opinion before sealing Tian Long''s vision. The person himself might not notice it; however, she and her two disciples could tell what would happen had they followed his suggestion. Basil was extremely attractive as a man¡ªturned into a woman, he looked incredibly stunning.
Boom!
As Basil''sst identity as a man disappeared, her body discharged a huge amount of Yin Energy. It swept the entire room, causing the people to involuntarily feel chill down their spines.
She looked down at her body and couldn''t help but immediately frown. Her chest was covering her vision, so she had to "put them aside" to be able to inspect her now wless sr plexus. The Curse had been lifted; her Yin and Yang were now bnced. That brought a smile to her face.
Xueyi walked toward Basil, bringing Basil''s shirt in her hands. "You have be a woman now. Just know that you can''t undress wherever you like anymore."
Basil stopped inspecting her body and looked at the presented shirt. She took it and immediately wore it, uncaring to the fact that it was three sizes bigger. Fortunately, her shit had an [Adjustment] Rune carved on it. It shrunk in the next moment, making it fit nicely.
"The Rune is faulty," Basil said in distaste. "How can it not even adjust with the size of my chest? It is very tight around my chest."
Xueyi couldn''t help looking down at hers. She stared at Basil with an unamused look afterwards, making Basil wonder why she seemed irate.
Putting on her robe that was also adjusting its size, Basil said, "You can return Uncle''s vision. He looks more foolish than he already is."
"I can hear you, you insolentss!"
"Ah, indeed. I have be more insolent," Basil remarked to herself in intrigue. "I can think up more scathing remarks now. I can also say them with more disdain than before, so they be more hurtful and stressful...interesting. So, this is how a woman''s mind works. How peculiar."
As Basil was admiring her temporary self, Xueyi lifted the Seal and returned Tian Long''s vision. She immediately grabbed his head before he could see what Basil had be and then whispered, "I am saving your rtionship here. Control your eyes!"
Tian Long was slightly taken aback by the sheer fierceness in Xueyi''s warning. He gulped his saliva nervously and then nodded his head in determination, prompting her to let go of his head.
Turning around, he looked at the temporary Basil for the first time. There, he saw the most beautiful woman he had ever seen¡ªhis eyes widened as he couldn''t believe the day when he admitted someone was more beautiful than histe wife woulde.
Basil had always had a serene orpletely neutral look on his face as a man. As a woman, she had an eternal soft smile on her face that purified one''s soul due to how pure it made her.
"What a sweetss¡I want to protect thisss," Tian Long remarked as he clutched his racing heart.
"Know that your head will roll on the ground the moment you do something to her," Xueyi warned.
"Chill, Senior Sister. Do you think I can easily be swayed by lust? Besides, do you think I will be able to do what I like to her?"
Tian Long was referring to the amount of Qi Basil was exuding. The moment the Curse was lifted, she no longer needed to suppress her Core. Now, she was a Middle Stage Purple Core Knight. The Qi she was exuding was as intense as the Qi that an Early-Stage Daoist of the Immortal Realm exuded.
"What a strange people they are, indeed¡ªthe Pacifer," Xueyi remarked.
"Anyway, Senior Sister. I think you need to tell her that she should slightly hide her assets. They are not the biggest but I can say they are the most per¡ª"
Crack!
Basil stopped pondering the changes he had gone through and turned in Tian Long''s direction. She found him clutching his head on the ground, making her wonder what he had done to earn a mighty p from Xueyi.
Shrugging nonchntly, she jumped and then observed what happened to her chest as shended on the ground. The mounds on her chest jiggled violently, making her worry that they might fall off.
"This can''t be. A woman''s body is very fragile."
She cast a High-Grade Spell on her mounds, creating a focused gravity field around them. She jumped again and then smiled when they no longer jiggled violently like before.
As she shook her head in amusement at the things she was concerned about, she noticed something that she had overlooked¡ªher hair. d that it was long again, she was about to tie it the way she had tied it when she was a man when Xueyi offered to tie it for her.
"Let me do your hair. I will tie it the way it doesn''t hinder your fighting ability but still makes you look beautiful."
"Please, do, then," Basil epted the offer without thinking twice.
"I can also give you more fitting clothes and¡things you should wear if you want to. Those clothes must be ufortable for you, no?"
"That is not necessary. Our Magic is advanced enough to let us change our clothes to fit the other gender with a snap. I amfortable wearing these. Also, if you are worried about the jiggle¡ªI have it under control."
Basil gave Xueyi a thumb up, making Xueyi p her forehead softly. Basil talked more than he used to do; however, she was just as blunt as she used to be.
Being the only man in the room made Tian Long self-conscious. He told them he would wait with Danzel and the others before saying his farewell.
Xueyi and her disciples immediately brought Basil to Xueyi''s room, in which they would work on her hair. They couldn''t wait to make her look more stunning than she already was; even the two disciples were giggling, forgetting their fatigue entirely.
¡.
In the gazebo, the people who had been silent for thest twenty minutes perked up as they noticed Tian Long walking toward them. They had been hesitating for thest twenty minutes to bring up Basil''s treatment, so Tian Long''s appearance gave them the reason to.
"How is he¡ªshe?" Danzel stood up.
"Woah¡you already know?" Tian Long asked back.
"Miss Ying''er was kind enough to enlighten us on the matter."
Tian Long turned to Luo Ying''er, Xueyi''s disciple who had told them about [Reverse Cycle] and then nodded his head. He walked toward an empty seat, sat down and then stayed silent under the people''s bewildered gaze.
Uncaring to the gaze he received, he asked Ying''er to pour him tea. The scene caused the people to turn to Mei Qi as she was the only person amongst them who would make him talk.
As she stood up, however, Tian Long immediately said, "You will see her soon. I won''t tell you much about her. You should see her for yourselves."
The people wanted to argue; however, they relented in the end. They waited until Basil showed up and, when she did, they were so stunned that they forgot how to speak.
Chapter 431 Tower Of Legacy (2)
Long brown hair, a beautiful visage that was too otherworldly to belong to a human; a serene look adorning the face, added to that, was the slight smile that calmed one''s mind; a perfect body figure, an above-average height that gave her an intimating vibe¡ªeverything about this Basil made the people wonder if she had been reborn as a Goddess.
They stayed silent as they marvelled at her beauty. Basil looked at the expression of his family one by one and couldn''t help shaking her head in amusement. She was sure they had seen more beautiful people but they were still astonished by her look. She didn''t think she looked extraordinary.
"Aren''t your clothes too tight?" Danzel blurted out with a light frown. "It may be temporary but I think it is not good to treat your body like a male''s." He wondered if Basil realized that her clothes looked like they stuck to her body.
"It should have been tight if I was still a male. These clothes fit just perfectly," Basil exined. They may look too tight on me but they give me a lot of mobility¡more than they used to do when I was a male, ironically."
"You always think about fighting, huh? Well, with how things are going, though, I can''t me you."
Danzel''s remark brought the dazzled people back to reality. Like him, they shook their heads bitterly as they mused about what might greet them at the end of the journey.
"Xueyi," Basil called, earning the female Daoist''s attention. "I can already use my body to fight, can''t I?" She knew the answer already but she still asked, so the people could hear it directly from Xueyi.
"You can. You can even participate in the Soaring Dragon Tournament and win," Xueyi confirmed.
"What is Soaring Dragon Tournament?" Shirley asked. "I am pretty sure I have never heard of it."
"Soaring Dragon Tournament is a special tournament that is held once every decade for the youngsters to fight over the right to enter the Tower of Legacy. Out of the 10,000 youngsters that are allowed to participate, only 10 people will have the right," Tian Long exined.
Tower of Legacy was one of the seventy-two Obelisks that appeared in the world. It was amongst the conquered Obelisk. Upon their immigration, the people of Hua immediately put it to good use, making it the only Obelisk that was utilised by humans. It was used to store the legacies of many legendary Daoists.
Legacy, of course, wouldn''t be a legacy if no one was to inherit it. Every decade, the ess to Tower of Legacy would be opened to let talented youngsters enter it, allowing them to inherit the legacy left behind after passing the trial set by the owners of the legacy.
This had been going on for millennia and a half; however, five hundred years ago, a restriction was put on the number of youngsters who could enter it. After one incident and another, the top ten Daoists realized that many unworthy people had gotten their hands on something they shouldn''t.
They decided, from then on, only ten people should be allowed entry. They were, of course, aware of how violent the people would possibly react when they said only the selected people were allowed entry; therefore, they created a tournament to let the people fight for the right fair and square.
That was the beginning of the Soaring Dragon Tournament.
"Unfortunately, you are currently busy," turning to Basil, Tian Long remarked. "If you weren''t upied by that matter, you would have been able to participate in the tournament that will be held in two days."
"I will participate."
"It''s too bad, you know? Had you been able to, I am sure you would, at least, climb to the ninth¡ªI am sorry, what?"
"I will participate," Basil reiterated.
"You sure?"
"Yes."
Basil didn''t only have one reason toe to Huaxia. She initially did; however, due to how things had developed, she changed her mind. There were two Artefacts which were part of Solomon''s 9 Seals in the Tower of Legacy. She couldn''t just let them go.
She had initially nned to take them after killing Dantalion because of how tight the time was. At that time, the Guide had told her the treatment would take days. Therefore, when it turned out that the treatment had onlysted for two hours and a half, she quickly changed his mind.
Soaring Dragon Tournament was not her only way to enter the Tower of Legacy; however, while she still had time in Huaxia, it was better to take the two legacies. She would be a littlete but it was still better thaning back there just to retrieve two legacies and then left again.
"I am afraid the registration has been closed, Venerable Daoist Tian Long," Chang Yu said, earning a quirked eyebrow from Tian long. "This one will also participate in the tournament and was one of thest people epted."
"Ho-oh? You registered by yourself, not under the name of the Withering Frost Sect?"
"Yes, Venerable Daoist Tian Long. I am afraid of tainting our sect''s name."
Tian Long hummed to himself as he turned to Xueyi. "No wonder you didn''t know about it¡. Listen,ss, that registration was nothing but a farce. There will be some youngsters¡ªthe disciples of the top ten Daoists¡ªwho can participate in the tournament without even registering."
"Ah¡so, that means¡"
"Yes, Basil will participate through the back entrance."
Chang Yu blinked her eyes as she turned to Basil. She couldn''t believe what she had heard. She used to believe that the top ten Daoists were all honest and wise. Never had she dreamt of the day when she heard that they were just cunning as any other people.
"L-Let''spete fair and square¡" she extended her clenched hand at Basil.
Basil stared coldly at it, making her involuntarily gulp in horror. Basil then raised her hand and then extended it toward her as well. "N-Now that I think about it, I think let''s not fight¡" she squeaked, failing to stop Basil.
As she expected the worse to happen, a warm and soft handnded on her head. Basil was patting her with a fascinated look on her face.
"Is this what women consider cute? This girl is just stupid, in my opinion."
"¡."
Basil had a very charming look; however, her tongue cut deeper than Durendal. Chang Yu didn''t know how she should react to Basil''s words, so she just stared at Basil nkly.
"I hope you can help her during the tournament," Xueyi remarked. "This is not me asking for payback¡ªI am just asking you to do something that will make me happy if you agree to."
"Do I have to help her climb the tower as well?" responded Basil, referring to Chang Yu.
"No. Let her aplish it herself."
Turning to Chang Yu, Basil once again patted her head. "Little one, I will carry you to the top 10. Please, do tell me whether you arepetent enough to ride on my coattails."
"Of course, I can¡you don''t have to be so harsh on me," Chang Yu muttered depressively.
"Look at this little thing¡"
"I am not small¡ªyou are just tall!"
Chang Yu was 165 centimetres tall, which was considered average for women; however, Basil''s height made her look shorter than she should. Basil found a peculiar satisfaction from teasing her about it but she was not amused by that.
She knew how old Basil was. She was a proud 24-year-old woman, meanwhile, Basil was a tall 19-year-old woman. To be treated like the younger one was a blow to her pride. In addition to that, Basil knew exactly how to make her act like one.
Basil stopped patting Chang Yu; her face suddenly turned solemn. "Since there are still two days until the tournament, I am going to contact Iliana and the others. I need to tell them that I will bete, so they won''t recklessly charge at Dantalion''s army."
"You seem to need some private space," Danzel remarked. Turning to Tian Long, he said, "We will be waiting in the castle''s guest room. Come join us after you are done."
Tian Long nodded his head and then got up from his seat. The others did the same, prompting Xueyi and her three disciples to guide Danzel and the others to the guest room.
When no one was in the vicinity, Basil took out her Visual Orb and then put it on the table. She put her hand on top of it, hesitated to call for a few seconds and then inserted her Mana.
When it connected, she faced Iliana and a couple of others with her most detached look.
¡.
A few minutes before Basil called, Iliana and the Warriors¡ªthe past Pacifer''s servants¡ªwere discussing how they would act should Dantalione with another Chimaera. Like Basil said, after all, there was no guarantee Dantalion wouldn''te before a week of truce.
Basil wouldn''t return before a week, so the possibility of them fighting without him was quite high. The current him might not be as strong as the entire army¡ªso they believed¡ªhowever, his absence was a solid blow to the army''s morale, which was why they had to concoct a special strategy.
"I don''t know what he is doing in Huaxia but I have a strong feeling that he will spend a good amount of time there," Iliana said to Xander, who was sitting beside her. "It is not a desirable situation but we have to prepare another weapon to rece Basil."
She looked at the people sitting at the long-rounded table with a solemn look. 10 Chieftains of the Elf Tribes, 6 Elders of the Dwarves, 2 human Kings and 1 former human King stared at her back with the same solemn look on their faces.
Compared to Goap, Dantalion''s army was not of concern. Thirty-six Legions of Demons were not a problem they couldn''t handle; however, what Dantalion was capable of¡ªhis knowledge regarding creating Mythical Monsters was terrifying.
It wouldn''t be irrelevant to worry that he might resurrect Scy.
Bloop!
A light disturbance was felt in the air at the same time the Visual Orb that was put in the centre of the table lit up. Everyone''s eyes turned to the orb. They knew who was calling. Only one person could reach them through it¡ªtheir leader.
"I will answer it." Iliana extended her hand and projected the image the orb created.
When the image was projected, all of them were stunned to find a brown-haired goddess staring at them with absolute detachment. They were captivated by her beauty but, after a few seconds, they wondered where their leader was.
"Basil¡?" Iliana was the first one to open her mouth.
"I tripped myself and became a woman," replied the brown-haired Goddess.
Iliana wanted to curse at how ridiculous it was; however, the moment she saw Basil''s golden Pacifer Seal, she chuckled in absolute bemusement.
Chapter 432 Tower Of Legacy (3)
"What happened to¡" Anthony trailed off as he recalled what Basil had said. "Right¡you tripped yourself and became a Goddess¡ªa woman."
Some heads turned to Anthony at his slip but none of them said anything. They looked at him in relief, d that they were not the only person who thought that way.
"You have a very¡interesting kink, Basil. I didn''t expect that," Iliana remarked.
Deactivating her Pacifer seal, Basil responded, "A special treatment was done to me to boost my growth. This is the result of this."
Xander hummed to themselves before widening his eyes in realization. Daoism wasn''t found after the people of Hua migrated; he and his fellows knew a little bit of Daoism, so he already figured out [Reverse Cycle] was the reason.
Basil noticed his reaction and nced at him. He knew what his temporary Mistress wanted, so he immediately nodded his head and pretended to be as clueless as the others.
"I want to inform you that I may spend more time than I initially nned here. There is a Legacy I want to retrieve and I have to participate in a tournament to be given ess to retrieve it."
"Are you even allowed to participate? It''s for Daoists, isn''t it?" Anthony asked.
"Yang Tian Long turns out to be my father''s good friend. I have his backing," Basil said casually. "Yan Xueyi also asked me a favour to help her disciple, so my victory is secured. No one will dare to say a thing about my un-Daoist-like methods."
At this point, everyone was already aware of Anthony''s rtionship with Tian Long. They turned to him to look at his reaction and found him smiling wryly. They were considerate enough, however, to ignore him afterwards. They marvelled at the fact that Basil had powerful backing instead.
"So, in other words, we are guaranteed to fight without you for a couple of days," Iliana remarked, bringing the people back to the matter they should be concerned about.
"Indeed." Basil nodded her head. "You shall worry not, however; I have a way to help you. I have been working on a Golem with my Soul Imprint as its core. It is already finished but I believe the Dwarf can make it better. It is going to rece me for the time I am absent."
"How are you going to send it here? I am sure [Teleportation] doesn''t work in Huaxia," Alphonse chimed in.
"Deacon, my Beast Companion, shall arrive there by the dawn of the day after tomorrow. Make sure to wait for him¡ªI am sure there will be many bastards chasing after him."
One of the Dwarven Elders raised his hand, prompting Basil to look at him. He had messy and unkempt brown hair, a chest-length beard that was braided tidily and a typical Dwarf''s burly physique. A frown adorned his face. He looked angry with how impatient he bit on his pipe.
"Excuse me, brown-haired Goddess. Forgive me for being rude¡ªthis is just how we, Dwarves, are. From your words, assuming that the truce will end in three days, can I conclude that you are only giving us a day to modify your Golem?"
"May I know who you are?" Basil asked with a small smile, stunning the Dwarven Elder.
"It''s Atheron Herathon, my Goddess."
"Atheron¡"
"Yes, my Goddess."
"I have been working on that Golem for two whole years. Obnoxious I may sound but I dare guarantee you will never be able to achieve the same feat in two years. Modifying something is not as hard as creating it. With your splendid craftsmanship and revolutionary mind, I believe you will be able to know what to do upon ncing at it."
"That is¡" Atheron hesitated. "What I am concerned about here is, my Goddess¡ª"
"Imperfection shall not exist in my work. Should you manage to find one¡ªI will bow before you and kiss your boots."
Atheron immediately raised his hands in panic. "I will never dare to do that, my Goddess. This one is blunt yet he still has pride."
Basil smirked and then turned to Iliana. "Tell me how is the progress."
Nodding her head, Iliana told Basil about how the seventy-two Pacifer''s Warriors trained the whole army together. Elves, Dwarves and humans fought in the same army, covering each other''s weaknesses and strengthening their overall power.
They were still awkward with each other but their rtionship wasn''t tense. Elves were aloof, so humans were closer to Dwarves than they were to Elves. The harmony of the army was always maintained. They respected theirmanders, so all of them did what they weremanded without questions.
Shortly, everything was progressing well. Whether it sufficed to face Dantalion, however, was still up for debate.
"Hm¡. Three days¡ªthat is your limit. Unless you want to risk it all and go for Dantalion''s head, you will not be able to stand against his army¡ªno, his creations," Basil said. "Though, it is unlikely, if Ie anyter than two days, immediately retreat."
Tinuviel, who had been silent the entire time, pondering when Basil would be a male again, eximed, "When things go south, my mother has agreed to step forward. Nothing shall intrude the Great Forest of Yitoupheo!"
"No Empress or Emperor should interfere in this matter," Basil said firmly. "They should be on the lookout for the shenanigans of the Human Empire. August Rancuser is one of the many Old Monsters the Arthean Empire is hiding. Always beware of them."
As the people recalled how fearsome a Ninth Circle Mage was, the mood in the room turned solemn. Imagining how their home would be attacked when their Emperor and Empress were absent brought a chill to their spine.
"Just believe in me. I may disappoint myself but very few people are disappointed by what I can pull off. See you somewhen in the future."
The projection disappeared at the same time the Visual Orb lost its lustre. The people stared straight at it silently for a few seconds before sighing softly at how nonchnt their leader seemed to treat the whole situation.
While most of them were astonished and worried about the unbound optimism of their leader, the Dwarves sighed in amazement at the sheer conviction Basil had. They were grinning from ear to ear, extremely eager to feel the heat of Basil''s fiery spirit directly.
It wasn''t hard for battle maniacs to find their kin.
¡.
Time flies as quick as an arrow; an incense turns to ashes the moment one turns one''s eyes away. Two days had passed since Basil informed Iliana and the others about histeness. Deacon had delivered the Golem to the Dwarf and the day of the tournament hade.
In Tian Long''s flying ship, Basil sat cross-legged with her eyes closed. Her chest moved up and down every minute; purple Qi was surrounding her like a mist. Upon bing a Purple Core Knight, her connection with the star was stronger. The closer she got to a star, the faster her Core developed.
"Thatss is abnormal. She cultivates better than most top ten Daoists. Look at how ridiculously clear you can see the condensed Qi around her!" Tian Long remarked, earning a side nce from Xueyi.
"Failing my Tribtion has made me realize two things: first, Daoism is not the only way to unshackle myself from this world; second, I need to have a Heart Demon to pass the Tribtion."
"What are you talking about, Senior Sister?"
"I have never fallen in love, Tian Long. At the 72nd strike, I was faced with my Heart Demon. I didn''t have it and all I saw was emptiness. I didn''t know what to do, so I failed my Tribtion. Had I fallen for someone, I would have been tested with mundane, worldly pleasure. Had that been the case, I would have be a Daoist of the Nirvana Tribtion Realm!"
"¡is that why you want to marry Basil."
"Yes. I have fallen for him. He shall be my Heart Demon. He is my ticket to the limitless world."
"¡."
Yan Xueyi had always been a unique Senior Sister to Tian Long. He was familiar with her shenanigans yet he had never thought the day when she came across a false logic and fully believed in it woulde.
He couldn''t help smiling wryly and then just nodded his head. They didn''t say anything afterwards and waited until Basil stood up and gazed at the gate of the floating arena ahead of them from the bow of the ship.
There were many floating Arenas spread around Huaxia; however, Star Devouring Arena was the biggest. It was opened only for important events such as Soaring Dragon Tournament.
It was a third of the size of Zunshen City, which made maintaining it a little bit pricey. It was only open for a day because none of the events held therested more than a day. Only talented people came to fight there, so the fight neversted long. A lot of talented individuals, though, had lost their lives there.
"You look impressive, sister!"
At the exmation, Basil turned her head to the right. "You already said it this morning, Chang Yu."
"I know, but the dress looks very good on you. You look like the other Fairies in our Sect!"
Basil had passed her two days spending her time with Shirley and thesses. Chang Yu was among the bunch and, by the time she knew it, Chang Yu already called her sister.
She had never been bothered by how people called her; however, being a man mentally made her feel slightly ufortable. Looking down at her dress, she recalled the visage that stared at her back when she looked into the mirror. It was an attractive feminine face.
Challenging as it was, she had to ept the fact that she was temporarily a woman. No, she had epted that. What slightly irk her was the fact that she had to behave like one. She wasn''t amused that she was forced to wear a dress.
"You are permitted entry because you have our names behind you, Basil. You still have to dress like us, so no one will make a fuss about your participation. You can wear a male Daoist robe but your¡gifts are too prominent to hide. You don''t want to risk exposing them, do you?"
"I get that, Xueyi."
Soon after, the flying ship stopped before the gate of the Arena. The Daoists guarding it paid respect to Tian Long and Xueyi before letting it pass. It moved aside as soon as it passed the gate before berthing. As the passengers got down from the boat, all eyes turned to them.
First, they were gaping in awe at Tian Long and Xueyi and then widened their eyes in surprise at Mei Qi''s appearance. After that, ignoring Danzel and the others, they turned to the participating disciples¡ªBasil and Chang Yu.
Basil attracted the most attention due to her peerless beauty and mysterious aura. Among those whose interest was attracted was Wei Ye Xiu, Xiu Li''s older brother.
Chapter 433 Tower Of Legacy (4)
"That woman over there¡I wonder if have seen her before," Ye Xiu muttered as he looked at Basil in curiosity.
Noticing his Master being caught up with something, the retainer politely asked, "Do you have something bothering your mind, Young Master?"
"Ah, nothing. I am just amused that the disgrace even dares toe here."
The retainer turned in the direction his Master was looking and found Xiu Li there. He was about to scoff when he also saw Tian Long on Xiu Li''s side.
"What is he doing there with Venerable Daoist Yang Tian Long?"
"For whatever reason, Venerable Daoist Yang is interested in him. Sky Fairy Yan also took Chang Yu as her disciple¡ªyes, you are not mistaken."
"But¡why?"
Ye Xiu shrugged. "I don''t know. Maybe, the two are using them as a source of amusement."
The retainer frowned and was about to ask Ye Xiu about Basil when Ye Xiu dragged him. The two were going to participate in the tournament. Wondering about other participants was useless. As long as the other side waspetent, they were bound to meet in the Arena.
Scoffing the moment Ye Xiu took his gaze away from her, Basil walked toward the gate to the participant''s lobby with Chang Yu following closely behind. Tian Long and the others walked toward another gate that would take them to the audience seat.
No one stood in Basil''s path. She wasn''t obnoxiously exuding her Qi but everyone was terrified by her presence. They could immediately tell she was one of the hidden experts. They had also seen her walk with Tian Long and Xueyi before, so it was best for them to not offend her.
Upon entering the lobby, Basil was hit with a sense of nostalgia. It looked nothing like the lobbies she had ever been in; however, it had the same atmosphere.
Thest time she was in a participant''s lobby was two years ago when she participated in the Regional Tournament as a male. She had always participated in tournaments¡ªa lot in her past life¡ªas a male, so she wondered if there would be any difference in participating as a female.
"Woah¡everyone is on fire, eh?" Chang Yu muttered. "They are betting on their sect''s honour and future¡ªthey are ready to do what it takes to win the tournament."
"Are you afraid?" Basil asked.
"Eh? No. I am just contemting what my motive is. I just want to improve myself¡not as noble as their reason to win, no?"
"Who cares about nobility? Who stands triumphant in the end is what matters."
Basil and Chang Yu sat on the closest chair to the door connecting the lobby to the arena. Everyone turned their eyes at the two, wondering if they knew the seats had been "booked" by the Young Master of the Wei family and his retainer.
The people they were thinking about approached the two women not long after, prompting them to gulp dryly. The two sides were only looking at each other silently, making the people worry that a brawl would break out soon.
"Greetings,dies of the Withering Frost Sect."
It was much to their surprise when the aloof Ye Xiu and his retainer bowed politely toward the two female Daoists. They didn''t feel relief, however; they knew how hard it was to make the Young Master and his retainer bow to someone else, so they worried if it was some kind of war deration.
"Greetings, Young Master Wei."
Chang Yu was the only one who returned the greeting. Ye Xiu didn''t pay any attention to her as his gaze was solely nted on Basil.
"Is it such a bother to ady as beautiful as you to return my greeting?"
"I speak through my skills. We shall talkter in the arena," Basil replied coldly, earning a surprised look from Ye Xiu.
"Interesting¡what an interesting answer." Ye Xiuughed lowly. "You remind me of someone I met a few days ago. I wonder if you are rted to him¡or you are him." Smirking, he added, "Either way, if I win this tournament, I will take that veil off your face."
Ye Xiu''s words shocked many people in the lobby. When a female decided to wear a veil, it means that she had decided to only show her beauty to the person of her choosing; in other words, Ye Xiu had just dered that he would marry Basil if he won.
Basil scrunched up her nose in disgust as Ye Xiu and his retainer walked away. The idea of her being subdued by a man was as ridiculous as Ye Xiu winning the tournament.
"Hmph! Let us see how many limbs he can keep at the end of the tournament," she scoffed.
"Take it easy, Sister Hou," Chang Yu cated.
"Who is Hou?"
"It is your fake name for the tournament¡. Remember? It is Xiao Hou Xin."
"Oh¡I forgot that I gave myself such a ridiculous name," Basil remarked.
"It is a cool name in my opinion. The Empress who governs the heart," Chang Yu replied with shining eyes.
Basil shook her head helplessly. She had registered as Xiao Hou Xin at that time because she didn''t think much of it. Now that she was going to be called Hou Xin during her stay in Huaxia, she wished she could rename herself. It was a daring name for a female, which was rare and peculiar.
[Participants, enter the arena!]
Everyone stood up from their seats the moment they heard the announcement. The door to the arena was opened at the same time and they immediately walked past it.
Loud cheers greeted them as they stepped into the arena. The strong wind didn''t do anything to the people''s deafening cheers. Tens of thousands of Daoists filled the audience seats. Among them, 9 of the Top 10 Daoists were present.
They were looking at the youths in anticipation and expectation. Some of them wanted to see how well their disciples fared against their rival''s disciples, meanwhile, some of them wanted their disciples to utterly crush their rival''s.
One thousand youths stood in the centre of the vast arena, facing the host of the tournament, Wei Zimo, the fourth strongest Daoist in Huaxia, the former Patriarch of the Wei Family, and Wei Ye Xiu''s grandfather, who was standing before the exalted seat.
"87,918. This is the number of youths who have tried their luck," Zimo spoke calmly yet thunderously. "Among those, only 1,000 youths are epted. We set the bar high¡ªMiddle Stage of Physique Forger Realm¡ªyet many of you surpassed it."
"Whether you win or lose, you are among the top one thousand youths who are not even in their thirties. I am not saying that you shall not aim high but I want you to not feel disappointed in yourself should you fail to attain the right to enter the Tower of Legacy."
Gazing over the participants, Zimo smiled the moment he spotted his grandson. "Winning is not the only thing you should think about. You are not going to fight one person when the tournament begins. Everyone will be your enemy, so mind your lives."
"Very well¡" Zimo spread his hands. "I shall not waste your time any further. Let us begin the tournament!"
An ethereal cage made out of Qi fell from the sky, separating the participants from the outside world. The scenery inside the cage changed: the participants found themselves in a boundless jungle covered by trees and mysteries.
Meanwhile, the audience saw one hundred screens on the cage that flickered from time to time, showing hundreds of different participants in hundreds of different spots.
[You have one objective: reach the tower before anyone else.]
The participants looked around before finding a sole tower in the distance that was so tall that it pierced the sky.
[Killing is allowed¡ªany methods are allowed to seize your victory. This world is your battlefield, the beginning of your legend for some of you and thest resting ce for the rest. Focus not only on your victory but also on your survival. I, Wei Zimo, hereby dere the start of the 50th Soaring Dragon Tournament!]
The participants frantically ran as soon as the tournament began. None of them was closer than the others to the tower. They were scattered in one thousand different spots in this alternate reality. It was not an illusion, so no tricks of the mind would be able to deliver them right before the tower.
Despite being apart from each other for hundreds of kilometres, Basil could still feel the huge amount of Qi being utilized by the participants. She could even feel someone wasing her way; however, she paid no mind to it.
She took out a marble from her Spatial Ring and then broke it with her fingers. As soon as she did that, she could see a blue line forming in the air. It was leading her to where the other marble was present; in other words, where Chang Yu was.
As she was about to run in that direction, the person she had senseding her way appeared behind her. Said person was exuding a heavy killing intent, so she turned around and then took out Durendal.
Swish!
A swift swing was all she needed to decapitate the person. She turned to the head and scoffed as it stared back at her with utter disbelief.
She flicked Durendal once and then ran in the direction that the blue line was leading her. She encountered no one in the way; however, there were a lot of lifeforms endemic to this world that were eager to eat her.
None of them, of course, could stop her. A swing of Durendal was enough to turn them to pieces. When a slightly tough creature appeared, one of her self-made Techniques would always do the job. Just like that, she found Chang Yu in less than half an hour.
BOOM!
Kyaak!
"Phew¡they are tough to deal with. What are they?"
Chang Yu had just killed a gigantic lizard with a bird beak when Basil entered the scene. It had taken a lot of her attention, so she didn''t register Basil''s presence until Basil was right beside her.
nk!
She swung her sword in panic but Basil managed to block it.
"W-Who are¡oh, it''s Sister Hou."
"You are careless," Basil said as she retracted Durendal, earning a sheepish smile from Chang Yu.
"Well¡these strange creatures got me preupied. I have only run for 50 kilometres but I have encountered 30 of them!" Chang Yu sighed. "I wonder if we will ever be able to reach the tower with how many of them standing in our way."
In response to that, Basil pulled Chang Yu''s hand and took her up to Durendal which was floating in the air due to her Aura Ability. Chang Yu was extremely bewildered¡ªand so was the audience¡ªhowever, before she could say anything, Durendal slid through the air faster than the wind.
Chapter 434 Tower Of Legacy (5)
To fly and go against nature''sw required one to be a Daoist of the Immortal Realm. To make something other than oneself fly, however, only required one to be a Daoist of the Unshackled Spirit Realm.
The most basic and popr "vehicle" for Daoists was a flying sword. Anyone who had broken through to the Unshackled Spirit Realm would immediately use their sword as one and roamed the sky with it.
Flying ships were used by wealthy Daoists or those who travelled with a lot of people. A huge amount of Qi was required to utilize it, which was why it was only popr among wealthy and strong Daoists.
Whoosh!
"Since when did you learn Daoism, Sister Hou?"
"I haven''t."
"Then...how can you ride a flying sword?"
"I just can."
"That doesn''t make any sense." Chang Yu frowned. "How can you make your sword fly without even being a Daoist of the Unshackled Spirit Realm?"
"There are many unbelievable things in this world. When they happen, you just have to ept them no matter how hard it is," Basil retorted. "Daoism is not the only way to gain power in this world. Our Principles are just as profound as your Dao."
Chang Yu hummed to herself before nodding in understanding. Despite the peculiar way Basil was utilizing it, she could tell Basil was using Qi. She had heard Knights utilized Qi like Daoists. She immediately understood this was the work of Basil''s Aura Ability.
From a Knight''s perspective, Daoists had a ridiculous power system. Knights had to slowly forge their bodies to obtain a strong physique but Daoists could make their bodies practically indestructible upon breaking through to a certain realm.
Daoists also did things that Knights couldn''t do until they reached the Purple Core Stage in the early stage of Cultivation. Punching through a hill with raw physical strength was something that any Daoist of the Unshackled Spirit Realm could do; it was something that a Purple Core Knight could only do.
Looking at it this way, it was normal for Knights to envy Daoists. Funnily, however, Daoists also envied Knights.
Although they were given a huge advantage in each Cultivation Realm they managed to break through, what they were seeking was not an indestructible physique and absurd physical strength. They were cultivating their Dao, so they could be freed from the world''s shackles.
Knights had Aura Ability and it transcended the principle of Dao. They didn''t need to slowlyprehend it. They immediately understood how it worked the moment they got it. They could even modify it the longer they spent their time using it.
Each side failed to understand the other. Both thought the other was a freak; they didn''t bother to share the knowledge they had, which was why both sides found themselves questioning, from time to time, what the correct way to cultivate themselves was.
"Now that I think about it, you are a weird fellow, aren''t you, Sister Hou?"
"Why?"
"I heard from Shirley and Little Xiu that you are an outstanding Mage and Knight. Funnily enough, I don''t sense any resemnce between your presence and Shirley''s or Uncle Danzel''s. You are not a Knight or a Mage...nor you are a Daoist.... What are you?"
Basil, unlike the others, forged her body and cultivated her Core like a Daoist. She utilised her Aura Ability like a Knight, constantly testing its limit and exploring what she could do with it. She was the epitome of doing it right. She adopted every Principle existing in this world and cultivated the best her.
What was she? No one could tell. She was an enigma from every existing perspective. If one were to categorize her, she would be ced in the unknown. Her bizarre methods didn''t fit into any category because her method was the perfect one.
Casting those facts aside, what was Basil? She was a vessel for the soul of The Lord. What did that make her? A human? She might or might not be. One could dissect her and still find a resemnce between her and a Dragon. She was truly an enigma with or without what she practised.
Therefore, when someone asked her what she was, she would say, "I am a Pacifer."
"Ah, watch out, Sister!"
After half an hour of peaceful flight, an obstacle entered their visions. Three people were having a battle royal on their flying swords, obliterating their surroundings as they attacked each other.
Basil''s sole goal was to reach the tower before anyone else; of course, she wasn''t interested in joining the battle. Unfortunately, the three people had different thoughts. The moment they sensed Basil''s presence, they forced her to join their battle.
Swish!
"Curse me but don''t hate me. We are just doing our best pulling on each other''s leg!"
Swoosh!
"Be careful, youngdy. You and your friend may end up as minced meat!"
Boom!
"Ku-Ku-Ku! How loud do you like your explosion?"
Each attack was dodged wlessly. None of them felt the need to click their tongue because their sole aim was to pull on Basil''s leg. They were fully intent on killing her but they also didn''t mind not being able to. They were nning on failing together since they were stuck in a stalemate.
Unfortunately for them, a stalemate was only true for people who were on the same level. They were nowhere near Basil''s level. A swing of Caliburn was enough to end their lives at once. Disbelief adorned their faces as their bisected bodies fell to the ground.
"Wow...you are so strong, Sister Hou!"
"Will you say that to an adult punching a child in his face?"
"H-Huh? Of course, not--that is vile!"
"That''s what it feels to me."
Chang Yu gaped when she got what Basil meant. She became even more impressed. Daoists of the Unshackled Spirit Realm were among the feared individuals in Huaxia. To call them children, Basil must be extremely strong. For that, she admired Basil even more.
Another half an hour passed in the blink of an eye. They encountered some skirmishes along the way but it had always been a breeze to get through it. Some participants even decided to step aside the moment they sensed Basil''s presence. They didn''t mind forfeiting their chance to enter the Tower of Legacy in exchange for their lives.
Outside the alternate reality, the audience''s eyes were nted on the screen featuring two duos: the Young Master Wei and his retainer and the mysterious Xiao Hou Xin and Chang Yu. They were the fastest-moving and strongest participants in the tournament.
Their excellence made the audience wonder what their Cultivation Realm was. They could pass each obstacle with ease as if nothing could stop them. Only a few could stop them for more than half a minute, so the audience was hoping for them to encounter each other. They wanted to see who woulde out on top.
"Thatss...she is..."
"Wei Chang Yu. She is myte sister''s daughter, father."
"No, I mean the taller one."
"Ah...that is, if I am not mistaken, Xiao Hou Xian. There is nothing much known about her."
Wei Zimo hummed to himself as he focused his gaze on Basil. he had lived for more than two hundred years. His experienced eyes could tell that Basil wasn''t someone to be trifled with. Herx posture said it all: she was taking it like a stroll in the garden.
Turning to his right, he was greeted by a frowning visage of a ck-haired handsome man in histe forties, his son, Wei Tang Xin. "Did you give that Artefact to Xiu''er?"
"I did."
"Good. He will need it."
Tang Xin seemed taken aback as he blinked his eyes. "Is thatss that formidable?"
A scoff came out of Zimo''s mouth immediately; he couldn''t believe his son said it. He had thought he had taught his son well to never underestimate anyone. It seemed he was wrong. No...he knew he was wrong all along. The moment he stepped down from his seat as the Patriarch, he knew he had made a grave mistake.
Reading pass through someone''s cover was not an easy task but possible. Tang Xin failed to read the Elders'' true intentions and ended up being steered by them. He didn''t favour the inept, however, he didn''t want to throw away his family. The recent decisions Tang Xin made were not his and he didn''t even realize it.
He was being led astray and he believed he was thinking independently.
"Unfortunate, unfortunate."
Zimo shook his head thinking about what would happen to his son in the future. He had promised to not meddle in the family matter anymore, however, so he would let his son face his fate and let the Wei Family head in the new direction that Ye Xiu and the Elders envisioned.
"Is there something the matter, father?"
"Of course, you silly brat. Your words earlier--you were underestimating thess."
Tang Xin scratched his head awkwardly. "I wasn''t. I was just saying that using that Artefact to face her would be overkill."
"That''s why you are underestimating her, my son," Zimo replied, caressing his beard as he focused his gaze on the screen.
At this point, Basil and Chang Yu were just 15 minutes away from the tower at their current speed. They were the closest participants to the tower. No one could be spotted behind them, so it wasn''t an exaggeration to say their victory was secured. At least, until Ye Xiu and his retainer appeared.
Both of them were riding a flying sword and seemed eager to take on Basil and Chang Yu separately. Should it happen, given the discrepancy between Chang Yu''s cultivation and the retainer''s, Chang Yu would potentially lose her life.
It wasn''t going to happen, though, because Basil didn''t have any intention to trade blows with them. Her only reason for participating was to enter the Tower of Legacy, not give pointers to the obnoxious, snot-covered brats.
"We have half an hour until the closest participant to us catches up to us. Our victory is secured, so what about trading blows for a moment?" Ye Xiu shouted. "Ah, this Young Master is a little bit forceful, so he won''t take no for an answer."
As soon as he ended his words, Ye Xiu took out a mirror from his Spatial Ring. The light it reflected illuminated the vicinity, blinding them for a moment.
When their vision returned, they found the sky below their feet. An alternate reality had been created inside an alternate reality, giving Basil no choice but to ept the fight.
"Let''s see how many limbs this prick can keep by the end of this," she muttered with a hint of annoyance.
Chapter 435 Tower Of Legacy (6)
"Big Sister Hou¡she is going to fight with Brother Ye¡."
"Who?"
Danzel, Diana and Mei Qi turned to Xiu Li and looked at him in puzzlement. They hadn''t heard about Basil''s temporary name, so they didn''t know to whom he was referring.
"It''s Brother''s female name¡ªXiao Hou Xin," Shirley exined.
"Oh¡that is quite an overbearing name," Mei Qimented. "It is very characteristic of him¡or her, in this case."
Tian Long hummed in interest. "I wonder how well that Ye kid will fare against Hou''er. Of course, I am even more curious about how Hou''er fights."
"Why don''t we bet, Uncle Tian?" rissa suggested.
"Five minutes!" Julia dered. "Senior will clean the field in five minutes!"
"Three."
"Four."
"Darn it, thesesses. I will take three too."
Danzel and the others watched in amusement as Tian Long and thesses put their bet. They were extremely confident in their bet.
They had often gone to watch tournaments together. They didn''t watch one just to learn how to fight but also to bet. Thesses learned to discern people''s potential and their chance of survival to win the bet. Instead of being gambling masters, however, they got very discerning eyes, which was something that not everyone had.
"Uh¡I will bet on seven minutes."
At Xiu Li''sment, Tian Long and the others turned to him in surprise. They quirked their eyebrow as if asking if he was sure he wanted to join and then smirked mirthfully as he gave Tian Long his money.
"There is no turning back,d."
Xiu Li, once again, nodded before turning his attention to Basil. He had seen his brother fight and also fought alongside Basil. He could measure how good his brother was but that was not the case with Basil. He had seen Basil y his enemies and he didn''t dare to say that Basil had shown his all.
In the alternate reality, Basil held Durendal in her right and Caliburn in her left hand. It wasn''t clear whether she is floating because the sky was below her feet.
Looking at the scene, Ye Xiu smirked. He was extremely confident he would win as he nced at the mirror floating above his head. Mirror of The Inverted Sky was the name of the Artefact. For a certain amount of time, which depended on the user''spetence, it brought its user and his enemies into a world where his enemies were destined to lose.
It was usually used in a situation that the user found hopeless. It was used to instantly flip the table, ignoring the odds and any applied Dao principles.
It was a quite heaven-defying Artefact¡ªsomething that one would not normally expect to be in the hands of a Daoist of the Unshackled Spirit Realm. Because of this, many audiences stood up in shock upon its appearance.
"Do you see how you will win?" Ye Xiu said provocatively with a smile.
"I wonder¡it is very hard for me to see how I will lose," Basil retorted calmly, earning an amused chuckle from Ye Xiu.
Not far away from them, Chang Yu and Ye Xiu''s retainer were standing face-to-face. They kept their voice to themselves as they stared at each other¡ªone in anticipation and the other one in condescension.
"I stab women but I don''t hurt them. Fighting you doesn''t sit well with me but I will do what my master asks me," the retainer said. "Don''t begrudge me, Young Lady Wei¡or I should say, the outcast Chang Yu."
"You haven''t changed, have you, Mo Gan?" Chang Yu responded calmly.
"I have gotten stronger."
Rolling her eyes, Chang Yu scoffed disdainfully. She took out a ribbon that instantly wrapped around her arm and then assumed a stance before calling Mo Gan toe closer.
"Between my Dao of Dance and your Dao of Fist, let''s see which is better."
Mo Gan''s body shook as he suppressed hisugh. He couldn''t believe what he heard. Just by their names, one could immediately tell which one was better. Added to that was the fact that Chang Yu had a lower Cultivation Realm than him. He would eat bricks if Chang Yu somehow managed to win.
Assuming his stance, he kicked the ground and dashed at Chang Yu. The female Daoist was slightly baffled by his speed but she remained unfazed. When he threw his punch, she caught it with her ribbon. Her ribbon got extended as it wrapped around his arm.
He tried to free his hand but the hold that the ribbon had was strong enough to keep it in ce. He didn''t panic and smirked instead. Yanking his hand powerfully, he threw a punch with his other hand to her side. Unfortunately for him, she could dodge it with grace.
"Has she always been this good¡ªChang Yu?" watching the fight, Tang Xinmented.
"Do you ever know what she is capable of?" Zimo shot back, earning no answer. "As I expected."
Shuffling in his seat, Tang Xin turned to Ye Xiu and Basil. He was anticipating their fight but both of them were too interested in watching Chang Yu and Mo Gan fight.
Just like that, five minutes passed without the two moving even a single inch. At this point, the fight was closing to an end.
Chang Yu and Mo Gan both received injuries; however, it was clear that Chang Yu suffered the most. Bruises riddled any part of her body that was visible. Her temple was bleeding, half colouring her vision red. Her chest heaved up and down as she calmed her breathing.
"You are quite good, aren''t you?" Mo Gan remarked as he rubbed his neck that had been strangled by Chang Yu''s ribbon a few moments earlier. "To be able to hurt me this much despite being in the Physique Forger Realm¡I have tomend you."
Boom!
He punched his hands against each other, sting the air in his surrounding away. "I shall give you 9 for the effort and your struggle shall end here. Watch! This is the difference between¡ª"
As he was about to punch the sky below his feet, Mo Gan widened his eyes in shock. He tried his best to tilt his body to the back as fast as he could; however, the sword that was rapidly flying at him still passed through his cheeks.
"Aaaack!"
He quickly clutched his mouth to not let his jaw dangle. He liked to call himself resistant to pain but the burning sensation he was feeling in half of his face made him scream louder than he had ever done.
He keeled over as he watched blooding out of his cut cheeks. In the next moment, his eyes saw nothing but the blue sky¡ªthe ground in this alternate reality. He could feel someone''s foot on the back of his head and tell who it was. He tried his best to lift his head but it was to no avail; the foot was too strong.
"There are men who like being strangled," a melodious voice rang in his ears. "I don''t know if it is your thing but I like doing it. If you happen not to like it, I will make you."
"N-No¡have mercy on me!"
Terror washed over him as he felt something wrapping around his neck. It was the same ribbon that Chang Yu had used to strangle but it felt way more ominous than before.
As the ribbon tightened around his neck, he got to see, from the corner of his eyes, who was doing it to him. It was an otherworldly beautiful woman whose long brown hair had its sidelocks braided the way Elves did theirs¡ªXiao Hou Xin.
"It is enough, Miss Hou. There is no need for us to witness death as long as we can avoid it."
Ye Xiu''sment saved Mo Gan from his absolute terror. "Young Master Ye! Please, tell thisdy to not use me to practise her kink!"
Ye Xiu was slightly dissatisfied by Mo Gan''s humiliating disy; however, he still didn''t want Mo Gan to die. Therefore, he cated Basil and used Chang Yu, who was in his hands, as a bargaining chip.
"One can''t die if one of us decides to be stubborn, Miss Hou. As you twist my retainer''s neck, your friend will also lose her life." To prove his point, Ye Xiu brought the dagger in his hand closer to Chang Yu''s chest.
"My friend? Did you mean your cousin?"
"I don''t mind killing those who have been kicked out from the family," he retorted, sending a chill down Chang Yu''s spine.
Scoffing in amusement, Basil said, "You won''t dare."
"Do you want me to¡ª"
Crack!
Ye Xiu was stunned to silence the moment he saw Mo Gan''s neck was twisted. It happened so fast that he only widened his eyes after Basil tied his hand to his neck with the ribbon that Chang Yu had used to fight.
When he managed to untie the ribbon, Basil was already standing 15 metres away from him with the recuperating Chang Yu. He blinked his eyes in bemusement and frowned at the scene; he wondered if he was supreme in this world.
"Mirror of The Inverted Sky only gives you the advantage over your overwhelming opponent, not the necessary expertise to beat him," Basil said, awakening Ye Xiu from his dazed state. "In case you are wondering, that is why you remain useless in this world."
"¡."
Rubbing his neck in disbelief, Ye Xiu spent a couple of seconds in silence before cackling madly. His eyes turned fierce as he gazed at Basil. His Qi sted outwards, washing Basil and Chang Yu with intense pressure. His Dao was taking effect, distorting the space around him.
"Sister Hou, let''s destroy that mirror. Ye Xiu practises Space Dao; he will be invincible in this ce!" Chang Yu warned.
"Do you know why he didn''t make a move until I did?"
"Because he was being respectful¡no?"
Watching the alternate world fade gradually, Basil replied, "Controlling this space alone is already a chore. He was trying his best to manipte this world, so everything would be in his favour¡s, it didn''t work."
Mirror of The Inverted Sky allowed one to instantly flip the table by being the lord of the world within. One could make Dao work ording to one''s desire.
This magnificent Artefact, like any other Artefact, also had requirements to work, of course. First, one had to understand Dao of Space; second, the rule one made inside the alternate reality also applied to oneself. If flying was forbidden, one could also not fly.
The rule Ye Xiu made was that only the Dao of Space worked properly. For that, he had to concentrate fully on suppressing the other Dao in the world. It was just as disadvantageous as it was advantageous for him. Because of this, Chang Yu couldst longer against Mo Gan.
It did nothing to Basil, who was not even bound by the concept of Dao. He didn''t know about it until the end.
Chapter 436 Tower Of Legacy (End)
"Tsk...that son of yours is too impatient," Zimo clicked his tongue as he watched the unfolding scene in the alternate reality. "He has sessfully turned such an amazing Artefact into a useless ornament!"
"He is...a little bit too young to think rationally," Tang Xin countered.
"No. He underestimates people too much. That is what you have to pay if you are arrogant."
Daoists sought the highestprehension of Dao as they cultivated. They incorporated Dao as much as they could into their lives--to the point that they were heavily reliant on Dao. To cripple a Daoist, one could suppress his Dao. Because of that, Mirror of The Inverted Sky was fearsome.
Ye Xiu was being rational by thinking no one should be able to utilise their Dao as good as he did in the alternate reality. What he had failed to understand, however, was the fact that not everyone was reliant on their Dao.
Putting Basil, who wasn''t even bound to the concept of Dao, aside, Chang Yu was amongst those who didn''t need their Dao to excel. She fought with her skills and that allowed her tond a lot of blows on Mo Gan who had a higher Cultivation Realm and was reliant on his Dao.
Shatter!
As the alternate reality that the Mirror of The Inverted Sky disappeared, Ye Xiu extended his hand to store the mirror in his Spatial Ring. One could see the scenery behind him distorted; it amplified the aggression that his ominous gaze was conveying.
"You will pay for permanently damaging my property," he hissed coldly.
Gulping her saliva nervously, Chang Yu suggested. "Sister Hou...I think it is better to run away now."
Basil didn''t even turn around as she gently pushed Chang Yu back, telling her to stay away. She twirled Durendal and Caliburn graciously before kicking the ground and charging at Ye Xiu.
Ye Xiu remained in his spot. He merely curled three of his right hand''s fingers and then pushed his palm outwards. As soon as Basil arrived before him, Basil swung her swords. All of them just passed through him like he was just a screen of smoke resembling a human.
Smirking lightly to herself, while swinging her swords in the opposite direction from the first swing, she concentrated her Mana on the edge of her des. Ye Xiu immediately lost his calm as he frantically moved out of the swords'' course.
Swish!
Two ck lines appeared in the air after Durendal and Caliburn were swung--the space had been cut. Ye Xiu looked at the scene incredulously. There was a heavy resemnce between it and Space Dao but he could tell it wasn''t. He couldn''t help but wonder what kind of Dao Basil was practising.
Distancing himself even further, the gears in his head spun madly as he devised a n to defeat Basil. He had figured out that Basil could utilise some degree of Space Dao, so he could no longer feel safe doing what he just did.
The reason why he could make Durendal and Caliburn pass through his body was that he had covered his body with ayer of space fabric that separated his existence temporarily from the dimension where everyone existed.
To make it easier to understand, one could imagine putting ayer of white paper on top of the paper that had one''s writings while shining a light through it. One could still see one''s writings; however, what one would write next wouldn''t be written on the original paper.
"Tearing through space...it''s not an easy task to do but the most basic thing one can do after learning Space Dao," Ye Xiu muttered as he observed Basil from afar. "Let''s see if she also knows how to fold the space."
Swinging his hand to the side, the space bent for a millisecond before he reappeared right before Basil. The tips of Basil''s swords were right before his eyes as soon as he reappeared and he was forced to dodge them because they tore through the space fabric.
Missing their target didn''t mean anything to Basil''s swords. They quickly found their way to Ye Xiu, forcing him to frantically move through the space.
"Flip!"
Durendal and Caliburn hit the air as Ye Xiu appeared on the opposite side of where he had been half a second ago. He immediately thrust his longsword at Basil''s side but she managed to graciously dodge as she spun on her heel.
Knowing how splendid Basil''s Sword Style was, Ye Xiu forewent engaging her in battle and folded the space to make a distance. He rose his longsword above his head as Basil charged at him and then swung it down to cut the space.
Swish!
"Absurd! What is this heavenly prowess!?"
Whenever a tear formed in the fabric of space, anything nearby would be sucked into the tear. It was hard for Ye Xiu to not be incredulous seeing Basil pass one like it was nothing.
He was getting nervous at this point but he couldn''t ept the fact that there was someone his age who was more talented than him. Following his impulse, he took Basil''s swing head-on while coating his longsword with space fabric.
Warp!
As their swords shed, the scenery between them distorted; one could barely make anything from it. The space was bent in two different directions, making some of the audience wonder if the alternate reality would be able to withstand the vition.
"We live in a three-dimensional world. Have you ever wondered how it feels to live in a two-dimensional world?" Ye Xiu smirked. "My expertise is not that high yet...but I can still let you experience how it feels two be a two-dimensional existence."
Spreading his Qi to the surroundings, Ye Xiu used his highest level of Dao Art. "[Two-Way Screen]!"
As Basil felt the tension in the air and the rigidity of the space surrounding her, she widened her eyes. Ye Xiu smirked gleefully at the scene and waited as she was absorbed into the two-dimensional space he had created.
Bloop!
As the space waspressed into a two-dimensional state, Basil disappeared from his view. Stepping aside, he turned to his right so he could see the now two-dimensional existence called Xiao Hou Xin.
He could see her like a painting of her side profile. His smirk failed to creep up his face, however, the moment he saw the disdainful sneer on her face.
"[Derailing Charm]!" He heard a whisper before cold steel passed through his chest.
Schluk!
Widening his eyes in disbelief, he coughed out a mouthful of blood as he watched the two-dimensional existence in front of him disappear. He couldn''t understand what happened.
"H-How are you here?"
"Why should I tell you?"
Ye Xiu shivered as Basil whispered in his ear. The melodious voice was extremely contradictory to the feeling she was conveying.
[Derailing Charm] was a mental-type Art. Amplifying one''s charm, anyone who was caught in it would do and see anything that the user wanted them to see. It wouldn''t easily work if the target had a strong mind. Ye Xiu and many of the audience, however, didn''t have strong minds, so they had been yed by Basil all along.
Wei Zimo and the top six Daoists present there had noticed the illusion since the beginning, which was why they couldn''t take their eyes away from Basil. They wondered where she had been hiding for all this time and what Dao she practised.
"Now, what is she going to do...?" Zimo muttered as he looked at the jittery Tang Xin from the corner of his eyes.
"Woah..."
"Hm...what is she doing?"
"Hoh...?"
Zimo caressed his beard as he looked at what Basil was doing. She was facing Ye Xiu toward him and Tang Xin as if she knew their exact location, which should have been impossible.
"Impudent!"
Tang Xin smashed the handrest of his chair indignantly. He was half standing from his seat when he realized that he was making himself look like a sore loser.
Calming himself down, he sat back down and stared at Basil coldly. The said Pacifer, as if knowing what had happened, was smiling softly in glee.
She pulled Durendal out of Ye Xiu''s chest and then hit the back of his head with its hilt. He fell limply as he lost consciousness, meanwhile, Basil walked away with grace. What she was conveying was clear. She had a chance to end Ye Xiu''s life but she didn''t; therefore, the Wei Family owed her.
Tang Xiu gulped down his anger and exhaled heavily. As he watched Basil and Chang Yu fly away to the tower, he was hoping Ye Xiu would regain consciousness before ten participants reached the tower.
....
The tournament ended in the victory of an enigma called Xiao Hou Xin. Only Tian Long andpany cheered for her when she received her prize. The audience remained silent since they didn''t know her. It was clear, though, they admired her.
Everything about her was obscure. No one could tell her background, her origin and the Dao she practised. What they all knew about her was that she was good at whatever Dao she adopted. Had they known a little bit more about her, they would cheer loudly for her.
Ye Xiu managed to seize the chance to enter the Tower of Legacy in the end. He took the ninth ce and it was only possible because the participants who encountered his motionless body thought he was already dead; they didn''t bother to finish him off.
"Humiliating...this is humiliating," the Wei Family''s Young Master muttered to himself as he looked at the person who had defeated him.
"You won. Now, tell us your secret. How could you know there would be a dy?"
"Well...Big Sister Hou''s eyes always gleam whenever she is interested in something. She tends to spend some time understanding the thing that interests her. I saw that gleam as soon as she turned around, so..."
"Ah...now that I think about it, you are right. How could I not consider it as her sister!?"
"My money!"
"You better treat us something with your prize money!"
Standing on the side, Basil was smiling softly as she watched the interaction between thesses and Xiu Li. She wanted to smack their heads for betting but that desire was beaten by her mirth of knowing how observant all of them had be.
[To all of the winners, please return to the arena!]
At the announcement, Basil said her farewell to her family and the rest of her entourage. She returned entered the arena and then stood before Zimo, who soon told the winners they were going to the Tower of Legacy.
A short speech was delivered and blinding light covered them in the next moment. When they regained their vision, they were already before the Tower of Legacy, the only Obelisk that was utilised by humankind.
Chapter 437 The 108th
Tower of Legacy was only two kilometres tall, which was one-third times smaller than the average Obelisk. Like any other Obelisk, however, it was exuding overwhelming pressure. The only difference lies in the fact that the presence was not ominous. It was far from repulsive yet one would still think twice before approaching it.
Bang!
Zimo tapped the ground with his staff, which no one knew when he had taken it out, gaining the ten people''s attention. They focused their gaze on him and waited for the thing he was about to say.
"No murder shall be allowed inside the tower! Doing it will be considered disrespecting our ancestors and thus is punishable. No one will die alone. If you have any intention to kill, prepare yourself for death!"
Gazing over the ten winners who were listening to him attentively, Zimo continued, "Focus on climbing the tower. The higher you climb, the more precious the legacy you may get. Obstruct not people''s way. One has his fate settled already; your action won''t affect another''s destiny."
Stepping aside, Zimo let them through. Despite being in the front, Basil and Chang Yu waited until everyone was inside the tower. Zimo quirked his eyebrow at that, meanwhile, Chang Yu turned to Basil in confusion. The person herself merely smiled as she looked up.
"Ah...this is the 72nd Obelisk--the Obelisk of Vc. It was built right under the Star Devouring Arena...no, the Star Devouring Arena was built to--"
"It is enough,ss," Zimo interjected sternly but softly. "Just go and enter the tower."
Basil turned her head slowly to Zimo and faintly smiled. "I am waiting for my Uncle and Sect Master. You can''t be the only one watching the tower while we are inside, no?"
"So, you don''t trust me, huh?" Zimo scoffed. "Fine with me."
Basil merely smiled and said nothing. She kept looking around in wonder and nodding her head from time to time as if she was enlightened by merely looking at the scenery in her surroundings.
''What a weirdss,'' Zimo noted in his mind. Shaking his head, he turned to his left when he sensed a disturbance in the air. From the corner of his eyes, he could see Basil also looking in the same direction. This time, he was baffled; he couldn''t help wondering how sensitive Basil''s sense was.
In the blink of an eye, Yan Xueyi and Yang Tian Long appeared out of thin air. The six Daoists of the Top 10 Daoists who attended the tournament joined them a secondte. Xueyi nodded her head and Basil nodded back. Under everyone''s curious gaze, she entered the Tower of Legacy with Chang Yu.
Whoosh!
"Ugh...this feeling always messes with my stomach," Chang Yu grumbled after passing through the entrance of the tower.
"You are not used to spatial movement, are you?"
"No--and I never will."
Looking around, the two were greeted by a room entirely made out of crystal. It was polished so well that one could see one''s reflection on it.
Basil looked down and remarked, "Yellow."
"Pardon?"
"Your underwear--it''s yellow."
"...pervert!"
Basil looked at Chang Yu weirdly. "I have the same thing down there--why are you so flustered?"
"W-Well...because you were a...a..."
"I''ve seen it even when I was physically a man."
Chang Yu crouched, hugged her legs and buried her burning face. Basil would like to point out that she could see Chang Yu''s underwear clearer than ever from the reflection but spared Chang Yu from the embarrassment and threw Chang Yu a pair of trousers and a set of an upper garment.
"This is why I don''t like wearing a dress."
Chang Yu said nothing and immediately wore her new clothes, meanwhile, Basil changed into her usual outfit--a ck suit and a pair of tight trousers that entuated her heavenly sculpted figure. When they were done, they immediately climbed the stairs that were on the side of the room.
"I look like a Westerner," Chang Yu remarked as she admired her long-sleeved white shirt underneath her khaki vest. "It feels morefortable than it looks."
"Why did you think that it was ufortable?"
Looking at Basil up and down, Chang Yu exined, "Well...it always looks suffocating whenever you wear it." She looked down at her chest and then remarked, "Wow...I didn''t know they were this big."
"Do you have something in your mind?" Basil asked.
"Ah, no! He-He-He."
Ignoring her, Basil focused on climbing the stairs. There were one hundred and eight floors in the Tower of Legacy and the Artefacts that were part of Solomon''s 9 seals were located on the sixty-ninth floor.
She didn''t bother to wonder why Solomon put it there. Considering the entric Mage''s personality, there was a high chance it was part of his gags that she couldn''t find funny.
She was, however, curious about what kind of legacy the one-hundred-and-eighth floor contained. She would like to climb higher after retrieving the two Artefacts; however, given her tight schedule, she knew she would never make it.
Time passed as fast as a shooting star when one had one''s mind focused on what one was doing. Basil and Chang Yu were already on the sixty-fifth floor; they had passed four other winners who had chosen to stop climbing.
"Chang Yu, from the sixty-ninth floor onwards, you have to climb by yourself. The thing I am looking for is on the said floor."
"All right, Sister Hou. I will do my best!"
Nodding her head, Basil ushered Chang Yu forward. "Then, get used to the pressure."
Chang Yu looked confused but immediately followed Basil''s instructions. As soon as she was standing before Basil, she was almost blown away by the sheer pressure the tower put on her for climbing the stairs.
Gritting her teeth, she asked, "Have you been shielding me from this pressure?" Basil didn''t answer but she could see Basil nodding her head lightly. "I will shield you from it from now on."
"No, you don''t have to."
"I insist," Chang Yu said sternly. "Besides, there are only five floors left until the floor of your destination."
Not bothering to persuade Chang Yu any longer, Basil shrugged and let her do what she wanted. The next fifteen minutes were extremely arduous for Chang Yu. She didn''t only need to climb but also shelter Basil from the pressure. She almost wanted to quit, however, she did it.
"Woohoo! I did it!"
? "Good work." Basil patted Chang Yu''s head with a light smile. Retracting her hand, she said, "It is time to part then. I am going this way," she pointed to the door on the ceiling, "and you should climb until you can''t climb any longer."
"I will do my best!" Chang Yu replied in determination.
Basil watched as she continued climbing for a few seconds before minding her business. Kicking the ground, she jumped into the air and used Wind Magic to push her body upwards until she could touch the door.
The moment sheid her hand on the door, it spread open. She pushed her body past through the doorway and the door closed itself. It merged with the wall afterwards, prompting her to get on the ground. Looking around the room, an empty white space greeted her silently.
Since it wasn''t her first time entering a realm that Solomon had created, she walked forward. She was looking for the "tingle" that signified the presence of Solomon''s Soul Fragment.
She kept scanning the room as she walked forward. A few minutes passed and she immediately stopped in her tracks as she had returned to the point where she started; she knew it because she had marked it with her Mana.
"Hm...weird. Even after walking in this boring white room for a hundred years, you still have no urge to strip."
Turning around to face the owner of the voice, Basil was met with a grey-haired man in his mid-fifties. The said man''s gaze was focused on her chest as he caressed his well-trimmed grey beard.
"Nice ti--"
Crack!
Even before the man finished his sentence, Basil''s p sent him flying to the left side of the room. He rolled on the ground as soon as his bodynded on it and then was greeted by Basil''s foot as soon as he stopped rolling.
"Awh...step on me more, mis--"
Crack!
Basil''s foot cracked open the man''s skull. No blood came out of his head because he immediately turned into dust as soon as it cracked open.
"Are Pacifer women all like you? No wonder no one dares to marry you lot--you can''t handle jokes well."
Basil turned around and was met with the same man whose head she had just cracked open. The man was crossing his hands before his chest with a smirk on his face.
"Now, Miss. Intruder, tell me how you can enter the space that only the Fated Child can enter."
"I am the--"
"No shit, hot chick. My memory never fails me, so I am sure that the Fated Child should have a di--keuk!"
The man couldn''t finish his sentence as Basil suddenly appeared before him, kicking him in his crotch. He keeled over, put his hands between hisher region and then groaned in pain under Basil''s disdainful eyes.
"Trash."
"...you have finally spoken." Slowly, the man lifted his head. "I am Solomon, by the way. It is a pleasure to meet you." Like nothing happened, he then stood uprightly. "Tell me what you seek."
"Athena''s Earrings."
"...."
Solomon looked at Basil weirdly, frowned and then scratched his head in absolute bewilderment.
"What in the bloody hell happened? You ARE the Fated Child?" He approached Basil and extended his hand toward her chest, which she stopped. "I want to make sure if those babies are...I am sorry."
Basil''s gaze was so murderous that it was bewildering she hadn''t ripped Solomon apart. Fortunately, the entric Mage had enough brain cells to tell that it was time for him to back down.
"Kuhum! Seriously, though, I can''t believe what I am seeing. The fact that you know what kind of treasure is stored here means that you already have the First Lady and Caliburn with you. Only the Fated Child can obtain those two, so I am wondering how can a female...don''t tell me..."
Realization dawned on Solomonte. "What the heck? What forced you to use that ursed Dao Art?"
"I inherited a Dragon Curse."
"...fair enough." Solomon nodded his head. Opening his palm, he showed Basil a pair of earrings with small, intricate star ornaments. As Basil took them, he said, "They will clear your mind, make you run faster and, most importantly, help you regain your Yang Energy back."
Basil put the earrings on her earlobes and they immediately attached themselves to her earlobes. Nodding her head lightly, she said thank you and immediately walked away...until Solomon stopped her.
"What are you doing? The one-hundred-and-eighth floor is ahead. I know you are in a hurry but, trust me, it will be worth theteness."
Basil contemted for a few seconds before nodding her head. She walked in the direction that Solomon was pointing to until she arrived at the one-hundred-and-eighth floor.
Chapter 438 The 108th (End)
The one-hundred-and-eighth floor looked uncannily simr to Basil''s Mindscape. It was a vast in decorated with millions of purple hyacinths surrounding a massive apple blossom tree. It also had a simple yet elegant wooden house not far away from the tree. The path that connected her to the house made it even harder for her to think it was not her Mindscape.
"Asia," she called softly.
No answer could be heard, signifying that her connection with Asia had been cut off. She tried to connect herself with the Fragments inside her and she found that her connection with the first one had been temporarily blocked.
She hummed to herself in amazement and looked around. She was trying to find the only different thing that the space had from her Mindscape.
"I wonder where¡oh? The Guide is still working."
Basil was surprised to find that the Guide answered her question. It wasn''t her first time having her connection with her Mindscape severed; the Guide had never worked whenever it happened, which was why she was slightly surprised.
Walking to the east, in the direction that the Guide told her to go, she was slightly surprised when she found a pair of gigantic blue eyes staring at her from the sky. She could immediately feel the immense presence and overwhelming pressure, yet she kept walking.
Before long, she felt that the space had "ended." She could still move forward but she didn''t feel that she should because she couldn''t feel anything before her.
The eyes were still looking at her; still far in the sky yet she felt like they were right before her. Silence descended upon the space as they stared into each other''s eyes and it was maintained for a few minutes.
"You reek of Gods. I hate it," a thunderous voice reverberated in the sky, breaking the silence. The eyes blinked and the voice continued, "That peculiar thing inside your body¡ªI can''t suppress its influence¡. I wonder which Higher Being gave that to you."
Basil was aware that the voice was referring to the Guide but she remained silent. She still didn''t know what was before her¡ªthe Guide didn''t want to answer her¡ªbut she guessed that it was a creature that defied Gods, so she was being extremely careful.
"Those eyes¡you¡have gone through a lot, haven''t you? Such a bewildering amount of distrust and questions in your eyes shouldn''t be obtained the moment you were born," the voice remarked as the pupils of the gigantic blue eyes in the sky widened.
"Interesting¡very interesting. You are not a God but you are as mature as one. You are a human but your body works differently from humans. What are you? ¡. Ah, so that is the case. A perfect vessel indeed."
Basil could feel the realization that dawned on the voice in its tone. It seemed to have understood her situation and she didn''t bother to deny or acknowledge it.
In the next moment, the eyes in the sky disappeared. The space became deafeningly quiet for a few seconds before a gigantic creature like a snake with blue scales and a gigantic head appeared in the sky.
The gigantic snake had four feet: the first pair was close to its head meanwhile the second pair was close to its shining, white tail. It didn''t have wings but it managed to stay afloat in the sky. Its long body swayed hypnotizingly yet its head remained unmoving. With its menacing blue eyes, it stared deep into Basil''s eyes.
"My name is Qing Long, The Azure Dragon. I am the strongest of the Five Dragon Kings, the coward who watched his siblings die protecting him," the Mythical Dragon uttered thunderously.
"Are you not going to sympathize, Xiao Hou Xin? Was that not tear-inducing enough? What about mocking me for my cowardice? Don''t you find it cowardly enough? Why do you keep silent, Xiao Hou Xin?"
The barrage of questions didn''t budge Basil in the slightest. She kept looking at Qing Long with fascination in her eyes, carving every little detail of his appearance deeply in her mind.
"You seem to be more interested in my out-of-the-norm appearance rather than the fact that I am before you," Qing Long remarked.
Basil stopped observing Qing Long and cupped her hand. "Pardon me for my insolence, Venerable Dragon. Meeting you made me think that I never fought a true Dragon, so I was slightly overwhelmed by the embarrassment of calling myself a Dragon Killer."
"Hoh? You are not as arrogant as¡ª"
"With that said, I don''t care about what you have gone through. We all create the path of our lives by ourselves, so we should not seek someone''s pity when misfortune decorates our path," Basil added, silencing Qing Long.
"¡you are iprehensible."
"I will like to say the same to you, Venerable Dragon. ording to my knowledge, your anatomy is very different from the Dragons I have killed, which makes you iprehensible."
"Hmph! What do you even know about Dragons? Have you ever killed a named Dragon?"
"Now that I know how powerful they truly are, I won''t say I have defeated the real them; however, I have defeated the reconstructed Tiamat, Azhdaha, Leviathan and Vritra."
"Reconstructed¡by who?"
"Dantalion."
"Hoh? It was that sneaky bastard. His mind is too bright for something thates from the darkness." Qing Long nodded his head lightly. "You are talking about the past, aren''t you?"
Basil said nothing and merely smiled. It was not a surprise that Qing Long could figure that out. Although he could only suppress one Fragment, it was already an incredible feat since it was part of a Divine Artefact that only Gods had.
Dragons were the only creatures that were born to defy the heavens. Gods feared them because they could grow stronger at an absurd rate. They weren''t bound by the world''sw. They could Ascend to Godhood as easy as Carving one''s first Magic Circle.
They were brash and battle maniacs¡ªwhich was why a lot of them died before they reached maturity. Those who managed to control their urge grew to be a powerful force that made Gods have difficulty sleeping at night.
It was only one conflict that triggered the great war between Gods and Dragons¡ªFafnir''s unjust punishment. Countless fearsome Dragons were enraged; they attacked the Gods who still stayed in the mortal world at the time.
The war caused massive casualties on both sides. Gods were forced to move into a new realm¡ªthe Heavenly Throne¡ªmeanwhile Dragons were brought to the brink of extinction.
There were a few hundred years of peace after the great war; humans grew at a rapid pace, meanwhile, Dragons tried their best to find a way to restore their poption. Demons came not long after, unfortunately bringing their age to an end.
Had it not been the case, humans wouldn''t probably stop at being a Ninth Circle Mage or a Purple Core Knight. Dragons would let humans learn how to defy the heavens as they did.
"Now, let me ask you, Xiao Hou Xin. What is your true name?"
"Basil Pacifer."
Qing Long kept quiet for a while before smiling softly. "So, you are that guy''s¡heh. Interesting." Moving his head down, he stopped only after his muzzle was within Basil''s reach. "I would like to run a trial on you but I know it will be useless. Therefore, touch my muzzle and be the 108th sessor."
"What am I going to seed?"
"My body and my army." Winking his eyes, he continued, "You will regain your true physique quicker and experience the might of having a Dragon Physique."
Basil looked at Qing Long sceptically and it made him snort in slight indignation.
"I have enjoyed more female humans than you,d. Don''t you look at me like that¡ªI know what I am talking about."
Dragons also had a human form, so Qing Long felt the need to exin that. Basil already knew that, of course, and the reason why she looked at Qing Long like that was that she didn''t expect him to be interested in such a matter.
Shaking her head faintly to discard the thought, Basil extended her hand and touched Qing Long''s muzzle. His Qi entered her body immediately, tearing it apart and reconstructing it.
Blue light enveloped them as Qing Long''s Qi entered Basil''s brain. He imparted the knowledge he had regarding how to Ascend and how to Forge the Dragon Physique even further.
The space was deafeningly silent during the process. The brighter the light enveloping both of them, the faster the space that resembled Basil''s Mindscape faded.
After some time, one could see nothing but a dark infinite space with one lonely blue star in its centre.
¡.
On the eighty-sixth floor of the Tower of Legacy, Chang Yu was standing before a mirror that was as tall as she was. Her gaze was fixated on it but her eyes were empty. Qi was faintlying out of her body, going into the mirror that absorbed it. She had remained that way for two hours straight.
She wasn''t possessed nor was she sleeping. She was undergoing the trial to obtain the Legacy that attracted her attention.
"Kuhak! Koff! Koff! Koff!"
She coughed up a mouthful of blood as she keeled over. She was thumping her chest as she coughed relentlessly as if she was trying to get something out of her chest.
Blob!
An arduous minuteter, a mass of ck viscous substance came out of her mouth and fell to the ground. She stopped coughing and thumping her chest before sighing in relief.
"Huh¡that was tiring." She sat down and leaned on the wall. Turning to her left, she remarked in surprise, "The mirror has gone. I wonder if this means that I have passed the trial." Recalling what she had gotten, she smirked. "I guess I have. I can already master that, after all."
The Legacy that she had managed to obtain was a Dao. One would normally groan if they were given a Dao as a Legacy because it was not something that one should inherit¡unless it was a special one.
Chang Yu was almost disappointed when she heard that she would only get a Dao. She had spent so much effort to climb that high, so it was very underwhelming; at least, until she heard the name of the Dao.
"Dao of Mirror. It allows me to mirror everything: appearance, attitude, manner, Cultivation, Techniques and even talents," she said with a giggle. "Though, I have toprehend it further to be able to achieve those feats. Still, it''s bloody amazing!"
Knock!
"Ouch! Hey, what are you¡Sister Hou?"
Chang Yu blinked her eyes as she stared at the Goddess before her. Basil was already extremely beautiful before but she looked even more beautiful now. Simply calling her beautiful was even insulting to her appearance. Her perfection was indescribable by words.
"Let''s get out of this boring ce."
The Goddessmanded; thus, nod her head Chang Yu did.
Chapter 439 The Prelude To The War
Chang Yu hummed to herself as she stared at Basil''s back. She was wondering if she could imitate Basil''s appearance with the new Dao she had learnt. Basil''s appearance could be called a divine gift by itself. It was so otherworldly that one would find it hard to not call her a Goddess.
She had long brown hair that flowed down her back to the area below her firm buttocks, a visage that was bereft of any blemish, a pair of eyes that pierced one''s soul, and a figure that was as tall and intimidating as a God of War''s yet as alluring as a Subus''--she perfectly fit everyone''s imagination of a Goddess.
"Did you inherit a good look from ourte Daoist, Sister Hou?" Chang Yu asked after failing to imitate Basil''s appearance with her Dao of Mirror.
"This is nothing but a byproduct. I inherited something way better," Basil responded. "Why did you even think that there was someone who would inherit their good looks?"
"...because I can''t copy it."
"What?"
"Nothing."
Basil quirked her eyebrow and then asked. "So, what kind of Legacy did you inherit?"
"Oh, it is called Dao of Art! You may think it is useless but hear me out. It is a..."
Chang Yu went on and on about the Dao she had newly learnt. Basil nodded her head from time to time; she had already figured out what Chang Yu''s muttering meant the moment she heard the name of the Dao.
When Chang Yu finished exining what her Dao could do, realization dawned on her. Her eyes widened in shock before she covered her red face in absolute mortification. Basil chuckled lightly at her and patted her head thrice. Basil then took a distance away from her to spare her from the embarrassment.
Chang Yu recovered from her embarrassment after five minutes. At this point, they were already on the fifty-eighth floor.
"Oh? I thought you didn''t have any intention to climb the tower."
They encountered someone that they would rather not meet.
"Come on, don''t be so cold to me, cousin."
"After what you did to me, you still dare to call me cousin? Have some shame, Ye Xiu!"
The young man standing in the stairway blocking the women''s path, Ye Xiu smiled. "What have I done to you, Chang Yu? I didn''t vite nor have I ever looked at you with lustful eyes." As if remembering something, his eyes lit up. "Ah, are you perhaps referring to my father''s decision?"
His fake smile turned into a mirthful smirk. "You should know that it was not my decision."
"This detestable asshole..."
Chang Yu could only grit her teeth and snorted coldly. She couldn''t do anything that could harm someone inside the tower because it was a vition of the rule.
Tap. Tap.
As she was about to be overwhelmed by her seething anger, Basil continued climbing down the stairs. Chang Yu regained control of her emotion and immediately followed suit. Much to her surprise, Ye Xiu jumped in front of Basil right before they walked past him. He then looked up at Basil with a soft smile on his face.
"Look into my eyes," he said.
"Why would I?"
"Figured." He chuckled. "Anyway, I am sure you must have noticed it."
"The Eyes of Truth."
"As expected, you also know about it..."
"I have a different version of them."
Basil''s remark caught Ye Xiu off guard. He was about toprehend what Basil meant by her words when she activated her [Eyes of Mana Perception]. Foreign yet profound patterns decorated her beautiful brown eyes. He widened his eyes in shock as they uncannily resembled his.
"I don''t see the ''truth'' but I can see your next move and where to strike to kill you instantly with these."
"You...what are you?"
"Why don''t you ask your eyes?"
Ye Xiu lowered his head as he put his hand on his neck in astonishment. Basil pushed him aside and continued climbing down the stairs.
"Wait, Basil. Tell me what floor you managed to reach."
Basil stopped in her tracks, turned around and smirked at Ye Xiu. "Knowing that fact, you are still enamoured by my appearance?"
"Yes. After all, it is your appearance that I fell for--not you," Ye Xiu answered stoically.
"Good answer." Basil nodded her head lightly. "One-hundred-and-eighth."
"I see..."
Followed by Chang Yu, Basil continued climbing down the stairs. Ye Xiu looked at her back silently as it slowly disappeared, failing splendidly toprehend the enigma called Basil Pacifer.
The two women came out of the tower five minutes after encountering Ye Xiu. The moment they reached the fortieth floor, the restriction put on them disappeared, allowing them to run down the stairs until they got out.
Zimo''s baffled gaze greeted them as soon as they got out; it was nted solely on Basil. The said Pacifer quirked her eyebrow as she looked at Zimo. Her prankster side was immediately triggered. She covered her chest and then hunched her back in horror.
"This insolentss..."
Zimo''s mouth twitched as everyone''s murderous gaze turned to him. He immediately waved his hand and exined himself which ironically made him look like someone who was justifying the reason for his crime.
"Fellow Daoist Zimo, I didn''t expect you to be this vile of a person," Xueyi said detestably.
"Oi, old man, you know you are staring at my nephew, don''t you? I don''t care even if you are ranked higher than me, the moment you touch her, I will send you to the realm of eternal rest," Tian Long remarked passionately.
"Shut it! You know that I am not such a person," Zimo retorted indignantly. "Just because I am the oldest here doesn''t mean that you can bully me."
His fellow Daoists stared at him neutrally for a few seconds before shrugging nonchntly. Looking at that, Zimo sucked the air in through his mouth as he caressed his beard to stop himself from exploding.
Harrumphing, Zimo turned to Basil. "Now,ss,e here. I know you have something to talk about to me."
Basil stopped hunching her back and then stood straight; her chest swelled in pride. The sheer confidence she was exuding made every Top 10 Daoists present there nod their heads.
She walked graciously toward Zimo and then stopped a metre before him. Since she towered over him, he tapped the ground twice to raise it, so he could be on the same eye level as her.
"Give me as many weapon supplies as you have," Basil said straightforwardly.
"...what?"
"Give me--"
"No, that''s not what I mean. Are you sure that weapons are enough?"
"Why not?"
"You have spared my grandson''s life."
"His life is not worth that much."
Zimo blinked his eyes in astonishment and shock at Basil''s words. She had said it so sure that it was hard to think she was mocking, not stating a fact.
"What are you going to do with those weapons anyway?" Being an experienced person, Zimo didn''t even pick the matter and moved on.
"To conquer my enemy."
"Who is this enemy of yours?"
Basil smiled softly and mysteriously. "Who knows? It can be anyone."
Zimo looked deep into her eyes to figure her out and immediately gave up after a few seconds; he couldn''t read her at all. Thess before her was truly an enigma.
Extending his hand, he offered a golden Spatial Ring to Basil. She immediately took it and then walked toward Xueyi and Tian Long. Zimo was left blinking his eyes in bafflement as he stared at Basil''s disappearing back. He couldn''t believe Basil didn''t even say thank you to him.
"Your debt has been paid."
Then, he was reminded of the reason. He found it logical yet he still couldn''t believe it.
....
On the other part of the world, deep in the Great Forest of Yitoupheo, the Elf''s Empire, Padeitophys, Iliana, a couple of Elven Chieftains and Dwarven Elders stood before the Golem that Deacon had delivered a day ago. The Dwarf had modified it, so they were there to see what it could do.
"I was sceptical when I first saw it and I don''t think my view has changed."
"I have to agree with that. This Golem doesn''t suit to be on the battlefield."
"It is too small. I am afraid a punch from a Peak Middle-ss Demon will shatter itpletely."
"It is a pity to destroy such a fine creation..."
As one of the Dwarves who worked on the Golem, Atheron who was also one of the six Elders of the Dwarf looked at the women who had beenmenting on the Golem like they were crazy. They might look like they knew what they were talking about but he knew they were just admiring its appearance.
How could they not? The Golem looked exactly like Basil. The resemnce was uncanny. He was well aware of how attractive the Golem was--since it looked like Basil--so he was sure some of them just wanted to bring it home.
"Thinking it works like a human is a big mistake," he remarked. "It may be smallpared to the average Golem--it assumes a human form, after all--but I can guarantee that it has more firepower than the Golem that we have been working on for a decade."
"That strong?" Tinuviel remarked with widened eyes.
"What do you use for its core?" Iliana asked.
"That is...something that can only be produced by a Pacifer," Atheron smiled in admiration. "Soul Essence. This Golem is powered by Lord Basil''s Soul Essence, so it will think and behave the same way as the original does."
Atheron spread his hands excitedly. He couldn''t wait any longer to show the people what the modification did to the Golem. He activated it and was ready to let it showcase its capability. Unfortunately, at that moment, Ione ran into the field with a solemn look.
"It has begun."
A sentence was all it needed to change their expressions. They immediately scrambled to gather their army, ready to face the opposite force; the Golem was sent to the front line, leading the army but notmanding anyone.
It made the people think that their leader, Basil was there yet they knew he wasn''t. They couldn''t feel the excitement that they had when he was by their side. They were slightly underwhelmed but they knew they had to keep their spirits high. Their leader had promised toe soon. Until then, they had to fight to the best they could.
"Bloody maniac," Iliana remarked at the scene before her. "Just what was that mad Demon scientist doing for the past week?"
The sky and the ground--everything that their eyes could see was decorated by Monsters.
Chapter 440 The Prelude To The War (2)
Although Dwarves had immense physical strength, their short stature was a big disadvantage. They also couldn''t move agilely with their bodies, so they were easy targets on a battlefield. of course, that doesn''t mean that they couldn''t fight in a war. With their brilliant minds and splendid craftsmanship, they invented Golems that they could man.
They used the Golem in every war they partook in. It had be the nightmare of the battlefield; one deemed it a guarantee of loss as soon as one saw it.
Bang!
As the projectile that one of Dantalion''s Monsters hurled the Dwarves hit the Vanadium shield that was erected before them, Atheron shouted, "Don''t falter! Trust in our masterpiece and charge at the enemy!"
They were preparing the Golem that they would man. Since the battle had started suddenly, they had to prepare it during the battle. The shield was to protect them during the set-up but the onught was strong enough to almost render it useless. Because of that, they were in a hurry.
When all of them were inside their Golems, they controlled their Golems to move out of the shield. The projectiles that were being hurled soon hit their Golems. Luckily, they had anticipated it, so they had their built-in shields ready to block the projectiles. They were pushed back yet they received no damage.
Their Golems kicked the ground and charged at the crowd of Monsters in the distance. They were the ones hurling projectiles at the army¡ªthe most annoying Monster¡ªso the Dwarves wanted to eliminate them first.
Sing!
The Golems which looked like a group of armoured gigantic Dwarves drew gigantic swords from their backs and swung them to the side. The de immediately turned red as the heat distorted the surrounding air.
Anything that came at them was cut to pieces in the blink of an eye, meanwhile, those who dared to block their paths were reduced to smithereens as the sturdy Golems crashed into them. The piloted Golem was unstoppable and there were hundreds of them scattered throughout the battlefield.
When they reached the line of Monsters hurling projectiles at the army, the Monsters were immediately eradicated.
On the frontmost line, a lone Golem was also eradicating Monsters. This Golem was smallpared to the Golems that the Dwarf manned yet far more destructive. This Golem looked human. It didn''t look just like any human but Basil Pacifer, the leader of the newly formed faction.
The resemnce didn''t stop there; even the way it fought and the decisions it made heavily resembled Basil. One would say it was him if it wasn''t for the fact that it had six arms holding six different swords which were all High-Grade relics.
Boom!
"Darn it! That thing is Basil without a will, isn''t it?" Iliana remarked after seeing the Golem shoot a beam out of its mouth.
"They are both technically killing machines," Ione replied. "What makes them different is the fact that our Basil knows how to love."
sh!
Iliana cut the Demon that was trying to get close to Ione. Ione didn''t even say thank you as she immediately sent a Mana sphere to the Demon that sneaked behind Iliana, killing it instantly. She covered them with a Mana Barrier in the next moment, protecting them from a Minotaur''s axe. Iliana thrust her spear at the Minotaur, puncturing a big hole in its chest.
The Barrier dispersed as they retreated. Another group of Demons crowded over them immediately but they took the Demons out fairly quickly.
"It''s clear! Mages, step forward!" Iliana shouted as she lifted her spear.
The army that she and Ione led roared before the Mage within stepped forward. The Knights also adjusted their positions, following the Mage. Some positioned themselves before the Mage to defend them, meanwhile, the others helped Ione and Iliana clear the way. They were well-coordinated.
On the other side of the Battlefield, the mixed army that the former Pacifer''s servants led¡ªXander and his fellows¡ªwere advancing at a mind-boggling pace. They didn''t only have good coordination with each other but also amendably strongmander.
They left a trail of blue blood¡ªDemon''s blood¡ªon the way they had passed. Demon''s corpses littered the sides of their paths. They didn''t stop even for a second; no Demon was strong enough to stop them yet. Whenever they encountered a troublesome Monster, they would team up and defeat it in a very short time.
Boom!
Xander''s Spell brought an end to a Peak Middle-ss Hobgoblin, who had foolishly jumped at him. Having killed stronger and more fearsome Demons, he didn''t feel the need to rejoice. He was, however, wasn''t calm about it either. He had a frown on his face as he noticed something that many people overlooked.
"There are far too few Demons sent to the battlefield," Xander said as he looked around. "The battlefield is filled with too many Monsters. That bastard Dantalion must be nning something."
Looking at how things were going, he could easily say the battle was in their favour. The army was advancing at a rapid pace, decimating Monsters here and there.
What made him worry was the fact that he didn''t know how many Monsters Dantalion had in his disposals. He was afraid that Dantalion was using the Monsters to tire them out before sending all of his Demon subordinates to the battlefield.
He tried to be positive and hoped that it wouldn''t be the case yet that was exactly how it turned out. On the second day of the war, when the army was exhausted from fighting the endless wave of Monsters, tens of thousands of Demons entered the battlefield.
The army was, of course, extremely baffled. It happened so suddenly that thousands of them fell in a very short time. In the blink of an eye, the situation was reversed. The army was forced to retreat as the Demons were advancing rapidly.
"Bloody hell, mate! Things escted absurdly quickly," Anthony cursed.
"Ha-Ha-Ha!" Manfredughed boisterously, yet one could tell he was nervous. "I smelled something fishy on the first day, so I can''t say if I didn''t expect it. I mean,e on. Sir Xander had addressed this matter the night before. We''ve all seen thising, haven''t we?"
"Yet, we still didn''t do anything. No¡we couldn''t do anything," Alphonse remarked bitterly.
The two Kings and one former King had never felt the same even though they had been on the same battlefield a long time ago. Now that they were standing on the same side, given the situation, they felt the same bitterness and had the same look on their faces.
Their armies had be one. They considered everyone as their army, so they couldn''t help gritting their teeth in anger as they watched them get butchered by the Demons. Just like how it had been on the first day, they couldn''t do anything about it. They couldn''t save everyone and also had to retreat.
Roar!
Their hearts shook as they heard the thunderous roar. The Demons rejoiced; their expressions darkened. An overwhelming pressure descended upon the battlefield, making their souls tremble. They kept running but they didn''t think it would mean anything as they looked up.
With a body resembling a lizard, a gigantic creature was flying in the sky. Its wings spanned over 100 metres, meanwhile, its body was 45 metres long. It was covered in ck scales that worked as armour. Blue veins decorated the scales and lightning sparkled from time to time.
After two millennia, the world witnessed the appearance of a Dragon again.
"We are doomed, aren''t we?" Tinuviel remarked helplessly. She had stopped running.
She reached into her pocket and fished out her Transmission Talisman. Basil had forbidden them from calling their Empress to help but they had no choice. An Empress shouldn''t leave her Empire carelessly as it would endanger her Empire. s, given the situation, even if she stayed, her Empire would be endangered regardless.
Flying beside the Dragon, Dantalion''s six Generals smirked to themselves. They were overwhelmed with mirth as they looked at their fear-stricken enemies.
"Our Great Duke has managed to lure them into his trap. No, he gave them no other choice than to walk into his trap," one of the Generals remarked proudly.
"Great Duke Dantalion''s brilliance was known throughout Hell. Did you even consider these pests to stand a chance against him?" another one retorted.
"Of course, not. I just wanted to express how much I admire our Great Duke."
At this point, the army had stopped running. The Demons had also stopped chasing. There was no more need for the Demons to chase them. The Dragon would be able to decimate more than half of the army with a single attack. The army was aware of it; they knew they wouldn''t be able to outrun the Dragon, so whatever they did would end up the same.
Aplete checkmate.
Swish! Swish!
At least, that was the case until everyone saw thirty or so swords, struck Dantalion''s six Generals and killed them all at once. Everyone was extremely baffled by the situation. They remained silent as their eyes followed the fall of the Generals'' lifeless bodies. The silence was only broken by the Demons when the bodies touched the ground.
Enraged by the development, they charged at the army which was still too baffled to react. They were awakened from their daze immediately the moment they noticed movement but they still didn''t have to move.
Stab! Stab!
The Demons were stopped in their tracks as thousands of them turned into a mist of blood in the blink of an eye. Thousands of swords were nted in the ground before them, exuding an extremely fierce aura that made them want to run away.
The eyes of the people in the army lit up as a smirk crept up their faces. They looked around in excitement, looking for the person that they had been waiting for.
Boom!
The ground before them rose into the air as something fell from the sky. A strong wind swept the entire battlefield, swaying their bodies slightly.
Standing before them was a tall woman d in tight-fitting ck clothes suitable for fighting. Her long brown hair was tied in a ponytail, billowing gracefully in the air.
"Stop staring at my butt, you useless perverts," the woman said, blessing their ears with her heavenly melodious voice.
Everyone coughed ufortably as if they were caught red-handed. The woman quickly turned around and frowned, astonishing them with her otherworldly beauty.
"They really¡" she muttered in amusement. "Here I was trying to joke."
Seventy figures flew her way and then kneeled before her, prompting her to turn around.
"Wee back, Mistress!"
"Ah, I am back."
Basil Pacifer¡the female Basil Pacifer had returned.
"The Goddess is with us!"
Everyone rejoiced, sure of their victory. All they could see before their eyes were Basil and victory; the Dragon and Demons were conveniently ignored.
Chapter 441 The Prelude To The War (3)
Harr!
Everyone looked up when the Dragon that was pping its wings above them grunted. They immediately readied themselves to fight it. They no longer had any fear of losing despite knowing that an attack from it might wipe them out. Basil''s presence had dramatically raised their morale.
The senior Pacifer''s servants stood up and looked at Basil, waiting for hermand. She gestured for them to assume a Battle Formation and they immediately did it. As they were doing that, much to the people''s bewilderment, the Dragon turned around. Basil quirked her eyebrow at that and raised her hand slightly as she sent it her swords.
Ayer of Mana Barrier covered the Dragon in the blink of an eye. The five swords that Basil sent it glowed brightly as they hit the Barrier, shattering it after three seconds.
Boom!
The air exploded, pushing the people below down the ground. The Dragon was harmless yet it was clear that it didn''t want to deal with Basil. It flew away from the army, making their eyes light up and baffling the Demons. No one moved from their spots, still, because they wanted to see what Basil and the Pacifer''s servants in Formation would do.
"We will take down the Dragon!"
"Hoi!"
With Basil in the lead, Xander and his fellows charged forward. The Demons didn''t even bother to defend their ranks as they parted to give Basil and the people behind her way. They moved faster than the Demons, though, so a lot of Demons were still killed. This caused them to be violent, which ironically cost them more deaths.
The army was quickly awakened from their trance and also charged at the Demons, following Basil and her servants. Their main goal was to eliminate the Demons, however, so none of them followed Basil and her servants into the ranks.
They were still tired from the fight with Dantalion''s Monsters yet they fought better than they did before Basil''s arrival. They didn''t know if they were going to win before but they knew they were going to win now because they had Basil on their side.
They had seen how easily Basil killed Dantalion''s Generals. They would be surprised if someone as powerful and brilliant as her could lose to a Demon like Dantalion, who hadn''t even shown himself.
"Oho¡? He doesn''t even use Magic on these people yet his presence managed to turn them into fearless battle machines. Amazing! At this rate, my thirty-six Legions will be wiped out!"
In the centre of the main army, the Obelisk Master of the 27th Obelisk, Dantalion, the Demon everyone was looking for, was observing the battlefield in fascination. He couldn''t believe that followers would still be able to surpass their limits simply by seeing their leader before them.
He could foresee his army''s defeat yet he was still smiling. Rather than finding a way to prevent it, he was waiting for it to happen. If he thought hard, he would find a way to prevent it. He wasn''t so eager to think hard, however, so he chose to enjoy the show instead.
The battle, although it had only been going on for two days, was as amusing and astonishing as the battles back in the Age of Chaos. The oue of the battle back then would also dramatically change because of a person''s arrival¡ªThe Lord.
"And¡where is ''The Lord'' of this Era?" He looked around until he found Basil who was leading the seventy-eight Pacifer''s servants. "Oh? It is ''The Mistress'' now." He quirked his eyebrow and then hummed to himself. "Oh, my. I think I have fallen in love."
Grr¡
The Chimaera he was riding growled lowly. He patted its lion head and smiled.
"Do you think so too? Beautiful, isn''t she?" He sighed. "s, that flower is surrounded by a raging me. She will reduce me to ashes the moment I extend my hand. What should I do? What should I do?"
At this moment, Basil''s eyes met his. "Oh, look! She is looking at me. Does she perhaps also¡oh. She is going to gut me and feed my viscera to her Beast Companion for sure."
Shaking his head in disappointment, Dantalion called the rest of the Monsters he made that he still kept in the Obelisk. There were thirty thousand of them, enough to affect the oue of the battle; however, Dantalion mobilized them to hinder Basil.
He wanted to marvel at Basil''s grace as she slew her enemies. The way her body moved and the exquisiteness of her Techniques and Arts were extremely fascinating. He wanted to see them forever yet he knew it would be impossible. Sooner orter, he needed to fight her and he wouldn''t be able to enjoy her grace at that time.
As thirty thousand Monsters swarmed the ground and the air, the battlefield went rowdy. The Demons roared in excitement and became even more ferocious. The army was still as vigorous, so the sh became even fiercer. Hundreds fell from both sides with each passing second.
When the Demons noticed that the Monsters weren''t going their way, their morale dropped slightly. It quickly rose again, however, when they saw that the Monsters were ganging up on Basil and the Pacifer''s servants.
The army became slightly worried. They couldn''t help it since the Dragon stopped flying away the moment the Monsters joined the fight. They still believed in Basil but keeping their morale unchanging was hard. At least, that was the case until Basil and his servants attacked the Monsters.
sh!
Basil opened the attack. She sent a group of brightly glowing swords which struck the Monsters like reverse shooting stars. Thousands of Monsters fell from the sky. Their defence was useless against Basil''s attack. They attacked back yet none of their attacks managed to pierce the Barrier that protected Basil and her servants.
BOOM!
The next attack came from Xander and his fellows who were inside the Barrier. A burning meteor stone the size of a hill was dropped from the sky onto the Monsters on the ground who didn''t have time to retreat or dodge it.
A powerful wind st swept the entire battlefield, knocking humans, Dwarves, Elves, and Demons alike off their feet. Dust rose into the air. A crater that was 100 metres deep and 200 metres wide was left on the ground. Disfigured and charred Monsters'' bodies littered the ground, overwhelming the air with an unpleasant smell.
A Legion and ten Centuries'' worth of Monsters were wiped out just like that. It boosted the morale of the army and kicked the morale of the Demons down to rock bottom. Dantalion even felt the need to sigh in disappointment. He didn''t expect this oue at all.
"That strange Battle Formation aside, what is wrong with our Mistress?" he muttered in bemusement. "She shouldn''t be this strong, should she? Ah, I see. The Pacifer are extremely good at hiding their true power."
Exhaling softly, he shook his head helplessly. "My creations will not be able to hold her back at all. It is your time to shine, Bahamut."
The Dragon flying in the sky, the knock-off Bahamut who had been passive ever since its appearance, sted Basil and her servants with its soul-shaking killing intent. Basil immediately activated her Pacifer Seal, meanwhile, Xander and his fellows fortified their minds to withstand the mental attack of the Dragon.
"Kyaak!"
"Ack!"
"Aaah!"
Everyone on the battlefield, despite not directly withstanding the knock-off Bahamut''s killing intent still wailed in fear. The killing intent didn''t only shake the soul of the Dragon''s enemies but also its allies.
Basil crossed her swords and materialized her seven Magic Circles at the same time. They red threateningly, sting the air as they attracted a ridiculous amount of Nature Mana that wasparable to the amount that a Dragon could gather.
Basil immediately activated [One With Nature] and [Synchronisation]. Now that she was already a Purple Core Knight, her body was strong enough to use the two Arts at the same time; she also had a Dragon physique, so keeping them active for a week straight was not even a problem.
A golden armour made using True Light Magic adorned Basil''s entire body but her head. Purple, shining veins appeared on her temples and the side of her face, further entuating her beautiful and intimidating golden eyes.
Whoosh!
"This is¡ridiculous," Dantalion remarked with widened eyes. "This woman¡is she nning to conquer the Heavenly Throne?"
Dantalion couldn''t help chuckling to himself in amusement. Basil was off the norm. He wouldn''t dare call her a human. No human should possess that much power. It was not that unusual if it waspared to the power a Ninth Circle Mage had; however, she was but a Seventh Circle Mage.
Dantalion shivered when he imagined how fearsome she would be when she became a Ninth Circle Mage. He didn''t dare to imagine her surpassing the boundary since when that happened, not even the Seven Princes that every Demon worshipped would be able to do a thing.
"Our Mistress¡this heavenly might!"
"Eternal glory to those who stand on her side¡ªBasil Pacifer!"
"Basil Pacifer!"
"Our mighty Goddess!"
"Goddess of War!"
At that moment, the people were made aware that they sided with the right person. Even Anthony, Manfred and Alphonse who never participated when the people shouted Basil''s name couldn''t help joining the others as they chanted her name.
They had found their new Emperor¡ªone that they could agree with. Their hearts beat faster¡ªtheir blood rushed in excitement as they thought about what they would achieve in the future.
Rawr!
The dragon roared at Basil, fighting off her killing intent that was pressuring it. It felt mighty the moment it was born. It could feel the might of the real Bahamut, so it inherited Bahamut''s pride. It didn''t think it would feel afraid but it did. As Basil stared into its eyes, it could instantly see its death.
It gathered every Demonic Mana it had in its body and controlled the sky using the Dragon Language. Thick ck clouds were gathered above it, casting shadows on the ground below.
CRACK!
As the clouds swirled, creating a vortex in the sky, powerful shes of lightning struck the ground, disintegrating it. The Demons trembled and Dantalion was forced to evacuate to a ce where he wouldn''t be hurt by what would happen next.
''Look! This is how you shall end, puny human!'' the knock-off Bahamut said with its eyes as it stared at Basil.
In response to that, Basil merely smiled softly. Caliburn and Durendal shone as hundreds of swords floated behind her, illuminating the dark world and driving the glumness away.
sh!
The light blinded everyone briefly. When they regained their vision, they were already in a limitless field decorated with golden grass and tens of thousands of floating swords.
Whoosh!
Their heads turned upwards as they heard somethinging down rapidly. When they looked up, they saw a gigantic sword piercing the knock-off Bahamut''s body, killing it instantly.
Chapter 442 The Prelude To The War (4)
Basil''s Domain was so quiet that one might hear the sound of a dropping pin. Everyone''s gaze was fixated on the falling body of the Dragon that they had thought would give them a hard time.
They believed what their eyes saw but they still couldn''t help sucking a deep breath in disbelief. Their leader was absurdly strong. She didn''t have the most Magic Circles yet her power was undisputed. They might be fighting against the world but they were sure they would manage with her on their side.
Boom!
Whoosh!
As the body reached the ground, a strong wind swept over them, further emphasizing that the incredible scene indeed happened. They turned to the golden-armour-covered Basil and watched as she gracefully retracted her extended hand.
She held Caliburn and Durendal sideways, lifted her chin proudly and looked at Dantalion tauntingly. They turned to the said Demon to look at his reaction and found him staring back at her in disbelief, which elevated their morale through the roof.
"I didn''t know you had so much leisure that you could stand like an idiot."
Basil''s words brought the people back to reality. Their bodies immediately tensed as they knew what they would hear next.
"Move your arse."
"With pleasure!"
This time, it was not the Demon who initiated the fight; the people rushed at the still bbergasted Demons. They regained theirposure quickly, however, so they could react in time. At least, that was the case until Basil sted them with her Dragon yer''s Killing Intent.
The fearless Demons froze in their ces as their eyes widened in terror. They couldn''t understand what was happening. They would rather die than endure the killing intent, which was extremely contradictory to their nature. The people reached them in the blink of an eye and thousands of them died at the same time.
Dantalion watched as it was happening and used his Miasma to jolt the Demons out of their state. Very few of them regained theirposure but he didn''t mind it. He still had his mindless Monsters that could still fight. They were useless by themselves but with the stronger Demons, they could be quite dangerous.
Swish! Swish!
"Tsk. Figured."
Basil''s countless flying swords didn''t stay idle. They wereing at Demons and Monsters alike, making Dantalion click his tongue in exasperation as they killed his troops with one strike.
Dantalion cast a Dark Spell on his troops, forcing some of them to go on a rampage and jolting the many out of their fear-stricken state. Still, nothing significant changed--his troops were still decimated at a concerning rate.
Sighing as he looked at how it went, he muttered, "I guess it is our time, Chimaera 5.1.2A." His army was on the brink of destruction, so he decided that it was time for him to fight Basil.
Just as he was about to order his Chimaera to fly in Basil''s direction; a gigantic sword, one that resembled the one that killed the knock-off Bahamut, appeared before his nose. He was forced to disengage himself from his Chimaera so he could dodge it and save his life.
Whoosh!
"Darn it--that woman!"
The gigantic sword passed by him, striking the ground and killing thousands of Demons just by doing it. He immediately flew in his Chimaera''s direction; however, at that moment, Deacon dove down from above, struck the Chimaera and brought it down with him.
Everything happened so fast that Dantalion couldn''t stop it. Deacon had been there since the first day and he had never seen Deacon that strong. He took a good look to see what was happening and then immediately nodded his head. Basil was using [Assimtion] on Deacon.
[Assimtion] was an Art that allowed one to share one''s power with one''s Summon and vice versa. In most cases, it was the Summon who helped its contractor; however, in Deacon''s case, it was he who was being helped.
His grey fur had turned gold. His eyes were shining in blue. He was enveloped in a fierce aura, intimidating any Demons nearby. Wind des constantly struck the ground around him, cutting those who dared toe too close to him.
Boom!
Dantalion''s vision shifted from Deacon to Basil as he blocked her kick. The air exploded as she brought them away from their subordinates. When they were far enough, she retracted her foot and remained afloat in the air. Dantalion could immediately keep himself unmoving in the air; he stared at her with a curious look.
"Let our Beast Companions sort things out between themselves," Basil remarked.
"That is not my concern. I was just surprised that you cared for those people," Dantalion retorted with a light shake of his head.
"You seem to know me so much, eh?" Basil smirked.
"I can see it in your eyes. You view people the way we, Demons, view others: anyone that doesn''t stand on our side has no worth for living."
Basil scoffed, neither denying nor affirming.
"Your Pacifer Seal still shines in gold, which means your soul remains a male. Can I assume that you just went through [Reverse Cycle]?"
"Does that matter?"
"No, but--"
Swish!
Had Dantalion bent his body one millisecondte, he would have lost his head. He gulped nervously as Durendal passed over his nose, cutting the air and creating a vacuum in it temporarily.
Pushing his body back with the wind, he straightened his posture. He immediately took out his staff and brought out his Seven Spheres of Heresy, a set of Artefacts that he made himself--the weapon that none but him had.
The spheres were the size of an adult''s fist. They were white, which was extremely contradictory to the dark aura they were exuding. They were floating above Dantalion''s head and moving in a circr motion. They amplified his Mana Pressure and his precision greatly.
"I shall win; therefore, I want to make a deal. Allow me to apany you for your whole life if I win," he dered.
"You shall lose; therefore, I shall ept. May death be kind enough to let you live that dream."
"That, my flower, is why you managed to capture my heart."
Basil looked at Dantalion in absolute contempt and disgust. She was physically a woman but she was mentally a man. Hearing a man confess his love to her was as ufortable as one might imagine. Added to that fact, it was Dantalion who confessed, so her urge to strangle him went through the roof.
nk!
Appearing before Dantalion, Basil swung Durendal and Caliburn. Three of Dantalion''s Spheres of Heresy blocked the swords, giving Dantalion time to retreat and cast a Spell to trap Basil within a space made out of Mana that bombarded her with small needles that would destroy her nerves.
Unfortunately, the space didn''tst long. A golden line appeared on it just a second after it trapped Basil within and then it was instantly dispersed as Basil returned to the outside world.
Clicking his tongue, Dantalion sent one of his spheres to Basil. The said sphere assumed the form of a spear. It cut through the air leaving a vacuum in its wake. Basil swung Caliburn to the side, striking it off its path. She then spun herself quickly, returning it to its owner.
The sphere changed shape. It remained a spear but the position of the shaft and the de was reversed. They weren''t the only things that reversed though; the direction it was flying in was too. It was flying at Basil at the same speed as before.
With a thought, Basil summoned one of the gigantic swords that were floating in the sky. It came down and stopped before him, blocking the white sphere.
Boom!
Miasma exploded as the spear hit the gigantic sword. The gigantic sword trembled briefly before shattering to pieces. The spear passed it, striking whatever was behind it. There was, however, no one behind it, so the spear struck nothing but air.
[Path of Glory]!
A golden path made out of True Light Magic appeared in the air, filling Dantalion''s vision. He was standing on it by the time knew it and he couldn''t move out of it. His body tensed as he saw the golden light ahead moved closer. His Spheres of Heresy revolved around him madly, covering him in a Barrier powered by Miasma.
When the golden light struck him, he gritted his teeth as he endured the impact. He was blinded by the golden light; he felt his soul was also being crushed along with his body.
When his vision returned, his Barrier immediately shattered. He coughed up a mouthful of blood--he was in pain yet his mind was fully awake. He knew Basil wasing, so he had his spheres ready to block her.
[Haywire]!
His spheres gathered in a ce and blocked Basil''s thrust. His eyes immediately widened in horror, however, since he could see that Basil only had one sword in her hand--Caliburn.
Swish!
Durendal came flying at him from behind. He teleported himself away but it was still toote. Durendal had managed to graze him. [Haywire] immediately took effect. The wound he received couldn''t stop bleeding and he couldn''t coordinate his body well.
Thousands of all kinds of ded weapons came at him. He was still figuring out how to master his body, so he could only incessantly teleport himself away or block the ded weapons with his spheres.
One might wonder why a Demon as smart as Dantalion took a longer time to learn how to control his body slower than Jerion, a mere Demon King''s General. The reason was Basil''s advancement to the Purple Core Stage. [Haywire] now worked just as fearsome as it did in Basil''s past life.
Gorgophone, who was much stronger than Dantalion, had even struggled back then. It would be bewildering instead of Dantalion could immediately regain control of his body.
At one point, Dantalion had given up teleporting around. No matter where he went, ded weapons were waiting for him, so he figured it was better to save his Demonic Mana; he let his spheres revolve around him, blocking the weapons.
Basil stopped the onught. She gathered seven gigantic swords around Dantalion and let them revolve around him. Golden lightning struck the gigantic swords and was transferred to Dantalion in the centre. His vision was coloured in gold again as lightning struck him from seven different directions.
Basil then extended her hand and pointed her index finger at Dantalion. Mana gathered at the tip of her index finger and the aura surrounding her was getting fiercer with each passing moment.
[Heaven Piercer]!
The name of the Art was uttered. A small beam was shot out of her finger. Its size didn''t have anything to do with its capability. It pierced through Dantalion''s Barrier and one of his spheres like nothing, hitting him right in his chest.
Chapter 443 The Prelude To The War (End)
The small beam that came out of Basil''s finger pierced through the Demon who was covered by a Mana Barrier in the centre of the gigantic swords array. The gigantic swords stopped spinning, putting an end to the bombardment of the golden lightning.
The gigantic swords then flew in seven different directions. Basil''s beam dispersed at this point. The Barrier covering Dantalionpletely shattered, revealing his dishevelled state to the world. There was a hole the size of an adult''s fist in his chest; blood was pouring out of it like water leaking out of a dam.
Dantalion''s face was neutral. He no longer had his usual easy-going look. Basil looked at him with a scoff and a faint disdainful smirk and he looked back at her neutrally. It was hard to tell what he was thinking about. She, of course, didn''t care about it as she crossed her swords and prepared another beam at their tips.
"Send my regards to the people of the Oblivion," Basil sneered.
"You will regret this," Dantalion muttered creepily, not paying attention to Basil.
Basil knew what was going to happen, so she immediately shot the beam and summoned the seven gigantic swords back. Another Barrier covered Dantalion a millisecond before her beam hit him. The beam was held in its ce, unable to break the Barrier. The gigantic swords came not long after yet they barely did anything as the Barrier remained strong.
The gigantic swords had their tips pointed toward Dantalion. Their tips were shining as they absorbed and discharged the Mana contained in the beam after condensing it to amplify its destructiveness.
Basil decided to add more Mana to them, causing them to spin. The Mana pressure surrounding the gigantic swords increased dramatically, threatening to shatter the Barrier. Unfortunately, this favourable situation didn''tst long. The Mana Pressure that the seven gigantic swords were exuding was quickly overshadowed by Dantalion''s Mana Pressure.
Basil immediately let go of Durendal and Caliburn, letting them float in the air, and then sped his hand together. Her Pacifer Seal red and her Mana Pressure rose to an unimaginable level. A thousand swords came flying at her and stopped behind her. Their shining tips were pointing toward Dantalion.
Zap!
Lightning sparked between Durendal and Caliburn that were floating on each of her sides--one of them was gold and the other was silverish blue. Their tips that were pointing down turned to Dantalion as they moved in a vertical circr motion.
"I think it''s alreadyte but it doesn''t hurt to try," Basil remarked as she gazed at Dantalion, who was in the process of assuming his True Form. "[Reality-Defying Piercer]!"
Durendal and Caliburn were moving faster, meanwhile, the one thousand swords behind Basil shot at Dantalion, cutting through the air like shooting stars. At this point, the gigantic sword revolving around Dantalion had long left the vicinity, giving way for the one thousand swords to hit Dantalion.
nk! nk!
The one thousand swords hit ten different spots of the Barrier, of which Basil deemed the weak spots. None of them managed to pierce it as they immediately shattered to smithereens upon contact with it.
Ten seconds passed in the blink of an eye. Thest sword to hit the Barrier managed to create a small hole in the Barrier. It was recovering yet the recovery rate was slow because it also had many other spots to recover. This was the moment when Caliburn and Durendal were sent.
Still moving in a vertical circr motion, the two Legendary Swords that looked like a bullet with two different colours eliminated their distance with Dantalion faster than one''s eye could blink. They passed through the small hole in the Barrier, widening it in the process, hitting Dantalion who was covered in white, thorny scales.
BOOM!
Silverish blue and golden light illuminated the world, blinding even those who were fighting far away from them. Silence filled the world as the light bathed the organisms in Basil''s domain, bringing terror to Demons andfort to those who sided with her.
The light died down after ten seconds. It was the longest ten seconds for everyone. Some had it good meanwhile others had it bad. It was a nightmare and also a utopia; it depends on which spectacle one saw the event through.
The battlefield turned silent as the battle stopped. The Demons and Monsters attacking the army dropped dead as soon as the light died down, leaving the people baffled and amazed.
They turned to Dantalion to spectate his battle with their leader but found him no longer looking like a human. He had a goat-like skull covered by thin, white skin. His body was slender and covered with white, thorny scales. There was a white spike on each of his shoulders that was twice longer than his neck. His tail was frolicking in the air as it hissed menacingly.
Dantalion looked traumatizingly repulsive. The aura he was exuding, which could be felt from where the army was, made his entire appearance the more horrifying. He became even more repulsive the moment he grinned. The moment he showed them his two rows of long sharp teeth, no one could stop themselves from gulping nervously.
"Whew...it sucks being weak," Xander muttered as he looked at the soul-shaking grin. "My mind is fine but my body is honest. I could face two Dungeon Masters at once by myself before yet now I am trembling before one. Shameful."
"It''s not that we can defeat any of them alone anyway," Cyrus, the burliest amongst the Pacifer''s senior servants retorted cynically yet humorously.
"That was indeed the case. We needed to gang up on one just to kill it."
"Well, that side is also declining, so I think it will be fine."
"Did you think that I was concerned about our Mistress?" Xander asked like he was talking to a mentally deranged person. "I wasmenting the fact that I couldn''t help her. I never doubt her prowess even once."
BOOM!
Before Cyrus responded to Xander, Basil and Dantalion shed. Basil swung Caliburn and Durendal, meanwhile, Dantalion swung his spear which also functioned as a Magic Staff. The sh sted the air around them, creating a vacuum. When the air filled the vacuum, they distanced themselves.
As Basil summoned her other swords, Dantalion summoned his Monsters from the ground, which shouldn''t be possible because he was in Basil''s Domain. It was one of his Special Abilities, [Unbound], which allowed him to not be affected by any Art of his opponent''s that affected reality.
Rawr!
Kyaak!
The Monsters roared and shrieked menacingly. None of them was targeting Basil; they knew they wouldn''t stand a chance. They were targeting the army that they were sure they could beat. Naturally, this alerted the army.
"The Monsters are stronger now. All of them can hold their ground well against the Chimaera that Deacon tore to pieces," Basil remarked. "This is not good. I will be upied by this white bastard, so I won''t be able to always help them."
Humming to herself as she looked at Dantalion who was sending a house-sized ball of Demonic Mana, she then muttered, "Should I use it?"
She swung Durendal, cutting the attack in two. She then immediately raised Caliburn to block Dantalion''s spear. For the first time, her hand was pushed back. It wasn''t much but it was still enough to make her frown.
She immediately ignored it, however, as she took out a palm-sized stone totem. She spun, throwing Dantalion to the other side of the sky before throwing the totem in the direction of the army.
The totem cut through the air faster than a Yellow Core Knight could run. The moment itnded on the ground, it grew as tall as seven metres and multiplied itself. In the blink of an eye, the front line was filled with gigantic statues. They had the face of a smiling devil and six arms, bringing chills to whoever saw them.
The Monsters faltered slightly yet regained their courage when they didn''t detect any movement from the statues. They regretted their decision soon, however; the statues butchered them with the scimitars in their hands. Seeing this, exhausted as they were, the army became more excited.
"Diabolical Warriors of Asura...I am surprised that you can even get that thing."
"Oh, you can speak?" Basil remarked in genuine surprise. "I thought you had lost your sense of self."
"Say, Heir of the Azure Dragon, can you tell what am I?"
"One of the old Dragons who betrayed its kin?"
tter!
Dantalion put more force on his spear, pushing Basil even more.
"I guess you can say that. Though, I am sure I never kill any of my kin." Dantalion smirked. "Ah, do you even know what a Demon is? Don''t you think it is weird that a Demonic Dragon could be one of the Great Dukes of Hell, meanwhile, Dragons are said to have always lived in the Mortal World?"
"I don''t understand what you are talking about."
"Ah,e on, dear. I know you know what I am talking about. You have realized it, haven''t you? Someone is pulling on the strings behind us, putting us through this whole scenario."
nk!
Shocking Dantalion, Basil threw him away. As soon as he recovered, Basil''s swords were heading toward him. He dodged a lot of them and parried some that he couldn''t; it took his attention away, so he didn''t notice the lightning bolt that wasing at him amidst the storm of swords.
Zap!
He roared when the lightning hit him. His emotion got the better of him, so he focused on locating Basil instead of dodging the swords attacking him. He found her flying above him. He immediately flew at her, failing to realize the swords were now revolving around the perimeter like a school of fish.
"I won''t kill you yet you shall be mine, Basil Pacifer! With your brilliant mind, we shall trample thoseughing at us from the Heavenly Throne together."
"No," Basil replied simply and coldly as she brought her hand down.
At this moment, Dantalion realized something was wrong. He immediately stopped flying at Basil and looked around. This was the moment when he realized that he had been entrapped. The swords revolving around the perimeter were encased in True Light Magic that would shred him should he try to break through.
Laughing bitterly to himself, he pointed his staff at the golden gigantic sword falling on him and cast his strongest Curse in Dragon Language. He was fighting True Light Magic with Miasma.
The sword shed with the shield that used to be able to negate Divinity. The two Energies shed covering half of the world with light and the other half with darkness. No one could move as it happened. The pressure was too much to bear; even a lot of them lost consciousness.
When the darkness and light that separated the world disappeared, the world returned to normal--Basil''s Domain had dispersed. Sprawled on the ground was Dantalion who had lost the left side of his body.
"You know, yourst words intrigued me. Our sh is nothing but the prelude to the war. I will face a lot of them in the future and I stillck people. What about bing my pet?"
Blinking his eyes, Dantalion looked at Basil who was looking down at him. The said Pacifer had be manlier.
"I need your skill. I have Diabolical Warriors of Asura with me but they won''t be enough to fight my enemies." Extending his hand, Basil continued, "What do you think about it?"
Dantalion smirked and then grasped Basil''s hand. "The Cycle has ended. You have be a man now, so...make me your woman and I shall agree!"
"Say that after you be one."
"Deal!"
The battle ended with an unexpected result. Basil was gambling here yet his instinct was telling him that he had made a great choice.
Chapter 444 The War Begins
"Now, can you stop pinning me with your foot?" Dantalion asked with a smile.
"No," was Basil''s simple answer.
He bent down and clutched Dantalion''s head, prompting the Demon to groan. Ignoring that, Basil cast an Envement Spell on Dantalion. Light covered Dantalion''s head for a couple of seconds, leaving a mark on his forehead as it died down. The mark also disappeared afterwards yet his urge to bow down to Basil remained.
"This is a vition! We made a deal--you shouldn''t do this to me!"
"I didn''t say anything about not going to enve you," Basil retorted.
"That should be part of themon courtesy! Don''t you know how to treat your business partner?"
"You are my pet."
"..."
Dantalion tried to say something but nothing came out of his mouth. It opened and closed like a fish a couple of times before he decided to ept his fate and shook his head helplessly.
Basil let go of Dantalion''s head and took a step back, allowing Dantalion to sit up. Blood was still pouring out of the left part of his body or what remained of it, yet the Demon didn''t seem to be bothered by it.
Ba-dump. Ba-dump.
Basil could see Dantalion''s ck heart beating. Half of it was revealed since the part that was supposed to cover it had been blown off. If it wasn''t for the fact that Dantalion had something interesting to share and he had full control over him, Basil would have destroyed the heart. The way it was half revealed was like challenging someone to do that.
Turning his attention away from the heart, Dantalion put his hand on his stomach and pulled out his Magic Staff the way he did when he assumed his True Form. He then tapped the ground with it, extracting the blood of the dead Demons nearby before absorbing it.
The chunk of flesh and the bones he had lost regrew at a rapid pace. Basil watched in interest as the nerves and tissue formed; he felt like watching the sped-up process of life creation.
When everything had regrown, he stopped absorbing blood from the bodies of the Demons nearby. The part of his clothes that had been destroyed fixed itself afterwards, making him look like he hadn''t just suffered from a fatal injury.
"Now, what are we going to do?" Dantalion asked as he watched Basil undo the braid that didn''t suit his now manly visage. "I think you look handsome even if you are bald."
"I know."
Dantalion had expected a snide remark or a thank you from Basil, so he couldn''t help blinking his eyes in astonishment at the response. He couldn''t tell if Basil was extremely confident or just straight-up cocky.
Basil ended up tying his hair in a high ponytail. He had bangs streaming down the right side of his face but not covering his eyes. His hairstyle was rather simple yet he still looked impable. When he stopped minding his hair, he turned to Dantalion.
"To answer your question, you will apologize."
"Huh? I; not we?"
Instead of answering the bewildered Dantalion, Basil put his hand on the Demon''s shoulder and teleported to where the army was waiting for him. Everyone cheered as soon as they saw Basil hold Dantalion by his neck and Dantalion didn''t like the way it was going.
What Basil did next didn''t betray his expectation. Basil threw him to the ground in the next moment and then stepped on his head.
The crowd cheered louder and Dantalion scowled harder. He was considerably a lot friendlier than his fellow Obelisk Masters yet he was still one of the Great Dukes of Hell--he had his pride.
"The enemy has been taken down." Everyone turned quiet as Basil spoke. "He is but one of the many that we have to face from now on. This fight won''t be thest; we still have wars we have yet to win." They listened to him keenly, treating each one of his words as amandment. "Hence, allies are needed. Those who fight with us--whom we can entrust our backs to."
The brighter ones had realized where this was going but a lot of the people still wondered what Basil was going to convey this time.
"I shall introduce you to my pet, Dantalion. He has something to say to you."
It wasn''t until this did the crowd know what was going on. They all turned to Dantalion whose head was half-nted in the ground before looking at Basil in astonishment and mild bewilderment.
They couldn''t fathom how deep his understanding of Magic was to be able to enve a Demon of Dantalion''s calibre. Killing a strong enemy was an arduous yet doable task but controlling the said enemy was another story; for that, Basil was incredible.
"I am...sorry for killing...your friends and...families!"
They blinked their eyes as soon as they heard Dantalion''s muffled voice. They were slightly baffled that Basil was forcing him to apologize.
"This won''t resurrect the dead and heal your injuries; however, you deserve it," Basil dered. "You may not ept his apology. I just want to make it clear that he won''t be able to do anything that may harm you. You will see him every day from now on with me. His face might relive the tragedy that befell on your beloved and pain you yet it won''t kill you."
Retracting his foot, Basil allowed Dantalion to take his head out from the ground. Dantalion was scowling as he looked at the people with his dirty face yet he didn''t pressure them with his killing intent, further proving Basil''s point that he was harmless.
"I am not asking you to acknowledge him as part of us but I want you to know that he is in my possession. He is no different from the weapon your enemy has used to y your beloved--a tool that kills without a will."
It was clear at this point what Basil wanted from them--eptance. They wouldn''t question his decision even if he didn''t do this yet they were d that he did. It showed that Basil viewed them as real people, not mere pawns that he used to achieve his goal. It assured them even more that they were following the right person.
"Glory to the Pacifer!"
"Glory to those who stand on his side!"
"Basil Pacifer!"
The people''s cheer reverberated through the air, overwhelming the entire battlefield. They were exhausted and injured yet their spirits burned brightly.
Basil raised his hand, turning the crowd gradually quiet. Saying it was time for them to return, he told the army to pick up the bodies of the fallen or what remained of them. Dantalion also did the same to his Monsters''. He said he could still put them to good use.
Sweeping the air with his hand, Basil turned the Diabolical Warriors of Asura that were scattered throughout the battlefield into one, shrunk it into a small-sized totem and then collected it. He looked at it for a few seconds before storing it in his Spatial Ring.
When all of the bodies were collected, he led the people to Padeitophys. He rode Deacon with Iliana and Ione, escorted by Dantalion who was flying above him.
....
The news of the army''s victory reached Padeitophys before the army did. Everyone was extremely delighted to hear it; even the Elven Empress, Eloreth couldn''t help herself from smiling brightly.
Her excitement, however, was short-lived. The moment she looked at the person standing before her, she recalled the squad of selected Warriors that she sent an hour ago; thus, turning her face solemn.
"Has he anticipated it? I mean, all of it?"
"I believe he has. You will be surprised to know what he has figured out."
Eloreth sighed and shook her head in amazement. "I guess he more than deserves to be the best Pacifer to have ever been born." Looking at the beautiful woman before her, Eloreth carefully asked, "Lady Yang, does Basil have a reason for asking you to deliver the news directly?"
The beautiful woman, Yang Mei Qi, huffed as she recalled what Basil had said to her. "My presence wouldn''t change anything, so I better stay."
"Oh...quite harsh on yourself, aren''t you?"
"No, that''s what he said to me."
Eloreth blinked her eyes. "That does sound like him."
Both of the women chuckled before looking around the room for Amara, who should have been with them. Eloreth turned to look at one of the Elven Warriors standing in the corner, prompting said Warrior to tell her what happened.
Amara had run off at the same time the war informant exited the room after he told them the news of the army''s splendid victory. Upon further investigation, they found out that she wanted to be the first one to greet Basil, her surrogate son.
"Aren''t you going to follow her?" Eloreth asked.
"No, thank you." Mei Qi shook her head. "Knowing that he and my husbande home safely is already enough for me."
"So, you do care for him."
"He is our only light in this world that is soon going to descend to the pit of darkness. I should care for whatever happens to him."
"You sound like him."
Mei Qi waved off Eloreth''s remark andughed it off, earning an amused smile from her. They then went outside Padeitophys to wait for the return of the army with some of the giddy civilians who had heard the news of the victory.
They waited for hours yet the excitement didn''t die down. More and more people came instead, crowding the area before the gate of the Elven Empire.
Tap! Tap!
When the ground faintly trembled, the expecting people cheered. The army was still a few minutes away, yet they could already see the visage of each of the troops clearly and they couldn''t hold their excitement back.
Their attention was, of course, focused on Basil, the man who changed the flow of the entire battle by himself. The first thing they noted was how otherworldly handsome he was and then how enamoured the woman who was clinging to his neck by it.
The woman was surprisingly not Iliana; she was Amara who had fulfilled her goal of bing the first person to wee Basil back. Mei Qi couldn''t help sighing softly upon seeing that, mimicking Anthony''s expression well.
"Lord Basil has returned!" cheered the people.
Their cheer overwhelmed the ce for a few seconds until Eloreth silenced them by speaking. "Wee back, Lord Basil. I have heard of your splendid victory."
"Thank you for doing what I told you," Basil replied as soon as he got down from Deacon, still with Amara in his arms. Eloreth was about to speak again when he said, "Let us talk about it with everyer. They still need rest."
Eloreth furtively nced at Manfred before nodding her head. She ushered the army into the Empire, keeping quiet about the fact that Grittenhein was under the Arthean Empire''s attack.
Chapter 445 The War Begins (2)
"We are just going to stand by? Is that what the King ordered us to do?"
"No, it is Lord Basil''s order."
"Did our King agree to this?"
"As of now, he has yet to know."
"¡are you joking? Do you think we will listen to the order of someone that is not even our King?"
"Your King bows to him. Standing against him is the same as defying your King¡ªeven worse."
The Grittenhein''s Legion Commanders that remained in the Kingdom stared at the female Elf before him with aplicated look. The female Elf had just told him that the Empire was going to attack Kingdom and they were advised to do nothing.
It was absurd for them to hear that. It got even more absurd when they found out that the squad of Elves also didn''t know the purpose of doing that. They could tell that the Elves didn''t have any bad intentions but they still couldn''t bring themselves to follow the advice. How could they merely watch as their Kingdoms got taken over?
The most senior Legion Commander, Lukas Schnider, tapped the ground with his foot and hummed to himself in deep contemtion. His King rarely followed someone but when he did it was someone whose greatness was undeniable¡ªhe was sure of it.
He was still hesitant, however, since his King wasn''t aware of the n yet. He didn''t mean to doubt his King''s eyes but he couldn''t help but consider what if Basil was trying to wipe Grittenhein off the map.
"As expected of Lord Basil, he had expected something like this to happen," the female Elf, who was the leader of the squad, Orde Phosdio, remarked in amazement.
"What do you mean?" Lukas'' attention was picked.
Orde threw a fist-sized azure crystal to him, prompting him to catch it in a hurry. He quickly examined it but then immediately found himself floored since he couldn''t tell what the crystal was.
"It is a Grand Teleportation Crystal. It is enough to teleport everyone that inhabits half of your territory. It is already set to teleport you to the Great Forest of Yitoupheo, which is currently the safest ce in this world. You can use it the moment you think that Lord Basil is tricking you."
Teleporting half of the people living in their Kingdom didn''t sound that good at first; however, when they considered the possibility that none of them would survive the attack of the Empire, it was a chance that they shouldn''t refuse.
Of course, Lukas, as the most experienced Legion Commander, didn''t immediately take the crystal. He looked at Orde inquiringly, knowing full well that there would be a catch to the amazing opportunity.
"You are quick to catch things, aren''t you, Sir Lukas," Orde remarked with a soft smile. "Indeed, there is a catch to it. Upon using it, Lord Basil will consider the debt he owes to Grittenhein paid; therefore, he shall break his alliance with it."
"That is outrageous!" Lukas roared heatedly.
"No, it is not. You can join the Empire and tell what you know about us. You can y your action as a mere act so that you can obtain information about us. The empire will love this and you will be treasured forever."
"That is¡"
Lukas wanted to retort but couldn''t find the right word to say. He couldn''t tell what even made him unwilling to be Basil''s enemy. Thinking it logically, joining the Empire which already had an established army was the best choice; however, he had a strong feeling that the moment they stood in Basil''s way, that was where their path ended.
Looking at Lukas who was agonizing over what to do, Orde smiled. "If you already have the champion in your head, you should know whom to choose. It is not supposed to be hard to decide, isn''t it?"
Fifteen seconds passed in silence. During that time, only the sound of the other Legion Commanders'' constant gulping and Lukas'' shoe tapping the ground could be heard. When Lukas handed the crystal back to Orde, his fellows inhaled deeply. They held their breaths until the crystal was dropped into her hand.
"I shouldn''t hesitate. I will forever remain on the side where my King stands and so are myrades." Turning to the other Legion Commanders, he asked, "Do you find yourself having the opposite opinion, myrades?"
"No!"
Nodding his head, he turned his gaze back at Orde. "We shall proceed with the n¡orck thereof."
Woong!
At this moment, the siren red, indicating that there was an attack. The ten Legion Commanders collectively sighed before assuming a solemn look. Turning to Lukas, they waited for his instruction. The said Legion Commander nodded at Orde first before issuing amand.
The main priority was evacuating the people to safety. They would let the army of the Empire enter the Kingdom and act as civilly as possible but there was no guarantee the army wouldn''t hurt the civilians; they needed to especially watch for the Pdins and Priests since they were merciless toward the "heretics."
"Cripes! This might be the most brilliant and stupidest strategy ever practised in the history of humanity. Who would ever think that letting your enemy enter your Kingdom will prevent a bigger loss? No one¡because it never happens!?"
Lukas was grumbling to himself as watched the army of the Empire eliminate the distance between them from the battlement. The gate of the Kingdom was widely open yet the advancement of the army remained fierce, making him doubt id what Basil envisioned would be realized.
"Do your best to entertain them. Whenever they ask you something, don''t lie. Just tell them that you don''t know anything. Remember, you should be as clueless as the civilians on your King''s decision."
Lukas turned to Orde and nced at her hand which was on his shoulder. He wondered why she sounded like she was going to leave and then widened his eyes the moment he realized that she was indeed going to leave with her squad.
He wanted to say something but she silenced him by throwing him the Grand Transportation Crystal which he had refused earlier. Lukas wanted to curse but he took it silently in the end and then prepared himself to face the leader of the Empire''s army.
Orde disappeared into thin air along with her squad and no one from Grittenhein saw them ever since.
"Did you surrender because your King knows that there is no way for you to win?" the leader of the army, Gerhard van Vallienda, the King of Vallienda shouted.
"Our King has abandoned us¡ªwe don''t even know what to do. He suggested we shoulde with him and join the heretics yet we refused; thus, we stay. We arepletely stumped about the whole ordeal, so¡" Lukas jumped down from the battlement. "We will ept any oue from this situation."
Gerhard blinked his eyes at Lukas'' genuine distress. It was hard for him to think that Lukas was acting since he knew what kind of person Manfred was; his throwing his people away for his ambition was not that surprising.
"What do you think, Duke Archibald?" Gerhard turned to the white-haired Rancuser beside him.
"This might be a trap but, if it is not, we are going to lose a lot of manpower by killing them. I will say let us wait for how this will develop. Elder August cane here anytime we need him, so nothing should go wrong," Archibald replied.
"Then, we will spend some time in Grittenhein," Gerhard concluded. Turning to Lukas, he continued, "You don''t mind us enjoying ourselves for free here, do you?"
The Grittenhein''s most senior Legion Commander shrugged helplessly and smiled bitterly in response. "I have told you¡ªwe will ept any oue. We are lost¡ªit is an opportunity if we can get a new leader by treating you guys."
"Well, we won''t hold ourselves back then."
"Ah, please don''t hurt the civilians. They have done nothing wrong."
At this, Gerhard merely smiled. He then ushered the thirty Legions that he brought into the Kingdom. The first thing he noted upon entering was theck of civilians on the street. Many of them were peeking from their windows, indicating that they truly didn''t expect the "visit."
Gerhard was a bright man. He was quick in figuring things out, so he immediately concluded that Grittenhein was a safe zone. It was a masterless territory that was bound to fall into their hands. Thus, he decided to enjoy his time there¡ªbefore he could no more when the Empire took control of it.
Just like that, two days passed. Nothing happened during the two days; no one died but it was the most ufortable time for the people of Grittenhein. The army, true to their words, didn''t hold themselves back in the slightest.
180,000 people were not a small number. No matter how rich the Kingdom was, treating 180,000 people in whatever they wanted would put a dent in the Kingdom''s vault. s, they could do nothing about it. They had to pretend like they were d to host the army.
"Hide your daughter and wife¡ªdon''t let the soldier of the Empire see them!"
Money, food and liquor weren''t the only things that the army of the Empire enjoyed. They made sure to satisfy their biological need.
The people didn''t mind it at first but they soon did the moment many of the soldiers decided that prostitutes "weren''t enough for them." They offered to pay housewives and young maidens for sex. What made it unsavoury, though, was the fact that the money was gotten from the people. It was infuriating.
They did keep their word by not hurting the civilians but they were forcing the civilians into a situation where they had to follow their whims.
The soldiers of the Grittenhein were also not spared from the Empire''s army''s exasperating antics. Many of the female soldiers were asked to have "paid intercourse" and they had to challenge the "client" to a duel and win to refuse. Very few of them fell victim but those who did never be the same again. Their desire to avenge themselves was the only thing that kept them alive.
"I know how much Manfred loves his soldiers, so I am d he is not here to hear this news. He would have rushed at the army by himself if he was."
10 kilometres from Grittenhein, Anthony stood before Orde and her squad. He had just heard Orde''s report of the situation in the Kingdom and couldn''t help cringing.
Turning to Basil who had a big-chested, blonde-haired woman clinging to his neck, Anthony cleared his throat. "So¡are we just going to enter the Kingdom?"
Looking at Anthony with his stoic look, Basil answered, "We will let Dantalion''s creations do their job first."
"Will they be enough to take them all out?" Anthony asked sceptically.
"Hey, are you doubting my creation, old man?" the blonde-haired woman retorted.
"You are older than me, Demon!"
"Hmph! At least, I look young."
Basil turned his head to Dantalion who had turned into a woman and then nodded his head. Dantalion smiled brightly and then raised her hand.
In the next moment, sixty thousand aerial Monsters decorated the sky of Grittenhein.
Chapter 446 The War Begins (3)
Two days ago.
Upon his return, Basil immediately gathered every Elven Chieftain that had participated in the battle and some of their Elders in the Chieftain''s meeting room. Some of the Dwarven Elders questioned him why he didn''t invite them and he told them that it was better for them to rest than participate in the boring discussion that he would have with the Chieftains.
They immediately bought it. See, Dwarves were honest creatures. They were extremely bad at lying. Since Basil was going to talk about the matter regarding Grittenhein, he didn''t want any Dwarves to know about it. He was hiding the predicament that Grittenhein soon would face from Manfred, so letting the Dwarf tell him was not a good idea.
"Is there something urgent that you need to tell us, Lord Basil?" one of the Elders immediately asked as soon as Basil sat down. "Also, why do you have to bring that¡thing to our meeting room?"
ncing briefly at Dantalion who was standing on his side, Basil said, "As you mentioned, this is my thing. As long as it doesn''t endanger you, I am allowed to bring it into this room, aren''t I?"
"Ah, yes¡. Pardon me if I somehow offended you. I just never thought that we would have a Demon join us in our meeting someday."
Waving his hand, Basil dismissed the apology. "Let''s stop being formal with each other. You don''t have to treat me like that to show me your respect for me." Putting his hands on the table, he tapped it with his fingers. "For you who don''t know about it yet, Grittenhein is under attack."
Gasps of surprise filled the entire room immediately. Puzzlement riddled the face of the Elders inside as they turned to look at Basil; they wondered how they had only heard about it now and why he didn''t let Manfred know about it.
"If you are wondering why your scout teams haven''t told you anything about it, it''s because it hasn''t happened yet. The army of the Empire is already on its way; however, it is a sure thing that blood will paint thend of Grittenhein soon¡if we haven''t done anything, that is."
They wanted to know how Basil got the information but they held themselves back. Basil knew a lot of things that they didn''t know, which was what made him even more terrifying.
"I had let Eloreth know in advance and we had prepared a pre-emptive measure against the attack. There is nothing to worry about for now but, of course, we won''t just keep quiet and watch as the pre-emptive measure gradually fails to fulfil its job."
He then exined what the pre-emptive measure was. He revealed that Orde and her squad were sent to Grittenhein to sabotage the equipment that the Priests and Pdins brought; specifically, the cannons that attacked anything on thend and in the air.
When asked why it even mattered¡ªthe Elven Elders were confident that their people would be able to counter the cannons¡ªBasil gestured his hand at Dantalion. He told them that the cannons delivered significant damage to Dantalion''s creations.
They were, of course, confused at first. They asked why he needed to consider Dantalion''s creations and he told them that Dantalion''s creations would attack the Empire''s army in Grittenhein with him, at which Dantalion blinked his eyes upon hearing.
"How many do you want me to create?" Dantalion asked carefully.
"How many can you make in two days?"
"Hmm¡probably, sixty-thousand if I push myself."
"Sixty-thousand it is, then."
Dantalion choked on his saliva because of his bafflement. Clearing his throat, resigning to his fate, he stated, "I can''t guarantee you their toughness, though. Some of them may die in a single attack."
"No problem," Basil replied simply. "Their main role is to prevent the army of the Empire from holding the people hostage. I could take all of them by myself if I didn''t care about three hundred thousand lives, which is the number of people that may fall victim to the Empire''s savagery."
The Elven Elders nodded their heads in agreement, amazed and astonished at Basil''s power andpassion. They didn''t know, of course, that he just didn''t want to lose people that could fight alongside him.
"Ah, I have gone to great lengths to sabotage the Church''s equipment, so do your best creating the Monsters. Should you not, I will let you experience something worse than dying," Basil reminded Dantalion.
"I shall not disappoint you, My Lord," Dantalion replied confidently.
Moving on, Basil told the Elven Elders to stop sending their scouting teams to Grittenhein and kept the information about Grittenhein being under the attack of the Empire a secret. He would be the one who told Manfred about it himself, so he didn''t want Manfred to figure it out himself.
He then told the Elven Elders to prepare their best Assassins to infiltrate Vallienda and assassinate every strategist of the Kingdom. He would send Manfred there in two days; knowing that Manfred would go on a rampage there, he didn''t want the battle to be a battle of wits for he knew Manfred would fall easily into the trap of the strategist.
The meeting ended and everyone immediately did what they were told while keeping everything they heard in the meeting room a secret. No one wondered what they had discussed with Basil except for the naturally curious Dwarves.
It was unclear who started it but whenever they were asked by a Dwarven Elder about the meeting, the Elven Elders would say that they were discussing Basil and Tinuviel''s date of marriage.
The reactions varied. Iliana wasn''t amused by the rumour, which was not surprising. The young Chieftain, on the other hand, was ecstatic about it despite knowing it was merely a rumour. As for those who knew Basil, they were waiting for when the big war would ur.
All of them were mature enough, fortunately, so nothing happened in the end. Eloreth still considered turning the rumour into reality, though.
"Master, everything is ready."
"Good job. Then, it is time for me to tell Manfred about it andmence our n."
After two days of work, the Monsters that Basil wanted Dantalion to create were ready. They weren''t as good as the ones that his army had fought, yet they were good enough to, at least, kill ten of the Empire''s troops by themselves.
"Is that it?"
"What else are you expecting?"
Turning his uninterested eyes to the side, Basil found Dantalion, who had turned himself into a woman, pushing her not-so-small chest toward his face. Basil looked up and then met Dantalion''s suggestive gaze.
"Are you nuts?" he asked.
"I am sexy," she replied sultrily.
Sighing lightly in exasperation, Basil said, "I''ve been in your shoes. I know exactly how you think, so I can''t consider you a woman."
"Just so you know, I am born genderless. I have been a man and a woman. I have never felt the pleasure of being a woman despite being one for a couple of hundred years but, trust me, I know how to think and act like one."
"Oh, that is interesting."
Dantalion''s eyes lit up as she asked, "So, are you ready to let me experience¡ª"
"No," Basil cut instantly.
Leaving the shell-shocked Dantalion alone, Basil went to meet Manfred. He didn''t beat around the bush with the Grittenhein''s King; he revealed that he had been hiding the information, so Manfred would take time to rest instead of immediately going back to his Kingdom.
Manfred went silent for a few seconds. He clenched and unclenched his fists as he stared at the ground, hiding his frowning look from Basil. He sighed when he had calmed down and then expressed his dislike toward Basil''s method. He was calm the entire time, which was not what Basil had expected.
"You are a very brilliant young man¡ªno, you are the most brilliant person I ever know. I don''t like the way you did me like this but I am sure you did this because it will produce the best oue. I will ept it. Now, tell me, what do you have for me?"
Smiling softly, Basil patted Manfred''s shoulder. "Unleash your anger in Vallienda. I will assign our allies to apany you, so you don''t have to care about anything. The Kingdom is yours¡ªyou can do whatever you like there. None will frown even if you vite its Queen."
Manfred''s view of Basil''s smile instantly changed. Previously, Manfred had considered Basil''s soft smile as his way to show how d he was that Manfred understood him; now, however, Manfred could tell that it was not more than an empty, cold smile that he directed at the people of Vallienda that would soon fall.
¡.
Gulp.
"Phew¡. Our young Lord is terrifying, isn''t he?" standing a few hundred metres away from the gate of the Vallienda Kingdom, Manfred remarked. "Still can''t help getting nervous whenever I recall that smile."
"Ha-Ha-Ha. That is pretty tamepared to what I have seen," standing beside Manfred, Alphonse, the blind King who saw more than what most people saw responded.
"Well, I am not going to ask what you saw. You have seen a lot and I don''t want to know what you consider terrifying."
"We shall begin the attack, Manfred."
"All right. Let''s do this¡ªmy hands are already itching."
"Now, Manfred. Our Young Mistress is already knocking on the enemy''s door."
Confused, Manfred looked ahead and found Iliana charging at the Kingdom''s gate. The soldiers were doing everything they could to block her from the battlement yet nothing could stop her¡ªit was baffling and amazing.
It wasn''t long until Sinister Piercer, her beloved spear knocked the gate of the Kingdom down. Everyone took this as the cue to charge and, thus, the conquest began.
Basil was watching it through [Visualisation], one of the features that the Guide had. He could now hear the sound of the scene he was watching, so he didn''t have to lip-read everyone anymore.
Boom!
"Kill these creatures as fast as you can!"
"Get out! Get out of the Kingdom!"
"Abandon this ce immediately! Let it fend for itself!"
In front of him, pandemonium broke out. As the Monsters that Dantalion had created decorated the sky, the Empire''s army panicked. Most of them tried to get out of the Kingdom, meanwhile, some of them attacked the Monsters as the others escaped. None of them, of course, thought about defending the Kingdom.
Since they were unaware of this development, the people and the remaining troops in Grittenhein were also confused. None of them fled the territory, however, since they didn''t want to part with their home.
"Good, everyone is out," Basil remarked as he watched the scene. "Old man, take Orde and her squad with you inside the Kingdom as soon as you see a river. Remember, your goals are Gerhard and Archibald."
"River?" Anthony asked in confusion but went ignored.
Basil pointed his hand toward the Empire''s army rushing out of the gate, sending hundreds of ded weapons at them. Soon after, Anthony understood what river Basil had referred to.
Chapter 447 The War Begins (4)
After passing through the army of the Empire that was trying to get out of the Kingdom, Anthony, Orde and her squad showed up before Lukas. The said Legion Commander was equally delighted and infuriated upon seeing Orde, failing to register Anthony''s presence.
"You...! How could you leave us alone and say nothing--"
"We should hurry," Anthony interjected, surprising Lukas. "Those Monsters are on our side. Let''s evacuate the citizens from the area of the battlefield, so we can return the things they have done to us ten folds."
"K-King Anthony! Pardon me for my insolence!" Lukas eximed in panic.
"It''s fine. Nobody expected you to register who was whom in this kind of situation."
Calming himself down, Lukas immediately contacted his fellow Legion Commanders and told them what Anthony had just told him. All of them went silent in disbelief for a few seconds before storing their Transmission Talismans and doing what they were told.
The retreat of the Grittenhein''s army was noticed by the Empire''s army. None of them minded it too much, however, since their minds were upied with the thought of escaping the Kingdom. They might win in number yet it was hard for them to attack the Monsters. Added to that was Basil''s ferocious attack, which eliminated a lot of them.
"This is not quite right, isn''t it? The Monsters are incredibly well-coordinated. It is as if someone is controlling them to attack all of us. Look at the building in the surroundings--very few of them are hit."
One might expect the King to escape first in this kind of situation. He was, after all, the most crucial part of the Kingdom, so it should be the norm to make him the top priority. Gerhard, however, was different. Instead of running out of the Kingdom first, he stayed to observe the situation. Of course, he had the leisure to do this because the Monsters weren''t strong enough to threaten him.
The second brightest King of the Five Kingdoms immediately spotted the peculiarity of the situation. He was still not sure whether what he thought was what was happening, however, because he didn''t know Basil was not far before the gate of the Kingdom.
It wasn''t until he decided toe out to take a look did he be sure of what was happening. He hadn''t reached the gate, yet he immediately decided to retreat since one of Basil''s swords whizzed past him.
Swish!
"...I will die if I get out, won''t I?"
"Let''s hide in the meantime," someone said, prompting Gerhard to turn to his side.
"Duke Archibald. I was wondering where you were for the past two weeks."
The white-haired Duke casually answered, "I was indulging myself in the mundane pleasure that is instigated by my biological need."
"...that''s an interesting way to say that you had been pounding women for two days."
Saying nothing, Archibald stormed off. Gerhard shrugged with an amused smile on his face before catching up to Archibald; together, they hid until their backup came.
Basil, who had been observing the two via [Visualisation], stopped his bombardment as he summoned all of his ded weapons. Dantalion, who was clinging to his neck, quirked her eyebrow in curiosity, failing to interpret what Basil was doing.
"Are you going to let theme near you?" she asked.
"No. I want more of them toe out," he replied.
"There are eight Legions of Knights inside the Kingdom--I think it''s enough to ughter the Empire army that is still inside," she reasoned.
"It''s to distract them from the Monsters."
"Heh.... I would have epted if you said you just wanted to have some fun, though."
Surprising Dantalion, Basil grabbed her bottom. She was excited but her excitement didn''tst long since she was thrown to the back not long after. She still managed to keep her hands wrapped around Basil, though, so she was now clinging to his back like a ko. She lightly frowned at the rough treatment but her heart beat as if she was excited.
"Master, I think I like--"
"Hold on. We are going to breeze through these people."
Taking out Durendal and Caliburn, Basil kicked the ground and dashed at the troops that wereing at him. He materialized his seven Magic Circles, exuding Mana Pressure that almost overwhelmed the pressure that more than ten thousand Mages from the Empire''s army were exuding.
The army was taken aback, so they faltered in their steps. As fear overwhelmed their souls, they considered retreating. As one of their feet took a step back, however, they lost their connection with the lower half body. Basil whizzed past them like a lightning, bisecting them faster than one''s eyes could blink.
The Priests were quick to act, fortunately; few as they were, they could create a shield made out of Miracle--the energy that was unique to them--that was big enough to cover those who fought in the front line. Unfortunately for them, it was not enough to stop Basil.
Shatter!
As the shield was broken, the Pdins jumped at Basil. They knew they were going to die, either way, so all of them were using a self-sacrificing Art as they did. Very few of them managed to set off the Art, sadly, as Basil was quick enough to kill them before they detonated themselves. As for those who did, they still failed to hurt him.
"This guy is a monster--run! Don''t even try to engage him in a battle!"
Many had that thought in their minds yet only one person was able to say it out loud. The others were too terrified by Basil''s prowess and presence to even remember how to open their mouths.
The army instantly parted to give Basil way. Those who were already outside scattered to avoid getting killed together, meanwhile, those who hadn''t managed to get out retreated into the Kingdom.
Basil stopped swinging his swords since no one stood in his way. The troops heaved a sigh of relief at that but their relief didn''tst long since the Monsters'' bombardment from the air significantly got more intense than before.
Stopping in his tracks as soon as he passed through the gate, Basil turned around and blocked the gate with a thick iron wall that he created with Iron Magic, so none of the troops outside could enter the Kingdom again. A third of the Monsters in the sky of Grittenhein parted from the main swarm, attacking the troops outside.
"That was wild...in a lot of ways," Dantalion remarked as she massaged her forehead. "How good is your control over your body? How can you adjust to my weight that easily?"
"Practice."
"Of course, you do," Dantalion replied sarcastically.
nk! nk!
The two soon heard people shing behind them. The remaining Empire''s army inside Grittenhein was fighting against the army of Grittenhein that remained in Grittenhein.
"It is time for you to get down," Basil said, causing Dantalion to smile coyly.
"What? Can''t stand the temptation of my bountiful babies any longer?" Dantalion teased as she pressed her chest against Basil''s back.
Boom!
An overwhelming pressure descended upon them suddenly, making Dantalion widen her eyes in terror. Without even questioning anything, she got down from Basil and teleported herself away from him.
Soon enough, the source of the overwhelming pressure appeared before Basil. He broke through the wall of iron with ease; he was smiling as he stared into Basil''s eyes.
"Basil Pacifer, I, August Rancuser, am here to finish our fight!"
Bam!
Basil blocked August''s powerful kick with his foot, sting away anything that was in their surroundings. He could feel August''s intense hate, which he attributed to the fact that August still didn''t have his long hair back.
Extending his hand, still not retracting his foot, August materialized his Grimoire. He flipped it open and then shouted out one of the Spells that he created.
"[World-Ending]!"
A ck sphere the size of a marble appeared between them before quickly expanding like the universe. It was a concentrated, man-made Infinite Space that devoured anything it managed to touch.
Space Magic wasn''t something that anyone could learn; even Ninth Circle Mages found themselves struggling to master it. This particr Spell was one of the hardest Spells toprehend and master. The fact that August could use it with ease showed just how much talent he possessed.
It was terrifying to be on the other side of the Spell yet Basil waspletely calm. The Spell could obliterate a tenth of Grittenhein yet he didn''t look concerned at all. He kept distancing himself from it while constantly suppressing its force with True Light Magic. Luckily, August wasn''t chasing him, so he could focus on that.
When the sphere stopped expanding, he thrust Caliburn into it. Fighting against the force that tried to destroy Caliburn, he injected his Mana into it through Caliburn.
"Infinite Space isn''t meant to beprehended. It is way beyond our understanding, so anything that was born from the conjecture about it is bound to be faulty," he muttered with a light smirk. "Just like this nonsensical Spell. [Space Scroll]!"
Basil countered August''s Spell with the Spell he learned from the Guide. He was well aware that August''s Mastery Concentration was Space Magic, so he had learnt quite a lot about Space Magic and mastered some of its best Spells.
The Spell that he used twisted a space that wasn''t part of the Infinite Space (man-made spaces) which was a nightmare for August''s Spell. It caused the sphere to twist and then wrap around Caliburn, making it look like aically long cknce with a golden hilt.
Basil thrust it at the bewildered August who didn''t expect him to be able to counter his Spell, prompting the Rancuser to escape the vicinity. He knew how lethal his Spell was, so he didn''t want to block it and sustain a fatal injury like an idiot.
sh!
He teleported away; however, much to his utter bafflement, Basil was already there. Panicked, he covered himself with the strongest Barrier he could create at the moment. Thence pierced through the Barrier like it was nothing. Luckily, though, he was able to create a separate space that devoured the literal world-piercingnce.
"[Derailing Charm]!"
"What!?"
It was much to his ire that Basil already had another thing prepared for him. He instantly knew his mind no longer belonged to him the moment the name of the Art was uttered.
He had a formidable mental defence yet when he panicked, he let the guard down. As the result, Asia''s Art managed to take control of his mind. His body went limp and he began to lose his vision. When he felt Basil''s finger on his forehead, he immediately knew he had lost.
"[Soul Confinement]!"
As he looked up, he found Basil''s Pacifer Seal shining brightly. It blinded him entirely and when he regained his vision, he found himself bound to a cross.
Chapter 448 The War Begins (5)
August''s vision was filled with white. Other than his body and the person before him, everything in his surroundings was white. It was hard for him to even tell whether he was on the ground or floating. The space was just like the Infinite Space but with white colour.
Wiggling his body, he found it strongly bound to the cross. He sighed in resignment, knowing full well he would never be able to free himself.
Finally, he looked up at the person who was responsible for his predicament.
"What do you want, kid?"
"The story about the past," Basil answered without skipping a beat.
August scoffed. "Hmph! Just kill me already. Knowing about the past won''t give you any benefit whatsoever. Don''t y with me!"
"You seem to have forgotten about your position. I have every right to y with you, August."
ring at Basil silently, the Rancuser gritted his teeth in anger. He was still trying his best to regain control of his Mindscape. He was old¡ªhe was confident in his Soul Power, yet his attempt ended up in vain. It was bewildering for him that Basil''s soul was stronger than his.
"Bloody Pacifer," he cursed in despise. Realising something, heughed gleefully. "Ku-Ku-Ku. Kid, you have no other choice than kill me. You won''t be able to get the story of the past that you want so much for your soul is not strong enough to force me to say it!"
Basil quirked his eyebrow slightly and then faintly smiled in amusement. "You are right, August; my soul, indeed, is not strong enough to control yours. I will still get the story that I want to know, though, since I have a way to do that."
August wanted to ridicule Basil yet stopped himself the moment he felt the terrifying yet familiar presence Basil was exuding. His expression soon darkened as a creature materialized its form behind Basil. It had a long body like a snake and was big like a mountain. It was his first time seeing it, yet he knew what it was the moment he looked at its azure scales.
"Qi-Qing Long¡it''s the Azure Dragon!"
As soon as he said that, the Dragon who was floating in the air behind Basil roared.
"Rawr!"
His eyes widened in terror as the pressure of the Dragon washed over him. He felt extremely small before the Dragon. He wanted to bow down in hope that the Dragon would spare his pathetic existence. It was a very bizarre feeling for him to feel. It had been so long since something terrified him this much.
"Do you think I still can''t get what I want?"
Basil''s question made August turn his head toward him. The Rancuser met the Pacifer''s eyes, ignoring the slight smirk that sparked his ire.
"How could you have the Azure Dragon''s Soul Intent with you?" he inquired.
"I am the 108th."
"¡bloody Pacifer."
Soul Intent was the power that a soul had to suppress another soul. It was the only part of the soul that would linger in the world even without undergoing a certain procedure; it often caused a phenomenon called Poltergeist, which civilians attributed to the doing of a ghost.
One could inherit someone''s Soul Intent. The method, however, was only known by Daoists and the Pacifer since Mages didn''t bother to learn about the soul since they didn''t believe in its existence at all.
They liked to call Soul Intent Mana Intent, which was Mana that possessed some of the owner''s consciousness and lingered in the world even after the owner died because of his strong emotion. It was aplicated way to define Soul Intent and a deepprehension of what the soul was.
August believed in the soul. Although he didn''t understand how it specifically worked, he was sure Basil''s soul shouldn''t be able to handle the Azure Dragon''s Soul Intent. The 108th inheritor had only two fates: had his soul destroyed by the Soul Intent or ended up having the most powerful soul in the world. Basil was thetter, which was why he cursed.
August believed it was only possible because Basil was a Pacifer. He knew that Daoists also cultivated their souls but he was sure none of them was as good as the Pacifer at doing it; therefore, he was absolute that even powerful Daoists would think twice before bing the 108th inheritor.
Clink!
"Fuck! Fuck it! Fuck it! Fuck it! Am I going to end this way!? Fuck you, Fated Child!"
It had been millennia since hest cursed. He had thought that he would never curse in frustration after he sent his brother into the Dungeon, so he was extremely enraged that he was wrong.
"Calm down, August. You shall not die in vain. Your memory shall serve for the betterment of this world," Basil said as he clutched August''s forehead.
August gritted his teeth as he red at Basil hatefully but then smiled bitterly the moment Basil''s Pacifer Seal glowed brightly. He could feel it¡ªthe sensation of having the secret that he buried deep in his mind revealed to the whole world.
Boom!
Countless gigantic screens showing the scene of every event that had ever happened in his life appeared in the white space. They oveyed with each other yet one would still be able to see any of them clearly when one focused one''s gaze on any of them.
"Stop this!"
August had never expected that having his memories seen by someone was this torturing. There were many things that he didn''t want anyone to see and it made him wish that Basil would just kill him.
"Oh, look at this moment," Basil remarked as he brought one of the screens closer. "You are crying here, August. What did you do?"
"Don''t look into it!"
From the despair in his tone, Basil could tell that august genuinely didn''t want him to see it. he didn''t care, of course, and immediately inspected the memory.
The scenery changed and he found himself in a well-lit grandiose bedroom. He breathed in the air and immediately noted how dense the Mana contained in it. He could immediately conclude that he was in the era when the Great War had just ended. Looking around, he found a middle-aged, handsome man kneeling on the side of the bed.
"Hebe, my niece, uncle has something to say to you."
"What is it, uncle?"
"I recently got into a fight with your father. He is very mad at me, so can you help me resolve our problem?"
"Of course, uncle. Leave it to Hebe¡ªyou will have tea together the next day after I talk to dad!"
The little girl lying on the bed thumped her chest confidently, making the handsome middle-aged man smile. He kissed the little girl''s forehead and then told her to sleep. The girl grinned before closing her eyes. She was just pretending, however; therefore, when she opened her eyes slightly to peek at her uncle, she was shocked to find his haunted look.
"Uncle, why do you look¡ª"
Poof!
The girl didn''t manage to finish her sentence as she was distracted by the sharp pain she felt in her chest. She looked down at it and found her uncle''s trembling index finger above it. As blood involuntarily came out of her mouth, she looked at her uncle in disbelief. She wanted to ask why but the pain and her uncle''s anguished look made the question stuck in her throat.
In the end, she died without saying anything. Her disbelieving eyes were still nted on her uncle, causing him to cry silently in extreme guilt.
"I am sorry. I have no choice but to do this. I can''t let you stand in my way. Your father has be my enemy and there is no way you wouldn''t be one upon seeing what I do to your father," he muttered painfully.
Thud!
The door opened, causing the man to stand up abruptly. Basil turned around to look at who had just entered the room and found a beautiful mature woman with brown hair standing in the doorway.
"Thank you for always taking Hebe to bed, August. I wish her father was as caring as you are toward her," the woman remarked. At theck of response, she said, "You look weird. What is wrong with you? Did Hebe say something that baffled you again?"
The womanughed merrily until she saw what happened to her daughter. Her breath hitched, her heart twisted and her stomach swirled as she looked at the hole in her daughter''s chest.
She looked up in horror at her brother-inw, August and covered her mouth in disbelief. Rage filled her mind soon yet she could never express it since she lost consciousness soon.
When she regained consciousness, she found her husband a few metres from her, forced to kneel as he looked at her in horror. She wondered what happened and before she could ask, her head fell to the ground.
"Melissa!" the husband, Caesar Rancuser, screamed in rage.
Basil stopped looking into the memory and gazed at August in amusement. He couldn''t understand what August had in his mind at that time. Even though he could see the thought process, he still couldn''t get it. It was clear that August loved his niece and sister-inw as a family yet he still killed the former and vited thetter before killing her.
He could have done it more tamely yet he did the worst because he thought that nothing would change since the result would be the same. He wasn''t wrong yet it was amusing for Basil that he preferred torturing himself emotionally like that.
"Well, now I can say that I hate you."
"Didn''t you before?" August fired back sarcastically.
"No, I didn''t. I just wanted to pay my debt to Caesar for sacrificing himself for me."
"I see¡his wish is about to be fulfilled, huh?"
"Not so fast," Basil interjected. "I still need to see what happened in the past. I want to see how the Pacifer fell and The Lord died."
Ignoring August afterwards, Basil scrolled through the screens. He would constantly look into the memories that were rted to wars yet he didn''t find The Lord''s involvement there. It was unfortunate yet he wasn''t disappointed. His main goal was the memory of the fall of the Pacifer and he found it not long after.
Immediately looking into it, he found himself in a deste in overwhelmed with bloodlust. Looking around, he found tens of thousands of armed men and women pointing their weapons to the front.
He looked in the direction everyone was pointing their weapon and found an otherworldly beautiful woman with long azure hair standing alone in the centre of the crowd. Blood coloured her white dress red; she was badly injured yet she still stood confidently.
"Hear me out, people. Today shall be the day which your future descendants call the Great Mistake."
It was Asia, the First Matriarch of the Pacifer, the wife of The Lord.
Chapter 449 The War Begins (6)
"You are dreaming, woman. Today shall be the day that our future descendants call After The Chaos Era. Your death shall mark the beginning of the era of peace."
"That is right!"
"Quit dreaming, woman!"
Everyone was against the statement that Asia made. Of course, Asia had no intention to persuade the people to believe her, so she remained silent as she gazed over them.
Smirking disdainfully, she eximed, "Amusing! It is simply amusing. To think that you don''t hesitate to throw mud at the people who contributed most to your survival is highly amusing. Don''t you have any shame? Well, stupid question. There is no way you do."
"Quit your twaddle, woman!"
When something that rings true within ourselves is presented before our faces, we tend to get offended. The crowd was self-conscious. They were well aware of their cowardice yet it was very irritating to hear Asia remind them of it. They got defensive and did their best to change the fact.
Asia became even more amused as she gazed over them. Her sneer became even more apparent, riling the crowd up even further.
"The Pacifer is a peace-loving n. Like the Elf and the Dwarf, we were nning to retreat and live a secluded life after the Great War ended. However, not only did you spit on our faces despite what we had done but you also schemed against our lord to kill him. Shame on you!"
The sheer hatred in Asia''s tone made everyone turn silent. Even August, who was standing beside the silent observer Basil, took a step back in surprise. Their chests tightened as shame washed over them. They wanted to shout out their defence, yet their words were stuck in their throats.
"Many of you imed that our Lord''s death was the doing of a certain irresponsible group. We hunted for them since we believed in you and we paid the price for it. You bunch of cowards are our greatest mistake. Had we known the dogs we fed would bite our hands, we would have let you perish."
Asia paused, letting everyone enjoy the silence overwhelming the in. They held their weapons tighter than before yet very few of them could still hold their heads high; only those who no longer felt shame still could ster a smirk on their faces.
A rustle that came from August''s direction made Basil turn his head to the left. He found August doing the same and then saw a hooded figure standing beside August.
Without pulling down his hood, the figure said, "That woman and her husband are good at persuading people and shaking their beliefs. She shan''t be allowed to speak any longer; nothing good wille out of building a society with people ridden with guilt."
He then walked away and disappeared into the crowd without doing anything. August turned his head away from the direction and sighed bitterly. Raising his hand into the air, he made a ''charge'' gesture. In the next moment, four Knights wielding four different kinds of weapons dashed at Asia.
Basil observed Asia and could instantly figure that she knew she was going to die. He unconsciously gripped his bicep tighter¡ªhe was crossing his hands¡ªas he looked at the bitterness that she concealed deeply in her eyes.
It was at this moment that their gaze met. Like the time when hemunicated with his mother through [Visualisation], he activated his Pacifer Seal; immediately, he felt connected with the Asia that he didn''t know but was familiar with.
"Our n may have fallen today yet it will not remain that way forever. Your punishment shalle when the first andst male Pacifer is born. He will avenge our n and bring it back on its feet. Trust me, the Fated Child shall decimate you for your sin!"
Stab!
"Keough!"
As soon as Asia finished her speech, the weapons of the four charging Knights pierced through her body. She coughed up a mouthful of blood but her gaze remained unwavering. She wasn''t looking at the crowd any longer, though. She was looking at Basil passionately as if saying, "This is why you shan''t forgive any of them."
She materialized her nine Magic Circles in the next moment. They red ear-gratingly at the same time the golden Pacifer Seal on her forehead shone brightly. The Knights panicked and immediately tried to flee the scene along with the crowd. Very few of them managed, however, so as the blinding light that Asia was exuding illuminated the entire in, tens of thousands of them perished.
Poof!
Basil was forcefully ejected from the memory. This was not because August managed to regain some of his control but because the memory was iplete, which means August had been injured badly that day; he couldn''t properly register anything that happened afterwards.
Basil scrolled through the memory screens and looked for the other memories that were rted to the fall of the Pacifer. He soon found them and most of them were just August silently watching as Hina Dmitras were being vited and killed by the people who were under the influence of the Church.
August actively participated in the hunt for the Pacifer, yet he never got involved in anything that would happen afterwards. From his thought process, Basil could tell August was regretting his decision yet he had gone too far to retreat; therefore, he immediately lived a secluded life after everything ended.
Having seen enough memories of the fall of the Pacifer, Basil moved on from it. He focused on searching for the memory that was rted to The Lord and was quite floored when he could not find it even after two minutes of a thorough search.
"Did the Church erase it for you?" Basil asked.
"What are you talking about?" August said softly, having no more energy to argue.
"The memory about The Lord."
"Ah, I guess you don''t know much about the life of the higher being."
Basil frowned lightly at August''s remark. "Exin," he demanded.
"Gods will be forgotten once they die¡ªit''s a natural phenomenon. Those who have no interest in remembering will easily forget, whereas those who remain faithful to deceased Gods will remember them but not as clear as it was before their deaths."
The question Basil had about how the Church could make anyone forget about The Lord was answered. In addition to that, he also figured out why Gods amassed followers¡ªso they would still be remembered after their deaths.
"I can''t find any memory about The Lord, yet you seem to still remember him. Why is it the case?"
"As I have told you earlier, boy, those who remain faithful will remember but not as clearly. Look through them once more¡ªit may have gotten mixed up with another memory."
Immediately ignoring August, Basil scrolled through the memory screens again. Another minute was spent scrolling through them, bearing no result, until a particr memory screen attracted his attention.
He could see the heavily injured Solomon in his forties in it and he didn''t waste a single second to look into it. Immediately, he appeared in a mountain area. The first thing he noted was how shaky and incoherent everything was.
He knew, however, that the problem was not with the mountain but with August who was barely conscious at the moment the memory was registered. It was not hard to conclude that the heavily injured Solomon before him was the reason why August was reduced to this state.
"You bloody traitor. How dare you smear the name of your highly respected brother? Aren''t you ashamed of yourself!?"
"Shut it! How can talented people like you lot understand my struggle? I want to shine too!"
"This is not the way, you breadcrumb!"
Solomon was livid; if not for the fact that he was distracted by whatever happened in the north, he would have immediately finished August. He cursed loudly as he decided to charge in the said direction. Basil turned to the dying August and was d that he decided to chase after Solomon.
Although slow, he managed to catch up to Solomon in the end. Everything was already concluded at that point, though, since what Basil could see was Solomon crying as he knelt before a tall figure with golden light covering his face.
"I have failed you, My Lord! Forgive this ipetent servant of yours!"
The figure, saying nothing, put his hand on top of Solomon''s head. His head then turned in August''s direction; Basil couldn''t even see his eyes but he was sure the figure was staring at him. His Pacifer Seal was activated by himself and he immediately felt connected with the figure.
"This is not the right time for us to meet." An unknown yet uncannily familiar voice rang in his head, causing his heart to skip a beat.
"Are you what these people call The Lord?" he asked calmly.
"Hoh? They no longer even remember my name in the future," the figure remarked in amusement. "Say, my heir, why are you not surprised?"
"This is not my first timemunicating with a dead person."
"Ah, so that is the case. What an interesting life you have indeed." Basil still couldn''t make the facial features of The Lord, yet he could tell that The Lord was smiling at the moment. "Very well, why don''t we end this meeting soon? We shall talk at a more appropriate time."
Instinctively knowing that he was going to get kicked out of the memory, Basil immediately said, "Tell me who killed you!"
The Lord stayed quiet for a while before answering. "I wouldn''t say they killed me but they indeed made me die. Ah, I almost went on a tangent." He cleared his throat. "Kuhum! The Four Heroes and the Seven Princes are the culprits."
"How many people know about it?"
"What a straightforward person you are, my heir." The Lord chuckled. "I believe every board member of the Church knows about it."
"Why did they¡ª"
The Lord raised his hand, stopping Basil from speaking. Wiggling his index finger, he said, "This is not the time¡ªhaven''t I told you? Let''s have a long talk next time."
Basil held back from speaking and sighed lightly. True to his expectation, in the next moment, he was kicked out of the memory. Opening his eyes, Basil turned to August, who was bound to the cross. He put his hand on August''s head and the memory screens decorating the space disappeared, bringing the white space back.
Basil''s Pacifer Seal glowed brightly, forcing August to close his eyes with the intensity. When August''s vision returned, he found himself back in the outside world. Immediately trying to move, he couldn''t help clicking his tongue bitterly when he couldn''t. Looking down at his chest, he found two of Basil''s fingers a few centimetres before it.
"What are you going to do? st it with your Mana?" he taunted.
"No. I am going to let your brother avenge himself."
As August frowned in confusion, ashes gathered at the tip of Basil''s two fingers. They condensed into a short sword and then pierced August''s chest in the blink of an eye.
Chapter 450 The War Begins (End)
Spurt!
Blood churned out of August''s mouth as he held onto the grey short sword piercing his chest. Trying his best to pull it out of his chest, he noticed how weak he had be. He couldn''t muster up Mana any longer, which means his Magic Circles were already destroyed. It was shocking for him, yet his shock didn''tst long since he knew he was going to die.
Thud!
He dropped to his knees. His blood sttered to the ground, tainting it with red. Looking at the drop of blood that was slowly falling to the ground made him think about his choices. He was presented with two major choices in the past: perish with his brother or betray his brother to prosper. He chose thetter and he wondered now if that was a good choice.
He knew he regretted the decision as soon as he made it, yet he only felt that it would be good if he could turn back time at this moment. He was only made aware of how much he wanted to right the wrong when he was already in front of the death''s door.
"This is his ash¡isn''t it?" he asked softly.
"Indeed."
"Who cremated him¡ªyou?"
"Who else would it be?"
"Indeed¡"
August looked up at Basil, wondering what the Fated Child would do. It seemed to him that what Basil saw in his memories had affected Basil greatly since the way Basil looked at him was different. He could now see the hatred in Basil''s eyes. It was strange, yet he felt disappointed that it wasn''t directed at him.
Looking at Basil with a ''kill me'' look, August urged Basil to end his pathetic life. It was extremely shocking for him that the Fated Child ignored him and walked away. He wanted to call Basil, yet he could only cough up the blood clogging up his throat. He wanted to stand and run after Basil, yet he had lost so much blood that he could barely move.
With his hand extended to the front, trying to grasp Basil''s figure, August gradually lost his vision. The world darkened as everything blurred. He felt lightheaded and soon lost control of his body. When hepletely lost his vision, his surroundings became quiet. Thus, August Rancuser parted from the world.
Tap. Tap. Tap.
Basil stopped in his tracks to look at the body of the pathetic Rancuser for thest time. The Rancuser didn''t know what he was doing in the past and Basil abhorred people like him most.
"At least, if you want to be a viin,mit to it. There is no one more disdainful than he who puts his feet on two different sides," he stated as if the dead Rancuser could hear him.
Shaking his head faintly as he turned his head back to the front, he snapped his fingers. Dantalion appeared on his side in the blink of an eye. He nced at her once and she immediately knew what she wanted her to do. Looking at August''s body with a smirk, she stored it and then left with Basil.
As the two were rushing into Grittenhein to find the leader of the army¡ªGerhard and Archibald¡ªon a certain part of Grittenhein, Anthony, Orde and her squad stood silently before a three-storey building. Standing before them was Gerhard, who was choking a little girl with his left hand.
"You have be soft, Anthony. If it were the previous you, I am sure you wouldn''t hesitate to cut me along with this girl," the King of Vallienda remarked. "Has properly bing a father made you more in touch with your humanity?"
"You bastard¡. I wouldn''t hesitate to kill anyone from this Kingdom if it was still in the past. Everything has changed now. Grittenhein is my ally, so Manfred''s people are my people too. I can''t let my urge to kill you end the lives of the girl and the elders in the building."
"Hoh? You know me well, don''t you?"
Anthony couldn''t help gritting his teeth upon seeing Gerhard''s provocative smirk. Gerhard had a [Teleportation] Circle ready yet he didn''t use it; instead, he held the girl and the elders in the building behind him hostage. It was clear that he was stalling for time, yet Anthony couldn''t know what for.
"You know¡it was pretty rough gathering these elderly people. The citizens prioritized them so much that I wish I was an elderly person in this Kingdom."
"Every elderly person in Grittenhein has done their best for the Kingdom. It is the least courtesy to treat them with respect and let them have a peaceful right," Anthony replied, telling Gerhard about the custom of Grittenhein.
"Hoh? You have learnt your lesson well, haven''t you?" Gerhard smirked. "I wonder what kind of people you would prioritize should you still have your Kingdom."
Anthony clicked his tongue when a group of Pdins surrounded him, Orde and her squad. He instantly knew Gerhard wouldn''t let them attack the Pdins.
"Ah, please tell the beautiful Elves that they are not allowed to harm the Pdins," Gerhard remarked, true to Anthony''s expectation. "If you insist, these useless lumps of meat will die."
Orde, who was about to draw her dagger, stopped herself. She frowned heavily as she turned to Anthony, asking how they should proceed with her eyes.
Gesturing for her to stay put, for the time being, Anthony turned to Gerhard and said, "What do you want, Gerhard?"
"Oh, you finally asked the question! I have been dying to hear it." Gerhard hummed to himself for a few seconds before continuing, "You know, I am quite curious how it feels to mingle with an Elf. My Pdin friends are too, I believe, so will you be kind enough to¡you know?"
Gerhard knew what he was doing from the way he smirked. Anthony didn''t need to think twice about whom he should side with; for him, the dignity of the Elves, his ally, was more important than the lives of the civilians of Grittenhein.
He looked into the building and saw the faces of the elderly people in it. All of them were frowning, yet none of them was worried about their lives. They were looking at the girl, hoping that someone would save her from her misery. Then, their heads turned to Anthony. When their gaze met, they nodded their heads with a smile.
Anthony bit his lower lip and clenched his fists tightly. Exhaling softly afterwards, he drew his sword.
When he was about to kick the ground, someone stopped him. "He will win no matter what we choose. Therefore, let us choose the one that saves a lot of people." Turning his head, he found out it was Orde with her hood pulled down, showcasing her extraordinary beauty.
Phew¡
One of the Pdins whistled, intensifying Anthony''s urge to cut Gerhard''s neck. He put his sword down and gazed silently at Orde. She was older than him, yet she looked just as young as his daughter whom he hadn''t met for decades. Imagining what the Pdins and Gerhard would do to her, his fatherly instinct was provoked.
"Fuck it! I will¡ª"
"You seem to have a great show here."
Anthony was interrupted by a familiar cold voice. Everyone instinctively turned to the person who just spoke and found Basil with the bloodied Archibald in his grasp and the alluring Dantalion hovering above him.
Thud!
He threw the barely conscious Archibald on the ground before Gerhard. He then swung Durendal without hesitation, bisecting the Pdins even before they could blink their eyes. Anthony''s eyes widened and Gerhard''s grip on the little girl''s neck tightened. Both of them wondered if Basil understood the situation at all.
"You shouldn''t hide behind a piece of meat if you don''t want to die," Basil remarked as twenty swords floated behind him.
"W-Wait! Don''t you understand what is going on here!?"
"Do I look like I care?"
"Madness! You are going to kill the thousands of people hiding in the bunker below if you remain acting recklessly!" Gerhard shouted, bewildered.
Basil quirked his eyebrow and hummed to himself for a few seconds. "So, be it." He shrugged. "They won''t help me much even if they are alive either way." Smirking, he added, "Besides, their deaths will reduce the number of food we should waste. It is a good thing to happen."
"D-Don''t you care about your alliance with Grittenhein?" Gerhard spouted as he took a step back.
"Do you think I can''t do anything without its help? I can erase this ce off the map right here right now by myself."
After saying this, Basil''s Pacifer Seal glowed brightly. Gerhard didn''t dilly-dally any longer; he stopped ying and decided to teleport out of the Kingdom. He was soon horrified, however, since he found he couldn''t use the [Teleportation] Circle that he had carved. As he looked down, he found Archibald''s body faintly emitting golden light.
His expression darkened and he immediately tested the Rune that he had carved to blow up the building behind him and the bunker below. When he found it no longer active, he immediately understood what happened.
Using Archibald''s body as a medium, Basil carved a [Neutralizing] Rune on Archibald''s body. It was an unthinkably brilliant and cruel method that he had never expected to see.
"In that case, I will just¡ª"
"Next time, don''t hold people hostage. It doesn''t work on people like me who are stronger than you."
Gerhard was stunned silence when his deed was interrupted by Basil. ncing briefly at his hand before looking up at Basil, he found the girl no longer in his grasp. Smiling stupidly in disbelief, he half-heartedly cast [Teleportation]. He didn''t wish for him to seed since it wouldn''t take him far away from Basil, yet he was disappointed that he failed.
"Heuk!"
Basil''s fist passed through his chest, causing him to groan in pain. Being a Mage, he had an extremely low pain tolerance. The sheer pain almost made him lose consciousness; he wondered how he could even stay alive.
Stter!
Coughing up a mouthful of blood, he asked, "What are you?"
"I wonder about that too," Basil answered with a slightly tilted head.
"Who are you?"
Pausing for a few seconds, Basil answered, "A vengeful spirit."
Finding the answer equally terrifying and amusing, Gerhard chuckled. He coughed up more blood as the result; he keeled over and then died due to blood loss.
Ignoring the body afterwards, Basil walked at Archibald. Without hesitation, he stomped on Archibald''s head, turning it into a mix of red paste and white powder. He then took out his Transmission Talisman and informed his Shadows that it was time. No one dared to make a noise as he did all of this.
"It has finally ended, huh?" Anthony remarked to break the ice.
Turning to Anthony, without skipping a beat, Basil retorted, "No. It has just finally begun¡ªour war against the world."
This was the moment when they knew that they would see far crazier things in the future.
Chapter 451 Dwindling Sympathy
The news about the decimation of the Empire''s Army in Grittenhein wasn''t heard before the news about the fall of Vallienda into Grittenhein''s clutch. Many people were shocked when they heard about it since no one expected Grittenhein to move this soon after its King dered his alliance with the grand criminal Basil Pacifer.
When they heard the news of the Empire''s failed attempt to conquer Grittenhein because of Basil''s intervention, they became even more shocked. They didn''t know that the Empire was coborating with Vallienda to take Grittenhein down and they couldn''t believe that Basil alone could drastically change the oue of the battle.
Everyone in Braxtein became nervous because of the news. Basil Pacifer had done a lot for them and they had thrown him away. The King himself had fled the Kingdom, which was enough to prove that they were wrong. After Basil''s splendid victory in Grittenhein, they wondered if he woulde to Braxtein next.
"What do you think we should do, Your Majesty?"
"Why do you think it is necessary for us to do anything, Eldridge?"
"Basil Pacifer¡we were the ones who forced him into this state."
Turning his gaze away from the scenery, Aldrich Agonheart Braxtein, the First Prince turned King, looked at the old counsellor neutrally. He understood the concern of the old counsellor¡ªhe, too, felt the same¡ªyet he saw no reason for them to be worried about it.
Basil''s problem wasn''t with the Braxtein Kingdom, but the Empire¡ªthe Church. Everyone had heard the news about the Empire''s involvement in the conquest of Grittenhein, which was one of the Kingdoms that allied itself with Basil. It should be enough to tell that anyone who stood on Basil''s side would have a problem with the Empire.
Sure, Basil mighte to take revenge on Braxtein; however, he was sure that the Empire would back them up when the time came. There was nothing they should do other than control the situation in Braxtein which, in other words, was eradicating the Pacifer''s sympathizer.
"I guess you haven''t been updated about the newly circting rumour."
"Rumour?" Aldrich quirked an eyebrow, intrigued. "Everyone is still crazy about Vallienda''s fall and Grittenhein''s splendid victory which happened yesterday. What kind of rumour seems to interest you more than the two news?"
Eldridge took out a scroll of paper and gave it to Aldrich. The young King, thinking it wouldn''t be worth his time, found himself perplexed upon reading the first sentence written on the scroll.
He immediately looked up at Eldridge to confirm if it was a mere twaddle but the old counsellor immediately told him to keep reading and so he did. He spent a few minutes reading the scroll, reading each sentence written on it repeatedly.
He was equally fascinated and bewildered by what he had read; although there was no concrete proof of the im, it was enough to make one''s faith shake. He could see it as a problem for the Church, yet he didn''t see why Braxtein should care about it.
"Eldridge, you should rest more. You have been thinking too hard recently," Aldrich advised. "There is still nothing for us to worry about. How can you even let a mere twaddle haunt you?"
"You missed the point, Your Majesty," Eldridge harshly retorted, surprising Eldridge. "There is a reason why Basil Pacifer didn''t spread this rumour openly like what our Kingdom did about him. The fact that only some people can get their hands on this information further supports the idea of it being the truth."
Aldrich waited for a few seconds before saying, "So?"
"The Church will be focused on regaining the people''s trust back. At the same time, the Empire will be more focused on hunting Basil Pacifer. If he showed up here, there is a huge possibility that the Empire will sacrifice the Kingdom just to eliminate him¡and I am afraid that it will also be part of his n."
Eldridge''s thought made Aldrich hum to himself. He would like to consider himself bright but after hearing what the old counsellor said, he couldn''t help but doubt it. Surely, he was aware that the reason he didn''t think of Eldridge''s concern because of hisck of experience. Still, it was frustrating that he was outsmarted again by the guy whom he despised.
"There is no need to be concerned about that, Eldridge," he said after some time, bewildering the old counsellor. "As you said, the Empire will be focused on him; there is simply no time for him to mind us. Besides, the rest of the Pacifer are also being hunted now, aren''t they? He must have a lot in his mind already."
At Aldrich''seback, Eldridge held his criticism back.
"What should we do is simr to what the Church will soon do: regain the trust that we lost. When this rumour became widely known, I am sure we will find a lot more sympathizers; therefore, Eldridge, let us focus on fortifying my stance as the ruler of this Kingdom."
Aldrich''s smile made Eldridge take a step back. Without hearing what the young King would suggest, he could already tell it would be another cruel method that tyrants often exercised. He would like to suggest a less harsh method, yet he kept everything to himself in the end. He realized what he would say would make him sound like he sided with Basil.
After reading what the scroll contained, he couldn''t help doubting the side he chose. He had heard about the ''hidden agenda'' of the Pacifer that the Church propagated; knowing how fearsome Basil was, it was hard to refute it.
On the other hand, the scroll gave a more thorough and logical exnation of the Church''s usation. It talked about the truth behind the Pacifer''s fall and the Church''s ''hidden agenda.'' The revtion was delivered informatively. It was a very great contrast to the persuasive and aggressive way the Church propagated its "truth."
Eldridge leaned toward this revtion. There were just so many things that could be proven to be true even without concrete evidence. The real identity of the Four Great Gods, for example. The fact that any other races apart from the human imed them to be humans was enough proof that the teaching the Church propagated was nothing but a farce to suit their agenda.
The Church could im that Basil was lying but one could refute easily with the fact that it had been hiding the real identity of Demons for years. The fact that one of its deceased upper echelons was once involved in an Outbreak was also not helping its reputation.
If Eldridge could choose, he would unhesitatingly choose to believe the story from Basil''s side. Of course, he wouldn''t do that since that would mean he needed to abandon Braxtein; he was absolute that the young King would never agree to side with the Pacifer.
"May we receive the best oue out of this," he silently muttered.
Aldrich opened his mouth, telling the old counsellor about the "countermeasure" he had thought about. Eldridge could barely hold back a grimace when he heard about the tyrannical method, yet he still nodded his head.
With even more doubt in his heart, Eldridge ordered the Royal Army to actively kill sympathizers and those who were considered one.
¡.
Three days had passed since the fall of Vallienda and Grittenhein''s victory. Grittenhein was stronger than ever and so was the case with Vallienda which was managed together by Grittenhein and Padeitophys.
No one imed ownership over the Kingdom. Everyone conquered the Kingdom together and if someone would like to im it, Basil would be the only one worthy to do it. He was the one who united them. He was their leader¡ªthe one they bowed their heads to. Without him, they wouldn''t even consider taking down the Kingdom.
Besides, everyone preferred things to remain this way. To be able to interact with each other without minding race and one''s affiliation was an extremely pleasant experience. There was no need to emphasize the border of each other''s territory as long as one knew one''s boundary. It didn''t guarantee peace, yet everything would be more harmonious this way.
Tap. Tap.
In the Chieftain Conference Room of the Padeitophys Empire, Basil sat on the head seat, side-by-side with Eloreth, the Elven Empress. Gazing over the ten Chieftains gathered in the room, he tapped the table with his finger.
"The Empire will be hot on our tails now that it is already clear whose side the Elf takes," he said. "Every one of you will be targeted because of your alliance with me and you will have a hard time. Therefore, I scatter my Warriors to help you as much as they can."
The Chieftains became solemn as soon as they heard what Basil said. Somehow, they could already see where the talk was going.
"Helping each other is essential during this time. Grittenhein and Frachtenhein will supply some troops to Padeitophys and Padeitophys shall supply them with some of its best Warriors or scouting squads. The Dwarf will also be helping, so we are currently in a fairly safe position."
A Chieftain raised his hand, attracting Basil''s attention. Given the permission to talk, he said, "What is your end goal, Lord Basil?"
"The Empire and Church''s utter destruction," Basil answered decisively. "There is no hope for peace with those two hating on the Pacifer to their Core. I want everyone that I care about to be safe and I don''t care even if I have to empty half of this world to achieve it."
Basil didn''t raise his voice in the slightest as he said those words. He didn''t passionately utter his goal which made it even more terrifying, since he made it look like it was something that was bound to happen.
"Then¡what are you going to do next, Lord Basil?" this time, Tinuviel asked.
"I am going to meet the Emperor of Demi-Human and find the rest of the Pacifer. I am going to leave you to your own devices for the time being."
At this, everyone sighed lightly. They knew that woulde out of Basil''s mouth at some point; still, they couldn''t help feeling slightly down. Basil''s presence was a huge morale boost to the army.
Having him fight with them felt like fighting alongside their Empress because of the power he boasted. It wouldn''t even be an exaggeration if everyone was more excited to fight alongside him than the Empress.
"Kuhum!" Eloreth cleared her throat. "It is not like Lord Basil will leave forever. Calm down, everyone." Earning a nod from the Chieftains, she turned to Basil, "Then, how long will you leave?"
"One month is the longest," Basil said after some thought. "Should it be any longer, just know that something unexpected happened along the way."
"Should we be concerned about it?"
At the question, Basil quirked his eyebrow and looked into Eloreth''s eyes, making her lightly blush. "Just know that when I die, this world is bound to fall."
An overbearing remark, yet no one refuted it. They should indeed be concerned about the world if Basil died.
Chapter 452 Dwindling Sympathy (2)
"What!? Am I going to be left behind!?"
"I''ve said it a lot of times and I will say it again¡ªyes."
"You can''t do this to me. How very cruel of you!"
"I don''t care."
"Then, how about having¡ª"
"No."
"Ah,e on! You haven''t even heard what I am going to propose."
Basil looked at the dejected Dantalion with unamused eyes and flicked the Demon''s forehead. She had been whining for thest five minutes because of his decision to make her stay at Padeitophys and be the strategist while he was away.
She didn''t consider it a hard task, yet she preferred spending her time exchanging thoughts with Basil; therefore, she wanted toe along. Basil vehemently refused her request, much to her disappointment, saying that bringing her to the Demi-Human''s territory would be equal to dering war.
Her eyes lit up when Iliana showed up. "My fellow soon-to-be-wife, can you somehow persuade our soon-to-be-husband to bring me along?"
"¡did you lose your brain while changing your sex?" was Iliana''s response. She was equally bewildered and amused.
"You both are truly a match made in heaven. Your words sting like Zeus'' lightning spear¡ªnot that I have ever been hit by it."
Ignoring Dantalion like she was a lunatic, Iliana turned to Basil with a quirked eyebrow. She gestured for him to do something about the Demon but he just shrugged, implying that he had tried his best. She sighed and then shook her head faintly. Standing beside Basil, she waited for Ione to arrive,pletely tuning the whining Demon out.
The said Pacifer showed up not long after with the Braxtein''s Royal Family. Amara immediately ran at Basil upon spotting him, causing Mei Qi and Anthony to sigh helplessly. She said nothing as she hugged him tightly. She was so focused on hugging him that the people watching doubted she even registered their presence. It wasn''t until Ione stood beside Basil did she let go of her hug.
"I wish you a great and safe journey, Basil. Hopefully, which I doubt, you will return faster," she said with a smile.
"A great journey it will be, yet not a safe one," Basil replied with a soft smile. "I can, however, guarantee you that I will return."
"Good, good, good."
Taking a step back, Amara joined her family. This time, Anthony stepped forward. Saying nothing, he immediately put his hand on Basil''s shoulder. He looked into Basil''s eyes silently for a few seconds as he patted Basil''s shoulder softly.
"I don''t understand why you don''t even bother to say farewell to the people. It keeps making me wonder if you know how much influence you have on them," Anthony remarked.
"I have said my farewell to those I know personally. The people don''t need to know when I am about to leave and send me off every time I am leaving," Basil retorted.
"You just don''t like attention, do you?"
"No. I hate people in general."
"¡."
As always, talking with Basil made Anthony chuckle both in amusement and astonishment. He shook his head faintly and then let go of Basil''s shoulder.
Taking a step back, he looked at the young man standing proudly before him. Two of the most beautiful Mages in the world stood on each of his sides, meanwhile, seven legendary Eighth Circle Mages stood behind him. It was something that would never happen to him. His chest strangely swelled in pride despite knowing that he didn''t contribute anything to Basil''s achievement.
"My Shadows¡"
"Hm? Oh, your elite Assassins? What about them?"
"I will leave them in your care. I am sure you know how to use them."
"Of course, I do."
Nodding his head, Basil turned away from Anthony and looked at Mei Qi silently. She expected him to say something and couldn''t help getting irked when he said nothing to her. He turned his gaze away from Mei Qi andnded it on Edward. Starting from the Fifth Prince, he shook the hands of the Princes who decided to side with him.
Turning around after giving Amara onest hug, he patted Dantalion''s head twice to shut her up before walking away with his entourage without saying anything. From the way he walked, however, it was clear what he was saying to them: "I believe in you; therefore, I don''t expect a disappointment."
sh!
Bright light covered Basil and his entourage briefly. When the light disappeared, they were also gone from Padeitophys.
"Well, move your butt, people. Master will return with something great, so make sure to greet him with something extraordinary," Dantalion said, awakening the people from their entranced state.
¡.
Three hours had passed since Basil and his entourage travelled out of Padeitophys. A huge distance was already covered thanks to Deacon''smendable speed and the Warrior''s agility but they were still far from their destiny.
Their first destination was the Demi-Human Empire. It was located on the east of the Arthean Empire, which required them to take a detour, lest they wanted to get caught up by the Empire and Church''s Army by passing through the Empire''s territory.
Everyone was focused on the way. They stayed extremely vignt since there was a huge possibility that Basil''s location had been figured out. Ambush could happen anytime. They hadn''t been talking to each other because of this but it was to be broken by Iliana who had something bothering her mind.
"Basil, let me ask you something."
Without turning around, while caressing Deacon''s head, Basil responded, "What is it?"
"I have been thinking about it but I can''t seem to find the answer."
The Warriors, who were running beside Deacon, hummed to themselves as they put their extreme hearing to good use. They were sensing a dramaing up, so they didn''t want to miss what could probably be the only source of amusement in their journey.
"I don''t get why we have to be blessed by the Elf."
At this, the Warriors sighed softly in disappointment. They still paid attention to the conversation, though, since they were curious about the reason why Basil told the two female Pacifers to get blessed by the Elf before departing.
"Do you know what the Elf uses to bless you?"
"Nature Mana?"
"No." Basil shook his head faintly. "It is Earth Essence¡ªthe purest form of Mana with Earth Attribute that not even people with Earth Affinity can use. It can calm one''s mind and heal one''s injury. It can also create life, which is why the Elf is great at cultivation. Most important of all, it makes the Demi-Human less hostile."
Iliana and Ione still didn''t get what Basil meant but the Warriors immediately nodded their heads in astonishment. Again, they were surprised by their Lord''s brilliance.
The Demi-Human was known to be the most hot-blooded and impulsive race. They let Mana affect their moods, so they often fought people because the Mana indicated that they were being challenged.
The only race that could meet the Demi-Human without breaking into a fight was the Elf and it was only thanks to their ability to use Earth Essence. Earth Essence was the tamest Mana¡ªas the Demi-Human liked to say¡ªso they rarely got mad at the Elf.
Now, it didn''t mean that one had to be able to use Earth Essence to be able to talk to the Demi-Human. However, it was worth mentioning that one had to have certain control over one''s Mana or the blessing of the Earth Essence to be taken seriously by the Demi-Human.
The Demi-Human knew their nature, so they often tuned anyone outside of their race out to avoid getting into a fight. Therefore, they rarely paid attention to the talk they had with non-Demi-Humans, which unfortunately made people think that they were extremely self-centred.
While Iliana and Ione had superb control over their Mana, they weren''t skilled enough to prevent their emotion from flowing to their Mana. Basil''s purpose for meeting the Demi-Human Emperor was to ask him for his cooperation, so being tuned out because of the two women was something he didn''t want to happen.
? "Just because of that?" Iliana asked.
"Yeah."
"Since they like fighting that much, why don''t you challenge their Emperor to a fight and force him to sumb to you? Isn''t it faster?"
"That is a good idea, yet it won''t benefit us in the long run, Young Mistress," Xander chimed in, causing Iliana to quirk her eyebrow. Realizing his mistake, he quickly apologized, "Ah, I am sorry for interrupting."
Waving his hand nonchntly, Basil said, "Tell her what you know."
"Oh¡Kuhum! Then, let me exin. As the Lord said earlier, Demi-Humans let Mana dictate their actions¡ªthey are very sensitive to Mana. Sumbing them is certainly an achievable feat but it will only lead us to countless future conflicts. As long the strong are still alive, they will keep challenging the Lord to prove to the Lord how strong they are."
"Therefore, we do it diplomatically," Ione concluded.
"That is correct, Miss Ione."
Iliana immediately squashed the thought of challenging one of the best warriors in the Demi-Human Empire as soon as they arrived there. She had been sure that she would win and make the Demi-Human intimidated by the force Basil had at his disposal and the answer made her scoff at the thought.
She liked to fight but an endless fight didn''t seem exciting to her. Guaranteed, she would avoid fighting a Demi-Human and when she had to, she would end the Demi-Human''s life.
Click-ck! Click-ck!
Their attention was attracted by the sound of the approaching cavalries from behind the hill on the west. No one could see the cavalries yet but Basil already knew there were three of theming. Unsurprisingly for him, all of them were Pdins sent by the Church. His position had been figured out and it would be their first obstacle.
"Let us not engage them in closebat; instead, we destroy that hill."
At Basil''s suggestion, Iliana immediately blurted out, "What about the people that may live near the hill? Are we just going to kill them?"
"Luckily for you, my dear, people don''t live there," Basil answered. "However, had it been the case, my order wouldn''t change. They are innocent¡ªI get it¡ªbut it is better to kill the enemy''s innocent people than watch ours die."
Iliana frowned lightly, clearly not liking the mindset, but still nodded her head. It had been years since she witnessed how easily Basil risked people''s lives to achieve his goal and prove his point. She had been trying to understand the way he thought ever since but it was hard for her. She couldn''t be cold and heartless¡ªthat was why Basil called her na?ve and soft.
Clicking her tongue in annoyance at the thought, she took out Sinister Piercer and shot a powerful beam out of it at the hill at the same time the others sent their attacks. As the hill crumbled, she imagined it killing the Pdins and the imaginative innocent people nearby.
She did it because she wanted to make her sympathy dwindle. She didn''t think it worked but little did she know Basil had lied to her.
Chapter 453 Dwindling Sympathy (3)
While Basil andpany were travelling to thend of the Demi-Human, the situation in the Braxtein Kingdom got worse¡ªat least, from the perspective of its people. The new order that Aldrich gave to the Royal Army had killed a lot of people. Some of them were the specific group that he targeted but most of them were innocent. He didn''t care about it, of course, because his main aim was controlling the people through fear.
The reason why this order was concerning was that people still got killed even if they didn''t act suspiciously. All it needed for someone to be killed by the Royal Army was someone''s usation. The activity of Basil''s sympathizers stopped ever since and their number significantly diminished. However, the hatred toward the King rose every day.
Aldrich knew what he was doing and was aware of the consequence. He didn''t care, still, since he had made sure to rope in every powerful individual in the Kingdom who had the same way of thinking as he did and exterminated those who didn''t.
Sure, it weakened the Kingdom''s power temporarily but it didn''t matter since he had the backing of the Empire, which his father had always refused. His position was secured, so he had nothing to worry about.
"Man¡to think that many Royal Army soldiers be Mercenaries says a lot about our new King. They kill with pride, so doing what the King tells them must be excruciating for them."
"On the other hand, a lot of Mercenaries be part of the Royal Army. Those sick bastards love torturing people¡ªthey are ecstatic hearing that they can get paid while doing their hobbies."
Sitting amongst his new Party, Norman listened to the conversation quietly. They were on their way home after exploring a recently found Dungeon. The Exploration was fruitful. They got to map the entire Dungeon and found some treasures inside. They were in a good mood, which was the reason why they ran their mouth off on their Kingdom''s situation.
"I bet those guys with Basil Pacifer are enjoying their lives now."
"Oi, watch your mouth, Hans. The air has ears¡ªyou don''t want to die early, don''t you?"
The guy named Hans chuckled nervously at his mate''s warning. He had just expressed the thought that everyone had in their mind. In this period, doing so was detrimental to one''s reputation. One would get a finger pointed at oneself the next day and one''s head would fly away in the next moment.
Other than that concern, of course, it was because of Norman. They knew Norman''s history. They were already friends with him since the founding of the now-disbanded party Hauler. Talking about Basil would remind him of the day when he had to make a hard choice. They knew he didn''t regret his choice but they were sure it still pained him to recall the memory.
"I am sorry about the Dickhead''s mouth. He is clueless about when to not run his mouth off on something," the guy who reminded Hans apologized to Norman.
Shaking his head with a faint smile, Norman said, "It is fine. It is not a sensitive matter. Though it is unfortunate that I can''t be together with my party anymore, I am already happy. I have you guys and my wife¡ªthere is nothing more I can hope for."
"Damn, you have changed," Hans the chatterbox couldn''t help but remark. "If it were you when you still didn''t have a wife, I am sure you will say something along the line of ''I will find a way to reunite with them.'' Am I wrong?"
"Yes." Norman nodded his head solemnly. "I wouldn''t be here if I didn''t have a wife."
"Ah, that is true."
A smile crept up Norman''s face as everyone chuckled. They immediately changed topics and talked about something mundane. Norman stayed silent most of the time but he would still throw his two cents in. When they reached home, they parted ways. Norman went to his house, meanwhile, the rest of his party went to a tavern to have a drink.
Upon reaching his house, he spent a good fifteen seconds looking at it. It was a two-storey house that neither look luxurious nor ordinary. It was big but not overly and had a cosy vibe to it. It was the house that he had bought with the money he made while he was still in the Hauler. It reminded him of his hard work and the days he spent with the problematic bunch.
Creak.
Upon opening the door of his house, he was immediately greeted by a smiling short-haired beautiful woman with a bulging belly. It was his wife, Ste, who was pregnant with his baby. Stretching his arms as he came closer, he enveloped Ste in a warm hug. The smile on her face radiated even more happiness, creating a heart-touching scene for those who might see them.
"How was the Exploration?" Ste asked.
"It was fruitful. We can get a new house for our soon-to-be-born son," Norman answered.
"There is no need for that, silly. I want to have our child on our side until he is 16¡ªhe shan''t be away from mother until then."
"You sound like a controlling parent."
"You misspelt ''loving.''"
Norman shook his head as he let go of his wife. He looked into her eyes full of love, thanking the past him who had decided to visit the newly open bakery and met the woman before him there. She made his lifeplete. He wouldn''t trade her for anything.
Letting his wife finish her job¡ªcooking meals¡ªhe went to the bathroom and cleaned himself. The food was ready after he finished cleaning himself and they had meals together. They then went to the garden behind their house to enjoy the scenery. They talked for hours until she fell asleep in his embrace.
She carried her into the house and put her on their bed. Seeing her sleep made him sleepy but the sleepiness immediately disappeared as he heard someone knock on their door.
Spreading his Qi, he scanned the two people outside their house. His trademark scowl immediately appeared on his face but he still got down and opened the door instead of ignoring the people.
"Are we weed?"
"Who knows?"
"Can wee in?"
"Do I have a right to refuse?"
"No."
Huffing coldly, Norman let the two people d in golden armour in. They looked around the house in interest, surprised at how ordinary it lookedpared to how interesting the owner''s personality was.
"I am a little bit disappointed that it looks normal. Since it''s you, I expected it to be more¡edgy. Like¡you know?"
Looking at the speaker neutrally, Norman said, "Sit and talk about your purpose."
The speaker chuckled helplessly and did what he was asked. Clearing his throat, he straightforwardly stated, "The King offers you to be part of the Royal Army. He has heard the news that you have broken through to the Blue Core Stage."
"I refuse."
"You will be rewarded a lot of money¡ªthink about it."
"I already have enough money."
Scratching his head, the speaker turned to his fellow, who had been silently observing them. The said fellow didn''t even bat an eysh at him but still opened his mouth.
"Your family''s safety will be guaranteed," he said, making Norman squint his eyes. "You know, some parties are not happy that Basil Pacifer''s acquaintance can roam the Kingdom freely without anything to prove his loyalty to the Kingdom."
"You have eyes and ears everywhere. Has any of them told you that I am going to betray the Kingdom?"
"No, but why do we have to take a risk? Your acquaintance, Basil Pacifer is a fearsome guy. Have you heard the news? Our Emperor will mobilize every living Ninth Circle Mage to hunt him down because he killed the Rancuser''s old monster."
The news of Caesar''s death wasn''t public yet, so Norman was surprised to hear it. His expression didn''t show any change but he couldn''t help clenching his fist. There was a conflicting feeling in his chest that made him proud and worry at the same time. In the end, he spent a full minute silently thinking to himself before nodding in agreement.
"I will inform my wife about this first. Go home and tell the King that I will meet him in three days."
"Good choice."
The two people immediately stood up and got out of the house. Norman saw them off but it was solely to make sure whether his house was already marked. The two people disappeared after a brief sh of light. At that moment, he figured out that his house had indeed been marked.
Creak.
He turned around as he heard the sound the floor made upon being stepped on. There, he found his wife standing while looking at him in worry. His heart clenched as he looked at the scene. He didn''t question how much she had heard as he immediately enveloped her in his embrace.
"I have made my choice¡ªwe will depart tonight. I am now sure that Basil can realize what he envisions."
"Let''s go."
Norman didn''t stay in Braxtein because his wife asked him to; he stayed because it was the best for his wife. Now that it was proven to be no longer the case, he unhesitatingly moved out of it.
¡.
On the other part of the world, the Elven Empire Padeitophys, Effie watched her training party mates silently in the corner. They were training with the Elven Warriors and she always retreated whenever they did it.
Despite being a Half-Elf, something bothered her whenever she socialized with them. The nightmare from the past¡ªthe moment when the detestable Elven Elder ordered an Elven Warrior to behead her father¡ªalways came up when she was near an Elf.
Upon spending a lot of her time with the Elf, she could already tell that the Elves in her memory were part of the extreme people that didn''t represent the Elf in general. Still, it was hard for her to mingle with the people associated with the people she abhorred.
"You know, there is no need for you to cover your head with your hood."
Someone''s voice woke Effie from her thought. She immediately turned to the side and found Tinuviel smiling softly at her.
"What are you doing here? Aren''t you¡busy?"
"Ah, I have my assistant do some of my tasks for me," she answered with a gleeful smile. By ''assistant,'' she meant Dantalion whom Basil entrusted to her.
"I see¡"
"Anyway, I am here to apologize."
Bewildered, Effie blinked her eyes. "I am afraid I don''t follow you."
"Calhoun¡ªit was yourte father''s name, wasn''t it?"
"¡yes."
"He was an Alphoetra, you know? He was an ordinary Warrior of the Alphoetra Tribe, so it took me a while to remember him. It wasn''t until I looked at this did I remember about the whole ordeal that ruined my mood for a few decades."
Ignoring the bewildered Effie, Tinuviel handed a Spatial Ring to her. "Look at it when you are alone. May not heal your wound but," Tinuviel sincerely bowed, "I want you to know that you are loved." She left with a smile after straightening herself, further bewildering the Half-Elf.
Curiosity took over Effie, causing her to take a peek. Upon seeing the content of the Spatial Ring, she almost dropped it to the ground.
Inside, she could find a weing message and a head of an elderly Elf. She was very familiar with the face since it belonged to the one who had ordered her father''s executor to decapitate him.
Chapter 454 Dwindling Sympathy (End)
Buzz!
Effie''s vibrating Sound Tablet awakened her from her dazed state. She stopped inspecting the content of the Spatial Ring, stored it in her Spatial Ring and fished out her Sound Tablet. Upon channelling her Qi into it, she was surprised by the identity of the caller. It was the only person far from her that knew how to reach her.
"Hello."
"Where are you now?"
"I can''t say that."
"Let''s meet at the most convenient ce."
"Whom are you with?"
"...those whose sympathy has dwindled."
Widening her eyes slightly at the answer, Effie nodded her head and calmly said, "Very well. Best of luck, Norman."
The call ended and she immediately went to meet Thompson. He was quite surprised when she suddenly came up to him but he quickly recovered and asked her what the matter was. She exined that Norman would join them, bringing joy and worry upon him. He instantly figured out that Norman was being chased after.
Quickly summoning the other members of Hauler, they found a room where they could discuss the matter. Unbeknownst to them, some of the Elves noticed this and reported it to Tinuviel. Upon hearing about the subject, everyone was equally ted and worried. They wanted to help Norman but they weren''t sure if they would make it.
Having been on the run for quite some time, they could already grasp what their enemies were aiming for. Norman was not their target--they were. Although their position was no longer a secret, their enemies didn''t know how to enter it. Therefore, their enemies were using Norman who knew the guide (them) that could bring them inside.
It wasn''t the worst-case scenario, though. They might be aiming their knowledge about Basil''s n. Although they didn''t know anything about Basil''s current n, they still knew about what the Alliance Army was up to. If they were caught, they would be giving free information to their enemies since their minds would be open books before their enemies.
"We need to discuss this with Lady Tinuviel. We can''t ignore our friend''s call but we can''t also just head out there and risk everyone''s life."
Therefore, Thompson concluded.
As everyone agreed to do what he suggested, a shadow crawled out of the corner of the room. The mysteriously eerie aura the shadow was exuding threw them off but none of them attacked it as it materialized its physique. It was one of Basil''s Shadows. They gulped their saliva nervously, anticipating the news the Shadow would tell them.
"Since you have finished your discussion; please, meet Lady Tinuviel. She will tell you the n Lord Basil has devised for you," the shadow stated, baffling the Knights.
"D-Did Basil predict--"
"It is preferable to not waste your time," the Shadow interjected before vanishing.
Looking at each other for a few moments, Thompson and the others sighed. It felt like d??j? vu to them. It was also like this when they decided to aid Basil. Everything was ording to Basil''s prediction. It was as astonishing as it was frightening. It was getting harder to tell whether he was predicting or manipting everything.
They would have been afraid if they had yet to know what kind of person Basil was--it was unpleasant to figure out that every choice one made could be predetermined by someone--but they knew him enough to be sure that he wouldn''t do something that would bring them harm. Basil was cold but he treasured the people who supported him.
Upon meeting Tinuviel, the Knights became even more surprised. They figured out that Basil didn''t only predict that Norman would join them one day but also had organized the other people that would join himte to meet Norman.
''Those whose sympathy has dwindled.'' Only then did Effie understand why Norman sounded distracted when he said that.
....
"Darn, they hide well, don''t they?" the Guildmaster of Firefly Guild, Zander cursed under his breath. "Norman, are you sure that your friends are ready for these guys?"
"They got Basil on their backs--do you think they are not?"
"Well, I am just keeping the talk going. I am afraid I will shake if I don''t distract my mind from the bastards chasing after us."
"Rx. They won''t get us."
"Hanging out with Basil seems to have warped your view, Norman. They have a bunch of Eighth Circle Mages and a couple of Purple Core Knights with them! They are part of the Empire''s Elite--how could you be so calm?"
ncing to the back once, Norman hummed to himself and then looked at his wife who was standing behind him on his Hoverboard. A day had passed since he called Effie, which means they had been travelling for a day. He believed in his friends greatly, so he never worried about those chasing after them. He was more worried about his wife, who might not have a great time.
The others, however, were different from him. They didn''t have someone they trusted waiting for them. Only the hope of being saved by Basil''s followers kept them from not going crazy. Zander was right. Basil had distorted his view.
He wasn''t worried because he knew Basil had a lot of powerful people under him that could topple their chasers. He would die should he face their chasers but he wasn''t worried about them because he knew they were nothing before the aid Basil had sent on their way.
"Instead of thinking about those we can''t see, it is better to focus on our way," Norman said, attracting the attention of the tense people in the vicinity. "Hanging around Basil for three years has taught me one thing. When he tells you to do something, do it as it is. He knows what is best for you."
Norman''s words made them recall the message they had received from Basil. ''Trust me'' was only written once but they could tell the emphasis was put on it. They had thought it was Basil''s way to convince them that his version of the story was the correct one, at first. After hearing Norman''s statement, they figured out what he wanted them to trust him on.
The n he had devised for them. He didn''t care if they believed his story but he wanted those who decided to follow him to follow everything he said without question. It was a ridiculous demand; therefore, he wanted to them trust in him. Those who didn''t should suffer and those who did should prosper.
"It is mind-boggling to think that I only got what Basil meant in his letter now," Zander muttered in astonishment. He had lost his worry for their chasers.
The others calmed down too and it wasn''t long until they were as rxed as Norman was. None of them stopped doing their best, though. On the contrary, they moved even faster than before. Without anything burdening their minds, they could utilize their Energy more effectively.
Basil watched the scene through [Visualization]. He couldn''t help smiling lightly in amusement. Belief does do something amazing for people. People can do many things when they weren''t pressured. In perilous situations, one''s belief alleviates the pressure on one''s mind. This results in one''s ability to think more clearly.
In this case, Norman the believer propagated his belief splendidly. Of course, it was possible only because he was calm in the very first ce. Had Norman known that the Eighth Circle Mages whom they feared so much were flying right above them, he wouldn''t have been able to convince the others either. Ignorance is bliss, people say.
Boom!
Deactivating [Visualization], Basil turned his attention to the scene before him. There was a luscious forest decorated with gigantic trees before him. It would have been a sight to see if not for the fact that a raging me was devouring it. As green withered, eaten by red, ck quickly dominated the ce. The mind-calming forest looked like purgatory now.
"Must suck dying like roasted pigs," Iliana remarked, referring to the Pdins who died inside the forest.
"At least roasted pigs taste good. They are but a waste of space," Ionemented.
Looking at each other with puzzled looks, Xander and Cyrus wondered what made their Mistresses moody. They weren''t like this two days ago. Maybe, the ceaseless encounter with the Pdins had finally gotten on their nerves. Added to that was their short resting period, so it was not unusual for them to be frustrated.
Turning to their Lord, they couldn''t help praising him in their hearts for the umpteenth time. Despite being the most active one, he didn''t show any signs of frustration. He hadn''t slept for two days and was always on high alert. They could see the gears in his head spin 24/7. It was crazy to think that he looked unaffected.
As talented as all of them were, Basil was indeed different from Ione and Iliana. He was the Fated Child for a reason.
"Deacon, blow the candle out," Basil ordered, earning a quirked eyebrow from hispany.
"As you wish, Master," Deacon obeyed.
Opening his mouth, the Tyrant Saberwolf created an extremely condensed air sphere in his mouth. He shot it at the forest, taking out the fire and destroying the burned trees in an instant. Iliana and Ione already knew how strong Deacon had be but the scene still astonished them. It was still a little bit surreal for them that he had be a Seventh Grade Magic Beast.
Turning their attention back to Basil, the two female Pacifers wondered why Basil ordered Deacon to do it. They became even more bewildered than they already were when he threw a bag of food down. Without saying anything, he turned around and told everyone to move on. Thinking it was just another one of his antics, the two shrugged and turned around.
It was at that moment that they heard a rustle behind them. Thinking it was an enemy, they turned around again, ready to attack whomever it was. Their breaths hitched when they found a pregnant civilian limping toward them. One of her feet was badly burned and mangled. A burning tree had fallen on it.
"Let''s move on."
They wanted to rush at the civilian woman but Basil stopped them. Ione immediately realized what she was about to do but Iliana failed to realize their situation. She turned to Basil angrily before ignoring his words. She managed to catch the pregnant civilian before she fell but didn''t get to treat her because Basil stopped her before she could.
"We no longer have the right to y the hero. Doing so now will make us a hypocrite," Basil said as he lightly pulled on Iliana''s arm. "Let me show you the truth--look around you."
Doing what was told, Iliana found countless unarmed charred corpses. It was at this moment that Iliana realized what they had been doing all this time.
"It is either us or them. I choose us."
"You...how could you..."
"I prefer watching the innocent across me die than having our people suffer--I''ve said that, haven''t I? Their lives are below the people we have on our backs. You have to know that, Iliana."
Iliana wanted to retort but found herself unable to. She went silent for a few seconds before pulling her arm off Basil''s grip. She got on Deacon and the travel was resumed. She didn''t speak to Basil until they arrived at the Demi-Human Empire and didn''t do anything during that time. Her sympathy had dwindled and she didn''t know what to think of it.
Chapter 455 What He Also Lost
Unlike the Elf and the Dwarf, the Demi-Human didn''t live in a hidden ce. The Elf lived in the wood, the Dwarf lived underground and the Demi-Human lived in a in, building an Empire simr to that of the human. Where it was located, however, was unique. The Empire was not big in any way but thanks to its position, four parts of it had four different climates.
The North had the coldest climate. Snow decorated every part of it. The South had the hottest climate. Everyone lived in a desert there but, strangely, water was not an issue. The East rained often. It was decorated with a lot of trees. The West was the warmest part of the Empire. Rain rarely fell there but the air was still moist.
That was the beauty of the Demi-Human Empire, Werspien (the ''w'' is pronounced like a ''v'').
Since their goal was to meet the Demi-Human Emperor, Basil and the others were in the East, which means they were visiting the wettest area of the Empire. They were still outside, yet they were already surrounded by trees and showered by the rain.
"Magic is convenient. Imagine having to carry an umbre just to prevent the rain from soaking you wet," Xander remarked. He and the others put ayer of wind around their bodies to repel the rain that fell from the sky.
"There is no time to dilly-dally. We have spent five days just to get here," Basil reminded everyone. "Let''s go."
With Deacon on his shoulder, he stormed off toward the gate of the Werspien Empire, which was 1 kilometre ahead. Due to their speed, they arrived there in 10 seconds. They had to slow down to show that they were not being hostile. Stopping just 2 metres before the guard, Basil stared at the gori-headed guard silently.
Knowing full well that the person before him was not someone he could ever offend, the guard was nervous. Regardless, he kept being stoic and stared at Basil unfazed. He didn''t forget his job, fortunately. He asked Basil why he and hispany came to Werspien.
"What is your purpose of visit, sir?"
"An audience with the Emperor."
The guard did a double take. "Sorry? It is considered an offence to casually mention his Greatness so casually. We don''t care who you are. You have to be careful with your speech, sir."
Basil''s eyes gleamed for a moment, causing the guard to gulp nervously. He looked up and then stared deadly at the ceiling of the gateway. His action made everyone puzzled. Xander and Cyrus realized what was going on but kept silent. When someone came down from the ceiling, only then did everyone know what Basil was looking at.
Dressed in tight ck clothing, the woman with cat ears and cat tails looked more like a model in costume than a warrior. The only thing that made her threatening was the look in her eyes. One could tell she had killed a lot by looking into her eyes. Should one ignore the look, one would think of her as an everyday beauty.
"Our Emperor is expecting you," the female Demi-Human said.
"Why didn''t you immediately greet me?" Basil asked.
"I wasn''t quite sure if you were the Basil Pacifer whom his Greatness mentioned."
"You just had the order to escort me, didn''t you?"
The female Demi-Human widened her eyes slightly at Basil''s words. She couldn''t say anything, so she pulled up the scarf covering her mouth higher.
"I am not very pleased to know that the Demi-Human Emperor sent people to tail me but I am not a petty person, so I will let it slide. Had I been born an impatient person, his personally escorting me wouldn''t even quench my ire."
The female Demi-Human''s eyes gleamed dangerously. She was about to take out her dagger when Basil appeared before her. She instantly froze in shock. When Basil''s handnded on her shoulder, her body tensed up in fear.
Bending down slightly, Basil whispered, "Just do your job and try not to cross the line, kitty."
Had it sounded flirtatious, the female Demi-Human would have shivered for another reason. Basil had said it neutrally but she could feel the hidden killing intent in it. She knew he was dangerous but she didn''t think he was this dangerous. She couldn''t help gulping nervously as she thought about what their Emperor would do.
Nodding her head slowly, she looked at the hand that was still on her shoulder. Basil wordlessly retracted his hand, prompting her to turn around.
"Follow me," she said before taking off.
Basil was slightly disappointed that the Emperor didn''t even prepare them a carriage but didn''tin. The Demi-Human Emperor had refused his offer of alliance once, so it was not out of the norm for him to not treat the one who offered him the alliance he had refused with courtesy when he visited his Empire.
Following the female Demi-Human, they ran to the pce which was fortunately not far from the gate. At least, that was where they were going until it wasn''t. They changed direction halfway to the pce. Basil had never been to Werspien before but from asking the Guide, he could tell they were going to the Stage of Adulthood.
Stage of Adulthood was an arena in which young Demi-Humans had to fight the older generation when they came of age as part of the tradition. Demi-Humans were born warriors. To truly be one, they had to earn the acknowledgement of their Elders. Entering the Stage of Adulthood was their only way to gain that acknowledgement.
Basil was by no means a Demi-Human. He also didn''t need the Elder''s acknowledgement. Therefore, there was only one reason why the female Demi-Human brought him there. The Emperor himself wanted to fight him.
"Hmph! What a cocky bastard," Xander sneered. "I wonder whose descendant the current Emperor is."
"Indeed. It will be sad to know that our down-to-earth Adjani''s descendant is a prick," Cyrus added.
Expecting no response, the two were surprised when the female Demi-Human spoke. "The current Emperor is the descendant of the Second Emperor of the New Era, Dulhanie Afyae. His name is Kurdva Afyae."
"Hoh? That bastard Dulhanie became an Emperor? I wonder how he managed the Emperor with that hot-headed nature of his," Xander remarked in mild disbelief.
"Who named your current Emperor Kurdva? I hope this is not the Afyae Family''s way to disrespect the Kurdva, the family that initiated the New Era of your Empire," Cyrus remarked in wonder.
Before the female Demi-Human could answer Cyrus, Basil opened his mouth.
"The Kurdva had perished one millennium ago. They got too involved in human matters and became the victim of human ungratefulness. The Empire almost paid the price for their stupidity but Dulhanie managed to save it. That was why he became an Emperor."
Stopping for a few seconds, Basil added, "Quite the opposite, the reason why the current Emperor named himself Kurdva is to honour the family that many people have forgotten about."
Xander and Cyrus clicked their tongue bitterly. They were friends with both Adjani and Dulhanie. They knew well the two Demi-Humans'' natures. It wasn''t that surprising that Adjani''s descendants ended up that way but it was still bitter to hear. Had they been less trusting, they would have survived.
Although Dulhanie''s descendant was a prick, at least, they could still rejoice at the fact that his descendants survived. After all, nothing was sadder than having one''s friends gone without leaving anything behind to remember them.
Sensing the glum mood, the female Demi-Human was extremely curious about the rtionship between Xander, Cyrus and their early Emperors. She wanted to ask but they had already arrived at the Stage of Adulthood, so she kept the question to herself.
Without wasting any more time, she took Basil andpany into the Stage of Adulthood which was a gigantic circr building with an arena in the centre of it which was surrounded by tiers of seats for spectators. Someone was already waiting in the centre of the arena and he was looking at Basil with an excited gleam in his eyes.
The female Demi-Human knelt when she was before the wolf-tailed tall male standing in the centre of the arena. The male Demi-Human quickly dismissed her, prompting her to submissively stand on his side.
"It is a pleasure to finally meet the Fated Child," the male Demi-Human said before extending his hand. "My name is Kurdva Afyae. I am the current Emperor of the Demi-Human."
ncing at the offered hand once, Basil grabbed it. Kurdva instantly smirked, revealing the fangs that his lips hid. His eyes gleamed as his pupils turned into a slit and killing intent immediately overwhelmed the entire arena.
Boom!
Basil''s Pacifer Seal was instantly activated. His Mana Pressure descended upon the arena, causing Kurdva''s smirk to falter. Kurdva could tell Basil was not being serious but his pressure was already unbearable. As a Demi-Human, Kurdva was both rmed and challenged. He also released his Mana Pressure to counter Basil''s.
Basil was unfazed. His golden eyes stared into Kurdva''s silently without any change in his expression. Kurdva''s smirk got wider and more twisted. He was both nervous and irked. His ws were already out but he held himself back in the end. He retracted his pressure, prompting Basil to do the same, and helped the struggling female Demi-Human beside him.
"d to know that ''Fated Child'' is not a mere fancy title," he remarked as he helped the female Demi-Human up. "You could protect your women while pressuring me just fine, meanwhile, I struggled to protect my subordinate. What an impressive young man."
"I am here to¡ª"
Kurdva raised his hand, stopping Basil. "I know, Basil Pacifer. I am honestly enticed by your offer and deeply touched by your willingness toe." Looking into Basil''s eyes solemnly, he continued, "However, there is a procedure you should follow before I can ept your offer."
"Can I assume you agree to the idea?"
"It depends on what will happen next." Ignoring Basil immediately, Kurdva shouted, "Oseya!"
"Yes!" a stern female voice responded.
Having a strong memory, hearing the name he had heard once in the past made Basil recall the moment when he heard it. A light frown immediately decorated his face and it didn''t go unnoticed by Kurdva.
Soon enough, a beautiful woman with lioness ears entered the scene. She rushed at Kurdva and then knelt before him. Expecting Basil to be interested in the maid he just called, Kurdva was slightly bemused that Basil was still looking in the direction where she came. He also turned in that direction and became even more confused when he saw who wasing.
"Mommy, wait for me!"
A humanss who was no older than nine was running at them. Kurdva knew who she was. She was the child Oseya had adopted. What he didn''t know was what made Basil interested in thess.
Chapter 456 What He Also Lost (End)
"Huff¡huff¡huff. Mom, you were going too fast!"
Oseya, the maid smiled apologetically at Kurdva, prompting him to nod his head. She then turned to the littless who was no older than nine¡ªher human adopted daughter.
"Calliope, you shouldn''t be here."
"But, Mom, I want to help! I am already a capable adult. Let me help you!"
"You are not old enough to work, Calliope."
"But¡but my friends already train to be Warriors and they are also nine! I need to do something that makes me look like an adult, so they don''t call me a crybaby anymore."
Oseya smiled bitterly as she looked at her adopted daughter. Her daughter was a bright child. She realized she was different the moment she turned three. She lied to her daughter and she paid the price. It was hard to tell her daughter she was not a Demi-Human now that her daughter believed she was one but a little different.
Demi-Humans, thanks to their physical advantage, could train their physique harshly since they were nine. It was the first step they took to adulthood. Calliope, being a human, couldn''t do the same thing. It frustrated her that she was the only one who did nothing despite already being a nine-year-old.
"Then, why don''t you help your mother?" Basil said, surprising everyone. Those who knew him were the ones most surprised since they knew Basil wasn''t proactive in starting a conversation.
"I want to but my mother doesn''t let me!" Calliope retorted as she turned to Basil. taking a good look at him, she tilted her head in confusion. "I thought I was the only one born different. You are also like me, Uncle¡ªyou are born without beast traits."
Expecting Basil to react surprised, the people watching quirked one of their eyebrows when he merely smiled. Those who knew him wondered why he didn''t mind being called ''Uncle'' meanwhile Kurdva and the others wondered if he didn''t care about the fact that Calliope didn''t know she was a human.
"Indeed. We do look simr, don''t we?"
"Oh! Since we have many simrities, why don''t we be friends?" Calliope suggested excitedly as she extended her petite hand.
Looking at the extended hand, a scene shed in Basil''s mind. It was an encounter he had with someone after another tiring battle he had with the Pdins the Church sent.
"Hey, uncle, you look tired."
"I don''t sleep with prostitutes."
"Hey! Do I look like one?"
Basil turned his gaze to the annoying woman for the first time. It was a beautiful woman with long raven hair that was styled in a high ponytail. She was dressed in very revealing clothing in the sense that it revealed a lot of her vital spots. He got that she wanted maximum agility but he still couldn''t help scoffing at the way she dressed.
"What is that? Are you also one of those men who don''t think women can do just as well as men?"
"I am not but you have to be a very outstanding woman to be more capable than most men. We only got one in a million outstanding women, so I can''t help doubting if you are one."
"So, you are suggesting that men are better than women, huh?"
"Generally, yes. Men are born with more advantages than women. That is reality." Sensing a retorting, Basil added, "I am not saying there are no women more capable than men. They exist. I have encountered one myself. I was beaten a lot of times by her."
"She must have been a very good person. She has done humanity a favour for beating a prick!" the raven-haired woman remarked scathingly. "Anyway, who is she? I want to make her a role model."
"Iliana, myte fianc¨¦e."
The raven-haired woman immediately took a step back. Her eyes widened in shock as she looked at the bloodied Basil who was leaning on the tree. Everything suddenly clicked into ce. She figured out who Basil was and how he was injured.
"Are you Basil Pacifer?" she asked with dread.
"I am," Basil answered in disinterest.
Tensing her muscles as she approached Basil cautiously, she stopped when she was a few steps away from him. Her action made him wonder what she was up to. It was clear to him that she was afraid of him but she still chose to approach him. Was she trying to mess with him because she thought he wouldn''t be able to do a thing?
Basil was ready to teach the raven-haired woman a very precious lesson when she bowed deeply.
"I am a hardcore fan!"
"¡."
"Please, be my friend!"
Having seen through what was hidden underneath many people''s masks, he could tell the woman was being genuine. He had misinterpreted her fear. She wasn''t afraid of him. She was afraid of being rejected by him. A very interesting person indeed.
Standing up, Basil made the raven-haired woman straighten her posture. She looked up at Basil with cautiousness hidden in her eyes, telling him that she was wary of what he would do next.
"Why don''t we introduce ourselves first before being friends?"
"Oh, that''s a good idea but you have to stop leaving me hanging, Uncle!"
Barely able to stop his mouth from twitching, Basil grabbed the offered hand. The offered hand gradually became smaller and the scene changed rapidly. The recollection ended and he was brought back to reality. Looking at the owner of the hand, he was greeted by a toothy grin.
"My name is Calliope. Who are you, Uncle?"
"Basil Pacifer¡"
The conversation also went like this. In the past, the introduction was the beginning of his friendship with the raven-haired woman, his first and only prot¨¦g¨¦, Calliope. As he did, she saw the world as her enemy. She witnessed how Demi-Humans¡ªher family¡ªwere hunted because of the decision they were forced to take for their survival.
No one wanted to help the Demi-Human but they got angry when the Demi-Human sided with the Demon. Those who didn''t agree with the decision left Werspien to seek help but they were ughtered mercilessly by humans.
The Elf, the Dwarf and the Spirit remained silent as it happened. Calliope had seen it all¡ªhow her mother suffered under the savagery of this world''s inhabitants¡ªand therefore she was vengeful. She was very akin to Basil who went against the world. He was a kindred soul. The light that guided her, so she could quench her thirst for revenge.
Putting his hand on Calliope''s head, Basil said, "Why don''t you help your mother?"
"Oh, that is right!" Calliope''s eyes lit up in realization. "But I can''t, though. Mom won''t let me."
"You have Kurdva''s permission. Right, Kurdva?" Basil winked at Kurdva.
Bewildered and mildly interested, Kurdva nodded his head. "Yes, you may help your mother, Calliope. She can''t say anything now that I, your Emperor, have permitted you."
"Hurray!"
Rushing at the female Demi-Human who had difficulty standing, Calliope told the Demi-Human to rely on her. The Demi-Human looked at Oseya, asking if she would be fine with what she was going to do next with her eyes, prompting Oseya to nod her head with a helpless sigh.
The female Demi-Human put one of her hands on Calliope''s back and put some of her body weight on her hand, causing thess'' face to turn red. It was clear that Calliope didn''t have the strength to support the Demi-Human but she didn''t whine.
Oseya slightly widened her eyes as she looked at how hard Calliope tried to maintain her current position. She had thought that her daughter was merely ying around with her request, so the scene made her want to cry.
"Let me help you. Let''s take Nadiza to the infirmary together."
Rushing to the Demi-Human with cat traits, Oseya propped the Demi-Human up, alleviating the burden on her daughter greatly. Calliope gave her mother a toothy grin and, together, they left for the infirmary.
"See youter, Uncle Basil!"
Waving his hand lightly in response, Basil returned his gaze to Kurdva. The Demi-Human Emperor hummed to himself for a few seconds before blurting out what he had in his mind.
"Steal her child''s heart and you will get her heart. What a strategy you have, Basil Pacifer. Brilliant!"
Frowning deeply, Iliana and Ione turned to Basil. They looked at him with disdain in their eyes, misunderstanding himpletely as Kurdva did. Unlike the two, Cyrus and Xander looked at Basil with respect. They agreed with Kurdva¡ªBasil''s tactic was brilliant.
Looking at all of the people who misunderstood him with an unamused look, Basil waved his hand. "A clueless child who doesn''t even know her identity is something that attracts my attention. The process of learning is fascinating to watch, which is why I did that."
Basil wasn''t telling the truth but he wasn''t lying either. He did think seeing someone learn and improve was fascinating but the reason why he interacted with Calliope was the longing he didn''t know he had. Thess was the second person to die in his arms. Seeing her alive and breathing, he couldn''t help himself.
The journey they had gone through was short but it was long enough for them to know each other well. They had shared hardships and bled together. She was the one who filled the hole in his chest after Iliana was taken away from him. She was one of the precious people whom he also lost in the past.
"My heart tells me that there is more to it but I won''t pry into your affair," Kurdva remarked, awakening Basil from his thought. "Well, then, Basil, why don''t we let our fists talk first before trading some words with our mouths? Oh, you have to win to earn the right to trade words with me, though."
Given the cue, Basil''spany retreated. Deacon would like to remain on Basil''s side but Basil''s order and a murderous look from Kurdva managed to shy him away. In the blink of an eye, the arena was emptied. Basil and Kurdva stared at each other silently before sting the air with their Mana Pressure.
"Seeing how you enjoy seeing people learn, you like learning, don''t you?" Kurdva asked with a smirk. "What is one precious life lesson that you have learnt?"
Basil hummed to himself briefly before responding. "To live in the moment. We don''t know how precious something is until we lose it. Therefore, I enjoy the moment and spend as much of my time as possible with those I deem precious."
"That is a great lesson but I will teach you something better. You should never challenge the Demi-Human Emperor to a fight!"
Kurdva suddenly appeared before Basil. He swung his hand at Basil''s neck, attempting to cut his jugr with his ws. Basil dodged easily and smirked. He found the situation amusing. He wondered how Kurdva would react if he told him he would sumb to a Demon in the future.
Chapter 457 Beat It Out
The concept of caste didn''t exist in the society of the Demi-Human. Each Demi-Human had a status which was based on their battle prowess and their innate talent but everyone treated each other equally. Status didn''t matter much because they considered everyone family. Still, one could easily spot the difference between Nobles andmoners.
Those who managed to climb to the rank of Nobles were powerful Demi-Humans. Nature favoured them¡ªthey were born with an absurd innate talent, making them ahead of everyone else. While their talent made them stand out, there was another thing that made them stand out¡ªtheir appearance. Stronger Demi-Humans resembled humans more than most of the poption did.
It had nothing to do with how far they had evolved but with how well they could control their Beast traits. They could control their emotion better but they were still hot-headed like most of the poption were.
Kurdva was the perfect example of a strong Demi-Human. He could control his Beast traits to the point that he only showed his tail. He could even make himself perfectly look like a human but he didn''t, because he wasn''t one. He didn''t like being associated with humans whom he deemed inferior to Demi-Humans.
nk!
"I heard that you wield Durendal and the legendary Caliburn. Where are they? Why are you wielding this strange-looking sword instead? Afraid that I may take it away from you?"
As he blocked Kurdva''s ws with Kusanagi, Basil looked at Kurdva with a quirked eyebrow. He wondered how the Demi-Human Emperor didn''t know about Kusanagi despite being close with the Elf, some of whom directly witnessed him extract Kusanagi from Yamata no Orochi.
Smirking faintly, taunting Kurdva in the process, he discharged a Wind de out of Kusanagi. Since Durendal''s Sword Soul was within Kusanagi upying it, the sharpness of the Wind de was out of the ordinary.
Kurdva couldn''t help widening his eyes as he saw his ws being cut by a mere wind de. Proving himself to be an experienced fighter, he was quick to recover from his shock. He then retreated, sessfully dodging the wind de. Looking at Basil carefully, more of his Beast traits came out.
His ws regrew quickly. They were longer and sharper than before. His fangs became more prominent and a pair of fluffy wolf ears appeared on his head. With the grin decorating his face, he looked feral.
"Ah, are you underestimating me, kiddo? I may look as old as your brother but I have lived for two hundred years. You should never underestimate your Elder!" Kurdva eximed before charging at Basil.
Scoffing lightly, Basil responded, "I am notorious for not respecting my Elders, let alone other''s Elder. Expect me to disrespect you."
Fortifying his stance, he blocked Kurdva''s advance head-on. He was slightly pushed back but Kurdva was sessfully stopped. It was bewildering for Kurdva. They hadn''t incorporated Mana into any of their attacks yet; however, Basil still could keep up with him. No human should possess that much physical strength.
"What are you? I wonder."
"What am I? I also wonder myself." Basil smiled. "I only know who I am and that is Basil Pacifer."
"Who is Basil Pacifer?"
"Who knows? I may be defined differently in everyone''s eyes."
"What do you define yourself as?" Kurdva quirked his eyebrow, showing a genuine curiosity for the first time.
"A family-loving man."
Kurdva snorted involuntarily at the answer. He had expected Basil to give him a self-glorifying answer because of his nature, so the answer took him by surprise. Chuckling in the next moment, he put more power into his hands, pushing Basil back. Basil intrigued him but the fight still had to go on.
Basil nted his feet on the ground, stopping his body from being pushed back. Kurdva smirked at this, thinking how futile Basil''s attempt was until he found himself unable to push Basil back anymore.
"You should assume your Beast Form. You have to stay true to yourself to be able to match my strength."
"Who do you think¡ª"
nk!
Swish!
Thinking Basil was joking, Kurdva was surprised when Basil managed to send him flying. He let out a dumbfounded ''huh'' as his body was in the air. Doing a quick manoeuvre soon after, hended on his feet. He skidded on the ground for a few meters until his ws stopped his skid.
He stood up and was pleasantly surprised by the pricking sensation he felt on his abdomen. His garment was also soaked, so he looked down to see what happened. Expecting it to be a light scratch, he was stunned and enraged to find his abdomen almost cut open. If it wasn''t for his thick skin, he would have seen his intestines iling out of his abdomen.
A cold gleam shed in his eyes before his slit-shaped pupils dted. His Mana exploded, pushing away the air around him. His appearance remained the same but he was actively using Mana now. He kicked the ground, leaving a cratered ground in his wake, and appeared before Basil in the blink of an eye.
Basil could see the attack, so he merely raised Kusanagi to block it and then watched in fascination how Kurdva''s injury healed in a second.
Boom!
The air sted as Kurdva''s ws shed with Kusanagi. Kurdva was once again surprised that he couldn''t push Basil back. He was using half of his power but he was sure it should have been enough. He became an Emperor for a reason. He was exceptional¡ªextremely. The development bewildered him greatly.
"I have told you¡ªstay true to yourself," Basil stated. "Assume your Beast Form."
"Do you think you are worthy enough to see my Beast Form, human!?" Kurdva replied, enraged.
Basil went silent for a few seconds as he observed Kurdva''s ferally charming face. "Yes, you are worthy enough to show me your Beast Form."
"This fucker!"
Seeing that Kurdva didn''t get his message, Basil sighed softly in exasperation. He activated his Pacifer Seal, sting Kurdva with the Nature Mana he controlled, shocking Kurdva immensely. As his golden eyes looked into Kurdva''s green eyes, he sent intimidated Kurdva with his Dragon Intent. Kurdva''s pupils constricted and his body automatically went into flight mode.
Before Kurdva could escape, however, Basil kicked him in his sr plexus. His body bent like a curve as he was sent flying. Basil disappeared into thin air and then reappeared at the end of the direction his body was flying to. Basil greeted him by hitting his head with Kusanagi''s hilt.
Thinking it was over now that he was already lying on the ground, Kurdva''s rage went through the roof when Basil kicked his head. He was sent flying again and, this time, he could barely stay conscious.
When his rity returned, he was lying on his back, gazing at the blue sky that was obstructed by the cold look of a golden-eyed handsome male human. The sensation of something weighing on his face came not long after and his rage returned as he realized what happened.
"You son of a whore, get your foot off me!"
"Can I consider this my win?" ignoring Kurdva''s displeasure, Basil asked coldly.
"Do you think I have lost? Pfft. Laughable!"
"Then, make it quick. I don''t have much time."
Kurdva was both hot-headed and prideful. He couldn''t ept the fact that he had to use his full power to defeat Basil, so he was reluctant to do it. It wasn''t until Basil sank his head into the ground did he change his mind. Putting his pride aside, he assumed his Beast Form.
Stepping back, Basil watched as the injuries he had inflicted on Kurdva disappeared. Kurdva stood up in the next moment, looking healthier than ever. Kurdva red at Basil murderously as he got bigger and Basil looked at him calmly. Basil watched in fascination how the human-like Kurdva turned into a 7-metres-tall wolf that stood straightly like a human.
"Awoo!"
Kurdva howled as his transformation finished. The sound vibrated everyone''s eardrums to the point of almost rupturing them. When Kurdva stopped howling, he focused his re on Basil. he focused his killing intent and Mana Pressure on Basil but even those outside the arena could feel it. Basil''spany became concerned, yet he remained steady as ever.
"You should advice your human friend to surrender," a familiar female voice said, attracting the attention of Basil''spany who were watching the fight in anticipation.
Turning to their left, they found Oseya and her daughter, Calliope, who had just returned from taking Nadiza to the infirmary. They were slightly surprised to find Calliope with Oseya. Thess looked unbothered by the terrifying pressure Kurdva was exuding. It made them look at Oseya in wonder.
"I am not shielding her from the Mana Pressure. I am not strong enough to shield her from Mana Pressure of this calibre." Oseya shook her head. "She is a special child¡ªnothing can scare her. Her tolerance of Mana Pressure is outrageously out of the norm. "
The statement made Basil''spany nod in understanding. They now got why Basil was interested in thess. It was not the case, still, but they were d Basil remained himself anywhere. He didn''t think about anything that didn''t benefit him in his current situation.
nk!
"Woah¡. Uncle Basil is holding against Uncle Emperor well."
At Calliope''s remark, everyone''s attention returned to the arena. There, they could see Basil blocking Kurdva''s punch easily with Kusanagi. It was quite off-putting for Oseya to see such a big Werewolf stopped by a 2-metres-tall human. Of course, Oseya thought this way because she didn''t know Basil had defeated a bigger creature.
Seeing how Basil could hold his ground well, hispany heaved a sigh of relief. Basil still didn''t look winning but it was just a matter of time until he did.
"Now, I can say you are serious," Basil remarked.
"You will die but don''t me me,d. Your Mana provokes my battle instinct endlessly," Kurdva warned with a light growl.
"Don''t worry. I know how to face a rabid dog."
"Impudent!"
As Kurdva began to overwhelm him, Basil materialized his seven Ultimate Circles. The air distorted as the Magic Circles gathered the Mana in the air. Basil''s power was dramatically amplified, bringing him to the same power level as Kurdva, much to Kurdva''s bewilderment. Not stopping there, he also materialized his Domain.
sh!
Golden light filled everyone''s vision for a few seconds. When they regained their vision, they found themselves standing on a in full of golden grass. Tens of thousands of ded weapons floated above the grass. Hundreds of gigantic swords decorated the golden sky.
Basil was the centre of this profound world. At this moment, he showed the Demi-Human Emperor why many were reluctant to be his enemy.
Chapter 458 Beat It Out (2)
In Basil''s past life, the Demi-Human Emperor, Kurdva was forced to cooperate with Demons. His people were held hostage by them, so he had no choice but to ept it. The saving grace was the Demons treated them as an equal. Still, it didn''t mean they didn''t suffer.
When his people were held hostage, he asked everyone to help him. No one heard his plea, so he swallowed the bitter pill and grabbed the Demon''s hand. It was much to his disbelief that every race immediately united and went against them. He quickly lost a lot of his people to the people that he thought were allies.
His hesitation disappeared instantly. He ordered every one of his people to kill everyone who stood in the Demon''s way. His heart still didn''t belong to the Demon but his spite made him a very ruthless person. Demons dly handed him help. The war between Demi-Humans and the rest of the worldsted for three years and the Obelisk Masters weren''t involved in it.
By the end of the war, the Demi-Human perished. Some said there were still Demi-Human survivors hiding out there but Kurdva was recognized as thest Demi-Human to die. The war made one side perish and dealt a heavy blow to the other side. Demons entered the scene immediately and only then did everyone realize they had been yed.
Hiss.
Looking at the steam that came out of Kurdva''s nose, Basil involuntarily recalled the statue that the Elf built for Kurdva in his past life. The statue was named ''The Wronged Emperor'' and it looked exactly like the current Kurdva.
"Can''t help marvelling at my appearance?" Kurdva said with a smirk.
"I have seen prettier dogs," Basil quipped neutrally.
"You have balls, don''t you?"
"I do and they are not exposed like yours."
"I am not a dog!" Kurdva growled furiously.
Basil smirked; Kurdva was already agitated. Demi-Humans were sensitive to Mana. Their mood was heavily influenced by Mana, so they could easily tell if someone was dangerous from the Mana they were exuding. Basil had been holding back his Mana. Now that he had unleashed it, Kurdva finally understood the magnitude of the situation.
Basil was fully aware, of course, that intimidation wouldn''t work against the hot-blooded, battle-maniac Emperor. Things would have been different if it was a war. Kurdva might give up the fight and choose to preserve his life for his people. It was a simple duel, however, so he wouldn''t back up.
It was distasteful losing to someone but it was fine as long as he didn''t lose his life. Therefore, he would fight Basil and enjoy every moment of it.
Basil could tell what Kurdva was nning just from looking at the gleam in his eyes. It was something he had expected. He had a simple way to resolve the situation and it made him involuntarily smirk. The brave doesn''t lose his fear. His fear is buried deeply in him. To break the brave, one has to only beat him until his feares out.
Rawr!
Propelling himself at Basil who was suspended in the air, Kurdva sped his wed hands and raised them above his head. He spun his body like a drill at an incredible speed, swirling the air around him.
Basil remained in his ce and merely looked at the iing Kurdva silently. A gigantic sword dropped from the sky a moment before Kurdva reached him, protecting him from Kurdva''s attack.
Immediately realizing that he couldn''t pierce through the sword, Kurdva stopped spinning and retreated. His mental rm immediately went off, prompting him to turn around and crossed his hands before him to create a Barrier.
nk! nk!
Thousands of swords were flying at him dangerously, aiming for his life. Basil was a few metres away from him, looking at the scene with utmost disinterest. Being apetitive individual, Kurdva hated the scene greatly. He used Wind Magic to propel himself at Basil, still keeping his Barrier active.
It was much to his panic that Basil disappeared like an illusion just a moment before he reached him. He didn''t get time to even look around before Basil''s powerful kick hit him square in his sr plexus.
Boom!
Kurdva had to grit his teeth to suppress a groan froming out. As his body wasunched away like a football, he wheezed like someone with asthma. Basil''s kick was painful. He was used to pain but it still managed to make him cringe.
Proving himself to be worthy of the Emperor title, he quickly regained his posture and stopped hisunch. Looking around him vigntly and spreading his Mana Sense at the same time, he gathered his Mana in his hands. A grin was decorating his face the entire time. He was excited to see where Basil would appear.
"I know you wille at me from the above!"
Looking up, Kurdva met Basil''s surprised face. His grin got even wider as he tore the space with his ws. He was sure Basil would be injured since Basil would have no way to dodge it. s, it ended up as mere wistful thought. When he saw Basil''s faint smirk, he instantly figured out he had messed up.
Whoosh!
A gigantic sword came flying at him from below as soon as ''Basil'' disappeared from his view. He hardened the hair covering his body as he turned around and then mped the tip of the gigantic sword between his armpit. He wanted to take control of it and threw it at Basil in spite. He managed to take control of it quickly enough but he immediately discarded the idea.
Another sword wasing down at him. He ended up throwing the sword that was under his control to the sword that wasing down at him.
"You bastard!"
Swish!
The gigantic sword was thrown as if it was a dart. It cut through the air faster than the oneing down at him. Before the two swords shed, Kurdva hastily retreat. Proving his instinct to be correct, when the sh happened, a huge explosion urred.
Kurdva had to focus on defending himself and let his body get sted away. He remained vignt but he wished Basil wouldn''t suddenly appear behind him like a maniac who wouldn''t even care if his attack hurt him.
s, what he wished to not happen happened.
Entrusting his safety to his hardened hair, Kurdva turned around and let the shrapnel hit his back to block Kusanagi with his hands. Growling as he held it between his hands, he ignored the fact that it was drawing his blood.
"Crazy bastard. Are you tired of living!?" Kurdva eximed furiously.
"My power can''t harm me," Basil replied simply.
"Cocky, aren''t you?"
"I have proven my statement to be right."
Observing Basil from top to toe, Kurdva found him unscathed. He clicked his tongue in annoyance as he couldn''t refute Basil''s words.
"You may think I am bluffing, so why don''t I show you the proof?"
"Hmph! I am not someone who refuses to believe what I see."
"No, no. I feel the obligation to."
Thinking Basil was messing with him, Kurdva growled and leaned his head forward to gnaw on Basil. He immediately discarded the thought, however, the moment he saw the familiar smirk on Basil''s face. He knew Basil was up to something. He found out what it was when he looked into Basil''s eyes.
A gigantic sword wasing down on him and it was only a few metres away from his back. He was confident in his speed, so he was sure he still had time to dodge it. As he was about to burst his Mana, the gigantic sword shed and pierced through his back in the blink of an eye. He was greatly bewildered and he could see his reflection in Basil''s eyes.
When he thought about how pathetic he was for losing this way to Basil, his soul was sucked into Basil''s eyes. He lost his sense of self for a couple of seconds. When he regained his sense, he found himself sprawled on the ground, looking up at Basil. Immediately heaving a deep breath, he was shocked to find his lungs working perfectly.
Widening his eyes as he understood what had happened, he stood up urgently. He only managed to remain standing for a few seconds before falling on his butt, much to his utter bafflement.
"Your legs haven''t healed yet."
"W-What? What happened?"
"I see. It seems the trauma you suffered has made you forget what happened."
"Don''t joke with me, brat! I know you used a Bewitchment on me!"
"Did I?"
Basil looked into Kurdva''s eyes coldly. His golden eyes glinted from time to time, showing his hidden desire to kill Kurdva. For the first time, the way Basil looked at him made Kurdva''s breath hitch. It had been quite a while since he felt intimidated.
"I am busy¡ªas I have told you. Why don''t we end this duel quickly?"
Kurdva wanted to say the duel had ended in Basil''s victory but he couldn''t say it eventually. He remained silent and looked at Basil gantly, doing a good job of hiding his fear.
"Take this," Basil said as he threw a pill of Morning Dew. "It will quickly heal your legs."
Kurdva caught the pill and gulped it immediately.
"Interesting. You didn''t even consider me poisoning you as a possibility."
"You wouldn''t want your soon-to-be-partner to die, would you?" Kurdva smirked.
"That is a valid point."
When his legs were healed, Kurdva stood straight. Basil let go of Kusanagi, letting it rise into the sky. He gripped the hilt of Durendal which was floating on his left. Kicking the ground, he distanced himself from Kurdva.
"Let us do our best, shall we?"
As soon as Basil said that, Kusanagi stopped rising and the golden cloud created a vortex. Kurdva immediately knew what Basil wanted him to do, so he unleashed his full pressure. He sted the air around him away. His hair lit up brightly and electricity sparked from time to time.
Boom!
A golden lightning bolt hit the ground near Kurdva. He could feel the fearsome power but he remained unfazed. Spreading his hands to the side, his hair glowed brighter. At the same time, ck lightningshed at the ground nearby.
A fearsomely gigantic lightning bolt hit Kusanagi afterwards. This was the cue for Kurdva to charge at Basil.
Basil held Durendal vertically. He transferred the electricity that Kusanagi stored to Durendal and then swung it at Kurdva who had appeared before him. Golden met ck. As the two shed, their lightning cracked the space and deafened everyone. The air was filled with high-voltage electricity. It could shock anyone in the vicinity to death.
"Grrr¡! You are a powerful opponent, Basil!"
"And you are a stupid opponent, Kurdva."
"Fuck!"
Basil fully swung Durendal and a Space Tear made its appearance for a few seconds. When it disappeared, the two different kinds of lightning did too. Kurdva was nted to the ground, having a huge gash on his chest. Basil remained in the air but he also had five w marks on his chest. He was bleeding but looked way better than Kurdva.
When he dematerialized his Domain, the audience was awakened from their daze. Regardless of whether they had fought in the Great War or not, what they had just witnessed astounded them greatly.
Chapter 459 Beat It Out (End)
"Amazing!" Calliope eximed, startling the adults. "Uncle Basil is so strong!"
"Kuhum! Calliope, it is rude to yell before the match even ends," Oseya says in mortification.
"The match has ended, hasn''t it? Look at Uncle Emperor, he is sprawled the way I am after ying a whole day."
"That is..."
Oseya smiled awkwardly as she sent nervous gazes at Kurdva from time to time. Kurdva was a benevolent Emperor but he still had a temper. She didn''t want to enrage him. She didn''t worry about her getting punished for Calliope''s insolence. She worried about Calliope getting punished along with her.
To her relief, Kurdva didn''t take offence to Calliope''sment. He even seemed to be in a good mood since heughed heartfully while still sprawled on the ground.
"Ha-Ha-Ha! That was an exciting fight, Basil! I can tell you didn''t hold anything back but I am sure you could have killed me more than once."
Saying nothing, Basil came down and walked toward Kurdva. As he stood before Kurdva, he watched Kurdva''s cells doing their best to regenerate. They failed. [Haywire] was doing its job splendidly. It was actively destroying Kurdva''s cells, rendering any form of healing useless.
Blood was constantly flowing out of the gash on Kurdva''s chest. Kurdva winced as he looked at it and wondered why his regeneration didn''t work. Turning to Basil, he couldn''t help smiling wryly. Unlike him, Basil''s injuries had disappeared.
"Do you need a hand?" Basil asked softly.
"Nope. I might have lost but I am not weak. I can--"
Thud.
Widening his eyes, Kurdva was bewildered to find his body unable to move. He could move his hands and feet just normally but his torso didn''t budge regardless of how many times he ordered it.
At the same time, the pain in his chest worsened. It forced him to reassume his human-like form. Immediately, as soon as he looked human again, the pain disappeared. In return, however, the bleeding worsened. He became even more bewildered and only then did he turn to Basil to ask what was going on.
"Did you do it?"
"Do you need a hand?"
Looking at Basil''s extended hand, Kurdva cursed under his breath. "Fuck! This brat is annoying, isn''t he?"
Grabbing Basil''s hand, he watched in fascination as golden light swirled around his arm before covering his wound. His chest felt warm and the bleeding immediately stopped. The golden light stopped covering his wound when he stood up. At this point, the wound had already disappeared.
"Can you heal people?"
"I can elerate your regeneration factor."
"Hoh? You do something more amazing than making temporary tissues with Mana Construct."
Kurdva was hot-blooded and bold--typically, the characteristic of stupid fellows--but he was bright. He understood Magic well, so he often surprised people when he shared his insight. He often enjoyed the baffled look the people gave him but he couldn''t with Basil. Basil didn''t seem to be surprised by his knowledge.
"It is my first time seeing a human not surprised by what I say about Magic," he remarked.
"Only idiots will underestimate someone knowledgeable enough to rip the space with his ws," Basil responded.
"Ah, you are just as good as the rumour portrays you. I have to say that the rumour underestimates your ability, though."
"I like to give people a surprise."
As Kurdva smirked, Basil finally pulled Kurdva up. The Emperor stood straightly and watched as Basil took a step back. He noted that Basil remained respectful even though Basil had defeated him fair and square. A smirk immediately crept up his face. He didn''t mind being good friends with Basil. Scratch that--he didn''t even mind being led by Basil.
"Now, what?" he asked.
"Why don''t we talk about our business somewhere else?" Basil suggested. "I know you trust your subordinates greatly but I can''t risk letting a traitor amongst them hear what we are going to talk about."
Quirking his eyebrow, Kurdva snapped his fingers. Immediately, the twenty Silent Killers who had been hiding in every corner of the Stage of Adulthood revealed themselves. All of them had cat ears and a cat tail like Nadiza. Waving his hand, Kurdva made them leave the ce.
Turning to Basil again, he nodded his head. "Let us change--"
"It is fine. I just want to test your cooperativeness."
"--ces.... Bastard, why are you doubting me?"
Basil quirked his eyebrow. "I thought you liked hearing about rumours. You know that I am extremely cautious, don''t you?"
"...not to this point." Shaking his head, Kurdva continued, "I hoped it wasn''t true."
"Well, now that I am sure that you will fully cooperate, I am going to talk about our n to go against Arthean. I am nning to unite the other four Empires, so we may have a greater chance of defeating Arthean. There is a high chance, after all, that Arthean will collude with Demons."
Blinking his eyes, Kurdva raised his hands. "Hold on there, Basil. I think this should be discussed somewhere private. The magnitude of the news makes me hesitant to risk it."
"It is fine. My Shadows have made sure no spies can enter Werspien."
"Shadow? You also have spies here?"
Ignoring Kurdva, Basil continued. "Besides, Arthean is currently busy finding a way to Padeitophys. They will not bother to send spies to Werspien."
Kurdva became even more bewildered but he knew Basil wouldn''t answer him even if he asked. He quietly listened to whatever Basil said. By the end of it, his mouth was left agape. He was astounded by the amount of information Basil had. It was at this moment that he understood that Eloreth wasn''t joking when she said Basil was ready.
....
"I am not being a coward but I get more scared the closer we get to your fellows."
"I won''t me you. I can feel someone''s gaze on my back and it is not a good sign."
Whispering to each other so no one would hear them, Norman and Zander expressed their uneasiness. They still didn''t know there were ten Eighth Circle Mages flying above them but they had be sure that someone was watching them closely.
They had prepared the others forbat a few hours ago and it bewildered the people mildly. Some people asked what was wrong and they decided to lie. They told the people that they would immediately fight as soon as they got there because some of the Empire''s troops were there already. The people believed them and none of them was nervous.
An enemy that one can see is less terrifying than that one cannot see, after all.
Swish!
The group increased their speed as they could see Thompson and the other members of the Hauler. Norman''s face darkened immediately as he couldn''t spot any other people than his fellow party members.
The Empire''s Army might still be away from them but it was not the only threat they should mind. The closer they got to Thompson and the others, the hotter the gaze that he felt on his back got. Something would happen as soon as they reached Thompson--he was sure about it. His heart clenched, hoping that nothing bad would happen.
While Norman and Zander were worrying about the same thing, the others were bemused that they couldn''t find the Empire''s troops that the two had mentioned. They had expected to be greeted by an army of Basil''s supporters, so they were also quite underwhelmed when they could only spot Thompson and the rest.
When one of them was about to ask where their backup was, Zander raised his hand, signalling everyone to take out their weapons. They were baffled but immediately followed the instruction as they saw Thompson and his party charge at them.
They knew Thompson and his party weren''t targeting but what was behind them. Turning around, they widened their eyes in horror as they found ten Eighth Circle Mages standing before them.
"[Great Teleportation]!"
A gigantic Temporary Magic Circle appeared on the ground as the Spell was cast. Bright light covered everyone''s vision for a few seconds. When it died down, the previously vacant space was filled with ten Legions of Arthean''s soldiers. To make the situation even worse for them, the number of Eighth Circle Mages increased.
"Charge!" eximed each of the Legion Commanders.
Norman and Zanderughed in despair. They found the situation ludicrous. They wondered why Arthean put so much effort into taking them down. They were many but their number didn''t add up to more than six thousand people. It was overkill to send ten Legions of soldiers just to take a Legion of betrayal down.
"Charge!"
At least, that was what he thought until he heard Thompson''s exmation. He looked back to see if his friend had lost his mind; however, at that moment, he found Legions of soldiers that wereprised of Elves, Dwarves and humans.
He had heard some rumours about Basil having managed to coerce the other Empires into joining his side but he had thought it was merely Braxtein''s exaggeration. He was quite bewildered to find out that it was indeed the case.
The surprise also didn''t stop there. To face the fifteen Eighth Circle Mages that the Empire sent, they had eight former Ninth Circle Mages. Each of them was exuding Mana Pressure which was three times more overwhelming than any of the Eighth Circle Mages from the Empire was exuding. Winning was something that they shouldn''t be worried about.
"Bu-Ha-Ha!" Zanderughed boisterously. "Thatd Basil is something indeed. He has everything prepared. Joining his side is going to be the best decision we ever made. I pity those who stand in his way."
He charged at the Empire''s Army after saying his piece. Norman looked at that Zander silently before shaking his head helplessly. He had to agree with what Zander said. With how much power Basil possessed, it wasn''t impossible to defeat Arthean.
Turning to his wife, he put his hand on her shoulder. "Everything is going to be all right. We will get to safety and you will be able to deliver our healthy baby peacefully."
Norman''s wife, Ste, looked at her husband with a soft smile. She nodded her head and said nothing. She knew what her husband would do and she believed in him. Her husband would never lie to her. Everything would be all right when he said it would.
"Ste! Let''s get to safety!"
At the exmation, Ste turned to the left. "Sylvia!" She found Sylvia sprinting at her as if she was flying.
As soon as Sylvia reached Ste, she immediately took Ste to the rear. Norman believed in Sylvia, so he didn''t waste his time watching over his wife. He charged at the Empire''s Army, joining the others. That day, the Arthean Empire suffered its first defeat after a long time. That day, some of its arrogance was beaten out of it.
Chapter 460 Finding Home
"The Empire''s army attacking Thompson and the others have retreated?"
"Yes, Mdy."
"They are surprisingly weak."
"The senior Pacifer''s Servants and the Alliance Army fought well. The Empire''s army was not weak¡ªit was just lesspetent."
A soft smile crept up Eloreth''s face as she listened to the report of the leader of the intelligence squad she sent out to watch over the situation on the battlefield. She never undermined thepetence of her warriors but she was pleasantly surprised by their improvement.
The Empire''s army was not weak. Basil and her fellow Emperors were the only people who could stillugh if it surrounded them. That was saying something considering how special they were. For being able to defeat such apetent army, the Alliance Army needed to bemended heavily.
Of course, the role of the senior Pacifer''s Servants was also important. They didn''t only increase the total power that the army had but also boosted the morale of the army. Things would be different if they weren''t part of the army. Thinking that their loyalty belonged to Basil made Eloreth sigh in admiration.
"What about the movement on the west?"
"Negative, Mdy."
"Oh, so, Lord Basil¡ª"
"However, fifteen Legions of humans that areprised of Sixth, Seventh and Eighth Circle Mages; Blue, Violet and Early-Stage Purple Core Knights; and Pdins areing from the southwest. ording to our calction, they will arrive in two hours."
"He missed but isn''t wrong."
Elorethughed softly in disbelief. She was extremely curious about how Basil could predict anything. She wondered if he could read people''s minds because he understood everyone''s behaviour well. The next move of the Empire¡ªhe had predicted it based on how it behaved.
"Then, I think it is time to proceed with the n." Eloreth looked at the leader of the intelligence squad seriously. "You will propagate the truth about the Pacifer with the Shadows. They wille to meet you themselves, so don''t ask me how to meet them."
Her statement made her feel slightly bitter. Despite the trust that Basil put in her, she still felt like a stranger. She understood that a few things needed to remain a secret but the fact that she didn''t know anything about the Shadows made her think she was unworthy. It made her think that Basil still couldn''t trust her enough.
Shaking her head to discard the thought afterwards, she ordered the intelligence squad''s leader to gather his subordinates. The said leader left the room and as he did, Eloreth could see his shadow flicker like a candle blown by the wind.
Smiling wryly at how astonishing and creepy the scene was, she stood up from her throne and went to the manor that she gave to Basil. She knew Basil wasn''t there but she had to meet someone who refused to leave the manor.
Creak.
She purposely opened the door of the manor loudly but no one came to check who was entering. The Mana in the air spiked soon after and it made her rush to the point where it spiked. It was in the basement. She didn''t bother to knock and just kicked the door open.
Upon seeing what was inside, she was both appalled and terrified. Dantalion was experimenting on August''s dead body. It was dissected and stuffed with a lot of machines and organs that didn''t belong to humans. It would move at times, making it look more alive.
"You could have just told the Shadows that you wanted to meet me, instead of meeting me at my workshop," Dantalion who was standing before the body remarked.
"I¡don''t know where to find them," Eloreth replied in a daze.
"I will give you a tip to find them. Lift your dress and finger yourself¡ªit works."
Dantalion''s weird remark awakened Eloreth from her daze. Blinking her eyes, she said, "That was not an appropriate joke. I thought Lord Basil had taught you to be less vulgar."
Turning around, without saying anything, Dantalion pulled down her shorts. Before Eloreth could ask if Dantalion had lost her mind, she saw the shadow of the table flicker. Turning her attention back to Dantalion, she smiled awkwardly as Dantalion smirked. The experience was rather surreal, yet she was d to know that Basil''s Shadows were respectful men.
"Ah, it is worth remembering that the trick will work if you don''t find yourself in these two situations. First, you are nning to do something bad¡ªthe Shadows are good at smelling ill will. Second, the Shadow watching over you is a female," Dantalion exined as she pulled her shorts up.
"Uh¡thanks for the information, I guess?"
"If you don''t want to take a risk embarrassing yourself, though, try the second method."
Quirking her eyebrow in interest, Eloreth asked, "The second method?"
"Yes. You can just simply ask to be left alone. They will immediately leave. After all, Basil doesn''t tell them to watch over you to spy on you but to protect you."
"¡."
As Dantalion snickered, Eloreth looked at her unamused. She was fully aware that Eloreth would be able to kill her then and there but she didn''t care in the slightest. Looking at that Dantalion, Eloreth shook her head faintly. She wondered how such a calm and quiet person like Basil could stand having her on his side.
"Anyway¡ª"
"Yeah, I know," Dantalion interjected seriously. "Another Ninth Circle Mage ising here."
"Wait, what?" Eloreth asked in surprise. "I didn''t hear anything about this."
"Sometimes, you have to find that out yourself."
"That is¡"
Eloreth frowned and considered fighting on the battlefield. Fifteen Legions weren''t a lot with how manypetent men they had in the army but it was a different story if a Ninth Circle Mage was involved. Humans became the leader of the Great War for a reason. Despite being naturally gifted in Magic, very few Elves could beat Ninth Circle Mages.
They might have the former Ninth Circle Mages with them but relying on them to defeat the Ninth Circle Mage was a ridiculous notion. She was the strongest person that Padeitophys had, so she had to participate if she wanted the army to remain existing.
"Don''t think about it too much, silly." Dantalion''s remark awakened Eloreth from her thought. "I am working on this masterpiece for a reason." Dantalion gestured at August''s body. "Leave it to the army and my creations. You and your fellows will find your time to shine and it is not now. Sit back and rx."
Seeing the look in Dantalion''s eyes, Eloreth finally understood why Basil put up with her. Eloreth was familiar with the look. She often saw it in Basil''s eyes. It was the look of someone who knew too much¡ªsomeone who was fully aware of the grand scheme.
Nodding her head, Eloreth returned to the pce. She ordered the remaining troops to set out and faced the iing Empire''s army.
She told them the number of Legions and none of them was surprised. When she told them about the existence of the Ninth Circle Mage, none of them was surprised either. Befuddled, she asked why, which was something she never did. In unison, everyone answered because they believed in Basil and her.
The answer astounded her. She couldn''t help chastising herself for doubting the army. She saw the brave people off afterwards and then returned to the pce to sit back. She trusted the army like how it trusted her, so she didn''t waste her time worrying about them.
When the Alliance Army was half an hour away from shing with the Empire''s army, Dantalion''s Monsters were released. Those that could fly carried those that couldn''t so all of them travelled airborne. They caught up with the army two minutes before the sh. As soon as they did, the non-aerial Monsters were dropped.
"It is true, huh? That brat called Basil is cooperating with an Obelisk Master."
Amongst the appalled people who watched as the Monsters fell, the Ninth Circle Mage from the Empire looked at the scene calmly. He could tell the supply of Monsters would be limitless. It was troublesome but not something to worry about. The same was also true for the senior Pacifer''s Servants in the army. They would hurt him but he would win.
Thinking about the Empire''s warning of Basil''spetence, a smirk crept up his face. Basil was delusional for thinking the Monsters and his army would be enough to defeat him¡ªhe couldn''t get why the Empire thought the brat waspetent.
Charging at the Alliance Army confidently, his domination of the battlefield began.
¡.
"Great, now he has be overconfident. His death is sure."
"Did you say something, Uncle?"
Basil, who hadmented on what he saw through [Visualization], looked down at thess who was holding his hand. Her green eyes sparkled with curiosity, staring at him in admiration. He smiled wryly inside but softly outside. He shook his head faintly, saying no to thess'' question.
"Anyway, where are we going, Uncle?"
"Somewhere I like about Werspien."
"Oh, I have a lot of that but I want to see yours. Bring me there!"
When Basil asked if he could take Calliope on a walk, everyone looked at him weirdly. Oseya tensed up and Iliana was close to taking out Sinister Piercer. What made them calm down was what he dered afterwards. He told them he wanted to take her as his disciple because he saw a lot of potential in her.
Everyone didn''t question him as they saw the look in his eyes. Oseya immediately gave him the green lights, no longer fearing what Basil might do to her daughter.
Basil didn''t lie; however, he wasn''t being honest either. The true reason why he wanted to take Calliope on a walk was what she had with her. The jewel that was hanging on her pendant was not ordinary. It was a Runestone that was crafted by Solomon. It was the real Runestone that should be attached to Solomon''s Mana Amulet.
It was what would make Solomon''s Mana Amulet part of Solomon''s 9 Seals.
Basil only figured out that the broken Artefact he found deep in the Vyres Forest was an iplete part of Solomon''s 9 Seals after Solomon told him the location of the remaining Solomon''s 9 Seals. Only then did he also figure out about the other effect the amulet had on its wearer.
Aside from elerating the speed of the wearer''s Mana gathering, as demonstrated by Calliope, it protected the wearer from any form of suppression. This was what made Basil floored about what to do since taking the Runestone from Calliope could potentially make her a cowardly child.
"Calliope."
"Yes, Uncle?"
"Since you have be my student, why don''t we exchange something to mark the day?"
"Hmm¡I don''t have any valuable things with me."
"I like the jewel on your pendant. How about exchanging it with this Runestone that will protect you from danger?"
Still, Basil needed to do what he must do.
Chapter 461 Finding Home (2)
Calliope frowned lightly at Basil''s offer. She was quite good at judging people but she frowned not because she could tell that Basil had a hidden agenda. She frowned because she couldn''t just give away the jewel hanging on her neck. Oseya told her it was something precious to her, so she could never lose it.
"This is¡mother''s gift to me when I was born. I am afraid she will be sad if I trade it with you."
"Is that so?"
Basil immediately understood what was going on. The pendant was the only clue Oseya got of Calliope''s identity. Oseya herself might not be so eager to dig up Calliope''s past, but Calliope would reach an age when she wanted to know everything about herself. Oseya wouldn''t be able to help, so the pendant was crucial.
Things got slightly moreplicated for Basil. He couldn''t just take it and said he would help Calliope find her mother in return. He would need to exin that she was adopted and it would be a long story. Besides, he didn''t want to have a bad rtionship with Calliope this soon. He was being serious when he said he took her as his disciple.
"Isn''t that more reason to give entrust it to me, though?" Basil took out a pendant with a green Runestone hanging on it and showed it to Calliope. "It belonged to myte surrogate mother. It is very precious to me because it reminds me of my mistake. It didn''t have any Runes carved on it before, but now it does."
"Is it a magical jewel? Can it write Runes by itself?" Calliope asked excitedly.
"No. I carved it myself because I don''t want the same thing that happened to my surrogate mother to happen to the next person who wears it."
"What happened¡?"
"She died because of myteness. She might still be alive if her pendant had a defensive mechanism."
Calliope''s face was immediately decorated with sadness. She wished she hadn''t asked Basil why the pendant was important to him. She wanted to ask why he would keep something that would pain him but she held herself. She had already reminded Basil of something unpleasant, so she couldn''t risk making him feel sadder.
She held her pendant, looked at Basil and then tapped the ground with her foot continuously. She had a little frown on her face as she pondered her decision. Basil looked like he would be happy if she entrusted her pendant to him and she took his pendant. She was still rather reluctant to trade her pendant but she also didn''t want to disappoint her mentor.
Young as she might be, she could tell the ''exchange'' was to see how far she could trust him and vice versa. Basil was genuine when he said that he wanted to train her as his disciple, so Calliope didn''t want to make him sad by rejecting his exchange offer.
"Here you go, Uncle." Calliope gave the Runestone on her pendant to Basil after pulling it off.
"Here you go, Calliope." In return, Basil put the Runestone he had on the space that was previously upied by the Runestone that Solomon made. "I will entrust my precious treasure to you, so don''t lose it."
"You can''t lose that jewel too, Uncle!" Calliope replied.
"I won''t," Basil said with a smile as he petted her head. "I will always return to your side, so you can always see the jewel. I want you to do that for me too¡ªcan you do it?"
"Of course!"
"Very well."
Putting on the Runestone that was part of Solomon''s Mana Amulet, Basil took down the Istion Spell that had been hiding them from the rest of the world. As they appeared, Solomon''s Mana Amulet shone in blue, causing people to turn their heads to them.
Some wondered when they got there but no one wondered why there was a mysterious light before. As usual, Basil ignored the looks and focused on the more important thing¡ªthe effect of Solomon''s Mana Amulet. He was an unnaturally calm and collected person, but the amulet made him calmer. He could think more clearly and digest things faster because of it.
He unconsciously recalled how Calliope had behaved in the past. Only then did he figure out why she could be careless and meticulous at the same time. She was already a talented individual, to begin with. Supported by the ability to remain calm in any situation, she was an anomaly just like him.
The thought made Basil look at the current Calliope. He wondered if this Calliope would still grow up to be the untamed but brilliant individual she was in his past life without the aid of the Runestone of Solomon''s Mana Amulet.
Whoosh!
"Hm? It isn''t supposed to be cold here, but why do I get goosebumps?" Calliope frowned.
"The wind scares you?" Basil asked.
"No. My body is just being weird."
Basil had let out his killing intent slightly to see how Calliope would react to it. She was very calm about it. She was very sensitive to it, but she wasn''t intimidated by it in the slightest. It was clear that years of wearing the pendant had made her ustomed to pressure and killing intent.
Seeing it, Basil would say that she would be what she was in his past life. With his guidance, she would be even better.
"Since you are now officially my disciple, let''s have some ice cream."
"Ice cream? I don''t think I am allowed to eat ice cream. Mom said it will get me fat. I will be eaten first if a monster appears before everyone."
Chuckling lightly, Basil responded, "Well, she is not wrong, but you don''t have to worry. You have me to save you now." He shook his head lightly. "Besides, eating it once in a while won''t get you fat."
"Oh, it''s so convenient having a Master. I can just tell mom that you allowed me to eat ice cream with youter!"
Shaking his head faintly in amusement, Basil grabbed Calliope''s hand and took her to the nearest ice cream shop. When they got there, the half-cow half-human Demi-Human ice cream maker greeted them with a smile. She turned her eyes to Calliope fondly, signifying that she knew Calliope. It turned out, Calliope was a regr there.
Thess tensed up as Basil turned his unamused eyes at her. She only calmed down when he promised to not say a single word to Oseya.
After getting ice cream, they went to the garden to look at the beautiful bed of flowers. Basil preferred the air to be less moist, but he still enjoyed the moment. Even if it was close to sunset, because of the temperature and the air moisture, the sun looked like it had juste out. Seeing the sunset made them feel like watching someone rewinding the day.
They went back when the night came. Calliope immediately fell asleep as soon as the moon hung high in the sky, so Basil had to carry her to the pce. He didn''t have to walk, of course. He had set a [Teleportation Checkpoint] right before the gate.
sh!
He appeared before the gate after the bright light enveloping him disappear. The guards immediately opened the gate for him, showing utmost respect and hospitality. Kurdva wasn''t ashamed to tell everyone he was defeated by Basil. Everyone already knew who Basil was and they admired him greatly.
They didn''t think their Emperor was weak. Basil was just exceptionally strong and they were right about it.
"Oh my, Calliope. I am sorry for my daughter to inconvenience you!"
Oseya came running at Basil once she spotted him walking on the path to the pce. She was appalled that Calliope, a daughter of a nobody, made Basil, the Emperor''s distinguished guest, carry her like he was her caretaker.
"Be gentle. You can''t afford to wake her up from her sleep," Basil warned as Oseya took Calliope from him.
"Yes, I know. I don''t want to ruin her sleep either." Oseya nodded in agreement before giving Basil a look. "If you don''t mind me going like this, I will guide you to where yourpany are waiting, Lord Basil."
Basil waved his hand lightly. "Take care of Calliope first. I can find them myself."
Oseya looked at Basil hesitatingly for a few seconds before eventually bowing at him. "Thank you for your benevolence, Lord Basil."
Receiving a light nod from Basil, Oseya left for her room to put Calliope in bed. Basil immediately went to the dining room where he could sense everyone was. He got there in less than a minute. Everyone was sitting at the dining table but no one was eating despite the plethora of food on the table. They were waiting for him.
Basil sat down on the seat opposite Kurdva who was sitting on the head seat. Everyone immediately lifted their cutlery and then began eating.
"We talked about a couple of things about the Pacifer," Kurdva began. "I hope you don''t mind."
"The world shall know about the Pacifer soon." Basil waved his hand lightly.
"It is slightly hurtful that you treat us like the rest of the world."
Kurdva''s statement made Basil''spany stare at him in anticipation. They wondered whether he was offended or begging to get roasted by Basil.
"Are you implying that you already know about the Pacifer long ago?"
"It is in our records."
"Then you must be shameless."
"I am extremely thankful for what your ancestors did for us, but I can''t help my nature. The Pacifer are our benefactors. You can''t expect me to believe a brat who suddenly appeared and ims himself to be the descendant of our benefactors."
"You knew I am the real deal since the very beginning," Basil retorted.
"I can''t help my nature." Kurdva shrugged in embarrassment and helplessness.
The room became silent, but it wasn''t awkward. While everyone was still enjoying their meals, Basil had already put his cutlery down. No longer focusing on what he had on the table, he stared into the air. Everyone could tell he wasn''t admiring the morous decorations in the dining room.
He was using [Visualization] to observe the fight between Padeitophys and the Empire''s army. He could see thousands of bodies littering the ground, half of them belonged to the Monsters Dantalion had created.
The battle had stopped, but it wouldn''t be forever. No matter how much stamina they had, the soldiers needed to rest. After all, they weren''t facing ordinary opponents. Each of their opponents knew how to end lives effectively.
After finding out that the Alliance Army hadn''t lost a lot of people, Basil went to look at the Ninth Circle Mage.
"Kurdva, prepare your men and send them to Padeitophys."
From the way the Ninth Circle Mage gazed at the other side, he could tell the said Mage was going to end everything the next day. August wasn''t ready yet; a distraction was required.
Chapter 462 Finding Home (3)
Basil andpany ended up staying for the night because of Kurdva''s persuasion. Iliana and Ione got to sleep but Basil, Xander, and Cyrus had to walk around with Kurdva. The Emperor wanted to introduce them to his close aides, whom he had a lot. It didn''t end until it was four in the morning. By that time, none of the three men wanted to sleep anymore.
The sunrise came a few hourster. The three men were the first to stand before the pce''s gate. They waited for the two female Pacifers, apanied by Kurdva. Many of Kurdva''s close aides wanted to apany them too, but Basil rejected them politely. He didn''t want those rowdy people to surround him anymore.
"Everyone likes you. Ha-Ha-Ha!" Kurdva eximed as he patted Basil''s back. "They say they had never seen such a powerful human in their life. They can''t stop praising you, mate. You have captured their hearts!"
"Had you interacted more with humans, you would have seen one or two people who are just as capable as I am," Basil retorted. "I do agree, however, that I am still the brightest."
"Ku-Ku-Ku! That''s it¡ªthe personality! We like that part about you. You don''t sugarcoat things and say whatever you have in your mind. Your bluntness suits our personality well."
"I guess I also like that part about Demi-Humans." Kurdva grinned and Basil smiled faintly. Waving his hand lightly, he asked, "Do you think your troops will be able to get there before noon?"
Catching on to what Basil was talking about, Kurdva nodded lightly. "Thetest they can be is half an hour into the noon. I know how much power a Ninth Circle Mage possesses, but I believe your army is strong enough to hold on for that long."
"Of course. They can even kill the Ninth Circle Mage."
Surprised, Kurdva remarked. "Then, why do you even ask for a backup?"
"To reduce the number of dead people."
"Fair enough."
The conversation stopped as they sensed peopleing to them. They turned their heads in the direction where they could feel the presence. There, they found Iliana, Ione and Calliope in their hands. The scene made Basil quirk his eyebrow. He wondered why Calliope was with them.
Calliope beamed as she spotted Basil. She looked like she wanted to run at him but didn''t do that because she didn''t want to hurt Iliana and Ione''s feelings. The two growndies knew what thess was thinking and found it cute. They could smile at it but still found it slightly bitter that they ranked below Basil in terms of favourability.
"Master! I just found out the term that everyone uses to call people like me," she shouted. "Human! They call people like me humans!"
The innocence of a child is something one can smile at. However, it is undeniable that it is sometimes mortifying.
What Calliope had just shouted made Kurdva cringe. Oseya was the one who insisted to keep her away from the truth, but he was also an aplice. He felt guilty for thess. She should''ve known what she was from an early age. It was saddening to watch her realise that she was not alone.
"I heard you are going somewhere," Calliope said as soon as she stood before Basil. "Where are you going?"
"Home," Basil answered simply.
"Where is it?"
"Somewhere far."
"My mother told me that once a man says something like that, he will nevere back."
"Tell your mother to find a better environment to look for a partner," Basil quipped with a smile, confusing Calliope.
Shaking her head, Calliope asked, "When will you train me?"
In response to that, Basil took out a scroll. He asked Calliope to give him her hand and she did. Tapping one of her fingers, he made it bleed. Calliope was shocked at first but instantly calmed down when Basil said she was not going to die. The blood dropped onto the scroll, causing it to light up. The Rune did its job and it was immediately sealed.
"This scroll contains the regime and the Carving Manual that I have prepared for you," Basil exined. "You are the only person who can open it and no one will be able to read it even if they take your blood or kill you. Without your consent, this scroll won''t open."
"Oh, that is awesome! But I feel like I will be in danger," Calliope remarked innocently.
Iliana snorted in amusement as she found Calliope''s remark sarcastic. This caused everyone to turn to her and she immediately cleared her throat before acting as if nothing had happened.
"Kurdva understands everything that I write on the scroll; so, if you are confused about something, you can ask him. I am sure he will be d to help."
To assure Calliope, Basil turned his head to Kurdva. This prompted the said Emperor to nod with a light smile. Kurdva thought it would also be an opportunity for him. Basil''s understanding of Magic was simply absurd. He was excited about the insight he would get from reading Basil''s manual.
"Then, when will you train me?" Calliope asked, hugging the scroll.
Basil took a few seconds to think about his answer. He didn''t want to give her an empty promise. He thought about it carefully, so he didn''t disappoint her. s, he couldn''t find the answer. He sighed lightly and then patted her head lightly.
"I can''t tell. I will be busy, so I may be the worst mentor to ever exist in this world." Basil smiled. "You are, however, special, Calliope. I know you can be an awesome individual even without my help."
"But¡what is the point?" Calliope muttered dejectedly.
"This," Basil said, holding her pendant and taking out his amulet. "I wille back to get this back and return your jewel. Therefore, don''t be afraid of me leaving you forever."
Calliope looked up at Basil with her big, curious eyes before nodding with a smile. Basil also smiled lightly and then hugged her, which was surprising for those who knew him. After all, he never initiated a hug with anyone other than Iliana and his family. It made them even more curious about what made him take such a liking toward thess.
Standing up from his kneeling position, Basil nodded his head at Kurdva. Kurdva nodded back and it prompted Deacon to assume his Tyrant Saberwolf form. Saying farewell to Calliope who was looking at Deacon in awe; Basil, Iliana and Ione got on Deacon. After the two senior Pacifer''s Servants stood on Deacon''s side, they took off.
Because of their speed, they disappeared from Calliope''s view quickly.
"Calliope, what is wrong?" Kurdva said in confusion before kneeling in front of Calliope. "Why are you crying?"
"I don''t know, Uncle Emperor. I had always wanted to cry ever since Master came here. It felt like I had finally met someone that I had been waiting for a long time. Seeing him leave makes me feel like I will never see him again. The scene is so familiar. It feels like I had experienced it before¡. I don''t know what happens."
Kurdva blinked his eyes in bafflement at the string of words that came out of Calliope''s mouth. He knew thess was talkative, but he didn''t know thess could talk that much in three seconds. He pondered to himself for a few seconds before concluding. It wasn''t the right conclusion but it didn''t stop him from turning to Calliope in shock.
"Have you found out that he is your father!?"
"Really?"
The unamused look from Calliope struck Kurdva''s heart like an arrow. He was both embarrassed and hurt by the doubtful look she gave him that was asking, ''Is this guy an Emperor?''
"Kuhum! That was a joke," Kurdva stated awkwardly. Waving his hand, he continued, "Anyway, I think I have an idea what you are feeling. Love. Ku-Ku-Ku. What a corny story. You can''t help but fall in love with your mentor, can you? I know that feeling well."
Calliope hummed before shaking her head faintly. She didn''t understand what love was but she was sure what she felt was more than that. What she felt toward Basil was like how she would feel to be reunited with her long-lost friend. She didn''t know how she could even think about that analogy but here she was.
She wanted to discover more about this weird feeling; therefore, she wanted Basil to stay longer. s, he couldn''t, so she could only wait until the next time they met.
¡.
In one of the Commander''s tents, Anthony listened intently to Mei Qi''s story who sat across the table. His wife was talking about what Basil had requested her father to do: find an emptynd that would be enough to host twenty thousand people.
Anthony wasn''t interested in what Basil had done in Huaxia before, but he became curious the moment Mei Qi said that her father had offered Basil to help them. Yang Tian Long was a powerful Daoist. He would be a great help to them. It was bewildering that Basil refused his help because he wanted him to merely look for an emptynd.
He wanted to know more about this emptynd; what was so special about it and such. Much to his bewilderment, Basil didn''t require Tian Long to look for an extraordinarynd. He just wanted an empty and safend. It was an extreme waste to tell someone like Tian Long to do such a trivial job.
"Is he nning to relocate the Pacifer as soon as he finds them?" Anthony mused. "Hmm¡judging by thend''s size, we can even live there with the Pacifer. After all, not many of them managed to survive."
"I have given up trying to understand thatd." Mei Qi shook her head faintly. "You may think you know what he is doing, but you don''t. He is the only one who knows what he is doing and what he will achieve."
"Scratch that. What about Lady Yan? You said that she fancied Basil, didn''t you? Why doesn''t shee to help us?"
"Basil asked her to do something for him. I don''t know the details but it has something to do with Alternate Dimension."
Anthony became even more intrigued. Alternate Dimension and an emptynd gave him an idea but he wasn''t sure if it was even possible. He wondered if Basil was having an experiment and he wanted tomend Basil for his dedication. He was a Mage himself but not as intelligent and diligent as Basil in something like this.
That was until he recalled what Basil said: "I want to create a world where everyone I care about can smile and live happily."
A dumbfoundedugh came out of his mouth soon after. Basil was making a new world.
Chapter 463 Finding Home (4)
"Excuse me, Lord Anthony!"
Anthony and Mei Qi turned to the door of the tent and collectively sighed. They didn''t need to hear what the soldier wanted to say to know what he would say. They could feel it. When someone strong wanted to take a life, his power would alert everyone. The Ninth Circle Mage had mobilized his army.
"Come in!"
"Yes!"
The door of the tent was opened and a hooded figure came in. Anthony blinked his eyes in confusion. He couldn''t feel the presence of the hooded figure and didn''t recognize his aura. The soldier who had notified him earlier came in and his eyes naturallynded on the said soldier. ''Who is this?'' his eyes conveyed.
The soldier looked at him awkwardly before smiling. He nodded his head, further confusing Anthony who didn''t know what that meant.
Quickly deciding that asking the hooded figure directly would be best, he turned to the hooded figure. He was about to say something when the hooded figure pulled down her hood.
"Lord Basil asked us to help you out in this battle. He said you would know how to make us of our prowess the best and I am afraid he might have overestimated you."
Anthony''s mouth closed and opened like a fish taking water in and out. In front of him, a beautiful woman with lioness-like features stood. He knew what she was¡ªa Demi-Human¡ªbut he couldn''t believe he could see one there. He wondered what Basil had done to make the stubborn Demi-Human Emperor send his army this soon.
"The distance between here and Werspien is quite far. I think you need to¡ª"
"We are superior to humans. We can run for a week straight and even do it as we sleep. We don''t need a rest. We will function just fine," the Demi-Human interjected.
"That is a nice thing to hear," Anthony quickly epted. "Well, why don''t we get out and put you in your position? I believe the enemy has been alerted by your arrival."
"We are just as good, if not better, at stealth as the Elf. There is no way for the enemy to notice our arrival."
Just a second after the Demi-Human said that, an explosion was heard. It was a fairly strong one since the ground shook noticeably because of it.
"Well, the problem is that our enemy has a Ninth Circle Mage on their side. no matter how capable you are, I am sure you won''t be able to defeat that monster," Anthony said as he walked out of the tent.
The Demi-Human frowned but said nothing. She immediately realized she was being stupid by being confident in herself too much. Demi-Humans might be hot-headed, yet they were not stupid. As long as their battle instinct didn''t overtake them, they would think better than most humans.
Upon being outside, Anthony was greeted by a Legion of Demi-Humans. He didn''t wonder why the Demi-Human Emperor only sent a Legion because he could feel their aura. They no longer hold it back after the enemyunched their attack. It was overwhelming. Anthony could tell they were the best out of the best.
"Aaron, Cassandra, Carlyle, Glen, take a thousand of them and put them to help your Legion!" Anthony shouted.
"Yes!" the said Legion Commanders replied sternly, appearing out of nowhere.
The Demi-Human Legion Commander watched as the warriors she brought were taken by the Legion Commanders. None of the Legion Commanders casually chose the warriors¡ªthey inspected each of them carefully before ushering them to their Legions like they didn''t even care.
The Demi-Human was mildly impressed. Humans weren''t as ipetent as she thought. Although she knew it would be a stretch, there might be someone close to Basil inpetence amongst the humans.
"May I know who you are, Miss lioness?" Anthony turned to the Demi-Human Legion Commander.
"Shura, the First Legion Commander. I am a Werelion," the said Demi-Human replied.
"I know what you are, Shura." Anthony smiled. "Let''s get the rest of you to join the army, shall we? Ah, do you mind being led by a human?"
"I don''t see races when ites topetence."
"d to hear it."
Anthony immediately summoned his soldiers. Four thousand soldiers gathered before his tent in the blink of an eye, all ready to fight. Anthony asked some questions regarding the Demi-Human warriors'' specialities. When he stopped asking, he immediately assigned them to eight different groups.
Shura watched this process in fascination. She knew what Anthony was doing and he was doing it correctly. Deciding formations and assigning tasks were not her strong suit. She never did that because every Demi-Human warrior knew what they should do.
When it came to battles, the warrior would adjust to the situation quickly. They only needed to see how the other was faring to decide what they should do¡ªthey relied heavily on their instinct and incredible spatial awareness.
What Anthony did wasn''t new to her but still something to revel at. After all, it had always been a gather-and-go for her.
"We are going to fight on the front line, so clench your arse. You don''t want to shit your pants in the middle of the fight," Anthony said to Shura.
Unbothered by the sentence, Shura responded, "So, that is the reason why you have fewer soldiers than others do."
Anthony shrugged lightly and then ordered his soldiers to turn around. He jumped over them and stood before them for a few seconds before leading them to leave the camp. Shura was left behind but quick to catch up. A nce at the back allowed her to see the other soldiers following them closely behind.
She returned her gaze to the front and watched as the Empire Army rushed at them. From their muscles, she could tell the humans were tense, yet she couldn''t sense any fear from them. They were sure they would win. She wondered why because it wasn''t her Legion''s arrival.
¡.
Galvin D''Arch, the Ninth Circle Mage that the Empire sent looked at the scene before him in contemtion. The battle was too easy. He wondered if that Basil Pacifer had something in store for him. Thed was quirky, so he pondered if he should take the risk and dominate the battlefield.
Swoosh!
Another Magic Arrow flew at him. It was sent by the eight senior Pacifer''s Servants who huddled up together in a Magic Battle Formation. He scoffed at the arrow and cast a Spell to counter it. He sent his Magic Arrow to the iing arrow, stopping it before neutralizing it.
Boom!
The explosion didn''t hurt him in the slightest but swayed his body slightly. ''How the tables have turned,'' he remarked mentally. He had never met any of the senior Pacifer''s Servants, yet he had heard of their might from his grandfather. His grandfather had bragged about how he crippled the rival he could never surpass and put the said rival into the Dungeon.
It was mind-boggling to think how quick it was for one''s life to change. If the eight servants were still in their prime, Galvin was sure he had no chance of winning. Fortunately, they no longer were, so facing them was not a challenge. As unfair as the situation might be, he would still technically kill eight legends.
"I think it is worth it now that I think about it that way," Galvin muttered. "Galvin The Ancient Genius Killer doesn''t sound too bad."
Smirking to himself, Galvin materialized his nine Magic Circles and dashed at the eight senior Pacifer''s Servants. The eight servants'' expressions immediately darkened, knowing full well what the result of their sh would be.
The Monsters that Dantalion had created turned their attention away from the Empire''s soldiers to Galvin. They rushed at him madly, ignoring any attack from the soldiers they passed even if it harmed them.
"Focus on your fight!" Galvin shouted. He remained unfazed even though he would face tens of thousands of Monsters by himself.
sping his hands, he then pulled them apart, creating a short sword from Mana as he did so. He grabbed the handle of the short sword afterwards and then threw it into the air. He snapped his fingers, prompting the short sword to multiply. They cut through the air faster than bullets, heading to the Monsters in the air.
Lifting his arms and holding them horizontally, he swung them to the front at the same time. A small, curved Mana de cut through the air, rushing at the iing Monsters like an arrow shot by a Peak Stage Blue Core Knight. It got wider and bigger the closer it got to its target. By the time it reached the target, it was big enough to kill them all at once.
Swish!
The Monsters on thend whose bodies were bisected fell to the ground first. Followed by that, the aerial Monsters who had been hit by Galvin''s short swords fell one by one. The battle was disrupted since everyone had to mind the falling bodies, lest they would be crushed by them. Galvin was, of course, unaffected.
"Hm? A cat dares toe at me?" Galvin quirked an eyebrow as he saw Shura rushing at him. "As insulting as it is, I will still kill her. She has killed a lot of soldiers, so I shall teach her a lesson."
Teleporting before Shura, he shocked the said Demi-Human. He was not a Battle Mage but he was not afraid of fighting at close range. The main reason was, of course, that he was facing Shura. He wouldn''t take a chance if he fought someone of his calibre.
Driving his hand into Shura''s stomach, a ball of energy formed in it. Shura already epted her fate, so she didn''t bother trying to run away. She swung her hand and attempted to scratch Galvin''s face. She failed, unfortunately, but it wasn''t because she died first.
Swish!
"Fucking hell, kitty. What the heck are you thinking taking that monster head-on?"
Anthony saved her from her demise.
"Let monsters fight with monsters."
He gestured at the eight senior Pacifer''s Servants who were approaching Galvin. Sensing no response, he looked down at the Demi-Human he was holding like a sack of potatoes. The said Demi-Human looked up at him. A smirk crept up her face.
"I heard you have a harem. Mind adding another member to it?"
"Hell, no. I can''t handle more than two lionesses."
"Weakling."
"I am, unfortunately."
Anthony chuckled and put Shura down. They turned their heads to the other side of the battlefield where Galvin was fighting the eight servants and decided to remain in their ce. It had only been a few seconds, yet the area in their surroundings had been obliterated. They didn''t hear anything, so an explosion didn''t cause it.
Spatial Magic, something that only Ninth Circle Mages were good at, had been involved. Hearts beating in utter nervousness, the two gulped dryly.
Chapter 464 Finding Home (5)
Amongst the eight senior Pacifer''s Servants in the formation was Georgios Lamviros, Xander''s second-inmand in the old days. As the second strongest person in the Burning Hammer Legion, he had faced countless abominations that could erase a small country with one attack. Nothing could make him sweat. It was, of course, when he still had his ninth Magic Circle.
Standing before Galvin with his fellows, despite being in a Magic Battle Formation, he didn''t feel safe. Sweat trickled down his forehead as he thought about the way to beat the Ninth Magic Circle before them. He and his fellows had been one. They knew well what capabilities a Ninth Circle Mage had.
Inspecting his surroundings quickly made him recall what happened a minute earlier. The Formation that Basil created allowed one of them to get out of the formation to fight the enemy and still had his power boosted. Despite so, none of them did that. It was a good choice.
Out of the eight of them, three were outstanding Battle Mages. They could take Galvin''s head easily had they still had their ninth Magic Circle. Regardless of their skills in closebat, they attacked Galvin using Spells along with the others. They weren''t too well-versed in Spells, but their help managed to make Galvin wary of them.
Saying that they overwhelmed him was, of course, an exaggeration. The most they had done to him was make him sweat. It was a huge achievement for a bunch of Eighth Circle Mages, yet it didn''t make any of them happy. How could they be? Each of them was formerly stronger than the brat they were fighting.
Galvin showcased why a Ninth Circle Mage was worthy to be feared soon. After trading hundreds of Spells; he used one of his aces, something that only Ninth Circle Mages could master, Spatial Magic.
The eight senior Pacifer''s Servants understood Spatial Magic just as well, if not better than him, but the Magic Circle they had lost forbade them from doing what they knew well. Luckily, they were together on this. Thanks to that, they managed to survive the sphere that erased anything it touched.
"My grandfather still couldn''t get over his fear for you lot until thest day of his life. Despite having crippled you himself, he always dreamt about you getting back to the surface and exacting revenge. He killed himself because he didn''t want that to happen."
p¦Á§ád¦Á §«?¦Í¨º|,§ã¨°§® Galvin''s words were out of the blue, so Georgios couldn''t help quirking an eyebrow. "Your grandfather was mental, wasn''t he? Who is this grandfather of yours anyway?"
"I don''t think you are worthy to know his name but I will tell you because I am going to kill you. I am the descendant of Aluin D''Arch. Today, on behalf of my grandfather, I will put an end to your pathetic lives!"
"Aluin? That bastard?"
Georgios and his fellows involuntarily chortled at the mention of the name. Aluin D''Arch was the good-for-nothing¡ªas they liked to call him¡ªwho dreaded going to the battlefield every day. They still remembered how he cried when his feet were cut off. They remembered well how much he hated them for putting him on the front line.
Aluin was by no means talented. He had a chance to be a Ninth Circle Mage but his nature made it impossible for him to ever be one. Georgios and his fellows were sure he remained the way he was until he died. Therefore, it was baffling to know that he had such an ambitious descendant.
"It''s a good thing that you don''t inherit your grandfather''s personality. Your talent is so-so¡ªyou would have ended up as a bigger loser than your grandfather was," Georgios spat mockingly.
"This wanker¡" Galvin clenched his fist tightly. "Let''s see who willugh in the end."
Georgios immediately noticed the expression on Galvin''s face and became serious. As hrious as the situation was, Galvin was still a threat. They wouldn''t be able to defeat him but they couldn''t die quickly. They needed to buy time.
"[Sun Hunter]!"
"[Erased]!"
Both parties sent their Spells at each other before teleporting away. The eight former Ninth Circle Mages had their gigantic arrow made out of Mana flying at Galvin rapidly, meanwhile, the Ninth Circle Mage flicked his finger, sending a marble-sized ck sphere.
As the two Spells collided, both of them immediately disappeared. A blinding light illuminated the world, obstructing everyone''s view. At the same time, hundreds of square metres ofnd disappeared. No one but the fighting parties that a huge chunk of the ground had been obliterated because of their sh. It didn''t make any sound.
When the light died down, the crater was revealed. It was 200 metres deep and 600 metres wide. It was mind-boggling to see so much damage was done by a single sh. The fact that the two parties weren''t even serious yet further made the situation worrying.
No one stopped fighting but they got nervous as they saw each party stand at the opposite edge of the crater. Should the worst case happen, all of them would be obliterated in the sh.
"The moment we run out of Mana will be the end of us. Fortunately, this brat is not talented¡ªwe can y with him long enough to let Anthony and others finished the Empire''s soldiers," Georgios muttered. "Everyone, do your best!"
"Hooh!"
sping their hands, lightning enveloped each of them. A vortex appeared in the sky and it turned dark in the blink of an eye. Galvin looked up and smirked. He couldn''t understand why the eight fossils thought the lightning attack they were preparing would be enough to take him down.
Pointing his finger to the sky, an arrow-shaped ck matter materialized above his finger. Without wasting any more time, he shot it at the vortex in the sky. Lightning bolts tried to hit it but they ultimately failed. The arrow managed to enter the eye of the vortex and nothing would stop it.
When the Spell was about to take effect¡ªas it was about to push everything away¡ªGalvin was shocked by the appearance of another vortex above him. He tried to teleport but the space around him was sealed. As he panicked, a pir of lightning descended on him, engulfing him. He managed to surround himself with a Barrier but he still lost control over his body.
Watching it from afar with every hair on their body standing up because of the electricity in the air, Georgios and his fellows gulped in anticipation. Galvin was caught off guard. If he suffered quite heavily from the attack, their chance of defeating him would dramatically rise. They wished that would be the case but it wasn''t.
When the pir of lightning disappeared, Galvin was revealed. At the same time, they lost control over the space surrounding him. Some parts of his body were charred and his whole body was steaming. He looked worse for wear and detached because quite a lot of his nerves had been charred.
Despite his state, however, the eight former Ninth Circle Mages didn''t dare to approach. They knew how resilient a Ninth Circle Mage was, so they didn''t want to make a fool of themselves and die.
"He seems out of it," one of the senior Pacifer''s Servants remarked. "Though, I don''t want to take a risk and make sure if it is the case."
"Let''s seal the space around him again. We will see how he will react to it," Georgios suggested solemnly.
Extending their hands, the Spellcasters flipped their Grimoires open meanwhile the Battle Mages influenced the space with their Mana. As the Spellcasters chanted their Spells, the Battle Mages'' Mana solidified the space around Galvin. When the Spells had been fully cast, the space waspletely sealed.
Even if he tried to run away, Galvin wouldn''t be able to. This means they could bombard him with all kinds of attacks and he could only defend himself. Given what would happen, Galvin should move by then. He would only kill himself if he kept pretending. He didn''t move, which further convinced the eight senior Pacifer''s Servants that he was indeed out cold.
They looked at each other before nodding their heads in agreement. It was time to take the risk.
Before they could move, however, Galvin straightened himself. It was disappointing but also relieving at the same time; they hadn''t gone there to seal him for nought. The relief soon turned into a frown and wariness the moment they saw his wide grin. One didn''t need to be a genius to tell something was going to happen.
Swoosh!
Galvin didn''t betray their expectation. Even faster than their eyes could blink, he appeared before them as if he was unaffected by their attack.
"Have you forgotten that sealing someone''s space also exposes your space to your enemy?" he eximed.
With sweat dripping down the side of their forehead, the eight former Ninth Circle Mages erected the strongest Barrier they had in their disposals. They cursed themselves inwardly for underestimating Galvin''s capability; they didn''t expect him to be able to do what a few of them could do.
A drill made out of Mana spun before them, digging into their Barrier. Cracks appeared on their Barrier rapidly. They had no way to stop it, so they could only silently wish what woulde wouldn''t sting much. Covering themselves with another Barrier, they epted their fate.
Boom!
As the Barrier shattered, the eight former Ninth Circle Mages were sted away. The impact of Galvin''s attack was greater than they expected. They gritted their teeth as some of their ribs were broken. Fortunately, that was the only injury they sustained. Unfortunately, Galvin didn''t have any n to let any of them go.
As the most provocative one, Georgios was Galvin''s main target. The former Ninth Circle Mage had seen iting, so he was ready to face Galvin. He would lose¡ªhe was sure about it. Without the aid of the Formation, he was no different from a child before Galvin.
Quick casting everything he had written in his Grimoire; he sent all kinds of attacks at Galvin. Galvin paid no mind to it. He merely swept the air with his hand and the attacks sent at him disappeared at once. ncing at Georgios afterwards, he teleported before the said former Ninth Circle Mage.
"Keuk!" Georgios groaned as Galvin grabbed his neck.
"Look into my eyes and tell me what you see!" Galvin shouted.
"The great Georgios Lamviros," Georgios answered with a grin.
Galvin gritted his teeth and said nothing. He didn''t want to argue anymore. Gathering his Mana at the tip of his fingers, he cast a Spell that would reduce Georgios to ashes. Georgios was ready to ept his fate; however, at that moment, what they had been waiting for arrived.
Chapter 465 Finding Home (End)
Galvin looked up with a perplexed look. "What the heck is that abomination?" he couldn''t help but mutter.
Clicking his tongue, he let go of Georgios'' neck and distanced himself from the former Ninth Circle Mage. Its intention was unclear; he couldn''t read anything from the abomination but he didn''t want to take a risk. From the way it came and how it looked, it was obvious that it was not their aid.
Swish!
When the thingnded beside Georgios who was massaging his neck, Galvin took a good look at it. Only then could he tell for sure that it was indeed August who was reported to be dead slightly more than a week ago.
He wondered if the information was nothing but a lie to keep August''s betrayal confidential, so he nned to ask the person himself. He soon abolished his n, however, as he saw what was hidden underneath the robe that loosely adorned his body.
There was a long stitch mark running down his entire torso. His skin colour was sickly, heavily resembling a dead person''s. ck small veins could be seen decorating almost every part of his body. Something sickening was rushing through them. Galvin wasn''t an expert in the human body but he could tell August was by no means human anymore.
"Truly, what is this abomination?"
"It is something that hits harder than you do."
Galvin turned his eyes upwards the moment he got the reply that he didn''t expect. A woman slowly came down from the sky and then graciouslynded beside August. Galvin stared at the alluring woman from top to toe and couldn''t help frowning. He wondered who she was. He didn''t know Basil had her under him.
"Who are you?"
"The one who created this masterpiece. The first Golem created from flesh!"
"So, you are a Necromancer. I didn''t expect that brat to have such a sick-minded person under him."
"Necromancy is inferior to what I do," the woman retorted, offended. "I am a creator and an innovator. I created this bad boy instead of forcing it to move with my Mana!"
"He has more lunatics under him than I thought, eh?" Galvin scoffed.
The alluring woman, Dantalion, frowned. She was by no means amused by the reaction of the simpleton before her. She was well aware that she wouldn''t be able to fight him and win but that didn''t be the reason why she had to be afraid of him. After all, her masterpiece could beat the simpleton for her.
No longer wanting to waste her breath on Galvin, Dantalion scoffed disdainfully. She patted August''s shoulder and then flew to the part that had the most people fighting. Georgios blinked his eyes in bafflement at how carefree she was before turning to Galvin. He scratched his neck awkwardly and then cleaned his throat.
"I think I am going to go too. You can have fun with this¡" Georgios looked at August and then patted his shoulder hesitantly. "¡bad boy. Anyway, I hope you have a great time." Without waiting for a response, Georgios chased after Dantalion and joined the others.
Cursing under his breath, Galvin gazed at August tensely. The fact that he couldn''t read anything from August irked him to no end. He had a simr feeling when he faced a Golem but he had never been this nervous. He could somehow tell August wouldn''t function and behave like any other Golem.
"Well, why don''t you¡ª"
Boom!
Galvin was cut by the sudden Mana explosion that August caused. His eyes widened in utter bafflement as he watched the scene before him. August had materialized his nine Magic Circles. It was an unprecedented event. Golems never had a Magic Circle.
"Cripes!"
The strongest power one can have over one''s enemy is information. Galvin didn''t have any information about the Golem August before him, so he decided to back off. Immediately, the Golem chased after him. That caused him to curse under his breath but he was ready to take on what wasing.
Unfortunately, he forgot to take into ount the fact that the Golem August was not the August that he knew.
Shatter!
His pupils constricted as he watched the Barrier that he had hastily erected shatter. August moved faster than he could anticipate. August didn''t even need to cast a Spell to break his Barrier. It was flimsy, he concurred, yet raw usage of Mana wouldn''t make it possible to break it. Especially, if the one who did it was not specialized in Mana Maniption.
Only some people were good at Mana Maniption and of them was a Battle Mage. August was not one, so it made him wonder how August could do what August had done. Certainly, he already knew the answer. August bing a Golem must have to do with it.
sh!
As troublesome as the situation had be, he didn''t n to back down¡ªnot until he was forced to do so. After teleporting himself, he took a nce at the soldiers. They were starting to get overwhelmed but they still had a chance of winning. No; they had a sure chance of winning as long as he managed to take August down.
Swish!please visit
As he thought so, August appeared before him once again. His breath hitched as he looked into the eyes of the Golem. The eyes contained one thing: kill. Casting another [Teleportation], he was horrified to find it not working. The space had been sealed. The Golem August still could function like a proper Mage.
¡.
Watching everything ongoing through [Visualization], Basil hummed lightly in appreciation. So far, everything had gone ording to n. If Galvin remained stubborn, they would be able to take another Empire''s Ninth Circle Mage down. If he didn''t, it wouldn''t matter since defending Padeitophys was the priority.
He knew what the Empire would do next if they failed to infiltrate Padeitophys¡ªattack the Kingdoms that sided with him. They did fail in overtaking Grittenhein but the same might not be true for Frachtenhein. Especially, when a Ninth Circle Mage was involved. No matter how distasteful it was to admit it, Frachtenhein would be a lost cause should it happen.
Fortunately, Basil had a way to prevent that from happening. Commotion. At this point, causing an internal discord was close to impossible. He had roped in as many powerful humans as possible to his side. Those who stayed wouldn''t join him unless something happened. Therefore, his next target was the civilian.
The scrolls that he gave to certain individuals about the truth behind the Pacifer massacre had caused so much stir that the majority of influential people in Braxtein had changed sides as easily as flipping a coin. None of them questioned the truth.
It proved that people still had doubts regarding what the Church preached. Even if what he gave them was the truth, they only needed a story that made everything click into ces to change sides.
He had more to share and, this time, it was no longer for the influential people. The rumours about the Church''s corruptness were popr amongst the civilians. None of them talked about it, of course, in fear of getting punished. Still, the seed of doubt had been nned. They needed thest push to stop believing and began questioning.
"Share it."
Thus, the order was given. The truth was shared with the civilians. Basil''s Shadows from around the world distributed the scrolls of truth like they were newspapers. Some even went as far as preaching about it in front of the Church, uncaring of the ramifications.
Amotion happened. Many people called the Shadows crazy at first but they stopped doing so the moment they saw how the Executioners, the Priests that were allowed to kill, end the life of the Shadows. If peace and safety were the purposes of believing in the religion, why was violence needed? They began to question something that they never questioned.
The Church wasn''t happy with the development. It only had two choices to handle the situation. First, it had to reassure the people until it got their trust back. Second, it could kill those who yapped about the truth which would reveal its true nature. Thetter was more appealing in short term but it wouldn''t do them any good long term.
Basil had done them dirty.
"Only those who bury something in their backyard are afraid to dig a hole there," Basil remarked, deactivating [Visualization]. He had been using it for three days straight.
"Something good happened?" Iliana, who walked beside him, asked. "You look more cheerful than you always are."
"I am d that you have gotten rid of the cloud in your mind."
"Tsk. I don''t still forgive you¡ªthat was a dick move."
"Just tell me what I should do to make you forgive me, I will do it."
Iliana hummed for a couple of seconds before pping Basil''s buttocks. Basil quirked an eyebrow and she merely grinned at that. Focusing their attention on the front, a solemn look adorned their faces. ording to what Basil sensed, the Pacifer vige was already nearby. They wouldn''t sweat about it if they weren''t close to an Obelisk.
There was no vige in sight, which meant it was located behind the Obelisk Barrier. Basil didn''t need to tell them about it¡ªthey figured it out by themselves. They wondered what happened and how the Pacifer were faring. Given the situation, of course, they couldn''t help thinking of the worse situation.
A restrained grin crept up Basil''s face as he stared at the Obelisk ahead. The First Obelisk, also known as the Obelisk of Bael. It was thest Obelisk he cleared before his death. Thinking about how Goliath, the Obelisk Master might treat the people rted to him made his blood involuntarily boil.
Goliath was not a challenge for him in his past life. It wouldn''t be different in this life. Should Goliathmit something that he shouldn''t, he would make Goliath pay dearly. No one should mess with the people he held close.
"My Lord¡this is the end of the way," Xander said, prompting everyone to stop in their tracks.
"Indeed. It is the end of the way," Basil remarked, looking at the Obelisk Barrier that separated them from thend behind. "It doesn''t mean that we have to stop walking, though."
As hispany''s eyes widened, Basil extended his hand. His Pacifer Seal glowed brightly in gold. When his finger touched the Barrier, it wavered. It looked like water that rippled after someone dropped a stone on it. Their eyes widened even further when a gap that was big enough to let them through appeared on the Barrier.
On the other side of the Barrier, they could see a group of women looking at them with bewildered eyes. All of them were healthy but looked stressed.
"You are¡Maya''s child."
Those words made Basil sure that he had found his home.
Chapter 466 Closer To One’s Root
?
The person''s remark made the senior Pacifer''s Servants who apanied Basil widen their eyes. It wasn''t because they couldn''t believe they could find the Pacifers living unharmed behind the Barrier, nor was it because the beautiful woman was a Maha Dmitra. It was where her eyesnded. Instead of looking at Basil, she was looking at Iliana.
"Ah! You have found the Fated Child," the woman remarked in surprise as she turned to Basil.
She scurried over to Basil and then held his hand. The woman had a very strong resemnce to his mother. Saying they might be twins wouldn''t be an exaggeration. Basil didn''t know his mother well but he was sure they crossed each other personality-wise.
Looking down at the woman holding his hand as if he was the saviour, Basil quirked an eyebrow. He was slightly unnerved by the stars he saw in the woman''s eyes.
"My name is Margaret Pacifer. I am one of the Maha Dmitras taking care of the vige."
Nodding his head, Basil remarked, "You look incredibly stunning. You remind me so much of Maya Pacifer."
Margaret immediately frowned, wondering how Basil could know Maya. "Maya never left the vige after that incident¡. How did you even know¡ªdon''t tell me¡" Her eyes widened in surprise. "I am Basil Pacifer, son of Maya Pacifer. I am here to know more about your origin."
"Maya¡ªthatss¡she did that."
The muttering made Basil slightly impatient. He retracted the hand Margaret was holding and stared at her stoically. This jolted Margaret out of her daze. She turned to Iliana and Iliana stared at her back emptily.
"I am Maya Pacifer''s sister¡your aunt. Thatss over there is your sister¡in a way." She pointed at Iliana who remained silent and stiff.
Basil quirked an eyebrow, telling her to continue with his eyes. Margaret shook her head, bowed at him and then politely asked him to follow her. Gesturing at the two shell-shocked veterans he brought, he told Margaret to lead the way. Busy with their thoughts, the five people followed Margaret absentmindedly.
They were soon awakened from their thoughts when they noticed the gaze that the people were giving them. Some of them were curious about who the five people were but most of them were focused on Basil, or rather, the Pacifer Seal on his forehead.
A reverent look adorned their faces as they looked at Basil. The saviour hade¡ªthey thought blissfully. They had be increasingly sceptic over the past years. Millennia had passed since the First Matriarch dered that the Fated Child would be born. Countless tragedies had befallen them, so they couldn''t help feeling cynic.
They were d they could finally the Fated Child. To be exact, they were d that the Fated Child was born in their era¡ªthey had never once doubted the existence of the Fated Child.
The people''s gaze became more intense as Basil reached the biggest building in the small vige which had no more than one hundred people in it. Without anyone telling him what the building was or asking the Guide about it, he could already tell what it was: the building where all of the Maha Dmitras gathered.
As Basil wondered what the Maha Dmitras would say to him the moment they saw him, Xander and Cyrus looked around nostalgically. Other than the mood, the Pacifer vige remained the way it was two millennia ago. It was still filled with stunning beauties, making them nervous as they were walking in it.
It was hrious for the two old men since they thought nothing would faze them any longer. Unfortunately for them, the two millennia they spent in solitude affected them more than they liked.
"Ah, it is the Maha Dmitras¡"
"Behave yourself. We are in the middle of a historical event."
Xander and Cyrus straightened their posture as five women came out of the building. One of the women was an elderly-yet-beautiful-nheless woman. Two of them looked aged but their beauty and charm could top those of young women. The remaining two were neither young nor old. They looked mature and that aspect made their beauty even more irresistible.
Looking at them, none of Basil''s party made a reaction. Xander and Cyrus were no longer at the age where they drooled over every attractive woman they saw; Iliana and Ione were not impressed because they were beauties themselves and Basil was¡just being himself.
"Wee, the Fated Child," the oldest-looking woman greeted. "Your arrival is something we didn''t expect but we rejoice extremely. We have been on edge for the past years, thinking we will never get the chance to witness the arrival of the Fated Child."
"Basil Pacifer," the handsome man introduced himself politely. "It is nice to meet you, Zina Pacifer. Pardon me for being rude but I need you to tell me what happened to my mother."
The eldest Maha Dmitra widened her eyes before smiling softly. "My¡you do know a lot of things, don''t you?" She chuckled heartily. ncing at Iliana once, she nodded her head. "Well, someone was not being honest, I see. It is no wonder that you are curious about it."
"Will you tell me about it?"
"That straightforwardness reminds me so much of your mother, Maya. She abhorred dilly-dallying." Basil gave no reaction, prompting Zina to smile bitterly. "In a way, I am your great-grandmother, you know?"
"How is it relevant to what happened to my mother?"
Zina''s mouth twitched as her fellow Maha Dmitras chuckled. The Fated Child indeed resembled Maya greatly. Though, they wondered why he didn''t look like his parents. Even Iliana who was the exact copy of Maya still had some resemnce with her father, Halton Rothermere.
Of course, they were just pretending to be clueless so they had an excuse to entertain such a thought. They knew it was because of what Maya had done and it made them worry.
They wondered what Basil''s reaction would be when he heard the truth. What would hurt him more? The fact that his mother had never been by his side or what his mother had done to procure him. Either way, it would be more hurtful if they kept it a secret longer.
Their thought finished when they reached the private guest room that they had prepared for this situation. They didn''t expect to use the room when they built it, but they were d they got to use it.
Sitting on the sofa across from the one Basil sat on, the six Maha Dmitras took a deep breath collectively. They instinctively did that the moment they locked their gaze on Basil''s golden eyes. They couldn''t fathom what it conveyed at all. However, one thing was sure: those eyes made it clear that he was the real owner of the Pacifer.
"Kuhum! It is extremely surreal to think that my in-a-way grandson turns out to be the Fated Child. Gosh, thatss! She always liked doing things without telling me in advance," Margaretmented with an empty chuckle. "Also, I am d that my descendants can finally outlive me."
Margaret had three daughters. She raised them on her own because her husband died the moment she gave birth to them¡ªthe Pacifer''s Curse. She loved them dearly, yet fate was cruel to her. Each raid took one of them from her. She had waited for two hundred years to have them, yet she lost them over decades.
It was truly heartbreaking for her¡ªto bury the child she loved so dearly. She had more than once wished to take her daughter''s ce. She would rather die than bury her daughter again. s, it happened again. Only one of the three twins survived and it was the one who gave birth to Basil''s mother, Maya Pacifer.
She raised Maya lovingly and more carefully than she did her daughters. She had had enough of burying her descendants, so she wanted to keep this one alive as long as possible. s, this one was too adventurous for her good. She had tried to shelter her from danger, yet she still ended uping at it herself.
She eventually gave up telling the granddaughter what to do and she was d she did that because she could once again see her descendant cradling a baby. Her partner was a good man and her child was cuter than she had been.
Things would have been perfect if it remained the same. Much to her indignation, she also lost her granddaughter in a raid. Fortunately, she still had her great-granddaughter. Unfortunately, the said great-granddaughter was not with her until this moment.
Seeing her healthy and alive sitting on the sofa across from her was enough to make her shed tears of happiness. Added to that, she also got to meet the great-grandson whom she thought she would never meet, who also happened to be the person they had been waiting for two millennia.
"Kuhum! Halton Rothermere was a strong man. He surprised me when he dered he was ready to bear the burden of bing a husband of a Pacifer. I like thatd more than I do my husband." Margaret chuckled. "I mean it. Only a few men can live more than a year after impregnating a Pacifer woman."
Looking at Basil''s reaction, Margaret was met with a look that said ''why do I even need to hear it?'' She chuckled again, wondering if she was talking to her daughter.
"From what I remember, Maya had you when she and Iliana were with Halton in Lichtenberg. She was afraid that travelling might endanger you, so she stayed there. She became fond of the ce and refused toe home eventually. Fortunately, her attachment to that ce disappeared right when you were born."
It was the time when Maya thought it was time to return. Iliana involuntarily recalled the day. Small and young she was at that time; she could perfectly recall the memory. She was peeking at her little brother who was sleeping in the crib. She wanted to see her brother''s eyes badly. Those ck eyes of his couldn''t stop fascinating her.
"Iliana, do you like your brother?"
"Hm? Of course!"
She was only two years old but she could already speak clearly. She was beyond intelligent amongst her peers and even surpassed those five years older than she was.
"Are we going back to the vige?" her big red eyes stared at her mother curiously.
"Yes, we are going back to the vige. Your brother needs to see his grandmother," Maya replied with a chuckle.
"Then, daddy, why do you look like you are going to the battlefield?"
"That is¡" Her father hesitated before smiling wryly. "I feel like some bandit will stand in our way."
Her father looked like she was joking, so sheughed as he chuckled helplessly. What happened afterwards would separate her from her brother for more than a decade.
Chapter 467 Closer To One’s Root (2)
?
Bang!
"Daddy, what is happening!?"
The small Iliana opened her eyes as something bumped into the carriage that she and her parents rode to the Pacifer vige. Being an intelligent child, she could immediately tell something was wrong as she looked at her father''s stiff face.
"Don''t worry, honey. Everything is fine. We just hit a fairly big rock." Still, her father joked and reassured her.
The small Iliana shook her head but didn''t say anything. She could tell her father was trying to hide the disappointing reality from her; however, she didn''t want to make everyone even more aware of the already unpleasant situation.
She sat closer to her mother but she couldn''t fall asleep again despite her mother''sforting warmth. She was afraid she would be a burden when something big happened, so she needed to stay awake. Aside from that reason was of course the unpleasant aura floating in the air. It was sending a warning to her mind that it was not the time to sleep.
Bang!
Another hitnded on the carriage they were riding. It was more impactful and concerning this time.
"Ha-Ha-Ha¡we are travelling on a quite rocky road, aren''t we?" her father joked awkwardly this time.
Her mother immediately held her hand. Her face looked as reassuring as ever and it was the only good thing in this situation. At some point, her father looked at her mother with a solemn look. For the first time, her mother''s reassuring face crumpled. Although her mother regained it quickly, it was enough to make her heart pound.
She could see what their eyes were saying: "They are here." She didn''t know who ''they'' were but she was sure they were not good people. The intense hatred and unpleasant intent sted toward her family was proof of that. She hoped dearly nothing would happen in the end but she could somehow tell it wouldn''t be the case.
Not long after, the thing she dreaded happened. Another ''bam'' was heard and their carriage almost toppled. Her mother immediately hugged her as an utmost serious look adorned her face. Her father lost the air of kindness around him and wasn''t shy to take out his spear. His steely eyes made him look as if he was a different person.
"Maya, hold our children. I will take care of those bastards."
"Leave them to me."
Even though her mother looked harmless as she held her and her little brother who didn''t seem to be bothered by themotion, her mother''s aura was reassuring. She could tell her mother was ready to y those who had thoughts of harming her and her brother.
Her mother cut the supply of Mana to the carriage, causing it to stop. Her father didn''t waste his time before going out of the carriage. She was about to ask where her father was going when her mother encased them in a Mana Barrier. She could tell her mother didn''t expect her father to lose but it wasn''t hurt to be careful.
Boom!
A loud explosion was heard before something mmed into the carriage. From how sloppy it sounded; it was the body of the person her father had just in. A couple more ''thuds''ter, everything turned silent. As she was sensitive to human intent, little Iliana could tell things had just gotten more dangerous instead.
Her mother looked the same from the outside but her mood got increasingly worse. She could tell her mother was seething even though she tried to look unperturbed. She could feel her mother''s well-hidden urge to just go out and help her father. Just like her father, her mother didn''t resemble the person she had spent most of her life with.
Little Iliana scrunched her back and held her mother''s hand tighter. In the next moment, the unpleasant aura in the air intensified. The ground rumbled and she could hear her father curse under his breath. She looked up at her mother, wanting to know if her father would be all right. She was about to open her mouth when Mana ripped up the carriage.
With nothing obstructing her vision, she could see the person whom her father was fighting. The man was fully d in white. A cloth was obstructing their faces like a curtain but they seemed to see just fine. The ornaments on the person''s shirt were coloured gold. The man dressed like a holy person but the aura he was exuding was extremely repulsive.
"Executioner¡"
"I don''t like that man."
Her mother grabbed her and got out of the carriage that was no longer usable¡ªa Mana Barrier was still covering them. The man who was d in white turned his head toward them for a moment but soon ignored them. He didn''t think they were threats but also didn''t overlook them.
"I can''t me you fully for falling for that wench. She has the look that turns every man crazy the moment they see her."
"Watch your mouth, bastard. Your filthy existence has no right to call my wife like that."
With the blood covering half his face and the way her father red at the man with his gleaming eyes, his statement felt ominous. His usual calming presence was gone. All she could see was a ferocious beast that would rip everyone''s neck. It didn''t suit her father. She had never seen her father like that. She even wondered if the man was her father.
Then, for the first time, she looked around. Seeing blood on her father was shocking but not traumatizing. Seeing whaty on the ground, however, made her recoil in horror. Mutted bodies littered the ground. The ground was coloured red. It wasn''t a scene that not just anyone could handle; especially, the daughter of the person who created it.
"Close your eyes, Iliana," her mother said softly.
"Mother¡did father¡"
Little Iliana stopped saying anything, already knowing the answer. The two-year-old was endearingly intelligent; however, it became troublesome in this situation. She knew what happened and that made her mother smile bitterly. She failed as a mother by letting her child see such a traumatizing scene.
Children''s brains develop the fastest in their first six years. Any trauma that they suffer will be deeply ingrained in their brains. It will affect their mental growth and shape them as an individual. Therefore, having children traumatized¡ªidental or not¡ªshould be avoided at all costs.
Her mother had failed; therefore, she was extremely sorry. Fortunately for her mother, she was extremely intelligent. Even at that age, she could already tell it was unavoidable. She didn''t tell her mother but her mother knew it. Because of that, her mother felt all the more guilty. It was too soon.
nk!
Children have a high curiosity. Even though her mother already covered her eyes so she wouldn''t see what would happen, she still made an effort to have a look because of the loud sound. Her father''s spear had just shed with the short sword of the man in white. The sparks flying off their weapons captivated her. It was the reason why she fell in love with the spear.
Her admiration soon morphed into horror the moment she saw her father thrust his spear at the jugr of the man in white. The man in white gurgled, colouring the veil that was covering his face red with his blood at the same time.
She closed her eyes immediately and did her best to erase the scene from her mind. She had seen dead bodies and gore but it was her first time seeing how the death happened in real time. As peculiar as it sounded, it was how her brain worked. She was, after all, just a little child: it wasn''t umon for her to get things confused.
"Maya, it is time to run."
The moment she heard her father''s voice, she pulled her mother''s hand down. She tensed the moment she saw her father''s bloody face but immediately regained herposure. Her father smiled bitterly, just like her mother. He was mad at himself for forcing Iliana to mature this soon.
"This won''t be thest. I am afraid we have to separate ways."
"What!? Am I not going to see you again?" little Iliana eximed in disbelief.
Hesitating for a while as he observed her expression, her father eventually approached her and then kneeled before her. He put his clean hand on her head and petted her lovingly.
"Listen, my daughter, Iliana. Today won''t be thest day we meet. We still have the future when we can meet again."
"But, Daddy, why don''t we just go together? Mom is strong¡ªtogether, you will defeat these weirdos in white!"
"That would certainly be the case if we didn''t have your little brother with us. We will be too focused on protecting the two of you to fight properly. That is not a good thing because¡ª"
"We will all die."
Her father chuckled lightly. She couldn''t tell what it conveyed. There were so many emotions in that chuckle: pride, amusement, sadness and regret. She wouldn''t understand why her father was sorry at that time until she became an adult. Words that corrted with death shouldn''te out of a child''s mouth.
"Yes¡therefore, we separate ways. You don''t want to see your brother die, do you? After all, you want to visit Parteron with him."
"Yes, I want to visit that beautiful garden with him."
"Well, now¡" Her father stood up. "Follow your mother. I will take your brother with me."
"What!? I thought I only couldn''t¡ª"
"Iliana, dear, let''s go," her mother interjected.
Her mouth moved up and down like a fish as she tried to form a sentence but failed miserably. She looked up at her mother as if asking if she was fine with how things were and she was met with her mother''s forlorn look.
"I don''t want it either, but do we have a choice?" was what her mother''s eyes told her.
Biting her lips, epting the bitter reality, she went to hug her father. Her father enveloped her in his warm embrace and it would be thest time she experienced it. As she separated herself from her father, she told him how much she loved him. Her father replied after he got her brother in his embrace.
As her mother lifted her from the ground, they traded onest smile. A blinding light covered them a few seconds after and it was thest time she saw her father.
"¡therefore, I know she has a son even though I don''t know anything about him. The moment she realized she would never be able to see you again, she decided to keep everything about you a secret."
Iliana got out of her pool of memories and looked at Basil. The Fated Child remained as stoic as ever even after discovering the truth.
"Why did she do that?"
"To ensure you a normal life. Though, thisss brought you to the life your mother tried to protect you from."
Iliana smiled emptily. She hoped Basil wouldn''t hate her too much for the selfish thing she had done.
Chapter 468 Closer To One’s Root (3)
Chapter 468 Closer To One¡¯s Root (3)
Basil had been dating his sister, both in his current life and his past life. While an incestuous rtionship was not frowned upon in this world, many would still consider it unsavoury. Most of the people who practised it came from families which were obsessed with keeping their bloodlines "clean." Therefore, many people thought those who practised it were freaks.
Although the ''mind your business'' culture in this world was strong, it was still advised to avoid incestuous rtionships. Regardless of the stretch of one''s ability with the help of Magic, one still wouldn''t be able to prevent one''s descendants from getting gic defects caused by an incestuous rtionship.
Of course, it was possible to treat the ailment once the child was born but it would be absurdly expensive. Therefore, only big and old families which had close to unlimited resources could afford to practise an incestuous rtionship.
Basil was no different from most. Despite the privilege that the Pacifer had to have descendants without any gic defects with his sister, he found the idea of marrying one''s sibling slightly repulsive. One may point out it was highly hypocritical of him since he kept his rtionship with Iliana. To answer that, it was worth noting that Basil and Iliana were not normal siblings.
Basil had figured out that he was born from the same mother as Iliana was years ago. He had confronted Lawson about it after talking about Lawson''s involvement in Halton''s death. At that time, like most, Lawson had thought he would squash his feelings for Iliana. However, he did the unexpected by embracing those feelings.
Was Basil not disgusted by himself? No, he wasn''t. The moment he figured out that Iliana was rted to him, he checked his blood rtion with her. It was much to his surprise that he found them unrted by blood. It made him question who his mother was and who his father was. It made him question who he was¡ªwhat he was.
He considered his mother lying when she told him she gave birth to him, yet he knew Maya wasn''t lying. His confusion had prompted him to ask the Guide. He didn''t know what he had expected at that time but he wasn''t surprised when the Guide remained silent. He began to doubt himself and it became the reason why he threw the matter to the back of his head.
His identity got more obscure with each passing day and Iliana was the reason why he could stillugh at it. She was the saving grace from his unclear lineage which was why he kept the rtionship going.
Was he merely a vessel for the soul of The Lord? He was about to find out soon.
"I am sure our rtionship is far more special than any rtionship in this world," Basil said calmly as he held Iliana''s hand, prompting Iliana to let out the breath she had been holding. She was relieved that Basil didn''t change his mind even after getting Zina''s confirmation of the nature of their rtionship.
"It bugs me that I can''t figure out the nature of our rtionship." This statement made Iliana furrow her eyebrows. She thought it was clear they were having an incestuous rtionship. "Despite being born from the same mother, I find us not rted by blood. I wonder what and who I am as Basil Pacifer."
Iliana''s eyes widened, baffled by the information that she didn''t know until then. For all this time, she had believed she and Basil were bonafide siblings rted by blood. It was only logical to think so since they had the same woman giving birth to them. It was at this moment that she realized a bigger thing was going on in her n.
Although she was relieved to find that her rtionship with Basil was justified, she was irked that she didn''t know something that Basil had never been in the vige until that day knew. Therefore; following him, she looked at her great-grandmother, Zina, inquiringly.
"Huuh¡" Zina sighed helplessly as she received her great-grandchildren''s intense gaze. "Can I assume that both of you already know what [One With Nature] allows you to do?" The great-grandchildren nodded affirmatively. "Maya was the most exceptional Maha Dmitra our n had after the First Matriarch. Her brilliance even attracted the attention of one of the Goddesses in Heavenly Throne."
As Iliana''s eyes lit up in admiration for her mother, Basil''s gaze turned stern. As someone whose life was altered by a God, he couldn''t help smelling something fishy. Those pricks had left the mortal world for better living conditions. They didn''t want anything to do with the mortal world; so, when they meddled in the affairs of mortals, they did it for their benefit.
Basil''s tensing up didn''t escape Zina''s eyes. She understood Basil well. As someone whose existence was rted to the rebirth of a God, he must despise anything that was rted to one. Therefore, she couldn''t help smiling bitterly. She could instantly tell Basil wouldn''t like what he was going to hear.
"[One With Nature] doesn''t only allow us to absorb Nature Mana and utilize it as if we are the world itself. Using it, we can also open amunication line with higher beings. Most of the time, no one answers the call¡but someone did that day. A mysterious Goddess talked with Maya, which motivated her to have another child."
Zina looked at Basil in anticipation. She wondered how he would react. She hoped Basil wouldn''t explode and leave the vige in a fit of rage. She was surprised by the nonchnt smirk that appeared on his face soon after. It was as if he had already expected it would be the case.
It was quite unnerving but Zina immediately shrugged it off. Basil was the Fated Child¡ªhe was bound to be iprehensible. Continuing her story, she recounted how Maya decided to get out of the vige and explored the world. She didn''t think about it until then, but Maya might have never nned to let Basil stay in the vige.
It made Zina feel bitter but she had tomend her daughter for her decision. She could still remember how she had reacted when Maya told her she had a son whom she entrusted to her husband. She was livid that Maya left the child every one of them had been waiting for to a stranger''s care. It was only after her outburst that she registered how pathetic she had behaved.
Had Basil stayed in the vige since he was little, she was sure she wouldn''t be able to see him as her great-grandson Basil Pacifer and so was the rest of the vige. Basil would''ve been seen as the Fated Child, the vessel of The Lord''s soul.
As a mother herself, she understood well how repulsive the idea must have been to Maya. Her daughter had made a great choice¡ª
though, it could have been better¡ªand she was thankful for her. Basil was one who always kept his head high. It was ufortable to think how he would have turned out had he been hailed as a mere vessel since young.
"It doesn''t exin how I don''t have any blood rtion with Iliana. Even if my mother cheated on my father, which I highly doubt she did, I should still find some simrity between her and my blood. I am not talking about the colour and anyponents that you can find in every human blood."
The sharpness in Basil''s tone made Zina internally cringe. The boy was too perceptive for his good. Sighing softly, she revealed what she had heard from the Goddess who had motivated her daughter to have another child. She couldn''t help recalling that day.
It was a few months after Maya''s apprehension and Iliana''s departure to Braxtein. The frustrated Zina was crying in the hall of the Maha Dmitra Mansion, thinking about how bad her luck in life was. They had suffered enough from having to live behind the Obelisk''s Barrier but they had to lose another Maha Dmitra. Everyone suffered from it, but she suffered the most since the said Maha Dmitra was her daughter.
She didn''t want to needlessly act optimistic. She knew what the Church would do to her daughter. She even doubted at that time that her daughter was still alive. Therefore, she came to the hall to calm her mind. She wanted to be one with nature, so she could be as serene as it was. It was much to her surprise that someone entered her mind.
"I mean no harm. You can calm down."
"W-Who are you?"
"I am one of the Goddesses of the Heavenly Throne. I am here to tell you about the thing that your daughter asked me to hide from "Hm¡I rather not say that. A good saviour is she who doesn''t say her name, no?"
"What¡ª"
"I am one of the Goddesses of the Heavenly Throne. I am here to tell you about the thing that your daughter asked me to hide from you until death takes hold of her soul, which already happened."
Zina couldn''t tell whether the Goddess was in a hurry or she just wanted to get it over with, but the Goddess didn''t beat around the bush as she exined everything. The amount of information she received hurt her head, but she managed to register everything.
The Goddess revealed that Maya wasn''t present during the making of Basil. She had possessed Maya''s body, which made Basil her son by default. When asked if she was impregnated by a human, the Goddess scoffed. She told Zina that she had also used Halton''s seed as the vessel of the chosen seed that she had kept for a long time.
Despite understanding the fact that a God''s actions were iprehensible for mortals, Zina couldn''t help asking: "Why did you do that?" The answer Zina got was, as she had expected, unsatisfactory.
"The seed will give the Pacifer their second male. I just want to see how much truth thest words of your First Matriarch have."
"Should they turn out to be true, what will you do?" Zina asked, hoping the Goddess wouldn''t say she would kill Basil and retrieve the seed.
"Hm¡what do you expect me to do? I guess it will just mean I lend you a hand. It is not the first time a God helps your n, isn''t it? I don''t know much about that guy, but you shouldn''t be surprised, no?"
"Last question. What motivated you to do it after this long?"
The Goddess remained silent for a few seconds before revealing that she had just seen the future where she wept for the Pacifer''s extermination, so she didn''t want to experience that. Zina didn''t care about the Goddess'' selfish reason. Her mind focused on the extermination of the Pacifer. She figured out why her daughter had agreed to the Goddess'' n.
The Pacifer would never see the day when the Fated Child was born without the Goddess'' intervention. She clenched her teeth and held back her bitter tears as she thanked her daughter for her decision.
Chapter 469 Closer To One’s Root (End)
Chapter 469 Closer To One¡¯s Root (End)
Basil''s birth happened because of a higher being''s intervention. He had been tangled up in the affair of the Gods even before he was born and he was by no means pleased to know that. He wanted to do things that he decided himself. Knowing that information made him feel like he had been walking down the path the Gods had designated for him.
He had been anticipating the move of the God who had given him his second chance and the turn of events added another one to his God-to-mind list. The Lord had the most influence on him at this moment, yet he wasn''t worried about it. He was confident he would be able to devour the said God''s soul. If pushes to shove, he would destroy the soul and risk crippling his soul. It was a price he was willing to pay for keeping his body his.
"My mother gave me a chance to decide my course of life by letting me live outside the vige," he stated offhandedly, earning a soft grunt hum from Zina. "She realized what she did was selfish, so she did that to make amends. Now, I finally understand why she looked afraid when she faced me in the execution chamber."
Maya Pacifer was afraid of rejection. Even though she wasn''t technically Basil''s mother, she was still the one who nurtured him for nine months in her belly. The mother and son bond she had established was just as strong as any other''s bond. Therefore, she was afraid Basil would bluntly tell her she was not his mother. She was afraid he would me her for what she did to his life.
The swirls of emotion he had seen in his mother''s eyes at that time confused him, but he didn''t mention anything about it. He showed his eptance of Maya as his mother by calling her mother and enjoyed the radiant look she gave him despite her state.
Did he regret ever saying that? No, he didn''t. It slightly irked him that his birth and his life were designated to fulfil some God''s agenda, but he didn''t want to me Maya for putting him in that situation. His mother had given him a chance and he had made his choice.
He had chosen to remain a Cobham in the past and it didn''t end well. Although hisck of knowledge had contributed to his choice, he doubted he would side with the Pacifer had he known about his lineage. In this second chance, he had chosen to embrace his heritage. He didn''t do that out of obligation and a sense of affiliation. He concluded it was time to pay the Gods for meddling with his life.
"I will make this one thing clear." As soon as it was said, Zina and the other five Maha Dmitras tensed. "I will not ept The Lord''s soul. My existence as Basil Pacifer is not to be his vessel. I mean more than that. You may disagree with me, hence today shall be when the bad blood exists between us."
The six Maha Dmitras inhaled sharply. They had kind of expected this would be the case the moment theynded their eyes on Basil, but what they heard still shocked them. They didn''t want it to be the case. Their situation was already dire as was, so having the Fated Child having a grudge against them would only throw them into a hopeless state.
The Fated Child didn''t look vengeful, but they didn''t want to bet. They couldn''t read what he was thinking and what he felt. Whenever they tried to sense his emotion, they would only be met with an endless abyss of emptiness. They couldn''t tell how much darkness the Fated Child''s heart had.
Should the Fated Child strike them, they would perish at a faster rate even though they managed to strike him down, which they doubted would be the case. Should he leave them alone, they would still copse since they didn''t have any allies and everyone in this world was thirsting for their blood.
In either case, the Pacifer would perish.
"However, I am not saying I won''t help you."
Basil''s next statement made the Maha Dmitras raise their heads and took them out of their depressing thoughts. They looked at him with widened eyes, hearts beating in anticipation of the conditions Basil would set for him to help them.
"I had helped people who wronged me and a stranger whose death wouldn''t affect me in the slightest in the past. It is unfair to me the Pacifer, my n, for what the Gods did, so I don''t mind giving you a chance. Though, I won''t forget the fact that every Pacifer believes I am the vessel of their God. Therefore¡ª"
"We don''t consider The Lord our God. He will remain our Master and nothing more," Margaret, who had been silently standing with the other Maha Dmitras, interjected.
Ignoring her, Basil continued, "I want you to stop taking me as the Fated Child. Instead, see me as the Basil Pacifer who makes the Pacifer''s name great again."
One of the mature-looking Maha Dmitras, who was around the same age as Margaret, raised her hand awkwardly. She looked like an academy student who was afraid of how her professor would react to her question.
is only known to us, Maha Dmitras. Our people only know you as the individual who will put the Pacifer back on its feet."
"Uh¡may I make one thing clear?" Basil nodded his head, prompting her to sigh in relief. "Your role as the vessel of The Lord''s is only known to us, Maha Dmitras. Our people only know you as the individual who will put the Pacifer back on its feet."
"Your point?" Basil quirked an eyebrow.
"Most will keep calling you the Fated Child Basil Pacifer, but in that interpretation. I hope¡ª"
"I don''t mind."
"Eh?" The Maha Dmitra said dumbly. "I thought you hated being called the Fated Child," she mumbled, befuddled.
"I don''t care with the title people give me. I just don''t like being seen as something that is used to fulfil someone''s agenda."
Basil Pacifer was not a pawn¡ªthe Maha Dmitras could kind of grasp what kind of person he was. Basil had the quality of a great leader: an unbending will, a baffling tenacity, utter serenity, and overbearing defiance. Just being in his presence made them feel confident. His presence was as if assurance of their sess in anything.
"You made me worry for a second there, brat." Zina sighed with a small chuckle. "We have never nned to see you the way you thought we would. It is embarrassing to say this, but we are no longer as loyal as we were. We didn''t want The Lord to be back. We want salvation. If you can help us without the power of The Lord, we don''t need him toe back."
"That is a shameless statement, but I shallmend you for your honesty," Basilmented with a slight smile.
"You sound like an old man. Why don''t you loosen up a little bit? We may not be rted by blood but I am still your great-grandmother by default, you know?"
"I am just experienced¡ªnot old."
Basil''s defensiveness caught Zina slightly off guard, but she didn''t pay any mind to it. She realized it was also insensitive of her to say such a fine young man like Basil sounded like an old man.
Silence enveloped the room as everyone let the tenseness leave their bodies. They looked at each other with a light but radiant smile before turning to Basil. The otherworldly handsome young man remained seated calmly as he observed them. His gaze made them feel bare. They felt like they couldn''t hide anything from him.
''Why do these hags look so flushed? Have they forgotten Basil is taken?'' Iliana thought as she observed the mature-looking Maha Dmitras. ''To think that Margaret is also in on this¡aren''t you supposed to be our aunt, Margaret!?''
Having spent two years living with Basil improved Iliana''s control over her facial expression. She looked unbothered despite her spiteful thoughts. Unfortunately, she couldn''t control her emotion quite well. Some of it leaked into her Mana, amusing the Maha Dmitras.
"My, my; already being protective, aren''t we?" Margaret said in a teasing manner. "Rx, we won''t snatch your prince from you, Princess. Though, we won''t hesitate to ept him should hee to us."
Iliana merely scoffed without saying anything, berating herself inwardly for being too careless. Basil was slightly amused to see someone other than him turn Iliana speechless. He knew what it meant for someone to be able to turn Iliana speechless: they were close enough. He was d to find the Pacifer as genuine as they were depicted in the tales.
"I have two purposes for visiting you. First, I want to im the Fragment that our n holds; and second, I want you to make Iliana a Maha Dmitra before I take all of you out of this ce. Another thing to know is that I have¡what is the matter?"
Basil was about to tell that had made an enemy out of the Human Empire and the Church that governed half of the world when he noticed the Maha Dmitras'' awkward look. Zina smiled shamefully before delivering the news that made Basil scrunch up his nose.
"We were spotted hiding here three years ago by the Demons. Goliath, the Obelisk Master was a tad stronger than this old woman, so we lost quickly. Though, even if it wasn''t the case, we would still lose because of the number difference."
Zina paused to take a breath, but Basil cut her even before she could continue. "You traded the Fragment for the right to stay in this ce."
"¡yes."
"Fine choice."
Zina''s bitter smile instantly disappeared the moment she heard Basil''s response. Her mouth gaped as she stared at Basil with a disbelieving look. Basil wasn''t lying. He was truly d Zina wasn''t being stubborn. Had it been the case, the Pacifer would be wiped out and the Fragment would fall in the hands of the Demons either way.
He was sure it must have been what happened in the past, which means Goliath should have had two Fragments in the Obelisk, which he didn''t. It made him wonder where the other Fragment was at that time, but he quickly put the thought aside. What mattered was that he already got two of them. He would get the Second Fragment from Goliath soon.
Standing up, he made the people wonder where he was going. Iliana knew what her boyfriend would do¡ªseclude himself and indulge himself in training¡ªso she immediately took hold of his hand.
"You have been running around like a madman. Let''s calm down a little bit."
"Iliana¡ª"
"You need to know your n better, so you can get closer to your root."
Basil would like to say it was not necessary, but he held back. Iliana seemed to have something to say; thus, he nodded his head.
Chapter 470 Guilty Pleasure
Chapter 470 Guilty Pleasure
"Iliana."
Iliana stopped in her tracks, prompting Basil to do the same, as Margaret called her. Turning around with a quirked eyebrow, she asked what Margaret wanted with her gaze.
"Once you got Basil to know every part of our vige, I need you to meet us here. We have something important to talk about with you." Margaret then turned to Basil. "I don''t think you find the idea of bing the Pacifer''s Patriarch pleasant yet. Still, you don''t need to be one to know what we are going to talk about."
Basil merely nodded his head and said nothing. Margaret smiled wryly at how casually Basil reacted to that. She had an inkling that he already figured out what they would talk about with Iliana. Regardless of who he was, it was mindboggling.
Saying her farewell, Iliana took Basil out of the Maha Dmitra Mansion. Many nswomen were standing before the mansion, so they were immediately greeted by the crowd upon getting outside. Basil''s status as the Fated Child was legendary. He would''ve gotten away with the attention if he hadn''t shown his Pacifer Seal, yet he did.
Fortunately, the nswomen of the Pacifer were sensible people. They could put themselves in Basil''s shoes, so they merely looked at him curiously from afar and stayed quiet. Most of them hadn''t seen his Pacifer Seal yet and they came to see it. No different from them, those who had seen it, too, came to see it.
The colour of the light one''s Pacifer Seal exuded was significant. Hina Dmitra''s Pacifer Seal glowed in white meanwhile Maha Dmitra''s glowed in purple. Basil''s Pacifer Seal, on the other hand, glowed in gold which they had never seen before. The profoundness that Basil''s Pacifer Seal was exuding was iprehensible, evoking reverence from those who saw it.
"Iliana, you don''t know where to go, do you?" Basil called out as they had been standing motionlessly while looking at the crowd for more than fifteen seconds. "This is not the same vige that you grew up in, after all."
Iliana merely cleared her throat, turning a deaf ear to Basil''s statement. Fortunately for her, Ione came to her rescue. Her eyes lit up as the said female Pacifer walked over to them after finishing her chat with her friend. Ione quirked an eyebrow as she looked at her but didn''t say anything. She knew what she had to do.
"Want to look around?" Ione offered.
"That will be lovely," Iliana responded dly.
"Why didn''t youe in?" Basil asked, ignoring Ione''s offer.
"I figured that you needed some privacy, My Lord. You were going to hear about your heritage, after all."
"I thank you for being considerate, but it was unnecessary this time. I don''t mean to hide anything about my origin, although not everyone should know."
Ione nced at Basil and Iliana''s tangled hands and nodded her head. The thing that Iliana was afraid of when Basil "knew the truth" didn''t happen. She was happy for her friend but couldn''t help the bittersweet feeling she had in her heart. She shook her head and stomped that feeling down as soon as she realized what she was thinking about.
Motioning the couple to follow after her, she took them around the vige. Nothing much could be found in the Pacifer vige. Most of its area was decorated by houses that were built out of specially processed earth. They looked simple yet artistic. There were some rivers in the vige, but they were manmade. The world behind the Obelisk Barrier wouldn''t have natural rivers.
Some part of the area was reserved for crops. The Pacifer had a knack for cultivation, so the crops were going extremely well. The living condition in the vige was good. If not for the fact that the Demons were threatening to reim the area, the Pacifer would have had a peaceful life.
Basil could ask the Guide how the Pacifer ran the vige but he didn''t, because he would have no reason to talk. The stare they got as they walked around the vige already made the walk feel slightly awkward, so he didn''t want to prolong the silence to make it even more so.
"How do you trade?" Basil asked.
"We don''t," Ione answered.
"We provide every nswoman what they need and don''t ask for money. The currency in the vige is ''ask,''" Iliana borated. "We produce everything by ourselves. When weck raw materials, we will send some chosen people to go outside."
"Surely, you don''t buy raw materials."
"Yes, we gather them," Ione confirmed Basil''s statement.
The Pacifer''s interaction with the outside world was getting scant for thest ten years. With the intensity of the Church''s hunt for their heads, they were forced to stay away from civilization. The Church had many agents spread around the world, so encountering them in civilized areas was not rare. Therefore, the Pacifer hunted, not traded.
"Do you have rules in this vige?"
"We have a simple one: those who feel oppressed by the Maha Dmitra may leave the vige and seek the meaning of freedom by themselves. Some nswomen do think that we are merely wasting our time by waiting for the Fated Child who, in their opinion, is not real."
Ione was displeased by that fact but didn''t despise the nswomen who thought that way. If it wasn''t for her mother, she would have also thought like them after all. It was hard to keep believing when all one got for it had been sufferings. The nswomen made a logical decision, just not the right one. Still, they weren''t to be med.
"Now that My Lord is here, our remaining concern is poption. We haven''t interacted with other people for quite a long time and with our distrust of them, we find it hard to reproduce. Our nswomen are more romantic than pragmatic, so they don''t want to sleep with anyone just to get their seed."
"How many widows do we have?"
"Out of the seven hundred and sixty-six members of the Pacifer, we have two hundred and fifty-six widows. The rest of them remain virgins because of our condition."
Basil wanted to ask how many "experienced" virgins they had but held himself back. Age was a touchy subject for some people. Regardless, the Pacifer was truly on the brink of extinction. Most of them would attain immortality once they became a Ninth Circle Mage, but it wouldn''t change a thing. The lineage would end if they were killed before they could reproduce.
Basil thought about a way to kick up the poption but immediately berated himself. He was almost thinking about making his people emotionless baby factories. The romantic Pacifers would reproduce when they found the right person. His duty was not to encourage them but create an environment where they could find the right person.
"Even more reason for us to demolish those bastards sooner," Basil said calmly.
Iliana stopped in her tracks, holding Basil in ce. Ione stopped in her tracks a secondte and turned in wonder. Light of understanding entered her eyes when she saw Iliana''s eyes nted on the garden beside them. Iliana was just like her mother, Maya: she loved flowers dearly.
As Iliana dragged Basil to the garden, Ione took that as a cue for her to leave. She figured Iliana needed to talk; thus, she left. At least, she was about to do that until she felt Iliana''s gaze bore a hole into her head. She turned around with an awkward smile before eventually sighing as she walked over to the couple.
They stayed silent until they were in the centre of the garden. The wind made the flowers sway and their hair flutter. The fragrant smell of the flowers was carried by the wind to their nose, bringing a calming sensation. Afortable silence engulfed them until Iliana decided to break the silence.
"Master Lawson came here on the day Mother was captured. I was ying in the garden when that happened," Iliana reminisced, earning Basil and Ione''s solemn attention. "I can remember vividly his hardened and regretful look. Mother immediately knew what happened and handed me over to him."
Iliana relived the memory. She saw her mother''s stern look and it made her afraid to ask. Everything was like a d¨¦j¨¤ vu. The atmosphere and the way her heart was beating were simr to that day. That day became thest time she saw her father and her little brother. This day might be thest she could see her mother. Unfortunately, she turned out to be correct.
"Find your brother and guide him! Don''t fail him as your mother did you!"
She couldn''t forget her mother''sst words. She wanted to cry every time she recalled them. Despite the things her mother had done for her, her mother still felt inadequate. The memories that her mother had made with her were unforgettable. She enjoyed every moment she spent with her mother. Her mother shouldn''t have said that.
Lawson didn''t waste his time as he immediately took off and take her with him. It was at that same time that the Pdins barged into their vige. The nswomen came out of their houses. Maha Dmitras exerted their power and an earth-shattering sh between them and the Pdins broke out.
Iliana watched in horror as a group of Pdins surrounded her mother. She wanted to scream, but Lawson held her mouth close. Fortunately, her mother made it through her predicament. Though; sadly, her mother didn''t triumph for long. Lawson was forced to fight the Pdins trying to stop him, so she had time to watch as her mother began to get overwhelmed.
She could have just left and survived, but she didn''t. Her mother protected the other nswomen, leading to her capture. She saw it with her own eyes¡ªthe scene of her mother getting dragged by her hair as if a worthless potato sack¡ªas Lawson took her away. Her eyes went blurry and she was already in Braxtein when they cleared up.
She sat silently on Lawson''s sofa, emptily gazing at the regretful man. He was trying hard to make himself look unbothered, but his guilt could be vividly felt in the Mana that he was exuding.
"Kid, I am sorry I couldn''t do much. I watched as your father got executed and looked away as your mother got captured. Keeping you safe is the only way for me to make amends to your parents. I don''t need you to like me, but trust me. Okay?"
She didn''t feel like it, but she nodded her head. Years passed and they got closer with each passing day. Though, she remained defiant until the end. She already got desperate around this time. More than a decade had passed and she hadn''t found her little brother. It was purely a coincidence that they met in the Regional Tournament.
She could immediately tell it was him because of the strong Pacifer aura he was exuding. Much to her horror, the moment their eyes met, her heart skipped a beat. When he smirked at her, she fell in love. Ever since that day, seeing Basil as a man became her guilty pleasure.
Chapter 471 Shaking Grip
Chapter 471 Shaking Grip
"You are my sce. You are the only thing that keeps me away from the thought of solely living to exact revenge."
Iliana been a vengeful person in Basil''s past life. She had often gone for days ande home bruised and battered. Whenever he asked what happened, she had always answered him with ''some trash stood in my way.'' He didn''t know at that time what she meant by that. She thought she had people after her which was one of his reasons to get stronger quickly.
The enemy had never been after her all along. She sought them, which led to the Church figuring out her true identity. At that point, Iliana was no longer vengeful; but karma was catching up to her. The Church''s Executioners actively sought her, aiming to end her life without alerting anyone.
One day, they seeded and it changed him forever.
"Was it hard for you to move on from Mother''s death?" the Fated Child asked.
"No. It was surprisingly easy, but I couldn''t help gnashing my teeth when I thought about the Churchying its hands on my brother," Iliana answered with a scrunched-up nose.
Basil nodded his head in understanding. He finally understood why Iliana had suddenly gotten over her revenge in the past. He med his old self for his denseness. He should''ve seen how protective Iliana was with him. She had never been vengeful. Everything she did was for him. He was weak; therefore, Iliana felt the need to keep slithering snakes away from him.
Iliana became less active after his breakthrough into the Violet Core Stage. At that point, even the most prodigious Seventh Circle Mage had to bow before him if he told him to do so. Many Purple Core Stage Knights from the Empire even came to ask him to join their rank. He was already strong enough to not need Iliana''s protection.
In this life, Iliana didn''t have to repeat what she had done in the past. Basil was already a capable man since the first time they met. She didn''t feel the need to assume her role as the elder sister because she saw him as an equal. She didn''t need to hunt for the slithering snakes who had yet to see him. Thus, the soft and na?ve Iliana was born.
Although Basil preferred the mischievous and cold Iliana of the past, he loved this Iliana more than the Iliana of the past. This Iliana didn''t force herself to mature. This Iliana matured naturally because of the situation she was thrown into. Iliana of the past suffered emotionally and she had to wait quite a long time to heal. Though, in the end, she wasn''t fully healed.
That Iliana was sad which was why Basil didn''t want to let this Iliana end up like that. Iliana wasn''t the only one who regretted what she couldn''t do¡ªhe did too.
"My brother is an outstanding man. The moment our eyes met; I could immediately tell. I was afraid to tell you I was your sister because then you would shun me, telling me you didn''t need me. Ah, but I was making an excuse. I fell for you that day, so I didn''t want to gross you out. It was exciting, you know? To be a lover with my sibling."
Ione cleared her throat awkwardly while ncing at Iliana. She was wondering if Iliana knew what she was talking about.
"Well, at least, I know now that I am not into an incestuous rtionship. I am just into you." Iliana shrugged.
"How can you tell?" Basil asked with a faint smile.
"I still feel excited thinking about sleeping with you even after knowing you are not my biological brother. Though, I am still saddened that you are a Demigod."
Ione coughed, perplexed. "What? Being a vessel to a God''s soul automatically makes you a Demigod?"
"Oh, you didn''t know?"
Ione shook her head faintly at Iliana''s quirked eyebrow. The fact that Iliana just found out about it means that it was kept a secret by the Maha Dmitras. Her mother might be a Maha Dmitra, but her mother wouldn''t tell her anything about it. Even Iliana was allowed to know because she would be a Maha Dmitra soon.
"In the end, My Lord has to leave, doesn''t he?" Ione said with a small sad smile. "We worried that you might leave us after receiving the Lord''s soul before, but now we have to worry that you will leave the Mortal World and join the Gods on the Heavenly Throne."
"Why do you think I will?" Basil asked curiously.
"Because¡it''s the Heavenly Throne."
Ione frowned lightly. She couldn''t think of more reason for Basil to go there. The Heavenly Throne was the realm where the Gods lived. Basil might be a Demigod then, but he would be a God in the future. The Gods would surely take him when he manifested Divinity.
"My home is neither here nor on the Heavenly Throne. I will create it myself and it will also be yours," Basil retorted with conviction.
Blinking her eyes once, Ione soon blushed. She got the wrong idea, but Basil didn''t bother to correct her. Iliana quirked an eyebrow at the scene but immediately shrugged it off. It wasn''t her first time seeing Basil make someone get the wrong idea. He preferred not exining what he meant and she was already used to it.
Though, she was still curious about what Basil meant. He had mentioned Yang Tian Long taking his family to look for a vastnd. She didn''t know what it was for before but she could roughly grasp what Basil was going to do this time. It must be rted to his goal of making his and everyone''s home. Though, she had a feeling that it was more than that.
"Does your being a Demigod have anything to do with your meeting with Mother?" Iliana asked, attracting everyone''s attention. "How did you meet her anyway?"
"I went back to the past," Basil answered simply, shocking them. "To be exact, I connected my soul with her soul. She was using [One with Nature] before her execution, so upied the connection that she provided."
"How could you even¡I see." Iliana realized whom she was talking to, so she dropped the matter quickly. "How was she when you met her?"
The light of curiosity in Iliana''s eyes began to dim as she thought about the implication of her question. She was asking Basil to describe how was her mother during herst minutes. The memory of her mother being dragged by the hair remained a nightmare for her. She couldn''t imagine how she would feel after hearing the gruesomest moments of her mother.
Despite so, she wanted to know. She wanted a reason to not spare anyone standing in their way. She wanted something that would fortify her heart as it began to waver upon seeing her enemy''s pitiful state. As painful as it was for her to hear it, she needed to.
Basil could read what Iliana think and shook his head faintly. Iliana already had enough reason to not spare anyone who sided with the Church. She was still too soft. Even if he described how pitiful Maya was when he met her, Iliana would still spare those bastards if she remained soft. What she needed was no longer a reason but a strong heart.
As Basil described the positive side of his meeting with his mother, Iliana frowned lightly. She wanted to hear about the gruesome details of her mother''sst moment. When she looked into Basil''s eyes, her words were caught in her throat. It was at that moment that she realized she was relieved Basil didn''t tell her what she wanted.
His ''are you sure?'' gaze was enough to deter her.
Seeing the dejected Iliana, Ione pped her hand. "Well, now that the two of you already know each other and explored the vige, I will introduce myself." Iliana turned to Ione and thanked her with her eyes. "My name is Ione Pacifer, I am Margaret Pacifer''s daughter. Nice to meet you two." She ended her introduction with a smile.
"Did my grandmother adopt your mother?" Basil asked.
"Yes. Grandma Zina adopted a lot of kids because hers didn''t survive."
Ione scolded herself after saying that but heaved a sigh of relief when Basil and Iliana didn''t seem to be bothered by her insensitiveness. Though, she was kind of bothered by Basil''s wondering look and his small smile of amusement.
"You are different after arriving here," Basil remarked.
"Fu-Fu-Fu. Ione is rambunctious, you know," Iliana said with a chuckle.
With a horrified look, Ione jumped in front of Iliana and covered Iliana''s mouth. It was quite bizarre for Basil to see her being that energetic. Basil shook his head and sat down. He gazed at the sky of the Pacifer vige and noted it was no different from the sky outside. Unfortunately, the atmosphere wasn''t too good there. The calming scent the flowers had was spoiled by the vile aura the Obelisk was exuding.
His eyes turned sharp as he gazed at the Obelisk from the corner of his eyes. He could feel someone was trying to peer into the vige that was protected by the Barrier that the Pacifer had cast. He wanted to immediately go there and y the culprit but he couldn''t. He needed time to increase his power. The current him would die after an exhausting exchange.
Ione and Iliana stopped fighting and looked at the solemn Basil. They immediately knew what he was nning to do, so they were equally worried and excited. A big change would happen soon. The Pacifer would make its name known once again.
Chapter 472 Shaking Grip (2)
?
It took Basil two days to integrate himself into the vige. Knowing the ins and outs of the vige could be done through the help of the Guide, but he didn''t ask the Guide anything as he wanted to get to know his big family directly. The Pacifer nswomen still found it boggling that the person they had been waiting for hade, but they no longer put him on a pedestal. At least, some of them no longer did.
Basil couldn''t warm up to just anybody. He was naturally stoic and aloof. Given his demeanour, he always gave off the aura of absolute regality that would put any King to shame. This made many nswomen feel unworthy whenever they interacted with him. Some wouldn''t even hesitate to kiss the ground before him, which never ceased to irk him.
The Maha Dmitras themselves had a profound respect for Basil. Even though they could joke around andugh together with him, Basil could tell they still couldn''t bring themselves to treat him as casually as Zina did.
He honestly felt quite disappointed that Margaret, his aunt, also couldn''t bring herself to be casual around him. There were even some instances when she identally treated him as if he was her master. It was as if she was putting on an act whenever she treated him like her proper nephew. He knew, though, Margaret behaved that way because of the Pacifer blood.
The Lord truly owned the Pacifer. Basil realized this even more uponing to the vige. Every time he activated his Pacifer Seal, a lot of the Pacifer nswomen wanted to kneel before him. It came instinctively. Margaret and most of the Maha Dmitras also felt the same but were better at controlling themselves.
"We only have one month to clear up this ce and announce our presence to the whole world. The Church has been secretly cooperating with Demons. The fact that we are still not found yet means Goliath thinks we are still useful to him. Nevertheless, we need to kill him as soon as possible. The Church might offer him something which is enough to entice him soon."
In the meeting room of the Maha Dmitra Mansion, Basil sat at a long round table along with the Maha Dmitras, Iliana, Ione and the two Pacifer Servants he brought. Everyone''s eyes were nted on him who upied the head seat. He looked everyone in the eyes, epting their hopeful gaze. He didn''t feel burdened as he was sure he would fulfil their expectation.
"Therefore, I will like to introduce all of you to someone." This remark made everyone quirk an eyebrow, but Basil didn''t bother to exin who this someone was. "She will help you a lot in things you think you are already good at."
They got even more curious about whom Basil would introduce them to. They scanned the room sneakily, anticipating a presence that they hadn''t registered, but didn''t find anything. They wondered if Basil would introduce them to the said someone through a Visual Orb. It would be weird, though, since that someone wouldn''t be able to teach them directly that way.
Completely floored, they gave up. They just looked at Basil in expectation, hoping for him to let them see the person whom he was going to introduce. Given the look, Basil took out Durendal, much to everyone''s bafflement. Iliana, however, had a look of realization as she had figured out who the person was. She had met the person on Mount Khirokiev.
Her guess was correct as the beautiful woman who hugged Basil when he lost consciousness after his fight on Mount Khirokiev appeared in the room. Her long azure hair fluttered graciously in the air without the wind blowing it. Half of her face was covered by her veil, but it didn''t obstruct her radiant beauty. Her sharp eyes swept through the room and only softened when theynded on Basil.
"Meet my spiritual wife, Asia," Basil introduced simply.
"Esteemed Lady!" the senior Pacifer Servants eximed.
"Great Matriarch!" the Maha Dmitras shouted in shock.
Iliana took a few seconds to process the information. She pondered about the title Basil gave to Asia before realizing who she was. It slightly bothered her that Basil had such an intimate rtionship with the First Matriarch but she was quick to shrug it off. Since it was Basil, it wasn''t wrong for him to call Asia that. After all, he was indeed the soul vessel of The Lord who was Asia''s husband.
"Hello, my descendants. Before I guide you as I should, I would like to apologize for my absence during your hard times," Asia said melodiously before gracefully bowing. "You can''t say you don''t mind my absence. You may berate me for that and if you don''t want to, you can simply ept my apology."
Her words made the Maha Dmitras pause. They straightened their posture before saying in unison, "We ept your apology. Now, please; raise your head, Great Matriarch."
Asia raised her head and smiled pleasantly. Her smile made everyone''s heart flutter. Her otherworldly beauty attracted both males and females. Even Iliana needed to remind herself that she already had Basil. It also made her wonder how Basil was not head over heels for Asia given the fact that she was in his mind 24/7.
Realizing that Basil might be serious when he called Asia that way, Iliana quipped her head toward him. Her eyes were asking for an answer and Basil merely shot her a confused look as if he didn''t get what she was on about.
"My husband''s return is not the only solution we have in our hands. The na?ve me of the past thought that he would be able to solve everything if he was given a second chance." Asia gazed at Basil fondly. "Meeting Basil, I realized how wrong I was. There is always a way as long as we determine ourselves to stand on our feet and not lean on someone else."
Despite her words, Asia leaned on Basil. Iliana gazed at Asia coldly but couldn''t find herself hating Asia somehow. It was in for her eyes to see that Asia bore feelings for Basil, but she didn''t find their interaction irritating. It felt just right to see them that way, but she still didn''t like it. It was very conflicting.
"We can face our hurdles without myte husband''s or Basil''s help. With my guidance, it is possible. Now that we have my loyal servants and Basil on our side, nothing is impossible. The world shall know the might of the Pacifer again."
Without wasting a beat, the Maha Dmitras knelt and lowered their heads, "It is such an honour to receive your guidance, Great Matriarch!"
Both Iliana and Asia blinked at the scene. Iliana couldn''t believe her grandmother would easily kneel before someone else meanwhile Asia was slightly baffled by the Maha Dmitras'' enthusiasm. This brought a smile to her face, which then turned into a smug grin. It was invisible because of her veil, but Basil could easily see it. Therefore, he pinched her cheek, bewildering the Pacifer Servants who had been silently watching the scene.
"Ow! That hurts," she whispered. "You can pinch me somewhere else and it would have made me feel good."
"Mind your image, Asia. This is not my Mindscape," Basil reminded her.
"Ah¡that''s right. Kuhum! Arise, my descendants!" Seeing the Maha Dmitras stand up, Asia nodded her head. "Very well, let''s drop the formality. It''s tired acting all mighty." She immediately gave up her front. "Call me whatever you want but don''t call me Great Matriarch. I am not old."
"You technically are," Basil retorted.
"Oh, shut it, dear. Age is not defined by how long we have lived but by how we live our lives. For that, I am forever young," she dered proudly.
Receiving the baffled looks the Maha Dmitras shot her, Asia coughed awkwardly before exining her past. She told them about how she was sealed in Vagus'' sword and how his nature affected her. She also told them about how Basil''s Sword Soul merged with her soul after he freed her. In short, she was ming many things for her personality.
"If you want to know how Basil behaves without anyone around, look at me. I am the personality that he has been suppressing." Again, Basil pinched Asia''s cheek. This time, for her remark. "Ow! I have told you to just pinch me somewhere else!"
Basil did as he was told and pinched her nose. Asia merely pouted and stopped acting as if Basil hurt her, ignoring the disbelieving look everyone gave her. Indeed, it was hard to believe that the mighty and brave First Matriarch they had been hailing was such a person. Most of the time, it is better to not meet one''s hero.
"Very well. Now that everything is clear, I want Asia to guide the Maha Dmitras and help Iliana be a Maha Dmitra as fast as possible," Basil said seriously, prompting Asia to put on a solemn look. "Xander and Cyrus will guide the nswomen in the way of fighting. Teach them everything that will make them good warriors even if you have to draw their blood."
Basil was not joking when he said they were in a rush. Everyone might think getting the Pacifer out of the Obelisk was the only thing they should focus on. Basil, on the other hand, could feel something was going to happen soon. He might have pulled the Beastman, the Elf and the Dwarf to his side, but his instinct told him even their help wouldn''t be enough.
That was, of course, if they didn''t seriously prepare. Therefore; after thinking about it for two days, he scratched his original n. "What are you going to do, My Lord?" Xander asked, wondering if he and his fellow servant could have the honour to train with Basil.
"I will conquer the Obelisk of Bael," Basil answered simply. Receiving everyone''s dumbfounded gaze, he put his hand on Asia''s head and said, "Asia will be the indication of my survival. If she slightly fades, that means my life is in danger. That will happen a lot, you don''t have to worry."
"I will follow you," Iliana said sternly.
Basil had always been like that. He knew his capability well, so he never did anything that he wouldn''t seed at. The bad thing about it was that he would always go forward as long as he deemed himself capable. It never happened before, but it didn''t mean he wouldn''t find himself in a situation where he could no longer turn back.
"You are weak¡ªstay," Basil said bluntly. "I can guarantee you I won''t die but you can''t do the same. If you follow me, you will only be a hindrance. Of course, I don''t mind protecting you. However, I prefer you to improve your skills."
Basil spoke with a soft non-aggressive tone but Iliana''s chest still ached. The irrefutable reality was hard to ept. She spent a few minutes pondering to herself before nodding her head. She had determined it would be thest time she couldn''t stand on Basil''s side.
Chapter 473 Shaking Grip (End)
Chapter 473 Shaking Grip (End)
"Are you sure you are going alone?" Zina asked neutrally, hiding her worry.
She wouldn''t have hesitated to show her worry for her grandchild if the said grandchild was Iliana. However, the grandchild that she worried about was Basil the Fated Child. Although she still saw the young man as a grandson¡ªfollowing his request¡ªshe worried she might offend him by worrying about him. After all, it could be interpreted as her doubting his capability.
"I don''t want to have my feet dragged by anyone," Basil replied bluntly.
Margaret and the other Maha Dmitras seeing Basil off winced. They were Ninth Circle Mages and yet didn''t dare to rebut Basil''s statement. They didn''t need to see him in action to tell he was not an ordinary Seventh Circle Mage. The amount of Mana surrounding him without his activating his Magic Circles was enough indication already.
Shrugging off Basil''s earlier remark, Margaret looked around. She was looking for Iliana, the lover of the amazing young man who was about to leave. She couldn''t find her which bewildered her slightly. She had thought Iliana would bete. She didn''t expect her to note. It seemed to her Iliana was still upset about what Basil said the day before.
''Though I can''t say Basil was wrong. Iliana would indeed only drag him down if she followed him,'' Margaret mused. Sighing inwardly, she muttered, "You could have sugarcoated it, though. What a straightforward young man."
Basil quirked an eyebrow, prompting Margaret to shake her head faintly with a smile. Iliana''s absence didn''t perturb him in the slightest. He knew well how stubborn his lover was. He would have been disappointed if she had spent her time sulking at the moment; but fortunately, Iliana wasn''t such a person. At this moment, she was already training with Asia.
A smile slowly crept up his face, making the hearts of the young and vigorous female Pacifers flutter. Basil nodded his head as a farewell and patted Ione who was also there to see him off for thest time before turning his back on them. Then, without saying anything; he stormed off and disappeared into thin air.
The women''s eyes instinctively turned to the Obelisk on the west. That ce would be where the fate of the Pacifer would be decided: whether they revive and prosper or get decimated once and for all.
¡.
Around the same time that Basil departed for the First Obelisk, the world was sent into an uproar. The unaffiliated Mages or what many people knew as Travelling Mages had disappeared from the world. In other words, they went into hiding which was something they would never do.
Although it was strange for them to do that, it wouldn''t have been something surprising under normal circumstances. However, given the current state of world affairs, their actions only meant one thing: they had picked a side. In the uing great war against Basil Pacifer, they would side with the mon enemy.'' Of course, this shocked everyone.
The rumours and the truth about the Pacifer n that Basil shared had never been aimed at the selected individuals inside the Kingdoms. Basil had released the information to pull Travelling Mages to his side.
He had expected some of them to join his side, but he would also be surprised when he heard that all of the Travelling Mages came to his sideter (he still didn''t know around this time). More than half of the Travelling Mages were exiled from their Kingdoms for ridiculous reasons. Their resentment toward the Kingdoms was strong, therefore they joined his side.
"I guess saying all strawberries are sour because I tasted a sour one once is not fair to the other strawberries."
"No one will me you for that. Most people die without ever tasting a sweet strawberry in their lives."
"A sad truth, indeed. Luckily, I havee across my sweet strawberry today."
Outside of the Great Forest of Yitoupheo; Anthony, Alphonse and Manfred stood facing a bearded man in a ragged cloak with their army behind them. The three men looked at the bearded man with caution in their eyes while wondering why he looked extremely familiar.
As if aware of what they were thinking, the bearded manughed raucously in amusement. The action baffled the King trio, but they didn''t do anything other than frown in confusion. When the bearded man ceased hisugh, he wiped down his face as if he was wiping a dirty window. Much to everyone''s surprise, his face changed.
The dusty face that made him look like a pitiful beggar was nowhere to be seen, reced by the face of a fair-skinned mature man. The unkempt and curly long beard, as if it had been trimmed, turned into a short beard that framed his face, further enhancing his mature look.
The vigorous appearance of the man which was a stark contrast to his previous appearance wasn''t what surprised everyone. They recognized his face. They wouldn''t be able to forget it even if they wanted to. The man had done something too memorable to be easily dismissed.
"You are¡"
"It''s been a long time, Anthony, Alphonse, Manfred."
"Myles¡"
Myles thu Arthean, the weakest Prince of the Arthean Empire who was thought to be dead had appeared before them. Thepetition in the Empire was harsh, especially in the Royal Family. Power was something crucial if one wanted to survive. Myles didn''t have that, so he was kicked out of the game first. It was something everyone had foreseen, therefore no one thought much about it.
Of course, not everything one perceives is the truth. Some lucky individuals knew how fearsome Myles truly was. Amongst them were Anthony, Alphonse and Manfred who got close to him during their days of training and facing dangerous events together. They knew the reason why the other Princes were trying their hardest to kill Myles the weakest Prince.
Therefore, when Myles was dered dead during an Exploration, the three of them were shocked. They knew what Myles was capable of. The supreme genius shouldn''t have died so easily in a measly Dungeon. They knew, of course, why that Myles fell¡ªhis siblings. That day became thest day they ever befriended someone from the Empire''s Royal Family.
"H-How?" Anthony asked, still shocked.
"Those bastards will never be able to kill me," Myles answered with a smirk beforebing his red hair to the back with his fingers. "I ''killed'' myself. The Exploration was just a farce to kill the people my father assigned to monitor me and unshackle myself from my father''s shackle. Ku-Ku-Ku. It was the best decision of my life."
"Your body¡I saw your body being cremated. How was that possible?" Alphonsemented.
"Ah, you still can use your eyes back then. You mustn''t have noticed it." Seeing a confused look on Alphonse''s face, Myles exined. "For a genius like me, do you think it will be hard to make a hyper-realistic human body with Magic?"
"The emperor was also there. He should''ve noticed," Anthony pointed out.
"He did. Though, he did nothing."
It was a day after his cremation that Myles was faced with an event that made him think he would die for real. His father who barely lifted his bum off his throne met him in his hide. His father came silently without any announcement. He couldn''t register his father''s presence despite sitting in front of him. His father looked no different from an illusion but he was indeed his father, the emperor.
His father remained silent throughout the ten minutes he spent looking at him. He sat on the corner of his hide. His face was half-covered by the shadow, so he couldn''t make out the expression his father made. He also didn''t exude any Mana, so guessing what he was thinking about was also impossible. His father remained himself no matter where he was.
He had expected himself to meet his end, but the end never came. After ten minutes of silence, his father stood up and turned his back on him as if challenging him to stab his back.
"I see you have made your choice. What a waste of talent."
Those words kept ringing in his head whenever he recalled his father. He didn''t know what his father meant by that. What he could tell that day was how truly powerful his father was. That day, he figured out the reason why humans became the leader of the five races.
Pulling himself out of his memorynes, Myles'' face turned solemn as he gazed at his friends. "I would like to meet your leader, but I know he is not here. I don''t know where he is, but if he was here, he wouldn''t let you greet me. He must know how dangerous I am."
Anthony and his fellow Kings nodded their heads in agreement. They didn''t need to be Basil to tell how powerful Myles was. He was hiding it very well, but his presence couldn''t lie. He was just as domineering as Basil was whenever he stood on the frontline.
"The rumour has it that Basil Pacifer is an extremely powerful individual. I won''t deny that, but I want to know how strong he is." Myles frowned. A gleam of fear could be seen in his eyes. "Although he had killed two powerful Ninth Circle Mages, we can''t becent. That man¡my father is different. I don''t know why he is satisfied with only Arthean with that much power."
"We must prepare."
Everyone had the same thought. Basil was unbelievably strong but he wasn''t invisible. He would be even stronger when he became a Ninth Circle Mage, but there was no guarantee that the Emperor couldn''t do the same thing when he was at Basil''s level. As ridiculous as it might sound, they couldn''t dismiss the possibility. After all, Myles'' judgment shouldn''t be faulty.
Putting the worry for the future aside, the three Kings focused on the matters at hand. They quickly weed Myles and asked him toe with them. It was the moment when Myles revealed he broughtpanies. The ground lit up as tens of thousands of Magic Circles appeared on it before revealing the Travelling Mages who had suddenly vanished from the world.
Everyone''s face beamed. The Travelling Mages were d that they finally had the chance to end the Empire''s farce, meanwhile, Anthony and the others were happy that they could strengthen their forces again.
As the footing of Basil''s faction became more stable, the hold that the Empire had over the people was getting weaker. This was further exacerbated by the thesis that Chester published: "The Origin of Magic and The Lost History." It talked a lot about the not-so-amazing history of the Empire and the not-so-beautiful true faces of the Four Heroes.
As everyone questioned their worldview, the Empire''s grip was shaking. It had to decide whether to strangle its people or let them go.
Chapter 474 The Great Silence
Chapter 474 The Great Silence
Thenguage used to form a Spell heavily resembled an existingnguage which had existed thousands of years before it was born. The uncanny resemnce between the twonguages made Chester wonder if the former was derived from thetter. Therefore, he created a thesis addressing the matter.
It was originally titled "Dragon Language: The Origin of Spells." It was the thesis that Chester had shown Basil back when they were still part of the Braxtein Kingdom. It was the reason why he had died mysteriously in Basil''s past life. However, the truth behind the not-so-amazing history of humanity''s great invention, Spells, was not what angered a certain group of people.
Everything had an origin. It was not a shame to have the origin of one''s greatness from another''s prided identity. In this case, inventing an inferiornguage that almost gave the same effect as Dragon Language was not something to be ashamed of. On the contrary, it was something to be proud of. It proved humanity''s genius and innovative minds.
Chester would have been rewarded heavily if he had only talked about it, however, he had chosen to figure out the reason why humans could use Magic in the first ce. Humans had Magic Circles. What a stupid thought it was indeed. One would simplyugh at him if not for the fact that he questioned the origin of the power of the Four Heroes.
Of the records he had managed to get in his hands, he couldn''t find a single paragraph mentioning or even implying that the Four Heroes had Magic Circles, yet they could use Magic. At one point, he wanted to believe they were Gods, but many records stated they were just normal warriors before they invented Magic Circles.
Chester entertained that thought for a long time and it brought him to the origin of Magic Circles. Given the fact that thenguage used in Spells originated from the Dragon Language, it was not strange to think that Magic Circles imitated the way Dragon Hearts behaved. However, Chester knew it wasn''t the case. Magic Circles behaved the way the Demon Hearts behaved.
Magic Circles were human''s most groundbreaking invention. Given such history, would humans still take pride in it? Some people might find it hard to immediately answer. However, it didn''t matter. Chester was insinuating something sphemous given the statement he had given in the beginning. "How could the Four Heroes use Magic if they didn''t have Magic Circles?"
Chester proposed a hypothesis. The Four Heroes might have Demon Hearts beating in their chests. One might question why he didn''t consider Dragon Hearts. The answer to that question was simple. In the Age of Chaos, it was far easier to secure a Demon''s corpse than a Dragon''s. Besides, before knowing how to use Magic, securing a Demon''s corpse was the extent of our ability.
The hypothesis that Chester proposed was hard to refute since the Four Heroes disappeared for a few years before reappearing and teaching Magic to humans. It was sensible to think that they were using that time to invent Magic Circles, but the same applied to the possibility of their trying their best to control the power of the Demon Hearts.
In the end, the Four Heroes used the power they had to defend humanity and the other races that cooperatedter from the Demons. Regardless of its shady origin, it was still a good thing. A sensible person should think that way. However, as amunity that viewed the Four Heroes as Gods, the Church couldn''t ept it.
The Four Heroes were far holier and nobler than Demons. They couldn''t have their names associated with Demons.
"Chester Cowdray, huh? No one on that heretic''s side is sane, indeed. How dare he even thinks that our Gods lent the power of an inferior existence¡ªDemons? Laughable, don''t you think? We need to wipe that faction clean as soon as possible. It will only corrupt the minds of the correctly aligned people."
"Great Pontiff¡many people already begin to suspect us. Given the fact that one of our executives even had cooperated with the Demons once, it is slightly difficult to convince the people."
"Do you know what to do when dogs don''t listen to their owners?"
"That is¡"
"Yes. Show them what pain is. Heretics have no ce in our world. Pacifer''s sympathizers shall fall alongside the Pacifer. Make it clear to the people."
"As youmand, Great Pontiff."
Sitting on his throne in the Great Church of Azarthan, the Great Pontiff Jaheim Abremson grabbed the handrest of his throne so hard that his hands turned white. He didn''t want to admit it but Basil had got them. From this point onward, whatever they did, they wouldn''t have the people''s sympathy. Luckily for them, they still had control over the people.
It didn''t matter if the people were no longer sincere in supporting them. As long as they remained doing whatever they were doing, the Church''s footing would remain the same. It was distasteful that they couldn''t remain the holymunity until the end, but they had no choice. They would do what they needed to do to prevail.
In another part of the world, the King of Braxtein Aldrich Agonheart Braxtein who seized the throne from his father was frowning as he looked at the two files he had in his hands. One of them contained Chester''s thesis which was recently published through unknown means and the other was the tale about the wronged n, the Pacifer.
Each of them was targeted at a different audience. Chester''s thesis was targeted at the intellectuals¡ªthe Mages¡ªmeanwhile, the tale about Pacifer n was targeted at the civilians who blindly believed every single word of the Church. Basil''s motive wasn''t hard to figure out. He didn''t want to gain the people''s sympathy; he wanted to shake the grip of the Church and the Empire which sided with it over the people.
The simple solution to this problem was to control the people with oppression. They could also try their best to convince the people otherwise but it would take time. Basil''s increasingly growing influence needed to be stopped. They couldn''t let their focus split. In other words, no matter route they chose, they would be at a disadvantage.
They would be able to anticipate Basil''s next moves by oppressing the people and controlling them like puppets, but they would reveal their true colours to the people in return. In case they focused on softly solving the matter, they would give Basil time to devise a n to crush them.
It was obvious what they would choose¡ªoppression. The people already knew that. Therefore, the moment they got the information intended for them, they immediately prepared to quietly leave. Learning from their experience, none dared raise a voice. They remained silent and acted as if nothing happened.
"The people are awfully quiet regarding this propaganda. Have they learnt from their mistakes?" Aldrich said as he looked down at the people from the balcony of his pce.
"That may be the case. It is also possible that you no longer have Basil Pacifer''s sympathizers in your Kingdom, Your Majesty," Eldridge answered, showing no emotion in his tone.
"What do you think about it, Eldridge? Does this information sway you?"
"I am afraid I don''t get what you are insinuating, Your Majesty."
Aldrich hummed to himself as he caressed his chin. Silence descended upon the room and it made him feel lonely.
"For once, let me hear your thoughts as Eldridge Wein the Mage, not Eldridge Wein the King''s Counsellor," Aldrich stated softly. "Supposed that what Chester hypothesizes is true, who is the strongest force in this world currently?"
"The Church."
"Why do you think so?"
"Because¡they may have means to control Mages all around the world."
The Four Heroes who invented Magic Circles were said to be inspired by Demon Hearts. As the closest faction to the Four Heroes, there was a high possibility that the Church knew more about Magic Circles than the Magemunity did.
Given their paranoid nature, Mages wouldn''t hesitate to think that the Church might have developed a way to control them through their Magic Circles. Even if that wasn''t the case, it might render their Magic Circles useless through unknown means.
The fear wasn''t as baseless as one might think given the fact that Priests and anyone affiliated with the Church could use something akin to Magic without using Magic Circles. The Church imed it was Miracle, the power of Gods, but what if they utilized an advanced form of Magic Circles which freed them from the fear of getting controlled by others?
The more the Mages entertained the thought, the more fearful they became of the Church. Even if their assumptions were to be proven to be mere paranoia in the end, the course of action they needed to immediately take was clear: get away from the Church and the Empire.
"Nothing happens on the surface, but there are hundreds of people missing already for the past three days. We managed to detain the civilians but we lost tens of Mages and Knights," Aldrich remarked. "What an amusing situation! Who knows silence is more fearsome than riots?"
With a smile, Aldrich turned Eldridge. The old counsellor still bore the same expression as he did before, but his heart was beating wildly. He had thought Aldrich wouldn''t notice the disappearance of the people, but he was wrong. Aldrich was far too intelligent to miss that. Unfortunately, he had to report every single one of people''s disappearances from this point onward.
"Pay close attention to the talented individuals. Seize them before Basil''s influence gets over them. Make them my loyal dogs. nt a ve Seal on them! As for the civilians¡we need people to do mundane jobs, so don''t kill them. nt a ve seal on them and make them work under us. We need to pay close attention to them."
"¡as you wish, Your Majesty."
It was unfortunate that he couldn''t get the talented individuals out of Braxtein, but Eldridge couldn''tin. A lot of bright individuals would die at the hands of Basil''s faction, but at least the civilians were pardoned from that fate.
Aldrich had seen the significance of the civilian roles in the Kingdom, so he no longer ordered his subordinates to kill them mercilessly. Even at the expense of the Kingdom''s bright individuals, saving hundreds of thousands by doing that was not a bad trade.
It was the best thing Eldridge could do. Even though he couldn''t prevent Braxtein from its fall, at least he could ensure the lives of the civilians.
The world grew silent. It was as if no one paid attention to the information Basil had shared with the world. Of course, everyone knew what was truly going on. Silently, people changed sides. Thus, the great silence prevailed until the Church openly dered Basil and anyone associated with him its mortal enemy.
Chapter 475 The Silent Cry
?
"What a dark age we live in. Not only do we have to be wary of Demons, but also others. History repeating itself, huh? Now, you can''t live without siding with anyone."
"Has it not always been the case, though?"
"What do you mean?"
"Anyone who went against the Empire was a traitor. What makes it seem different this time is that the traitors have a faction."
A sobering silence descended between the conversing people. They were but ordinary Knights who couldn''t choose sides. It was not that they were indecisive. To have a voice, one should have a fist. They didn''t, hence, they had to follow the words of those who had it. they were betraying themselves, yet it was their only way to survive.
"I heard that the Pacifer faction is ridiculously strong. I can''t help but worry about our survival."
"Basil Pacifer is the Kingdom''s supreme genius. He was already the strongest Mage in Braxtein when he was a mere Sixth Circle Mage. Now that he has be a Seventh Circle Mage, how powerful do you think he is?"
"He has defeated a Ninth Circle Mage. That Ninth Circle Mage was said to be the survivor of the Age of Chaos. I think we don''t have to argue about how powerful he was. Imagine what will happen if Basil bes a Ninth Circle Mage, which he will."
The Knights grimly hummed to themselves. Amongst the ten of them, the strongest of them was merely a Peak Stage Blue Core Knight. It was already impressive under normal circumstances, yet they were facing Basil''s faction. There was another name for Basil''s faction: The Hide of Geniuses. It hosted so many geniuses that everyone couldn''t help but gulp in nervousness.
Anyone with a sane mind and a working brain could tell whom they should side with. While the Empire and the Church still had the upper hand given their military power, it might notst long. The emperor himself had expressed that he was wary of Basil. Basil was bound to be an incredible powerhouse himself. Therefore, no matter how few sided with him, his victory was guaranteed.
The Empire and the Church were painfully aware of this fact, therefore, they sent these Knights to eliminate people who sided with Basil. Basil was hard to catch and kill, so they only targeted his people. They wanted to instil fear in the mind of everyone who followed him that doing so was equal to courting death.
A lot of Knight and Mage squads were sent out, yet very few returned. It was even rarer for them to bring the bodies of their deadrade home. All of them had two simr stories. Either they didn''t know what ambushed them or they had a confrontation with Basil''s faction which they lost humiliatingly.
"About the monster that the Pacifer faction has¡have you heard about it? The one that almost killed the genius Galvin D''Arch."
"The rumour about it is very obscure. I can''t tell if they mean it literally or if it is just a metaphor."
"I think they mean it literally."
At the remark of one of their fellows, every head turned to the said person. They looked at him as if he had grown another head. This Knight had been silent since their departure. They didn''t expect him to say a word, so his joining the conversation was a delightful surprise. Attentively, they listened to what the Knight had to say.
"My friend was part of the Legion sent there to confront the Pacifer faction. Their initial mission was to kill a group of escapees. However, it was but a cover for a greater, more dangerous mission. When they reached the border of the Great Forest of Yitoupheo, the Ninth Circle Mage and his Eighth Circle Mage entourage showed themselves. At the same time, thousands of people from the Pacifer section also showed up."
The Knight recounted the story as if he had experienced it himself. Realization quickly dawned on the others and they immediately nodded inwardly. They knew where the story was going and what the Knight was going through. When a warrior evaded the battlefield, he must have seen something that traumatized him.
"My friend was too dumbfounded by the situation that he only swung his sword without inflicting any significant damage to the people attacking him. Probably it was out of pity, but none of them minded him. He retreated to the back line and watched as everything unfolded. Despite the stark difference in number, the Pacifer faction held their ground very well."
A solemn look decorated the face of the Knight. His hands trembled as he stared at them hauntingly.
"When the bnce was about to tip because of Grandmaster Galvin''s participation, August Rancuser, the old monster from the Age of Chaos whom Basil Pacifer killed descended from the sky. At a nce, he looked human, yet you could tell he was no more. His skin was as pale as a dead person''s. His gaze was empty, but you could feel his overbearingness."
The Knight looked up and met his fellows'' shocked gaze with his empty gaze. "There is a reason why what happened that day remains a secret to this day. It was a haunting experience for all of us. Basil Pacifer has the means to turn your dead body against your friends. The message was clear: either we fight for him alive or we die to fight for him."
Upon listening to the story, one would immediately think someone on Basil''s side practised Necromancy. Dark Magic was something that everyone frowned upon. It should have been a perfect chance for the Church to nder his name but they didn''t do anything about it. It could only mean two things: either it wasn''t Necromancy or they were too caught up in their worry that they couldn''t care less.
The Knight who was present on that fateful day gave the nine curious Knights the answer to their wondering. None of the Priests who were present could do anything to August. Calling August a monster was correct since Miracle didn''t work on him. It was this fact that made the Pacifer faction even more fearsome.
The Empire and the Church didn''t have any counter for the ace cards Basil had up his sleeves. What they could do was overpower Basil through sheer power which was getting harder to do. They didn''t want people to realize that. Therefore, they remained quiet and kept everything a secret.
Rustle.
Everyone was jolted out of their grim thoughts when the bushes shook faintly. With the paranoia filling their mind because of how mysterious Basil''s faction in handling their enemy was, they didn''t even think that it might just be a small animal.
They took out their weapons, activated their Aura and attacked the bushes. rity quickly returned to their mind and they stopped when they saw nothinge out. As they were about to heave a sigh of relief, their adrenaline shot up through the roof. In the blink of an eye, they were surrounded by hooded figures.
The gears in their mind turned as they tried to figure out where the hooded figures hade from. They couldn''t think up the answer, so fear immediately overwhelmed them. Their eyes frantically scanned the surroundings looking for an escape, yet they didn''t find it. They had only one choice: run.
"Wait. Take me with you."
"What¡ªwhat are you talking about?"
At that moment, the Knight who had recounted the haunting story stood up. Under everyone''s shocked gaze, he calmly approached one of the hooded figures. He even had a relieved smile on his face. The development was so bizarre and bewildering that the rest of the Knights questioned if they were having a dream.
"Kneel. You have to be enved until the war ends."
"Of course, I don''t mind."
Listening to the order of the hooded figure, the Knight dly knelt. A small Magic Circle appeared in front of his chest before shrinking and leaving behind a ve Seal. Soon enough, he stood up with glee on his face. He turned to face his bewildered fellows and shed them a smirk.
"As someone who has seen the atrocitymitted by the Empire and the Church, I know who is in the wrong. As someone who has tasted the power that the Pacifer faction has, I know who is going to win. This is my advice for you: choose wisely. It''s better dying as a victor than living as a surviving loser."
Silence descended upon the ce after the statement. The hooded figures revealed their daggers and it sent the Knights on edge. The glinting daggers were as if a deration of their death. They thought about the words of their fellow and made a choice. Thus, the hooded figures took action.
No one returned from the mission.
¡
Bam!
"Gah! Frustrating! Why is the human body so frail? I thought Mana toughens you up!"
"I don''t know just how many times you want to say it."
"Shut up, you stuck up Prince! Just do your job!"
"I would like to say the same thing."
In the deepest part of Padeitophys, the Empire of the Elven Race, the two brightest individuals in the Great Forest of Yitoupheo bantered amongst themselves. One of them was a well-endowed blonde-haired woman and the other was a red-haired handsome mature man. They were no other than Dantalion and the supposed-to-be-dead third prince of the Empire, Myles thu Arthean.
Both of them were focused on the materials on their table. Myles was busy figuring out the correctposition to make the best healing potion meanwhile Dantalion was busy reconstructing August''s destroyed body.
While the battle on the border of Yitoupheo sent shivers down their enemy''s spine, they still suffered quite a huge loss. It wouldn''t be a stretch to even say it was akin to their having burned most of the wax of their candle. With Basil away, Golem August was their ace. With it broken, they were quite prone to extermination.
Fortunately, they had a way to rebuild their candle or, in this case, fix Golem Caesar. Although the body was heavily damaged, the core was still in pristine condition. As long as they could fix the body, the Golem would be ready to wreak havoc again. This was the reason why Myles was doing his best to concoct a potion that would work on a dead body.
"Say, what will you do if you seed in making it?"
"The potion? Well, I guess the era of the Priests wille to an end."
"Healing Potions have been around for centuries. I am asking about what you will do with such a powerful Healing Potion."
At Dantalion''s question, Myles quirked an eyebrow. A Healing Potion that worked on a dead body was indeed amazing, however, did it even matter if the body was already dead? Therefore, his answer was obvious. He wouldn''t do anything.
"Are you sure? You can revive a person using that Healing Potion, you know?" Dantalion stopped working and looked at Myles with a mischievous gaze. "We can figure out a way to reconstruct the soul. Don''t you have someone you want to revive?"
"Stop. Don''t ever y with lives."
With a distasteful look on his face, Myles realized why he still couldn''t get along with Dantalion despite her amicable personality: she was a Demon.
Chapter 476 The Silent Cry (2)
Chapter 476 The Silent Cry (2)
In the easternmost part of the world, one could see a giant flying ship roaming the sky as if it were the sea. Despite its size, it only hosted six people. This ship had been roaming the east part of the world for weeks. It made one wonder where it was heading but no one was bold enough to stop it and ask. While some might not know who owned the ship, everyone knew only powerful people had the ship.
"It is quite surprising that the world seems more peaceful than it has ever been despite the ongoing conflict."
"It is the calm before the storm. Everyone is preparing for the uing big war."
"Most of the time, silence is not a great sign. The East has never been involved with the West''s business, so you can''t feel it. I am sure if you go to the West, you will feel the suffocating pressure caused by the conflict of interest. People are forced to be silent."
"I wonder if Brother will be fine."
"He will be. He is still young¡ªtoo young, I should say¡ªbut he is already part of the 1% of this world. He could take down a nation by himself, so you don''t need to worry."
The people staying on the ship knew Basil well. They were, after all, his family even though they weren''t rted by blood. Each of them shared the same worry over Basil''s well-being. Basil had be the world''s enemy at the age of twenty and the first person to make the Empire move in the first two millennia.
Even someone as old as Yang Tian Long was quite overwhelmed hearing that; they wondered what Basil was feeling. Was he burdened by it? Basil had been a strong man ever since they met him. No one could tell what he was thinking. They never even saw him flustered even in the most life-threatening moment.
Those traits of his made him very reliable. Anyone would feel they would win as long as they had him on their side. He was hailed as the God of War not only because of his skills on the battlefield but also because his presence alone resembled that of a God. It assured people that they were going to be salvaged.
Basil was but a God. He, too, had a breaking point. Even though he was far more tolerant of stress than most people, he could break down too. His current status and position were extremely pressuring.
No one had dared to be like him for millennia despite knowing the atrocities that the Empiremitted because they knew they would break down under the pressure. Basil should be no different. The question was when. Therefore, his family was worried.
Of course, their worry was unfounded. Basil had faced greater adversaries in the past and he didn''t break even once. The Empire was indeed fearsome but not enough to make him despair. He was the man who had taken down the corrupted Empire in the past. He could do that for the second and even hundredth time.
"You should stop worrying over him and focus on the task he has entrusted to us," Yan Xueyi stated as she walked to the bow of the ship. "I think we are already close to thend that Basil wants."
"Have you received an enlightenment?" Yang Tian Long asked, curious as to what his fellow Daoist achieved during her month-long Cultivation.
"Not yet, but I am close to breaking through."
"Well, just make sure to not break through when you are on my ship. Not only will you destroy it, but the Tribtion will also kill us all!"
Yan Xueyi waved her hand dismissively, treating Yang Tian Long''s words as nonsense. She didn''t need to be reminded of that. She had higher Cultivation than Tian Long and a deeper understanding of Dao. She knew what and not to do.
Grr.
The ship rumbled as the air shook faintly, jolting the two Daoists on the ship. The ship could withstand three strikes from ten Daoists of the Immortal Realm. A mere disturbance in the air shouldn''t be able to do a thing to it. A quick analysis brought them to the conclusion that the Qi enveloping the ship was disturbed. In other words, a stronger source of Qi was nearby.
As the controller of the ship, Tian Long immediately took the ship down. He didn''t want to risk having it stop working in the air and falling to its doom. Not only would it hurt him financially but also mentally since he had a lot of precious memories with it. He was thankful for his quick decision as the shippletely stopped working when it was ten metres above the ground.
Boom.
The ground was wrecked under the ship but that didn''t matter since everyone and the ship were unscathed. They immediately got down from the ship and Tian Long quickly stored it. As the two Daoists inspected the surroundings, they put Denzel, rissa, Shirley and Julia in the centre. The journey should be a harmless one but it didn''t hurt to be careful.
As far as the Daoists'' eyes could see, thend they stood on had nothing. Although it was covered in grass, there were no other signs of life. The grass seemed to be the only living thing on thend. Looking up, they found a thick mist covering the sky. The mist was raw, unadulterated Qi that condensed because of its abundance.
They couldn''t sense anything past the mist. While it was also the case for the people above the mist, it didn''t reassure them in the slightest. There were troublesome creatures who liked to stay in this kind of ce¡ªDragons. Although Tian Long and Xueyi were confident in their skills, fighting Dragons while protecting Danzel and the others would be difficult.
"Let''s wrap it up quickly. Basil might have reassured us that this ce is safe but that is because he is confident in our ability. We don''t have any intention to betray his expectations, but it''s better to assume we can''t do anything. Anything can happen in this kind of ce."
"The Star Vein should be there. Let''s move quickly."
Danzel and the girls nodded solemnly and dashed off following Tian Long and Xueyi. They remained vignt as they were running and, fortunately, nothing happened even after two hours of running.
Tian Long and Xueyi could already tell the Star Vein Basil asked them to secure was close but couldn''t pinpoint where it was. They felt like investigating where the rain came from while underwater. They could feel the abundant Qi the ce was exuding but couldn''t tell its source. They were drowned in it.
"I am probably the only person who knows where it is, but you don''t have to worry. There is an easy way to find it; you will stop running when you find it."
Suddenly recalling the clue that Basil gave them, Tian Long and Xueyi wondered if he was just messing with them. They hadn''t thought much about it but as they did, they realized that the hint was fairly useless. Who would keep running if they had found the thing they were looking for? They had been bamboozled.
Clicking their tongues at Basil''s little prank, they refocused their attention on the way ahead of them. This was the moment when they abruptly stopped running. Land wasn''t joking around. They were sure they had found the Star Vein and they couldn''t run anymore. Something was guarding it and fearsome wouldn''t be enough to describe it.
"Qilin¡" Xueyi muttered.
"I wish the prank was the location of the Star Vein and not the fact that this ce is safe," Tian Long said gravely. "Danzel, protect the girls with this Talisman. Get back. Xueyi and I will kill this Qilin."
Qilin was a mythical creature in the East that surpassed Dragons. While Dragons were already considered a myth, there were still reports of their sightings. On the other hand, Qilin was never mentioned despite being a recorded creature that existed in the Age of Chaos. Seeing such a mythical creature was as exciting as it was terrifying.
Standing over 30 metres tall, the Qilin before their eyes had the body of a short-legged horse and the head of a lion. Its whole body was covered in golden fur that was coated in golden lightning. Its mane was the colour of a burning iron and its head was the colour of a peacock''s feather. Its slitted golden eyes pierced their souls as it gazed at them.
Crack!
The earth shattered and the sky trembled as it pped its wings. Tian Long and Xueyi gulped dryly but they were determined to kill it. Activating their Dao, they took out their weapons. Tian Long shed his sword vertically, splitting the ground and space in two. Xueyi whipped her ribbon at the space before her, causing ice to immediately fill the gap left behind by Tian Long''s strike.
The Qilin remained where it was, unfazed by the fearsome strikes that might end its life. It looked at the iing strikes defiantly before raising one of its legs and pping the attacks with its hoof. The Qilin was unscathed and it was within the Daoists'' expectations. As they proceeded tounch their next attack, the Qilin stomped the ground and their body froze.
Boom!
It felt like a death sentence. The Qilin''s Cultivation Realm was higher than theirs. Itpletely suppressed them merely by sting its Qi. It had been so long since thest time they felt so powerless against their opponent. It was frustrating and humiliating.
"Who gave you permission toe here?" the Qilin asked with its thunderous voice.
"This is no one''snd. We don''t have to have permission toe here," Tian Long answered challengingly.
"Beware of what you say, puny human. You don''t have the power to act as mightily as that person."
"That person?" Xueyi wondered out loud. "Has anyonee here before us?"
"Yes. A few months ago, an extraordinary young man came here to challenge me. He wasn''t satisfied with the fight, so he bestowed upon me some wisdom to make me stronger. I have be stronger, yet he hasn''te. He told me about sending some people to pick me up, but those people have yet toe."
"¡"
Tian Long and Xueyi looked at each other with doubtful looks marring their faces. The Qilin looked at them curiously but said nothing.
"Say¡" Tian Long took out a token with the Pacifer Seal carved on it. "Do you know this?"
Crack!
The Qilin pped its wings in excitement. "Oh! You are the people that the young Dragon yer sent to pick me up!"
"Dragon yer¡? When did he¡. Scratch that! Thatd has never been normal."
The Qilin knew Basil and it left the two Daoists baffled. Just how strong would Basil be when he reached the peak of his prime?
Chapter 477 The Silent Cry (End)
Chapter 477 The Silent Cry (End)
Naturally, Basil didn''t possess the power to subjugate the Qilin. He was powerful but still would have to sacrifice his life to take down the Qilin. The reason why he could easily subjugate the Qilin was his Dragon yer Intent coupled with his Dragon Intent. They suppressed the Qilin''s power enough to make it powerless before him. Of course, it wasn''t that easy taking it down as one would have to possess a certain expertise tond a hit on it, no matter how much it was weakened.
"He told you that we would pick you up, didn''t he? To where exactly?" Yang Tian Long asked hesitantly.
"He said that something interesting would happen by the time you picked me up. Just bring me to wherever this interesting thing is," the Qilin replied nonchntly.
Yang Tian Long and Yan Xueyi sighed in amazement. Basil was indeed prepared. He had expected the war to ur and secured such a dangerous weapon. The Qilin would greatly help his side in the uing war. They would like to think it was overkill but remembered the nature of every living Mage. They were full of deceit, so they might have something to counter the Qilin.
Moreover, they still didn''t know who else would join the fray. The East was fairly apathetic about the entire ruckus, but there was no guarantee they wouldn''t participate. Given how free the Daoists were, they would find them on both sides. What made them worry, however, was whom they would find on each side. If the old folks in the Nirvana Tribtion Realm decided to meddle in the matter, the Qilin''s help would mean nothing for Basil''s side.
"We will bring you to that ce, but we have to relocate the Star Vein first," Yang Tian Long said to the Qilin.
"Ah, sure. I can help you expand your Alternate Dimension if you want," the Qilin offered.
"That will be appreciated."
Immediately, Tian Long and Xueyi got to work. They set up the Array to secure the raw Qi that the Star Vein was exuding. In the meantime, Danzel and the girls were curiously interacting with the Qilin. The Qilin couldn''t help but wonder why Basil''s sisters were so unlike him. It took some time for the girls to tell him that they weren''t rted by blood and that Basil was abnormal. The Qilin epted the exnation and didn''t mention how weak they were ever again.
After some time, the Array was ready and the Star Vein was immediately secured. Tian Long and Xueyi soon utilized their Space Dao, enveloping the area with a profound energy. The two could only manage to cover as much as 60 square kilometres. The Qilin aided them, making the size of the coverednd expand to 150 square kilometres. Tian Long took out an Artefact and put it above the Star Vein. In the next moment, thend within 150 square kilometres disappeared.
Thend that Basil requested had been obtained. It was time to deliver it to him and bring the Qilin with them.
"I believe travelling with you in that form will attract unnecessary attention. Do you want to get into the Alternate Dimension?" Tian Long said respectfully to the Qilin.
"Oh, don''t worry, human. I can control my power well," the Qilin replied proudly.
The Qilin''s body shrunk until it was the size of a puppy. The girls immediately lost control and swept the Qilin up much to the horror of the two Daoists. Fortunately, the Qilin didn''t mind. He even looked quite pleased with how the girls treated him. With the Star Vein gone, the Qi in the air thinned. Tian Long looked up and even found the mist covering the sky slowly dissipating. It was their cue to leave.
Tian Long took out his flying ship and told everyone to board. The disappearance of a Star Vein would surely notify many people even though they didn''t know there was one. After all, a Star Vein''s disappearance would cause the Qi in the air to shift. It would be subtle, but every powerful person in the world would be able to sense it. They couldn''t afford to face these people, so they had to leave the vicinity.
The flying ship rose into the sky and disappeared. They left no trace of their Mana or Qi but a crater that spanned for kilometres. Their destination was the Great Forest of Yitoupheo. They would be waiting for Basil and help his forces when they needed it.
In another part of the world, people were growing fearful each day. The Church had finally bared its fangs, mercilessly punishing everyone here and there even if they didn''t do anything. Priests who were once respected and trusted became feared. Civilians shied away from them whereas Mages and Knights avoided them at all costs. While most of the Priests didn''t care about the way the people viewed them, some relished the fear they could instil.
The instances where Priests taking advantage of the civilians were increasing. It had existed way before Basil''s war deration against the Empire but had be prevalent now. The Priests were getting bolder, but of course, they weren''t so stupid to spark the ire of Mages or Knights. They were protected by the Church, but they wouldn''t live long enough until the Church saved them from the brutal attacks of Mages and Knights.
Speaking about Mages and Knights, their number was decreasing rapidly. That was especially true in Braxtein''s case. As the people who had the power, they silently escaped Braxtein. Some of them failed, getting captured and brainwashed, but their escape was mostly sessful. The development weakened Braxtein significantly. It was left mind-controlled Mages and Knights who were not sopetent to begin with.
The security of the Kingdom was still ensured as they allied with the Empire, but it lowered their worth before the Empire''s eyes. Who would have thought the former strongest Kingdom would be reduced to such a state? Aldrich was not fond of how things were developing.
"Call Eldridge," the self-proimed King of Braxtein ordered one of his attendants.
The said attendant left the throne room and then returned with a letter. Aldrich quirked an eyebrow and received the letter silently. As he opened the envelope, his hands froze upon recognizing the writing inscribed on the letter. With his heart beating hard, he read the letter. A few seconds passed in silence before he snapped.
"Eldridge Wein! How dare you betray me!?"
In the next moment, all of the attendees lost their heads. Aldrich had killed them in a fit of rage. He was not that mad that Eldridge left him. He had half-expected it to happen. His rage was caused by the letter. Eldridge had expressed how much he was disappointed he was in Aldrich as a King. His people were suffering before his eyes, but he scolded them instead. His people silently cried because of him and he called that peace.
Eldridge was calling Aldrich ipetent. While it was a valid evaluation, the King who was formerly known as the Genius Prince couldn''t ept that. He was still drowned in the former glory and unable to move on. He felt left out and alone. Maybe, it was what drove his tears. Shoulders trembling and surrounded by dead bodies, Aldrich Agonheart Braxtein silently cried.
That day, Braxtein let the Empire take over.
¡.
The First Obelisk, Obelisk of Bael.
Basil was hit by nostalgia as he traversed through the hall of the Obelisk. Thest time he had gone there, he had been a Ninth Circle Mage. It had taken him a week to fully clear it. He was still not as strong as he was back then but confident that he would be able to clear it. He had many Artefacts and Relics to aid him in his endeavour, after all.
It had been close to two weeks since he got into the Obelisk. He had been sneaking around and safely climbing his way to the top of the Obelisk. Bael had long been gone when he hade to clear the Obelisk in his past life. Although Goliath was strong, he believed it was too unimpressive to guard the first Obelisk. Therefore, something must have happened to the Obelisk to let a Demon like Goliath be an Obelisk Master.
Of course, Basil didn''t care about the reason. The weaker the Obelisk master was, the better it was for him. What made him curious was if Bael was still alive at this moment. The number of the Obelisk didn''t necessarily represent the danger it posed and the strength of the Obelisk Master, but he had to be careful. Bael shouldn''t be weak to have the courage to take the number one spot.
"Dantalion was too busy with her research, so she didn''t know much about what the other Obelisk Masters were doing. She has also never fought Bael, so she doesn''t know anything about him either. I have to blindly fight Bael," Basil muttered to himself sombrely.
The Guide could give him a lot of information, but anything about Demons was limited. He wasn''t disappointed but still felt unfortunate that he couldn''t utilize extra information. He quickly moved on and then focused on the way ahead of him. There was a clearing ahead and he could sense a couple of strong presence there. He activated [One With Nature], erasing his presence.
He entered the clearing and observed from the side as the group of Demons was talking among themselves. They were High-ss Demons, so taking them out all at once would be quite difficult. He was about to strike them when he was stopped by the mention of The Liberation. He listened more and figured out that Bael was nning to release his subordinates into the world.
It was not unexpected, so it didn''t surprise him. The fact that the other Obelisks would be unsealed, however, managed to surprise him.
Chapter 478 A Glimpse of the Unveiled
Chapter 478 A Glimpse of the Unveiled
There were two crucial pieces of information that Basil had managed to get. First, Bael was still alive. Second, all of the remaining active Obelisks were going to be unsealed which would lead to a massive Outbreak. Thetter didn''t make Basil too worried as he could make sure everyone important to him remained unaffected. It was slightly concerning regardless as it would happen faster than it had happened in his past life.
''The butterfly effect is getting out of hand these days,'' he mused humorously to himself.
Already getting everything that he wanted, he decided it was time to end the group of High-ss Demons. Taking out Caliburn, he infused his Mana into it. The sword glowed in gold, rming the Demons even though none of them could see it. They looked around warily as they were unable to shake off the feeling of doom. Basil revealed himself at this moment, causing their attention to focus on him.
As their eyes widened upon seeing the Demon-killing sword, Basil took this chance tounch his attack. A wave of blinding golden light swept over the Demons, causing them to scream painfully. Fortunately, Basil had sealed the space around them, so their scream went unheard. They couldn''t teleport anywhere either, preventing them from escaping.
When the light died down, three Demons remained standing on their feet. Out of the three, only one of them appeared to still be capable of fighting; the rest were already on the brink of death. Basil mped his index and middle finger together and then made a cutting-down motion. The two dying Demons'' heads immediately dropped to the ground, soon followed by their lifeless bodies.
The remaining Demon stared at Basil in horror as he approached her. She was rooted to her spot, too intimidated by Basil''s gaze to move. Basil put a hand on her forehead when he was right in front of her. He cast [Soul Scourge] on her, causing her to ck out. After extracting every vital information from her, he let go of her forehead, allowing her to drop dead. With a snap, he burned all of the bodies, erasing them from existence.
Without wasting a single second, Basil ran off in the direction that could bring him to the peak of the Obelisk with the least number of obstacles. At least, that was true ording to the memory of the Demon. On the way, he passed some groups of Demons who were running frantically to the ce where he had eliminated the High-ss Demons. No one noticed him, but they were undoubtedly looking for him.
''I have been avoiding the security system of the Obelisk for two weeks straight now. They must be frustrated that an intruder has been killing their personnel, but they still can''t find the intruder,'' Basil mused. ''However, they are quicker this time. It seems they have figured out that tracking the life of every High-ss Demon is the way to catch me.''
Basil didn''t have enough power to face all of the Demons in the Obelisk at once; however, he was blessed with an otherworldly Stealth Technique. Thanks to it, he could take them one by one and quickly climbed the Obelisk. Of course, Basil didn''t think he was fast enough. He only had a month to finish his conquest. It was only an estimation, but he was sure the Empire would do something drastic soon.
He cared about his family more than he did the others. He wouldn''t hesitate to behead his admirer if it meant he could save his family. Despite that, he didn''t want to be responsible for the death of the hundreds of thousands of souls who followed him. It was their choice to follow him, but letting them die facing his enemies would still leave a bad taste in his mouth. Because of that, he needed to hurry.
Two dayster, Basil found himself standing at the edge of a rocky mountain. He was overlooking the area below, noting in distaste that he had been surrounded. As if running out of luck, the passage to go up was also sealed for the next fifteen hours. It was an automatic procedure that the Obelisk ran and no one but the Obelisk Master could manipte it.
One might wonder why he wasn''t being sneaky instead of waiting for the enemies surrounding him to gang up on him. He was trying to test something out. ording to the memory of the random High-ss Demon whom he had in, Bael was busy indulging himself in a Ritual at the moment. His two weeks of stay had also proven that Bael was being extremely passive, so he wondered if the Ritual forbade him from acting ever.
It was a gamble on his side since he would risk himself getting killed if Bael could still act. Although he was hoping for his hypothesis to be true, he also didn''t mind being proven wrong. Killing Bael would mean clearing the Obelisk. As long as the Demons remained in the Obelisk, they would die alongside Bael. He would be able to fulfil his main purpose foring there more easily that way.
"So, you are the one who has been killing our brethren. You shall meet your end now!" the first Demon who reached Basil eximed indignantly.
Basil looked at the said Demon in disinterest. The Demon wouldn''t be able to make him sweat. None of the Demons surrounding him could. It would only be a different story if the passage to the higher floor were not sealed. For the next fifteen hours or until Bael made a move, he would be facing canon fodders. Their number was the only reason why it would make him sweat.
Despite the situation, he didn''t dare make light of it. With the nigh-infinite number of enemies he had to face for the next fifteen hours, it would only need a lucky shot to break his momentum. With that being the case, he activated his Pacifer Seal and [One with Nature]. His eyes glowed in gold along with his Pacifer Seal. The Mana Pressure he was exuding evoked the terror of the Demon in front of him, freezing the Demon in his ce.
Caliburn shone brighter; the light overwhelmed the peak of the mountain for a brief moment. When the light died down, Basil was nowhere to be found. The Demon who had found Basil first stood rooted to his ce before turning around in horror. Basil was walking away from him, on his way to meet his brethren.
Oveing his fear, the Demon moved. s, his feet disintegrated at his first step. As he looked down, he also found his hands disintegrating. He watched in utter despair as his body turned to ash. The millennia-long of fiercepetition and endless training ended up in vain. His enemy was beyond his capability to contend. He wanted to scream; s, he couldn''t. Basil''s broad back filled his vision as he ceased to exist.
On the way to the peak, the Demons, who had watched the peak enveloped by golden light, gulped in trepidation. They knew what the light earlier was. It was a telltale sign of the Light Magic usage. Light Magic was the reason why they weren''t so keen on dealing with Fairies. It was one of the only two things that posed definitive harm to them.
Naturally, being High-ss Demons, they couldn''t falter. They had dealt with death daily, so they weren''t alien to the feeling. They resumed their march until they met the bane of their existence. There was no Demon to be found in the vicinity. Fear gripped their hearts as Basil lightly skipped toward them, but they preserved. Then, Basil disappeared from their view in a sh.
In the time that took them to turn around, their bodies turned to ashes. They could barely register the sensation of Caliburn cutting through them. Their eyes only bulged out of their sockets when they witnessed what happened to the Demons trailing closely behind them. The scene was the only reason they could figure out what had happened to them. Their realisation, of course, brought no positive impact to them. Their vision quickly tunnelled and their souls soon left the mortal world.
The experience was universal to those who chased after Basil. Basil was graciously efficient in each of his attacks. He didn''t give time to the Demons to prepare themselves, ending the fight quickly and silently. He forced them to sacrifice their brethren to better prepare for his attack. Some managed to prepare themselves, yet it was in vain. Basil still took them down in a sh.
Boom!
A gigantic High-ss Minotaur swung its mace down with a roar. Given its size, it was confident that it would defeat Basil. It was different from its small-sized brethren, it believed. Its red eyes burned brighter when Basil was stopped in his tracks for the first time. It cackled madly as it saw Basil rooted to the ground because of its heavy mace.
The Minotaur Warrior roared in excitement. It was ecstatic that the chance to be stationed on a higher had finallye. It could finally prove its worth to the human-looking High-ss Demons that it was better despite its resemnce to an animal. Its excitement was quelled by a disappointing reality. No matter how much it put its strength to its mace, Basil wouldn''t budge.
"It is most splendid. I shall thank thee for bringing thy brethren for me to ughter."
The fire in the Minotaur Warrior''s eyes immediately died down. Dread washed over his entire existence as it felt Basil''s power overpowering his. When its mace was flung to the sky, it didn''t bother to defend itself. Basil''s purpose for letting it ''overpower'' him was to lure his brethren their way. Now that they were there, it was time for the ughter.
A sh of golden light covered the entire ce. Basil was nowhere to be found when the light disappeared, but the Demons couldn''t care less. Their bodies were turning to ashes. They were nothing before the might of the human who had been lurking around the Obelisk for thest two weeks. It was but a futile attempt to chase after him. Despite that, they still did it. After all, they were the stepping stones for those above them¡ªfor the more glorious purpose.
Chapter 479 A Glimpse of the Unveiled (2)
Chapter 479 A Glimpse of the Unveiled (2)
Over fourteen hours had passed since Basil began fighting with the mobs of the Obelisk. No one showed any signs of showing up or opening the way to the upper floors early. Basil didn''t feel tired facing the nigh-infinite mobs but felt like he had just wasted his time. He didn''t feel too good about the development.
sh!
Cutting the head of a Minotaur Warrior, Basil extended his left arm and used Light Magic to fire a golden beam out of his palm. The Hobgoblin who received the beam futilely blocked it, dropping dead with a gaping chest in the next moment. Spinning on his heel, he blocked a gigantic axe with his bare hand and then swung Caliburn upwards, killing the Minotaur attacking him.
[Frictionless]!
Moving around with a high-speed movement without making a sound, Basil cut everything that made contact with Caliburn. None of the Demons could see where he was until he stood still on the higher ground. The Demons were about to rush at him when his seven Ultimate Circles red. His Mana Pressure pressed down on their souls, close to crushing them.
Pointing Caliburn to the sky, a golden lightning bolt struck it. Caliburn crackled and shone. When Basil brought it down, the Demons on the lower ground were struck by the golden lightning bolt. Some of them were charred to death meanwhile some turned to ash. Regardless of the degree of damage they received, all of them were dead.
Basil sighed and deactivated his Pacifer Seal after overlooking the silent battlefield. His golden eyes returned to their brown colour. He could still go on for a couple of days but didn''t feel he should waste his energy and time to fight receable pawns. Looking up, the tension on his face rxed slightly when he noticed the way to the upper floor was opening.
He wasted no time and dashed to where the gate would appear. He could already feel Demonsing after him but ignored them. Once he entered the gate, none of the Middle-ss Demons would be able to follow him. It was the rule of the Obelisk to keep the weak on lower floors.
Upon arriving at the spot, Basil looked at the materializing ethereal gate before touching it. His [Eyes of Mana Perception] came to life, dissecting the Magic Spell creating the gate. Injecting his Mana into it, he forced open the gate. It immediately materialized, allowing him to enter. As soon as he passed through the gate, the Demons chasing after him stopped.
Stopping his interference with the gate, he walked away, letting the gate seal itself again. He didn''t intentionally do it. It was an unexpected response the gate gave after being manipted. He noted how interesting the phenomenon was but quickly focused on his goal. Erasing his presence, he dashed through the dark tunnel.
Things would be getting harder from then on. Every Demon that inhabited the upper floors was a High-ss Demon. While Basil could face them with no problem, some of them had unique abilities that he had to be careful about. After all, a single High-ss Demon could manage to wreck a Barony when he was still affiliated with Braxtein.
At the end of the tunnel, he was met with a room filled with Monsters that many people thought had perished. None of them could see him, but that didn''t mean he would leave them alone. Activating his Pacifer Seal, he used its power to control the simple-minded Monsters. He couldn''t control all of them and make them doplicated things, but he could instruct them to cause some chaos.
Kiek!
One by one, the Monsters shrieked and then scrambled out of the room. They were going to attack whatever they saw in their way. It would alert everyone of his presence, but it didn''t matter. He was nning to cause more chaos, so they would have no time to think about him. Of course, that was under the assumption they cared about the tranquillity of the Obelisk.
"The intruder is here! He is going to retrieve the Fragment. Don''t let him get anywhere near Lord Bael!" one of the Demons shouted.
Basil''s suspicion was answered. Bael was indeed doing something with the Fragment. He was quite apprehensive about what it could be because of what the Fragment could do. The worst that could happen would not be mass Outbreaks. As such, he quickened his pace. Unfortunately, he couldn''t remain stealthy this time.
"You shall not pass!"
A gigantic man with a pair of long horns and blue skin stood in his way, blocking it with his sword which was ten times his height. Basil was forced to stop and announced his presence. He wouldn''t be able to fight the gigantic Demon while concealing his presence as it was suppressing his power. Immediately, every Demon''s attention went to him.
"It''s him! Kill him!"
The High-ss Demons in the surroundings dashed at Basil the moment they saw him. However, before they could reach him, a Mana Barrier surrounded him and the gigantic Demon, isting them from the outside world.
"This human is mine."
"Fine choice," Basil scoffed, taking out Durendal.
"I am not going to fight¡ªin case you don''t realize it. I know I am not going to lose," the Demon said calmly. "I will drag you to Hell with me, Pacifer!"
Basil clicked his tongue when the Demon''s Mana surged and his body bloated. Encapsting himself in a Mana Barrier, he sent a Mana Pulse to the weak link in the Barrier entrapping him. As soon as a gap was opened, Basil teleported out of the Barrier. The giant exploded and the explosion spread out throughout the hall, causing the High-ss Demons in the surroundings to curse loudly.
When the explosion began to dwindle, Basil pushed forward. It ate a lot of Mana, but he couldn''t afford to dilly-dally. Thest time he had found a Fragment in the Obelisk of Bael, the Seven Princes showed up. He didn''t have the power to face them back then and it remained true at this moment.
Moving out of the hall, Basil climbed to the next floor. This time, he was greeted by a burning ground filled with volcanoes. Hundreds of High-ss demons were flying in the sky, ready to fire their Curses at him. A condescending scoff came out of him. Crossing Caliburn and Durendal, he channelled his Qi into it.
[Dimension Shredder]!
Uncrossing his swords at the same time the Demons fired their Curses, several lines appeared in the sky, tearing the dimension open. The Demons were mutted before being sucked into the Dimensional Tear. Mixing his Step Art and Movement Technique, he made a beeline for the gate to the next floor.
Boom!
An ethereal hand mmed against the ground, causing him to stop in his tracks. Again, a Demon stood in his way. Not wanting to waste time, he pointed his index finger at the armoured Demon whom he recognized as one of Bael''s Great Generals. Activating [Heaven Piercer], his Mana red before a beam of golden light shot out of his index finger.
The Demon was not given the chance to speak. His head and half of his chest were blown away by a single Art from Basil. Basil was quite irked since his index finger was slightly injured because of the Art that his body couldn''t handle yet despite his recent advancement. He would have been d to test his limit if he wasn''t racing against time.
Moving past the dead body, Basil climbed to the next floor. No one was stopping him, but he found himself going around futilely. He had never been to this part of the Obelisk, so he asked the Guide. It informed him that the maze kept expanding, creating a new Temporary Dimension every second before taking him back to the starting point.
Fortunately, the Guide could guide him out of the infinite maze. It showed him the part of the maze that didn''t expand. Getting out of the maze, he found himself standing in the hall where he had defeated Goliath in the past. It was a pleasant surprise to him. The secret chamber was not far from there, which meant Bael was nearby. The intense presence affirmed his deduction.
"Your advance stops here, human."
Of course, such a ce wouldn''t be unguarded. Basil was forced to halt his steps as the Demon whom he had once defeated stood in his way. Goliath stared at him with a frown, causing him to take a look at the giant. Goliath was 7 metres tall. His muscr body was covered in nothing but a loincloth. He forewent his armour because his skin''s hardness could rival Adamantite, one of the densest metals in the world.
Goliath was slow but very hard to kill because of his skin. He also had a monstrous stamina, making fighting him a prolonged nightmare. It was the reason why despite his inability to catch up to most of his opponents, he had be the Obelisk Master in the past, recing Bael. He was not an Obelisk Master yet at this moment, but he still led his fellow Great Generals.
"Awed by my power?" Goliath inquired arrogantly.
"Wondering why a glorified wall is standing beside me," Basil corrected like a teacher.
Goliath swung his axe, causing Basil to teleport away. The swing caused the Dimension to tear, which would have cost Basil dearly if he had only dodged it. Realizing he couldn''t take the fight lightly, Basil activated his Pacifer Seal. His Magic Circles red to life at the same time his eyes turned gold. Using [Synchronization], golden armour and blue veins covered his body.
Their pressure shed, putting a dent into the nigh-indestructible floor of the Obelisk. At that moment, eachbatant could already tell who would be lying dead on the ground at the end of the fight.
Chapter 480 A Glimpse of the Unveiled (End)
Chapter 480 A Glimpse of the Unveiled (End)
Fighting Goliath felt like reliving a memory. He moved and attacked just like Basil remembered. Basil was still not as strong as he had been in his past life, but he had more than enough power to take Goliath down. Basil was blessed with a lot of Arts and Techniques that one could only dream of obtaining. He also had the Guide with him which made fighting even easier.
Swoosh!
Each of Goliath''s swings was strong enough to tear a Dimension, but Basil blocked it with ease. His armour nullified the impact, keeping his body unharmed. Goliath was frustrated but firmly believed that Basil didn''t have a nigh-infinite stamina like him. Moreover, he believed Basil should have been tired because of his non-stop fight on the lower floors.
He was wrong. Basil was just as a stamina monster as he was. Basil used to be the strongest Knight before bing a renowned Last Ninth-Circle Mage. He trained his body to the limit, leaving everyone in the dust. He was not any different from his past self in this life. He had gotten slightly softer and morepassionate, but his training drive was the same.
He would have taken on Goliath''s challenge and showed him how fickle the giant''s stamina was if he hadn''t been racing against time. As such, he wanted to finish the fight as soon as possible.
Boom!
A golden lightning bolt struck Goliath''s gigantic axe, stunning him. Basil moved past his guard, cutting open his abdomen with Durendal. Quickly jabbing Caliburn into the abdomen in the next moment, he used the Light Magic property of the legendary sword. Basil was forced to retreat by Goliath''s axe before he could execute the Spell, but it still did damage to the giant.
"Sneaky bug!" Goliath roared before dashing at him.
Basil remained in his ce and steadied his stance. He watched as Goliath triggered each of the Temporary Circles that he had nted on the ground in each of his steps. The grunt the giant gave out was music to his ear. Unfortunately, the obstructions did nothing to Goliath. He was fine with it. His goal had never been to injure Goliath but to direct him in the direction he wanted.
"Die, you¡ªkeuk!"
Goliath grunted when Durendal cut his abdomen which hadn''t healed from the previousceration. He swung his axe down, hoping to overwhelm Basil. His axe was stopped firmly by Durendal and he received a cut on his chest delivered by Caliburn. Basil stomped the ground, sending a wind st that was enough tounch him away. He couldn''t react on time.
By the time he regained his bearing, he saw a golden ethereal pathing at him, followed by hundreds of winged warriors. nting his feet on the floor, he stopped hisunch and overloaded his axe with Miasma. He hastily swung his axe, sending a massive wave of energy that High-ss Demons used to power a Curse.
The attack met, engulfing the room with a mix of ck and golden energy. Neither of the forces was winning. Before Goliath could take a breather, Basil appeared in front of him. His swords were crossed with each other before he swung them diagonally in two opposite directions. A red cross mark appeared in the air before a double helix cut ran up Goliath''s body.
"What is this attack!?"
Goliath frantically pushed his Miasma into the wounds, rapidly healing them as he retreated. Seeing that, Basil put his swords together. A golden ball of energy materialized at the tip of the swords before turning into a beam as it shot at Goliath. At the receiving end, Goliath could only rely on his sturdiness. He pumped more Miasma into his body, strengthening it to the limit.
[Heaven Piercer]!
Zip!
A warping sound was heard the moment the attack hit Goliath''s body. The beam pierced through his body, disintegrating half of his torso effortlessly. Basil immediately deactivated his Art as soon as he saw the tangible result. He was using his swords as a medium. He didn''t want to break them soon. The drawback of [Heaven Piercer] was more than enough to do that.
Goliath unceremoniously fell on his knees. He stared at the gaping wound in his stomach in disbelief. It had been centuries since he hadst suffered an injury of that magnitude. He was indignant but quickly epted his defeat. He looked down on humans, but it had also been a human who had dealt a fatal injury to him in the past.
"You won, Pacifer. However, you will go down with¡ª"
"Cease to exist."
Goliath''s eyes widened as he stared into Basil''s golden eyes. With the use of [Soul Confinement], Basil invaded Goliath''s mind. The giant was forced to obey Basil''s ridiculous instructions. Against his will, his body moved and led Basil to where his Lord was concentrating on the important Ritual that would decide their future.
Basil knew where Bael was. He didn''t need Goliath to take him there, but he needed Goliath''s violent energy to break the chamber open. As soon as they reached the chamber open, Goliath overflowed his heart with Miasma. An indignant roar escaped him, but no one could hear him. He could only be mad at Basil inside his mind. He was trapped there until he died.
BOOM!
The moment came soon. Goliath exploded, flooding the entire ce with violent Miasma that corroded everything it touched. The explosionsted for fifteen seconds, but the Miasma would linger for quite a long time. Basil ignored it and stepped into the room and was immediately hit with a sense of nostalgia. It looked the same as it had when he hade there in his past life.
The concentration of the Miasma in the surroundings abruptly rose, waking him up from his reverie. He knew what the three figures on the other side of the room wanted to do: separate them from him and the rest of the world. Despite being upied, though, he couldn''t scoff at the toughness of the Barrier. The Spell was already cast before he entered as a preemptive measure. Therefore, he spread his Mana and materialized his Domain.
A golden field covered in golden grass and hundreds of thousands of floating ded weapons reced the scenery of the secret chamber. The ceiling of the Obelisk ceased to exist, reced by a golden sky adorned by thousands of gigantic swords that were ready to deliver judgment. In this ce, Basil was akin to a God.
The Barrier that should have isted the three figures surrounding the Fragment which Basil wasing to get disappeared. Two of the three figures trembled before stumbling down and spasmed. A grimace appeared on the remaining figure, but he remained in his ce. He didn''t even flinch when Basil was suddenly beside him.
"So you havee," the figure spoke calmly. "It seems it has finally worked the second time."
"I am afraid I don''t understand what you are insinuating," Basil replied calmly.
"The Tablet of Truth is timeless and so is its Fragments. I am bound to it, so I know what happened. I have done this two times."
Basil''s golden eyes narrowed at the revtion delivered by the three-headed Demon in front of him. Extending his hand, he grabbed the Fragment and fought for control.
"Whatever you are doing won''t work. Thework to another Dimension is cut the moment you are in my Domain."
"I know. Do you think I am stuck here because I want to?" one of three heads of the Demon, the human head one, quirked an eyebrow. "I am bound to the Fragment, remember? That bastard of a God cursed me into the guardian of the Fragment. I couldn''t move unless it was to protect it. However, in return, I can use its power to open the Gate of Hell."
"I see. What a futile life you have."
The three-headed Demon, Bael scowled as he gazed into Basil''s golden eyes. The gaze Basil gave him reminded him of his fellow Obelisk Masters, but the aura Basil was exuding reminded him of the person cursing him into this pathetic fate. Bael''s tiger head growled in frustration meanwhile his toad head croaked in despair.
"Well, at least, I did it thest time." Bael''s human head grinned. "Once I die, you will trigger every active Obelisk in this world, causing a massive Outbreak. Cutting the flow of energying from the Fragment to the Obelisk will also do the same since it will kill me. You can do nothing about it."
"What purpose does it serve," Basil inquired calmly.
"I suppose I should tell you," Bael said sardonically. "It is to flood Hell with souls. Every soul killed by us will be sent to Hell. Our Seven Princes will then use their Souls to open the gate."
"You are intent on releasing them, aren''t you?"
"Of course."
Basil hummed contemtively as he recalled one of the notable events that no one seemed to wonder why.
"Why did everyone get weak after the Mass Outbreak? I doubt it is caused by the generational decline."
"That is not our work," Bael answered decisively. "We are not the only one capable of cheating you."
Basil nodded his head. He was d that the Mass Outbreak was not rted to the weakening of humanity. The purpose of the Mass Outbreak was still terrifying, yet he wasn''t rmed by it. In his past life, slightly over a decade had passed since the Mass Outbreak when the Seven Princes made an appearance. The world would not be so beautiful, but he had time.
"So long, Basil Pacifer."
Bael said his goodbye once Basil took over the control of the Fragment. As he was engulfed in the golden light of Divinity, the rest of the world was engulfed in terror.
Chapter 481 The Price of Knowledge
Chapter 481 The Price of Knowledge
The world trembled as Obelisks all around the world shot their beams into the sky. Dread filled the air, shaking the hearts of the world''s inhabitants. Children cried hysterically and adults stared at the sky in horror. Animals whimpered and Magical Beasts growled. Everyone could feel the threat and the looming death.
Basil could feel all of this a moment before he waspletely engulfed by the golden light. The terror that struck the soul of every inhabitant of the world disappeared as Basil arrived in another world. Not so different from his Inner World, this world was covered with tall golden grass.
Three big tablets stood before him, filled with intricate characters to the brim. Two of the tablets had shining characters, radiating a profound aura that a mere mortal couldn''tprehend. Compared to the other two, the remaining tablet was extremely dull. Despite that, it still exuded profoundness.
Basil took a step forward. His long hair billowed in the air. Out of thin air, a tall, golden-haired man garbed in a golden tunic materialized in front of the dull tablet. He leaned on the tablet with crossed arms. He opened one of his closed eyes when Basil stopped a few steps away from him and looked at Basil with a teasing smile.
"Hello, Body Stealer," Basil greeted, causing the golden-haired man to stumble to the side.
"A blunt one, aren''t you?" he said with a wry smile.
"I know you are a God, Matheus."
"Well, I know about that. These guys record everything," Matheus said, gesturing at the tablets. "So, what are you going to do now?" he asked, crossing his arms cockily.
"I will crush your soul. Can you ept that?"
"Fine with me," Matheus answered with a shrug.
Basil stared at Matheus silently. Matheus could either be not caring about the revtion or confident that Basil wouldn''t do it. Whatever it was, Basil didn''t care. He knew he was going to seed and that was all that mattered. Ignoring Matheus, he took another step and shoved Matheus aside.
Matheus grumbled about an insolent descendant but didn''t hold it against Basil. He watched as Basil stood before the dull tablet before stopping him once his palm was about to touch it.
"I have to warn you that whatever you are going to figure out next might alter your life course. Knowing that, do you still want to bear it?"
"I am a Fragment Bearer. Isn''t that what I should do?" Basil asked with a quirked eyebrow.
"I am just reminding you because I know how you are. You have been resisting the influence of the Fragment. You question every questionable action you took and know that you sometimes behave uncharacteristically. You might be able to resist two of them, but not three. I am sure it will be hard for you. You don''t like the feeling of losing yourself, do you?"
"You know that is not true," Basil casually rebutted. "Tell me what you are genuinely concerned about."
Matheus frowned before sighing in defeat. "Memories. You will receive the memories of myst day on this ne. You will know what forced me into this situation. You will see enough reasons for you to destroy this world. You will¡ª"
"It''s fine," Basil interrupted Matheus before his tone could get any higher. "Your grudge will remain with you. I am unrted to it, so the anger won''t affect me. I won''t have any n to destroy the world, but I also don''t have any intention to save it. I just want a safe ce for the people I hold dear and that doesn''t need to be this world."
Matheus was aware of how unique Basil was but still widened his eyes at his statement. The sheer conviction in Basil''s tone made him sure Basil would do what he said. A chuckle escaped his mouth. Time had been rewound twice. He had thought the first one was a taste, but he was d that the debacle had happened. Things would have gone differently if Basil had seeded on the first try.
"Then, do go against your words."
In response to Matheus'' words, Basil merely smirked. He touched the tablet, causing the intricate characters to light up. His Pacifer Seal activated on itself and his eyes turned gold. His entire demeanour changed. A golden halo appeared above his head, causing him to feel otherworldly. Basil was still there, but his presence was somewhere else.
Basil blinked his golden eyes and the tablet before him disappeared. He still had his hand outstretched, but it was now dirtied by the blood which was, unfortunately, his. As he lowered his hands, he took in his surroundings. He was surrounded by people armed to the teeth. Some of them looked at him in anger, but the majority of them looked at him in fear.
He was not a stranger to the scene. In his past life, he had been looked like this. The same cowards who had looked at him in horror would then bootlick him and beg for his help in the future. The fickleness of humans always made himugh. With that said, he was sure the scene he was witnessing was not one from his memory.
"We are very sorry to do this, Master, but we have no choice." His head turned to the owner of the melodious voice. It was a well-endowed woman with long white hair and a cloth covering her eyes. "This is the only way for us to survive. We need your heart to achieve the strength to kill the Seven Princes."
"How ironic," he scoffed against his will. "I taught you Magic and showed you the way to achieve victory against the Demons, but this is how you pay me, Lindy!" he bellowed murderously. "I am ashamed to have ever had students like the four of you!"
The woman with an eye-covering who was addressed as Lindy flinched. The three people closest to her frowned before stepping forward as if to shield her from him.
"At this rate, humans will perish. Their growth is astounding, but not fast enough. By the time they had enough power, everyone would have been wiped out. We want to prevent that from happening!" the golden-haired male amongst the three shouted.
"Those well-stringed words are nothing but a hypocritical justification to gain power for yourself, Gregory. Look at the people you are following, everyone! Even before attaining Divinity, they no longer consider themselves to be one of you. These scoundrels are thirsty for power!" he eximed, full of conviction. "Shameful!"
"Shut the fuck up, you damn God! You keep preaching about ''survive and thrive,'' but how can you know our struggle? Someone who is born in a beautiful ce such as the Heavenly Throne will never understand our hardships! We just want to have a good life for once and you can give it to us. Didn''t youe here to be our saviour? Just die and fulfil your purpose!"
Basil clicked his tongue at the words of the desperate buffoon in the crowd but couldn''t utter a single thing. He was present in the body that he inhabited at this moment but couldn''t do anything to control it. Against his will, he spread his hands and looked at the sky. Some of the stars blinked as if mourning for his imminent death.
"I shouldn''t have helped," he uttered. It was something that he had said once in his past life. "I thought I could change what was predetermined. I thought I would be different. I was wrong. I am nothing special. I don''t write my fate. I have been following a script that leads me to this moment." A twisted grin appeared on his face. "So be it."
"Kill him!"
The people in his surroundings came at him as his body was engulfed in a golden light. For the first time, Basil could control his body. The immense power he felt made him feel like he could crush the world in his palm. He could change the course of history, but he didn''t. Something was telling him to not do anything and watch.
So he did.
Squelch!
The golden light engulfing his figure died down, revealing him impaled by the weapons of his four students. The negligible mobs were gone, wiped out by his sheer presence. He looked at each of the faces of his students. He carved each of them deeply in his mind.
The one with the golden hair and a schrly look was Gregory who would be called the God of Knowledge. The one with a cloth covering her eyes and an innocent look was Lindy who would be called the Goddess of Love. The one with long, wavy ck hair and a righteous gaze was Justina who would be called the Goddess of Justice. The one with grey hair and a gentle look was Land who would be called the God of Peace.
Basil was watching the birth of the Four Gods and the fall of the Four Heroes. He could feel the disappointment of the person whose body he inhabited as he looked at the four ungrateful scoundrels. Despite that, he had a serene smile on his face. It was frustrating, yet he could only ept reality.
"Be careful of what you wish," he warned. "With great poweres a great responsibility. You may find it hard to keep your hearts beating."
"Your death shall bring peace to this world, Master," Land uttered as his friends were getting ufortable.
"How long will itst? I wonder."
He could tell from the looks his students were showing it didn''t matter. Their purpose was not peace, in the very first ce. It didn''t matter. He would get back what was cruelly torn from him. He woulde to get the payment for the debt the ungrateful scoundrels owed him. A serene smile remained on his face; even as his students took his heart out and split it amongst themselves.
It was all right. He would get his due revenge. Gregory, Land, Justina, and Lindy would die after his reborn. Humans, the ungrateful low-lives he had helped, would perish. His most loyal servants that he left behind, the Pacifer, would apany him in his endeavour.
The Lord shall return and the world shall burn.
Chapter 482 The Price of Knowledge (End)
Chapter 482 The Price of Knowledge (End)
Gold filled Basil''s vision once again. His body felt light, reminiscent of the feeling he had experienced when he had just died. It felt like going it all over again. As aforting sensation wrapped around his body, he closed his eyes. His body regained its weight and his coordination returned. When he opened his eyes, he was back standing before the shining tablet.
Already feeling a connection to it, Basil retracted his hand and looked at the anticipating Matheus. He quirked an eyebrow as if asking what Matheus was expecting. Matheus quietly sighed in relief before grinning at him. Basil stared silently at the grin. He couldn''t understand what Matheus was excited about.
"d to see that you didn''t inherit my will."
"Aren''t you supposed to be sad?"
"Nope." Matheus shook his head. "I was full of vengeance when I died. Millennia of thinking made me realize that what I intended might not be the wisest decision I could make."
"I won''t me you for wanting revenge. You need to put down dogs that bite their owners'' hands," Basil stated factually.
"I am not like you. An eye for an eye will only leave the world blind."
"At least, you will not be the victim," Basil pointed out. "However, I won''t lecture you on what you should do. Regardless of your choice, I will still follow my n."
"Good." Matheus nodded with a pleased smile before looking at Basil with a serious. "What you saw earlier was not a mere glimpse of my past but also a lesson for you. The people who stand with you at this moment might be your enemy in the future. Despite that, are you still willing to lead them?"
"I am not a saviour, Matheus," Basil reminded solemnly. "Unlike you, I don''t fight to save them. I treat the whole world as my enemy and they decided to stand on my side. Of course, I am referring to the humans; not the Demi-Humans, Elves, and Dwarves. I purposely recruited those three."
"You must have inherited my hatred for humans," Matheus remarked with an awkward look.
"I have seen the human''s ugly side. You have nothing to do with it."
Matheus hummed in contemtion. He recalled the words Basil had delivered with full conviction. He believed that Basil didn''t inherit his resentment towards humans. However, Basil had made it clear that he wouldn''t be helping humans out. He knew what Basil was nning, so it was highly likely that Basil would turn a blind eye to the happenings in the world unless his people were involved.
It was fine. He had never expected Basil to be the saviour just like he had in the past. That had cost him dearly. Basil''s most important role was to protect that Tablet of Truth and not let it fall into the wrong hands. As long as it was safe, nothing would matter. With that said, he needed to tell Basil where to find thest Fragment toplete the Tablet of Truth.
"Have you got to know the new feature the Guide has?"
"[Book of Life]. It allows me to know everything about someone, including their history with a mere nce. It drains your Soul."
Matheus nodded his head and then held out a white spherical wisp. "Use it on this Soul Fragment."
"That is Lindy''s."
"Oh, you can tell? As expected of my descendant. You are good with identifying Souls."
"How did you get it?"
"Solomon gave it to me before he was killed by those four. It was the most foolproof way to tell the whereabouts of the Second Fragment to the right person."
Basil ignored Matheus'' chuckle and used the newly acquired feature that the Guide had. His eyes immediately turnedpletely ck. One could only see a pair of ck orbs in his eye sockets, recing his golden-irised eyes. His presence immediately became something iprehensible to mere mortals.
On the other hand, Basil found himself witnessing an event from the third person''s point of view. Four people whom he recognized as the scoundrels who proimed themselves to be the Great Four Gods stood before seven figures d in ck robes. Basil couldn''t make out their figures but had an inkling of who they were.
"We had a deal. Weid the trap for you, you get his heart, and we get the Tablet of Truth," one of the robed figures spoke.
"We couldn''t find the Tablet of Truth, but we managed to secure the Fragment," Gregory said calmly.
"That is also fine. We will find the rest by ourselves."
Gregory reluctantly took out the adult''s head-sized tablet that the figure demanded from his robe. Handing it over to one of the figures, he watched with gritted teeth as the figure nodded in appreciation. They wanted to cheat on their deal but they didn''t. Demons kept their word as long as a proper contract was signed. It wouldn''t be a wise choice to cheat on their deal.
"Will you¡ª"
"Of course. My siblings and I will retreat into Hell." The figure holding the tablet tilted his head as if smirking at Gregory. "You can kill the army that we leave behind. You are going to Ascend using the heart you brutally took out of your Master''s chest, aren''t you? It shouldn''t be that hard to take care of all of them."
Gregory clenched his fist and frowned heavily but didn''t say anything. The figure didn''t say anything wrong, after all. Basil watched as the seven figures blinked out of existence. Three out of the four people loosened up¡ªthe other one had never been tense¡ªupon their disappearance.
Basil was expecting to see more, but the scene ended at that moment. He was back in his Inner World, looking at the white spherical wisp. The said wisp flickered before bursting into me. The scene prompted Basil to deactivate [Book of Life]. He had no more reason to drain his soul for nothing.
"Ignorance is bliss, you know," Matheus remarked as Basil redirected his gaze to him. "Knowing that information, do you think you can rx?"
"I have enough time. Moreover, I don''t have any intention to rx," Basil retorted.
"But you can''t remain apathetic to the world, Basil. The Seven Princes wille for you once they get out. If you don''t stop the senseless killing that the Demons¡ª"
"I will pry the Hell''s Gate open to retrieve the Second Fragment andplete the Tablet of Truth. They will run for their lives before they can go after mine," Basil interjected mercilessly. "Let me worry about what is toe."
Matheus stared unblinkingly at Basil for a few seconds before shaking his head in amusement. He felt quite bitter for making such an outstanding person his Vessel. Fortunately, Basil was confident that he wouldn''t lose to him¡ªthe real him. He believed that Basil would seed, so it eased his mind a little.
Only time will tell.
Giving Basil onest smirk, Matheus slowly turned to dust. He had fulfilled his purpose, so his presence was no longer needed. Before hepletely disappeared, he mouthed ''good luck'' to Basil. Basil replied with a sardonic smirk that told him he wouldn''t need luck. Matheus grinned even wider.
When Matheus was no longer in his Inner World, Basil waved his hand, kicking himself out of his Inner World. The seemingly endless golden field faded, reced by the secret chamber where he had found the Third Fragment. Looking down, he found the dead body of Bael who greeted him with a smirk. The Demon seemed to have thought he had won.
Taking note of the dread in the air, Basil quickly moved out of the room. He was tempted to hog all of the treasures the Obelisk stored, but it was not the time. Every active Obelisk in the world had been opened. The world had too many Demons roaming it.
Even if the Obelisk of Bael had been cleared, it still contributed to the Mass Outbreak. After all, Upper Middle-ss Demons and above didn''t die alongside Bael, their Obelisk Master. He didn''t want to underestimate his n, but they would need his help. Talented as they might be, it had been two millennia since they had actively fought as Warriors.
¡
As the integration of a Fragment had always been a short process for Basil, he hadn''t bothered to check the time. He believed that less than five minutes had passed since his integration with the Third Fragment. If he had checked the time, he would be quite surprised to find that three days had passed.
The Pacifer had been fighting against the surviving horde of Demons from the Obelisk of Bael for three days straight. They were, fortunately, faring well, but it was still an overwhelming situation for them. After all, it had been some time since they hadst put their lives on the line like proper Warriors.
They were grateful that they had Xander and Cyrus whomanded their army extremely well. The older generations, who had listened to their grandparents'' stories about the amazing Pacifer Army, felt like they were living the amazing stories. Despite the risk of losing their lives, they enjoyed the thrill of the battle.
Boom!
Iliana pierced a big hole through the chest of the Minotaur Warrior who had tried its luck on her. Her face was as t as new paper sheets. She was trying to force down her worry about Basil given the development. An Outbreak had urred while he was in the Obelisk. Although Asia had assured her that Basil was fine, she still couldn''t help but worry.
For that reason, she erased as much emotion as she could and focused her attention solely on the fight. It had been her third day of fighting the rabid horde of Demons, but she was still not tired of them. She could vent her frustration on them. She swore she would never back down when Basil told her not to follow him.
Rawr!
Her eyes widened when a roar came from her side. She had just thought about Basil for a second, but a Hog Orc managed to go past her defence. She cursed her ipetence and then readied herself for impact. She gritted her teeth and waited for the pain, but it didn''te.
sh!
By the time she faced the offending Hog Orc, it was already bisected vertically. As they fell apart, she could see the figure who had saved her. It was a familiar presence, but it was not Basil.
"Thank you, Asia."
It was quite disappointing, but she was not ungrateful.
Chapter 483 Regroup and Fortify
Chapter 483 Regroup and Fortify
"Get yourself together, Iliana. You were lucky I was around," Asia said softly but sternly. "Your worry is not needed on the battlefield. You should only worry about yourself. If you get hurt, Basil won''t like the scene he sees once he returns."
"Right. Sorry," Iliana apologized without a fuss.
Over the two weeks Asia had been teaching Iliana, the two had developed a rtionship simr to Master and Apprentice. Iliana would still not listen to Asia from time to time, but she greatly respected her. Asia treated Iliana equally most of the time but also treated Iliana like a child whenever she was unreasonably stubborn. They didn''t have the closest bond but were no strangers to each other.
Refocusing her attention on the ongoing battle, Iliana distanced herself from Asia. It wouldn''t be beneficial to have two strongbatants concentrated in the same ce. She rushed to the densest point of the battlefield, bisecting every Demon standing in her way. When she reached the point, she aided the Pacifer Mages nearby.
Her Arts cut and pierced through the enemies who unfortunately made contact with her Spear, Sinister Piercer. The Runes on her spear constantly glowed as her Mana kept flowing into her spear. Only some of the lucky Demons managed to parry her spear. Even those happenstances didn''tst long as she could end them with her next strike.
Zip!
An iing baleful beam powered by Miasma prompted Iliana to n Sinister Piercer into the ground. A Mana shield came into existence before her, protecting her from the iing beam. When the beam made contact with the shield, Iliana was pushed back a little. The other Pacifer Mages immediately aided her, supporting her shield.
As soon as the beam stopped, Iliana held Sinister Piercer sideways and raised it to block the sword that a violet-skinned Demon with barely anything covering her figure swung at her. The sword was stopped firmly. The Demon lost her grin and immediately took a distance. A High-ss Demon was quite troublesome, so Iliana decided to activate her Pacifer Seal.
As her Pacifer Seal revealed itself in the centre of her forehead, glowing in its purple glory, her presence changed. It was getting undetectable with each passing second. After learning [One with Nature] intensively from Asia, Iliana had finally mastered it. She was yet at the level of a Maha Dmitra, but she was better than the most adept Hina Dmitra.
"Aid Young Mistress Iliana!" the Pacifer Mages behind her shouted.
The Demon clicked her tongue in annoyance at the scene. She would be hard-pressed to fight Iliana alone. She wouldn''t be able to fight Iliana with the aid of the annoying Mages. She decided immediately what her best course of action was: run. The battlefield was wide. She didn''t need to remain in one ce.
Casting [Teleportation], she blinked out of existence. She was about to head to the other part of the battlefield when she felt something in her stomach. Looking down, she could see a spear lodged in her stomach. Before she could mind it, however, her rm bells went off. Quickly looking up, she found Iliana pointing her palm at her.
Her entire being froze as she looked into Iliana''s emotionless red eyes. She wanted to move away but her body refused to listen to her. The purple Pacifer Seal looked like a death sentence for her. As it glowed brighter, she was more certain of her fate.
Of course, Demons wouldn''t go down without a fight. Mustering every ounce of Miasma she had in her body, she cast the strongest she knew.
Boom!
Unfortunately, even before she could finish her Curse, her entire upper body was blown away. She hadn''t even registered the pain when she lost her vision.
Iliana watched in disinterest as Sinister Piercer flew back into her hand after blowing up the entire upper half of the Demon. The power rush from Natural Mana ran through her whole body. It was hard to keep her Mana Circles from materializing. As such, six Grand Circles red behind her back, overflowing the air with Mana.
Channelling the considerable amount of Mana she had gathered with [One with Nature] into Sinister Piercer, she leaned forward and pulled her foot backwards. Positioning her Sinister Piercer in a thrusting manner, she activated one of her signature Arts, [Mountain Piercer].
Purple light covered the tip of her spear and the purple her Pacifer Seal emitted got even brighter. The Demons in the surroundings could feel the aura of death. Some of them distanced themselves meanwhile the others ran at Iliana, determined to stop her from using her Art. Unfortunately, none of them could match the speed of Iliana''s thrust.
Boom!
A long, deep and wide trench was carved on the ground. Anything that stood in its way was hopelessly obliterated. The trench was one kilometre long. None of the Demons in the radius of one kilometre survived. Even those who were a couple of metres away from the edge of the trench still lost some of their limbs.
It was a feat that a mere Sixth-Circle Mage could only dream of. It was the power of the Pacifer Seal¡ªthe power to use Natural Mana that even Elves could only use. It was what made the Pacifer n feared in the past. Not only did they advance at an rming rate in Magic but they also possessed this nature-defying ability.
"Ugh¡ I feel sick already."
The drawback, of course, existed. Everything has to be bnced. Only Gods can defy the bnce that the world has to maintain. After using such a great and overwhelming force, Iliana felt drained. [One with Nature] relied heavily on Soul Power. She needed a cooldown time before using it again unless she wanted to crush her soul.
"Splendid as always, Lady Iliana. I will take over here, so you may find a less dense spot."
"Thank you, Xander."
"As always, My Lady."
Xander was already used to the instances. She had served the Pacifer for a long time, after all. He watched Iliana''s retreating form with a proud smile. His Young Mistress was still determined to be a Maha Dmitra before his Lord returned. The Great Lady Asia told her the only way to achieve that was to exhaust herself with [One with Nature] continuously and so she did.
It was quite impossible to be a Maha Dmitra in two weeks even though one had the potential to be one. Xander knew at least that much but didn''t say a thing. His Lord was an anomaly and, he believed, so was his young Mistress. He believed she could do it.
Returning his attention to the front, Xander became even more excited at the imminent rise of the Pacifer n. It made him think about the old glorious days. A battle-crazed grin crept up his face as he put his fingers together. When he pulled them away, strings of red light bridged them. He then abruptly opened his arms, releasing the red strings in front of him.
The Demons who stood within a radius of half a kilometre from him were mutted faster than they could register the pain. Their mutted bodies fell helplessly to the ground. It was exhausting and a long one, but they could win the battle. The thought made Xander grin giddily.
Woong!
A hellish roar of a gigantic creature assaulted everyone''s ears. Xander stiffened slightly at the roar. The loudness aside, its presence was screaming trouble. As he turned his eyes to the creature that had just joined the battle, his expression instantly darkened. The only logical conclusion he reached at that moment was to run.
"Regroup!" he roared at the same time his partner, Cyrus did.
As talented as they were, the Pacifer had only had two weeks of training with them. Although they could use a Magic Formation to face the creature and the rest of the Demon horde, he was quite sceptical about how long they could maintain it.
Using a Magic Formation required not only harmony but also stamina. The Pacifer nswomen were blessed with a ridiculous Mana Capacity, but their stamina was quite mediocre. A snarl involuntarily escaped Xander. He was extremely tempted to tell the Pacifer it was time to run and leave their vige behind.
"Is that what I think it is?" Cyrus remarked beside him with a disbelieving undertone.
"It has nine heads and the body of a four-legged serpent¡ªwhat else can it be?" Xander returned with a grimace.
"Holy grime, mate. We are facing a bloody Hydra!"
Xander turned around when he felt seven people approached him. They were the five Maha Dmitra, Iliana, and Ione. He knew what they were going to do, so his grimace became worse. He wouldn''t be able to face Basil if any of them got mortally wounded.
"Let''s team up and take that snake, Xander," Iliana dered, reminding everyone of Basil. "The rest will take care of the annoying pests. I am sure they are more than capable of doing that."
"My Lady, we are not only going to face the Hydra but also¡ª"
"Those High-ss Demons don''t amount to much. We can do it," Ione interjected. "We will only ruin Lord Basil''s n if we retreat now. He gave us the green light to move after a month; not as soon as we face this kind of challenge."
Xander''s hesitation was apparent on his face. He was not going to tell them to retreat. He didn''t want them to join Cyrus and Him which might very well be a suicide mission. They wouldn''t let him be if he told them their real purpose, so he was quite floored.
"I have never forbidden you to run away when your lives are in danger."
The familiar voice that suddenly joined the discourse made everyone widen their eyes. Turning their heads to the source of the voice, they were met with the curious gaze of a golden-eyed young man with long, silky golden hair that billowed graciously in the air. Clinging on to him like a child was Asia. Even so, he looked extremely regal.
"My Lord!"
"It''s the Patriarch!"
Asia grinned at the reaction. "I told you he is going to be on time."
Basil''s new appearance, which he also had recently noticed, made Xander and Cyrus quite shocked. The resemnce Basil had with The Lord was extremely uncanny. They knew they were a different person, but they couldn''t help reminiscing the old glorious days as they looked at him. They would get it back. It was tangible with this person.
"Your order, My Lord!" Xander and Cyrus eximed reverently.
"Help the civilians evacuate. We are going to move out."
As soon as he said that, his Domain materialized. The world turned into an endless field of tall golden grass. The feeling of glory overwhelmed them. The Demons roared in fear.
Chapter 484 Regroup and Fortify (2)
Chapter 484 Regroup and Fortify (2)
Asia got down from Basil and then smiled at him. She ignored the noises in the background in favour of shamelessly ogling at him. Basil had half expected Asia to change after interacting with her descendants, the Pacifer, but she didn''t. Vagus'' influence was too strong for her to behave normally. Of course, there was still a chance that she had been a closeted pervert all this time.
"Do you still want to spend some more time outside?" Basil asked.
"I don''t think so. It is quite taxing maintaining the Jade of Soul Memoir and I don''t want to unnecessarily burden you." Asia shook her head. "I am going to return to your Inner World."
After she said that, Asia dissolved into particles, leaving a jade pendant behind. Basil regained the familiar presence in his mind as he caught the pendant from falling. Turning his attention to the remaining people, he hummed in contemtion as they looked at him expectantly. He honestly didn''t know what to tell them to do.
"I will take care of the Hydra. You may train your coordination and take care of anything that I can''t take care of," he said. "The main purpose is not to kill as many as possible but to kill as coordinated as possible."
"Understood!"
"Spread out!"
Quickly taking the initiative, the Maha Dmitra led the remaining Pacifer nswomen, leaving Iliana and Ione behind. They didn''t show any intention of following the others as they stared at Basil stoically. He knew what they wanted, so he merely shrugged. He turned around and dashed at the Hydra, allowing the two to follow him.
Willing one of the gigantic golden swords in the sky to fall, Basil sent it to the Hydra. Several High-ss Demons stood in its way, trying to stop it futilely. They turned into an explosion of gore but managed to make the sword off course. Unfortunately for them, it still hit the Hydra''s leg. The gigantic sword''s cut couldn''t be healed easily.
Hundreds of Middle-ss Demons rushed at Basil, Iliana and Ione. Basil sent them the floating des in the field, killing them even before they could reach them. Ione materialized her Grimoire, casting a defensive Spell to protect them from the Spells that the High-ss Demons sent. Joining Basil, Iliana sent long-range attacks using Sinister Piercer.
The three were unstoppable given thebination. Faster than any of the High-ss Demons would like to see, they reached the Hydra. The Demons shot various Miasma-powered Spells at them while the Hydra lunged its heads. Ione blocked the iing Spells with her Defence Spell. Basil controlled the gigantic sword near the Hydra and cut three of its heads with it.
The High-ss Demons controlling the Hydra smirked, thinking that Basil didn''t know the ability of the Hydra. His giant sword might be able to slow down the healing rate of a Demon, but that didn''t work well on the Hydra, especially its heads. Basil was aware of it. Therefore, even before the Hydra sprouted six new heads, Iliana burned the stump of the beheaded necks.
Shriek!
"Stop them! They know the weakness!"
The High-ss Demons were frantic. They had spent a great deal of Miasma to awaken the Hydra. It should have been a dangerous weapon against their opponents. They were quite indignant to see it being damaged easily like that. Despite that, they still believed that it would be able to turn the tide in their favour; therefore, they concentrated on protecting it instead.
Curses were thrown at Basil and the girls. Basil deflected them with True Light Magic, allowing Ione and Iliana to focus on the offence. As the barrage of Curses ended, the Hydra lunged its six heads forward, spewing out a torrent of thick ash that turned everything it touched into stone. Basil blocked the ash with a shield produced by his gigantic sword.
Iliana frowned as she stood beside Basil. Even with [One with Nature] active, she could tell that she could never be able to withstand the ash which Basil did easily. The difference in power between them was palpable. She was well aware that she had yet possessed the power to fight alongside Basil, but it was a humbling experience.
Of course, that didn''t mean that she would back down. As soon as the Hydra stopped spewing its ash, Iliana jumped over the gigantic sword and activated her Art: [Mountain Piercer]. She thrust Sinister Piercer at one of the Hydra''s heads, producing a beam out of the spear. The beam destroyed the head and burned the stump of the beheaded neck.
Before she could safely retreat, a cloak of Miasma covered her body. She immediately exploded her Mana outwards, thus dispelling the forming Curse. Unfortunately, by doing that, she couldn''t properly use her Mana to Cast [Teleportation]. As such, she was prone to the iing attack of the Hydra.
Before the ash could hit and petrify her, fortunately, Ione teleported her to her side. The ash hit the ce where Iliana had been, hitting no one. Knowing what she just did was dangerous and thoughtless, Iliana cast an apologetic smile toward Ione. The said Pacifer nodded her head silently.
The Hydra groaned, making the two female Pacifers turn their heads in its direction. They found Basil having cut two of its remaining heads. The High-ss Demons reacted quickly, but they were immediately blown up by the ded weapons that Basil controlled even before they could attack him. He didn''t retreat and kept dealing losses to the Demon''s side.
Ione put her hand on Iliana''s shoulder as she noticed her frowning. "You don''t need to be as strong as him to fight beside him. You have to ept that you have to retreat sometimes to let him take care of the things that we can''t."
"I know," Iliana replied, subdued.
"Your action doesn''t reflect your words."
Iliana frowned harder but didn''t say anything. They turned their attention back to the Hydra and found Basil retreating. At this moment, all of the High-ss Demons were no longer alive and the Hydra only had three of its originally nine heads. When Basil was right beside them, he quirked his eyebrow expectantly.
The two female Pacifers knew what he wanted and immediately took action. Ione cast her Spells to distract the Hydra meanwhile Iliana rushed as fast as possible at the Hydra. When she was close enough, she swung her spear sideways in hopes of decapitating all three heads at once. It was a major mistake as she was not strong enough to do that.
"Iliana!" Ione shouted.
Time froze as Iliana stared at the three Hydra''s heads staring down at her. The heads opened their maws, allowing her to see the ash that was about to petrify her. Her Grand Circles red as she frantically gathered as much Mana as possible. The Pacifer Seal on her forehead shone brighter than ever as [One with Nature] filled her with Natural Mana to the brim.
''Is this how I will end?'' she thought indignantly. ''I don''t want to die here. Not before I can properly fight alongside Basil!''
As if answering her determination, an insurmountable power rushed through her body. She instantly felt calm. The power rush made her feel invincible. ''I can do it.'' She rxed her stance and faced the Hydra confidently. ''I can fight alongside Basil with this power.'' By the time she knew it, her movement was unhindered in the slowed-down world.
She swung her spear like she had. Attempting the same thing twice right after failing splendidly just a few moments ago seemed foolish, yet she felt right doing it. She was sure it would work this time. She wasn''t wrong. As soon as she finished swinging her spear, the Hydra''s remaining heads fell. Before the stumps could grow, they were covered in purple fire.
The Hydra reeled back and forth before falling lifelessly to the ground. Iliana watched the entire happening with a bewildered yet satisfied look. She turned around, meeting the gaze that had been nted on her back. She wanted to smirk victoriously at her two audiences but couldn''t do so as she immediately felt lightheaded.
Basil appeared beside her before she could fall. He caught her in his arms, meeting her questioning gaze with a small smile. She had felt powerful just a few moments ago. She wondered why she felt so hopeless now. Basil merely told her to rest and sheplied without any qualms.
"Now, let''s end this farce. They are no longer needed," Basil muttered as he looked up.
Raising his hand, Basil transmitted to his Pacifer nswomen the order to retreat. They did it without any questions, leaving the Demons in the dust. When the Demons had the initiative to chase after the Pacifers, Basil brought down his hands. Hundreds of thousands of ded weapons flew toward the Demons.
The scene made them stop for a moment, but they were too overwhelmed by bloodlust to properly think about the consequences of their actions. As such, all of them burst into a rain of blood as soon as they made contact with the weapons.
The Pacifer nswomen saw the scene in awe. Basil just did something that hundreds of them even had struggles doing. It reminded them of the reason why he was the Fated Child. At least, that was the thought of the Hina Dmitra. The Maha Dmitra were reminded of who Basil was. He was a Demigod and the Vessel of the God whom they had served.
Through Basil, they could see a glimpse of the lost power. Through Basil, they were reminded that it didn''t have to be The Lord who came and saved them.
"We are going to the Great Forest of Yitoupheo," Basil said as his Domain dematerialized, revealing the bleak sky above. "Xander, Cyrus, the Maha Dmitra and I will be the spearhead meanwhile the Hina Dmitra be the rearguard. The centre will be filled with civilians."
Basil was enough.
Chapter 485 Regroup and Fortify (End)
Chapter 485 Regroup and Fortify (End)
The mass Outbreak was an event that no one could forget for the next century. The terror that everyone felt when the twenty-nine beams shot into the sky which signified the unsealing of the remaining Obelisks still haunted them even though a week had passed. They could still recall it vividly as if it happened tomorrow. The terror was deeply ingrained in their souls.
The existing kingdoms were quick to react. Braxtein immediately called for the Empire''s backup when its Knights and Mages couldn''t handle the number of Demons that they were taking care of. A lot of its citizens had fallen victim, but the kingdom fared quite well. That was, of course, thanks to the Empire''s help and its new leader.
On the other hand, Baillocke hadn''t suffered as much as Braxtein had. After its neighbouring kingdom''s fall¡ªthe Vallienda Kingdom¡ªit had done its best to up its defence for future fights. Its quick action had proven to be a wise decision as they were ready when Demons flooded its front yard. So far, only the army had fallen victim to Demons.
Without question, the Church and the Empire fared extremely well. The Empire was already a force to be reckoned with and the Church was capable of protecting themselves from Demons. Combining their force, the Demons could barely do anything to them. The death toll on their sides was dismal. The Empire was arguably the safest ce in the world at the moment.
During this time, despite the situation in their surroundings, many still thought about how Basil and his allies fared. These people were mostly those who wanted to join him but couldn''t. Given how new Basil''s faction was, everyone expected his people to suffer in the mass Outbreak. The reality was that Basil''s faction did very well.
The rumours regarding how well they fared varied. Some of them said that Basil''s faction allied with Demons, so they remained untouched. The others said that they were strong enough to shy Demons away from their territories. It was hard to discern theplete truth, but everyone got the idea of how well they fared. Basil''s faction remained strong.
The territory under Basil''s jurisdiction that struggled the most would be Frachtenhein. It was the farthest from Padeitophys which was where Basil''s army was concentrated, so helping it took time. With that said, it still fared well. Frachtenhein was not a weak kingdom. Moreover, over the two weeks Basil had left, it had cooperated with its allies to increase its military prowess.
"Manfred is bragging that he doesn''t have to move a single step from his position to defend his kingdom and not lose a single soldier. I sadly can''t do the same for it will result in my subordinate''s death."
A white-haired, elderly, tall man hummed to himself as he caressed his white beard. His blind eyes stared into nothing, but he could perfectly picture the situation on the battlefield before his eyes. His subordinates fared well. He could have rested, but he didn''t. Their enemies were not only the Demons. They needed to save as many people as possible.
"Grittenhein has a lot of help, Milord. It has the aid of Vallienda which has recently fallen into its hands and also the help of Padeitophys."
"Given that we also receive the help from Padeitophys¡ªlook at those valiant Elven Warriors¡ªand the help from the Dwarves¡ªlook at those Golems¡ªare you saying that I, Alphonse de Frachtenhein, am ipetent, Chandler?"
The Knight named Chandler sweated nervously upon being put under the spotlight. He didn''t mean to mock his King. His King was morepetent than any other King. No one had even disputed his King''s brilliance. What he wanted to say was that their kingdom got less helppared to their ally, Grittenhein, and that was fine.
"Ha-Ha-Ha!"
Alphonseughed good-naturedly as he firmly patted Chandler''s back. The blond-haired talented young Knight heaved a sigh of relief at the action. Many said that Alphonse didn''t know how to joke. They were wrong. He joked quite often, but very few could tell he was joking. Recently, he found out thatughing after joking would make people know you were joking.
"Anyway, today will be the day the Demons retreat," Alphonse casually revealed. "It means both good and bad things for us. On one hand, we can take a rest but, on the other hand, we have to be wary of what the Demons will do next."
Alphonse turned to Chandler, put his hand on his shoulder and stared at him seriously. "With that said, I am leaving for Padeitophys."
"Huh?"
"That person ising back, so I need to meet him."
"Milord, what about us?"
"I have seen what you are capable of for thest month, so I can safely leave the army in your hands."
"¡sir."
Alphonse smiled at Chandler''s lost look. He could see it even with his blind eyes, but he yed oblivious. He had told everyone about his decision and no one had a qualm. They agreed that Chandler was capable enough to lead the army despite his young age. Unfortunately, Chandler was only told about his mandate today.
He was not ready. He was already used to leading the army but not when his King was not on his side. A strained smile crept up his face as he met his King''s encouraging look. He wanted to refuse the mandate, but he couldn''t bring himself. Eventually, he sighed and nodded his head. He would put his life on the line for the army''s sess.
"Farewell, then."
Not even a second after he said that, Alphonse disappeared.
¡.
Padeitophys wasparable to the Arthean Empire. Located deep in the Great Forest of Yitoupheo which remained imprable, it was practically impossible for Demons to reach it. Despite so, everyone who stayed there still fought outside Yitoupheo. The Demons seemed very eager to prate it, so the ground was littered with countless corpses.
One could see humans, Elves, Dwarves, Demi-Humans and even Monsters fighting side by side outside Yitoupheo. The line of defence remained imprable even after a week. Thousands of High-ss Demons had worked together to prate it but failed. The Diabolical Warriors of Asura that Basil had left behind were proven to be a great help.
One could safely say the intensity of the battles outside Yitoupheo was the highest in the world at the moment. The number of Demons aside, the individual prowess of the Demons attacking the line was something that one couldn''t scoff at. They were faring well, yet a momentary slip was all it needed to ruin their momentum.
Screech!
"Ha-Ha-Ha! Keep these antsing! It''s not enough!"
Amongst those fighting in the line, the Qilin that Yang Tian Long brought to Yitoupheo under Basil''s request was enjoying himself. Golden lightning bolts ceaselessly surrounded him, striking the unfortunate Demons who picked his interest. He would also shoot out a ball of lightning at the Demons from time to time, killing thousands of them at the same time, regardless of their ss.
Yang Tian Long was there to control the Qilin in case it identally attacked an ally, which had never happened. On his side, he was apanied by his beloved daughter, Yang Mei Qi; his surrogate nieces, Shirley, rissa and Julia; and his sworn brother Danzel. Other than him, the others were trying to get themselves used to war.
So far, everyone was faring well. He could understand Mei Qi and Danzel since they weren''t foreign to war, but the girls'' performance was unexpected. They coordinated well with each other. Each of their actions was decisive. They dared to take a risk but not make an impulsive decision. They reminded him of how Basil fought.
"Well, they are taught by Basil, after all."
Focusing his attention on somewhere else, he found his son-inw fighting a Century of Demons by himself. Anthony was performing exceptionally well, but he couldn''t bring himself tomend him. They had made up, but he still couldn''t bond with Anthony. In his eyes, Anthony was the one who had stolen his daughter from him, after all.
"Are you going to send another sneak attack at Anthony again, Father?"
"What!? What kind of nonsense is that, Mei''er?"
Tian Long faced his daughter''s unamused look with a hurt look. He couldn''t believe his daughter thought so lowly of him. He didn''t need a sneak attack to kill the bastard who had stolen his daughter from him. He could do it with his bare hands.
"You did it on the third day of Mass Outbreak," Mei Qi pointed out.
"Anthony had exined to you it was a joke," Tian Long countered.
"He also admitted that he didn''t know what happened until you smirked at him, though."
"What is a prank when the target already knows what is about to happen?"
Mei Qi rolled her eyes at the wise look her father shot her. She could tell her father had indeed been messing around at that time. However, she didn''t want to take a chance. Daoists were an entric bunch. Their weirdness knows no bounds. Who knows what her father might do when she is not paying attention?
Voom!
The air trembled at the same time the Mana Pressure in the surroundings surged. Everyone couldn''t help but turn their heads in the direction where the Mana Pressure wasing. The closest Dungeon''s entrance opened up. Everyone''s heart immediately skipped a beat at the scene. It could mean good and bad things.
Instead of more Demons, fortunately, they saw someone they were familiar withe out of it. They couldn''t mistake his presence. Before everyone could cheer at Basil''s appearance, more people came out of the Dungeon, following closely behind him. The Pacifer Servants who were once called Kinyers cheered loudly at their appearance.
"The Pacifer n has returned!"
"Hoar! Hoar! Hoar!"
"Eternal glory to Our Lord!"
The battlefield was filled with the cheers of the Pacifer Servants. They had seen the fall of the Pacifer n and despaired for their inability to prevent it. Now that they saw the very n that they served again, they couldn''t hold back their excitement. At that moment, Basil reminded them greatly of The Lord who had led them to glory in the past.
Chapter 486 Relocation
Chapter 486 Relocation
Basil raised his hand and ordered, "Escort them!"
His voice didn''t possess even a hint of urgency, but those who heard it had a great urge toply. Adhering to Basil''smand, the Pacifer Servants separated themselves from the army and went to escort the Pacifer civilians. At the same time, Basil and the Pacifer Warriors joined the rank.
The army was quite a bit surprised upon getting a backupprised fully of women but didn''t underestimate them. The intimidatingly shining Pacifer Seal on the female Warriors'' forehead aside, their crushing pressure was enough indication that they weren''t a group to be trifled with.
They were still curious, though. They could tell the women that Basil brought with him were the surviving Pacifer n, but they couldn''t understand why there were only women. They had heard about the Pacifer n but didn''t know the details. None of them knew that the Pacifer women could only give birth to females.
"We will push the Demons back today."
Their curiosity was quickly drowned out by Basil''s deration. Basil had always made what he saide true, so his deration pumped the army''s spirit up. As soon as they saw Basil''s back in front of them, they forgot their fatigue. They roared in excitement and moved their bodies with more vigour.
Basil dashed through the ranks of Demons as if they weren''t even there. The Pacifer Warriors followed closely behind. They didn''t even attack once, but the Demons whom they shot past dropped dead. It was a bewildering scene for everyone but a nostalgic scene for the watching Pacifer Servants. The Pacifers were adept at attacking their enemies mentally.
At one point, the Hina Dmitra stopped following Basil. They sped their hands and erected a massive Barrier which they powered with Natural Mana. The Barrier separated the area that they had passed from the area that Basil and others were heading. Once the Barrier was stabilized, they turned around and faced the Demons whom they had passed.
As their Pacifer Seals shone brightly in white, the Demons they were facing became agitated. The Demons quickly fell victim to the Hina Dmitra who didn''t hesitate to obliterate the Demons with their Spells. The army was astonished but didn''t merely stand and watch. They were alsoing for the Demons and therefore they could tell that the Demons had been weakened.
Crackle!
As the army was busy taking advantage of the weakened Demons, the Qilin shed through the battlefield and joined Basil''s side in the blink of an eye. Iliana, Ione, Xander, Cyrus and the Maha Dmitra were quite shocked by its appearance but not worried about it. Without Basil telling them anything, they knew the Qilin was on his side.
"This battlefieldcks a strong opponent, youngd!" the Qilin roared mirthfully. "I have been having fun, but it is not enough. They are nigh endless but too easy to kill."
"Don''t worry. The future fight will bring more strong Demons before us," Basil assured casually. "You may have to risk your life to win the fight."
"That is more like it!"
Basil took out Caliburn and raised it into the air. He abruptly stopped in his tracks, causing the people following behind him to scatter and letting the golden lightning from the sky hit Caliburn. The Qilin positioned itself behind Basil and stayed still as he surrounded himself with golden lightning. The lightning crackled madly, violently vibrating everyone''s eardrums.
The lightning surrounding the Qilin struck Basil''s body and travelled to Caliburn. Golden lightning pirs emerged from the ground and then surrounded the Qilin and Basil like a protective barrier. The Qilin opened his mouth, forming a destructive golden ball of lightning. The lightning running through their bodies got more intense because of the action.
Crack!
As the Qilin released his golden lightning ball, Basil released a beam of golden lightning from Caliburn. The two attacks merged before they made contact with any of the Demons. The lightning ball expanded meanwhile the lightning beam spread out like tree roots. The Demons'' scream of terror was soon washed off by the crackling sound of lightning.
The battlefield was overwhelmed by the golden light for a few seconds. Everyone collectively stopped moving to avoid hitting allies and also getting hit by the golden lightning. Far as they were, they could still feel electricity. Their bodies tingled even by merely looking at it. They would have been charred to death if they were civilians.
When the lightning died down and everyone could see once again, Basil immediately ordered his closest aides to swoop in. Coborating with the five Maha Dmitra, Iliana, Ione, Xander and Cyrus exterminated the surviving Demons with one Spell. None of the Demons could properly defend themselves as they were still stunned by the lightning.
Blood wet the charred ground, turning the smell of the battlefield even more unpleasant. Basil and the Pacifer n had emptied half of the battlefield since their appearance. They had done it so quickly and efficiently that it had felt like a dream for those who had witnessed it. They could understand why the Church bore deep hatred towards them.
The Pacifer n was still this strong even after millennia of hiding and extermination. It was unimaginable how strong they had been in the past. The power that the Pacifer used to possess must have easily rivalled the Empire. It was understandable why the Church was worried about the Pacifer. They couldn''t risk losing their backing.
"Take care of the nuisance," Basil spoke to Iliana and others as he took Durendal out of his Spatial Ring. "I will take care of the Obelisk Master who has decided toe out of his hide."
No one questioned Basil''s decision. Iliana who had recently be a Maha Dmitra didn''t bother to argue this time. She hade to terms with the difference in power between her and Basil. She had realized what was important was that she could help him. Her newfound power was enough, so she didn''t dwell on her inability to fight with him side by side like they used to.
"Ha-Ha-Ha! It is you who stole my Vagus!"
A blue-haired mboyant man with armour draped with a red cloth joined the battlefield with a boisterousugh. Basil was familiar with his face. It looked attractive to both males and females. One only needed a nce at the mole above his lip to lose themselves in lust. Surely, Basil was different. He could hardly feel the man''s influence.
"I want to act surprised, but you are that being''s incarnation. It would be funny if you easily faltered before my charm," the man remarked in fascination. "Ah, let me introduce myself. My name is¡ª"
"Let''s get this over with, Zepar," Basil interjected calmly.
"Oh, you know my name."
"I need to merge Vagus with Durendal."
Zepar raised the blue ymore in his hand and stared at it with a quirked eyebrow. He then lowered his hand and scoffed at Basil. Vagus no longer felt special without its Sword Soul¡ªwhich was actually Asia¡ªbut it was still his. He wouldn''t let Basil talk lightly about it.
"[Derailing Charm]!" he shouted.
Basil merely quirked an eyebrow as he felt the slight tug in his mind. He was quite amused that someone was testing the Technique he was adept at on him. Naturally, the attack did nothing. Zepar quickly realized it was the case. He charged at Basil, putting as much Miasma as he could into Vagus.
Basil blocked Vagus with Durendal and shed Zepar''s stomach with Caliburn. The Demon retreated with wide eyes. He had tried [Haywire] on Basil, but it didn''t work. On top of that, Basil could use True Light Magic, so his wound couldn''t heal. He immediately lost his yful look. Basil was not someone he could trifle with.
Coursing Miasma through his body, he unlocked all of the restraints put on him. His body morphed, quickly losing its human look. Before long, the mboyant man was reced with a 10-meter monstrosity with red skin and a pair of horns on its forehead. Zepar had assumed his True Form.
Basil''s Pacifer Seal shone brighter. Now that Zepar no longer restrained his Miasma, he could feel Vagus'' influence. A Sword Relic was nothing without its Sword Soul but with enough external power, it would be able to use its Sword Soul''s ability perfectly. Unfortunately, Basil wasn''tpletely immune to Vagus'' influence.
"[Derailing Charm]!"
nk!
With that said, though, Zepar still didn''t hold any advantage over Basil. He could still thwart Vagus'' ability easily. As a Pacifer, his soul was exceptionally strong and his mental defence was absurdly solid. Zepar needed to do more than that to make [Derailing Charm] take effect.
"[Derailing Charm]!"
On the other hand, Basil could easily influence Zepar with the same Technique.
"sphemous!"
Zepar was momentarily caught off guard by the pleasure-filled illusion that [Derailing Charm] gave him. By the time he regained rity, Caliburn had already cut his chest twice. He frantically teleported himself away but failed to maintain his footing. As a result, he sprawled on the ground as soon as he reappeared.
"You dare use my Curse against me, Pacifer!" He screamed at Basil who quickly appeared beside him.
Basil merely drove Durendal and Caliburn into the sprawled Zepar, ignoring himpletely. Zepar gritted his teeth and cast another [Teleportation]. Much to his shock, he found the Spell not working. Realizing the space in his surroundings had been sealed in the next moment, he spat a ball of Miasma at Basil''s face.
Squelch!
Durendal and Caliburn pierced through Zepar at the same time his Miasma ball hit Basil''s face. Zepar spewed out a mouthful of blood, but Basil remained unharmed. The Miasma ball fell harmlessly from his face. Zepar couldn''t believe what he saw. He refused to believe there was a Mana Barrier strong enough to block his Miasma ball up close.
"Ah, fuck it!" He came to a decision. "You will beg for your life the next time we meet, Pacifer!" He would sacrifice a part of his soul to escape.
Poof!
Compared to the intensity of the Miasma, the sound that the Demonic Art produced was underwhelming. Despite that, what it did was amazing. Zepar easily escaped Basil''s confinement. Basil couldn''t even do anything to prevent it.
"Well, that is interesting."
Unfortunately for Zepar, Basil didn''t need to stop him.
Swoosh! Swoosh! Swoosh!
"What¡?"
As soon as he reappeared in the sky a few kilometres away, thousands of swords pierced through his body. He could only stare at Basil in disbelief before the swords impaling him exploded, thus destroying his body.
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